Y: The Last Man #13

Y: The Last Man #13, published by DC Comics under the Vertigo imprint in 2003, marks the beginning of the 'One Small Step' story arc. Written by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Pia Guerra, the series explores a world where a mysterious plague has simultaneously killed every mammal with a Y chromosome, except for an amateur escape artist named Yorick Brown and his pet monkey, Ampersand. This specific issue follows the narrative shift as the protagonists leave the ruins of New York City and embark on a cross-country journey, grounding the high-concept premise in a more grounded, episodic survival drama.

The series is widely praised for its blend of social commentary, dark humor, and character-driven storytelling. Pia Guerra’s clean, expressive art style was instrumental in defining the post-apocalyptic aesthetic of the book, which avoided the gritty tropes common to the genre at the time in favor of a more human, kinetic approach. Upon its release, the series became a critical darling, garnering multiple Eisner Award nominations and establishing itself as a seminal work of the 2000s comic landscape for its exploration of gender politics and societal collapse.