The Unmanned World

Wow. I just got done with what has currently been written in the Vertigo (DC's more adult oriented line) comic, Y: The Last Man. No, there are no super-heroics to be found here. It's just a hypothetical world in which all men suddenly die within a time period of 5 minutes all around the world, leaving nothing but women. Before I go on any further, read the blurb below:

In the summer of 2002, a plague of unknown origin destroyed every last sperm, fetus, and fully developed mammal with a Y chromosome (with the apparent exception of one young man and his male pet).

This "gendercide" instantaneously exterminated 48% of the global population, or approximately 3 billion men. 495 of the Fortune 500 CEOs are now dead, as are 99% of the world's landowners.

In the United States alone, more than 95% of all commercial pilots, truck drivers, and ship captains died... as did 92% of violent felons.

Internationally, 99% of all mechanics, electricians, and construction workers are now deceased... though 51% of the planet's agricultural labor force is still alive.

14 nations, including Spain and Germany, have women soldiers who have served in ground combat units. None of the United States' nearly 200,000 female troops have ever participated in ground combat. Australia, Norway, and Sweden are the only countries that have women serving on board submarines.

In Israel, all women between the ages of 18 and 26 have performed compulsory military service in the IDF for at least one year and nine months. Before the Plague, at least three Palestinian suicide bombers had been women.

Worldwide, 85% of all government representatives are now dead... as are 100% of Catholic priests, Muslim imams and Orthodox Jewish rabbis.

Pretty scary, huh? Now don't take this comic series as just a big knock on women. It's more than that. Well, maybe not. But it's still proven an interesting read due to the witty dialogue. It's not the most original of scenarios, since Mary Shelley wrote about this one in her book The Last Man. It's still one of the better comics to come out of Vertigo since Preacher. Ha, did I trick you into reading this post because of the accompanying picture of a monkey?

"Get away from the window, Yorick!"

"But who the hell is shooting at us, Mom? Terrorists?"

"Worse... Republicans."

Comic of the Moment: Y: The Last Man by Bryan K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra