View Full Version : Special Edition Podcast: Gerard Way of 'The Umbrella Academy'
conorkilpatrick
11-18-2007, 10:31 PM
We had the opportunity to chat with Gerard Way, the writer of The Umbrella Academy, a new series from Dark Horse with art by Gabriel Ba and colors by Dave Stewart. Gerard took some time out during his tour with his band, My Chemical Romance, to talk about his comics career, The Umbrella Academy, and his relationship with Grant Morrison.
Click here for download info! (http://www.ifanboy.com/archive/weblog/ifanboy_special_3.html)
http://www.ifanboy.com/images/umbrellacover-thumb.jpg
labor_days
11-18-2007, 10:34 PM
Wha? A surprise podcast. Love it.
(What is the fanboys opinion of UA? I barely heard you guys mention it. A strong factor in my not buying it.)
six-gun
11-18-2007, 10:48 PM
Wha? A surprise podcast. Love it.
(What is the fanboys opinion of UA? I barely heard you guys mention it. A strong factor in my not buying it.)
I think Ron's the only one to have read it and he thought the art was fantastic but the story average
how did you guys get ahold of this guy? I dont really listen to his band or know much about them but isnt he a big teenybop star? Pretty cool that you guys got ahold of someone like that.
paper
11-18-2007, 10:52 PM
I think he was reserving judgment until further installments.
The premise interests me. It's gonna be a wait for the trade situation.
six-gun
11-19-2007, 12:15 AM
It's gonna be a wait for the trade situation.
Way basically says that it's written that way
horatio616
11-19-2007, 12:34 AM
I think UA is a great surprise. It's a mix of Hellboy and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Lots of secret history stuff, if that's your thing. The writing is very strong. This seems more like a book that Josh or Conor would like and I was a bit surprised when Ron was the only one who read it.
paper
11-19-2007, 12:35 AM
The only thing that turns me off about it is the "alien" thing. I haaaaate aliens.
horatio616
11-19-2007, 12:56 AM
The only thing that turns me off about it is the "alien" thing. I haaaaate aliens.
It's quirky enough that it doesn't read like an 'alien' story. It's more about the secret history of the Academy and their reunion after so many years.
jonathand-gordon
11-19-2007, 01:14 AM
As the resident Umbrella Academy freak * see the other thread where I was ridiculed for liking it. I am Excited for this and think UA will go down as the second coming in Comics.
paper
11-19-2007, 03:59 AM
The second coming of what?
hudsonphillips
11-19-2007, 01:53 PM
I completely agree with Jonathan. This book is fantastic. It's one of my favorite reads right now. It's very fresh and quirky (but in a good way.)
I do think that waiting for the trade is not a bad idea though, as it's frustrating to have to wait month to month for the story to continue. It's a quick read, but a slow moving story (but in a good way - there was a lot of well-done set up & back story).
The art is absolutely beautiful... The colors set the mood perfectly... The writing is excellent. It's very well put together and does what a comic book should do - introduce you to a world that you've never seen before. It's very well thought out and you can tell that Way put a lot of time into creating this world and story.
Everyone should definitely give it a shot.
kahunablair
11-19-2007, 04:24 PM
Nice job, Ron.
That interveiw was great. Ron was brutally honest and didn't kiss Way's butt. Way was suprisingly candid and laid back.
All around good show. Thanks!
nice inteview ron. I may actually give this a shot now and I never planned to.
six-gun
11-19-2007, 07:14 PM
Come on guys emo jokes
esophagus
11-19-2007, 07:15 PM
I really think this is Way's calling. He seems to know, and love, his stuff. I plan on buying the trade, MCR or not.
"My initial thoughts were oh that band, with the eye makeup"
Epic.
six-gun
11-19-2007, 07:22 PM
Is there a character who's power comes from self-mutilation?
labor_days
11-19-2007, 07:23 PM
You're confusing Umbrella Academy with Thunderbolts, Six.
I really think this is Way's calling. He seems to know, and love, his stuff. I plan on buying the trade, MCR or not.
"My initial thoughts were oh that band, with the eye makeup"
Epic.
So that's what MCR stands for. :eek:
I do know who they are then. Needless to say, the band is the reason I wasn't going to buy the book.
esophagus
11-19-2007, 08:04 PM
So that's what MCR stands for. :eek:
I do know who they are then. Needless to say, the band is the reason I wasn't going to buy the book.Same here. Less for the "He's a famous guy, and I don't want to associate with that" and more because I really hate his music, and everything to do with it, and thought that style would shine through in his work. He seems to have a knack for it though, so I plan on buying the trade.
six-gun
11-20-2007, 12:45 AM
You're confusing Umbrella Academy with Thunderbolts, Six.
oh yeah, hows that going anyway Kwok? ;)
itsbecca
11-20-2007, 02:09 AM
As the resident Umbrella Academy freak * see the other thread where I was ridiculed for liking it. I am Excited for this and think UA will go down as the second coming in Comics.
I missed that. How sad, I would have come to your defense. I think it's fantastic. It's hard to describe, but it's very unique. It has a very quirky sense of humor that I really enjoy, but not at all cheesy. It doesn't try.
I had no idea who the writer was till someone mentioned it on here, we just picked it up on a whim and it enchanted me.
kahunablair
11-20-2007, 02:13 AM
Seriously though guys, roll call. Who is reading this?
Becca
Jonathan
ME
It's a fun, quirky book that I personally really am liking.
horatio616
11-20-2007, 03:03 AM
Seriously though guys, roll call. Who is reading this?
Becca
Jonathan
ME
It's a fun, quirky book that I personally really am liking.
Me. I'm enjoying it greatly.
jaflanagan
11-20-2007, 03:23 AM
Maybe someone's not as persecuted as they feel.
iFanboy: More love than you know.
horatio616
11-20-2007, 03:28 AM
I have two MCR songs on my iPod and I'm proud of it. I don't remember the names but I like them!
superfriend82
11-20-2007, 06:08 PM
Loved the intervew Coner. I've been wenting to pick up umbrella and MCR for a while now.
ronxo
11-20-2007, 06:26 PM
Seriously though guys, roll call. Who is reading this?
Becca
Jonathan
ME
It's a fun, quirky book that I personally really am liking.
count me in, I've been reading since issue 1 and I am enjoying it.
labor_days
11-20-2007, 06:26 PM
Loved the intervew Coner. I've been wenting to pick up umbrella and MCR for a while now.Um, don't you mean Ron?
Conor did not interview Way. ;-)
and if it were Conor, it would be Conor
(not to be a dick, just saying)
I've been reading it all along but it's hardly Hellboyish at all but VERY Amazing Screw-On Head.
superfriend82
11-20-2007, 07:53 PM
oops sorry a ddout that one. I just don't what i was thinking.
kahunablair
11-20-2007, 07:59 PM
I've been reading it all along but it's hardly Hellboyish at all but VERY Amazing Screw-On Head.
I was always a bit hesitant to call it Hellboy-ish. When he said Screw-On Head, I darn near crapped my pants. How did I forget about that??
Now I can't get that comparison out of my noggin'.
I gotta say that I disagree with Ron about the covers of UA. They're very "Fables-sh" and, although beautiful, don't carry the sense of wacky that's inside. I think there's a big disconnect between cover and comic.
esophagus
11-20-2007, 10:23 PM
I gotta say that I disagree with Ron about the covers of UA. They're very "Fables-sh" and, although beautiful, don't carry the sense of wacky that's inside. I think there's a big disconnect between cover and comic.I thought that's what the general concensus was, but not having read the series, I just took Ron's word for it.
ronxo
11-20-2007, 10:57 PM
I gotta say that I disagree with Ron about the covers of UA. They're very "Fables-sh" and, although beautiful, don't carry the sense of wacky that's inside. I think there's a big disconnect between cover and comic.
You may be right about the Fables-esque aspect to the cover - but I found them to be a great balance to the artwork inside, and as I always prefer, they do reflect the interior of the book to a degree. They were just unique to me and I enjoy looking at them :)
horatio616
11-20-2007, 11:06 PM
You may be right about the Fables-esque aspect to the cover - but I found them to be a great balance to the artwork inside, and as I always prefer, they do reflect the interior of the book to a degree. They were just unique to me and I enjoy looking at them :)
I think the covers are fantastic. The cover to the first issue is what got me to pick it up in the first place. I used Hellboy as a descriptor mainly because the Eiffel villain I could easily see in Hellboy and the art is somewhat remnicent of Mignola (esp. the character with the giant ape body and the human head). This will make a great trade.
I haven't read Screw-On Head, but I have the DVD and I love it. My 6 year-old caught the last couple of minutes of it and for weeks afterwards kept saying, "that's not a jewel that's a dirty piece of crap!" She kept begging me to let her watch the whole thing but no!
You may be right about the Fables-esque aspect to the cover - but I found them to be a great balance to the artwork inside, and as I always prefer, they do reflect the interior of the book to a degree. They were just unique to me and I enjoy looking at them :)
More proof of the closeted Vertigo fan that you are. Fables-esque covers, Exterminators, Transmetropolitan.... do sideburns work with mascara?
To be clear, I think the covers are beautiful and I appreciate that they connect to the inside in subject matter. It's just a tone thing for me.
Someone doesn't like the tone of your mascara Ron.
Wait, that's not what it says. I need to stop skimming.
projektidiot
11-21-2007, 05:20 AM
Since I'm the always wrong guy I'm gonna say it's very Green Lanternish.
anyway, I liked it.
kwok_talk
11-21-2007, 01:10 PM
Ron - great job on getting and doing the interview. Gerald's "speaking voice" was very not what I expected after hearing his music.
hudsonphillips
11-21-2007, 04:08 PM
To weigh in on covers - I agree that they are beautiful and fitting to what's inside. They play a little darker, but still represent that quirkiness.
Question: A few people mentioned being skeptical of this book because it's a musician making a comic. Where does this skepticism come from? Has this happened before with disastrous results?
Where does this skepticism come from?
For me, it's that I intensely dislike his music. I figured that it would be 22 pages of people's mascara running as they cried and cut themselves.
jaflanagan
11-21-2007, 04:42 PM
To weigh in on covers - I agree that they are beautiful and fitting to what's inside. They play a little darker, but still represent that quirkiness.
Question: A few people mentioned being skeptical of this book because it's a musician making a comic. Where does this skepticism come from? Has this happened before with disastrous results?
There have been vanity projects from celebrities in the past that have done less than deliver. Either they're just not very good, and the publishers put out the book on the strength of the celebrity name, or the opposite when they actually are good, but said celebrity doesn't finish the project because the rest of their life gets too busy.
I honestly can't think of an example of the first, because I tend not to buy them, and therefore I can't really comment on quality. I'm sure some out there can.
The second situation we've seen with Kevin Smith, and Damon Lindeloff, for example.
esophagus
11-21-2007, 08:52 PM
Question: A few people mentioned being skeptical of this book because it's a musician making a comic. Where does this skepticism come from? Has this happened before with disastrous results?The first thing that comes to mind is the ongoing Amory Wars. But the fact that I bought Amory Wars to find out shows that I'm not opposed to musicians in comics. I'm opposed to terrible musicians in comics. I hate hate hate MCR (not to say I like Coheed and Cambria, a friend asked me to buy it), and I was worried that this book would showcase exactly why.
hudsonphillips
11-21-2007, 09:12 PM
Yeah, I get that. If you really hated a musician, chances are you'll hate their book. I happen to like MCR, so I was a little more open, but if someone like Mark McGrath put out a comic, I'd avoid it like the plague. You would just assume it'd be more of the same.
As far as the celeb writers not finishing their books... you'd think it'd be something where the publishers would demand a certain number of issues up front before the print the first one. I imagine there's more and more of that kind of thing as more books ship late though.
It does seem like across the board, publishers are really trying to fix the problem of late books.
kahunablair
11-21-2007, 09:22 PM
...
As far as the celeb writers not finishing their books... you'd think it'd be something where the publishers would demand a certain number of issues up front before the print the first one. I imagine there's more and more of that kind of thing as more books ship late though.
It does seem like across the board, publishers are really trying to fix the problem of late books.
See the big problem with that is, who are the publishers to complain? What are they going to do, fire the celeb? The celebrity talent won't care, so the publisher has no power over them.
jaflanagan
11-22-2007, 01:37 AM
See the big problem with that is, who are the publishers to complain? What are they going to do, fire the celeb? The celebrity talent won't care, so the publisher has no power over them.
Bingo. They still stand to gain more sales by having said celebrity than they stand to lose sales from disgruntled fans.
Fans who will eventually buy the books one way or another.
It's a win win for the publisher.
six-gun
11-22-2007, 04:12 AM
Yeah, I get that. If you really hated a musician, chances are you'll hate their book. I happen to like MCR, so I was a little more open, but if someone like Mark McGrath put out a comic, I'd avoid it like the plague. You would just assume it'd be more of the same.
As far as the celeb writers not finishing their books... you'd think it'd be something where the publishers would demand a certain number of issues up front before the print the first one. I imagine there's more and more of that kind of thing as more books ship late though.
It does seem like across the board, publishers are really trying to fix the problem of late books.
I would like to read a book by Jimmy Paige
six-gun
11-22-2007, 04:26 AM
In all seriousness, I think Colin from The Decemberists could write comics
itsbecca
11-22-2007, 04:29 AM
In all seriousness, I think Colin from The Decemberists could write comics
Oh he could write something fantastic in the historical fiction genre! Not that I think he'd be limited to that, I just would love to read that.
six-gun
11-22-2007, 04:41 AM
Oh he could write something fantastic in the historical fiction genre! Not that I think he'd be limited to that, I just would love to read that.
Yeah, he could write pretty much whatever he wanted
esophagus
11-22-2007, 05:53 AM
I've always thought that Mariners Revenge would make an awesome short comic. But yeah, I bet that he could write a fantastic book.
six-gun
11-22-2007, 02:55 PM
I've always thought that Mariners Revenge would make an awesome short comic. But yeah, I bet that he could write a fantastic book.
Yeah, it would. I'd love to read a miniseries based on that
"It gives my heart great joy to see your eyes filled with fear!"
paper
11-23-2007, 01:26 AM
A fan actually adapted Mariner's Revenge to a sort-of comic. You can find it and some other MR inspired illustrations halfway down their fan art page (http://www.decemberists.com/artwork.aspx).
Imagine a full version pencilled by Mike Mignola. For more of this sort of thing, rewind to the intro of Fuzzy Typewriter episode II. :D
six-gun
11-23-2007, 03:06 AM
Imagine a full version pencilled by Mike Mignola. :D
way to taunt me ;)