The Umbrella Academy, Volume 3 Hotel Oblivion by Gerard Way, Gabriel Bá

​    Umbrella Academy is one of those odd books that are superior as televised. Books one and two were decent enough in their own right, quicky superhero family sort of way, but nothing special. Which is why there were only two books, probably.
    But then the Netflix show came along and I’m guessing someone decided to cash in on its success and brought the comics back. And really, they shouldn’t have. Outside of some weird nostalgic factor, outside of the business marketing decisions, outside of giving its creators something to do and some more money to make, this book doesn’t need to exist.
     Kinda harsh, sure, but not inaccurate. Maybe it’s been too long in between, who knows, but this book was kind of a mess. It was too busy, too hyper, it jumped in a million different directions. Even the art, although familiar, wasn’t quite the same.
        We live in the time of comebacks. Mostly, tv shows. All of that nostalgia driven drivel is lamentable. Things have their time and place and should have the good grace to stay there. There’s plenty of new excellent programming, there’s really no reason to exhume the old and try to pass it for new. It’s very much the case here.
         You can’t stand in the same river twice. It won’t be the same river and you won’t be the same you. Why that doesn’t apply to entertainment remains a mystery.
        So anyway, this wasn’t a terrible book by any means, especially for fans. But it isn’t great either and, frankly, you should just watch the show. If you do opt for the book, this was a very quick read.