A timeline could be finished for The Umbrella Academy with the release of the fourth season of the series, but another lives on for fans of the Hargreeves family. We talk about Gerard Way and Gabriel Bás Dark Horse Graphic novels, of course, on which the entire world, lore and characters of the television series are based.
Both Way, the comics’ creator and frontman of My Chemical Romance, and Bá, the illustrator, attended the premiere on August 5 at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood to celebrate the end of the series and were able to witness the impact firsthand. The Umbrella Academy on the fans, many of whom screamed outside the theater every time they caught a glimpse of the cast. “It’s beautiful,” Way told Tudum at the premiere.
Bá, who flew in from Brazil, was overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the event, which is “so different from making a comic,” he told Tudum. At home, he collaborates with Way online and they speak often, “but coming here and being part of the celebration is a really special feeling and I’m really enjoying it.”
Both Way and Bá are working hard on the next volume of The Umbrella Academy Comic that obviously has some overlap with the TV series, but is also its own entity. How will they tackle the Jennifer incident, for example? “They’re going to do something slightly different in their graphic novel,” series showrunner Steve Blackman previously told Tudum. “But they were very kind and said, ‘Do your thing and we’ll do our thing. Our graphic novel will continue after the show.'”
Below, Way and Bá tell us what they will miss most about The Umbrella Academy TV series, what fans can expect from the next graphic novel volume, and what it feels like to have a My Chemical Romance song in the season four trailer.
What does it mean to you to be here tonight celebrating this show based on characters and a world you created?
Gerard Way: Oh man. It’s really cool. I’m really proud of everyone’s hard work and how much they care about the world. My goal was always to make a really great comic so they could have fun with it. I think they did. And I like that.
Was there anything from the comic that appeared in the show that you were particularly excited to see on screen for the first time?
Away: Seeing Pogo (Ken Hall and Adam Godley) was really cool. Hazel (Cameron Britton) and Cha-Cha (Mary J. Blige) with the masks. I really like what they did with the source material in Dallas. I thought that was really cool, you know?
Gabriel Ba: Number Five (Aidan Gallagher) in general. It’s a great character and very close to the (comic book). And Pogo – Pogo is the character I’m most proud of in the show, even if it’s just a few seconds, a few scenes here and there. Every time he shows up I’m proud because I know how much effort it takes to have him there and I love having him there.
Gerard, were you excited? See your name as one of the reviewers from Viktor’s book, My extraordinary lifein season 1?
Away: Oh yeah. That was really cool. It was so long ago now.
And the name of the book that Sloane (Genesis Rodriguez) is reading, The jet-set lifecomes from your band’s song “The Jetset Life Is Gonna Kill You”.
Away: Yeah. I like the cool little things they put in there. It was fun.
So what influence will the show have on your next comic book?
Away: One of the things I think is really cool is that we’re clear that the show has happened and existed. So we’re actually going to do some pretty radical things in terms of the direction we take it after this next volume. That way, it’s not just the comic book version of what you’re seeing right now. Gabriel had (some) really great ideas. It’s going to feel very new for everyone.
Yes: (The show) affects it in a few different ways. There’s the thing, I would call it the texture of the images, because in the show, all the costumes and all the backgrounds, the sets, are so detailed that it’s changed the way I look at backgrounds and costumes and materials and how they’re implemented. Sometimes I even have to step back because what I’m doing is a drawing and it has to work as a drawing, so I shouldn’t worry about the fabric of a suit, for example. But it’s really changed the way I look at those details.
That’s great because those are two different things merging into one fandom.
Away: Yes, of course. And then you always think, “Okay, in the next book they’ll see what the origins of Sparrow Academy were and how different it is.” But then you think, “Let’s not just do this in every book. Let’s do something completely different. And make it entertaining.”
Steve Blackman shared with Tudum his theory that Grace (Jordan Claire Robbins) helped all the children choose their names.
Away: Yes, that’s right.
Is this the right name for Five Five for you?
Away: Yeah. Five was basically like, “Fuck you” (when it came to picking a name). That’s how it was in the comic, even if you haven’t seen it yet.
What will you miss most about the show and the whole experience?
Away: Honestly, I really liked their enthusiasm. It’s a great group of people and they have fun. And because I never stood in the way of that – it was intentional, it was a choice – it was able to grow into this beautiful thing that was its own thing.
Is there an interaction with fans that has stuck in your mind over the years?
Away: Absolutely. Even at the beginning of Comic Cons and throughout the years, it was always super fun to see cosplay. Most of the cosplay I saw was people in school uniforms, which was always really cool. But then there were a lot of really good Klauses over the years. Even before the show, so that’s always fun.
Would you like to say something to the fans?
Away: I mean, honestly, it’s a gift to be able to make art and have people support you to keep going. I never take that for granted.
Yes. It was also a real kick to see your My Chemical Romance song “The End” in the season four trailer.
Away: Oh yes, the band! We never thought that a song by My Chem would be in a umbrella thing, but we were all actually really excited because nobody had ever asked for that song. And we actually always had a feeling that it would be really good in the trailer. So the fact that they asked for that song and not “Black Parade” was really cool.
Wow, it’s like it was meant to be.
Away: I think so, yeah. (After seeing the trailer) I thought, “Wow, that looks really good!”
Experience My Chemical Romance and The Umbrella Academy Bring the timelines together in the Season 4 trailer below. And relive each timeline with the Brellies anytime, only on Netflix.
Regard The Umbrella Academy Trailer for Season 4
