ARTICLE: Review: 'The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys' # 2

Gerard Way and Shaun Simon’s “Killjoys” continues this month in another fantastic issue. While not quite on the same level as the debut, issue #2 manages to develop the story in some interesting ways and offers enough intrigue to earn your cash.

WRITTEN BY: Gerard Way & Shaun Simon
ART BY: Becky Cloonan
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: July 10th, 2013

“Killjoys” fantastic art by Becky Cloonan is truly one of the biggest selling points of this world. Everything is detailed with such crisp clean visuals that are reminiscent of the best Japanese anime. The newscaster’s gritted forces smile as he’s speaking about Battery City says it all: this book is gorgeous.

While being so beautiful “Killjoys” also manages to be written in such a lyrical style that most of the pages flow with incredible ease. I’ll be honest when I say I was idiotically unaware of the book’s ties to My Chemical Romance upon my review of the first issue.

Now with those influences in mind I feel as if I truly understand the magic of the book. There is a tremendous amount of heart in this creation. The world is expansive, and fully realized with emotion. The introduction of Cheri Cola puts a face to the near perfect disc jockey narration of the book.

His teaming with the girl allows the story to slow down and get immearsed in the world. Gerard Way and Shaun Simon take time to develop a mysterious antagonist, as well as develop a story with some gigantic and beautiful android women from Battery City. What results are three distinct stories in the same world that never run the risk of treading the same ground.

We come to learn more about who the Killjoy’s were, and just what they stood for. We understand more of the goal of the series, and where the overarching threats will emerge. As characters the mysterious Killjoys ooze from every page and manage to intrigue with every new bit of information revealed about them

Cloonan’s art does a lot of the work. The desert wasteland backdrop would almost be breathtaking if it weren’t so drab and arid. The depictions of the Killjoys in the radio station literally jump off the page and scream character without even moving. Cloonan’s sharp lines and big beautiful eyes allow the characters feelings to emote without the words. Something most books struggle to do.

The book runs the risk of collapsing under its own weight. Although I have chosen to remain ignorant to the musical tie ins of the book, I understand some exist. The merits of the book seem to work without the prior knowledge of the characters or of the band. However, I do imagine those familiar will have an easier time understanding the book. The questions raised on these pages are interesting enough to keep the story going for a few more issues, but run the risk of collapsing under their own promise and reliance on previous material. Only time will tell if the story sticks the landing.

Gerard Way and Shaun Simon have created an emotionally invested second chapter of their series that manages to develop the story in some really interesting ways. A few more moments with less exposition and more exploration of the world would have been appreciated, but the series maintains a decent pace.

3.5/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – Jimbus_Christ

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ARTICLE: My Chemical Romance Deny Reunion After Twitter Account Hack

Gerard Way has confirmed that My Chemical Romance are not reforming, after a number of cryptic posts appeared on the band's defunct Twitter page.

The first Twitter message since My Chemical Romance split appeared on July 15, surprising 608,000 followers all over the globe. The tweet read: "you only hear the music when your heart begins to break". The band’s profile page also displayed the status of “soon…”, seemingly indicating a return.

MCR’s former frontman Gerard Way has now taken to his personal Twitter page to confirm that the band's account was in fact hacked and their record label were "taking care of it".

The posts and status on the MCR account have now been removed.

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SCANS: THE TRUE LIVES OF THE FABULOUS KILLJOYS - ISSUE #2

click below for full-sized scans

ISSUE #2 - "GHOST STATIONS"

ARTICLE - The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys #2 advance review

I guess there's an inherent frustration in any adaptation of something thoroughly enjoyed.

In the case of My Chemical Romance's Killjoys concept album, I very much appreciated the story and themes presented. It wasn't a perfect album (not even close), but even if its lows were incredibly low, its highs were just as high, and the album left some room for the listener's imagination; room that I immediately filled with images of a punk cadre facing off with jet packs and ray guns in the desert against an evil petroleum baron.

In a sense, I wasn't far off. As the Dark Horse comic book extension of the story relates, the original Killjoys were musicians waging a kind of artistic and religious guerrilla warfare with a bland, repressive corporate government. So maybe there aren't jet packs, but there are certainly ray guns involved, and a desert wasteland as well. But none of that is really the focus of The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys.

AUDIO: PODCAST: Pop Culture Hounding Gerard Way

 

Gerard Way joins me in conversation for a very special episode of the Pop Culture Hound podcast … But first Taylor & I give our in-depth review of his new comic, The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys, from Dark Horse Comics. Co-written with Shaun Simon, and featuring art by Becky Cloonan, colors by Dan Jackson and letters by Nate Piekos, Killjoys continues the story of the post-apocalyptic world first shown in the film clips for My Chemical Romance’s Na Na Na & Sing.

Then Gerard & I delve into his approach to comics and music. Why did he feel it was time for My Chemical Romance to end? How did he rediscover his love of art? What effect did 9/11 have on the ultimate direction his life would take? We discuss all that and more as we look at his writing process, what it’s like collaborating with others, and what motivates him to keep creating. It’s a fascinating glimpse into the world where music & comics meet, presented by one of the people most qualified to lead us there.

To get in touch, send feedback or submit projects for consideration, please email reviews@popculturehound.com. And if you missed last week’s episode (or any others) you can find them right here or subscribe via iTunes. You can also support the Pop Culture Hound podcast by clicking here to make a donation. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and will help us maintain the site, get new equipment, and encourage us to keep going on those cold lonely nights

ARTICLE: Gerard Way co-wrote Saturday’s episode of ‘The Aquabats!’

Gerard Way has moved from being the frontman for the platinum-selling rock band My Chemical Romance to the writer of the Eisner Award-winning limited series The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite to, now, a co-writer and co-director for the hit children’s television series The Aquabats! Super Show!

The Hollywood Reporter has a sneak peek at Way’s episode (below), which airs Saturday at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT on The Hub and features a guest appearance by his brother and former bandmate Mikey Way.

If you’re somehow unfamiliar with real-life rock band The Aquabats and their Daytime Emmy-nominated TV show, Spinoff Online’s recent interview with executive producer (and MC Bat Commander) Christian Jacobs is a good place to start. But in short, the action-comedy follows the fictionalized adventures of a musical group of amateur superheroes. The second season kicked off June 1.

In Saturday’s episode “Anti-bats!,” which Way co-wrote with Jacobs, two competing bands who seek revenge against the Aquabats! unite with the evil Silver Skull to become, unsurprisingly, the Anti-bats!

Way tells The Hollywood Reporter the collaboration happened by chance: “I had done an interview at San Diego Comic-Con — we were doing comics for the band — and they asked me what I wanted to do next. I had had Bandit, my daughter, and naturally I wanted to be on Yo Gabba Gabba, so I threw it out there. The universe works in awesome ways. Christian was on a flight with Frank [Iero, guitarist for My Chemical Romance]. … And then next thing I know, Christian and I are on the phone and collaborating on a musical segment. … We hit it off and met on the set and stayed in touch, and he kindly offered me the opportunity to write for Aquabats!”

His latest comics project, The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, debuted from Dark Horse earlier this month.

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IMAGE: Candid - Gerard Way

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