"The Umbrella academy"par gerard way: interview...

jsuis alllée a la fnac aujourdhui et le vendeur ma dit quil ne connaissait pas ce comics

sinon mon père va aux states en décembre mais ja sais pas il en restera

Nouvelle interview de Gégé

Interview with Gerard Way 9/26/07
Scott Allie talks with Umbrella Academy creator Gerard Way about the process involved in bringing his comic to life. Portions of this interview have appeared elsewhere, so we are happy to now present the full, uncut version of the original conversation that took place.

ALLIE: Last year when we did one of these interviews, you hadn't written any of the scripts yet. Now, between the first couple issues and some short stories, you've written some seventy pages of The Umbrella Academy. How's it changed for you?

WAY: I didn't get much time to get my feet wet so I ended up diving right into the deep end so to speak . . . and there was a hot minute where I felt like I was just trying to stay afloat. Luckily my editor threw me a life preserver pretty quickly--and, yes, I realize I just used maybe one too many swimming-pool metaphors, but that's the best way to describe the situation. After the Free Comic Book Day story, and into the first part of series one, I found it much easier, started to work the muscle, find the right groove, and got the confidence to take the risks I wanted to take, and simply started telling the story I had been writing in my head for three years, and maybe most of my life. There's no other way to do it . . . You can talk about what you want to do to death, but it boils down to sitting down and just doing it. I guess I really needed to get over the fact that I wanted the comic to be so perfect, that initially when I would sit down to write it I would be intimidated by the possibility that it wasn't going to be . . . Well, into the third issue now, I can clearly say that it's much more than I ever hoped it would be. I feel like I'm part of something special, and that everyone on the team feels the same way. It feels like uncharted territory in comics.

ALLIE: How did the School of Visual Arts (in New York) prepare you for what you're doing on The Umbrella Academy?

WAY: The art training was a big help, being that I love to design some of these characters before Gabriel puts his spin on them. Design and creation are my favorite parts of the process . . . the dreaming up. I think the biggest thing I learned in art school was how to communicate my perception of the world . . . and art school also enhanced my perception. Looking back, being a graphic-design major would have been more helpful with what I do today, but that's simply a matter of skills and functionality. I think even more than graphic design, I would've liked to be a fine-arts major. That kind of training really opens up your vision and perception. Ultimately, though, my comic-book classes at SVA taught me a great deal about the comics storytelling medium. I had some great teachers.

ALLIE: How would you compare your role in the comic to your role in the band?

WAY: That's an interesting question. The two are very different things, but there is some relativity. Being in a band, making music, specifically, is about interpretation and collaboration. Very often it involves bringing a piece of music to your bandmates and having them interpret it. When you have great players and people that share a vision, the result is the creation of something great. In this way, working on the comic is very similar, especially if you have great players, so to speak, like The Umbrella Academy has. I always trust the team's interpretation of the vision.

ALLIE: James Jean's lush, soft, warm paintings are a lot different from Gabriel Bá's stark, angular drawings. Bringing them together shows there's a range to what these characters can be-why do you think those two styles work for this book?

WAY: I knew that James Jean was my favorite cover artist, and I knew that when James does a cover it enhances the reality or tangibility of the characters, while at the same time adding a sense of vulnerability and strangeness. It turns the pamphlet into an art piece. Finding Gabriel took a much longer time because I needed to find someone that was just as artistic as James, but in a different way. I needed a certain energy, a certain honesty, and someone whose work reflected something timeless, like you couldn't place where the comic was made, where the artist comes from. I think the two artists together create a complete thought, whereas sometimes you will find a comic where the editors just tried to find someone that was similar to the cover artist, and it ends up being an incomplete thought or "more of the same." You need two artists that complement each other . . . and I feel that we have that.

ALLIE: We introduced you to Gabriel Bá's work, but you brought James to the table. How'd you get to know him?

WAY: This is an interesting story. I was living in Brooklyn at the time in an apartment when Spin magazine's "Annual Readers Poll" issue had hit the stands, and we had swept most of the awards, including Favorite Band, I believe. For the issue, Spin had commissioned James to do a piece of Billy Joe Armstrong, Gwen Stefani, and myself as characters from Dungeons and Dragons, reflecting some of my answers in an interview Spin had conducted with me. I'm sure Spin had no idea that James was my favorite illustrator/cover artist, but I was extremely honored by the piece. So much that I emailed James, knowing that I was about to head over to Los Angeles for an extended amount of time to start recording The Black Parade. We made plans to meet up at his house in Santa Monica, and I asked if he would be interested in working on The Umbrella Academy. I loved the first piece he did (the cover to issue two) so much that I asked him to be the illustrator for The Black Parade.

ALLIE: How different would the book be if you drew it?

WAY: Hahaha . . . it'd be different in that it would always be late, for starters. Sometimes, you have writer/artists that are able to execute a complete vision . . . I feel like those people are very rare. I think that more often than not, it's the pairing of two individuals that share a love of similar ideas that makes for a great comic. I actually think if I drew the book it would be similar to the book we have now, just not as good. Gabriel has a perfect grasp of these characters . . . at times, even more so than myself. I have never looked at a panel and said, "That character would never stand like that." He always nails it.

ALLIE: I read something where the interviewer didn't seem to understand the difference between drawing the book and designing it--that if you were "designing" things, did that just mean that Bá was copying all your drawings. But you've given Bá and James a lot of drawings over the course of the job. Explain that a little.

WAY: I did a ton of design initially. I spent a lot of time with a lot of characters, figuring out who would work with who, who looks interesting or really bizarre, exciting, and colorful, standing next to each other. But ultimately it would come down to asking, Who are the best characters? that helped me decide who The Umbrella Academy was. If I have a complete image in my head that I absolutely must see, I will design the ins and outs of it, and then pass along the designs to either James or Gabriel. I still love drawing very much, and sometimes can spend as much time designing things as writing them for a particular issue.

I think, initially, doing a lot of the design work was important to get the artists I would work with to see my point of view, maybe see how I think, and why I make some of the decisions I do. Nowadays I design a lot less, as Gabriel, James, and I are on the same page about a lot of things. I simply describe certain characters in the script at this point, and Gabriel takes it from there.

ALLIE: How's it been writing the book while on the road?

WAY: A challenge at first, and at times still a struggle. It really boils down to discipline, though, as you can have all the time in the world, but if you aren't disciplined you'll spend your down-time drinking too much coffee in cafés and walking around looking at statues all day, which is all very helpful, but sucks up your time. The biggest battle was becoming exhausted, physically and mentally, from being on the road. It's tough to pull yourself out of bed on an off-day when you have been run ragged, but I get as much sleep as I can these days, go to bed early and wake up early, in order to get as much done as I can on the comic. I've turned into a responsible adult because of the comic. Ha!

ALLIE: You've struck up a friendship with one of your biggest influences, Grant Morrison--has he given you any advice on the writing?

WAY: Grant has been amazing. The relationship that he, his wife, and I have is very inspiring. It was like finding kindred spirits thousands of miles away and connecting with them. I feel at times like their kid brother. Grant's advice to me has always been simple: just be myself. He had convinced me that I had the ability as a storyteller to connect with people already, said I had already been doing it for years. So just keep doing what I was doing. Also to be fearless, which is what I think of when I think of his work. He also constantly reminds me that I am on this great adventure because of my work and my lifestyle, and to never forget that. He is always pushing me to get the most out of it. I have heard many writers say that writing is like working a muscle-you have to use your muscle every day. Grant's said this to me, and he's correct.

ALLIE: Have you kept up on comics while you've been on the road for The Black Parade?

WAY: Not as much as I'd like. I go through phases where I buy a few trades-they get heavy-and I'll read them on the bus. It is nearly impossible to keep up with monthly books, as they are hard to track down and they get destroyed pretty easily.

ALLIE: Where are the best comics shops in Europe?

WAY: The Forbidden Planet's in the UK . . . I always seek them out when I'm over there. Lots of fun and you can spend hours there.

ALLIE: Readers know The Umbrella Academy is a team book, and they've met all the members of the team now, between online previews and Free Comic Book Day, but what they haven't seen is a major villain emerge.

WAY: The villain in the first series is very interesting, very different than an average supervillain in that he doesn't have any superpowers, or an army of robots, or much of a costume, for that matter. He's someone who's very smart, very passionate . . . like someone who found a small loophole in science and he's exploiting it. I like the idea of a team of extraordinary individuals fighting unconventional things, like ideas, theories, or physical structures instead of costumed supervillains. This is something I hope to implement more in the future, though The Umbrella Academy will have its fair share of costumed lunatics.

Suite

ALLIE: Do you feel like certain characters are starting to stand out, from what was always intended to be an ensemble cast?

WAY: It's an ensemble cast in that I feel the characters are very unique . . . either the first of their kind or a strange and new interpretation of an existing archetype. I really tried to think up powers that were very distinct, like The Rumor. I'm very happy with her specifically as far as her powers go . . . though it makes her at times a pest to write.

ALLIE: How about that--can you explain her power?

WAY: She has the ability to tell a lie--and it must be a lie-and it comes true. Now, for the most part these are little white lies, or lies that won't outright harm someone. Like she can't say, "I heard a rumor you died of a stroke," and the villain dies of a stroke. She has to say something like, 'I heard a rumor that the Steinway piano they're moving on the fire escape is too heavy for the structure . . . there's a good chance it'll fall"--and then for some crazy reason, there's a piano, on the fire escape, with movers and the works, and it falls.

ALLIE: How do you find writing a female character?

WAY: Very refreshing actually. I would say she talks the most like a normal person, because she's surrounded by these boys playing Cowboys and Indians, yet she has no desire to play anymore. She's the one character where I write a line of dialogue and I don't have to say to myself, "Is this too ridiculous?" I think she says mostly what I would say in some of these situations, responds like a normal person. She's also someone who has had a lot of personal failures in her life, and I find her very sympathetic for that reason.

ALLIE: Do you see her ever becoming romantically linked to one of the male characters? Or fought over by them?

WAY: I can't imagine anyone fighting over her, because there's so much baggage between the characters, that if any of them eventually find they love each other, that will be a rarity unto itself. Though I can see there being some sort of romantic involvement or strong feelings between her and at least one of the other characters. And since they're adopted, it isn't exactly illegal.

ALLIE: Is she sort of the weak link, the little sister to the others, like Kitty Pryde?

WAY: I think she's definitely able to hold her own because of her power. Weak links or "squishy" characters should be reserved for children and monkeys. All of the characters, even the ones that don't have the most outstanding powers, are very resourceful--they're survivors.

More important than the costumes and the powers are the personalities. These are a group of individuals that really bring out the worst in each other . . . I think their goal is to eventually bring out the best in each other. As far as specific characters go, Spaceboy is basically my anchor . . . He's the one character that will always behave like I want him to. But even more than him, I noticed the Kraken has begun to write himself . . . he is such a strong personality that scenes involving him usually go a certain way, and it's never in anyone else's favor. I personally wouldn't want to be in the same room as him, but I have a feeling he will be a favorite. I also really love a charcter that has no real tremendous power that benefits the team, but he's great with a knife. The more I write the book the more I grow attached to all of the characters, though, and I find they always surprise me.

ALLIE: Is one of the characters more you than the others? And has that changed over the course of writing the book?

WAY: I think all of the characters have a little bit of me in them, and I think that's the way a comic should be. The fun part is writing their ugly sides, which are all a reflection of me at times. I think their good or "heroic" sides are the sides of me that I wish showed through more often, the ideal to which I would strive toward. The character I most identified with at first was Spaceboy, and I still feel a strong connection to him, because he's a character that is thrust into a leadership situation and takes on a lot of weight, yet he's never really sure of what he is doing . . . but he'll be damned if he's going to let anyone know that . . . I think a lot of people can relate to that. If we wanted to get psychological with the whole thing, I would imagine that Spaceboy is how I see myself, The Kraken is who I want to be, The Rumor and The Séance both reflect how I act at times, and Dr. Pogo is who I actually am-a space chimp turned sex therapist, no less. Number Five simply represents regrets in my life . . . how's all that for in-depth?

ALLIE: It's like a Rorschach test. The chimp, Pogo, has been in some preview images, but he hasn't appeared in any stories yet. What else can you tell people about him?

WAY: The chimp is a major character, though I don't want to give away exactly who he is yet. I love talking chimps . . . I think a lot of people do. I tried to make it more interesting, though, in the regard that Sir Reginald Hargreeves received a Nobel Prize for the cerebral advancement of the chimpanzee. In the world the characters inhabit, chimpanzees are now like normal people, with jobs, homes, families, rights. It makes for an interesting world.

ALLIE: Spaceboy's another real distinctive character, with tubes sticking out of and back into his suit all over. Why does he have such a tiny head for such a big body?

WAY: Ahhh . . . when he was around thirteen years old he was on a solo mission that was a total failure and almost killed him. It resulted in the loss of his body, and all of his extraordinary abilities-not that having the body of a Martian gorilla doesn't have its benefits, but it requires a life-support system and the use of a catheter.

ALLIE: What do you think about solo stories about the characters?

WAY: I have a bunch of ideas for solo stories or spin-offs for the characters, but I see those stories being Umbrella Academy stories rather than "The Kraken Series," for example. I think at times, certain stories will revolve around certain characters, but those will be Umbrella Academy stories. I have a strong desire to show how Spaceboy got the way he is, and I think that would make for a great short series in the future. I also at times would like to have certain stories simply revolve around certain villains, but those will also be Umbrella Academy stories.

ALLIE: So far for titles of stories or issues, we have The Day the Eiffel Tower Went Berserk, We Only See Each Other at Weddings and Funerals, and But the Past Ain't Through with You. Titles for your songs and records tend to be long and cumbersome too. What do you try to do with titles?

WAY: I try to create titles that almost juxtapose the situation they are in. I was always a big proponent for long song titles, even before they became a thing. I think it was because I was so frustrated with the grunge and nu-metal eras . . . one-word song titles that had nothing to do with the song. I decided to make the song and story titles exactly what they are about, almost to the point of humor. I find this works for comics as well. I love comics stories that sound like rock albums. Alan Moore and Grant Morrison both do this, sometimes even titling stories after songs or lines from songs themselves. I find it very effective-basically making something what it's not.

ALLIE: The subtitle of the first miniseries is Apocalypse Suite-will we see music as a central theme for the story? For Umbrella Academy stories in general?

WAY: Music will be the theme for the first series, though it wasn't done that way intentionally. I just thought it made for an interesting opponent or challenge. A friend of mine, Jon Rivera, who does a comic called Heartbreak [www.lulu.com], once told me the factual story of a conductor with a particularly crazy idea. It inspired me to adapt that idea into a superhero comic, though I must say that music is very connected to one of the characters, very specifically.

ALLIE: Did you ever think of doing Umbrella Academy as a concept album?

WAY: I think the beauty of doing The Umbrella Academy is that it's very disconnected from what I do with music, yet some of the ideas are very connected, and most of the themes. I think the story of The Umbrella Academy is better told in comic-book form, much like I feel The Black Parade is better told as an album. So I can't really see The Umbrella Academy being an album. I do listen to very specific bands when working on the book or coming up with ideas, though. Portishead is a big influence, because of that old sixties spy feel to the music-also an element of science fiction. The Mars Volta is another band that conjures up a lot of visual elements, and at times feels like the soundtrack to a Dr. Who episode that I never saw. Brain Eno is another favorite, as well as Muse . . . who have tons of themes involving the apocalypse, space cowboys, and lots of other great things . . . and they rock really hard.

ALLIE: Readers can't peg what time period these stories are set in, and that's a deliberate choice-why?

WAY: I prefer not to set it in a specific time. I have always liked the idea of a timeless setting, like in Delicatessen. I think these types of settings allow you to focus on the characters and the style without dwelling too much on what's going on in the world at the time. I've started to realize the world of The Umbrella Academy is sort of a "best of" world. When cars were great . . . wrestling was real . . . traveling on an airplane felt like a Stanley Kubrick experience. I've so far avoided saying what year it is . . . no easy feat in a comic that deals specifically with time travel.

ALLIE: Your songs reflect modern times in a very specific way. What's The Umbrella Academy series about? Is it about you having fun with postmodern superheroes, or is about something in the real world?

WAY: That's a good question. I believe I'm saying something with series one. I'm still distilling what that is in my head, but I think every work of metaphor and fantasy is like that. It's underneath all this dust, we just have to brush it off. More often than not, it's at the end of a project where you fully understand what you've said with the piece. The Black Parade was like that, and I imagine The Apocalypse Suite being the same way. I'm having fun with post-modern superheroes, but I believe underneath all of the masks and capes I'm telling the story of a family who has a ton of skeletons in its closet, resentments, issues, and all sorts of other nasty things. Basically like every family.

ALLIE: You've encouraged fans to read comics for a long time. Are there certain things about comics that you think will appeal to people who listen to MCR? Are they specifically gonna find those things in The Umbrella Academy?

WAY: My desire to turn MCR fans into comic-book fans has always been an interest in showing them where it all comes from, so to speak. Granted, there are a ton of other influences besides comics, but I feel like comics are the place that first got my imagination going. It was the first place that made me feel like anything was possible. I think that is something they can surely find in this book: crazy ideas, fantastic notions, the endless possibility, something greater than oneself . . . and that pure chaos that embodies some of the early work in comics. The days of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee . . . where they were just making it up as they went along, throwing crazy ideas at people.

http://www.darkhorse.com/news/interviews.php?id=1489

alors dabord merci a Sofy pour cette interview

sinon après maintes heures de recherches accompagnées de temps en temps de crises de nerfs et de maledictions lancées sur la famille Way pour quelques générations à venir...J'AI TROUVE une librairie française qui vend la BD mais pas par correspondance donc faut bouger ses fesses(désolé pour les feignants)

voilà le site où vous trouverez dans la rubrique librairie les addresses à travers la France
http://www.album.fr/librairies/librairies.htm

Vous pouvez aussi aller sur ce lien. Dark horse est l'éditeur de "the umbrella academy" et voici la liste des boutiques qui distribuent les bouquins de dark horse en France et donc surement le comic de notre gégé !

http://www.darkhorse.com/help/retailerlist.php?retailerfilter=country&retailerset=intl&retailercountry=France

merci sofy
bon bah si avec ça on arrive pas à se la procurer