The umbrella academy, a cult classic oddball superhero comic, has finally returned this year with its first new story Ark Plan B in nearly six years. It is portrayed by the Young Animal Imprint Gerard Way written by the masterminds of My Chemical Romance Singer and DC Comic, and by Gabriel Bá of the award-winning Artist of Daytripper. Plan B is equally good, offering one of the series’ most topic arcs and will explore more deeply into parts of the World Building. For the first time, illustrator Gabriel Ba contributed to writing the series. That’s why, at Beat, we decided to reach out and discuss the victory return of one of the best comics on the shelf.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
Jared Bird: Hello Gabriel, thank you very much. Considering Plan B is the first arc of the umbrella academy since the end of the TV series and its first story arc in six years, did you feel pressure is on the project?
Gabriel Ba: That’s a joy to return to the world of the academy of umbrellas for a long time. Since we finished forgetting the hotel, so much has happened, we have a clearer look at our story and how to proceed further. We have actually been working on this new arc for the past five years, and there’s plenty of time to hurry up a decision without the pressure to catch up with the TV series. The TV series has brought a lot of interest to these characters and has brought plenty of new eyes to our comics. It’s fun for them to realize that comic books are different from the series. It seems they are discovering characters and stories for the first time. In a way, they are.
Bird: What I like about the series is how clear the story arc feels. How would you summarise the tone and atmosphere of Plan B?
Bá: I think we spent the first three arcs building the world of our story. We have opened a lot of doors over the years and now we have stepped into a few, but we leave our readers closed as curiosity. Because that’s the fun part. The strange and weird elements still exist, but the characters deal with more serious issues about their own life.
Art by Gabriel Ba
Bird: How did you ensure that both Sparrow Academy are similar to the counterparts of its umbrella academies, and at the same time they are different from them?
Bá: The Sparrows are a completely different team and still follow the dynamics of numbers, but they do not reflect the nature of the umbrella academy. As leaders are strong, we have similar archetypes, but the power of the sparrow is also quite clear as a way to neutralize the power of the umbrella academy. The fun part is coming up with strange and weird powers and putting them into action to see what happens.
Byrd: He is the first co-author of an academy under his umbrella. How did it change the creative process of the series?
Bá: From the first page of the first series, I really loved the way the stories were written. In the rhythm, pace and storytelling aspects there was a fun classic superhero style that I love reading growth. At the same time, it was odd, weird, full of characters dealing with deep emotions. Gerald and I have worked on three major stories with these characters, and we have been talking over the years about the entire story, all the wild ideas he had in his mind. In the previous arc, we only had suggestions about the story that was displayed on the page, but this time we worked from the bottom up on the writing side and felt it would help us to manipulate where we wanted. I had a more passive role, even if I had to create more visually. Writing is the most difficult part of the job and the most important thing, so I feel the bar is expensive.
Bird: The main theme of Plan B feels very timely the restraint of individual freedom, especially in exchange for “larger benefits.” Did you and Gerald Way intentionally try to comment on the state of the world?
Bá: There are many family-related themes that have resonated with readers over the years, and it is one of the most powerful features of our comics and my favorite, but when you tell a story with a superhero, you’re talking about how power can transform the world while destroying it. Not only can it save people, but how it can corrupt them. These are, unfortunately, subjects that we have seen repeatedly throughout history. The fact that the world is as it is today only enhances everyone’s sensibility to these issues, but our stories should still be told to future readers.
Art by Gabriel Ba
In a previous interview with Bird: Beat, you portrayed Spaceboy in the series calling you your favorite character, but rumors were not your most favorite. Has that opinion changed since then?
Bá: It has always been the story that brings out my joy. At the beginning of the series, SpaceBoy is the leader of our most typical superhero, the team, which was a lot of fun working with. In addition to his heroic personality, he can also play with this amazing, huge body. Rumors have one of the most interesting powers of all of them, but it is very subtle and perfect for writing characters, but does not provide much material to draw. It mainly lies in dialogue. These are basically the reasons why I liked it more than others at the time.
I write stories too, so I feel like the rumour conflict is amazing and makes her even more interesting. Also, I can basically write everything I like to draw. This is a fun cheating that cartoonists can do when writing and drawing stories.
Bird: Do you think it’s been drawing readers to the series for nearly 20 years since it began?
Bá: I think that’s the fact that every character has flaws. None of them are perfect. Our story is not about saving the world, but about overcoming your problems and accepting each other as they are. They can beat some villains and make strange fun along the ride.
Art by Gabriel Ba
Byrd: Following the success of I’m Still Here, much attention has been drawn to Brazilian fiction. Are there any Brazilian manga that you would recommend to readers?
Bá: Brazil has a great comic scene, which has expanded and has become very diverse over the years, but it’s hard to find translated works. Nevertheless, there is an incredible graphic novel released last year. (Onde Nasce a auto-estima?) Resian Braz and Jefferson Costa, a powerful autobiographical tale of pain and identity. I really hope that it will be translated in as many languages as possible and published overseas.
I also recently read another graphic novel called Stone Things (Como Pedra) by Raccus Iohanathan, who was nominated for Forve Door at the 2025 Festival Des Des Des Angouleme. Last but not least, I cannot recommend enough people to read Angola Janga by Marcelo D’Salete, published in the US by Fantagraphies, one of the most important works of Brazilian comics in the last few decades. Fantagraphics also publishes anthology of Brazilian creator Braba.
Bird: Thank you very much.
Art by Dustin Nuguen
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