The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys National Anthem by Gerard Way

​It stands to mention I knew nothing about this book going in. I didn’t know it was a redux, spun off the original, which was a comic that went along with the author’s band concept album. I don’t even know that much about the author outside of Umbrella Academy, which is notably one of the few books extant that fared infinitely nicer as a tv adaptation. I know he was in My Chemical Romance, but that knowledge is academical, not fan based.
    But the thing is, he does write comics like a musician. They have that certain energy. This one’s all hip, punk and angsty and the characters riffs like guitar chords, but outside of that manic frantic tonal arrangement, this wasn’t that great. It was fun, but not great.
      Killjoys are one of many gangs that exist in Way’s comic universe. Years ago they’ve abandoned their wild ways and went on a straight and narrow. The main character, Mike (who looks exactly like one of the older kids on Stranger Things or maybe/likely he’s meant to look like Way himself), these days is working at a grocery story, seeing the love of his life dying in his arms proved to be too much excitement in his past life. But then some excrement hits the fan and Mike gets the gang together and they go back to their old ways of cruising and bruising and silly getups. Like a music video, in a way. One of those that are made to look like short movies.
      So the story wasn’t exactly for me, but art was pretty good. Way teamed up with yet another Brazilian artist, it seems, and the result is a wild, retro styled technicolor ride that wouldn’t be out of place in the 80s.
      Overall, it was entertaining enough and read quickly. I’m not in love, the chemicals aren’t being fired up for this romance, but it was a decent diversion for about 60 minutes.