Remember Gerard Way From MCR? A Comic Book He Wrote Is Now A Hit TV Show On Netflix
'The Umbrella Academy' is kind of like the X-Men, but with a 'Series of Unfortunate Events' vibe.
By Samantha Khor — 22 Feb 2019, 07:37 PM
When I was a young girl, a little rock band called My Chemical Romance burst into the scene with kohl-lined eyes and enough angst to power a teenage rebellion
At the front and centre of it all was lead singer Gerard Way a.k.a. the saviour of the broken, the beaten, and the damned.
Widely known as the lead singer of MCR, here's one thing most people don't know about the emo heartthrob - he's also a published comic book writer!
In fact, prior to forming My Chemical Romance with his brother Mikey and former drummer Matt Pelissier in 2001, Gerard wrote his first comic at the age of 16 and used to be an intern for Cartoon Network.
Over a decade later, he started working on a superhero comic book that's "kind of like the X-Men" while on tour with My Chemical Romance. In the 2004 documentary Life on the Murder Scene, he discussed the original idea for the comic and even showed off some early sketches of its characters.
It was the beginning of what would later become The Umbrella Academy. Illustrated by Brazilian artist Gabriel Bá, the first series - Apocalypse Suite was released in 2007 and even won an Eisner Award.
A second series (The Umbrella Academy: Dallas) followed in 2008.
The Umbrella Academy's future was uncertain for a very long time, even after MCR broke up in 2013. During the long hiatus however, Gerard worked on several other comic book projects and even had a hand in creating Peni Parker and SP//dr (an alternate version of Spider-Man), a character that appeared in the Oscar-nominated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
Hope was renewed when the third series (The Umbrella Academy: Hotel Oblivion) saw the light of day in October last year, with a fourth series currently in the works.
Fast forward to today, The Umbrella Academy is now a TV series on Netflix!
Described as a cross between the X-Men and A Series of Unfortunate Events, the 10-episode series revolves around a dysfunctional family of adopted sibling superheroes who reluctantly reunite to solve their father's mysterious death... and the oncoming threat of an apocalypse.
The Umbrella Academy features an ensemble cast made up of Ellen Page (Juno, Inception), R&B singer Mary J. Blige, Kate Walsh (Grey's Anatomy, 13 Reasons Why), Robert Sheehan (Misfits, Mortal Engines), Tom Hopper (Game of Thrones), David Castaneda, Emmy Raver-Lampman (Broadway's Hamilton), Colm Feore (Marvel's Thor), and newcomer Aidan Gallagher.
Since premiering on the streaming platform on 15 February, the show has been receiving pretty good reviews, with praise for its soundtrack and oddball mix of characters
Eagle-eyed fans have also spotted a tiny Easter Egg in the show - Gerard Way's name is featured in a blurb on the jacket of Vanya Hargreeves' (played by Ellen Page) book
In addition, Gerard also recorded two covers - Simon & Garfunkel's Hazy Shade of Winter and The Turtles' Happy Together - with former MCR bandmate Ray Toro for the show.
Without mentioning any spoilers, a couple of scenes in the show may also bear a slight resemblance to certain MCR aesthetics
The Umbrella Academy is now streaming and trying to stop the apocalypse on Netflix. Watch the trailer here: