Written by Gerard Way and Shaun Simon
Artwork by Becky Cloonan
20th May 2014
Dark Horse Comics
This graphic novel finishes the story told in the two videos made by My Chemical Romance for their album ‘Danger Days…’ The ideas though had been floating around between Gerard Way and Shaun Simon since 2008; when the band ran out of money to make a third Danger Days video, the idea was mooted that the book the pair had been working on should be the third ‘video’.
In the video for SING the Killjoys die protecting The Girl. A decade or so later The Girl has grown up and has found followers of the Killjoys hiding in the desert. She must discover the reason the gang protected her and help in the fight against BLInd, the monochrome organisation bent on making the world ‘clean’.
I rarely read – and have never reviewed – graphic novels or comics. I’d be the first to admit I requested this book because I liked the Danger Days album and the videos. I wanted to know how the story ends.
The Girl’s journey, the meat if this graphic novel, is dense and complex. The story is told in strongly imagined, vibrant images. The contrast between the desert and Battery City, the vibrancy of the Killjoys as opposed to the blandness of the Draculoids/BLInd employees, the different textures, are stunning, complement the narrative and do not overwhelm it.
An enjoyable and original read.
Everything Is Better With Dragons 