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The Umbrella Academy

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This article is about the comic book series. For the TV series, see The Umbrella Academy (TV series).

The Umbrella Academy
Promotional artwork
Publication information
PublisherDark Horse Comics
ScheduleEvery third Wednesday (series 1–2)
FormatLimited series
GenreSuperhero, science fantasy, comedy drama
Publication date2007–2009
2018–2021
No. of issues25 (main series)
7 (spin-offs)
Main character(s)Spaceboy
The Kraken
The Rumor
The Séance
Number Five
Vanya Hargreeves
Creative team
Created byGerard Way[3]
Written byGerard Way[1]
Artist(s)Gabriel Bá
James Jean (covers for series 1 only)[2]
Letterer(s)Jason Hvam (Internet preview only)[1]
Nate Piekos
Colorist(s)Dave Stewart (covers for series 1–2)[2]
Nick Filardi (series 3)[2]
Collected editions
Apocalypse SuiteISBN 978-1-59307-978-9 [4]
DallasISBN 978-1-59582-345-8 [5]
Hotel OblivionISBN 978-1-5067-1142-3 [6]

The Umbrella Academy is an American comic book series created and written by Gerard Way and illustrated by Gabriel Bá. It follows a dysfunctional family of adopted superhero siblings with bizarre powers attempting both to save the world and find their place within it. Published intermittently by Dark Horse Comics, the comic is released in six to seven issue limited series, typically lasting six issues. Since 2007, three volumes have been published, as have two spin-offs. The fourth volume of the main series is currently in development.

The comic has garnered a close following and has been praised by critics, with the first limited series, Apocalypse Suite,[7] winning of the 2007 Eisner Award for Best Finite Series/Limited Series. A popular television adaptation ran on Netflix for four seasons from 2019 to 2024.[8]

Synopsis

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Plot summary

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The titular Umbrella Academy is described as a "dysfunctional family of superheroes".[9] In the mid-20th century, at the instant of the finishing blow in a cosmic wrestling match, forty-three superpowered infants are inexplicably born to random, unconnected women across the world who showed no signs of pregnancy at the start of the day. Sir Reginald Hargreeves, an extraterrestrial disguised as a famous entrepreneur, adopts seven of the children and prepares them to save the world from an unspecified threat as the Umbrella Academy.

Eventually, the team disbands and the siblings fall out of contact with each other until they meet again as adults on the news of Hargreeves' death, and subsequently become a team again when one of their own becomes a supervillain.

Characters

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Main article: List of The Umbrella Academy characters

The Academy's founder, Sir Reginald Hargreeves, was an alien disguised as a wealthy human entrepreneur and world-renowned scientist, and callously trained and experimented on the children to make them into superheroes. As such, he was the cause of much of the team's psychological scarring and trauma. He is dead when the Umbrella Academy reunites.

The primary Academy members are Luther/Spaceboy, who possesses super-strength, Diego/The Kraken, who can manipulate the direction of projectiles, Allison/The Rumor, who can manipulate reality by lying, Klaus/The Séance, a psychic who can connect with the dead, and Number Five, a skilled assassin able to jump through time at will, with his travels through the timeline trapping his sixty year old mind in his unageing, ten-year-old body. Ben/The Horror possessed tentacles that emerged from his stomach, but he is also dead when the Academy comes back together.

Vanya was officially a part of the Academy, but was drugged by their father and told for years that she had no powers, before she learns she has the power to channel destructive sound waves through her violin.

Influences

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Way has stated that his biggest influence on Umbrella Academy was his favorite writer, Grant Morrison, and their work on Doom Patrol with DC Comics. He has also cited Pat McEown of ZombieWorld: Champion of the Worms and his favorite artist, Edvin Biuković, and his comic Grendel Tales as other major inspirations.[3]

Main series

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Volume 1: Apocalypse Suite

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Main article: The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite

Written by Gerard Way with art by Gabriel Bá, the first six-issue limited series, Apocalypse Suite,[7] was released by Dark Horse Comics between September 14, 2007, and February 20, 2008.[10] It won the 2007 Eisner Award for Best Finite Series/Limited Series, and was adapted into the first season of the Netflix series in 2019.

In the story, the estranged members of the Umbrella Academy are reunited by the funeral of Sir Reginald Hargreeves, their father and leader, whose rigorous training and experiments during their childhoods has left them each emotionally scarred. They then have to band together when their long-lost brother, Number Five, returns from the future and tells them they need to stop an apocalyptic event from coming to pass.

Volume 2: Dallas

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Main article: The Umbrella Academy: Dallas

A second limited series, The Umbrella Academy: Dallas, was released between November 26, 2008, and April 25, 2009. Elements of it were adapted in the first season of the Netflix series in 2019, and it was the primary story adapted into the second season a year later.

This story sees the Umbrella Academy having split up once again after saving the world, but while each sibling is distracted by their own problems, the team is forced to reunite when the Temps Aeternalis, an organization that manages the timeline, attack the members and drag them into a time travel plot revolving around the Kennedy assassination in 1963 Dallas.

Volume 3: Hotel Oblivion

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The third limited series, entitled The Umbrella Academy: Hotel Oblivion, was announced to be in development in 2009,[11] and Dark Horse initially stated it would release in 2010.[12] However, the comic was not released for several years, with Way shifting focus from comics to his music career for a time[13] before continuing work on it with Bá in 2014.[14][15][16][17] Hotel Oblivion was finally released as a seven-issue miniseries between October 3, 2018, and June 12, 2019.[18] Some elements were loosely adapted in the third season of the Netflix series.

In this story, Spaceboy and the Kraken travel to space to investigate a discovery of their father's, while the Rumor and Five investigate the Perseus Corporation and what they want with the titular Hotel Oblivion, a mysterious prison on another planet where Hargreeves imprisoned the Academy's greatest enemies.

Volume 4: Sparrow Academy

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In July 2020, Gerard Way revealed that the fourth story arc would be titled The Umbrella Academy: Sparrow Academy,[19] following up on the reveal of another superhero team called the Sparrows at the end of the third volume. In August 2024, Gabriel Bá revealed he was actively illustrating the comic, but was unsure of the release date.[20] It is the main storyline adapted in the third season of the Netflix series, possibly based on an outline by Way.

Tales from the Umbrella Academy

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All Umbrella Academy spin-off series and one-shots are subtitled as Tales from the Umbrella Academy, published intermittently since 2019. These comics focus on individual characters from the main series, and dive further into their backstories while sending them on new adventures.

Hazel and Cha-Cha Save Christmas

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The one-shot issue Tales from the Umbrella Academy: Hazel and Cha-Cha Save Christmas was written by Gerard Way and Scott Allie, with art by Tommy Lee Edwards, and was published on November 20, 2019.[21] In it, Hazel and Cha-Cha, two psychotic time-traveling hitmen introduced in Dallas, are sent on a mission to stop a rogue agent from disrupting the timeline.

You Look Like Death

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A six-issue limited series, You Look Like Death: Tales from the Umbrella Academy, written by Gerard Way and Shaun Simon with art by Ian Culbard, was published between September 16, 2020 and February 24, 2021.[22] The series follows a young Klaus's misadventures in Hollywood, as he encounters a manipulative struggling actress and deals with the politics of the vampire mafia.

Short stories

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Prior to the release of Apocalypse Suite #1, three Umbrella Academy short stories were published, both online and in print form. There have been a few short stories released since then, often included in the trade collections of the main series. The majority of them are written by Gerard Way and illustrated by Gabriel Bá.

"Mon Dieu!"

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Released on the Dark Horse website on November 2, 2006, "Mon Dieu!" was colored by Dan Jackson and lettered by Jason Hvam.[1] It is a two-page preview story in which a time machine, built by Number Five, causes the Séance to briefly experience life as a Medieval French military commander, and is included in the Apocalypse Suite trade collection.

"…But the Past Ain’t Through With You"

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Cover of the 2007 Dark Horse Comics Free Comic Book Day issue, featuring the first printed story of The Umbrella Academy, "…But the Past Ain’t Through With You".

The first printed story of the series, "...But the Past Ain't Through With You" takes its title from a lyric from the My Chemical Romance song "Kill All Your Friends", co-written by Way. It was published in the 2007 Dark Horse Comics Free Comic Book Day issue on May 5, 2007, and is included in the Apocalypse Suite collection. The story sees the Umbrella Academy investigating the murder of a duplicate of the Rumor, and battling the Murder Magician.[2]

"Safe & Sound"

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“Safe & Sound" is an eight-page story published in the first issue of the second volume of the anthology Dark Horse Presents in July 2007, exclusively on MySpace. The title comes from a song Way worked on with Kyosuke Himuro for the movie Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete.[23] The story is not published elsewhere, and centers around the Kraken on a rescue mission to save the daughter of his city's mayor.

"Anywhere But Here"

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In 2009, Dark Horse released the eight-page story "Anywhere But Here" on their MySpace, and later in the collections Dallas and MySpace Dark Horse Presents Volume 2. It takes place in the Hargreeves siblings' teenage years, and focuses on the relationship between Diego and Vanya, culminating in what ultimately causes the rift between them.

"Seance"

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The eight-page story "Seance" was published in the hardcover edition of You Look Like Death, and has not been reprinted elsewhere.

"Safe"

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Gabriel Bá wrote and illustrated the short story "Safe" for the Dark Horse one-shot Free Comic Book Day 2023: The Umbrella Academy and The Witcher #1, which was published on May 10, 2023. In it, Sir Reginald Hargreeves and his assistant, Abhijat, investigate a powerful interdimensional entity that was teased in Hotel Oblivion. The comic's ending teases the story's continuation in Sparrow Academy.

Collected editions

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The Umbrella Academy is collected in trade paperbacks and limited edition hardcovers. The hardcover editions have larger pages and a few more extra features.

Title Release Date Material collected Extras ISBN
The Umbrella Academy
The Umbrella Academy – Volume 1:
Apocalypse Suite 		June 18, 2008 (TPB)
November 19, 2008 (HC)
  • Apocalypse Suite #1–6
  • "Mon Dieu!”
  • "…But the Past Ain’t Through with You”
  • Sketchbook

ʟɪᴍɪᴛᴇᴅ ᴇᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ ʜᴀʀᴅᴄᴏᴠᴇʀ:

  • Expanded sketchbook
  • Signed tip in sheet
 978-1-59307-978-9 (TPB)
978-1-59582-163-8 (HC)
The Umbrella Academy – Volume 2:
Dallas 		September 30, 2009 (TPB)
September 30, 2009 (HC)
  • Dallas #1–6
  • "Anywhere But Here”
  • Sketchbook

ʟɪᴍɪᴛᴇᴅ ᴇᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ ʜᴀʀᴅᴄᴏᴠᴇʀ:

  • Expanded sketchbook
 978-1-59582-345-8 (TPB)
978-1-59582-344-1 (HC)
The Umbrella Academy – Volume 3:
Hotel Oblivion 		September 17, 2019 (TPB)
  • Hotel Oblivion #1–7
  • Sketchbook

Limited edition hardcover

978-1-5067-1142-3 (TPB)
Tales from the Umbrella Academy
You Look Like Death:
Tales from the Umbrella Academy – Volume 1 		2021 (TPB)
  • You Look Like Death #1–6
  • Sketchbook
  • Forward from Robert Sheehan

ʟɪᴍɪᴛᴇᴅ ᴇᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ ʜᴀʀᴅᴄᴏᴠᴇʀ:

  • Expanded sketchbook
  • "Seance"
  • Slipcase by Tony Ong
 978-1-5067-1910-8 (TPB)

9781506725987 (HC)

In other media

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Television

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Main article: The Umbrella Academy (TV series)

A film version of The Umbrella Academy was optioned by Universal Studios, but never produced.[8] By 2017, Netflix had greenlit a live-action series adaptation of The Umbrella Academy, produced by Universal Content Productions.[24][25] Way, who served as co-executive producer on the series, stated that he presented showrunner Steve Blackman with an eighteen-page document outlining his full plan for the comic series, including the comics that have not yet been released.[26]

The series premiered on Netflix on February 15, 2019, and the first two seasons primarily adapted the Apocalypse Suite and Dallas storylines, and were met with positive reactions from critics and audiences for their humor, action, character drama, and music. The second season in particular made The Umbrella Academy one of Netflix's most-viewed shows in 2020, behind shows such as The Queen's Gambit and Ratched.[27][28][29]

Since the second season also adapted the twist ending from Hotel Oblivion, the show's third season adapted the then-unpublished Sparrow Academy story arc, with some elements from Hotel Oblivion. The season still received positive reviews, though many deemed it weaker than it previous installments. The fourth season, serving as the conclusion to the story, presumably adapted another unpublished part of Way's outline, and was much shorter than the previous seasons had been. It received very mixed reactions from many critics and audiences.

Novels

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To coincide with the release of the TV series' final season, Universal Content Productions partnered with Abrams Books to release two books set in the show's universe. These were The Umbrella Academy: Young Blood, a prequel novel, and Umbrella Academy: The Commission Handbook, an in-universe guide to the world of the series. Both books were released in the summer of 2024.[30]

Card game

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In June 2019, Dark Horse Comics announced a collaboration with Studio71 to make a card game based on The Umbrella Academy.[31]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Gerard Way (mcr lead singer) gives the world a sneak peek at the upcoming Umbrella Academy series! 11/2/06". Dark Horse Comics. November 2, 2006. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved April 12, 2007.
  2. ^ a b c d "Free Comic Book Day 2007". Dark Horse Comics. 2007. Archived from the original on April 17, 2013. Retrieved April 12, 2007.
  3. ^ a b "Gerard Way Interview: Umbrella Academy 8/14/06". Dark Horse Comics. August 14, 2006. Archived from the original on March 14, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  4. ^ "The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite TPB". Dark Horse Comics. Archived from the original on August 2, 2009. Retrieved August 14, 2009.
  5. ^ "The Umbrella Academy: Dallas TPB". Dark Horse Comics. Archived from the original on May 30, 2009. Retrieved August 14, 2009.
  6. ^ "The Umbrella Academy Volume 3: Hotel Oblivion TPB". Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Pastorek, Whitney (June 25, 2007). "Exclusive Peek: Gerard Way's 'Umbrella Academy'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 9, 2007. Retrieved August 9, 2007.
  8. ^ a b Bill Keveney (July 7, 2015). "Deal puts 'Umbrella Academy' on TV track". USA Today. Archived from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  9. ^ "What's Umbrella Academy? The Comic That May Become Must-Watch TV". CBR. July 12, 2017. Archived from the original on July 12, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  10. ^ "Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite #1". Dark Horse Comics. 2007. Archived from the original on July 21, 2013. Retrieved August 9, 2007.
  11. ^ http://comicbookresources.com:8080/?page=article&id=22170 Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Comic Book Resources, July 23, 2009
  12. ^ "Hotel Oblivion Trailer". Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
  13. ^ "goth claudia on Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on February 26, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  14. ^ "goth claudia on Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  15. ^ "goth claudia on Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  16. ^ "goth claudia on Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  17. ^ "goth claudia on Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  18. ^ "Umbrella Academy: Hotel Oblivion Finally Coming in 2018". July 21, 2017. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  19. ^ Smith-Engelhardt, John (May 12, 2020). "Gerard Way is working on 'The Umbrella Academy' comic's next volume". Altpress. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  20. ^ Jirak, Jamie (August 7, 2024). "The Umbrella Academy: Gabriel Ba Shares Disappointing Update About Volume 4". ComicBook.com. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  21. ^ "The Umbrella Academy Gets Its First Spinoff in Hazel and Cha Cha Save Christmas". September 25, 2019. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  22. ^ Gustines, George Gene (February 21, 2020). "The Umbrella Academy Has a Spinoff: You Look Like Death". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 21, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  23. ^ "Sdcc '07: dark horse presents returns on myspace". Newsarama. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved September 8, 2007.
  24. ^ "'Umbrella Academy' Series Based on Comic Books Headed to Netflix". Variety. Archived from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  25. ^ "Netflix to adapt Gerard Way's 'Umbrella Academy' comic book into live-action series". USA Today. Archived from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  26. ^ "Umbrella Academy: Gerard Way & Gabriel Ba Interview - YouTube". Collider Interviews. January 13, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  27. ^ October 2020, Samuel Roberts 21 (October 21, 2020). "Netflix reveals its biggest new TV shows – and the winner might surprise you". TechRadar. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  28. ^ Oneto, Peter (October 21, 2020). "Netflix reveals viewership numbers for Enola Holmes, Project Power". IGN. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  29. ^ "Netflix Reveals Most Popular TV Shows And Movies For Past 3 Months". GameSpot. Archived from the original on May 30, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  30. ^ "'The Umbrella Academy' story continues with new tie-in books". Entertainment Weekly. August 9, 2024. Retrieved September 13, 2024.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  31. ^ "'Umbrella Academy' Card Game in the Works". The Hollywood Reporter. July 28, 2020. Archived from the original on August 2, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
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Interviews

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Reviews

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Short stories

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