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The Umbrella Academy's initial six-issue monthly miniseries format “Apocalypse Suite” marked the comics debut of Gerard Way, frontman and songwriter for My Chemical Romance, and this collection proves that he's an authentic, exciting new talent. For once, the de rigueur praise in a book's introduction—in this case, from the rock-star god of comics, Grant Morrison—is not mere hyperbole. Other industry professionals agree: In July, Way and artist Gabriel Bá won an Eisner Award, the Pulitzer of comicdom.

Way and Bá have stitched together a variety of sci-fi, Gothic horror and superhero tropes into an enthralling crazy quilt that somehow feels original. In Umbrella's tripped-out, anything-goes universe, seven seemingly unrelated children are born simultaneously, then gathered together and raised, though not very warmly, by a mysterious inventor. All but one have special powers, which range from the standard (super-strength, telekinesis) to the bizarre (the ability to grow otherworldly tentacles from the belly). Their heroic public debut occurs at age 10, when they save Paris from a rampaging Eiffel Tower. But as adults, they're a sorry, estranged lot, brought back together only for the funeral of the man who refused to be called their father. Naturally, the reunion sparks a lot of tension and a sudden need to band together again to prevent an imminent doomsday.

Way engages in some intriguing world-building; he tosses in enticing details without further reference, taking a page from the successful Hellboy model by clearly sowing the seeds for future miniseries. His fertile imagination also spits out bizarre—and insignificant—ideas just for fun: a space squid in a wrestling ring, a limbless mannequin mother, a magical monocle. It's all delightfully rendered and heavily inked by Bá, whose stylized art layers a foreboding noir effect onto his confident cartoons. A disappointing deus ex machina moment leads to an overly pat denouement, which is a slight letdown after such a dark, thrilling buildup. But that won't prevent anyone from hungering for Umbrella tales to come.