Hazel and Cha Cha- those scene-stealing psychotic hitmen employeed by the Temps Aeternalis, are the stars of this 2019 Christmas special. The two are assigned to take out a rogue time criminal who has mingled among the citizens of the City sometime in the mid-80s. At the same time, a young man is coming to terms with becoming an adult when he accidentally is let in on the true secret of Santa Claus: the jolly old fat man is really real!
Umbrella Academy creator Gerard Way pens this holiday tale. It's really not what I thought it was going to be. I've held onto this issue since is debuted 2 years ago and someone told me an overview of a plot in which Hazel and Cha Cha has to save (or maybe kill) the Baby Jesus from a rogue hitman. Is there another Umbrella Academy holiday book that I don't know about? I'm not sure. But this isn't what I was informed about previously.
I've mixed feelings about this issue. The story seems to be all over the place. Maybe some of it is that it's probably been 10 years at least since I last read the first couple of Umbrella Academy series. But with a couple of characters looking just like each other. And the last page seemingly a little ambiguous. And the addition of a couple of random panels that just look random. Well, I think the Tommy Lee Edwards artwork maybe be a part of the blame.
The overall story is very good. But like I said, the artwork is inconsistent and the narrative is chaotic. It makes for a difficult read. I did love how some of the book ended. And I might love how it ended altogether. But like I said, I'm not sure if how I think the book ended is really how it ended.
I like Gerard Way. Great musician. Fairly decent storyteller. And an overall nice guy. I met him once being his personal security at a local comic con. But I don't think this holiday special was flawless. Sometimes Way's writing style gets a little too Grant Morrison-like for his own good and it doesn't always work. There's only one Grant Morrison and even a legend like him gets in a little too much over his head.
Really wondering why somebody told me this story involved the Baby Jesus though...
Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.
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