My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way Is Launching A DC Comics Imprint

DC Comics

You probably know Gerard Way as the former lead singer of My Chemical Romance, the band that articulated your every insecurity and angst-ridden meltdown through loud, operatic punk rock in high school. What you might not know is that over the last few years, Way has made quite a name for himself as a writer of comics. He’s good, too, even garnering an Eisner Award (think the Oscars but for comics) for his original creation, The Umbrella Academy.

Today, Way made a surprise guest appearance at the DC All Access panel at the massive Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle to announce the next major step in his comics career: the launch of a new imprint called Young Animal, which will be published through DC Comics. The imprint will publish comics that are rated Mature and that are, in Way’s words, “for dangerous humans.”

Unlike DC imprint Vertigo, which publishes self-contained mature comics through DC, Young Animal’s line seems to take place within the confines of the primary DC Universe. The imprint’s flagship title will be a revival of the classic series Doom Patrol, which will be scripted by Way and feature art by Nick Derington. Way’s friendship with classic Doom Patrol author Grant Morrison is no secret and he largely credits Morrison with being one of his biggest inspirations, so it’s a great fit for Way in that respect.

Other titles include Shade the Changing Girl (by writer Cecil Castellucci and artist Marley Zarcone), Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye (Jon Rivera and Michael Avon Oeming), and Mother Panic (Jody Houser and Tommy Lee Edwards). Way will be cowriting each title with the respective writer.

“I see Young Animal as a place to try new ideas- following the spirit of those books from the past but bring them somewhere else.” Way explained at the panel, “I see it as an imprint where we can explore fine art, bold concepts, mature themes, and strangeness- with lots of heart.”

While Way’s music may be divisive, his acclaim as a comics writer is almost universal. Launching this imprint puts more of his work out there, while also allowing him to bring greater exposure to some lesser-known but equally talented creators. Young Animal’s first wave of titles launches in the fall.

(Via Business Wire)