Y: The Last Man #40
Y: The Last Man #40, titled 'The Hour of Our Death,' is one of the series' most consequential standalone issues, formally revealing that Yorick Brown has unwittingly fathered a child — a development with enormous implications for the entire post-gendercide world of the series. The issue also marks a pivotal turn for Hero Brown's character arc, repositioning her from antagonist to protector as she forges a bond with 'Beth II' that will carry through to the series' conclusion. As part of a Vertigo series that earned Eisner Awards in 2005 and 2008 and was widely praised for its socially resonant, genre-blurring storytelling, this issue demonstrates Vaughan's ability to use quiet, character-driven chapters to detonate narrative bombs that reverberate across the remaining twenty issues. It stands as a key building block of the series' second half and of Vertigo's early 2000s creative renaissance.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
Y: The Last Man was a creator-owned monthly series written by Brian K. Vaughan and co-created with artist Pia Guerra, published under DC's Vertigo imprint from 2002 through 2008 across sixty issues. Issue #40 falls within the 'Paper Dolls' trade paperback arc (issues #37–42) and was part of a stretch where the creative team increasingly relied on guest penciller Goran Sudžuka alongside Guerra, a production arrangement that became a recurring feature of the title's middle and later issues. The series was edited under Will Dennis, with lettering by Clem Robins and colors by Zylonol — a stable craft team that maintained visual consistency across the run.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Issue title: 'The Hour of Our Death'; cover date February 2006, on-sale December 7, 2005 (Vertigo/DC Comics).
- Written by Brian K. Vaughan; pencilled by Pia Guerra and Goran Sudžuka; inked by José Marzan Jr.; colored by Zylonol; lettered by Clem Robins.
- Central narrative revelation: Hero Brown discovers that 'Beth II' (Beth Deville is a separate character) is nearly full-term with Yorick Brown's child — the first confirmed pregnancy sired by the last surviving male on Earth.
- Introduces antagonist Sister Lucia Ober, a Swiss-guard-commanding zealot who believes Beth's child is a messianic figure destined to become the next Pope — a plot that reflects the series' recurring examination of how patriarchal religious structures respond to a world without men.
- An ultrasound during captivity reveals the child is a girl, deflating Lucia's prophecy and enabling Hero and Beth II's escape.
- The issue is a standalone chapter bridging the 'Paper Dolls' arc (issues #37–39) and subsequent 'Kimono Dragons' storyline, functioning as a Hero-centric spotlight rather than a Yorick-led chapter.
- Reprinted in four collected editions: Y: The Last Man Vol. 7: Paper Dolls (trade paperback); Y: The Last Man: Book Four (deluxe hardcover); Absolute Y: The Last Man Vol. 2; and the Y: The Last Man Omnibus (collects all 60 issues).
- The overall series received three Eisner Awards (with wins confirmed in 2005 and 2008, including Best Continuing Series in 2008) and was later adapted as a ten-episode television series on FX on Hulu in 2021, cancelled after one season.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Y: The Last Man #7 (2006), Y: Le Dernier Homme #7 (2008), Y: The Last Man - The Deluxe Edition #4 (2010), Y: The Last Man #4 (2016), Absolute Y: The Last Man #2 (2016), Y: The Last Man Omnibus #[nn] (2020), Y: The Last Man Compendium #2 (2022)
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