Most comic fans have read Umbrella Academy,
News hit that Netflix was adding Umbrella Academy as a ten episode series and I noticed it available last week and binge watched it over the weekend. It’s an excellent ten hours, developing multiple storylines and weaving them together for a grand finale. All in all an excellent experience.
As with all episodic television it can feel drawn out at times, where a movie would reduce the development to key points and focus on moving the story forward.
I spotted Umbrella Academy available on Izneo, my digital platform of choice since I like everything but superhero comics. A decidedly quick and fun read.
The series very much reminded me of a movie, in its efforts to keep the story trim and to the point. There is no character development, no backstory and little meat to the bones. But that’s not a problem, because it’s all about the crazy ride that is the story.
The entire storyline of the time bureau and its two hitmen sent for Number 5 doesn’t appear in the comic at all. We get the diner scene in a few pages but that’s it, with no explanation.
In fact, everything happens without an explanation. And that’s the dichotomy of the comic to the television series. Both are episodic, but one has twenty-two pages and six issues while the other has sixty minutes and ten episodes.
Both are excellent and stand on their own merits, to be enjoyed as such. Just don’t expect the comic to be the television show, and vice versa.
Please check out the preview below from Izneo, who provided my digital copy for review.
Worth watching AND reading.