Gerard Way

The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite [comic] (2007)

RENALDO69

With the Netflix series confirmed for Feb. 2019, let's get into what The Umbrella Academy comics are all about. First off, before the TV show dilutes or adapts, let me just say, this book isn't for everyone. If you're familiar with Gerard Way's My Chemical Romance, well, it's not just about love and emo/heartbreak. Apocalypse Suite is high-concept, however it's built around the theme of family. That said, it's an emotional rollercoaster which truly paints a Watchmen-esque team of heroes and anti-heroes struggling to cope in a world where they need each other more than they think.

I won't go into specifics much as it's easy to venture into spoiler territory but this book revolves around Dr. Reginald Hargreeves adopting seven super-powered kids who he thinks are the messiahs of the future. A couple deaths rock their lives and as time progresses, the family grows apart, only to be reunited by death again. 

This comic prides itself on the cerebral aspect of Way's mind, fidgeting around what makes humanity tick and how they love people who aren't their blood. As the heroes reconnect, they find themselves facing old threats and new, both internally and externally to their little circle of trust. And yes, Ba's art allows things to go bonkers (hey, the Eiffel Tower's actually a villain), throw in James Jean's covers and trust me when I tell you you've got a visual spectacle on your hands.

I read this late on so I can't remember if Way released a soundtrack for this, the first chapter, but if you know how he did in the comics industry, eventually curating DC's Young Animal imprint, you'd know this is one of the starting blocks for a mind that pushes the medium to the limit. You may not like Way's music, but his comics are hard to pass on. And if Netflix does this justice, they'll have a big winner on hand.