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Y: The Last Man, an Interview

posted by Matt Knicl at 12:53 am.

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Why the Last Man?

As of last month, the 60 issue series Y: The Last Man ended. Written by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Pia Guerra, this is the best comic you may not have heard of.

Yorick Brown is an English major with a crazy pet monkey, Ampersand. There is nothing special about them. That is, until every male on the planet dies, but Yorick and his male pet monkey. What follows is a quest across the world to understand what has happened and why Yorick was spared. This is an energetic series and flows like you’re watching a TV show.

I recently spoke with Pia Guerra about the series.

Matt Knicl: What has been your favorite part about working on Y: The Last Man?

Pia Guerra: Working with Brian [K. Vaughan] has been great. He’s very open to suggestions and writes very cleanly and simply which allows me a lot of room to be creative. He’s not afraid to let go of the reigns from time to time which is something you don’t always find in writers, especially new writers.

Matt: Was there any extra work/research you had to do in order to prepare for work on it?

Pia: Every issue is researched. The story is supposed to feel as real as possible so even little things are photo referenced. Uniforms, architecture, weapons, cars, landscapes you name it, there’s probably a picture pulled off google image search sitting by the desk.

Matt: Do you have a favorite character to draw? Least favorite?

Ampersand

Pia: Ampersand is always fun to draw because he’s all about mischief, it’s a fun energy to capture. Least favourite? Probably the Blackhawk helicopter. I tossed in a suggestion for something cool like soldiers rapelling out of big fat ugly copter thinking it would be just the one splash page but then Brian went with a Blackhawk that showed up throughout the One Small Step arc. It was a very difficult vehicle to research because there wasn’t a lot online then. I messed up a few angles as a result.

Matt: What was the most challenging part of the series to draw for you?

Pia: Quiet scenes involving a lot of talking heads. It’s hard to keep the tone dynamic from panel to panel when there’s not a lot action going on.

Matt: Do you feel like sometimes the artists are overshadowed by the writers?

Pia: Nah. An artist brings a reader to a book by making it look interesting and the writer keeps the reader coming back with an engaging story. If a writer gets a lot of the spotlight it’s usually because the artist did a good job making sure readers stuck around long enough to see how good he is.

Matt: Have you noticed any positive or negative trends in the medium today?

Pia: Positive: book geared towards younger audiences, like Tiny Titans or Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane. Where is the next generation of readers coming from if we don’t get ‘em early? We’re like Big Tobacco only funnier, and with less cancer.

Negative: things that make it hard to follow a story like intimidating art, overly deconstructive storytelling where you can’t remember what the heck happened from month to month, and endless crossovers that force you to read titles you have no interest in. My biggest beef however are mature themes like rape crammed into books still available for young audiences. Some kids are just not ready for that let alone in a comic book and writers should keep that in mind. If it’s going to be done then there should at least be a warning so parents can be prepared to answer some questions.

Matt: What advice do you have for aspiring artists looking to get into comics?

Pia: Be patient, listen to any feedback, and keep at it. It can take a few years so be ready for that. Study everything you can both in and out of comics, especially film.

Matt: What would you tell non-readers so they would want to read the series?

Pia: There’s a monkey in it. Who doesn’t like that?

Matt: Do you have any projects upcoming in the future?

Pia: I’m presently working on a short story by Leah Moore for Comic Book Tattoo and afterwards I’ll be doing an arc for IDW’s Doctor Who which should be a lot of fun.

Y: The Last Man #60 is in stores now and Vol. 10: Whys and Wherefores will be released in June

Images courtesy DC Comics

Matt Knicl: My name is Matt Knicl. I'm a U of I alumn and one of those unemployed English majors Garrison Keillor likes to make fun of. I've been reading comics since high school and one day I would like to write them. My goal is to expose readers to what is out there in the world of comics and using my English powers, show what is worth reading or not. I can be reached at buzz.comics@gmail.com.