The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite

Around the world, 43 babies are spontaneously born — mostly from women who didn’t know they were pregnant. 7 survive and are adopted by Sir Reginald “Mr. Monocle” Hargreeves, a scientist/fencer/inventor who has revolutionized breakfast cereal and taught chimpanzees to talk.

Trained by Mr. Monocle, the children become The Umbrella Academy — a league of superheroes. Except for #7. There’s nothing special about #7.

The Umbrella Academy makes their first public appearance when the Eiffel Tower starts killing people, but most of the book is set 20 years after that. The Umbrella Academy has fractured, but the death of Mr. Monocle forces them to reunite — even though an old enemy warned that the rebirth of The Umbrella Academy would lead to the end of the world.

The best compliment I can pay to The Umbrella Academy is that you don’t know what’s going to happen when you turn the page. It’s funny, bloody, and bleak. Above everything else, The Umbrella Academy is a smart title which should appeal to you even if you don’t like superhero comics.

Apocalypse Suite collects the 6-issue arc of the Dark Horse series — I think I would have gone crazy waiting for the monthly installments. As it was, I read it in one sitting, twice. The first time I was carried along by Gerard Way’s (of My Chemical Romance) writing and the second time I studied Gabriel Ba’s detailed panels.

Put a hold on The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite here.