The Umbrella Academy Volume 1 Apocalypse Suite by Gerard Way
Wednesday, Jul 09, 2008 at 4:04pm
In an inexplicable worldwide event, forty-seven extraordinary children were spontaneously born by women who'd previously shown no signs of pregnancy. Millionaire inventor Reginald Hargreeves adopted seven of the children; when asked why, his only explanation was, "To save the world."
, best known for his music as a member of the band My Chemical Romance, has written a startlingly good comic with his new series for Dark Horse Comics: The Umbrella Academy. I was initially skeptical, as there have been many recent high profile "comic debuts" from authors and artists in other media that have fallen flat. While the Umbrella Academy on the surface is a love child of Hellboy, the Incredibles and unhinged '50's science fiction, Way has succeded in creating something unique and special.
art evokes , with its heavy lines and liberal use of blacks without slavishly aping it. The fantastic colour palette of is another reason that fans of Mignola's Hellboy will enjoy this series. beautiful covers from the original comic run of the series are also reproduced here. Apocalypse Suite collects the first six issues of The Umbrella Academy, as well as two hard to find short stories and an artist's sketchbook.
Whether they are trying to defeat the coal powered robot zombie of Gustave Eiffel or an orchestra of madmen and murderers bent on playing a piece that will destroy the world you never know what will throw at you next. Full of whimsy, and mad ideas that hit you at breakneck speed, the Umbrella Academy is not to be missed.
| Categories: Reviews, SciFi & Fantasy, Graphic Novels |
More articles from books, teens
See:
The Umbrella Academy Volume 1
- ,
Trade paperback
$23.99
Reader Reward Price: $21.59
Winner of the 2008 Eisner Award for Best Limited Series.
Gerard Way, of My Chemical Romance, makes his comics writing debut in this outrageous superhero epic that Grant Morrison called "An ultraviolet psychedelic sherbet bomb of wit and ideas. The superheroes of the 21st century are here at last..." In an inexplicable, worldwide event, forty-seven extraordinary children were spontaneously born by women who'd previously shown no signs of pregnancy. Millionaire inventor Reginald Hargreeves adopted seven of the children; when asked why, his only explanation was, "To save the world." These seven children form The Umbrella Academy, a dysfunctional family of superheroes with bizarre powers. Their first adventure at the age of ten pits them against an erratic and deadly Eiffel Tower, piloted by the fearsome zombie-robot Gustave Eiffel. Nearly a decade later, the team disbands, but when Hargreeves unexpectedly dies, these disgruntled siblings reunite just in time to save the world once again
