What do you think?
Rate this book
The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys
The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys
Years ago, the Killjoys fought against the tyrannical megacorporation Better Living Industries, costing them their lives, save for one—the mysterious Girl. Today, the followers of the original Killjoys languish in the Desert while BLI systematically strips citizens of their individuality. As the fight for freedom fades, it’s left to the Girl to take up the mantle and bring down the fearsome BLI! Collects The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys #1–#6 and “Dead Satellites” from Free Comic Book Day 2013.
160 pages, Paperback
First published October 31, 2011
208 people are currently reading
5704 people want to read
About the author
Gerard Way
227 books4,531 followersGerard Arthur Way (born April 9, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and comic book writer who served as frontman, lead vocalist, and co-founder of the band My Chemical Romance from the time of its formation in 2001 until its breakup in 2013. He is the author of the Eisner Award-winning comic book series The Umbrella Academy (now a Netflix original series) and The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. In January 2014, he announced via Twitter that he and artist Gabriel Ba will begin work on Umbrella Academy Volumes 3 & 4 in late 2014/early 2015. His debut solo album Hesitant Alien was released on September 30, 2014. Way lives in Los Angeles, California, with his wife Lindsey (bassist of Mindless Self Indulgence) and their daughter, Bandit.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 672 reviews
October 24, 2025
*slaps this book on a table*: this baby can fit so much nostalgia in it you’re gonna put “The Kids From Yesterday” on repeat at 4 a.m. and cry
December 16, 2014
We all know the future is going to suck in a big way, but could someone at least write a fairly entertaining graphic novel about it. Well, some people can: See The Massive as an example. Gerard Way, sorry, but no, I’ll pass on your dystopian vision. Why? Let’s see:
Random and unfocused world building - check
Incoherent story – check
Sub plots that flow together like sewage and wine - check
Poorly conceived characters you don’t care about – check
Characters whose motivations are a complete mystery – check
Characters who are connected to one another, but just how, well, that’s a mystery, because the writer is too lazy to connect the dots - check
Character who go from point A to point B, but its’ never explained or more importantly, shown, how – check
What’s to like
Porno droids
The cute kitty*
What’s not to like
Pretty much everything
*I changed my mind not the cute kitty, just the Porno droids.
Random and unfocused world building - check
Incoherent story – check
Sub plots that flow together like sewage and wine - check
Poorly conceived characters you don’t care about – check
Characters whose motivations are a complete mystery – check
Characters who are connected to one another, but just how, well, that’s a mystery, because the writer is too lazy to connect the dots - check
Character who go from point A to point B, but its’ never explained or more importantly, shown, how – check
What’s to like
Porno droids
The cute kitty*
What’s not to like
Pretty much everything
*I changed my mind not the cute kitty, just the Porno droids.
July 26, 2020
This reminds me of something Jamie Hewlett would do if he and Damon Albarn ever turned Gorillaz into a comic. Becky Cloonan has a similar clean look and popping colors to her art. And it does turn out that this is meant to be something of a companion piece to the My Chemical Romance album Danger Days.
This is set is a dystopian future. One where it feels there was a comic before this that you missed where lots of things happened that are only referenced here. Still there was something about it that I quite liked.
This library edition has about 60 pages of sketches and other backmatter.
Received a review copy from Dark Horse and Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
This is set is a dystopian future. One where it feels there was a comic before this that you missed where lots of things happened that are only referenced here. Still there was something about it that I quite liked.
This library edition has about 60 pages of sketches and other backmatter.
Received a review copy from Dark Horse and Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
May 20, 2014
I really enjoy concept albums. I first became aware of the My Chemical Romance album Danger Days: True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys when I caught the music video for "Na Na Na" on late night television. I was caught up in the world, so it was pretty exciting when I saw that MCR front-man Gerard Way had teamed up with comics writer Shaun Simon to explore what happened after the album and the videos. I think only the "Na Na Na" and "Sing" videos are absolutely necessary, but I'd still recommend watching those and listening to the album before picking up THE TRUE LIVES OF THE FABULOUS KILLJOYS.
The Girl, the sole surviving member of the Killjoys, joins up with a new group at the beginning of the comic. But this group's leader might be a little off his hinges. Meanwhile, back in Battery City, Korse is starting to no longer perfectly follow orders for Better Living Industries and a droid is desperately trying to save her older-model-droid girlfriend. There are a lot of characters to follow in six issues, but things come together by the end.
The focus really is one the Girl and her coming into her own. One of the questions raised by the music videos is why the Killjoys were protecting her. It's something she's wondered herself. But she can find and forge her own path even as she discovers the answer to that question. It's paralleled by company-man Korse questioning the path that he's followed for so long.
I liked seeing this world fleshed out farther and getting some answers to lingering questions. I thought Becky Cloonan's art did a wonderful job of capturing the look of the videos and translating it to a 2D medium. At the same time, if you aren't already a fan of the world, there is a lot to pick up. There is very little time spent rehashing information from the album. I'd say this is a yes for fans of Danger Days, but a pass for everyone else.
The Girl, the sole surviving member of the Killjoys, joins up with a new group at the beginning of the comic. But this group's leader might be a little off his hinges. Meanwhile, back in Battery City, Korse is starting to no longer perfectly follow orders for Better Living Industries and a droid is desperately trying to save her older-model-droid girlfriend. There are a lot of characters to follow in six issues, but things come together by the end.
The focus really is one the Girl and her coming into her own. One of the questions raised by the music videos is why the Killjoys were protecting her. It's something she's wondered herself. But she can find and forge her own path even as she discovers the answer to that question. It's paralleled by company-man Korse questioning the path that he's followed for so long.
I liked seeing this world fleshed out farther and getting some answers to lingering questions. I thought Becky Cloonan's art did a wonderful job of capturing the look of the videos and translating it to a 2D medium. At the same time, if you aren't already a fan of the world, there is a lot to pick up. There is very little time spent rehashing information from the album. I'd say this is a yes for fans of Danger Days, but a pass for everyone else.
September 9, 2015
I decided to have a Gerard Way kinda day - so I sat back and listened to Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. It's a pretty fantastic album, if you like that sort of music - modern punk rock, more subversive than the likes of, say, The Sex Pistols, but no less intrinsically angry, and with the sort of narrative creativity that reminds one of the likes of envelope-pushing proto-punk like Velvet Underground. Wait. What website am I on? Oh, right, Goodreads. It's a good album, though! Go listen, I guess. You can't read it, though. It is music.
I mention it, though, because this comic, that album, and the album's accompanying music videos, are sort of linked, like a sort of multimedia project, in a way. Less tangled a web than, say, Shadows of the Empire, it is nonetheless true that your enjoyment of this comic, the album, and the videos, are symbiotic. Reading one without listening to the other might reap some rewards, but I found that, reading the comic heightened my enjoyment of the My Chemical Romance tracks, and vice versa. The music videos in particular - short films set to tracks from the Danger Days album, basically - provide the necessary introduction for characters, locations, and events that are handed off in the comic as things you're expected to already know. So there you go.
With everything wrapped up tightly, though, I'm happy to report that I like The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys a lot. Gerard Way and his co-author Shaun Simon have created a world unlike any I've really seen before. It evokes memories of a lot of prior works - Blade Runner, Mad Max, Tank Girl, a lot of anime and manga (Gerard Way is notably a fan of which), and musical inspirations that find their way wormed into the comic - but it's all put together in a way that feels very organic and original. The world of Battery City and its outskirts is familiar, but very much a product of Way and Simon's own vision, and it's a brilliant creation.
The plot revolves around a futuristic dystopia called Battery City. Its citizens being watched constantly by masked enforcers called Draculoids and Scarecrows, it is a bleak world, with plain labels on everything (reminiscent of Repo Man), reminders to smile by images of beaming cartoons that provide a stark juxtaposition to the grey, lifeless landscape, and PA announcements reminding everyone to have "a better day," courtesy of the omnipresent, oppressive and tyrannical Better Living Industries (BLI, or, as it is stylized constantly, BL/ind). On the outskirts of Battery City, though, live rebel teenagers, scavenging through the desert and living lives of excitement, emotion and energy, against the wishes of BLI; in the memory of a group called the Killjoys - a group of rebels who were consistently taking the fight to BLI, a sort of vigilante group that were killed trying to protect a child only known as The Girl, who BLI believed to possess some kind of powers that could tear Battery City apart.
It might all seem trite or familiar, but it's eclectically creative, mind, in ways I often had trouble really parsing on the first glance. I loved turning the page and seeing absolutely daft pieces of story elements introduce themselves. There are basically three concurrent stories being told that don't cross paths until the final pages of the book, and each one comes with its own surprises. Whether it be pieces of technology in the future city, or the culture of the rebels living out of BLI's grasp, the design of Draculoids and Scarecrows, or just the way the characters dress themselves... it's a striking vision, all beautifully rendered by artist Becky Cloonan. Everything in The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys plugs into a bombastic, stylistic world that melds a sort of childlike stupidity with a subtle, subversive genius. You know you've struck gold when you have a comic book that has lesbian sex robots in it as secondary protagonists. I don't know why that's a sign of quality, but I also don't know why I haven't seen it before.
The characters are all fantastic. The Girl herself - grown up since the Killjoys died to save her - is basically a generic anime protagonist, wandering lonely a world she only barely understands, asking questions and trying to live up to a prophecy that says that she is some kind of special weapon (despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary). She has a pet cat that wanders around with her, and she's intrinsically relatable, especially since she's so often curious or baffled by things that we, as readers, are too. She runs into a group of wannabe Killjoys - a group of teens living, seemingly, to supersede the legendary vigilantes, but in ways that make them far more dangerous. The group's leader takes immense pleasure in murder, of his enemies or otherwise, and his followers are vain and superficial in ways that betray their deep passion to follow his lead. The Girl basically has to choose between striking out on her own path, or following these strange, dangerous people - perhaps the only way she'll ever take revenge on the hated BLI who killed her friends, the Killjoys.
In Battery City, though, there are more stories to be told. From the aforementioned lesbian sex androids to an aging Scarecrow who is starting to turn against the orders of his superiors, it seems the gears are turning against BLI from the inside as much as in the apocalyptic desert beyond its borders. Some of it is suitably poignant (and I won't spoil, because it's actually genuinely touching and beautiful, and I'd hate for it not to have the impact on you it had on me), but let's just say that BLI is a bit apposed to things that a lot of people have trouble being accepted for even in today's seemingly not-a-dystopian-future-city society. Then there are seriously chilling lines, like a mother telling her child (who wished upon a "star") that "you know there are no more stars". It's more horrific for its silliness, though, as, in one very out-of-left-field scene, it is revealed that the main villainess is a whip-wielding dominatrix in her spare time. I don't know what that's meant to signify (if anything), but it's certainly a curio the likes of which this comic frequently indulges in presenting.
As a standalone project, I think do really like this book. As a multimedia package, though, with the My Chemical Romance album at hand, it's really an experience quite unlike anything else. There are a few things I could nitpick, but overall my feelings are startlingly positive, especially as my mind revisits it - it's the sort of story that works really well if you let it gestate, let it grow on you. It has undoubtedly grown on me, from the unique voices that Way and Simon possess, to the deft illustrations by an artist who walks the line between Western and Eastern styles with notable aplomb. It's a mess in places, but then, it is punk, and isn't that how it goes? To quote the desert's own mad DJ, Dr. Death-Defying: "It's time to do it now, and do it loud."
I mention it, though, because this comic, that album, and the album's accompanying music videos, are sort of linked, like a sort of multimedia project, in a way. Less tangled a web than, say, Shadows of the Empire, it is nonetheless true that your enjoyment of this comic, the album, and the videos, are symbiotic. Reading one without listening to the other might reap some rewards, but I found that, reading the comic heightened my enjoyment of the My Chemical Romance tracks, and vice versa. The music videos in particular - short films set to tracks from the Danger Days album, basically - provide the necessary introduction for characters, locations, and events that are handed off in the comic as things you're expected to already know. So there you go.
With everything wrapped up tightly, though, I'm happy to report that I like The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys a lot. Gerard Way and his co-author Shaun Simon have created a world unlike any I've really seen before. It evokes memories of a lot of prior works - Blade Runner, Mad Max, Tank Girl, a lot of anime and manga (Gerard Way is notably a fan of which), and musical inspirations that find their way wormed into the comic - but it's all put together in a way that feels very organic and original. The world of Battery City and its outskirts is familiar, but very much a product of Way and Simon's own vision, and it's a brilliant creation.
The plot revolves around a futuristic dystopia called Battery City. Its citizens being watched constantly by masked enforcers called Draculoids and Scarecrows, it is a bleak world, with plain labels on everything (reminiscent of Repo Man), reminders to smile by images of beaming cartoons that provide a stark juxtaposition to the grey, lifeless landscape, and PA announcements reminding everyone to have "a better day," courtesy of the omnipresent, oppressive and tyrannical Better Living Industries (BLI, or, as it is stylized constantly, BL/ind). On the outskirts of Battery City, though, live rebel teenagers, scavenging through the desert and living lives of excitement, emotion and energy, against the wishes of BLI; in the memory of a group called the Killjoys - a group of rebels who were consistently taking the fight to BLI, a sort of vigilante group that were killed trying to protect a child only known as The Girl, who BLI believed to possess some kind of powers that could tear Battery City apart.
It might all seem trite or familiar, but it's eclectically creative, mind, in ways I often had trouble really parsing on the first glance. I loved turning the page and seeing absolutely daft pieces of story elements introduce themselves. There are basically three concurrent stories being told that don't cross paths until the final pages of the book, and each one comes with its own surprises. Whether it be pieces of technology in the future city, or the culture of the rebels living out of BLI's grasp, the design of Draculoids and Scarecrows, or just the way the characters dress themselves... it's a striking vision, all beautifully rendered by artist Becky Cloonan. Everything in The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys plugs into a bombastic, stylistic world that melds a sort of childlike stupidity with a subtle, subversive genius. You know you've struck gold when you have a comic book that has lesbian sex robots in it as secondary protagonists. I don't know why that's a sign of quality, but I also don't know why I haven't seen it before.
The characters are all fantastic. The Girl herself - grown up since the Killjoys died to save her - is basically a generic anime protagonist, wandering lonely a world she only barely understands, asking questions and trying to live up to a prophecy that says that she is some kind of special weapon (despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary). She has a pet cat that wanders around with her, and she's intrinsically relatable, especially since she's so often curious or baffled by things that we, as readers, are too. She runs into a group of wannabe Killjoys - a group of teens living, seemingly, to supersede the legendary vigilantes, but in ways that make them far more dangerous. The group's leader takes immense pleasure in murder, of his enemies or otherwise, and his followers are vain and superficial in ways that betray their deep passion to follow his lead. The Girl basically has to choose between striking out on her own path, or following these strange, dangerous people - perhaps the only way she'll ever take revenge on the hated BLI who killed her friends, the Killjoys.
In Battery City, though, there are more stories to be told. From the aforementioned lesbian sex androids to an aging Scarecrow who is starting to turn against the orders of his superiors, it seems the gears are turning against BLI from the inside as much as in the apocalyptic desert beyond its borders. Some of it is suitably poignant (and I won't spoil, because it's actually genuinely touching and beautiful, and I'd hate for it not to have the impact on you it had on me), but let's just say that BLI is a bit apposed to things that a lot of people have trouble being accepted for even in today's seemingly not-a-dystopian-future-city society. Then there are seriously chilling lines, like a mother telling her child (who wished upon a "star") that "you know there are no more stars". It's more horrific for its silliness, though, as, in one very out-of-left-field scene, it is revealed that the main villainess is a whip-wielding dominatrix in her spare time. I don't know what that's meant to signify (if anything), but it's certainly a curio the likes of which this comic frequently indulges in presenting.
As a standalone project, I think do really like this book. As a multimedia package, though, with the My Chemical Romance album at hand, it's really an experience quite unlike anything else. There are a few things I could nitpick, but overall my feelings are startlingly positive, especially as my mind revisits it - it's the sort of story that works really well if you let it gestate, let it grow on you. It has undoubtedly grown on me, from the unique voices that Way and Simon possess, to the deft illustrations by an artist who walks the line between Western and Eastern styles with notable aplomb. It's a mess in places, but then, it is punk, and isn't that how it goes? To quote the desert's own mad DJ, Dr. Death-Defying: "It's time to do it now, and do it loud."
November 10, 2014
Sure, who doesn't want to flee to the desert, wear Beetlejuice leggings and leather jackets, dye their hair bright colors and wear make-up, join a snotty punk-rock gang of outlaws and plan daring overthrows of corporate America (that heartless machine we all agree we hate)? But that doesn't excuse a barely patched together comic based off of the flimsy plotting of a fucking rock opera. Not even the lithe, cyber-punk meets Road Warrior artwork can save this throwaway teenage daydream. Meh. Read the two volumes of The Umbrella Academy for better artwork and better writing - back when punk-superstar Gerard Way wasn't too busy playing Spaceman to write his own comic book.
May 20, 2021
Simple story, good ideas, nice artwork though the characters aren't very fresh out (an introduction for the main crew at the beginning would have been nice), the ending is a bit rushed because the creators had to stuff everything into one single volume, but as a whole it's still good.
Sadly we don't get to see any of the original Killjoys as different persons through an entire book, still I like that the heroine's .
More Gerard Way's comics please! I don't care about the guy's music but I can trust him to come up with many many Rock n' Roll style of good comic stories!
Sadly we don't get to see any of the original Killjoys as different persons through an entire book, still I like that the heroine's .
More Gerard Way's comics please! I don't care about the guy's music but I can trust him to come up with many many Rock n' Roll style of good comic stories!
January 4, 2015
I love this. I love this so much. The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys is a continuation of the story told in the music videos 'Na Na Na' and 'Sing' by My Chemical Romance (my favourite band and I am still in denial about their split) from their album Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. It's basically the aftermath of the showdown between Better Living industries and the Killjoys, a sneak-peak into Battery City and it's way of life and basically what everything means. If you love MCR then you'll love this awesome comic.
May 22, 2014
The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys must be reviewed in two ways. First, as with any book, it must be reviewed as a stand-alone work. However, given the larger Killjoys world that Way has crafted, The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys must also be reviewed as the third corner of the Killjoys media triangle.
In isolation, The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys is a relatively solid book. Visually and lyrically, the book is highly-stylized. The art is colorful and explosive. The text is punchy and poetic. Way has definitely crafted a unique style to serve as a physical reflection of the Killjoys world. That being said, the story is mostly solid, but it is a bit lacking in some places. The story builds nicely, follows an interesting variety of characters whose individual stories overlap fluidly, and leads to a satisfying conclusion. However, at times, the side characters can feel a bit generic and flat. While someone could read and understand this text without the background knowledge provided by My Chemical Romance's "Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys" album and music videos, when considered in full isolation, the story lacks much of the emotional energy that the music creates, and the story and the style could be a bit confusing for new entrees into the Killjoys world.
When considered as the third piece to the Killjoys media triangle (with the Danger Days album and its music videos being the first two -- and the Mad Gear and Missile Kid EP as part of the album), Killjoys is a much more satisfying book. Fans of the album and music videos will appreciate a lyrical crossover, the major roles and cameos by characters mentioned in the music and videos, and a more in-depth look at the Killjoys world. Many questions -- beyond the obvious: why is the girl special? -- are answered by the comic, and many new details are introduced that mutually enrich the album, EP, and the videos. For those already living in the Killjoys world, the comic is the missing piece, and it is flamboyant, satisfying, and downright powerful.
Overall, Gerard Way's The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys is an entertaining and powerful read. While it has more meaning when the reader is aware of the music album, EP, and videos, it is still enjoyable and captivating as one's only introduction into the Killjoys world. Way takes on a huge task by crafting a unique post-apocalyptic world in three media, and while there are still details that could have been fleshed out and explained in more depth, he manages to create a world that is energetic, meaningful, and entirely possible (in a social-thematic sense). As a Killjoy, I give it five stars. However, as a general reader, considering only the text, I had to give it four.
In isolation, The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys is a relatively solid book. Visually and lyrically, the book is highly-stylized. The art is colorful and explosive. The text is punchy and poetic. Way has definitely crafted a unique style to serve as a physical reflection of the Killjoys world. That being said, the story is mostly solid, but it is a bit lacking in some places. The story builds nicely, follows an interesting variety of characters whose individual stories overlap fluidly, and leads to a satisfying conclusion. However, at times, the side characters can feel a bit generic and flat. While someone could read and understand this text without the background knowledge provided by My Chemical Romance's "Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys" album and music videos, when considered in full isolation, the story lacks much of the emotional energy that the music creates, and the story and the style could be a bit confusing for new entrees into the Killjoys world.
When considered as the third piece to the Killjoys media triangle (with the Danger Days album and its music videos being the first two -- and the Mad Gear and Missile Kid EP as part of the album), Killjoys is a much more satisfying book. Fans of the album and music videos will appreciate a lyrical crossover, the major roles and cameos by characters mentioned in the music and videos, and a more in-depth look at the Killjoys world. Many questions -- beyond the obvious: why is the girl special? -- are answered by the comic, and many new details are introduced that mutually enrich the album, EP, and the videos. For those already living in the Killjoys world, the comic is the missing piece, and it is flamboyant, satisfying, and downright powerful.
Overall, Gerard Way's The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys is an entertaining and powerful read. While it has more meaning when the reader is aware of the music album, EP, and videos, it is still enjoyable and captivating as one's only introduction into the Killjoys world. Way takes on a huge task by crafting a unique post-apocalyptic world in three media, and while there are still details that could have been fleshed out and explained in more depth, he manages to create a world that is energetic, meaningful, and entirely possible (in a social-thematic sense). As a Killjoy, I give it five stars. However, as a general reader, considering only the text, I had to give it four.
August 7, 2022
The Killjoys lost their lives fighting against the tyrannical megacorporation, Better Living Industries, and now their followers hide out in the desert looking for any chance to fight back. When Girl turns up–one of the only survivors of the original group–she brings with her the hope of bringing down BLInd once and for all. Trigger warnings: character death, violence, guns, prostitution, grief.
I was never much of a My Chemical Romance fan, so I’m not that familiar with the album this comic follows (Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys), but I don’t think you have to be to enjoy this world. It reminds me of some of the grittier, totalitarian sci-fi movies like Blade Runner (1982) and Total Recall (1990), at least in concept. In reality, I had more fun with it than that, since those movies tend to be kind of a drag. Killjoys is every bit as dark, but it’s peppered with sassy dialogue, more diverse characters, and the sense that some causes really are worth dying for. Despite the high body count, it’s more hopeful than not.
Becky Cloonan’s artwork is one of my favorite things about it. It’s full of bleak landscapes and characters that absolutely pop with their bright-colored hair and clothes, and it’s such a fun and original contrast. Girl’s discovery of her power, helped along by Cherri Cola and the Ultra Vs, is the main plot thread. It’s well-done, with emphasis on Girl’s personal development, but I love the side characters just as much. Korse is an unwilling assassin for BLInd, and I know he’s the villain but his story just about broke me. Red and Blue are two android prostitutes searching for a way out of Battery City before Red’s battery completely decays, and they have my whole heart. I’ve been warned off the sequel, National Anthem, by trusted sources, so I’m happy to leave this as a slightly bonkers standalone in my graphic novel collection.
I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.
I was never much of a My Chemical Romance fan, so I’m not that familiar with the album this comic follows (Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys), but I don’t think you have to be to enjoy this world. It reminds me of some of the grittier, totalitarian sci-fi movies like Blade Runner (1982) and Total Recall (1990), at least in concept. In reality, I had more fun with it than that, since those movies tend to be kind of a drag. Killjoys is every bit as dark, but it’s peppered with sassy dialogue, more diverse characters, and the sense that some causes really are worth dying for. Despite the high body count, it’s more hopeful than not.
Becky Cloonan’s artwork is one of my favorite things about it. It’s full of bleak landscapes and characters that absolutely pop with their bright-colored hair and clothes, and it’s such a fun and original contrast. Girl’s discovery of her power, helped along by Cherri Cola and the Ultra Vs, is the main plot thread. It’s well-done, with emphasis on Girl’s personal development, but I love the side characters just as much. Korse is an unwilling assassin for BLInd, and I know he’s the villain but his story just about broke me. Red and Blue are two android prostitutes searching for a way out of Battery City before Red’s battery completely decays, and they have my whole heart. I’ve been warned off the sequel, National Anthem, by trusted sources, so I’m happy to leave this as a slightly bonkers standalone in my graphic novel collection.
I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.
February 20, 2016
I wanted to like this. I really did. It had all the elements that make up a story I'd love; written by Gerard Way, continuity from MCR, great artwork (though I would have preferred Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon).
And it did start off with the bang and rush of adrenaline that characterizes MCR. But then it just sort of...petered down to a supremely disappointing anti-climax. I had to admit by the third or fourth issue that it didn't meet expectations. The characters were weak, the story line was weak, the world was a flimsy construct. I wanted more backstory on BLI, on the pseudo-Killjoys in the desert, on the Analog Wars. Instead we get a very fleeting glimsp into the desert, an annoying side-story about a droid, and a few quotable lines.
Ultimately, they wanted to end the story started by the album, which is more than we could have hoped for, I guess. But all the gimmicks and shoddiness were a surprise, I genuinely expected something better.
And it did start off with the bang and rush of adrenaline that characterizes MCR. But then it just sort of...petered down to a supremely disappointing anti-climax. I had to admit by the third or fourth issue that it didn't meet expectations. The characters were weak, the story line was weak, the world was a flimsy construct. I wanted more backstory on BLI, on the pseudo-Killjoys in the desert, on the Analog Wars. Instead we get a very fleeting glimsp into the desert, an annoying side-story about a droid, and a few quotable lines.
Ultimately, they wanted to end the story started by the album, which is more than we could have hoped for, I guess. But all the gimmicks and shoddiness were a surprise, I genuinely expected something better.
December 23, 2025
*Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*
This was utter nonsense. I would’ve given it one star if it wasn’t for the fantastic art and beautiful colours.
The plot was more than what I’d call a hot mess, it was a steaming pile of adult content droid junk scraps that have been festering in the heat of the unnamed desert featured in this comic where it should have stayed.
Nothing made sense and nothing was explained. Therein lies the entire problem of this comic. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it time and time and time again: you can’t care about characters you know nothing about. I literally felt no emotion at all when main characters were killed. That’s a sign of bad writing.
There was so much cringe and cliché in this. It gave off a real try-hard vibe as well, like it was trying to be deep and philosophical with the music-related metaphors but it got real tired real quick. A lot of what the DJ said through the radio sounded like those poems I write at 3AM when I’m trying to be heartfelt but when I read them later the next day I realise they’re so overwhelmingly pretentious they don’t mean anything at all.
And to top it all off, it ended with a happily ever after and everything works out and everyone’s free, yay! Excuse me if I decide not to party over that. I’d rather party that my experience reading this bad and overrated comic is over.
This was utter nonsense. I would’ve given it one star if it wasn’t for the fantastic art and beautiful colours.
The plot was more than what I’d call a hot mess, it was a steaming pile of adult content droid junk scraps that have been festering in the heat of the unnamed desert featured in this comic where it should have stayed.
Nothing made sense and nothing was explained. Therein lies the entire problem of this comic. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it time and time and time again: you can’t care about characters you know nothing about. I literally felt no emotion at all when main characters were killed. That’s a sign of bad writing.
There was so much cringe and cliché in this. It gave off a real try-hard vibe as well, like it was trying to be deep and philosophical with the music-related metaphors but it got real tired real quick. A lot of what the DJ said through the radio sounded like those poems I write at 3AM when I’m trying to be heartfelt but when I read them later the next day I realise they’re so overwhelmingly pretentious they don’t mean anything at all.
And to top it all off, it ended with a happily ever after and everything works out and everyone’s free, yay! Excuse me if I decide not to party over that. I’d rather party that my experience reading this bad and overrated comic is over.
October 2, 2022
Read it because I follow Becky Cloonan's works, and she didn't disappoint. She has her nice style and this is some of her most professional, clean work she's done.
I hated the story though. It didn't do anything for me. There were some interesting concepts presented but they were presented in such a disorientating way. I didn't care about any of the characters, and eventually just started looking at the artwork and not caring about the story. It took me months to finish this book, I finally read the second half today just to clear-up my to-read pile. I was wary going into this book because I wasn't a fan of the author's most popular work Umbrella Academy which I read years ago.
I wonder why Cloonan decided to do this; I would have much rather have read one of her own stories. It irritates me to see talent wasted on illustrating a mediocre story.
I hated the story though. It didn't do anything for me. There were some interesting concepts presented but they were presented in such a disorientating way. I didn't care about any of the characters, and eventually just started looking at the artwork and not caring about the story. It took me months to finish this book, I finally read the second half today just to clear-up my to-read pile. I was wary going into this book because I wasn't a fan of the author's most popular work Umbrella Academy which I read years ago.
I wonder why Cloonan decided to do this; I would have much rather have read one of her own stories. It irritates me to see talent wasted on illustrating a mediocre story.
Read
April 12, 2021Casually adding books to my TBR because they’re based on albums I like.
Gotta fuel my obsessions.
Gotta fuel my obsessions.
September 2, 2020
To start with, I have never listened to a My Chemical Romance record, nor have I ever seen a MCR music video. I'm reviewing this work on its own merits. And it's not very good.
The art is fine, there are some sparks in the world building, but the story is confusing and yet manages to be dull as dishwater at the same time. I can barely remember one character's name. There are so many of them, and they're all badly defined. So many pages to tell a solid story, and what we get is a horribly clichéd dystopian tale.
Worse is, in the extras Shaun Simon tells of an earlier, completely different version of Killjoys that never was, and it sounds infinitely more interesting.
(Kindly received an ARC from Dark Horse Books through Edelweiss)
The art is fine, there are some sparks in the world building, but the story is confusing and yet manages to be dull as dishwater at the same time. I can barely remember one character's name. There are so many of them, and they're all badly defined. So many pages to tell a solid story, and what we get is a horribly clichéd dystopian tale.
Worse is, in the extras Shaun Simon tells of an earlier, completely different version of Killjoys that never was, and it sounds infinitely more interesting.
(Kindly received an ARC from Dark Horse Books through Edelweiss)
December 6, 2024
✨️THE FUTURE IS BULLETPROOF
THE AFTERMATH IS SECONDARY
IT'S TIME TO DO IT NOW AND DO IT LOUD
KILLJOYS MAKE SOME NOISE!!✨️
THE AFTERMATH IS SECONDARY
IT'S TIME TO DO IT NOW AND DO IT LOUD
KILLJOYS MAKE SOME NOISE!!✨️
April 11, 2014
Fabulous illustrations and a medicore story. The story was rambling and I just couldn't put it all together. It seemed very juvenile for this type of comic. Perhaps if I had read the previous series ? I did enjoy the colorful artwork enough to finish out the book but don't plan on continuing.
January 3, 2021
A very entertaining comic. It was good to see how the Danger Days album led to the videos which became the backstory of this.
September 6, 2018
This is probably more of a 2.5 rounded up and I really really wish I liked it more. I think my main problems were that 1. I should have read it back when it first came out and 2. it seems to follow directly off of the end of the music videos that they put out for the Danger Days album and I never actually watched all of them because there was one that had like 11 parts and I was just like #I'm out lol. I mean you can pick up most of the story from context clues if you've seen the first few music videos but I would imagine people who are not at all familiar with MCR or the Danger Days album would be INCREDIBLY confused by this story. I like the art and the general concept but between this and The Umbrella Academy I'm sorry to say that I don't care much for Gerard's comics. Pretty sad considering he is the whole reason I even started reading comics in the first place. I would recommend this to die-hard MCR fans but probably not anyone else.
October 15, 2020
i think i stand by the three star rating, this definitely has a lot of nostalgia for me because the aesthetic is impeccable and it had the first visible lgbt rep in comics i remember reading in my early teen, but theres a lot missing here that i hope to maybe get with this new run.
June 7, 2017
Amazing! There is so much more to this story than just the little guys destroying the big bad corporation.
A must-read.
A must-read.
April 4, 2024
El principio muy bueno, algunos arcos muy buenos, overall los dos últimos issues confusing as hell. Not bad.
https://www.neapoulain.com/2019/04/th...
Esto de reseña es un paseo por la nostalgia de mi adolescencia que empezó más o menos en el 2006/07 cuando entré a la pubertad. Y decidí que vestirme siempre de negro era lo más cool y que intentar tener fleco emo era una excelente idea (algo que no logré hasta esta época, que tengo un fleco falso que cuando crece me tapa toda la cara). De hecho creo que si buscan al principio de blog van a encontrar todavía rastros de mi adolescencia emo. Cosas que pasan cuando creas un blog a los 13 (casi 14) años. Pero bueno, vamos a hablar de comics primero.
The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys es un comic publicado en seis grapas/issues escrito por Gerard Way y Shaun Simon e ilustrado por la maravillosa e increíble Becky Cloonan (este fue el primer comic que leí ilustrado por ella y la verdad es que la ilustración se merece un 10). Es una continuación/spin-off/cosa relacionada con el último album de My Chemical Romance, Danger Days: The true lives of the fabolous Killjoys y estoy segura de que la experiencia lectora mejora cuando fuiste fan y escuchaste el albúm. No tengo pruebas pero tampoco dudas. Dicho eso, sé que cada producto cultural debería poder sostenerse y hablar por sí mismo (a menos de que hablemos de una saga de películas/libros donde es obvio que hay que conocer los anteriores, pero bueno, yo no aplico eso a spin-offs) y esa, prácticamente, es toda la razón de por qué este comic se fue con una aprobado justo en las estrellas de Goodreads (aun así, puntuar un libro en una escala del uno al cinco es algo que todavía no me acaba de gustar porque me gusta exponer mis razones para que me haya gustado o no en reseñas larguísimas que no lee nadie).
The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys ocurre en las lindes de Battery City, la zonas, el desierto. Empieza con una chica, un gato y una transmisión de radio que nos pone en contexto. Todas las cosas que me gustan de las primeras páginas es que nos enseña el mundo en el que se va a desarrollar la historia mostrándonos las cosas. No cuenta, sino que muestra. ¿Quién es la chica? ¿Quién fue? ¿Quienes fueron los verdaderos Killjoys de los que se habla en el radio como una leyenda? Todo lo va mostrando, poco a poco, sin sobre exponer su mundo. Les juro que eso me convenció de seguir leyendo porque quería saber más cosas del mundo y de los personajes dónde se desarrollaba la historia (especialmente porque recordaba 0 cosas sobre el disco Dager Days).
Además de eso presenta los otros hilos argumentales que sigue el cómic, de los cuales mi favorito es la historia de Red y Blue, dos prostitutas robots de Battery City (nada fuera de la realidad ni tampoco tan ciencia ficción, es algo que ya existe en este mundo capitalista lamentable) que están enamoradas una de la otra (robots con sentimientos, I'm up for that) y sueñan con ser libres. Hay una parte en la que dicen que un día DESTROYA bajará del cielo y los hará libres a todos (amo amo esas historias con esa clase de backstory en cuestión de mitos/leyendas) y que sus cuerpos serán sólo suyos y pienso que eso es hermoso.
Y por ahí también empieza a involucrarse la historia de Korse, un robot asesino de Battery City que desarrolla sentimientos y que es el estúpido arco más confuso de todo el comic, así que aquí es cuando voy a hacer rewind y les voy a contar mi vida entera.
Bueno, no entera, sólo un pedazo. Probablemente yo no hubiera leído este comic es bastante tiempo si no hubiera sido fan de My Chemical Romance ni hubiera tenido una etapa full emo en mi vida. (Y sí, ya sé que la música de MCR no es exactamente del género, pero la mayoría de su following si lo era y su aesthetic se acercaba bastante). Mi preadolescencia y mi adolescencia trascurrieron en esos gloriosos años en los que la gente se horrorizaba y fascinaba con los emos. Salían noticias como: ¿Los emos promueven la autolesión y el suicidio? (tema laaaaargo, la verdad), mi mamá se quejaba de mis intentos de tener fleco (todos fallidos hasta ahora que tengo 23 años y un fleco falso que me descuido y me cubre media cara), de los flecos de mis amigas, de la ropa que usaba (teníamos un mal gusto tremendo), de la música que oía (30 veces al día The Black Parade aderezado con Welcome to my life de Simple Plan y la mitad de Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge y por ahí pedazos de Good Charlotte y otras cosas que ella considera lamentables). Una época interesante para se empezar a ser adolescente la verdad, cosa que me duró como del 2006 a una parte del 2009 (y ya luego sólo sobrevivieron mis gustos musicales y mi mal gusto en la ropa muto de estilo).
Todo ese párrafo fue de contexto. La cosa es que yo fui algo así como *emo por accidente*. Yo era una niña nerd, fan de Harry Potter, friki ya desde la primaria que o encajaba en ningún lado y era cero cool (y además nunca me gustaban las cosas que eran cool en ese entonces, como High School Musical o la música de Hillary Duff). No pertenecía a nada exactamente. Hasta el día que vi un poster de Gerard Way con el cabello negro y se me cayeron los calzones. Hay días que mi heterosexualidad me da miedo, perdón. El caso es que así llegué a todo lo emo, lo triste, sad, nostálgico, meláncolico, decadente, todo a la vez. Y descubrí que me gustaban las historias que nacían de todo ese montón de sentimientos (léase: por qué considero The Black Parade como uno de los mejores álbumes que se han escrito) y que son cosas que al día de hoy sigo buscando.
Eso es una parte de por qué la historia de The True Lives of the Fabolous Killjoys me llama tanto la atención de entrada (además de que ya quedamos que fan de MCR, sé dónde andan los antiguos integrantes en la vida y qué hacen, léase Gerard Way). El mundo decadente, el mood meláncolico, de que quizá todo lo glorioso ya quedó atrás. Los Killjoys originales están muertos en la historia, sólo queda gente que está intentando llenar sus zapatos, manteniéndose bajo el radar para no ser descubiertos por Better Living Industries (BL/ind), la empresa que maneja Battery City. Y queda la niña a la que protegían, la niña que viajó con ellos. El problema es que de repente, sobre todo en las dos últimas grapas/issues sientes que te estás perdiendo de algo, que hay más backstory de la que cupo en el comic y empecé a sentir desesperadamente de que había faltado espacio para acabar de amarrar el final y no dejarme tan confundida.
Resultó que era porque no recordaba absolutamente nada de Danger Days y de sus videos y que el comic, en su final, a la hora de sostenerse por sí mismo como un producto cultural, cojeaba un poco. Es realmente lo único lamentable. (La historia del pasado de la niña, por cierto, está en el video de Na Na Na y en el de SING, si es que les interesa). Me quejé un poco porque CADA PRODUCTO CULTURAL DEBE PODER SOSTENERSE POR SÍ MISMO. Y soy una histérica de que eso se cumpla (ya lo podemos ver con Harry Potter, ver las películas sin leer los libros es un mundo de confusión porque omiten datos que luego sí usan y nadie entiende nada).
Por otro lado, una de las mejores cosas del comic es la ilustración de Becky Cloonan. Esta fue la primera vez que leí un cómic con su trabajo y quedé maravillada (nivel ahora quiero ver todas sus ilustraciones por siempre). La verdad es que sí recomiendo mucho a esta ilustradora. También es la primera vez que leo a Shaun Simon, aunque no fue lo primero que leí en mi vida de Gerard Way (remember, crazy fangirl) y me gustó bastante en general. Sólo siento que, de verdad, les faltó espacio o intentaron abarcar más de lo que les daban las páginas que tenían disponibles. Por lo demás, les recomiendo la historia si quieren algo en ciencia ficción y sobre todo para decirles que esta clase de mundos son los mundos que me gusta ver retratados en la ciencia ficción (no sé me dan tanto los viajes intergalácticos ni el mundo progresando al 100 porque más bien me gusta explorar el despeñadero al que nos está llevando el sistema económico actual).
Creo que si bien no es un producto tan sólido como lo esperaba, es un experimento bastante interesante para darle una vuelta y conocerlo. El desarrollo de los personajes es bastante decente, especialmente en el caso de Blue y Red, las robots, que casi casi fueron mi arco favorito en toda la historia. La niña también me gusta mucho y todo el mito que se construye en torno a DESTROYA y a por qué los Killjoys protegían originalmente a la niña (algo que nunca había sido explorado tal cual o respondido a la perfección) me gusta mucho.
De hecho, me parece que el desarrollo de la niña, que ya no es niña, sigue un modelo bastante libre del viaje del héroe a través de todo el cómic. (Supongo que conocen el viaje del héroe, que es un tópico usado y reusado en novelas fantásticas y de ciencia ficción que hace que una historia sea bastante satisfactoria; por ejemplo, Harry Potter lo sigue en todos los libros, Star Wars, Star Trek, incluso libros de Narnia siguen ese modelo, El señor de los anillos y así hasta la saciedad). Aunque parece que gran parte de su historia quedó atrás cuando le dice a Cola (quien la salvó una vez y en el comic se convierte en su mentor) que los Killjoys le enseñaron a vivir, se nota que es un personaje que sigue evolucionando bastante. En fin, después de tanta verborrea (esta reseña ya me quedó enorme), sí, a pesar de todo, les recomiendo este comic.
https://www.neapoulain.com/2019/04/th...
Esto de reseña es un paseo por la nostalgia de mi adolescencia que empezó más o menos en el 2006/07 cuando entré a la pubertad. Y decidí que vestirme siempre de negro era lo más cool y que intentar tener fleco emo era una excelente idea (algo que no logré hasta esta época, que tengo un fleco falso que cuando crece me tapa toda la cara). De hecho creo que si buscan al principio de blog van a encontrar todavía rastros de mi adolescencia emo. Cosas que pasan cuando creas un blog a los 13 (casi 14) años. Pero bueno, vamos a hablar de comics primero.
The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys es un comic publicado en seis grapas/issues escrito por Gerard Way y Shaun Simon e ilustrado por la maravillosa e increíble Becky Cloonan (este fue el primer comic que leí ilustrado por ella y la verdad es que la ilustración se merece un 10). Es una continuación/spin-off/cosa relacionada con el último album de My Chemical Romance, Danger Days: The true lives of the fabolous Killjoys y estoy segura de que la experiencia lectora mejora cuando fuiste fan y escuchaste el albúm. No tengo pruebas pero tampoco dudas. Dicho eso, sé que cada producto cultural debería poder sostenerse y hablar por sí mismo (a menos de que hablemos de una saga de películas/libros donde es obvio que hay que conocer los anteriores, pero bueno, yo no aplico eso a spin-offs) y esa, prácticamente, es toda la razón de por qué este comic se fue con una aprobado justo en las estrellas de Goodreads (aun así, puntuar un libro en una escala del uno al cinco es algo que todavía no me acaba de gustar porque me gusta exponer mis razones para que me haya gustado o no en reseñas larguísimas que no lee nadie).
The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys ocurre en las lindes de Battery City, la zonas, el desierto. Empieza con una chica, un gato y una transmisión de radio que nos pone en contexto. Todas las cosas que me gustan de las primeras páginas es que nos enseña el mundo en el que se va a desarrollar la historia mostrándonos las cosas. No cuenta, sino que muestra. ¿Quién es la chica? ¿Quién fue? ¿Quienes fueron los verdaderos Killjoys de los que se habla en el radio como una leyenda? Todo lo va mostrando, poco a poco, sin sobre exponer su mundo. Les juro que eso me convenció de seguir leyendo porque quería saber más cosas del mundo y de los personajes dónde se desarrollaba la historia (especialmente porque recordaba 0 cosas sobre el disco Dager Days).
Además de eso presenta los otros hilos argumentales que sigue el cómic, de los cuales mi favorito es la historia de Red y Blue, dos prostitutas robots de Battery City (nada fuera de la realidad ni tampoco tan ciencia ficción, es algo que ya existe en este mundo capitalista lamentable) que están enamoradas una de la otra (robots con sentimientos, I'm up for that) y sueñan con ser libres. Hay una parte en la que dicen que un día DESTROYA bajará del cielo y los hará libres a todos (amo amo esas historias con esa clase de backstory en cuestión de mitos/leyendas) y que sus cuerpos serán sólo suyos y pienso que eso es hermoso.
Y por ahí también empieza a involucrarse la historia de Korse, un robot asesino de Battery City que desarrolla sentimientos y que es el estúpido arco más confuso de todo el comic, así que aquí es cuando voy a hacer rewind y les voy a contar mi vida entera.
Bueno, no entera, sólo un pedazo. Probablemente yo no hubiera leído este comic es bastante tiempo si no hubiera sido fan de My Chemical Romance ni hubiera tenido una etapa full emo en mi vida. (Y sí, ya sé que la música de MCR no es exactamente del género, pero la mayoría de su following si lo era y su aesthetic se acercaba bastante). Mi preadolescencia y mi adolescencia trascurrieron en esos gloriosos años en los que la gente se horrorizaba y fascinaba con los emos. Salían noticias como: ¿Los emos promueven la autolesión y el suicidio? (tema laaaaargo, la verdad), mi mamá se quejaba de mis intentos de tener fleco (todos fallidos hasta ahora que tengo 23 años y un fleco falso que me descuido y me cubre media cara), de los flecos de mis amigas, de la ropa que usaba (teníamos un mal gusto tremendo), de la música que oía (30 veces al día The Black Parade aderezado con Welcome to my life de Simple Plan y la mitad de Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge y por ahí pedazos de Good Charlotte y otras cosas que ella considera lamentables). Una época interesante para se empezar a ser adolescente la verdad, cosa que me duró como del 2006 a una parte del 2009 (y ya luego sólo sobrevivieron mis gustos musicales y mi mal gusto en la ropa muto de estilo).
Todo ese párrafo fue de contexto. La cosa es que yo fui algo así como *emo por accidente*. Yo era una niña nerd, fan de Harry Potter, friki ya desde la primaria que o encajaba en ningún lado y era cero cool (y además nunca me gustaban las cosas que eran cool en ese entonces, como High School Musical o la música de Hillary Duff). No pertenecía a nada exactamente. Hasta el día que vi un poster de Gerard Way con el cabello negro y se me cayeron los calzones. Hay días que mi heterosexualidad me da miedo, perdón. El caso es que así llegué a todo lo emo, lo triste, sad, nostálgico, meláncolico, decadente, todo a la vez. Y descubrí que me gustaban las historias que nacían de todo ese montón de sentimientos (léase: por qué considero The Black Parade como uno de los mejores álbumes que se han escrito) y que son cosas que al día de hoy sigo buscando.
Eso es una parte de por qué la historia de The True Lives of the Fabolous Killjoys me llama tanto la atención de entrada (además de que ya quedamos que fan de MCR, sé dónde andan los antiguos integrantes en la vida y qué hacen, léase Gerard Way). El mundo decadente, el mood meláncolico, de que quizá todo lo glorioso ya quedó atrás. Los Killjoys originales están muertos en la historia, sólo queda gente que está intentando llenar sus zapatos, manteniéndose bajo el radar para no ser descubiertos por Better Living Industries (BL/ind), la empresa que maneja Battery City. Y queda la niña a la que protegían, la niña que viajó con ellos. El problema es que de repente, sobre todo en las dos últimas grapas/issues sientes que te estás perdiendo de algo, que hay más backstory de la que cupo en el comic y empecé a sentir desesperadamente de que había faltado espacio para acabar de amarrar el final y no dejarme tan confundida.
Resultó que era porque no recordaba absolutamente nada de Danger Days y de sus videos y que el comic, en su final, a la hora de sostenerse por sí mismo como un producto cultural, cojeaba un poco. Es realmente lo único lamentable. (La historia del pasado de la niña, por cierto, está en el video de Na Na Na y en el de SING, si es que les interesa). Me quejé un poco porque CADA PRODUCTO CULTURAL DEBE PODER SOSTENERSE POR SÍ MISMO. Y soy una histérica de que eso se cumpla (ya lo podemos ver con Harry Potter, ver las películas sin leer los libros es un mundo de confusión porque omiten datos que luego sí usan y nadie entiende nada).
Por otro lado, una de las mejores cosas del comic es la ilustración de Becky Cloonan. Esta fue la primera vez que leí un cómic con su trabajo y quedé maravillada (nivel ahora quiero ver todas sus ilustraciones por siempre). La verdad es que sí recomiendo mucho a esta ilustradora. También es la primera vez que leo a Shaun Simon, aunque no fue lo primero que leí en mi vida de Gerard Way (remember, crazy fangirl) y me gustó bastante en general. Sólo siento que, de verdad, les faltó espacio o intentaron abarcar más de lo que les daban las páginas que tenían disponibles. Por lo demás, les recomiendo la historia si quieren algo en ciencia ficción y sobre todo para decirles que esta clase de mundos son los mundos que me gusta ver retratados en la ciencia ficción (no sé me dan tanto los viajes intergalácticos ni el mundo progresando al 100 porque más bien me gusta explorar el despeñadero al que nos está llevando el sistema económico actual).
Creo que si bien no es un producto tan sólido como lo esperaba, es un experimento bastante interesante para darle una vuelta y conocerlo. El desarrollo de los personajes es bastante decente, especialmente en el caso de Blue y Red, las robots, que casi casi fueron mi arco favorito en toda la historia. La niña también me gusta mucho y todo el mito que se construye en torno a DESTROYA y a por qué los Killjoys protegían originalmente a la niña (algo que nunca había sido explorado tal cual o respondido a la perfección) me gusta mucho.
De hecho, me parece que el desarrollo de la niña, que ya no es niña, sigue un modelo bastante libre del viaje del héroe a través de todo el cómic. (Supongo que conocen el viaje del héroe, que es un tópico usado y reusado en novelas fantásticas y de ciencia ficción que hace que una historia sea bastante satisfactoria; por ejemplo, Harry Potter lo sigue en todos los libros, Star Wars, Star Trek, incluso libros de Narnia siguen ese modelo, El señor de los anillos y así hasta la saciedad). Aunque parece que gran parte de su historia quedó atrás cuando le dice a Cola (quien la salvó una vez y en el comic se convierte en su mentor) que los Killjoys le enseñaron a vivir, se nota que es un personaje que sigue evolucionando bastante. En fin, después de tanta verborrea (esta reseña ya me quedó enorme), sí, a pesar de todo, les recomiendo este comic.
May 24, 2023
me encanta el concepto y la estética y el mundo que aquí se construye será siempre de los más intrigantes que he visto en el género distópico. sin embargo, está apenas esbozado; la trama es confusa y demasiado acelerada y en ocasiones cuesta entender cómo ha llegado x personaje del punto a al punto b. incluso con el apoyo del disco (y creo desde luego que the true lives of the fabulous killjoys solo funciona como parte de una narrativa más amplia), siento que le faltaba parar un momento, dejarnos pasar más tiempo con los personajes e ir hilando por nosotros mismos lo que está ocurriendo. de esta forma las motivaciones de todos los personajes se pierden en el vacío. pero bueno, que está bien, que es lo suficientemente interesante como para echarle un ojo y sin duda alguna ya vale la pena solo por el dibujo, aue es de lo más inmersivo que he visto jamás. también son de agradecer todos los contenidos extra que incluye: el epílogo de los creadores, los bocetos, las cubiertas alternativas... quizás le habría beneficiado una traducción un poquito menos pegada al original. eso sí, gerard way te quiero con toda mi alma qué idea tan chula has tenido aquí.
Read
June 24, 2022cool art, but i have no idea what the fuck is going on. 😇 ((anyway. gerard, if you read this: i'm free all day every day, pls call me))
June 19, 2014
I'm a bit of a sucker for stories like 'The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys.' Maybe it was my misspent youth in the 1980s and the music and culture I absorbed. This story is a follow up directly from a concept album (really just a few key songs) by Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance and co-written by Shaun Simon. I'm not particularly a fan of the band, but this comic is pretty cool.
Taking place years after the Fabulous Killjoys are all gone, it starts with a DJ in the desert and a girl foraging for food with her cat. There is a big market for anything related to the Killjoys, and it turns out this girl used to be with the band when she was younger.
She finds herself with a group of wannabes that want to take down the evil corporation. There's a city full of androids and bad guys knows as draculoids and scarecrows. There's grand destiny and glorious death. It's all so very over the top, and I just really liked it all.
The story I've talked about, but there are a couple essays by the co-authors about how it all came to be, and they are pretty interesting. The art by Becky Cloonan is perfect for the story, garish and outlandish. I enjoyed it all. Now I want to learn more about that mythical band the Fabulous Killjoys, and ride out to the desert to hear some pirate radio.
I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me review this great graphic novel.
Taking place years after the Fabulous Killjoys are all gone, it starts with a DJ in the desert and a girl foraging for food with her cat. There is a big market for anything related to the Killjoys, and it turns out this girl used to be with the band when she was younger.
She finds herself with a group of wannabes that want to take down the evil corporation. There's a city full of androids and bad guys knows as draculoids and scarecrows. There's grand destiny and glorious death. It's all so very over the top, and I just really liked it all.
The story I've talked about, but there are a couple essays by the co-authors about how it all came to be, and they are pretty interesting. The art by Becky Cloonan is perfect for the story, garish and outlandish. I enjoyed it all. Now I want to learn more about that mythical band the Fabulous Killjoys, and ride out to the desert to hear some pirate radio.
I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me review this great graphic novel.
January 9, 2025
[4.5 ⭐️]
"Eh, killing. So easy, a germ can do it....Look around. Do you see a difference out there besides the mask one chooses? Maybe the mask stands for a set of beliefs—or a list of orders. Whatever it may be, when that mask comes off, what is there to separate all of us?"
I really enjoyed reading this! At first, I wasn't totally hooked, but I'm glad I stuck around. This comic oozes anti-war sentiments which I can genuinely never get enough of.
The characters of Red and Blue intrigued me the most. They were victims of their environment and had to deal with the cards they were dealt with, but they had this one shining hope, the one thing that would "free them all": Destroya. Their belief in him reminded me of all those who were and are living in war or extreme unrest—those who found peace believing in something greater that would at the very least free their children if not them from their hell.
I also took an extreme liking to The Girl. She embodied the real light that could free them: the people's will. She was the mastermind behind breaking the cycle of bloodshed. I cannot sit here and preach a non-violent approach knowing that there are countless in this world that do not have the luxury to choose; however, I personally continue to believe in it, especially when it comes to war and when it is shown in art.
"Eh, killing. So easy, a germ can do it....Look around. Do you see a difference out there besides the mask one chooses? Maybe the mask stands for a set of beliefs—or a list of orders. Whatever it may be, when that mask comes off, what is there to separate all of us?"
I really enjoyed reading this! At first, I wasn't totally hooked, but I'm glad I stuck around. This comic oozes anti-war sentiments which I can genuinely never get enough of.
The characters of Red and Blue intrigued me the most. They were victims of their environment and had to deal with the cards they were dealt with, but they had this one shining hope, the one thing that would "free them all": Destroya. Their belief in him reminded me of all those who were and are living in war or extreme unrest—those who found peace believing in something greater that would at the very least free their children if not them from their hell.
I also took an extreme liking to The Girl. She embodied the real light that could free them: the people's will. She was the mastermind behind breaking the cycle of bloodshed. I cannot sit here and preach a non-violent approach knowing that there are countless in this world that do not have the luxury to choose; however, I personally continue to believe in it, especially when it comes to war and when it is shown in art.
July 12, 2018
Soy fan Gerard, por eso siempre le mantuve fe aunque a veces no encontraba la forma de seguir. Además de que vienen después de Danger Days [sigh].
Bueno, no tengo mucho para decir porque la verdad fue un poco complicado de llevar al inicio pero ya después del cuarto issue todo tuvo una mejor continuidad y pasaron muchas cosas geniales. Estoy decepcionada por el final porque fue como si faltaran páginas pero de resto en general todo fue de mi agrado, especialmente el arte. El climax (que para mí es desde el cuarto issue) fue lo que tuvo mejor impacto, el mensaje fue entregado con toda claridad.
Me gustan estas cosas que tienen que ver con "anarquía" (especialmente llevadas por la venganza y la presión) porque siempre esta esa persona que viene con un verdadero ideal anarquista llevado por buenos patrones que pone a todo mundo en cintura y hace que sigan el camino correcto y dejen de hacer más desastre, es contigo, Cherri Cola.
Esto no tiene mucho sentido pero amigos, Cherri Cola deserved better.
Bueno, no tengo mucho para decir porque la verdad fue un poco complicado de llevar al inicio pero ya después del cuarto issue todo tuvo una mejor continuidad y pasaron muchas cosas geniales. Estoy decepcionada por el final porque fue como si faltaran páginas pero de resto en general todo fue de mi agrado, especialmente el arte. El climax (que para mí es desde el cuarto issue) fue lo que tuvo mejor impacto, el mensaje fue entregado con toda claridad.
Me gustan estas cosas que tienen que ver con "anarquía" (especialmente llevadas por la venganza y la presión) porque siempre esta esa persona que viene con un verdadero ideal anarquista llevado por buenos patrones que pone a todo mundo en cintura y hace que sigan el camino correcto y dejen de hacer más desastre, es contigo, Cherri Cola.
Esto no tiene mucho sentido pero amigos, Cherri Cola deserved better.
January 30, 2019
Na nějakou dobu můj poslední Way. Už jsem dostatečně pochopil, že zlé korporáty jsou nejjednodušším nepřítelem a naštvaní teenageři tou pravou cílovkou. Tohle je totiž esence teenagerovské vzpoury pro zlému korporátnímu světu, který ze všech vysává duši a všechno dobré. A já se začínám bát, že na to začínám být moc starý. Čtvrtou hvězdu nechávám neboť i přes moje výtky je to pořád solidně napsané a ten svět je zajímavý i z těch málo informací, které o něm máme a když se vám to trefí do nálady/mindsetu, tak to rozhodně potěší.
Mohlo by se vám líbit, pokud:
- máte rádi My Chemical Romance a chcete vědět, jak pokračuje příběh z alba "Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys"
- si myslíte, že korporáty jsou největší zlo na světě
- jste rebelující teenager (minimálně smýšlením)
Spíš vás zklame, pokud:
- už jste četli víc věcí od Way a vadí vám opakující se motivy
- už jste vyrostli z mladické vzpoury
Mohlo by se vám líbit, pokud:
- máte rádi My Chemical Romance a chcete vědět, jak pokračuje příběh z alba "Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys"
- si myslíte, že korporáty jsou největší zlo na světě
- jste rebelující teenager (minimálně smýšlením)
Spíš vás zklame, pokud:
- už jste četli víc věcí od Way a vadí vám opakující se motivy
- už jste vyrostli z mladické vzpoury
June 25, 2018
I gave it two chapters, and if things didn't start making sense by then, I'd put it down.
2 stars for the two chapters!
The art was cool, but that's about it.
There were a tOn of characters and side-stories happening at once, and nothing was tied together.
Some digital age prostitute, talk of a war, vampire things, and a group of presumed-dead terrorists.
Being a fan of My Chemical Romance in my youth, I decided to pick up one of Gerard's comics, what better than one that told the story of my favorite album?
The writing was kinda immature, I dunno.
Maybe I'll give it another shot in the future, but for now I'm thinkin nope.
2 stars for the two chapters!
The art was cool, but that's about it.
There were a tOn of characters and side-stories happening at once, and nothing was tied together.
Some digital age prostitute, talk of a war, vampire things, and a group of presumed-dead terrorists.
Being a fan of My Chemical Romance in my youth, I decided to pick up one of Gerard's comics, what better than one that told the story of my favorite album?
The writing was kinda immature, I dunno.
Maybe I'll give it another shot in the future, but for now I'm thinkin nope.
October 7, 2019
Whoa. What can I really say...I was lost in this storyline from the beginning. I did like the cat, graphic artwork was pretty decent, and see why the cat tagged along with Cherri Cola. Yep, her name is Cherri Cola...or was Cola the guy, boy was I lost in this read.
There was very little I enjoyed or was entertained by...so much gory killing, unnecessary in most cases.
Disclaimer: I borrowed a copy since I am watching Killjoy (TV series, season 3&4 to understand the featured shows of season 5) and giving my honest opinion.
1.75/2 stars, okay, didn't understand the story much but enjoyed the pictures and the black cat.
There was very little I enjoyed or was entertained by...so much gory killing, unnecessary in most cases.
Disclaimer: I borrowed a copy since I am watching Killjoy (TV series, season 3&4 to understand the featured shows of season 5) and giving my honest opinion.
1.75/2 stars, okay, didn't understand the story much but enjoyed the pictures and the black cat.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 672 reviews