(yes, I've been on a comic book kick the last year. get off my back!)
Came across the Umbrella Academy in the library recently. Read the first volume, the Apocalypse Suite, which serves as an introduction to this new group of superheroes.
All in all, it's pretty fun. Brilliant artwork, vision, and tone. An interesting and unique world that it's set in. Bounces between light-hearted, silly, and unapologetically grotesque (there's a great half-page of a monkey named Pogo getting his brains squished out by the lethal chords of a violin that will stick with me forever). And also, rather ambitious writing.
But... it was created by Gerard Way, the front-man for the band My Chemical Romance. And that kinda bugs me. And it also explains much of the tone, and some of the holes...
I mostly hate superhero comics. Why? Because they are so fucking repetitive. And while the superheroes of Umbrella Academy do possess rather unique abilities and backgrounds, their personalities and roles are so predictably the children of other superhero groups like TMNT, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Justice League, and Watchmen. ESPECIALLY Watchmen. In fact, I could easily argue that Umbrella Academy is an emo version of Watchmen.
Still, I had fun reading it. And if the library has the next volume, I'll read that too. Won't pay for it though. Fuck that.
4 COMMENTS:
I wanted to like this comic... But the Gerard Way factor threw up a roadblock for me, too.
Try Garth Ennis's THE BOYS. Super wicked spin on the whole damn superhero biz. Gleeful, iconoclastic INSANITY.
Sure dude. I put it on hold at the library, I'll check it out. Read a brief synopsis on wikipedia and it sounds pretty cool. Literally is an anti-superhero comic.
Your library has THE BOYS on its shelves?! Damn. Mine won't stock PEANUTS.
Anton, read the first two volumes of The Boys. Pretty awesome stuff. Clever writing, horribly blunt and graphic. I like it.
And yep, Portland's library system is very unique. They have an extensive collection, with many branches, and a great inter-library system. Really cut down on my bookstore expenses.
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