Just a Comic

Ever since Buffy was released as a floppy (what? that's what they call them now), I’ve been apeshit about comics. I can’t resist stopping by CapCity along my weekly shopping route to Trader Joe’s, where the proprietor dispenses such sage advise about the biz, he washes away any doubt that my interest might be that of an over-grown child.

“Y the Last Man,” “Astonishing X-Men,” “Runaways,” “Angel,” the list keeps growing. But yesterday, after two months of peaking curiosity, I invested in the last five issues of “The Umbrella Academy,” made popular by the underground fame of the writer’s band, “My Chemical Romance” (to which I’ve never listened). But the series, with some very artful drawing from Gabriel Ba, is blowing me away. Unlike a lot of other small bands of heroes, and families of heroes (like the un-incredibles), for that matter, this posse has a style all their own. The only way I know how to describe them is as super-human royal Tenenbaums; a quirky collection of depressed, over-talented, and yet over-rated children whose lives are shaped by feelings about father. And to top it off, the setting is a world where monkeys, yes, Monkeys!, have been assimilated into the human population. After throwing down fifteen dollars for four back-issues, I discovered them for free download online. Have a blast and try not to rub my face in your inexpensive enjoyment. In fact, let’s refrain from rubbing my face in any form of enjoyment.