The Umbrella Academy Volume 1: Apocalypse Suite (Umbrella Academy)

by Gerard Way

Various (Illustrator)

The New York Times bestselling comics series that was the inspiration for The Umbrella Academy on Netflix, now on Season 3!

In an inexplicable worldwide event, forty-three extraordinary children were spontaneously born to women who'd previously shown no signs of pregnancy. Millionaire inventor Reginald Hargreeves adopted seven of the children; when asked why, his only explanation was, "To save the world."

These seven children form the Umbrella Academy, a dysfunctional family of superheroes with bizarre powers. Their first adventure at the age of ten pits them against an erratic and deadly Eiffel Tower, piloted by the fearsome zombie-robot Gustave Eiffel. Nearly a decade later, the team disbands, but when Hargreeves unexpectedly dies, these disgruntled siblings reunite just in time to save the world once again.

• This volume collects the first six-issue series, as well as out-of-print short stories and an expanded sketchbook section featuring work by Gabriel Bá, James Jean, and Gerard Way.

• "Flawless…stylish, imaginative."—Newsarama

• Listed as one of the Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens by the Young Adult Library Service Association (YALSA).

• Amazon.com's #1 Graphic Novel of 2008!

• A New York Times bestseller!

• ISBN10: 1593079788
• ISBN13: 9781593079789
• Publish Date: 22 July 2008
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Dark Horse Comics,U.S.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 184
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781593079789

Reviews

[leahrosereads]

This had such an interesting concept but unfortunately, the execution left a lot to be desired. The story was really disjointed and a bit jarring to read because of it. I had a hard time following the story line and had to keep going back because I thought I was missing pages.

The characters and world are really fascinating, so I'm definitely going to check out the TV show.

[dragononabook]

This felt quite... haphazard? There seemed to be a bit of a lack of coherency, and there were things that either seemed not to fit, or just weren't explained well enough. The members of the Umbrella Academy are all supposed to have powers, with Vanya standing out because of her lack thereof, but they were not particularly well developed, with Allison's being the most obvious one. I also found Vanya's defection abrupt, as it was only Diego who saw her and told her to leave, and yet she proceeded to go join a group that she knew would end the world.

[thepunktheory]

Full review on my blog!

What did I like? The artwork was beautifully done and the idea behind the story is both unusual and fascinating.
When it comes to the execution, however, I am not that thrilled. both comic books had rather confusing and irritating storylines. I'm still not sure I fully understood all that went down. Apart from the fact that the stories didn't make all that much sense, they also lacked depth. I'm not sure if I had that feeling because I'm simply not used to reading comic books, but I had hoped for more. My favorite thing about both books was that in Dallas, #5 gets a dog (who is absolutely adorable). If that doesn't tell you all about the stories...

[katie]

Why do I continue to read comics when I know I prefer the TV shows and movies.

[Nessa Luna]

3,5 stars.