''The Umbrella Academy'' is an absurdist

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

series created by writer

Gerard Way Gerard Arthur Way (born April 9, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and comic book writer. He is best known as the lead vocalist and co-founder of the Rock music, rock band My Chemical Romance. He released his debut solo album, ''Hesitan ...

and artist

Gabriel Bá Gabriel Bá (born 5 June 1976) is a Brazilian comic book artist best known for his work on ''The Umbrella Academy'', ''Casanova (comics), Casanova'', and ''Daytripper (DC Comics), Daytripper''. He is the twin brother of fellow comic book artist F� ...

. It follows a

dysfunctional family In psychology, abnormality (also dysfunctional behavior, maladaptive behavior, or deviant behavior) is a behavioral characteristic assigned to those with conditions that are regarded as dysfunctional. Behavior is considered to be abnormal when i ...

of adopted

siblings with bizarre powers attempting both to save the world and find their place within it. Published intermittently by

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...

, the comic is released in

limited series In the field of comic books, and particularly in the United States, a limited series is a comics series with a predetermined number of issues. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is finite and determined ...

, typically lasting six issues. Since 2007, three volumes have been completed, as have two spin-offs. The fourth volume of the main series began publication in June 2025. The comic has garnered a close following and has been praised by critics, with the first limited series, '' Apocalypse Suite,'' winning the 2007

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are awards for creative achievement in American comic books. They are regarded as the most prestigious and significant awards in the comic industry and often referred ...

for Best Finite Series/Limited Series. A popular

television adaptation An adaptation is a transfer of a work of art from one style, culture or medium to another. Some common examples are: * Film adaptation, a story from another work, adapted into a film (it may be a novel, non-fiction like journalism, autobiography, ...

ran on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

from 2019 to 2024.

Synopsis

Plot summary

The titular Umbrella Academy is described as a "dysfunctional family of

superheroes A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

". 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 A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...

Characters

The Academy's founder,

Sir Reginald Hargreeves ''The Umbrella Academy'' is a comic book series created and written by Gerard Way and illustrated by Gabriel Bá. It was adapted into a television series on Netflix, with three ten-episode seasons and a final six-episode season. ''The Umbrella Ac ...

, 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

Way has stated that his biggest influence on ''Umbrella Academy'' was his favorite writer,

Grant Morrison Grant Morrison (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narratives, Humanism, humanist philosophy and counterculture, countercultural leanings. Morrison has writt ...

, and their work on ''

Doom Patrol Doom Patrol is a superhero team from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in ''My Greatest Adventure'' #80 (June 1963), and was created by writers Arnold Drake and Bob Haney, along with artist Bruno Premiani. Doom Patrol has appear ...

'' with

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

. He has also cited Pat McEown of ''ZombieWorld: Champion of the Worms'' and his favorite artist,

Edvin Biuković Edvin Biuković (22 June 1969 – 5 December 1999) was a Croatian comics artist. Biography Biuković made his debut in 1987 with the strip ''Dokaz'' published in the third issue of Croatian magazine ''Patak''. He spent several more years wor ...

, and his comic '' Grendel Tales'' as other major inspirations.

Main series

Volume 1: ''Apocalypse Suite''

Written by Gerard Way with art by Gabriel Bá, the first six-issue limited series, ''Apocalypse Suite'', was released by

between September 14, 2007, and February 20, 2008. It won the 2007

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''

A second limited series, ''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 John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. Kennedy was in the vehicle with his wife Jacqueline, Texas gove ...

in 1963

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

Volume 3: ''Hotel Oblivion''

The third limited series, subtitled ''Hotel Oblivion'', was announced to be in development in 2009, and Dark Horse initially stated it would release in 2010. However, the comic was not released for several years, with Way shifting focus from comics to his music career for a time before continuing work on it with Bá in 2014. ''Hotel Oblivion'' was finally released as a seven-issue miniseries between October 3, 2018, and June 12, 2019. 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: ''Plan B''

In July 2020, Gerard Way revealed that the fourth story arc would be titled ''Sparrow Academy''. In August 2024, Gabriel Bá revealed he was actively illustrating the comic, but was unsure of the release date. In February 2025, Dark Horse announced the first issue of the miniseries, now renamed ''The Umbrella Academy: Plan B'', would release on June 11, 2025. It is the main storyline adapted in the third season of the Netflix series, presumably based on an outline by Way. Picking up in the aftermath of ''Hotel Oblivion'', the story sees the Umbrellas having to face off against a new team of superheroes known as "The Sparrows", and discover their connection to Hargreeves and their origins.

Spin-offs

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''

The one-shot issue ''Hazel and Cha-Cha Save Christmas: Tales from the Umbrella Academy'' was written by Gerard Way and Scott Allie, with art by Tommy Lee Edwards, and was published on November 20, 2019. 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''

A six-issue limited series, ''You Look Like Death: Tales from the Umbrella Academy'', written by Gerard Way and

Shaun Simon Shaun Simon is an American comics writer. He is from Clifton, New Jersey. He wrote '' The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys'' with Gerard Way, lead vocalist of My Chemical Romance, for Dark Horse Comics as well as writing ''Neverboy'', also for D ...

with art by

Ian Culbard Ian Culbard, professionally known as I. N. J. Culbard, is a British comic artist, writer and animator. Biography Culbard was born in Greenwich, London. He began his career as an animator but is best known for his work in comics and has gained ...

, was published between September 16, 2020 and February 24, 2021. The series follows a young Klaus's misadventures in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

, as he encounters a manipulative struggling actress and deals with the politics of the

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...

mafia.

Short stories

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!"

Released on the Dark Horse website on November 2, 2006, "Mon Dieu!" was colored by Dan Jackson and lettered by Jason Hvam. 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"

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 My Chemical Romance is an American Rock music, rock band from New Jersey. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, lead guitarist Ray Toro, rhythm guitarist Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way. They are considered one of ...

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.

"Safe & Sound"

“Safe & Sound" is an eight-page story published in the first issue of the second volume of the anthology ''

Dark Horse Presents ''Dark Horse Presents'' was a comic book published by Dark Horse Comics from 1986 in comics, 1986. Their first published series, it was their flagship title until its September 2000 in comics, 2000 cancellation. The second incarnation was publishe ...

'' in July 2007, exclusively on

MySpace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...

. The title comes from a song Way worked on with

Kyosuke Himuro is a former Japanese musician and singer-songwriter. He was the lead vocalist of the rock band Boøwy from 1981 to 1988. After the band disbanded, he went on to have a successful solo career, becoming one of Japan's best-selling artists, with 1 ...

for the movie '' Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete''. 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"

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.

"Letters to Athena"

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

"Safe"

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'' No. 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 ''Plan B''.

Collected editions

''The Umbrella Academy'' is collected in

trade paperbacks A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, also known as wrappers, and often held together with glue rather than stitches or staples. In contrast, hardback (hardcover) books are bound with cardboar ...

and limited edition hardcovers. The hardcover editions have larger pages and a few more extra features.

In other media

Television

A film version of ''The Umbrella Academy'' was optioned by

Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...

, but never produced. By 2017,

had greenlit a live-action series adaptation of ''The Umbrella Academy'', produced by

Universal Content Productions Universal Content Productions LLC (UCP) is an American television production company operating within the NBCUniversal Television Group#Universal Studio Group, Universal Studio Group division of NBCUniversal, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of ...

. Way, who served as co-executive producer on the series, stated that he presented showrunner

Steve Blackman Steve Blackman (born September 28, 1963) is an American martial arts instructor and former professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) from 1997 to 2002, where he was a frequent ...

with an eighteen-page document outlining his full plan for the comic series, including the comics that have not yet been released. The series premiered on Netflix on February 15, 2019, and the

first First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

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''. 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

To coincide with the release of the TV series' final season, Universal Content Productions partnered with

Abrams Books Abrams, formerly Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (HNA), is an American publisher of art and illustrated books, children's books, and stationery. The enterprise is a subsidiary of the French publisher Média-Participations. Run by president and CEO Mar ...

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.

Card game

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

References

External links

The Umbrella Academy
on

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

* *
The Umbrella Academy
on

Myspace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...

* Pastorek, Whitney
"Exclusive Peek: Gerard Way's 'Umbrella Academy'"
''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

''. June 25, 2007 * Khouri, Andy
"The Umbrella Academy" #2

Comic Book Resources ''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...

. September 21, 2007
MCR side projects – The Umbrella Academy

MDHP Volume 2 TPB

Interviews

Comics Bulletin Comics Bulletin is a daily website covering the comic-book industry. History Silver Bullet Comicbooks In January 2000, New Zealand-based publisher/editor Jason Brice founded then named Silver Bullet Comicbooks. During this period, the site ...

, August 27, 2007
Gabriel Bá: Shaping Umbrella Academy's Landscape

�
Gemma Milroy
September 11, 2007

�
Gemma Milroy
November 26, 2007
The Umbrella Academy: Superhero kids in a class of their own
Sequential Tart, October 1, 2007
Umbrella Academics: Way & Allie Talk ''Umbrella Academy'' #3

, November 19, 2007
Comic Geek Speak: Episode 327 – Gerard Way Interview
Comic Geek Speak, November 16, 2007
Apocalypse Suite: Way talks Umbrella Academy

, April 22, 2008
An interview about The Umbrella Academy: Dallas

Newsarama ''Newsarama'' is an American website that publishes news, interviews, and essays about the American comic book industry. It is owned by Future US. In June 2020, Newsarama was merged with the website ''GamesRadar+'', also owned by Future US. Hi ...

, September 22, 2008 * Comics Done Gerard's Way: Umbrella Academy Unfurls..., Geek Monthly Magazine by PJ Hruschak, November 2008, pp. 72–74.

Reviews

Sunday Slugfest – The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite #1 (of 6) Review
an

The Umbrella Academy Dallas Spanish Review @ kopodo

Short stories

“Mon Dieu!” (Internet preview)

“Safe & Sound”

"Anywhere But Here"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Umbrella Academy, The 2007 comics debuts Comics by Gerard Way Comics adapted into television series Eisner Award winners for Best Limited Series Harvey Award winners for Best New Series Dark Horse Comics superheroes