Title: The Umbrella Academy.
Story-arc: Hotel Oblivion.
Volume: 3.
Writer(s): Gerard Way.
Illustrator(s): Gabriel Bá.
Colourist(s): Nick Filardi.
Letterer(s): Nate Piekos of Blambot.
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics.
Format: Paperback.
Release Date: September 17th 2019.
Pages: 216.
Genre(s): Comics, Science-Fiction.
ISBN13: 9781506711423.
My Overall Rating: ★★★☆☆.
Previously on The Umbrella Academy:
The Umbrella Academy (Vol. 1): The Apocalypse Suite.
The Umbrella Academy (Vol. 2): Dallas.
If you thought that writers who gave up on their series are not likely to come back to continue where they left off, here comes another creative team who looks to prove you wrong and make a comeback in the comic book business. After a decade of waiting, with each individual issue released intermittently, the dynamic duo that developed the hit comic book series that is now an original Netflix TV series is back with their third volume, just as explosively ridiculous, bizarre and splashy as ever. Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá now look to revisit their heroes by steering this story into some of the rowdiest directions unimaginable while keeping the complex family dynamics at the foundation of Hotel Oblivion.
What is The Umbrella Academy: Hotel Oblivion about? Taking place after the events in Dallas, the story now looks at a suspicious and ambitious creation by the founding father of the Umbrella Academy, Sir Reginald Hargreeves, that is the mysterious Hotel Oblivion. While the idea behind it is mind-boggling, it now comes back to haunt our heroes, a fractured team troubled by recent events who have not had the chance to reconnect in a while. In fact, Number Five is back as a hired gun doing the unimaginable, Spaceboy is battling crime as an out-of-shape crime-stopper in the streets of Tokyo, Vanya struggles through her physical therapy following the near-fatal injury she was inflicted, Rumor continues to reflect on her marriage, Séance remains in a pitiful state as he deals with questionable individuals and the Kraken is off looking for answers. With only their bond as a family still holding them together, they are once again brought to reassemble their broken selves to face new revelations that are bound to change their lives.
While fans of this original series have waited pretty long for this volume to finally release (and probably not the last), it doesn’t deliver the dramatic and sensational return you’d have wished for it. The story introduces many new characters while splitting it in almost half a dozen arcs that imperfectly stitches together by the end, leaving you in awe at the unwarranted cliffhanger. It’s only around the halfway mark that the story finally starts to make any sense, although it isn’t surprising with this series to see its readers being tossed around in unpredictable directions, as they finally grasp Sir Hargreeves intention behind the Hotel Oblivion and what is actually going on in this volume. Nonetheless, the underlying theme of family continues to run through this series but unfortunately see a lot less development as the focus is centered around setting the table for what will come next.
What’s interesting about this volume is that it doesn’t necessarily look to blow anyone’s minds by revolutionizing the genre but it does introduce the Afterspace, an unknown portion of the universe, which essentially expands the world in uncharted territory. It is not surprising from Gerard Way to pull the story in that direction, considering that the previous volume looked into time traveling. What this volume indubitably does for this series is getting the pieces moving once again for something fun to come in the next story arc. Where this volume does not disappoint, however, is Gabriel Bá’s artwork, beautifully complemented by Nick Filardi’s colouring. It continues to portray the colourful, frenzied and anarchic universe in which unfolds this series, and they achieve it with even more vitality and glamour this time around.
The Umbrella Academy: Hotel Oblivion is an exuberant yet unstable continuation of the dysfunctional superhero family’s story as it shovels up buried truths culminating to a confrontation with a reality they are unprepared to face.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for sending me a copy for review!
Although the trailer isn’t out yet, how excited are you for season 2?
Roars and Echoes 
I will definitely give season 2 a go. Although, my hopes aren’t too high. The show seemed to have so much potential, yet so much of it was missed.
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I’ll probably checking out season 1 soon to see how it compares to the comics now that I’m done with all 3 released volumes. I fear it won’t ever be exactly like the comics though.. it’s quite an absurd world after all.
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Screen adaptaions rarely live up to the written word.
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3 stars?? You’re too kind 😂😂
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I guess I just enjoyed it a bit more. 😊
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I’m going to give the second volume a try… I felt like the 1st was too vague and hope the 2nd fills in some gaps.
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The first was definitely vague. My favourite remains the second. The third feels like the first, so I’m hoping that volume 4 will blow our minds whenever that one comes out hahah
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Cool… I’ll put it on my list to get to asap.
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Great write-up my friend and a shame this volume doesn’t quite live up to the previous two and it does sound a bit messy. I’m yet to see the Netflix series but it is on my list so hopefully I’ll get around to it eventually…may be while though, I’ve just started The Boys (yep, it is rather ace) and Amazon UK have just announced they’ll be streaming Swamp Thing, which I’ll still check out despite it’s cancellation. Now if they (or Netflix) could just pick up Doom Patrol!
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Yep. I think volume 2 is the only one so far that really stands out, especially since volume 1 served as an introduction to the world, more than anything. What’s accomplished in volume 3 is similar to what’s done in volume 1… So hopefully volume 4 will deliver exactly what we want.
Super glad to hear you started The Boys! I miss the show so much and can’t wait for season 2 already. Hope you enjoy it, and will look forward to thoughts on it if you ever decide to share it over on your blog, good sir.
I heard about Swamp Thing and I’m pretty glad that they did that. Really odd that Doom Patrol still isn’t on Netflix though… Maaaaaan the DCU streaming service is so depressing when you know what kind of content it offers. And soon we’re going to have to join Disney+ too… We’re going to be pretty broke pretty quick huh? Hahah
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Indeed, on principle I don’t really want to subscribe to Disney+ and aid their domination on the entertainment industry…but, alas, the content is going to be far too enticing…maybe I can be a double agent of sorts haha!
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3 stars Lashaan? Well I guess I’ll pass for the comic book but will maybe recommend the series to my family 😉
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I think this comic book series should be checked out after the show for those who aren’t too into reading or for those who love absurd universes. 😛
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I do like the artwork! However inconsistent creators like this make me resist following their work. We don’t wait untold time for another installment only for it to be less than stellar. That being said a comic has to naturally stop someplace… page space is a premium because of the art so I always kind of give them slightly more slack. Still I hope the next installment comes quick for you and the ideas from this volume are utilized well. 😀
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It’s a very memorable and unique art style and I can immediate recognize and associate it to this series. It is sad that there are countless issues that could make the process super slow or long, or even a hiatus or 10 that leave fans hanging but man… sometimes you just wish that what comes out of the wait is much better than this. Hopefully volume 4 does just that and utilizes what was built up here for the better!
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Huh. I’ll definitely give the Netflix series a try, but I’m not sure about the comics 😉
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Yep. I think you should let the show decide if you should check out the comics or not, in this case. 😉
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This series sounds so weird! I don’t know if it makes me want to read it or not 😂 If I remember well, you liked the first two volumes more than this one, right? 😮 Anyway, great review 😊
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It is indeed quite an absurd world. I enjoyed volume 2 more than the 1st volume and I’d say this volume is equal in quality to the first volume! 😀 Thanks for reading, Caroline! ❤
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Oooh I see ! 😊😘
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