Y: The Last Man [SPOILERS] 0

[N/A]

Ex Machina's ending was brutal. Nothing like changing your entire perspective of the main character in the last issue.

 

Tell me about it. On the one hand, I appreciate the audacity. On the other, I don't appreciate the punch in the gut.

 

If it had a more conventional finish, we'd hear it mentioned more than we do whenever BKV's name comes up. People still talk about Y while EM is now an afterthought. A shame since EM is a solid read in its own right.

 

Agreed.

 

Although I have my EM run right beside my YTLM run.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Ex Machina's ending was brutal. Nothing like changing your entire perspective of the main character in the last issue.

 

Tell me about it. On the one hand, I appreciate the audacity. On the other, I don't appreciate the punch in the gut.

 

If it had a more conventional finish, we'd hear it mentioned more than we do whenever BKV's name comes up. People still talk about Y while EM is now an afterthought. A shame since EM is a solid read in its own right.

 

I read the first tpb of Ex Machina. It was good, but not something I immediately wanted to read the rest of. The comment about the ending sounds kind of like what BKV did at the end of Y.

The entire journey is about him finding Beth, but when he finally does, it's very anticlimactic, and felt pretty cheap.

 

[NewWorldOrder]

Ex Machina's ending was brutal. Nothing like changing your entire perspective of the main character in the last issue.

 

Tell me about it. On the one hand, I appreciate the audacity. On the other, I don't appreciate the punch in the gut.

 

If it had a more conventional finish, we'd hear it mentioned more than we do whenever BKV's name comes up. People still talk about Y while EM is now an afterthought. A shame since EM is a solid read in its own right.

 

I read the first tpb of Ex Machina. It was good, but not something I immediately wanted to read the rest of. The comment about the ending sounds kind of like what BKV did at the end of Y.

The entire journey is about him finding Beth, but when he finally does, it's very anticlimactic, and felt pretty cheap.

 

I thought finding Beth was actually pretty realistic and relatable.

[DomUga]

From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y:_The_Last_Man#The_plague

 

 

The source of the plague that wiped out every living mammal with a Y chromosome except Yorick Brown, Ampersand and Doctor Matsumori is never fully explained. A number of possible explanations are provided throughout the course of the series, but a definitive answer is left for the reader to decide. Discussing the cause of the plague, Vaughan is quoted as saying:

 

I feel that there is a definitive explanation, but I like that people don't necessarily know what it is. In interviews we always said that we would tell people exactly what caused the plague. The thing was, we never said when we were going to tell. We weren't going to tell you when we were telling you, I should say. We might have told you in issue #3. There might have been something in the background that only a couple people caught. It might have been Dr. Mann's father's very detailed, scientific explanation. It might have been Alter's off-the-wall conspiracy theory. The real answer is somewhere in those 60 issues, but I prefer to let the reader decide which one they like rather than pushing it on them.

 

The theory that is described in the most detail is Dr. Matsumori's:

 

As described in the "Motherland" story arc, the Y-chromosome had been "rationally self-destructing for hundreds of millions of years" and thus the birth of Dr. Matsumori's first successful human clone "triggered a time-bomb that had been ticking for a millennia," in other words the moment the Y-chromosome became obsolete "nature righted its course." Moreover, Doctor Matsumori had also discovered a "chemical compound that had an adverse effect on the genome of cloned mammals" which he injected into a capuchin monkey (Ampersand) in an attempt to kill his daughter's unborn clone fetus. Yet, as fate would have it, Ampersand was misdelivered to Yorick and when the plague struck, the compound ended up having the opposite effect on non-cloned mammals, shielding all three of them from "god's wrath."

 

Other explanations put-forth in the book include:

 

- The Israeli agent Alter claims that the Culper Ring created a chemical agent designed to prevent women from conceiving male children. This agent was introduced into China to cripple their economy, however, something went wrong, and the chemical agent instead killed males of all ages.

 

-According to an agent of the Setauket Ring, the plague struck the moment Agent 355 removed the sacred Amulet of Helene from the nation of Jordan. The amulet carried a warning that if it was ever taken from its homeland, it would create a tragedy greater than the Trojan War. It is also suggested that the wedding ring Yorick bought for Beth may have protected him and Ampersand from the effect of this curse.

 

-The Earth cleansing herself of the Y chromosome, as believed by the Amazons.

 

-The Rapture taking all men and leaving women as a punishment for original sin, as believed by an air traffic controller.

 

-The remaining (female) members of Sons of Arizona were convinced that the government was responsible for the plague, and the top government leaders were lying in wait to take over the country.

 

- Changes in the Dreamtime affecting normal reality, as believed by some Australian aboriginals and Beth.

 

- One member of the "Fish & Bicycle" traveling theater troupe advanced the theory the plague was a direct response to the exclusion of women from true parity in the performing arts, thereby upsetting the natural order. In support of this theory, it was speculated the total exclusion of women from the stage in Shakespeare's day had resulted in pandemic outbreaks of the Bubonic Plague.

 

-At one point, the characters discuss the possibility that the release of the film Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood shortly before the plague may have caused a massive "death-by-chick-flick."

 

[NewWorldOrder]

So for all you guys who have read the series and are taking BKV's advice that he said there is a definitive cause of the plague that he said in the book.

 

Which explanation do you feel Vaughn is hinting at in the book and/or the one you are concluding is the cause of the plague in your opinion?

Edited February 10, 2013 by Spiderman-on-Tilt

[N/A]

I never decided on one and I interpret Vaughan's interview as saying it is up to the reader. I don't interpret it as BKV has decided which one is the actual cause but that he put forth a few possibilities and the actual cause is one of them. Your choice.

 

The cause played no part in my enjoying the series except how each character developed depending on their belief of the cause.

[troydivision1]

I used to believe Alter's theory above all, but it wouldn't explain the airplane pilots.

(would explain the cosmonauts)

[Sigmodon]

I took a 15-year hiatus from comics and this was the comic that brought me back. I've read it in its entirety and I too never got a clear understanding of what caused the plague. Although I liked Comicfan's theory.

[Nexus]

Impressive (as far as these things go) YTLM fan film:

 

[NewWorldOrder]

Impressive (as far as these things go) YTLM fan film:

 

 

Its stuff like this that make me hate managment.

 

How the F doesn't anyone with common sense see Millions of FREE money will be made if one of the movie companies makes this trilogy.

 

Are all executives in this country this stupid?

 

What am I am saying of course just look at how stupid our government is.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Impressive (as far as these things go) YTLM fan film:

 

 

Its stuff like this that make me hate management.

 

How the F doesn't anyone with common sense see Millions of FREE money will be made if one of the movie companies makes this trilogy.

 

Are all executives in this country this stupid?

 

What am I am saying of course just look at how stupid our government is.

 

I saw this video a few months ago. The differences were a bit much and a big chunk got omitted, but at least it was a start. This series would be easy to make a movie of, there wouldn't even have to be big budget special effects other than at the beginning of the plague. The rest is fairly down to earth.

[combiner1]

IMHO I like the Agent 355 taking the amulet theory. A virus would have taken a long time to reach every male on the planet,even if its transferred by air. When the series started and all the male died, it was all at the sometime. No virus has that much effect globally,so it's got to be the cause of the plague to be magic, thus the amulet.

 

 

 

 

But then again, magic would have some border limit on earth, since the astronaut weren't affected by it.

[comicfan17blue]

More support for viral cause.

 

 

I really think it was viral, there is a point in the story where they have identified the antibodies and they send some of Ampersand's stool back to the barn to treat the astronauts baby boy.

 

 

[Benjamin Grimm]

More support for viral cause.

 

 

I really think it was viral, there is a point in the story where they have identified the antibodies and they send some of Ampersand's stool back to the barn to treat the astronauts baby boy.

 

 

Correct, but combiner makes a good point above about the fact that a virus wouldn't be global instantly. But perhaps it's a bit of both?

[NewWorldOrder]

I am going to re-read the series for the 3rd time soon, and I am going to really look for clues if any to what BVK is talking about.

 

If I had to pick what caused the virus I would say Dr. Mann's theory best suits my liking the most.

 

Having nature know instantly when a male is now rendered useless is awesome. haha

 

 

[ThoseBackPages]

ive only read it once, but owe it to myself to re-read it.

 

that being said, i like the idea that "the ending" was not "spelled out" for the reader

[NewWorldOrder]

ive only read it once, but owe it to myself to re-read it.

 

that being said, i like the idea that "the ending" was not "spelled out" for the reader

 

Well not every time.

 

Still think Lost is now to me rendered one of the worst TV series of all time by the last couple seasons made no sense.

 

Damn you David Lindelof, damn you to hell!

[ThoseBackPages]

LOST is my all time favorite TV Show. The "ending" is up to the viewer

 

and hey, BKV wrote some of them!

 

 

[Benjamin Grimm]

I'm okay with having to mentally work for a resolution, but being left without the writer even have decided which explanation is solid is disappointing. I loved the series, it's just the ending which gets me.

[NewWorldOrder]

This thread deserves a