Greetings once again, Biters! For June, I thought I’d look at the Netflix hit series, The Umbrella Academy.

The Official Summary

On one day in 1989, 43 infants are inexplicably born to random, unconnected women who showed no signs of pregnancy the day before. Seven are adopted by billionaire industrialist Sir Reginald Hargreeves, who creates The Umbrella Academy and prepares his “children” to save the world.

In their teenage years, though, the family fractures and the team disbands. Fast forward to the present time, when the six surviving members of the clan reunite upon the news of Hargreeves’ passing.

They work together to solve a mystery surrounding their father’s death, but divergent personalities and abilities again pull the estranged family apart, and a global apocalypse is another imminent threat.

Overall Academy

The Umbrella Academy might look more fit for our sister website, Space-Time Magazine, with its superheroes, time travel, robotic housekeeper, and talking chimp.

However, after paying attention to the themes of the show, it hit me as subjects everyone who calls themselves “goth” might relate to despite its superficial surface.

Much like the iZombe Review, I did a few months ago. I didn’t know The Umbrella Academy was first a comic book. With one of the many plot lines being the solving of a murder, I’m glad I went in blind. As a result, I learned alongside the characters, and I got the fun of solving the crime with the cast.

The Emo Phase

This first season represents an adaption of The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite. A limited six-issue series. The creator and writer being My Chemical Romance’s signer, Gerard Way. Both of which follows a group of seven super-powered foster siblings as they solve their father’s murder while trying to stop the end of the world.

I initially clicked on the show because of my love for superhero shows. I was unaware of how close to home it would hit. It reminded me of myself and my friends. As an example, Vanya Hargreeves suffers rejection from everything her siblings would do.

She was told to be ordinary, unlike her siblings and longed for inclusion. Well, as an artistic person myself rather than a sport’s guy or fisherman, my family reunions are quite harder as they are crabbers and have fishing history.

Number 5 was a man trapped in a boy’s body, giving him much more adult interests and mindset. Much like him, while everyone read Harry Potter books, my friend read Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot or Misery more into deep adult horror books.

This same feeling, include other scenes, much where Klaus Hargreeves reliance on drugs to suppress his ability to interact with the dead. It reminded me of my friend in the Gothic community when she shared about recovering from the loss of a much-loved family member.

Enough Mushy Stuff

Those are only a few parallels I noticed. However, I don’t want this whole article to be all gloom and doom, so let’s hit some of the highlights. The series has a high score featuring songs ranging from The Phantom of the Opera to Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now. As well as maybe one of my favorite fight scenes set to, They Might Be Giants’ Istanbul.

The other notable highlight for me was actor Aidan Gallagher, a fifteen-year-old who portrayed Number 5 having to play a sixty-year-old adult, and doing it so outstandingly making him probably my favorite.

One of Gothic Bite Magazine’s founding ideas was to create a haven for all of those who felt rejected by the standards of society. It is not because you don’t dress like Marylin Manson that you’re not Gothic yourself.

Gothic Bite Magazine is for everyone who has a taste for the legends and folklores and wants a place where they belong regardless of who or what they are.

Why Not Try?

Netflix’s TheUmbrella Academy was a great exploration of this mindset with some pleasant feel-good moments sprinkled throughout the series.

So, Biters, if like me you’re late to the fandom like I was or want to experience it all over again I’d say give The Umbrella Academy a watch. You won’t regret it!

James out!