Enroll In Gerard Way's "Umbrella Academy"!

Greetings once again fellow netizens! Today's post is a bit of a departure from my normal assortment of previews, reviews, and suggestions; mainly because it isn't published by Marvel or DC, but also because this particular series showcases the questionable and often avoided waters of cross-media comic writers.  By cross-media I of course refer to individuals who write in one particular medium and then try to write in a different medium (like film, comics, novels, screenplays, games etc.). These types of ventures seem to be more rare in the comic industry then most others, and the results are often hotly contested or less than huge successes.

 

This brings us to the series I wish to share with you today called The Umbrella Academy, a publication by Dark Horse Comics and the brain child of artist Gabriel Ba and writer Gerard Way.  If Gerard Way's name rings a faint bell that may be because Mr. Way is generally better known for his association with his rock band My Chemical Romance, the Gold and Platinum record selling band most famous for their hugely successful concept album called The Black Parade.  Now while Mr. Way and the rest of MCR have proven themselves more than capable artists, the prospect of Gerard's foray into the world of comics was both celebrated by his loyal fans and loathed by most every else.  Well fortunately for us Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba rewarded the loyalty of their supporters and embarrassed their naysayers by creating and selling one of the most original and strangely captivating offerings in the industry (and I'm including Marvel and DC in that statement).

In The Umbrella Academy, Way and Ba tell the strange and wonderfully absurd tale of seven super powered children who were born under strange circumstances and adopted by the mysterious and powerful entrepreneur Sir Reginald Hargreeves, otherwise known as "The Monocle".  The story is as strange as it is delightful with spaceships, aliens, super heroes, French zombie robots, and other things so outrageously  odd that one has to see (and read) it all to fully appreciate.  Gabriel Ba does an absolutely stellar job in bringing to life the world of Way's darkly whimsy tales, and gives the series an visual aesthetic akin to Alan Moore series like "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" and "Watchmen". This team strikes the strangest chord, and I admittedly can't imagine anyone finding this series (at the very least) not captivating to look at.  The series has had two series run so far, the first collected together with the subtitle "The Apocalypse Suite" and the second with the subtitle "Dallas". While Gerard Way had announced the subtitle of the upcoming third run for the series as "Hotel Oblivion" at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2009 the series has yet to hit shelves, with Dark Horse Comics originally slating the run for a summer 2010 release but later retracting the claim with no new date at which to expect the release.

So while we wait for the third ride of the Umbrella Academy, take my word for it and do yourself a favor by going out and purchasing this excellent (and 2008 Eisner Award winning) series in it's collected forms.  You'll not regret the purchase; I'll stake my non-existent blogging reputation on it! So what are you waiting for? Go enroll today!

Until the next!












Libellus Pagina Amitorious,
Matt