The Umbrella Academy, Vol. 1

In an inexplicable worldwide event, forty-seven extraordinary children were spontaneously born to women who'd previously shown no signs of pregnancy. Millionaire inventor Reginald Hargreeves adopted seven of the children; when asked why, his only explanation was, &quot;To save the world.&quot;<br><br>These seven children form the Umbrella Academy, a dysfunctional family of superheroes with bizarre powers. Their first adventure at the age of ten pits them against an erratic and deadly Eiffel Tower, piloted by the fearsome zombie-robot Gustave Eiffel. Nearly a decade later, the team disbands, but when Hargreeves unexpectedly dies, these disgruntled siblings reunite just in time to save the world once again.<br><br>* This volume collects the first six-issue series, as well as out-of-print short stories and an expanded sketchbook section featuring work by Gabriel Bá, James Jean, and Gerard Way.<br><br>* &quot;Flawless ... stylish, imaginative.&quot;&amp;mdash;Newsarama<br><br>* Listed as one of the Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens by the Young Adult Library Service Association (YALSA) .<br><br>* Amazon.com's #1 Graphic Novel of 2008!<br><br>* A <i>New York Times</i> bestseller!