The Umbrella Academy: the series versus the comics of Gerard Way

A rock star comic that won the most prestigious award in the medium, then became a globally successful series: The Umbrella Academy has an unparalleled trajectory. Decryption source by source, without disclosing the outcomes.

As in each article in this series, only verified information (creators, distribution, dates, publishers) is stated; the comparative analysis is ours, without reproducing dialogue or protected images.

The Umbrella Academy (2007): an Eisner-winning singer's comic

The Umbrella Academy was published by Dark Horse in 2007, written by Gerard Way and drawn by the Brazilian Gabriel Bá. The singularity of the company lies in its author: Way is then the singer of My Chemical Romance, one of the most popular rock groups of the decade. Nothing predisposed such a project to be taken seriously by the comics world - and yet, the first mini-series won the Eisner Award for best limited series, a major distinction in the medium. Way was no visiting fan: a longtime comics enthusiast, he has since pursued a career as an author, going so far as to run his own editorial line at DC.

The premise is as clear as it is strange: one day, forty-three women give birth simultaneously without having been pregnant the day before. An eccentric billionaire, Sir Reginald Hargreeves, adopts seven of them, numbers them from One to Seven and raises them as a team of superheroes. Years later, grown and broken, they find themselves upon the death of their adoptive father — and must prevent an apocalypse. Gabriel Bá's drawing, elegant and cartoonish, sets up a universe where surrealism is treated as obvious: gorilla butlers, apocalyptic orchestras, talking corpses. The story never explains itself, and that's part of its charm.

A short source for four seasons

The challenge of adaptation is the one we encountered with Timecop or Bulletproof Monk, but on another scale: the comic is contained in a handful of mini-series published at spaced intervals, while the series lasted four seasons. The volume ratio is therefore opposite to that of a classic adaptation, and Steve Blackman had to construct the essentials.

This construction goes in a specific direction: the development of family relationships. The comic treats its characters with an ironic distance — they are figures rather than psychologies, and Way doesn't dwell on their wounds. The series does exactly the opposite: it establishes each member of the siblings, explores what Hargreeves' upbringing cost them, and builds group dynamics as a central subject. Klaus, a secondary character on paper, becomes one of the most beloved figures in the series; Ben, whose presence is tenuous in the comic, gains continuity on screen. Successive seasons add arcs, eras, and antagonists without a print equivalent.

It is also necessary to point out a change which is not an adaptation choice: the transition of Elliot Page was integrated into the series, whose character becomes Viktor from the third season. This development, welcomed by the creators as well as by a large part of the public, has no equivalent in the comic - it belongs entirely to the television version.

The surrealism of Gabriel Bá, brought back to earth

The most difficult gap to fill is visual, and it joins a constant of this entire corpus. Gabriel Bá draws a world where the absurd does not announce itself: a gorilla in a butler's costume crosses a hut without anything emphasizing it, the architecture obeys dream rules, the proportions are freely distorted. It's a full-blown surrealism, which works because the drawing assumes it without comment.

In live action, this register becomes very difficult to maintain: a real setting imposes a scale, an actor imposes an anatomy, and the strangeness that naturally appeared on the page suddenly needs to be justified. The series therefore retains the most emblematic elements – the chimpanzee Pogo, the mother automaton, the undatable retro aesthetic – but brings the whole thing back to a realism that the comic ignored. It is the same impasse as that encountered with the eyes of Alita or the flat areas of Víctor Santos, and it confirms whatInvincibledemonstrated by the reverse: only animation allows a graphic universe to be transposed without translating it. For the reader, this means that the albums offer a visual experience that the series does not replace — stranger, freer, less explanatory.

The characters, from paper to screen

• Number Five— The adult trapped in a child's body, faithful to the comic.
• Klaus— Secondary to the paper, which has become one of the central figures of the series.
• Well— Tiny presence in the comic, continuity on screen.
• Victor— The seventh child, whose identity evolves in the series.
• Reginald Hargreeves— The adoptive father, icy in both versions.

Dark Horse and authors from elsewhere

It is worth placing this title in its publisher's catalog. Dark Horse built its reputation on a principle — creators keep their characters — which made it a haven for established authors seeking control of their work, from Frank Miller to Mike Mignola. But the house also has a tradition of welcoming creators from other disciplines, and The Umbrella Academy is the best example: a rock singer, associated with a Brazilian designer then little known to the American public, publishing a series which won the most prestigious prize in the medium.

This configuration has direct consequences for the collector.The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Sequel #1(2007, Dark Horse) is the key to the title — first appearance of the siblings, in a series with a modest initial circulation that the success of Netflix has greatly upgraded from 2019. As is often the case with Dark Horse and Image, the cover variants structure part of the market. Gabriel Bá, whose career has since grown considerably - notably with his twin brother Fábio Moon, with whom he has produced award-winning works - adds artistic value to these first issues. Collections, abundant and regularly republished, remain the economical means of reading.

Where to start reading

To discover the source,Apocalypse Suite(2007), the first mini-series, can be read in an hour and immediately sets the tone – drier, stranger and much less explanatory than the series. The following mini-series extend the universe. The reader coming from Netflix will be surprised: the comic does not seek to make its characters endearing, and its absurdity never apologizes.

Timeline to know

• 2007— The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite is published by Dark Horse.
• 2008— The series won the Eisner Award for Best Limited Series.
• 2010s— Subsequent mini-series; Gerard Way continues his career as an author.
• 2019-2024— The Netflix series, over four seasons.

Collection side: which numbers to aim for after the series

The Umbrella Academy points to a well-identified modern key.Apocalypse Sequel #1(2007, Dark Horse) is the piece to aim for: first appearance of the siblings, modest initial circulation, greatly increased in value since 2019 by the Netflix success. Cover variants structure part of the market, as is often the case with this publisher. The first issues of the following mini-series complete a coherent collection, and the growing popularity of Gabriel Bá - whose career has grown considerably since then - supports interest in his first American plates. Collections remain the economical way to read. As always, condition and gradation determine value; relying on real recent sales is strongly recommended.

Its place in the saga and for the collector

The Umbrella Academy will go down as the demonstration that a comic written by a musician could win an Eisner, and as an adaptation that succeeded by doing the opposite of what most do: instead of compressing, it expanded. Four seasons drawn from a handful of mini-series, with a considerable deepening of the family relationships that the comic treated at a distance. What she couldn't take up was the graphic surrealism of Gabriel Bá - an obstacle that we encountered everywhere in this body of work, except in animation. For the collector, it has made Apocalypse Suite #1 a sought-after key. For the reader, the albums offer a stranger and freer experience than the series.

The verdict: siblings kept, strangeness normalized

• Loyalty: the simultaneous births, the adoption by Hargreeves, the numbered siblings, Number Five, the apocalyptic threat and the macabre humor come from the comic.
• Freedoms: a few miniseries spanning four seasons, family relationships greatly deepened, Ben given continuity, numerous arcs written for television, and Bá's surrealism brought back to realism.
• Collectible numbers: Apocalypse Suite #1 (2007, Dark Horse), subsequent miniseries.

The Umbrella Academy retains the siblings and the concept of Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá, but considerably expands on what the comic dealt with at a distance — relationships, injuries, family. What she loses is the straightforward surrealism of the drawing. For both the reader and the collector, it is an invitation to open Apocalypse Suite.

Frequently asked questions