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Umbrella Academy, Vol.1: The Apocalypse Suite (2008)

by Gerard Way(Favorite Author)

3.96 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1593079788 (ISBN13: 9781593079789)

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Dark Horse Books

series

The Umbrella Academy

review 1: I always, always, always feel the need to preface my reviews of comics/graphic novels with the fact that I read very little in this realm. I read maybe two or three a year, and thus I’m not overly familiar with what makes a good graphic novel or comic. I only know what I like. And up until now, I’ve been very selective over what I do read in this category, because I read so little. But I thought hey, Gerard Way is an amazing story teller, his music proves that, I’ll give his graphic novel a try.So it’s no lie I like the story. I like that this is about a bunch of kids, and as of the first volume is still unrevealed where they come from and why, getting thrown together to save the world. I like the colorful, different personalities, how unique they all are, and the ... morechanges that happen to them over the course of the volume.However, there’s a lot that I didn’t like about this. I honestly didn’t feel like these kids, who grew up together, shared the same experiences, were basically family, and should have loved each other, basically treated each other like shit. I get that you fall out with people as time goes by, but this is family. Most of these characters didn’t have any emotional connections to each other. They didn’t seem to like or care about each other. So how can I, as the reader, like and care about them?I also greatly dislike the villain in this volume. Or rather just how it was built up. I disliked how one of The Umbrella Academy’s own was hurting and going down a bad path, and none of the rest of them could stop her from becoming that villain. None of them were anything but douche bags in the end. These are the heroes? Really?And that artwork. God. I hate the artwork. Art comes down to a personal preference. I like my graphic novels, the ones in color so we’re excluding things like The Walking Dead, to be vivid and vibrant. I like popping colors and not endless shades of gray. With a few notable exceptions, most of this graphic novel was gray, and it shouldn’t have been. The material is heavy, but the characters are loud and exciting and that should have reflected. Not to mention I really prefer sharp lines, clear artwork and proper shading. I don’t like ambiguously drawn backgrounds, shaky lines and art that looks like it was down by a twelve year old.Simply put, this just wasn’t the graphic novel for me. I did end up buying volume one and two together, so I’ll still read that and hope for the best, but my expectations are very low at this point. Maybe Saga jus spoiled me to any graphic novel I’ll read after. It’s a real possibility.
review 2: This was... interesting. In a deranged, Dr. Mcninja kind of way. Just about anything can happen, and usually does - super powers, time travel and time travelling police, betrayals and subversions, genetic manipulation, cyborgs, assassins, killer musicians, mind control and TK, superintelligent apes... it's a rollercoaster of awesomeness the likes of which have never been seen before, except for Dr. McNinja. less

Download links for: Umbrella Academy, Vol.1: The Apocalypse Suite

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