OF UMBRELLAS AND KILLJOYS

RUSSELL: Of course, there's still some great stuff that comes out of left field every once in a while. "The Umbrella Academy" is a great example of that, I think.

ALLIE: Thanks. I love that book, because there's a quality to it that has nothing to do with the fact that the guy sings in a band, you know? That definitely helped us find an audience for it, but yeah -- that comic really, really works.

RUSSELL: What's the next "Umbrella Academy" miniseries?

ALLIE: "Hotel Oblivion." What's next for Gerard is that we've got to get "Killjoys" written. "Killjoys" is this non-"Umbrella" miniseries that we're doing; Becky Cloonan's the artist. Shaun Simon's the co-writer on it. And we've got to get working on that. Gerard's been very busy with his record -- his day job...

RUSSELL: His rock-star day job....

ALLIE: His hugely successful rock-band day job. Yeah. They're still recording this darn album that's going on and on. It's been a while that they've been focused on that. He had a kid last year. He's just been really busy, and so we haven't made any headway on "Killjoys," and "Killjoys" is in line in front of "Hotel Oblivion" -- "Hotel Oblivion" being "Umbrella Academy" Series 3. I'm going down there at the end of March to kick-start the "Killjoys" process. Hopefully we'll be getting that rolling fast enough that we can get on to "Umbrella."

I spoke to Gabriel Ba the other day. He's super-busy, really overbooked, but always wishing that "Umbrella" would happen faster. Ba's career has exploded since "Umbrella Academy" started -- and he's such a remarkable creative force, he really needs to be doing his own thing. Have you seen "Daytripper"?

RUSSELL: No, I haven't.

ALLIE: It's one of the best comics ever. Gabriel writes it and his brother draws it. One of the best comics in the world. [Scott shows me a copy he has lying around the house. It's gorgeous.] These twins are the most inspiring people to work with. So he really needs to be doing more of his own stuff -- but he really wants to get back to "Umbrella."

RUSSELL: Can you tell me anything about the stories for the new Gerard Way stuff?

ALLIE: "Killjoys" is like a post-punk psychedelic road-trip comic. Reality is the MacGuffin of "Killjoys."

RUSSELL: That sounds sort of in keeping with the "Umbrella Academy" vibe. Nothing in that comic is at it seems. Ever.

ALLIE: That's true -- but in "Killjoys" that's so much more the case, without giving away too much. You can't even compare the two. With "Umbrella," Gerard wanted to do a comic, so he made up a superhero team that just happens to be unlike any other superhero team -- but it's a superhero team through his filter. "Killjoys" is just him through his filter. So rather than taking a genre that's external to him and doing it his way, "Killjoys" is more like the raw, unadulterated Gerard Way. And it might be the comic-book experience his fans would have wanted in the first place, so to speak.... It's got a real plastic feel to it, it's got a bit of a '70s vibe and a '90s-rock vibe, to some degree. But I can't give away too much.

RUSSELL: Is Gerard Way a character in this? Is this the "Hard Day's Night" of comics?

ALLIE: No, no. It's not about a rock band at all. It's about a group of anarchist heroes, in a way. It's personal, not autobiographical. It's a personal story unfiltered by genre.

RUSSELL: Will the next "Umbrella" be in keeping with the all-bets-off vibe of the previous books? Gerard Way seems like he could kill or fatten up anybody in those books at any time.

ALLIE: [laughs] Yeah, man. He'll fatten up anybody. "Umbrella"'s so weird. The next one will reveal a bit more about the secrets that we've been keeping, the backgrounds of the characters. It'll be unraveling characters in the ways we've been unraveling characters thus far -- changing who they are and taking apart preconceptions about them.

------

ACIN interviews Scott Allie, The Umbrella Academy and Killjoys Editor

Top 20 comics Of The year (according to Randy Lander's blog )

Top 20 Comics of the Year:
1. Chew
2. Incognito/Criminal: The Sinners
3. The Umbrella Academy Dallas
4. BPRD Black Goddess
5. Hellboy The Wild Hunt
6. Beasts of Burden
7. Usagi Yojimbo
8. Incredible Hercules
9. Batman and Robin
10. The Unwritten
11. Sweet Tooth
12. The Muppet Show
13. GI Joe Cobra
14. BPRD 1947
15. The Unknown
16. Nova
17. Guardians of the Galaxy
18. Seaguy: Slaves of Mickey Eye
19. Agents of Atlas
20. Marvel Adventures Spider-Man

Top 20 Graphic Novels of the Year:
1. Parker: The Hunter (IDW)
2. Rocketeer Deluxe Edition (IDW)
3. Bloom County Complete Library Volume 1 (IDW)
4. Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, Volume 1-5 (Viz)
5. Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 1-6 (Viz)
6. Amulet Book 2 (Scholastic)
7. Scott Pilgrim Vol 5 (Oni)
8. Johnny Hiro (Adhouse)
9. Mouse Guard Winter 1152 HC (Archaia)
10. The Perry Bible Fellowship Almanack (Dark Horse)
11. Hellboy Library Edition Volume 2-3 HC (Dark Horse)
12. Immortal Iron Fist Omnibus (Marvel)
13. Criminal Deluxe Edition (Marvel)
14. Starman Omnibus Vol 2-3 (DC)
15. Empowered, Vol. 5 (Dark Horse)
16. A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge (Pantheon)
17. RASL Vol 1: The Drift (Cartoon Books)
18. Pixu: The Mark of Evil (Dark Horse)
19. TMNT Collected Book Vol. 1 (Mirage)
20. Tiny Titans Vol. 1-2 (DC)

Favorite New Comic Of The Year: Chew
At the moment, my "buzz book" is Andy Diggle's run on Daredevil, which at three full issues into its run, is looking like a further evolution of the good work done on the book by Brian Michael Bendis and Ed Brubaker. And while I've lost interest in the past few months, early on this year I was quite into Mike Carey's work on X-Men Legacy. In similar "not new number one but new creative team" books there's Marvel Adventures Spider-Man by Paul Tobin and several different artists, which synthesizes some of the best aspects of the Spectacular Spider-Man TV show, Ultimate Spider-Man and Tobin's own touches to become easily the best Spider-Man book on the shelves. Then there's the new Morrison Batman & Robin, which hasn't been perfect but has been damn good, and the Vertigo resurgence with the two must-read books, The Unwritten and Sweet Tooth. Those two in particular were real front-runners for this category. And Stumptown had a great debut, but with only two issues released in 2009, it's too early to call it the best new book of the year.

But the book with the most novel premise, not to mention providing a consistently excellent read with each issue, is Chew. John Layman's been toiling in the trenches for some time now, turning out quirky gems like Army of Darkness vs. Marvel Zombies and Puffed, but his new creator-owned Image series is far and away the best thing he's written. It's funny and strange on the surface, but there's plenty of world-building, plot detail and character development to go with it's "That is such a strange concept, I've got to read it" hook. And artist Rob Guillory has a fresh look that instantly grabs the eye, not to mention storytelling chops rarely seen in a debut. Together, these two put together the best new comic of the year.

Favorite Ongoing Series: Incredible Hercules
Pretty much everything in the ongoing series category is Marvel, with two exceptions. RASL, by Cartoon Books, is a notable exception. It ranks lowest on my list, however, not because of the quality but because of the frequency. Jeff Smith was putting out biggie-sized issues on a quarterly basis, and I was happy with that, it seemed to be a schedule he could meet. He announced this year that he was going to put out smaller issues, but bimonthly, and I knew that probably wasn't a great idea, and indeed, the flow of issues has pretty much stopped. This is a constant frustration for me as a fan and a retailer, as it makes it really hard to sell indie series, when so many of them disappear or become even more inconsistent in their scheduling, and it hurts the ability of new indies to sell as well. Folks fear getting burned again, and I can't really blame them.

Deep breath. That rant aside, the flipside of that is my other non-Marvel pick for ongoing series, Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai. Consistently on schedule, consistently excellent.

My other favorite series contenders are Guardians of the Galaxy, Nova and Agents of Atlas, and of course my winner, Incredible Hercules. None of them register very high on the Top 100, sadly.

Favorite Mini-Series: Incognito
1. Incognito
2. Criminal: The Sinners
3. The Umbrella Academy Dallas
4. BPRD Black Goddess
5. Hellboy The Wild Hunt
6. Beasts of Burden
7. The Muppet Show
8. GI Joe Cobra
9. BPRD 1947
10. The Unknown
11. Seaguy: Slaves of Mickey Eye
12. New Avengers: Reunion (Marvel)
13. Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter (Marvel)
14. The Incredibles Family Matters (Boom!)
15. War of Kings (Marvel)
16. Atomic Robo Beyond the Shadow of Time (Red 5)

Dallas once again is in a list about Best Comics of 2009. This time the list from What Would Jesus Watch? is about the 10 Best Comics of 2009:

Let me start off by saying that I am not cool enough to read any indie comics. I love the mainstream. Sure it has its big events and gimmicks, but that doesn't detract from the quality. Especially these days. Now, I don't really expect many of you to have much context for names like Ed Brubaker, Brian Michael Bendis, or Geoff Johns, I would like to hope that my recommendation of and vouching for their writing would inspire you to go out and pick up their series. Or at least the ones that I point you in the direction of.
This thing is basically going to be a rundown of the story lines that have really grabbed and captivated me this year. Some of them may have started last year, but they had to have released issues in 2009 to qualify. The numberings are important, but largely inconsequential. That's mainly because some of these series are so good that it would be incredibly difficult to say that one is better than another.

Alright, enough rambling, let's get into it.

1. INVINCIBLE IRON MAN: "WORLD'S MOST WANTED" (#8-19) - This storyline helped kicked off the "Dark Reign" that shaped the direction of the Marvel Universe this year. Matt Fraction (writing) and Salvadore Larroca (art) continued their run with Iron Man in style. This story could have easily started to drag near the middle, but it only continued to pick up speed. The story dealt with Norman Osborne trying to track down Tony Stark to retrieve the database of registered superheroes (housed in Tony's brain thanks to EXTREMIS tech) while Tony raced to delete it. Yeah, he was trying to delete his own brain. This arc led directly to the current arc, and it has been one hell of a ride. The story is collected in 2 volumes, and should be fairly easy to find. If nothing else, this will help you get more in touch with Tony Stark before IRON MAN 2 comes out in May.

2. DARK AVENGERS: "ASSEMBLE" (#1-6) - The other major storyline that started "Dark Reign" focused on the first mission of a new team of Avengers in the Marvel U. (That would bring the total to 4, plus the Initiative.) The series is written by Brian Michael Bendis, with art by Mike Deodato. Having been painted as the savior of humanity in the end of the Skrull Invasion, Norman Osborne disbanded SHIELD, and founded HAMMER. The first issue humorously deals with the fact that HAMMER means nothing. It is just another way for Osborne to intimidate those who won't play by his rules. Keeping in line with this mentality, he puts together his own team of Avengers, that includes both heroes and villains alike. But mostly villains. Some faces are more familiar than others, but they make up an interesting team, to say the least.

3. UMBRELLA ACADEMY: "DALLAS" (#1-6) - This fantastic series comes from Gerard Way, lead singer of My Chemical Romance. This story follows the events of "Apocalypse Suite", the first arc in this series. Certainly a better story, it delves more into what makes these characters tick, and how broken they are. Also it features time travel, the Vietnam War, and the assassination of JFK (both preventing and ensuring it happen). The story has many twists and turns, but it all really boils down to the characters, as all great stories do. This series is one big reason why I believe that comic books should be seen as literary works.

4. SECRET WARRIORS: "NICK FURY: AGENT OF NOTHING" (#1-6) - This was one of the first series that i picked up, and continued to read regularly. Back in March, I was trying to find some series I could get in to, and this had a first issue recently out, so I decided to give it a try. I have not looked back since. Jonathan Hickman writes an extremely exciting series that follows a, you guessed it, secret team put together by Nick Fury, the bad ass to end all bad asses. Even having little to no clue who many of the characters were in the beginning, I was still able to get both excited and worried about the entrances of characters into the story. It is absolutely worth your reading, and is an extremely fun read.

5. INCOGNITO (#1-6) - Imagine the hero of your story was a horrible, horrible person, and it was not done in the charming and funny way that DR. HORRIBLE'S SING-ALONG BLOG. Imagine you were rooting for a mass murderer, who didn't have a past of just killing bad guys, the way that Dexter Morgan does. This is the general idea of INCOGNITO, ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' super-"hero" story, from Marvel's Icon imprint. This story was so entertaining and captivating that it really cemented Ed Brubaker as one of my favorite comic writers. Basically, the story follows Zack Overkill, a former super villain, who was placed in witness protection when his twin brother was killed by their former employer. The series is a fun ride, that certainly highlights Brubaker's skill as a crime fiction writer. It is especially fun to see the emergence of a hero beccause the protagonist was just bored, and it wouldn't draw as much attention to him as villainy.

6. CAPTAIN AMERICA REBORN (CAPTAIN AMERICA #600, CAPTAIN AMERICA REBORN #1-6, WHO WILL WIELD THE SHIELD? #1) - If you are kind of person that can get around the scheduling snafus and the way that Marvel just full on spoiled the ending to this great story, then you can really enjoy the story presented by Ed Brubaker, firmly ending his "Death of Captain America" story. I'm the kind of person that can. The final issue of Reborn still hasn't come out, but "Who Will Wield the Shield?" has, but it don't matter. Once again, I love Ed Brubaker and what he is doing at Marvel. Captain America is the biggest title for the company that he is doing, and he definitely has a handle for the characters. The story began over the summer with Captain America # 600, one of the landmark issues that Marvel has been putting out this year, which have returned many series to their original numbering. It has been quite the ride, and I am excited to see how it turned out, or at least what allowed it to turn out the way it did.

7. BLACKEST NIGHT (BLACKEST NIGHT #1-8, GREEN LANTERN #43-51, GREEN LANTERN CORPS #38-45) - The big event running over at DC wass advertised with the tagline "The Dead Will Rise." And rise they did. This even got me to start reading Green Lantern, one of DC's most promising series. Geoff Johns is now 49 issues into his run on Green Lantern, and it is not even coming close to running out of steam. The core Blackest Night title only benefits from the stories told in Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps. If nothing else, this could serve as a great jumping on point for getting to know Hal Jordan, to prepare for summer 2011's film starring Ryan Reynolds.

8. BATMAN & ROBIN: "BATMAN REBORN" (#1-3) - Apparently Grant Morrison wanted shorter, punchier arcs to run through his Batman & Robin series. This first arc, following in the wake of "Batman RIP" and "Battle for the Cowl" which ultimately resulted in Dick Grayson taking up the mantle of the Dark Knight, and Bruce Wayne's son Damien becoming the new Robin. This first arc is extremely weird, but extremely entertaining. I had heard all sorts of bad things about what DC has been doing recently, but this series has given me the faith to start giving at least 3 bucks a month to the publisher. The dark and violent story perfectly sets up what is to come for Batman, and is essential reading, even over the solo Batman title.

9. SECRET WARRIORS: "GOD OF FEAR, GOD OF WAR" (#7-10) - Continuing from his promising initial arc, Jonathan Hickman continues chronicling Nick Fury's secret team, this time giving focus to God of Fear, Phobos, and the reaction of his God of War father, Ares, when he discovers that Fury has essentially kidnapped Phobos. The story goes more into the Dark Reign territory, making it less accessible than the former arc, but still an entertaining read. If nothing else, the reveal in issue 8 makes it well worth being on this list. It made me exclaim in surprise in a crowded area, which takes some doing.

10. FANTASTIC FOUR: "SOLVE EVERYTHING" (#570-572) - Oh look, another Jonathan Hickman arc. Fantastic 4 was another series I had some strong feelings against before starting. The premise could easily be seen as getting pretty lame, and covering the same ground over and over again. But somehow, Hickman made this series aa must read. In this first arc, he takes Reed Richards to a place where he has a decision to make between trying to solve all the world's problems, or losing his family. Richards is the smartest man on earth, or at least one of them, and this choice is difficult to make, but his decision will certainly resonate through the course of Hickman's run.

Gerard Way Talks New Comic "Fabulous Killjoys," Next My Chemical Romance Album

"I like the titles from The Umbrella Academy issues better than my song titles now," Gerard Way announced at his Saturday afternoon panel at Comic-Con International. "They've leveled up. There's nothing better than titling an issue of Umbrella Academy." The frontman of My Chemical Romance, Way is also a longtime comics fan — he mentioned that he'd freaked out about seeing Jeff (Bone) Smith the night before, and rhapsodized over Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard's The Walking Dead ("After The Walking Dead, I don't know that you can touch zombies. It'll be a good five or 10 years before somebody else can do a zombie comic").

Of course, Way has also become an award-winning comics writer himself in the last few years. At the overflowing panel that's now an annual Comic-Con tradition, he announced two new comic books he's working on: the third Umbrella Academy miniseries, subtitled Hotel Oblivion and drawn by the Brazilian artist Gabriel Bá, and a new series called The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, drawn by Becky Cloonan (Demo). Way talked to Rolling Stone about the new comics, as well as the MCR record that's in progress right now.

What's the story with The Fabulous Killjoys?
It's written by myself and my co-creator Shaun Simon. He was the keyboard player in Frank [Iero]'s first band, he's our good friend, he was our merch guy. I think a lot of ideas we came up with back then in the band are what ended up in Killjoys.

Like what?
Like the notion of driving by a children's playground off to the side of the desert and realizing that it's a cemetery because it's where childhood dies — stuff that we'd say to each other, driving around. But it's from the perspective of a gang, because that's basically what a young band is. You stop being a gang at a certain point, but you always chase that feeling. You want to get that feeling back.

How has it been working with Becky Cloonan?
She's awesome. When I first talked to her about it, she sent me a sketch of Rachel, one of the characters, and I knew right away she had to be the artist for the book. The great thing about her is that she comes from that world. She went to SVA, and she got her start doing show fliers for CBGBs — she saw the bands and went to the shows. She's very punk rock in that way, and her art has that energy that a punk show has.

You've talked about your master plan for The Umbrella Academy; where does Hotel Oblivion fit into the big picture?
It's pulling further away from what people think a superhero comic, or even a comic, can be. It's going to trigger a major event that needs to happen in the comic. I'm very excited for it.

What's happening with the next My Chemical Romance album?
I'd say we're right in the middle of it. Brendan [O'Brien] is the kind of producer who really likes a lot of things going on at once, so we're tracking and he's going right across the hall and mixing. It's a process that always keeps everyone involved the whole time. The songs are all wildly different, but the one I'm really excited about is called "Death Before Disco." It's a completely different sound for the band — it's like an anti-party song that you can party to. I can't wait for people to hear it. It brings back, lyrically, some of that wonderful fiction from the first album. I think we wrote our "Born to Run," and I'm so amped about that. To me, it's the greatest song we've ever written — it's my favorite MCR song.