Most people probably know Gerard Way as the lead singer of the band My Chemical Romance, but Way has already carved his way into the comic book world he loves so much. He ran his own very distinctive imprint at DC Comics called Young Animal (among others, it published the new “Doom Patrol ,” which Way also wrote).
But Way’s big comic debut happened over at Dark Horse Comics in 2007 when he wrote and created “The Umbrella Academy” together with artist Gabriel Ba. This series took a quirky look at superhero families, with a decidedly dysfunctional Hargreeves family (seven super-powered survivors of a mysterious killing event, each with their own unique power) in a reality where John F. Kennedy wasn’t assassinated. The Monocle has dubbed them The Umbrella Academy and set them to fight threats to humanity. After their father Sir Reginald–really an alien mentor known as The Monocle—six of the seven reunite. The series won an Eisner—comicdom’s highest honor—for Best Finite Series/Limited Series in 2008. The original series ran until 2013, and a new chapter , “The Umbrella Academy: Hotel Oblivion” is currently being published by Dark Horse.
The big deal is that “The Umbrella Academy” has been picked up and adapted by streaming giant Netflix. The show premieres on February 15, 2019—but the series’ first trailer has just debuted!
The moody, memorable trailer is set to a remix of Tiffany’s “I Think We’re Alone Now,” and presents the same premise, of the six Hargreeves family members getting together to solve the mystery of their father’s death and perhaps stop an impending disaster of some sort. The look of the show is goofy and sharp, just like Ba’s art.
The super-powered members are Spaceboy (Tom Hopper, super strength), The Séance (Robert Sheehan, telekinesis and communing with the dead), The Rumor (Emmy Raver-Lampman, reality manipulation), the Kraken (David Castaneda, sharp knife-throwing skills) and Number Five (Aidan Gallagher, time travel).
The last member is the scene-stealer—because she doesn’t have any powers. Vanya Hargreeves, also known as the White Violin, is played by Ellen Page (“X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Juno” and “Inception”). She reluctantly takes charge of the mystery solving. Plus, the intelligent chimp Pogo is in the trailer! The weird heroes are matched by their weird villains, which includes Mary J. Blige as Cha-Cha.
If it’s unusual superhero action you’re looking for, then “The Umbrella Academy” may just be the thing for you.
“The Umbrella Academy” premieres on Netflix on February 15, 2019. For more information, go to netflix.com/umbrellaacademy.
