What has Hargreeves done?
It seems that everyone is steps behind the mysterious grand plan that Hargreeves has concocted behind the scenes. As the Umbrella Academy struggle with their own quarrels, dealing with their relationship to Hargreeves, and dealing with their own relationships, they also have to save the world.
After a considerable waiting gap between comic issues and the popular Netflix adaptation, fans have been given a new adventure with the seven part story arc of Hotel Oblivion. The superheroes have disbanded, each pursuing and fighting their own demons. Number 5 has become a ruthless killer for hire. Spaceboy and Diego hover close to one another as they do their own hero thing. Allison helps Vanya with her recovery. Seance is just a mess.
Forces of evil spin on their own axis of time. For in a literal pocket of time in the Afterspace, where space changes but does not move, a Hotel literally exists in the middle of space oblivion. Here, Hargreeves has decided to house of all of the worst of the bad guys in the hotel, each in their own hotel room of isolation and penitence. Some have repented and regret their ways. Most have used the time to seethe and hate. The world thinks they’re dead. Thanks to the Perseus corporation and the invention of the telenovator, the world will know soon enough that they are indeed not.
The seven-issue arc is an ongoing lead up to yet another impending destruction of the world. This time, the destruction will be the result of Hargreeves’ plan which will go, of course, horribly wrong. None of the heroes were aware that such a hotel existed and once they knew of its existence it was too late. It seems like there was good intention to have the hotel destroyed but that just seems like unnecessary long time planning with lots of room for errors. Odd plan for a supposed genius.
Even as everything is falling apart with destruction everywhere, there are curious things afoot. Readers of Umbrella Academy will know that there is more to see beyond the chaos. The mischief is in the details. Each of the issue contains witty tidbits in the credits page and even in the readers comment page. One reading is never enough. The covers are a huge clue to the heart of the issue so the bird on the seventh issue was curious. It took a re-reading of the seven issues to notice all of the clues of the bird symbols strewn throughout. They were minor but it does lead to an even bigger revelation at the end of the seventh issue as the bird symbol connects to the incoming new characters. I am not sure of the birds species and if it has additional significance. One thing for sure, the story is definitely not over.
We are still uncovering even more of Hargreeves works. It is questionable at this point if these plans were intended to have any beneficial uses as they are all absolutely horrible and has turned out to be a nightmare. Even what was supposed to a solid beam of support had revealed a different image and it is not homely. It wouldn’t be surprising if Hargreeves just intended it all to be disastrous just to end the world in a glory of fire, blood, and destruction.
Hotel Oblivion has been a beyond satisfactory journey. Despite their struggles, the characters are growing beyond their hangups. Even when it doesn’t seem like it, they are surviving. The tenuous bond between them is frayed and it will definitely going to be challenged. Yet they are all united in their ultimate misfit hearts. They all want a connection somehow. This was such a compelling story from first issue to the seventh, watching all of this unfold and eyeing glimpses of what is to come. It is absolutely worthy of collecting all of the issues now or waiting as a trade paperback. You’re gonna read this over and over again.
Umbrella Academy:Hotel Oblivion is available now from Dark Horse.
Writer:Gerard Way
Artist:Gabriel Ba
Colorist:Nick Filardi
Cover Artist:Gabriel Ba
