Here's a comic I've missed somehow, but at the urging of friends I decided to take a look at The Umbrella Academy.Even though the issue is #1, the indicia reveals that this is actually issue #7 in the series. Thankfully, the editors were smart enough to include a handy little recap on the inside cover, so I'm not completely lost here.
What we have here is another take on the X-Men (and I mean that in a good way). Children with extraordinary abilities are gathered at a special school where an eccentric inventor trains them with the goal of building a powerful personal army which will go by the name The Umbrella Academy.
This issue picks up in the aftermath of the group's deadly battle with The White Violin. At first glance, the issue seems to be about regrouping, as we check in on the various characters and learn where they are and what they plan to do next.
But there's nothing dull about this issue - we see a major battle between the team and a certain famous monument, and then the character known as Number Five finds himself in the middle of a major battle.
I enjoyed this issue quite a bit - there are lots of interesting characters and plots running around here, thanks to the strong writing of Gerard Way, and I enjoy the unique art by Gabriel Ba. It's brimming with energy and a real sense of fun.
I'm looking forward to the next chapter, and I plan to track down the collection of the first six issues.
This issue seems like a good jumping-on point for new readers, and the series shows lots of promise.
Grade: B+
2 comments:
I also picked this up without any knowledge of the first six issues. Fun stuff so far. Very stylized and gothic, but not in an annoying way. The art isn't my favorite, but otherwise, I'm pretty happy about this title.
Evan, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the art. It's not my usual fare, but it works very well with this kind of comic.
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