Thursday Comic

The Umbrella Academy: Dallas - Gerard Way, Gabriel Bá et al.

After finally fulfilling their promise to save the world, the disparate adoptees of the Umbrella Academy have gone off the rails somewhat - variously revelling in their newfound fame, rotting in front of the TV, losing at the dog tracks and vindictively pursuing vengeance for betrayal. But it seems their adventures are far from over - a powerful and secretive organisation is trying to kill one of their number, who is apparently involved in a far-ranging conspiracy that includes a talking fish, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and two ultraviolent psychopaths dressed up as cartoon characters...

When it came to the first collected story arc in Gerard Way's extremely imaginative semi-superhero comic, I was impressed by the way it blended a heady cocktail of bizarre ideas into one cohesive whole - but left feeling that the story moved a little too fast to truly develop its cast. In reading the second story arc, Dallas, I was surprised to realise what a strong impression Way's characters had left me with, and pleased to see him continue to focus on their dysfunctional relationships.

Dallas also continues the off-the-wall and yet impossibly consistent world-building. This is a world where seemingly anything can be encountered - often to the great surprise of the reader, if not the people used to living there - and yet it all fits together perfectly, evoking a strange alternate reality with a very definite tone and atmosphere to it. If you're looking for a wildly imaginative story that's nevertheless still grounded in believable characters, then The Umbrella Academy is definitely shaping up into something that you simply must check out.