Writer Brian K. Vaughan has way more to offer in the way of cinematic graphic novel storytelling

The headline in USA Today said it perfectly: “Fans: Why, oh 'Y,' must 'Last Man' end?”

The answer, of course, is because just like “Cowboy Bebop,” “Farscape” and “The Shield,” the best stories always have endings. It’s the modern media update on “all good things must come to an end.” A story that goes on forever isn’t half as worth savoring as one that has an arc and calls it quits when it reaches the end.

For those of you who have no idea what the wailing and gnashing of teeth is about, “Y: The Last Man” was Brian K. Vaughan’s funny, tragic and suspense-filled tale of Yorick Brown, the last man left alive on the Earth after a mysterious plague wipes out all of the male mammals except for him and his monkey. Combining irreverent humor with an intelligent take on the “battle of the sexes,” it became a cult phenomenon that left its fans devastated when it ended earlier this year.

Fast on its way toward becoming a movie, supposedly starring Shia LaBeouf, I’ll leave it to you to find out more if the brief description I’ve just given — or the hundreds of hits you’ll get if you google it — pique your interest.

I’m more interested in pointing out that if you liked the taste you got of Vaughan’s writing style with “Y,” there’s plenty more out there to keep you distracted from your no doubt still-lingering grief.

First and foremost, at least in my mind, is his “Ex Machina,” a wholly different tale of political intrigue in an alternate version of New York. Imagine that only one of the World Trade Center Towers had gone up in flames on 9-11, and that the other had been saved by a man who could converse with machines. Now imagine that man went on to become mayor of New York only to learn that humans are much harder to talk to than toasters.

Vaughan’s tale of Mitchell Hundred pulls off the unlikely feat of combining elements of sci-fi and fantasy with a topical take on contemporary politics. It’s a bit like a non-partisan “Doonesbury” if comic strips had the kind of art Tony Harris creates — a two-dimensional rotoscoping adding realism to his vivid flights of fantasy.

As a reader of Joss Whedon’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8” comic, I was pleasantly surprised recently to find that Vaughan scripted the four-part miniseries focusing on Buffy’s nemesis Faith. As a huge fan of Faith (for obvious reasons), it was a joy to read Vaughan’s take on the anti-hero of the Slayer world, especially given the gorgeous cover art of Jo Chen.

If you’re a fan of either Vaughan or Whedon, you should probably also know that Whedon contributed his knack for clever, wildly creative dialogue to “Runaways,” Vaughan’s tale of the kids of supervillains who discover what their parents are up to and revolt. That’s just the beginning, however, and after being saved from extinction by its hardcore fans, “Runaways” has developed some innovative story arcs within the same Marvel universe populated by Spiderman and Iron Man. Like Whedon, Vaughan has repeatedly demonstrated that he’s not afraid to kill off a main character, making each page with your favorite protagonist that much more precious.

Then there’s “Pride of Baghdad,” the story of a group of lions attempting to survive after war releases them from an Iraqi zoo; “The Escapists,” Vaughan’s meditation on the character created by Michael Chabon; and a myriad of Marvel and DC titles including a Dr. Strange story I recently enjoyed called “The Oath.” Vaughan has even shared writing credits on the show “Lost,” and is currently working on film adaptations for not only “Y,” but “Ex Machina” and “Runaways,” as well.

So, if you’re still in mourning for the saga of Yorick Brown, cheer up. There’s plenty out there to keep you busy if your deep-ceded loathing of cantaloupe and the people who like it aren’t enough. And if you haven’t even heard of “Y,” then clip this column and save it for when you’re done. If you’ve got a heart and a brain — and who doesn’t? — the mourning is inevitable.

Jake TenPas can be reached at jake.tenpas@lee.net or 758-9514.