The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite

The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite is the first comic book limited series of The Umbrella Academy, created and written by musician Gerard Way and illustrated by Gabriel Bá. The series ran for six issues from September 2007 to February 2008. James Jean provided cover art for this series only. A trade paperback was released on June 18, 2008.

Plot

Issue #1: "The Day The Eiffel Tower Went Berserk"

The first issue, "The Day the Eiffel Tower Went Berserk", was released on September 19, 2007. The inside front cover features notes made by Sir Reginald Hargreeves on his seven adopted children, numbered by usefulness.

Plot

In the mid-20th century, superpowered infants are born to women who showed no signs of pregnancy. The surviving seven children are adopted by Sir Reginald Hargreaves, an extraterrestrial philanthropist, who promptly trains them to be superheroes. The plot jumps ten years ahead and tells of an event when The Umbrella Academy (aged ten) defended Paris against a Zombie Robot Gustave Eiffel, resulting in The Eiffel Tower flying into space. The story then jumps ahead another 20 years and sets the scene for future issues. Spaceboy is on the moon when he receives a call that The Monocle is dead. Vanya (00.07) receives a mysterious phone call telling her to audition for the chair of a violin player. When Spaceboy arrives at the mansion he encounters 00.05, who has returned from the future. He states that "there is worse to come".

There are also pages of information; inside the front cover is a featured list of the members of The Umbrella Academy, from the "personal notes of Sir Reginald Hargreeves". On the last page of the story (back to back with the letters page) is an excerpt from the Encyclopedia Umbrellica, offering more details and background information on their exploits in Paris

Issue #2: "We Only See Each Other At Weddings And Funerals"

The second issue, "We Only See Each Other At Weddings And Funerals", was released on October 17, 2007.

Plot

Issue 2 starts the day after Issue 1. Spaceboy is told The Rumor is at the mansion and they greet each other at The Horror's statue. It is revealed he is dead but the cause is unknown, at which point Seance arrives. At a carnival in the city robots cause destruction because of the apparent reformation of The Umbrella Academy. The Future then describes what happened when he left and how he returned. The Kraken turns up and has a small confrontation with Spaceboy. The funeral attracts media attention. The Monocle's wife arrives at the funeral, and says a few words about the Monocle before her cloak is ripped off by The Kraken. She is revealed to be a talking mannequin of sorts, possibly a creation of Hargreeves' to serve as a mother figure to the children. The Kraken then argues with Spaceboy. Meanwhile, in response to the phone call she received last issue, Vanya (00.07) arrives at the Icarus Theatre where she is told to play her violin by a figure obscured by a blinding light. When the light goes off she is in front of many spectators and a skeleton in a suit who calls himself 'The Conductor' of 'The Orchestra Verdammten'. He claims that his new composition, 'The Apocalypse Suite', could destroy the world if played accurately. After hearing the plan, Vanya leaves but The Conductor anticipates her return. At the mansion Spaceboy and The Kraken have a violent conflict. Spaceboy has his laser up to The Kraken but they are broken up by the Rumor and 00.05 when he reveals that the world ended a mere three days after Hargreeve's death. After a moment, the group of heroes realize that the carnival is on fire - Spaceboy reveals that the culprits are the Terminauts, created by the malicious Dr. Terminal (a villain from their past) that were to activate if the Umbrella Academy were ever to reform. The Kraken jumps into the water, and Spaceboy orders everyone to the Televator. The Umbrella Academy has been reformed. The issue ends with a quote from the Monocle at his acceptance speech at the National Thallium Awards.

Issue #3: "Dr. Terminal's Answer"

The third issue, "Dr. Terminal's Answer", was released on November 21, 2007.

Plot

Issue three begins with a flashback from the Rumor, where she's caught in a daze remembering a childhood moment, being held captive by Dr. Terminal. She's snapped back to reality by Spaceboy, and she fades back to the current situation—a burning carnival. The Terminaunts which had activated last issue have been wreaking havoc upon a children's fair, and Spaceboy, Rumor, and Seance are fighting to rescue the children. Meanwhile, number 00.05 is being tested by Doctor Pogo, watching the news on a television. Suggesting to begin searching for clues on how close the Apocalypse may be, he leaves Pogo and his "mother" and takes off. Vanya makes it to the fair and is nearly slain by a Terminaunt missile. She is saved by the Kraken, who took that opportunity to yell at her, to "get lost," because she had left them once already. There is implication that the Terminaunts are destroyed, and the super-team agree that this is only a minor scratch compared to what is coming, ending the adventure. In the Icarus Theater, however, Vanya enters glumly and requests to join the Orchestra Verdammten.

The book is finished with a small table of amusement park injuries, followed by the weekly Letters to the Editor section.

Issue #4: "Baby, I'll Be Your Frankenstein"

The fourth issue, "Baby, I'll Be Your Frankenstein", was released on December 19, 2007.

Plot

The fourth issue begins with a flashback to eighteen years ago. Vanya runs through the Academy, shouting about how she hates everyone around her. She is consoled by Dr. Pogo and, when she states that there's nothing special about her, Pogo tells her that she is indeed special because, unlike her siblings, she doesn't need to destroy in order to be herself. We then jump to the present, where Vanya is being forcefully experimented on by The Conductor of the Orchestra Verdammten. The Conductor reveals the Academy and tomorrow they will end the world.

The book ends with a riddle: Two bodies have I, though both joined in one. The stiller I stand, the faster I run. The answer is 'an hourglass'.

Issue #5: "Thank You For The Coffee"

The fifth issue, "Thank You For The Coffee" was released on January 21, 2008.

Plot

In this fifth installment, the story begins with Inspector Lupo investigating a crime scene where shortly before mysterious masked characters come looking for 00.05. Agnes, a waitress at the diner where it occurred, describes how 00.05 killed every last masked character (whose identity we are yet to find out) before stating that 00.05 last words to her were- "thank you for the coffee." References to the beverage are frequent throughout the novel.

The story then continues with 00.05 searching through Hargreeves room at the Umbrella Academy, looking for a gun to finish himself when the end of the world arrives, but comes instead across Hargreeves Monocle, which when worn, shows the wearer who someone really is. In this case 00.05 looks at Dr Pogo and sees how he was mistreated in the lab, before collapsing and passing out.

Elsewhere, the Rumor and Spaceboy are standing on a building in the city, drinking coffee. They briefly discuss Rumor's daughter, Claire, after which point Spaceboy inquires whether or not the Rumor has lost her powers.

After this the White Violin pays a visit to the Umbrella Academy, promptly destroying the glass windows and the statue of the Horror in the grounds. This act results in the death of Dr. Pogo.

The Rumor, Spaceboy and the Séance then arrive to the grounds, and the issue ends with a newspaper being delivered showing the same report on the cover, that was displayed on the day the world ended. The headline reads "Perfect Day- Nothing bad to report". In the image where 00.05 is transported to the post-apocalypse future, a newspaper is shown with the same headline.

Issue #6: "Finale" Or "Brothers And Sisters, I Am An Atomic Bomb"

The sixth issue, "Finale" Or "Brothers And Sisters, I Am An Atomic Bomb" was released on February 20, 2008.

Plot

Following the death of Pogo, the Umbrella Academy sets out to foil The White Violin's plans to end the world. Seance is sent to an unknown location via the Televator, while the team rushes to the Icarus Theatre. Kraken tries to kill Vanya but fails due to past emotions. Rumor tries to influence Vanya and suffers a slashed throat. Spaceboy takes Rumor to a nearby hospital.

The orchestra continues playing, and Vanya claims that there's no use fighting, since the world's going to end anyway. Just then, the Seance arrives, along with Igor Stravinsky, the Manchester Children's Orchestra, and a few members of the Ube tribe. Seance seems to be channeling The Monocle's spirit, and tells Vanya that he plans to counter her apocalyptic song with Stravinsky's 'Rite of Spring'. The Kraken tries to tell Vanya not to listen to the Monocle because others love her when he didn't, but she turns on him angrily. Number Five shoots Vanya in the head, though she survives. The act is then dropped, and the Kraken is surprised to find that it is not the Monocle at all, but the Séance displaying his acting talents. The apocalypse rolls on and a meteor (one of many) hits the theatre, but using his powers of telekinesis, the Séance stops it from killing anyone.

In the epilogue, Number Five recounts the events following the night before. The meteors had shaken loose from the moon. The Rumor and Vanya both live, but neither will be able to use their talents anymore. Their old home is mostly demolished, the Eiffel Tower had crash-landed on top of it. The story then ends with Spaceboy and Kraken reconciling, and after resolving to rebuild, Spaceboy decides to make a sandwich. The group's mother-figure sits in the background. On the table sits a milk carton that reads "MISSING" with the Boy's face beneath...

Collected editions

The series has been collected as a trade paperback:

The Umbrella Academy: The Apocalypse Suite (by Gerard Way & Gabriel Bá, includes all six issues from The Apocalypse Suite, extracts from sketchbooks featuring early versions of characters, the short internet preview and the story from Free Comic Book Day 2007, limited edition hardcover, ISBN 1-59582-163-5, softcover, ISBN 1-59307-978-8)

Awards and nominations

At the 2008 Eisner Awards, The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite won for Best Limited Series.^[1]

The Deluxe Edition of The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite is nominated for Best Graphic Album — Reprint at the 2009 Eisner Awards.^[2]

Sequel

A sequel, The Umbrella Academy: Dallas, was published between November 2008 and April 2009 and collected into a trade paperback on September 30, 2009.

References

External links

• The Umbrella Academy on Myspace
• Pages 11-13 of the first issue, Entertainment Weekly
• Pages 1-5 of the second issue, Comic Book Resources
• The Umbrella Academy.net (Spanish)