Imagine a world suddenly hit with a plague, and just like that, all mammals carrying the male Y chromosome drop dead. In a nutshell, you have envisioned the world and premise of Y: The Last Man. Within its first few pages, the comic series hits the ground running as you witness the apocalyptic aftermath of such a plague. Society's infrastructure collapses, food becomes scarce, and anarchy breaks loose. Though the outlook is bleak, hope remains in the only two males to survive: the series' protagonist, Yorick, and his pet monkey, Ampersand.
Despite the fact the author, Brian Vaughan, chose the protagonist to be a male, his supporting cast are a series of strong, independent, unforgettable women. There's Agent 355, a mysterious government operative, capable of taking James Bond down with one hand tied behind her back. She protects Yorick as they dangerously make their way from New York to a genetics lab in California. Beth Deville, Yorick's girlfriend, is the go-getter type. While Yorick is agonizing over how to propose (and keep her with him) she’s following her dreams of studying anthropology halfway across the world, in the Australian Outback. To say the least, the women in Y are confident and self-possessed.
But in a world of all women and two men, issues of feminism, gender and sexuality are bound to come up. Though I believe Vaughan tried his best to create a story line that empowered women, there were moments I found myself pausing. Let's begin with the Daughters of the Amazon, a group (or rather gang) best described as "angry, man-hating feminist." These women, depicted as insecure and previously victimized by the men in their lives, become a monstrosity in and of themselves. In a world struggling to survive, the Daughters of the Amazon seem more intent on destroying sperm banks, male works of art, and all systems and edifices that stand for patriarchy. They even go so far as killing transsexual females. I understand that these women were meant to be fanatic and extreme. However, is it possible that Vaughan unknowingly discredited, if not muted, some of the issues the Daughters bring up? For example, to what extent has patriarchy limited women? And if the Daughters are killing transsexuals, or those women who don't necessarily fit into the "female" box, what is Vaughan saying about gender vs. sex?
When I came across the character of Dr. Allison Mann, I was excited and relieved. For once, I saw great promise in a lesbian character whose identity didn't center around her sexual orientation. Dr. Mann is a world class leading geneticist before all else. Her complexity as a character runs deep and we learn that her orientation isn't a problem or an issue, but a fact of which she's fully comfortable with. But where Vaughan did well with Dr. Mann, he lacked elsewhere. In a world where there aren't any guys around (save Yorick and his monkey), women don't have the choice to practice heterosexual relationships. We learn that a good many, normally self-proclaimed as "straight," choose to be in homosexual relationships. But what we aren't told is how they come to feel about this last and only option. The comic series is nearly silent on the issue.
But all said and done, Y: The Last Man is a series that dares tread where no man (or woman) has tread before. Its efforts in portraying strong, empowered women is commendable and, as always, refreshing. Definitely worth the read.