CBR Live! Archive
A Year of Cool Comic Book Moments - Day 18
Here is the latest cool comic book moment in our year-long look at one cool comic book moment a day (in no particular order whatsoever)! Here's the archive of the moments posted so far!
Today we begin a special Tear-Jerker Week of cool comic book moments!
Our first "tear jerker" moment comes from the last issue of Y the Last Man.
Enjoy!
The last issue of Y the Last Man takes place many years in the future, when society has more or less been completely rebuilt and our protagonist, Yorick, is now an old man nearing his death. He is visited by one of the young adult clones of him (who is now about the same age as Yorick was when the plague that wiped out all the other men happened).
So most of the book takes place in flashbacks filling in the 60 year gap since the last issue, and it includes our farewells to various notable characters from the series, but none were more gripping and moving than the death of Yorick's monkey, Ampersand.
Writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Pia Guerra just nail this scene.
If you have to pick one page to be "the" moment, I guess page 3 would be it, but for clarity's sake, here is the four-page scene:
Very well done.
- Posted on January 18, 2009 @ 11:19 PM










35 Comments
Dunc
January 19, 2009 at 7:11 am
I've read this but for the benefit of everyone who hasnt':
Don't spoil Y!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Blackjak
January 19, 2009 at 7:15 am
Oh, boy....
Yep, still brings out the sniffles in me...
Damn fine piece.
'scuse me... *sniff*
bad_trotsky
January 19, 2009 at 7:30 am
Thats sad. I am crying.
Cass
January 19, 2009 at 7:31 am
Jesus that's a good scene. THANKS FOR RUINING IT!!!!!1111
jk jk
This has inspired me to go blow a wad of cash on trades.
Cass
January 19, 2009 at 7:33 am
The deal breaker is really the monkey's face on the right side of the third page.
Jim Yost
January 19, 2009 at 7:39 am
You know... I've lost it so many times when reading that book I couldn't even bring myself to actually look at it this time. But yeah. This should be 1st, last, and only thing on your list. Amazingly powerful scene.
chad
January 19, 2009 at 7:42 am
what a way to start the week remembering that scene and how Yorick winds up losing the one person who was with him through the whole thing and then to have it near 355 grave. touching and a tear jearker
Matt
January 19, 2009 at 7:44 am
Manly tears ;_;
Brian Cronin
January 19, 2009 at 7:47 am
My fiancee has never read the scene, because she knows it is too sad.
Brian Cronin
January 19, 2009 at 7:48 am
The funny thing is that I bet there's someone who actually IS thinking that. "Let's see, a scene from a book I haven't read yet? Let me read it...WHAT?!?!- how could you have spoiled that for me!!!"
joshschr
January 19, 2009 at 8:11 am
I hate BKV for making me care for a character and then killing him off by natural causes at the end of his natural life span. And for killing others by unnatural causes in ways that don't translate into noble and heroic sacrifices. And for not writing more comics for me to read.
At least LOST starts back up this week...
Pj Perez
January 19, 2009 at 9:11 am
MUST. BUY. ALL. COLLECTIONS. OF. THIS. SERIES. NOW.
Teebore
January 19, 2009 at 9:45 am
*sniff*
Aw, geez, it gets me every time...
Rob
January 19, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Damn you. This gets me EVERYTIME!
JackKing
January 19, 2009 at 2:49 pm
Saddest part in the whole damn book.
David D.
January 19, 2009 at 5:26 pm
That scene just got me AGAIN. So beautifully done.
Tom Fitzpatrick
January 19, 2009 at 6:15 pm
Reminds me of the ending of Old Yeller.
>HONK> sniffle
unh, DO excuse me.
Brent B.
January 19, 2009 at 6:26 pm
I've never really been able to understand any of the people who complain about the last issue of Y. This scene alone is makes it a great issue and to know that Yorick went on to live a full life; full of pain, love, beauty...etc is so rewarding to me. It's a great cap to a wonderful series.
stealthwise
January 19, 2009 at 8:22 pm
Ah... oh. Oh jeez.
Never fails.
jazzbo
January 19, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Man, that scene got to me enough when I originally read it. Now that I have a dog, it's even worse. Great scene in a great book.
Caradoc
January 19, 2009 at 10:32 pm
dude - heartbreaker of a scene. and way cool. that series was so well written that I didn't think i really cared for the monkey all that much until he was gone. kind of like real life and people that pass out of it.
great selections so far.
Mallfunction
January 20, 2009 at 2:42 am
Never read the book, nice art though.
Rusty Priske
January 20, 2009 at 8:33 am
I loved all of Y, but that scene was the best of them all.
flyingmelon
January 20, 2009 at 8:34 am
Awesome scene, but does the monkey die of natural causes? I thought that he was sick/old, and Yorick gave him a poisoned grape-"putting him to sleep" so that he could bury him by Agent 355. Still awesome either way.
huh?
January 20, 2009 at 8:35 am
Hold up, am I reading this correctly in that he had something in that grape to kill Ampersand?
Danx
January 20, 2009 at 11:26 am
I cried like a baby when I read that the first time. . . and I just got misty eyed again. Damn monkey.
Blackjak
January 20, 2009 at 11:32 am
He was dying of natural causes, but Yorick obviously couldn't stand to see him in pain and used the poisoned grape to help him on his way (he was under the impression that it would be a painless method)...
Aw jeez, here I go again... keep thinking of a cat I had when I was younger...
Damn you, Vaughan and Guerra! Why did you have to do it so well??
Snapper
January 20, 2009 at 3:40 pm
On a par with the episode of Futurama with Fry's dog.
I hope there's a few people familiar with that...
Eric Michael
January 22, 2009 at 2:52 pm
OK, I quit reading Y a very long while back, but I have to say that is one of the most touching moments I've ever read. Thank God I have my own office, because I'm tearing up at work.
And as someone with a sick pet at home, Brian I could kick your ass for posting this.
jk
EM
splinterag62
February 3, 2009 at 10:56 am
wow. get's me every time. wish i hadn't have read this in a public place. good thing my girlfriend goes for the sensitive type.
G
March 10, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Yeah, Seymour's death was sad too.
Nik
April 27, 2009 at 10:40 am
My God that is a sad scene.
Mark
July 5, 2009 at 2:24 pm
I cried reading that in bed next to my girlfriend.
She thot it was funny but i didnt!!!
Brian
July 7, 2009 at 7:53 pm
Beautiful end to the series.
This took me back to when my rabbit was dying and the vet gave her an injection so she wouldn't feel any pain. I took her home and held her just like that till she died.
wwk5d
August 20, 2009 at 4:16 am
Pia Guerra deserves a good chunk of the credit for that. The artwork in that scene was just beautiful. What else has she done?