Gerard Way writes and designs The Umbrella Academy and has published the first part of the story, he called Apocalypse Suite. The art for the comic is done by an illustrator from Brazil, Gabriel Ba, and the comic is signed for Dark Horse.
Comic-Con International contained a duo of announcements regarding My Chemical  Romance frontman and comic book creator Gerard Way's future plans with Dark Horse Comics. Way unveiled the title of his latest "The Umbrella Academy" story-arc as "Hotel Oblivion," in addition to announcing "The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys," an all-new series that he'll write alongside Shaun Simon with art from Becky Cloonan. Way discussed the projects and took fan questions at his very own panel. CBR News was there to get the details.
Dark Horse editor Scott Allie introduced rock star siblings Gerard and Mikey Way to the panel audience. "I was terrified that nobody was going to be at this," the "Umbrella Academy" writer proclaimed to laughs. He then jokingly explained the reason for the panel, "Me and Mikey here are actually working on a 'Twilight' and ['My Chemical Romance'] slash fiction."
Way went on to discuss "Hotel Oblivion," the new installment of the "Umbrella Academy" books. "'Hotel Oblivion' I'm especially excited for," he said. "I think we're at a point where we can have a lot of fun with 'Umbrella Academy.' It's going to get really weird."
Allie described the premise of the titular hotel as akin to Arkham Asylum in the Batman universe: when the enigmatic Reginald Hargreeves bested the bad guys, Hotel Oblivion became their new, unpleasant residence. "You get to see just how extra sadistic Hargreeves was," Way explained. "Not just to the kids, but even to the villains."
The writer pointed out that "The Umbrella Academy" is nearing its midway point. Once the fourth graphic novel is released, the series will be halfway over, which Way described as slightly sad.
He then discussed "Killjoys," his newest series from Dark Horse. "'Killjoys' is something that's really personal and, in the weirdest possible way, semi-autobiographical – but nothing in it happened to me," he explained. "There are all these really crazy notions bottled up in this comic about a guy who just wants his Ramones records back." Way described the series as a mature readers title, even though "nobody cares about that anymore."
With those introductions out of the way, the remainder of the panel opened to fan questions. Before those began, Way thanked his brother Mikey for showing up to the panel. They joked that Mikey would himself write a comic book called "Fucking Iron man"
Way was asked which character in "The Umbrella Academy" was his favorite. "I like them all for different reasons, obviously, but I have a soft spot for Séance," he said. Allie told the audience that Way's answer to that question is always different.
When asked what inspired him to create the White Violin, Way laughed, "That's a very deep question, turning a woman into an instrument, that's kind of messed up." He added that given her status as an instrument in destroying the world, she had to "really represent that" in a concrete, visual manner.
Way said that he eventually hopes to fully write and illustrate a graphic novel some day. "That would be a life goal if I could just make one graphic novel that I write, draw and ink, to do the whole process," he said. "I don't know when I could see that happening, but it'd be great."
"Killjoys" icon |
After receiving compliments on his My Chemical Romance concerts, Way was asked what his comic book inspirations are. In addition to "Watchmen" and "X-Men" comics, Way pointed out Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's "Preacher" as a major influence on his work. "Garth Ennis is a genius," he said. "He's one of the biggest influences on me. I don't talk about him enough."
Way offered some advice to aspiring musicians, writers and artists. "Once you start being yourself, you find that people respond to you just being you," he said. "Do it for the right reasons, because you have to live it and you have to always be inspired and draw inspiration from the good people you meet."
Asked if Spaceboy's name came from the Smashing Pumpkins, Way admitted that it did. "I wanted the character to be an adult but still have the name Spaceboy," he said. "A big part of the reason for the name was so he could carry this baggage with him of king of being like a child star in a weird way."
With the film version of "The Umbrella Academy" ramping up, Way was questioned on who he'd like to see play Hargreeves. His pick was Gary Oldman, and he proceeded to recount a story about how he ran into the actor while waiting in line for a restroom. Way said that even while using the bathroom, Oldman proved himself incredibly charming.
A young fan asked if there would be an animated version of "The Umbrella Academy," which Way said he was hopeful for. "Gabriel [Bá's] art is so amazing that [fans] can't imagine real people playing those characters," he said. "Obviously I'm very excited for the live-action, but maybe one day."
If faced with the choice, which would Way choose: his music career or his comic book career? Allie reminded the musician-artist that he was at Comic-Con, but Way said that you can always do both. He told the audience that he writes "Umbrella Academy" while on the road, with several issues written in several different countries. If forced to pick between the two, he'd be hard pressed to select a career. "Without either, it'd be like missing a limb," he said.
The writer was congratulated on his newborn baby by a resounding applause from the audience, quickly followed by a question about Way's own fanboy moments. He described an instance at the Eisner Awards where he was caught staring at "Bone" creator Jeff Smith for several minutes. Mikey got giddy over meeting Stan Lee the night before.
Mikey Way said he looks up to his older brother. "Everything I do is inspired by him," he said, describing himself as the Tonto to Gerard's Lone Ranger. The "Umbrella Academy" writer laughed about their childhood, saying that he used to dress up as Robin while Mikey was Batman, resulting in a mismatched role reversal for the brothers. Gerard said of Mikey: "He's my best friend and he inspires me every single day."
The next questioner was a man dressed as Rorschach. In the signature gravely voice, he asked Way to describe the portions of "Watchmen" that informed his own comic book work. "Without realizing it at the time, it was the brilliant, genius way the story unfolded. You'd never seen anything like that," Way said. He added that while he related to Rorschach as a youngster, he feels more like Nite Owl presently.
Way said that he'd be interested in putting out an art book, but he has "a ways to go" before anything would be ready. He said that he'd love to release a design book of "The Umbrella Academy" eventually.
Asked if his song lyrics and comics dialogue ever intermingle, Way said that he's starting to enjoy the titles of "Umbrella Academy" issues more than his song titles. "I want to steal some of those for song or album titles," he said.
One fan told Way that he was far superior to Robert Pattinson of "Twilight" fame, which was later reinforced by another audience member. Way tried to defend Pattinson's sex symbol status, but those attempts were met with loving disapproval from Way's fan base.
Shifting from comic books, Way said that he and Mikey are working on a new My Chemical Romance album. "It's pure, stare-at-the-sun rock and roll," he described. "It's going to be an awesome record."
Way said that while he loves the zombie genre, he doesn't think he'll ever pursue it, certainly not in comic book form. "After 'Walking Dead,' I don't know if you can touch zombies," he said to applause.
Finally, Way was asked if he'd ever consider organizing an "Umbrella Academy" theme concert with My Chemical Romance. "We've tried very hard to keep the two things separate and I think we've done a very good job," he said. "We'd definitely never do that." While a concert is off the table, Way said that he'd most likely score the "Umbrella Academy" movie himself.
"The film, for everyone who’s curious, is going great," he added, saying a script was in the finalization process. "I want all the fans to know that [the movie] is in really good hands."
July 24th, 2009
Gerard Way has enjoyed such success with his Dark Horse series “The Umbrella Academy” that it's almost no longer necessary to mention that he also happens to be a rock star. Together with artist Gabriel Ba, the My Chemical Romance frontman won an Eisner Award for Best Limited Series in 2008 for their first miniseries, subtitled “Apocalypse Suite,” and the follow up “Dallas” has been enthusiastically received by fans and critics. Dark Horse announced Friday at Comic-Con International that Way and Ba are now working on a third series, titled “Umbrella Academy: Hotel Oblivion,” and Way will announce another project at Saturday's panel. CBR News caught up with Way to discuss both projects. Our discussion of “Umbrella Academy” series 3 is right here, and be sure to check back tomorrow for part two of the interview.
“Like series 2, series 3 of 'Umbrella Academy' is going to pick up a bit after we left off,” Way said. “But it's going to start off with a flashback and we're going to get to see one of the old characters from the Free Comic Book Day story, Murder Magician. Basically, we're going to see what Hargreeves did with all these villains over the years.
“I really like this series, I've had this one in my head for a long time,” the writer continued. Though Way noted that his stories often shift in the telling, he does have a strong sense of how the events in “Hotel Oblivion” play out. “This time, I'm thinking it is going to deal with other characters than the Umbrella Academy, at least for half of it. You're going to see the other side of things,” Way told CBR. The core cast, however, will continue on with their lives. “Obviously, Spaceboy's left again, we'll deal with that, and everybody's in kind of a whole different state of disrepair. Although I'd like to see the family get a little bit functional at this point. You're going to see Rumor take a very different attitude toward Vanya now, for a lot of reasons, number one being her own guilt. That story is now going to develop.”
In noting that there is a whole hidden history of what has become of the world's bad guys, Way hints at a notable aspect of “Umbrella Academy,” the device of frequent allusions to events that have not been shown to readers. When “Umbrella Academy” debuted as a Free Comic Book Day offering, the team was made up of teenage heroes; by the time series one, “Apocalypse Suite,” launched, they were adults, with physical and mental scars suggesting that the intervening years haven't been easy. Way said that the Umbrella Academy's past will continue to thread out through flashbacks, with no plans at present to devote a series to their younger, more innocent days. “In terms of what really happened in the Jennifer Incident and that sort of thing, I think it would be nice to dedicate an entire story to that one. But I think that's a ways off,” Way told CBR. “We've still never explained why Kraken doesn't have an eye, we don't know what happened to Rumor's arm, there's all these weird little questions still in the air. As we go along, when those situations become relevant, I tell them. This story in particular, I am really excited about because it deals with what Hargreeves did with all these villains, where he put them, and what's going to happen in the current day.”
“Umbrella Academy” has been recognized for its inventive storytelling and often surreal plot elements, but Way's stories display a strong internal logic holding even the strangest bits together. “I think there's definitely a logic to how it operates,” the writer said. “It's gotten to where I can call Scott [Allie, series editor] and run him down with how I think the issues are going to break out, or run him down how I think a series is going to go. And a lot of times I notice when we're in a pickle, so to speak, with how to solve a problem, there is a very 'Umbrella Academy' solution. So there's things I think we can get away with in comics that you can't get away with in heavily-guarded treasured continuity books. Which is really what I like about 'Umbrella Academy,' which is one of the reasons I created it. Time travel, you could sit there for months and try to make sense of it. Ultimately, it's just never going to make sense the way you want it to. The good thing about 'Umbrella Academy' is that it doesn't attract the kind of readership that's going to sit there and look for the big gaping holes in the time continuum. Because time travel is not the point. The point is that the characters got somewhere, the fact that they are there and what they're doing. When all's said and done, I think this will all fit pretty nicely. But I don't know how much of the timeline, if you timed out all these flashbacks, if there'd be holes in that, but I don't think that matters as much as what's happening, when you're seeing it. I think we're going to re-cast the dog, for example. Because we now want a very specific dog. I want to use Gabriel's dog, that he has in Brazil. When we came up with the dog, we didn't think of using Gabriel's dog. When you're dealing with the 'Umbrella Academy,' you can just re-cast something. 'Oh, I don't like this dog, let's redo it.' Make no mention of the fact that it was a completely different looking dog.”
“I'm really excited about about both of the books. I'm going into 'Hotel Oblivion' with the fact that I've got past series two. Series one was, you know, can this person write comics, and series two was, can this person keep writing comics? Hopefully series three will just be, what's going to happen in this comic? That's really exciting to me. Series two of 'Umbrella Academy' was starting to really hone what the book is. Series one was a very linear story, even though it was told with some weird flashbacks. But series two has more breathing room. There's more inventiveness, there's more developmental stuff going on with the characters, sometimes you simply see a character sitting down, these kind of introspective moments. If anything, I think you're going to see more of that. This book's really going to get a little bit more introspective, a little bit more postmodern, a little more inventive, exciting in that way. A little bit more experimental is what you're going to see from 'Umbrella Academy' series three.”
The Dark Horse panel at Comic-Con International featured the announcement of a
"Killjoys," debuting in 2010 |
second comic book series for My Chemical Romance singer Gerard Way, who has already made a name for himself in comics with the Eisner Award-winning “Umbrella Academy.” Way's new series, co-written by Shaun Simon and illustrated by Becky Cloonan, will be called “Killjoys” and debut sometime in 2010. Beyond that, details are scarce, but CBR did get some interesting info from Way in the second part of our Comic-Con interview.
“One of the cool things about 'Umbrella Academy' was it kind of got a fair shot as soon as it came out in that, nobody knew what to expect,” Way said. “I kind of like that, I don't want to give everything away about 'Killjoys,' I want to give it a fair shot.”
“What I would like to say is that it's a complete and total departure from anything I've done in 'Umbrella Academy.' It's almost like a strange kind of love letter to the really great comics of the '90s that kind of pushed things,” the writer continued. “If 'Umbrella Academy' is me taking a look at, among many other things, 'Doom Patrol,' 'Killjoys' is me, with my co-writer Shaun Simon, taking a look at when the best stuff was going on in the '90s, things like 'Invisibles' and stuff like that. It's a mature readers title, which is another first. We specifically wanted 'Umbrella Academy' to be an all ages title. This thing is going to deal with much more mature and controversial themes, such as hate crimes and homophobia, the homogenization of American culture and American life. 'Umbrella Academy' is set in its own world, with its own rules; 'Killjoys' is set in modern America. I find that sometimes you can say a lot when you're dealing in our times, with what people can relate with right now. It starts off at the end of the '90s and picks up today. I would say it's more violent, heavily, and deals with much stronger themes.”
When many fans discuss '90s comics, the first thing that comes to mind are big shoulder pads, gritted teeth, and gigantic, skewed anatomy. But Way would like to remind readers that there were also some enduring, well-loved projects coming out throughout the decade. He cited the work of Peter Milligan as well as Neil Gaiman's seminal “Sandman” and Michael Allred's “Madman.” “When '90s comics get a lot of flack, it's usually the ones that have the hologram covers. Everybody knows this, but to me what happened in the '90s and why comics suffered for a long time and it made it really difficult for anybody to get a job, was that you had a greater part of America finally taking an interest in comics again, but they were taking interest in it for the wrong reasons, for resale value,” Way said. “So you have these awful, awful comics out there. I knew these guys who had boxes and boxes of the worst shit, polybagged with some kind of fucking sticker, and they were the most horrible comics you've ever read. That's what gets the flack, and I think deservedly so, but I think amidst all that was things like [Grant Morrison's] 'Invisibles,' and basically that whole stable at Vertigo in the '90s. Anything Garth Ennis was doing. Every single issue of 'Preacher' was phenomenal. He's a big influence, too, and he doesn't come up as much because I have a personal relationship with Grant. Garth Ennis not only influenced me with my comics, but with my music writing and lyric writing. Especially on [MCR album] 'Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge,' I was reading a lot of 'Preacher' and Ennis at the time. And obviously Gaiman, too. All those Vertigo guys in the '90s, I thought that was the best stuff.”
Joining Way for “Killjoys” is Becky Cloonan, who is a member of Gabriel Ba's studio, along with Ba's twin brother Fabio Moon and Vasilis Lolos. Way said that he gets along well personally and artistically with this group, who he believes are the ones doing “very exciting things in comics right now.”
Way continues, “That's not to say there aren't other people doing very exciting things, but I think a lot of those people have chosen to go along the path of drawing mainstream superhero books. Which is totally great for them. But one of the things I find fascinating about guys like Gabriel and Fabio, to Vasilis and Becky, is that, given the opportunity to draw any of those mainstream characters, it would look extremely different,” the writer said. “I don't know when a larger comic audience will be ready for that kind of thing, but I kind of don't care to wait around for that. I think, personally, the X-Men should look like a weird European comic. Until people kind of come around to seeing it that way, it's not going to happen. I'd love to see a Wolverine book drawn by Vasilis. I'd love to see The avengers drawn by Becky. But there's a specific thing going on. It's fine for mainstream comics, but what excites me is this very specific group of artists who are inspired by, not the bad infusion of manga in American comics, but almost as if an American was in Japan drawing manga. Really getting the spirit of Japanese comics as opposed to just drawing it like a manga book in order to sell more comics. Or people like Fabio and Gabriel who lean toward this very European sense of comics storytelling. That's really what appeals to me. I'd really rather see that, I'd really rather work with people who are doing that. That's what jazzed me up in art school, and it's one of the reasons that, coming out of art school, it was very difficult for me to get work, in that regard. I saw things always like some strange kind of European comic.”
“Killjoys” will debut in 2010.
December 18th, 2008
Written by Arvid Nelson, “Rex Mundi” is an epic story set in an alternate history in
"Rex Mundi" #15 on sale now (cover by Gerard Way)
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which the Catholic church dominates Europe with Kabbalistic magic and its police force of Inquisitors. The Dark Horse series rockets toward its conclusion this week with the release of issue #15. Illustrated by Juan Ferreyra “Rex Mundi” was planned as a 38-issue miniseries (the first twenty issues of which were published by Image Comics) and will end with Dark Horse’s issue #19. With the first 35 installments now complete, time is running out for Dr. Julien Sauniere to find the Holy Grail and save Europe from the Duke of Lorraine's machinations.
CBR News spoke with Nelson about “Rex Mundi,” its less-obvious religious influences, and the progress of Jonny Deep planned film adaptation.
Two issues into Book 6, the final arc of the series, “Rex Mundi” is now entering the endgame. In issue #15, Lord Lorraine, Genevieve, and Julien Sauniere all experience certain reversals of fortune, while Teniers works toward his own ends and Isabelle finds new resolve.
Nelson said that the end of “Rex Mundi” represents the payoff to story threads that have been established throughout the series' run. “The first side of the story, we were writing a lot of checks,” the writer told CBR News. “Now we're cashing them.”
Nelson also promised “lots of twists and turns” before the final issue. “One of the characters is safe, that's what I promised myself from the beginning,” he said. “Some major characters will die, and some will die before story ends.”
Though Nelson has indicated that Book 6 will focus less on this world's history (which has by now been well established), the underlying quest for and mysteries surrounding the Holy Grail will play a key role in the resolution of “Rex Mundi.” The religious aspect, too, remains close to the heart of the series, though some of its influences are less apparent than others. In particular, the writer's own Baha'i faith gives a particular shape to the story.
“I converted to Baha'i in college, so religion is interesting to me. I think it's an important part of the human experience, and will always be a important part of my writing,” Nelson explained. “I think there's a lot of emphasis today on how different the major religions are from each other, Christianity from Islam, from Buddhism, and so on. The way it's conceived is that there' s an unbridgeable gulf--but Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, they all share the same prophetic origins. This clash of cultures is not how it’s meant to be, it's not how they were originally framed. It's certainly not the Baha'i perspective.
Pages from "Rex Mundi" #15
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“'Rex Mundi' shows the similarities between the religions, the idea of religions being not so much confrontational as coming together. It emphasizes those things, that make them are a lot more similar, are a lot more important than the things that make them different.
“There's also an even deeper level, allegorically, in Baha'i faith, which in a mystical sense goes back to Abraham,” Nelson continued. “God said to Abraham, 'I will make prophets out of your descendants. That's plural. His sons were Ishmael and Isaac, and from Isaac eventually down the years we get Jesus and the Jewish prophets. From Ishmael, eventually we get Mohammed. Baha'i represents the reconciliation of these prophetic traditions into one unified religion. So in 'Rex Mundi,' Julien represents Mohammed's line, Lorraine represents Christ, and Genevieve is the unity.” Nelson was quick to point out that the metaphor only goes so far. “It's not a direct correlation--Jesus wasn't evil.”
“Rex Mundi” #15 sports a guest cover by “Umbrella Academy” writer and My Chemecal Romance singer Gerard Way, and Nelson spoke admiringly of his fellow Dark Horse creator. “I love the cover,” he said. “Gerard is a very nice guy, too. He puts a lot of work into 'Umbrella Academy.' 'He could just not take his time with it, it would still sell well. But it's actually a really good comic, which kind of shows the kind of guy he is.”
When last we spoke with Arvid Nelson, the writer discussed the film adaptation of
Page from "Rex Mundi" #15 |
“Rex Mundi,” produced by and starring Johnny Depp. Nelson indicated that the film is “coming along” but that “the wheels of Hollywood grind slowly.” “We are at a second revision of the screenplay, so that's good. The way this works is there are periods of feverish activity, followed by lulls,” he said. “We're in one of the lulls now.”
Nelson said he would also like to develop his other current Dark Horse project, the “Kull” miniseries -- based on the R.E. Howard character -- into something similarly grand. He noted that whether or not this comes to fruition will depend on Dark Horse and the licensors, but that there is a plan for whole saga for Kull's life. “Conan wanders around for years and becomes king eventually, but that was never the point of his life. Kull does have a driving force in his life,” Nelson explained. “We are seeing this as a long-form miniseries like 'Lost' or like 'Heroes,' where every story is building toward some ultimate goal.”
“Rex Mundi” #15 is on sale now from Dark Horse.
 "The Umbrella Academy: Dallas" #1 on sale November 26, "Apocalypse Suite" trade paperback on sale now |
Following up on the hugely popular and critically acclaimed “Umbrella Academy: The Apocalypse Suite” by writer Gerard Way (also frontman of My Chemical Romance ) and artist Gabriel Bá (“Casanova”), this month sees the beginning of a second Umbrella Academy series from Dark Horse. The six-issue sequel, subtitled “Dallas,” alternates between the team's early adventures as nameless child-heroes under the direction of Sir Reginald Hargreeves and their present-day trials as unwitting harbingers of the apocalypse. CBR News caught up with Brazilian illustrator Gabriel Bá to discuss his artistic process on “Umbrella Academy: Dallas,” with an exclusive look at the first three pages of issue one as they progress from layouts to line art and colors.
“Gerard writes everything he thinks I need to know,” Bá told CBR. “[His scripts] have panel description and division, usually he indicates when it's the biggest panel of the page or a full tier panel, three exact-looking panels, these kind of things He understands pacing and it's on the scripts. Sometimes we disagree on the composition, but usually it's a matter of pacing and Scott [Allie, series editor] and Gerard end up convincing me to do it their way. It's not my story, not the way I tell the story, so I have to understand what it is the writer wants.
“After I read the whole script, I go back and read each scene separately, to understand what's happening on each one,” Bá continued. “Then I see how many panels there's on each page, which one is the most important one and only then I start to layout the page. I try to picture the whole scene in my head before I start, so I can plan better where I'll place the characters, the background elements and the 'camera.'”Between the approval of layouts by Way and Allie and beginning his pencils, there is still a bit of work for Gabriel Bá to do. “I search for a lot of references in order to create a believable world, so I do that every time I'm about to draw something I don't want to end up 'generic'--buildings, cars, furniture, weapons, clothes,” the artist said. “Gerard has very specific clothes descriptions for every character and it's the work halfway done for me. I just have to look for it and draw it. Sometimes, it takes hours to find the right pea coat that I think it's the best for drawing and for the page. I don't just pick any coat I find, I gotta find the right one that I have in my head when I read the descriptions on the script. So that can take a while.”
 |  | | "The Umbrella Academy: Dallas" #1 layouts and finished art by Gabriel Bá |
One notable change seen above between Bá's layouts and the inked pages is the orientation of President Kennedy, in a panel that also ultimately breaks the grid and becomes integrated into the page's background. “On page 22 of issue #1 of 'Umbrella Academy’ #1, I've done Pogo sitting on Hargreeves' chair, front view, very stiff, very static,” Bá explained. “When it was time to do the pencils, I realized I didn't want to do that again.”
Suggestions and comments from Way and Allie can also lead Bá to deviate from his original plan. “Like I said, we have different approaches on storytelling and rhythm. So they'll tell me 'move it a little up' or 'tilt the camera a bit,'” he said. “Sometimes I agree, sometimes I think my way is better. Working with other people has to inglobe this level of collaboration. And it feels good to think the editor really took a close look at what you did and your choices and took the time to think what's really best for the story.”
On the grid-breaking aspect of the central panel, Bá explained, “I always try to see which is the most important image of the page and exploit it as much as I can. Initially, I was planning on doing Hargreeves bleeding out, but the president shot was the most important one. In order to show Kennedy, I'd need a clear, decent size shot of him, but I'm not the best on portraits--I have my cartoony style and I couldn't get so close, we needed an establishing shot here. So I wanted to put as much information on the background to help saying 'this is President Kennedy.' It was fun to learn that every president decorates the Oval office their own way, has their own carpets and chairs and curtains. So I needed more space to do that and that's why I've broken the borders of the panel there.
“I usually get it right on the layouts and it's just a matter of making it bigger on the page.”
 
"The Umbrella Academy: Dallas" #1 layouts and finished art by Gabriel Bá |
Ba’s original layouts for pages 2-3 differed from the approved layouts seen above. “Scott and Gerard felt that [the first version] would not have the impact they wanted for the first double-splash-title-page of the series,” the artist explained. “I tried to put everything they wanted on the panel, making a clean composition and showing the Lincoln memorial, but we ended up with the Licoln statue too small and far on the background and they didn't like it. I did it all the way to inking, but I had to redo those pages after I was done with the whole issue. Usually, when you work on a page several times, it always gets better and better, so people should not be afraid of redoing stuff. It's always for the best. The new spread is way better than the first one.” As to changes elsewhere in the issue, Bá said, “There's a big scene on page 24 that Scott wanted me to place the camera a little higher so we could see more depth in it, but I think other than that the whole issue was very on-the-spot.” Describing his process with colorist Dave Stewart, Bá noted that he and twin brother Fábio Moon are more accustomed to working in black and white. Moon is also a professional comic book artist, and the two are frequent collaborators. “I haven't worked with a lot of colorists before,” Bá said. “Steve Oliff (yeah! Him!) did color guides and he had Kirk Mobert coloring my pages on 'Roland, Days of Wrath,'” a 1999 miniseries written by Shane Amaya that was Bá and Moon's first work to be published in the U.S. “We didn't tell him almost anything, and he did what he does, and it looked good, but there were many times we weren't so satisfied with the results. Some airbrushing, mostly, a little too naturalistic sometimes, but that was about it. Fábio had some bad experiences over BOOM! Studios with coloring and we both love black-and-white art and take deep pauses before doing anything in color.”
“But 'Umbrella' was a big project and Dave Stewart (wow) was going to color it,” Bá said, having no reservations about the Eisner Award-winning colorist's work on “Umbrella Academy.” Bá also suggested he did not feel a need to significantly direct Stewart's efforts, and that some choices--such as the matching or complementary beige tones across environments on page one--belonged to his partner in art. “The only things I've said to him were right before we did that first preview story for the Free Comic Book Day. I told him I like to tone the scenes so the color can add very strong mood to the scenes,” Bá said. “Also, I didn't want the colors to 'close' everything up, fill inside the lines kind of stuff, because my art, when colored like that, becomes a lot more cartoony [or] cute, and that was not the tone for the story. I work a lot with empty spaces on the black and white art and I needed the color to follow that dynamic. That was all I ever had to tell Dave. He's the best and he amazed me. He uses a lot of colors, but it makes the book look unique and he actually taught me how to color my art.”
For most comics, the page's “gutter”--the area between panels and the page background--will be either white or black, unless the art bleeds into this area. A notable characteristic of “Umbrella Academy,” though, is that these areas are often filled with other colors entirely, another of Stewart's decisions that Bá supports. “I leave a lot of open spaces on the art, blending the art with the back of the page, placing some panels on top of others and drawing between the gutters,” Bá explained. “It works great and easy on B&W, but it's a little tricky on colors. Sometimes Dave will fill the whole page with one color from the 'back panel,' others he'll create a clean cut on the colors. I totally trust him to make the best choice there. As I've said, he pays very close attention to everything, so he'll think of the colors on the walls and table to blend and fit well with the rest of the panels on that page. That's good coloring. Make it all work together, not each panel separately. That's good comic book making.”
Colors by Dave Stewart
Starting with the second issue of “Umbrella Academy: Dallas,” Stewart will also be coloring Bá's covers. “We're talking again because I want a different look on the covers,” Bá said. “But I really don't have to say much to him. He knows everything by looking to the art. He pays so much attention to the details that really surprises me. I couldn't be happier.”
“Umbrella Academy: Dallas” #1 is on sale November 26 from Dark Horse, along with a limited edition hardcover of the first Umbrella Academy series, “The Apocalypse Suite," all by Gerard Way, Gabriel Bá and Dave Stewart.
Though "The Umbrella Academy" writer Gerard Way has played sold-out shows
Gerard Way's "The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite" took the Eisner Award for Best Limited Series at Comic-Con 2008 |
across the countries as the lead singer of the super-popular band My Chemical Romance there was a bit of stage fright for the rocker-turned-comics-scribe last weekend at Comic-Con International.
"He's really nervous," writer Grant Morrison told the crowd.
"I am," Way admitted.
"There's no guitars," Morrison chided.
The two met up in San Diego for the Born Under a Dark Sun panel, which was touted in the Comic-Con programme as a discussion about "death, death, and everything: comics, culture, the war on youth and how you can fight back. This panel will change your life!"
A bold panel description, but one that surely delivered for some fans.
"When we first met, we had this idea ?" let's have a panel," Way said."I was so honored, he's my hero ?" he inspired me. I said, 'Let me write a comic first.'"
"An you're an Eisner Award winner now," Morrison said, eliciting boisterous applause from the crowd for Way’s “The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite,” winner of the 2008 Best Limited Series award.
"That award means so much… I'll probably never win a Grammy now," Way said. Way told the crowd that he was recently asked if winning the Eisner was as significant as a Grammy.
"I said 'absolutely.' I don't know what a Grammy means anymore, but I know what an Eisner means."
"I'm going for a Grammy next," Morrison laughed.
Way then brought it back to the bold description of the panel. "(Morrison) wrote a very ambitious description of this panel… he said he wants to inspire people. Everyone has a dream, an aspiration. It's why you're at Comic-Con."
Morrison followed Way's lead and offered some inspirational thoughts to the attendees. "You have to remember, in the entire history of the universe, you're the only you that has ever existed," he said. "Only you see the world the way you see the world. We want to know how you see it. It might be so beautiful, so different, that it changes everything."
Again, the crowd was moved to applause.
With a microphone set up in the middle of the room, the two invited questions. A fan asked Way if he could describe "The Umbrella Academy," because he had not yet read it. "Well, it's about a group of cowboys…" Way said.
Grant Morrison's "Doom Patrol" was an early inspiration for Way
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"All gay," Morrison continued, before getting serious. "It's a post-modern superhero story."
"It's the X-men for cool people," Way concluded on his debut book from Dark Horse.
Way then started talking about how he didn't want his fame as a singer to have any affect on his comic."It was a very important thing to me to keep the band as separate as possible," Way said. "(The band) is only mentioned in three places: The Diamond preview catalogue, a Wizard ad, and on the back of the book. I don't feel like we ever tried to capitalize on the band. I'm proud of being in the band. …If we ever release the pitch, you'll see elements of 'The Black Parade.'"
A fan asked the duo how they felt about the way Hollywood was influencing comics. "Movies tend to steal our stuff," Morrison said. "I think we should make (comics) even weirder. Comics do weird better than any other medium. We just need more weird shit, to be honest."
Way agreed. "The ‘Doom Patrol’ reprints came out… There's still nothing like this today. I read this after I got clean, and I said, 'this is what I want to do.' Talk about weirdness… That's what I want to do, I'm going to figure it out."
Way then talked about how unique comics are as a medium, comparing them to music. "Let's say [My Chemical Romance] decide we want to sound like MC5 or the Stooges… it'll sound like how I interpret MC5," he said. "I wanted to do something so bat-shit, they wouldn't want to make a movie out of it."
"Lots of comics are just pitches for movies these days," Morrison agreed. "I'd like to say we're post 9/11 now, it's time to start telling more stories."
As the fan left the microphone stand, he approached Way on the stage and videotaped him up close.
"Now you're making it weird," Way said, annoyed.
"He's going to shove your head into the ground," Morrison warned.
A fan of Morrison's "The Invisibles" asked Morrison if he'd like to see those characters get the Hollywood treatment.
"Of course! I'd rather write it then let some Hollywood nut-job get his hands on it," he said. "I read in a magazine, they asked a writer, 'How do you feel about (the movie industry) ruining your books?' He said, 'They can't ruin them, they're on the shelf.'"
"If they ever make an ‘Umbrella Academy’ movie, it has to be made as the first
"The Umbrella Academy:Apocalypse Suite" Limited edition hardcover
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post-modern superhero movie," Way added. "It can't be "X-Men," it can't be " Hany Potter " There is no origin story."
A fan asked what the two thought of so many characters ?" Bucky, Jason Todd ?" coming back from the dead. "When me and Grant kill a character, they feel more dead," Way said proudly. "In our comics, they feel dead… I mean, they're dead."
"And they deserve it, too," Morrison added.
A young female fan told Way that her girlfriend, who could not attend Comic-Con, was a huge My Chemical Romance fan, and wanted to know if he would say hello to her on her cell phone. Way didn't seem eager to talk on the phone during the panel, but said he would. Then the fan started dialing her friend. Not realizing the fan wasn't already on the phone, Way tried to move on to the next question.
"You're making it weird," he told her.
Another fan began asking a question when the woman walked up to the stage and handed Way her cell phone.
"Goodbye," Way said, as he hung up the phone and handed it back. Quickly, a security guard approached the woman and asked her to get back to her seat. She quickly scurried away.
"Did that just bum everybody out?" Way asked. "Sorry."
Later in the panel, Morrison told the story of when he first met Way. At the time, Way was still trying to live a normal life without a bodyguard, he said, something the rocker could no longer do.
"The first time I met Grant, he was dressed as a super-villain," Way added.
"I pretended to be his bodyguard," Morrison laughed.
"And nobody fucked with me!" Way said.
Way also told the story of the first time he ever saw Morrison, when he was an intern at DC Comics.
"The first time I saw Grant, I was essentially a copyboy at DC," he said. "The Invisibles had just started up. It was like King Mob showed up. We're talking silver vinyl pants, leather bumpy jacket… and it's 104 degree New York weather."
Way was asked what it was like living in the spotlight and having fans everywhere he goes. "If you walk around like it's not a big deal, it's not a big deal," he said. "I'm still mostly the same pissed-off 17-year-old."
Way first met encountered Morrison during the original run of Morrison's "The Invisibles"
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A fan asked what they liked about working on original characters over classic characters. "Doing a character with history, like Batman or Superman, you're not going to please everyone," Morrison told the fan. "When you do your own stuff, no one is going to say 'He doesn't talk like that,' or 'Batman has never taken his pants down like that in public.'"
"The idea of working on established characters is exciting to me," Way said. "But the Umbrella Academy is my home, Dark Horse is my home. That's the way I wanted it."
"Who would read a Gerard Way Batman comic? I would," Morrison said to a chorus of applause from the crowd.
Almost a guarantee for every panel, a fan asked about inspiration. "I was inspired by a lot of stuff," Way said. "I grew up reading '80s ‘X-Men.’ I'm 31 now, so that doesn't appeal to me anymore. I just draw upon strange sources ?" like a Wes Anderson film, or if David Lynch got to direct ‘X-Men.’ A lot of it was being on the road.
"The coolest thing about getting clean ?" I'm way crazier sober than I ever was on drugs," he added.
A fan asked if Morrison ever wanted to try to work with Way in his profession as a rock star. Way then told a story about how they had planned on using Morrison as a writer for a music video for the band ?" a music video with a budget of $600,000. "I demanded most of (the budget)," Morrison laughed. Way said they planned on casting Morrison as the Devil for the video.
"There was a scene where we were really fucking close, yelling in my fucking face."
Morrison told the crowd that he does have a musical past. "I started out in bands. I was in punk bands. Comics to me were a way to make a living without four other guys," he said. "I'm still making music. I just started doing it again… I'll get it out there. Check my website."
The panel ended with Way proposing an intense writer's workshop to his hero and now colleague. "You know what I think would be fun? Get a hotel room for a week. Drink all the coffee we could. Do some stories and just create a universe," he said.
"Challenge accepted," Morrison responded.
 
Before he became lead singer of My Chemical Romance, Gerard Way had been pursuing a career in comics. The terrorist attacks against New York City in September of 2001 had such a profound effect on Way, his life went in a completely different direction. But last year, Way returned to creating comics with Dark Horse’s “The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite,” illustrated by Gabriel Bá (“Casanova”) with covers by “Fables’” James Jean, who also provided sleeve illustrations for My Chemical Romance hugely successful album, “The Black Parade.”
Now that the “Umbrella Academy” franchise’s first series is complete, CBR News caught up with the L.A.-based musician/comics creator for a post-game on the series that Grant Morrison calls “an ultraviolet psychedelic sherbet bomb of wit and ideas.”
The Umbrella Academy:
Apocalypse Suite #1
 Pages from The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite #2 |
“With our music at times, we are trying to prove that you can destroy with it as well,” Way continued. “There’s a definite black and white to our sound and lyrics too. There’s some very uplifting stuff, and there’s some very destructive elements to the music. Just to have that balance, to prove that they both do exist, it’s really up to the listener to choose if they want to help or they want to hurt.”For those who missed the critically acclaimed miniseries the first time around, Dark Horse is putting out an “Umbrella Academy” trade paperback this July. “Grant Morrison does the forward, which is very amazing and generous of him to do,” said Way, who has cited Morrison’s seminal “Doom Patrol” as one of his primary inspirations for “Umbrella Academy.”
Way decided not to write any additional material for the trade, opting instead to leave room for artist Gabriel Bá and editor Scott Allie to sound off on the book. “I felt like I’d kind of written quite a bit, and I said a lot, and I wanted other people to be able to say what they were feeling during making the series,” Way said.The forthcoming “Umbrella Academy” trade also features an expanded sketchbook section. “It looks very cool, it looks like pages ripped out of my sketchbook,” Way
The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite #3
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said. “And then you see some of Gabriel’s studies for these characters, and there’s commentary on those.” And later on down the line, Way promises a hardcover collecton with even more extras.
Way and Scott Allie are already hard at work developing “Umbrella Academy” series 2, which they’re tentatively hoping to launch this November. “It’s going to directly deal with something that came up in the first series,” Way confirmed. “Almost immediately without a break, it’s going to deal with something that has to be dealt with right now. You’re going to learn some truth about some things that were said in series 1, and you’re going to see the actual story of what happened.”
 
Pages from The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite #3
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Fans will be able to get a sneak peak of series 2 at San Diego Comic-Con this summer. “Gabriel has done a teaser image, it’s a really powerful image, I’m very excited for people to see it. That will really fill in readers on what the series is going to be about.” Way’s plans for “Umbrella Academy” extend well beyond series 2. On top of the continuing adventures of the Umbrella Academy themselves, Way plans to delve into the lives of some of the other 43 super children. Additionally, one aspect of the story that was barely explored at all in series 1 was the heroes’ birth mothers. “I have a lot of plans for the mothers of these children later on in the series,” Way said. “Maybe more like series 5 or 6. That’s the best part about the series, I never really know when something is going to pop in and want to show its face.”
Pages from The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite #4 |
Way is an artist as well as a writer, and has been in talks with Scott Allie about writing and penciling a book. “I would love to do a project that I write and draw, a complete thought, a graphic novel, not released as single issues,” Way said. “There’s a couple things I’ve been interested in, I’ve been interested in the black plague and the crusade, and I’ve been interested in adapting Tom Waits’ ‘Black Rider’ as a graphic novel. Little things like that that I think I could tackle if I had like a year of time. But I have a really strong desire to draw, I don’t get to draw nearly enough.” Way will have a chance to show off his drawing chops on an upcoming “Rex Mundi” cover.
Way’s aspirations in comics are not limited to creator-owned work; the long-time comic fan and former DC Comics staffer is excited at the prospect of penning an established superhero. “That’s extremely exciting to me, because I don’t do this for financial gain, it’s solely for fun,” Way said. “So if somebody’s willing to give me the keys to the car, I think that’s a lot of fun. If I’m allowed to do what I need to do with it to make it my vision, then I think that’s totally worth doing.”
 
Pages from The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite #4 |
But Way described “Umbrella Academy” as his “baby,” and said that any and all other comics projects would come second to that. “There have been a few prospects that are very exciting for me as a comic fan, and I’d love to follow them through. So I think this year, maybe we’ll get to see some announcements in terms of that.”
Way thinks one of the biggest triumphs of “Umbrella Academy” is the crossover with fans of My Chemical Romance, who number in the millions. “The first issue came out and I met kids at the signing that said it was their first American comic, because they all read Manga,” Way said. “I think that’s one of the best things that can happen is that you have someone who’s so used to reading Manga pick that up because they’re interested in the band. I think it’s ultimately the goal in some respect, for the better of the industry and the craft that I love.”
For a man who has been a comic fan and an aspiring creator for as long as Gerard Way, having a series like “Umbrella Academy” under his belt is very rewarding. “I obviously had stuff to prove, and I didn’t concern myself with proving it, I just concerned myself with making the best thing I could,” Way said. “So maybe by default I ended up proving it.”
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