Baby, I'll Be Your Frankenstein

While The Umbrella Academy reconnects over the death of their father, a displaced sibling finds her next fix-in music. The influence of music transforms the lost member of the team; the family that rejected her will realize just how profoundly they underestimated their powerless sister.

The fourth issue begins with a flashback to eighteen years ago. Vanya runs through the Academy, shouting about how she hates everyone around her. She is consoled by Dr. Pogo and, when she states that there’s nothing special about her, Pogo tells her that she is indeed special because, unlike her siblings, she doesn’t need to destroy in order to be herself.

We then jump to the present, where Vanya is being forcefully experimented on by The Conductor of the Orchestra Verdammten. The Conductor reveals that he killed several people to get copies of Hargreeves’ secret notes, one of which indicates that Vanya is the most dangerous member of the Umbrella Academy. The Conductor states that while the orchestra is powerful, they need one pure soul to lead them all. Vanya says she will kill him, but before she can move, The Conductor flips a switch and begins Vanya’s transformation. We transition to Number 00.05 and Dr. Pogo, who are flying around the city looking for signs of the apocalypse.

As they survey the depravity around them, they discuss whether or not the earth is truly worth saving. Back at the Icarus Theatre, Vanya wakes up, now transformed into a pure white creature. At the Academy, The Kraken appears in the parlor (to the surprise of his siblings) and initiates a family fight over who their father loved the most before leaving the group. With The Kraken gone, the rest of the Academy decide to go out and patrol to make sure the city is still safe. Elsewhere, 00.05 and Pogo enjoy coffee at a diner until three men in red and black gas masks enter looking for 00.05.

Again back at Icarus, the Conductor reveals Vanya, now dubbed ‘La Viole Blanche’ (The White Violin). Her entire body is now pure white and the design of a violin runs down her torso. She picks up her violin and plays a single note, ripping the Conductor in half and killing him instantly. She now stands in front of the group, triumphant, and declares that tonight they will kill the Umbrella Academy and tomorrow they will end the world.

The book ends with a riddle: Two bodies have I, though both joined in one. The stiller I stand, the faster I run. The answer is an hourglass.

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