Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá’s Eisner Award winning comic book series gets adapted for TV.

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In 1989, on the same day, at the same hour, 43 women, who were never pregnant, gave birth to children.  Sir Reginald Hargreeves, a billionaire industrialist, adopts of 7 of them who exhibit superpowers. With the 7 superpowered children, Hargreeves form the Umbrella Academy. But as the children grow older, things got fractured and they went on to live their own lives. Now with the coming of an apocalypse, the Umbrella Academy must band together once again and save the world. Can they put their difference aside and save the world? We’ll just have to hope so.

The Umbrella Academy is based on the comic book series by writer Gerard Way and artist Gabriel Bá, and published by Dark Horse Comics. I’m a huge fan of the comic, and honestly, it is a little surreal, it really works. So it’s no big surprise that I was very excited when I heard it was being made into a TV show. Unfornatually, I feel let down.

The TV series is loosely based on the comic book and I have no issue with adaptations. I was sent 7 out of the 10 episodes. The entire story is dragged out too much. I feel TV writers have this need to over explain things and it’s possible to keep things simple. Especially when you are dealing with characters that are essentially haven’t around that like unlike someone like Batman. 

The casting is pretty good. Tom Hopper play Luther who is super strong. Emmy Raver-Lampman plays Allison who can change reality with a few words. David Castañeda plays Diego who is good with throwing knives. Robert Sheehan plays Kalus who talks to the dead. Robert Sheehan plays Number Five who can teleport. Ellen Page plays Vanya who has no powers. Cameron Britton and Mary J. Blige play hitmen Hazel and Cha-Cha.

Ellen Page is so miscast in this show. She just looks so odd compared to the rest of the cast. Ever time she was onscreen it just took me out of the show. I couldn’t get behind it. 

I really wanted this show to work, but for me personally, it doesn’t. I do hope this show does succeed, but some changes are really needed.

The Umbrella Academy premiers on Netflix on February 15th.

By Brian Isaacs - Executive Editor / Publisher

An avid comic collector/reader for over 50 years and self-proclaimed professor of comicology, Brian originally started up the site Pendragon's Post to share his voice. Well, that voice has been shared and evolved into The Fanboy Factor. Brian is an advocate for remembering comic roots, and that we don't forget what was created in the past, and encourage everyone to read it as well. When not swimming in geek culture, he can be seen corrupting..introducing his young son to comics, much to his wife's chagrin.