The Umbrella Academy creator Gerard Way may have the remedy for superhero fatigue in surreal new comic Paranoid Gardens
The Umbrella Academy creator and, y'know, international rock megastar Gerard Way is returning to comics with Paranoid Gardens - a surreal new fantasy at Dark Horse. The series, which is being pitched as "Derek meets Doctor Who" (with the former being a reference to the Ricky Gervais sitcom Derek), is another collaboration with co-writer Shaun Simon, with whom Way penned Tales from The Umbrella Academy: You Look Like Death and The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys: National Anthem. It will be drawn by Chris Weston.
So what do we know about Paranoid Gardens? Well, it's six-issues long and follows Loo, a nurse at "the most bizarre care center around," a self-aware home which appears to be populated by aliens, ghosts, superheroes and more. "Loo believes that despite a recent failure at her job she's been given some sort of higher calling in this mysterious place, and decides to rise to the challenge. Along the way, she must fight her way through corrupt staff members, powerful theme park cults, and her own personal demons and trauma to meet this challenge and discover what secrets the gardens hold."
Here's a look at Chris Weston's die-cut cover for the first issue, as well as Motohiro Hayakawa's variant.
"I'm excited to be back with my incredibly handsome and talented brother-from-another-basement Shaun Simon penning a story that’s really special to us, and honored the masterful Chris Weston joined us to create a visually powerful and emotionally tangible physical object that is this comic," said Way in a statement about the new book. "I'm now more complete getting to share something we've wanted to for a very long time, and working with this fantastic group of individuals in the process."
Chris Weston added: "Most people dream of rubbing shoulders with someone who is cool, talented, mega-successful and who enjoys a wild rock'n'roll lifestyle. Luckily for Gerard Way the dream came true when he got to work with me on Paranoid Gardens. It must have been quite daunting for him at first, but once he could see past my notoriety and discover I'm just an ordinary joe who shares his love for the 60's TV show 'The Prisoner' we were able to form a joyous union."
He also promised "a wild and psychedelic tale that combines Kafkaesque nightmares with sweet Silver Age reveries," before describing the book as, "the perfect remedy for all those stricken with super-hero fatigue and needing a fix of something a bit more mind-bending and unpredictable."
Sounds promising - and that reference to The Prisoner feels like a very strong hint at the tone. We'll find out for sure when Paranoid Gardens #1 is published by Dark Horse Comics on July 17.
Here's where you can keep track of everything we know about The Umbrella Academy season 4.
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