I bought the compilation of The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite a couple of days ago because my wife had a subscription of Archie comics which she had to pick up. I was very happy that I did. I rarely read comics so I may not be the best critic for these things. But a couple of months back, I also bought the first of the series of Blackest Night, so I can make that as my comparison.

I finished The Umbrella Academy in one sitting, versus Blackest Night which I just got in the middle of. Maybe because I was looking for a different kind of story that didn’t involve typical superheroes. The Umbrella Academy is about 7 “heroes” with extraordinary powers who were adopted by one “father.” They save the world from Apocalypse. Although the story seems typical, it actually sounds like the tv series “Heroes”, it is told in a fresh way. The 7 heroes each have their own history and challenges. I really like how the story is paced. The writer, Gerard Way, is also the front man of the band “My Chemical Romance.” Which probably why the rhythm is very deliberate… almost like a song. By the end of one chapter, I kept longing for more. Possibly also similar to the pace of TV series. The art too is unique. Gabriel Ba is a Brazilian who does comic book illustration for realist series rather than superhero comics. The art adds more to the words, things that were just implied, were spelled out in the art, which in turn completed the story.

Although the series was published in 2007 and this review is 2 years late, I still think it was worth every penny.

Posted in Inspiration, Personal, Seen, Uncategorized |

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