Gerard Way - The Umbrella Academy: Dallas [comic] (Cover Artwork)
Staff Pick

Gerard Way

The Umbrella Academy: Dallas [comic] (2008)

DARK HORSE


With the series out on Netflix Friday, this is a key story because the show will combine this second chapter Dallas with the Apocalypse Suit; so if you're gonna watch it, read both volumes. Now, if you thought Vol. 1 was batshit crazy, well, Gerard Way, Gabriel Ba and the entire creative team get way more fucked up this time around.

Make no mistake, this is all about Number 5 as he traverses the time stream and we learn about his destiny as a temporal assassin. Presidential hits, his fellow time-traveling killers Hazel and Cha-Cha (and boy, I can't wait to see Mary J. Blige rocking the role) and how it all connects to his siblings, reeling them in all make this an even better experience. The family turmoil's cranked up a lot, there's a lot more romantic subtext between two of Sir Reginald Hargreeve's gang that desperately needed filling in, and of course, we get the aftermath of Vanya/White Violin being basically comatose. Her forgiveness arc is one of the best the book's ever had.

As it is, this book tries to stitch everyone back up at the seams with Seance even getting fresher perspective through meeting God. What I love most about this is that this volume teaches the dysfunctional family, their own worst enemies are themselves. It's just six issues and leads to the hit on Kennedy, subtly changing history for America and the UA students on the whole, but it's way deeper than just anti-heroes running around blasting things to pieces.