Y: The Last Man

Brian K. Vaughan (left) is one of Hollywood's most sought after writers. He finds himself in the lucky situation of working with Hollywood's hottest producer, J.J. Abrams, on the hit show Lost.

CNN has a fantastic article on the development of Y: The Last Man as well as his work on the hit TV show Lost.

(via CNN) Listening to writer Brian K. Vaughan summarize the plot of his comic book, "Y: The Last Man," makes it sound like just another pulp title.

"A plague of mysterious origin destroys every male mammal, human being and animal on the planet," he says, "except for one boy and his monkey. And wackiness ensues."

Well, that's the story boiled down to its basics. But the tale of amateur escapist Yorick Brown, the last man alive on an Earth now home to only women, and his monkey, Ampersand, is actually far more complex than Vaughan's description reveals, involving long journeys, the value of memory and the politics of gender roles. The title, which has had a very successful five-year run, is coming to an end this week with the release of issue No. 60.

It is a finale that is equally emotional for both fans and its creator.

"I guess I've moved into acceptance but that doesn't mean that I'm not still depressed about it," says Vaughan, 31, a soft-spoken Cleveland, Ohio, native who now makes his home in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, Vaughan's other work in comics, including "Ex Machina" (Wildstorm) and "Runaways" (Marvel), has captured the attention of Hollywood. Both "Y" and "Ex Machina" are currently being developed into films. Meanwhile, Vaughan, a one-time film student, has begun a career in television, working as a writer on ABC's "Lost."

Remaining true to the mysteries of the island, Vaughan says he can share "just about nothing" from the upcoming fourth season of the series, which has been cut from 16 episodes to eight as a casualty of the continuing writer's strike. The fourth season premieres Thursday night. (...continue)