The Umbrella Academy

So, Feb 15^th Saw the Umbrella Academy come crashing onto Netflix, this is based on the comics of the same name by Gerard Way (yes, my chemical romance’s Gerard Way) & Gabriel BA and published by Dark horse comics. I have come to realise in recent weeks and months that this is not a massively well-known series of comics but has a somewhat enthusiastic fan base which includes my self and several friends, so as you can imagine there has been a lot of excitement and worry surrounding this series coming to Netflix. So, with it being released and me having a day off at the weekend I read the graphic novels back to back and then binged watched the show to see what its like and do a write up on this highly anticipated tv show!

The series covers the events of the Apocalypse suit which is the first series of comics that Gerard Way did but it does incorporate a fair chunk of background and characters which take place in the 2^nd series of comics entitled Dallas, Dallas gives you more of an insight into number 5 and who he is and how he came to be as he is. Don’t worry too much if you have not read the comics due to them covering details from both novels helps people understand the story a little more and gives a better insight in to one of the most dysfunctional superhero families in any comic universe.

The series I feel has been cast well and the actors have portrayed the roles well and managed to put across all the cracks and damaged personalities that the characters have in the comics across on to the screen which is nice to see, the story its self is slightly different from the comics but you would not expect to find them to be the same as some things just wouldn’t play out right in live action compared to a comic. One thing that was a shame I felt was that the code names for the characters are not really used in the series but that is just something I feel should of take place as they do refer to each other by them in the comics. Gerard Way incorporated a certain level of cynical humour in the writing in the comics which I was very happy to see has remained in the show and even some very memorable lines and a couple of memorable scenes being copied over into the show from the comics, along side this there is little nods to the comics in there such as the celebrity’s comments on Vanya’s book which was a nice touch and something for the fans to watch out for.

Although the story has been changed slightly with the ending I will admit being quite different to what I expected it has made it more believable and less farfetched (I realise we are talking about children born with no pregnancy and special powers so I understand how that sounds) but I think Netflix has done the comics justice with this and I hope to see another series made from the current comics that are coming out which I have yet to read as I am waiting for all of them to be released before I read them.

My advice is start watching it as it will make you laugh, pull on heart strings and make put you on the edge of your seat at points as well, though it will probably make you laugh more than any other the other things mentioned. As a long time fan of these comics I suggest giving it ago even if you have never read them as you will be missing something amazing if you don’t watch it, hell if you enjoy it go out and buy the graphic novels and join in on the full story of Space Boy, Kraken, Rumour, Séance, no. 5, the horror and Vanya (wont mention her codename so no spoilers for anyone)

Overall rating 9/10 – a must watch for any superhero fan!