Written by Guest Contributor: Jordan North Over the course of six issues Gerard Way and Shaun Simon have come together on a project that's about color, fun and ambition. The last installment in the series goes out with a bang (or should I say BOOM!) but does it live up to the fireworks display that this mini-series has been promising and building towards since the start?
Yes and no. What is done nicely is the tying up of a lot of plot lines in pretty spectacular fashion and really by the end I felt nothing to bitch about and pretty much complete closure. On the flip side? All the characters and plots had to all be covered in 24 pages and let me tell you, this is a comic with A,B,C and D stories. So in the end, everything is done as well as we could expect, we just don’t have enough time to sit with these moments to make them feel too significant. It all just feels like a blur of one "character last moment vignette" after another. Add that to the fact that I never really cared about too many of the characters in the first place because of some undercooked characterization and you have what is a pretty and scope-wise impressive, but ultimately forgettable and underwhelming finale.
My favorite parts of this series were the patented Gerard Way strangeness of lore that could make even a damn bland plot readable and art by Becky Cloonan and Dan Jackson who made the whole story feel dynamic and fun with their take on the world's aesthetics. Characters like Korse and The Girl ended up being fun to spend time with and ultimately I'm happy I read True Lives, but if you’re expecting spot on characterization and zany yet concise plot? The Umbrella Academy this is not. However, if you have some spare time and nothing left on your pull list, TLFK may be something to check out.
Score: 3/5
Writer: Gerard Way and Shaun Simon Artist: Becky Cloonan Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 12/31/13