Y: The Last Man Vol. 2 - Cycles

Y: The Last Man Vol. 2 - Cycles
By Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra

So we've got Yorick Brown, the last living male on Earth (if you don't count his monkey, Ampersand). He's train-hopping across the country with "355," government secret agent tasked with protecting him, and Dr. Allison Mann, who has data in San Fransisco that might hold the key to why all males died and maybe, just maybe, to re-starting the human race.

Thing is, it wouldn't be much of a story if their travels were easy. And they're not. Being tailed by Israeli agents is pretty. Worse are the man-hating "Amazons," which include Yorick's sister, Hero. But first is an unexpected stop in Marrisville, Ohio, where a group of secretive women seem to have carved out a small utopia for themselves.

Even at this early juncture, writer Brian K. Vaughan walks a delicate tightrope by presenting stories that seem to meander away from the overall narrative -- finding the cause of the man-killing plague and some way to begin rebuilding the human race -- while also providing key milestones in both story and character development. The stop in Marrisville makes for a good drama, but how vital is it to the overall story?

Pretty damn vital, actually. Even aside from getting to know Yorick and his neuroses a little better, it marks a major turning point for his sister, Hero, and cements the Amazons into place as a bunch of cult crazies everyone despises.

Plus, you know, it's just a damn good story. The action doesn't stray into silly action movie territory, the drama is tense, the writing is smart and funny, and Pia Guerra's art is near perfect. The second in the brilliant trilogy of collections that open this series is a winner.

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