Not Only a Musician: 3 Comic Books by Gerard Way.

When most people hear the name Gerard Way, chances are the first thing that comes to mind is music. As the frontman of My Chemical Romance, he has built a career that has reached fans around the world.

But music is not the only place where Gerard Way has been able to put his creativity to work.

He is also a comic book writer, and if you have never explored that side of his career, you might be surprised by just how much he has contributed to the comic book world.

I love seeing creative people step outside of the one thing everyone knows them for. Sometimes we become so familiar with an artist in one area that we forget creativity does not always stay in one lane.

Gerard Way is a perfect example.

From unusual superheroes to strange worlds and colorful characters, his comic book work has developed an identity of its own.

If you are a comic book fan or simply curious about Gerard Way beyond the music, here are three titles worth knowing about.

The Umbrella Academy

If you are going to start anywhere, The Umbrella Academy is probably the place.

Created and written by Gerard Way with artwork by Gabriel Bá, The Umbrella Academy introduces readers to a very unusual family of adopted children with extraordinary abilities.

And when I say unusual, I mean unusual.

This is definitely not your traditional happy superhero family.

The characters have complicated relationships, different personalities and plenty of emotional baggage. Add superpowers, strange events, danger and some seriously dysfunctional family dynamics and you have a story that does not feel like the typical superhero adventure.

The first major story, The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite, introduces readers to the team and the strange world surrounding them.

The story continued with Dallas and Hotel Oblivion, giving readers even more opportunities to follow the characters and their increasingly complicated adventures.

Of course, many people now recognize The Umbrella Academy because of the television adaptation, but the story began on the pages of the comics.

If you discovered these characters through television first, going back to the original comics can be an interesting way to see where everything started.

The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys

This one should sound familiar to My Chemical Romance fans.

The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys takes readers into a colorful and dangerous world filled with rebels, corporations, survival and plenty of attitude.

Gerard Way and Shaun Simon worked together on the comic, with artist Becky Cloonan contributing artwork to the California series.

The project is especially interesting because of its connection to the creative world surrounding My Chemical Romance’s Danger Days era.

But you do not have to be a My Chemical Romance fan to appreciate the comic.

The world is imaginative enough to stand on its own, with a combination of science fiction, action and rebellious characters that gives the series a very different feeling from The Umbrella Academy.

There is also The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys: National Anthem, another story from Gerard Way and Shaun Simon that expands on the Killjoys concept.

If you like comic books that are a little strange, colorful and unpredictable, the Killjoys are definitely worth checking out.

Doom Patrol

Now we move into the DC universe.

Gerard Way took on Doom Patrol as part of DC’s Young Animal imprint, bringing his own creative approach to a superhero team that was already known for being different.

And Doom Patrol is certainly different.

The team has a long history in DC Comics, dating back decades before Way became involved. Rather than simply starting over, his series mixed elements of classic Doom Patrol stories with new characters and new ideas.

One of the central characters introduced in Way’s run is Casey Brinke, an EMT who finds herself pulled into a world that becomes stranger and stranger as the story unfolds.

Familiar Doom Patrol characters including Robotman, Negative Man, Crazy Jane and others also become part of the adventure.

The first collection, Doom Patrol Vol. 1: Brick by Brick, brings together the opening issues of Way’s run.

This is probably the pick for readers who like their superhero stories weird.

Really weird.

But that is also part of the fun.

Gerard Way’s Creativity Goes Beyond Music

What I find interesting about these comics is how different they are from one another.

The Umbrella Academy gives us a dysfunctional superhero family. The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys takes readers into a rebellious science fiction world, while Doom Patrol dives straight into one of the stranger corners of superhero comics.

There is definitely imagination running through all three.

It also shows why we should not always place creative people into one category.

Someone can be a musician and a writer. An actor can become a director. A photographer might also paint. Creativity has a funny way of showing up in different places.

Gerard Way may have become famous through music, but his work in comics has given fans another way to experience his storytelling.

Which One Should You Read First?

If you are completely new to Gerard Way’s comics, I would probably start with The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite.

It is one of his best known comic creations and gives you a good introduction to his style of storytelling.

If you are already a My Chemical Romance fan, The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys might immediately grab your attention because of the connection to the band’s creative universe.

And if you are already a DC Comics reader and enjoy unusual superhero stories, give Doom Patrol a try.

Or just read all three.

There is nothing wrong with adding a few more comic books to the collection!

Not Only a Musician

I think the title of this article really says it all.

Gerard Way is definitely known for his music, but that is only one part of his creative story.

His work with The Umbrella Academy, The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys and Doom Patrol shows another side of what he can do as a storyteller.

And who knows? Someone who originally discovered Gerard Way through music might end up discovering a love for comic books along the way.

Now the only question is, which one are you reading first?

Note: Comic book editions, collections and availability may change over time. Check the publisher or your preferred comic book retailer for current editions and availability.