Calling all emo kids and former emo kids: your high school crush Gerard Way's comic book imprint, Young Animal, is on its way, thanks to a deal with DC Entertainment. Young Animal's first book will be Doom Patrol, written by Way himself. The comic book imprint will publish two more series in October and one in November.
This isn't Way's first foray into comic books. Back in 2007, the My Chemical Romance frontman wrote The Umbrella Academy , with Gabriel Bá as illustrator. That series spawned a sequel, The Umbrella Academy: Dallas , in 2008. Two more series and a television show are currently in development.
Way's Doom Patrol revival comes to your local comic book shop in September. The rag-tag group of super-powered misfits has been around since 1963, with a different lineup in each incarnation. DC cancelled the last Doom Patrol comic in 2011, but the team has since made an appearance in 2014 issues of Justice League. It's unclear whether Way's team will feature the same cast of heroes, but Robotman and Elasti-Girl seem like sure bets.
Young Animal's second title, Shade, The Changing Girl, centers on a female alien who inhabits the body of a 16-year-old bully. This reboot of '70s sci-fi comic, Shade, The Changing Man, comes out in October.
Next up is Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye. The bearded spelunker first appeared in the 1960s, but now he's back with a cybernetic implant that grants him as yet unknown powers. This revival will include the character's college student daughter. Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye joins the Young Animal lineup in October.
Last up is Mother Panic. Coming in November, this new series follows a Gotham vigilante named Violet Paige. She's a celebutante by day, but takes down high society criminals when darkness falls.
Way's comic book imprint is intended for mature audiences, but is geared toward comic book newcomers, so pick one up if you've been meaning to explore the genre. Speaking for the company, DC Entertainment Co-Publisher Jim Lee says:
We do realize that the marketplace is changing, we want to address that change, we want books that cater to emerging audiences, new readers, people who haven't picked up a superhero comic before and want something a little different.
Lee's statement constitutes a complete 180 from comments DC Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns made in February. Regarding DC's new "Rebirth" line of comics, Johns pitted casual readers against self-described hardcore fans. Johns' comments were a dogwhistle to straight, cisgender, white, male readers uninterested in diversity, and his gatekeeping fueled an outcry from comic book fans. Only time will tell whether Young Animal is proof that DC learned from that criticism and will seek to bring new readers into the fold.
Check out Gerard Way's comic book imprint, Young Animal, when Doom Patrol premieres in September.
