TALKING UMBRELLA ACADEMY WITH GERARD WAY

[MattBrady]

by Troy Brownfield

at right, cover to #1 by Way

Comic fans tend to groan when they hear that someone that made their fame in another media is going to fulfill that other definition of “crossover” and write in the field. Truthfully, we know that sometimes it’s a mixed bag; for every guy like Geoff Johns (who worked in film), there are a couple of others who haven’t done so well. So when people heard that Gerard Way, frontman of My Chemical Romance, would be launching The Umbrella Academy, a new series from Dark Horse, reactions ran from that groaning to enthusiasm to plain confusion. “Why,” some asked, “would a multi-platinum selling rock musician who is only increasing in notoriety try his hand at comics?”

Well, gang, I’m here to tell you why: he’s one of us. Your first exposure to Way might have been through his music or his theatrical music video persona, but his history with the form runs more deeply and with more of a solid foundation than you might expect. Having just returned from a tour swing that took him and his band through cities like Tokyo, Moscow, and Prague, Way was home less than thirty-six hours before he took the time to talk about comics, his approach, and a tiny bit about music.

So how did Way discover comics? “This is an easy question,” he says, “because I was cleaning out my old comics [recently] . . . I remember going with my parents to a friend’s house and they were getting rid of old comics, Archies and pre-Archies, things like that.”

Way allows that his more mature sense of fandom was born when he connected with one of the most popular teams around. “There was a cornerstore [in New Jersey] and the first thing that grabbed me was “Inferno”; that was the first thing. I really loved the X-Men right away. I liked the fact that you couldn’t capture them on film [Editor’s Note: That was a plot point coming out of the “Fall of the Mutants” event.].”

“I thought it was so badass when the X-Men fought X-Factor,” Way recalls with a laugh. “There was a kid at Montclair Books who was an X-Factor fan, and he and I gave each other a lot of shit when that happened.”

His association with comics didn’t stop at the fan level; Way soon found himself on the retail side. “When I was like 15 or 16,” he says, “this really cool guy, Pat O’Donnell, ran a store in Bloomfield Center. It was called Metropolis Comics, but not like Superman; it was named from the classic black and white movie, and the sign was done like that. I got a job working there for free comics.”

Way’s love of comics and visual arts in general gave him a drive that carried him to the School of Visual Arts in New York City. “I had great teachers there . . . Joey Cavileri, Klaus Janson, Joe Olrando . . . during my senior year, Joey taught writing and I got an internship [at DC Comics] through him. I kinda worked under Joey; I kinda worked fro all the editors at the DCU. I did a lot of photocopying. I graduated [from SVA] in ’95; I was [at DC] ’95-96.”

When asked about some of the work that he saw first-hand, Way enthusiastically recounts some of the highlights of the period. “The Invisibles was going thru its second generation,” he says, “Preacher was really big. I was obviously more inclined to the Vertigo books; Axel Alonso was there at the time and his books were like the big books there.”

After DC, Way went to work in the field of animation. “I had taken cartooning in school,” he explains, “and I got an internship on “Sheep in the Big City” for Cartoon Network. I learned all about designs and turnarounds. Barb Nash, who worked in the office, asked if I had any ideas. I had this absurdist idea . . . “Breakfast Monkey” . . . Curious Pictures optioned it.”

However, despite what looked like a great deal, Way ultimately wasn’t so sure. “I think one dude who was really awesome there got it and no one else got it. I realized that there were certain compromises that I wasn’t willing to make.”

Strangely enough, the unfolding of larger historical events changed Way’s direction. “When 9-11 happened,” he says, “we were about to have a meeting with Cartoon Network, and I just became kind of disillusioned. I found [the whole process] to be a drag, and that’s when I started the band.”

The band, of course, is My Chemical Romance. Though many critics have tried to lump them in with other young acts, they defy easy categorization, based largely on the narrative ambitions of Way. One of the uniquely individual traits about the act is their propensity for using Way’s art for album covers and disc interiors. That practice and the SVA background might make Way seem like a more natural fit to be a comic artist, but he’s bringing out “The Umbrella Academy” as a writer. If you’re familiar with the imagery that Way employs in his songs, that notion isn’t a big stretch. Still, it took another rather significant event to help discover this new creative avenue.

“I had this very brief battle with drugs and alcohol,” Way says. “One day, I was like ‘You know what? This really sucks. I’m gonna get clean’…it took about nine to ten months to normalize, and I had nine hours a day and had all this energy. I started rediscovering Doom Patrol; it inspired me so much that I said, ‘Man I just gotta make a comic like this; there’s just not anything this cool anymore.’ I spent a year and year-and-a-half cooking it up and sent off a proposal.

“Jim Krueger was instrumental; he was like a benefactor. He would pay me to do [art] jobs out of his own pocket. I was always meeting him through the stages of the band’s career, the whole time that the band was getting bigger and bigger. I said ‘I want to do a comic’ and Jim said, ‘Let me put you in touch with Dark Horse.’ I was just a fan of their books and they were doing all this crazy, great stuff like Goon and Hellboy. And the books ran in these great, limited arcs that weren’t necessarily bound by continuity. I thought they needed a bizarre “Doom Patrol-style” team book with four, five or six-issue arcs.”

The fact that Way favors the “series-of-limited-series” approach opens up some natural questions regarding his views on how comics are done in general. On the notion of “continuity” as it stands today, Way’s view is pretty clear. “I’m not a huge fan of “Continuity.” Hellboy has a continuity, but you don’t need to know it to read each series. I felt that continuity was killing all the major super-heroes. One reason that I adored Grant so much is that I didn’t want that hurdle of too much continuity; he comes into a book and just does his thing. The kind of books that Dark Horse was doing fit into that.”

Unable to ignore the elephant in the room any longer, I noted that Way’s songs and albums always seem to approach things from a much more “story-focused” manner that other artists, suggesting that that mode of work must be reflected in the method in which he puts together a script. Way says, “I think that it’s the same in a lot of ways. That [approach to narrative in his music] kind of makes me a tailor-made writer for novels or screenplays or comics. When I started the band, there was a lack of storytelling in music. I wanted to hear about gunfights, jail and vampires. That’s the kind of thing I was into, and that’s the metaphor that I really enjoyed. I started storytelling, and why can’t I do that in music? I do visual metaphors, kinda based on fact. To do comics, I took the same approach that it would be something that didn’t exist that I wanted to exist.”

Having had the opportunity to work in a comics shop and intern at one of the big two, Way’s read a lot of books. Nevertheless, it’s not surprising to hear one familiar name when discussing influences. “The biggest is always going to be Watchmen,” he declares. “That’s the Bible. That’s the one book that you read at 15 and realize that there is other stuff . . . then you pick up Dark Knight, V for Vendetta . . .then if you find Grant and you’re the right person for Grant, then he’s your guy. He does the craziest shit imaginable and leaves about a million crazy ideas behind on every page.”

“[I’m also influenced by] a lot of film,” he says. “Certain directors like Fritz Lang, Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet (who did Delicatessen and City of Lost Children) . . .guys like David Lynch and Terry Gilliam. I would watch Delicatessen and ask, ‘What if this guy did a super-hero movie?’ Wes Anderson too . . .that whole family vibe . . .What if the Royal Tenenbaums were a super-hero team too? Artistically, I love Paul Pope’s energy; from the minute I saw it, I knew he would be huge; he just had the chaos and shit that I’m into.”

Clearly, those various influences are in play in “The Umbrella Academy”. This dysfunctional super-hero family arrives in stores on September 19th; the first series will run six issues, but don’t expect it to stop there.

Way says, “Once part one started, and I started scripting, all these extra ideas started pouring out and I found things to connect to later [stories]. I have up to series four planned. I’m almost hesitant to even mentally commit to that because of the “lack of continuity” that I want each one to have.”

The artist on the series is Gabriel Ba. Way acknowledges that your sensibilities have to shift when you’re working with an artist and you’re a visual artist yourself. “That’s an interesting question,” he says. “You learn right away when you’re a visual artist that it’s their vision with your vision. He has reference material [from me], but he enhances it so much.”

Way recounts, “When I first scripted, it was way too dense. I would script and sketch it all out. I would literally do that; I did that for about the first half of the first issue. I got the pages back, and they were like note for note of my layouts (which he hadn’t seen), but they looked a million times better. The more I scripted, I backed off the descriptions; I moved away from that and let him hold the camera. And it’s more rewarding because I get these amazing surprises [in the art]; and he’s fast.”

Ba’s presence is also crucial during Way’s travels with the band. “He pulls a lot of weight,” he says. “There’s some times where I’ll get stuck and he’s making up the difference in time [while I’m on the road].”

Speaking of the road, Way and the rest of the band hit the trail again in a couple of short weeks, but not before one very big comic-related stop. “I’ll be in San Diego on the Saturday,” Way confirms. “[I’ll do a] quick signing and I have a show that night. I’m planning to do as many [conventions] as I can. I’m off in September and October; right now Dark Horse and I are working out four singings, two on each coast. Then, we’ll see what cons I’m available to do and try to hit those. The idea is to do as much as I can. I just enjoy being there anyway.”

On the subject of those occasional groans we mentioned earlier, I pointed out that Way’s name has the power to put some new faces into comic shops, but several regular customers might look askance at “this rock guy” doing a series. Way’s prepared for that line of thinking, and responds, “I don’t if I’d say much [to those guys] other than ask for them to read it first. Skepticism is kind of the biggest weapon in my arsenal, kind of like it was going from making [Three Cheers for Sweet] Revenge into [the more epic] Black Parade. There was a lot of skepticism after Revenge; with Black Parade, we knew we had something so crazy that [negative] expectations were actually going to help it.”

Going further into crossover conversation, Way says, “I think the worse thing [about multi-media talent sharing] is having these vanity projects where it’s just something with someone’s name on it; vanity projects are a real drag. Me and [editor] Scott [Allie] and the people at DH worked really hard to make it NOT that. Once Scott realized I had this huge art background, that helped. The book is different, it’s new and it’s fresh.”

Way’s pride is evident. He says, “The first issue felt really special while we were doing it…everybody involved felt like what we were doing something really new and experimental and the opposite of,” and here he laughs, “some rock dude’s book.”

You can catch Gerard Way at the Dark Horse booth on the Saturday of SDCC. My Chemical Romance resumes touring that week as part of the Projekt Revolution tour with Linkin Park, Taking Back Sunday, HIM, Placebo, and more; consult MyChemicalRomance.com for tour dates. The Umbrella Academy arrives in stores on September 19th.

Click here for Editor Scott Allie’s interview with Way about the series.

[Charlie Hustle]

i love that first cover

Had no idea that johns was in film before he came to do comics.

[nickmaynard]

huh, who knew the guy had so much comic experience. great interview. it did exactly what it set out to do. before, i would have written this book off, but now that i know how much this guy has been into comics, i might even try it.

[mparisien]

I liked the free comic day offering (and pantheon city) so I'll be picking this up.

[BlueThunderArmy]

Great story, I didn't know any of this, though I had heard that Way "tried to break into comcis but being a rock star was easier." The FCBD Umbrella Academy issue was a lot of fun, and actually led to me checking out the band for the first time (!!!).

[Harbinger]

Not a fan of his music, but he's saying all the right things for me (Watchmen, Grant Morrison, David Lynch, etc.). Looks like Edward Gorey meets "The Incredibles." I'm there.

[DennyColt]

I can't wait for this. the free comic book day offering was great fun and this interview makes me want to get the book in my hands even more.

[Mark Cardwell]

Still, after reading the FREE COMIC BOOK DAY issue, my main thought was "Hold on, Gabriel Ba left (the bloody fantastic) CASANOVA for this?!"

[Kid Impulse]

Hmm, My two favourite things colliding in one awesome, Grant Morrison inspired book, I might pick it up

[rdrsfn82]

I wasn't really interested in this but it is a little tempting now. He seems to have real ties to this sort of work and isn't just cashing in on celebrity and he came off as an interesting cool guy.

[Blackbeard]

The FCBD offering sold me. Can't wait to pick this up!

[creatorman]

I've ordered it. Looking forward to the read. This is the sleeper hit of the year!

[Kurt_Vile]

I thought the FCBD story was very confusing, too much in there with no space to breath, Way seems to agree from what he says in this interview, there's hope for him yet.

[this is k]

YES! RISE MY UMBRELLA ACADEMY MINIONS, RISE!!

heh

But all joking aside, great article! I'm definitely stopping by the Dark Horse booth on Saturday at SDCC.

[Fabio Moon]

The interior pages are some of the best stuff Bá has ever made.

[carriertone]

I'm not a fan of his music either, It's just not my cup o' tea, but this book just looks more awesome every time I see it! I can't wait! Congratulations Gerard!

[TheRay]

Originally Posted by this is k

YES! RISE MY UMBRELLA ACADEMY MINIONS, RISE!!

heh

But all joking aside, great article! I'm definitely stopping by the Dark Horse booth on Saturday at SDCC.

Hahaha I'll be there with ya!

[Ineffable]

Well I am a HUGE fan of MCR, and I really liked the FCBD offering. September seems so far away....

[Graymask]

I am really looking forward to this book.

[Doombug]

Yay! No one is bashing Gerard, the band or the book. That makes me very happy.

What else that makes me happy is the fact that Gerard's book hits the week before halo 3, almost as if september is shaping up to be one of the best nerd months ever.

Oh and I can accept the fact that Gabriel left cassanova for this, I love his artwork.

[Supreme Convoy]

Whoa... who knew he was really involved in comics at an early age!

[J.D. Lombardi]

I'm praying that half the MCR fans pick this thing up. It'd show our biz's "top dogs" that they're really not as big as they believe themselves to be. When you've got the lead singer of one of today's more popular rock bands that sells in excess of 1 million CDs, it makes for an interesting scenario. It may sound silly to say, but they've got over a million friend on myspace...so when they send out one simple "bulletin" about that comic when it is set to pre-order, some serious sales could conceivably happen. Then you add in James Jean's fanbase as well as the other Eisner-nominated talent on the book...

lol I just wanna sit back and watch something crazy happen that'll be good for the industry.

[Bullet_Train]

Uhm...Free Comic Book day what? Where is this issue? What? How did I miss it? I mean I like MCR but I dont know the name of any member of any band I like so I missed it. Man, was it called The Umbrella Academy? Ebay* it?






*User name Ladiesman217

[FatFreeMilk]

I screwed up and missed this on Free Comic Book Day - I'll check it out, Bubba.

Ebay Goodness!

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQ...Zfatfreemilk75

[TheJoeShowLive]

Under my um-ber-ella, ella, ella, ay, ay, ay.