In terms of Marvel and DC, Dark Horse is considered just what its name implies — the dark horse in the American comics industry dominated by more well-known names. But superhero-challenged Universal is determined to try to make the most of its deal with the publisher. So the studio is fast-tracking The Umbrella Academy (about a group of 7 children born with mutant superpowers) after just pinning down its deal with Gerard Way, the lead singer of the rock band My Chemical Romance, and Dark Horse owner Mike Richardson, the comic book store owner who started the comics company in 1986. Scott Stuber will be producing what Uni insiders praise as a “cool and sexy” project. The Umbrella Academy is yet another moonlighting project from an established entertainment talent: in this case, Way, lead singer for My Chemical Romance who received critical and popular acclaim for his concept CD “The Black Parade” which was a big hit with the goth crowd. As for The Umbrella Academy, it won an Eisner Award, which is comicdom’s Oscar for a best limited series this past summer at Comic-Con. nd it’s said to be a cross between Grant Morrison’s Doom Patrol and X-Men. There will be a continuing mini-series (along the lines of Mike Mignola’s B.P.R.D. (probably no coincidence, as both books are published by Dark Horse), and Way has said he definitely wants to have storylines that evolve and even conclude, rather than remain ongoing like most superhero titles (which by their perennial nature can’t change the main hero too much which is limiting).

Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.

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