The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys #5 (Dark Horse)

Via CBDB

writer: Gerard Way, Shaun Simon
artist: Becky Cloonan

Gerard Way is best known as lead vocalist of the recently retired rock band My Chemical Romance, but he's been working in comics for a few years now, and he's (*ahem*) one of the unsung gems in the medium.  Starting out with The Umbrella Academy (also at Dark Horse), he's been one of the most imaginative writers around.

And now he's done The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys as well.  It's a post-apocalyptic landscape with its own version of superhero mythology going around, and it's the kind of storytelling that isn't too worried about being busy, and a story you can drop into the middle of and not feel out of place.

All of this, as far as I'm concerned, is a huge endorsement.  What else do you need to know?  After this one, there was a final issue released at the start of the year, and so yes, that means you can, if you so choose, go ahead and track down the whole series.

The series is actually directly related to the MCR album Danger Days, which makes Killjoys a lot like the Coldplay comic from last year, Mylo Xyloto, based on the album of the same name.  I guess that was just something that was going around last year.

The lead character is the sole survivor of the original Killjoys, looking for a way forward, which she finds at the end of the issue, which even for someone who has zero experience with the rest of the material is still satisfying.  It's pitch-perfect execution, filled with big ideas presented in a way a Grant Morrison fan can appreciate.

So far Way has stuck with Dark Horse, which is interesting enough as it is.  Both projects could just as easily be at home with Image, and aren't very representative of the typical Dark Horse output.  But the publisher strays from its usual licensed product template on occasion.  Way is a considerable asset in that regard.  The more work he does, the better off both will be.  But it'll be interesting to see how things develop.  At the moment, I'm sure a lot of fans still consider Way to be a dilettante, while his fans are probably the "kewl kids" who will take any novelty at face value.  He has real talent to contribute, though.  In time he may end up with a much higher profile in the medium.  And a bloody rock god all over again.