The True Lives of Fabulous Killjoys #1 Review

THE TRUE LIVES OF FABULOUS KILLJOYS #1

by Gerard Way, Shaun Simon and Becky Cloonan

The future is bulletproof!

The aftermath is secondary!
It's time to do it now, and do it loud!
Killjoys, make some noise!

-From 'Na Na Na' by My Chemical Romance

The True Lives of Fabulous Killjoys #1 takes place about 12 years after the events of the 'Sing' music video and the death of the Killjoys. The Girl is now grown up, and wandering the post-apocalyptic wastes with the cutest black cat you'll ever see. And... Things get progressively crazy. First, let me back up. I can't believe I left this off of my list of my most anticipated books of 2012. Now, Way and Simon do an amazing job with the story. While the tone of this is much darker than you'd expect, they still keep the fun and carefree vibe of the videos. The ending is absolutely crazy, when Grant Morrison comes after the fake Killjoys (that's right, Grant 'Effing Morrison). Beyond this, there are two major flaws behind the issue. First up, if you have never listened to the awesome My Chemical Romance album, Danger Days (the album this book is based on) and haven't seen the videos, you'll be pretty damned confused. Also, the strange dialogue, rife with unique and difficult to understand slang, will bewilder many people, and will make the book a bit difficult to comprehend. In fact, I actually had to read the book twice to fully take it in. Now, one of my favorite things about the book so far is the Girl. She doesn't have a name. Just, the Girl. From the get-go, you get attached to her, and she is basically your eyes and ears on this journey. 

I don't even want to talk about the art. Why? Because it's Becky Cloonan. One of the best artists on the planet. She kicked ass on Batman, Swamp Thing, Conan and the Ink and Thunder books, and she kicks ass on this as well. Her simplistic art lends a lot of charm to the book's unique feel. All of her characters look pretty great too, especially the creepy as !@#$ Draculoids. These are guys you don't want hiding in your closet at night.

The True Lives of Fabulous Killjoys #1 is a smash hit. While it is a little bit hard to understand, the characters, the plot, and the art make up what is sure to be the comic world's next big thing. Hopefully. 

STORY: 4/5

+ Great characters

+ The Girl is the perfect protagonist

+ Much darker than you'd think, but the still captures the spirit of the album

+ Grant Morrison is the villain. 'Nuff said.

- Sometimes very hard to understand

ART: 5/5

+ Becky Cloonan.

VERDICT: 4.5/5