Gerard Way, The Umbrella Academy & Emo Comics episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 7, 2026 · 54 MIN

Gerard Way, The Umbrella Academy & Emo Comics

from The Emo Social Club Podcast · host Brian Rowe, Lizzie Baumgartner, Emo Social Club

"Listen. If 9/11 didn't happen, we wouldn't have My Chemical Romance. We wouldn't have Twilight. We wouldn't have this entire Tumblr core era of girly pop."   We took the podcast to C2E2! In front of a live Chicago audience, we are unpacking the pipeline between My Chemical Romance, early 2000s pop-punk, and the comic book industry. Lizzie officially steps into her role as our resident Gerard Way historian to explain how The Umbrella Academy and The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys took the intricate, non-linear storytelling of MCR and translated it into graphic novels that spoke directly to scene kids. Plus, we talk about the bizarrely perfect era of 2000s superhero movie soundtracks, and yes, we actually connect 9/11 to the creation of My Chemical Romance and Twilight (we told you it was a live show).   What we cover on the panel: • Why The Umbrella Academy is essentially a family trauma story dressed as a superhero comic • Gerard Way’s transition from the Black Parade era into comic book writing • The emo lore behind Patrick Stump and Max Bemis entering the comic space • Why movies like Daredevil and Spider-Man had memorable scene soundtracks • The infamous 9/11 to MCR to Twilight domino effect"      "Is Umbrella Academy an emo comic book? I would argue yes. It's acknowledging family trauma and abandonment in a creative way that makes people draw that inwards, just like listening to My Chemical Romance or Paramore." "The Danger Days era was a vibrant, loud shift... having these big bright colors and being whimsical again. It's joy as an act of resistance." "There were a lot of artists and a lot of songs that I found specifically from comic book movies of the early 2000s because there was clearly some crossover of, like, well, if you like Spider-Man, you're gonna love Dashboard Confessional." JOIN THE CLUB! Youtube: https://emosocial.club/youtube Instagram: https://emosocial.club/instagram TikTok: https://emosocial.club/tiktok Twitch: https://emosocialclub.tv Discord: https://emosocial.club/discord Facebook: https://emosocial.club/facebook Twitter: https://emosocial.club/twitter Support the Show:Leave a review on Apple Podcasts/SpotifyShare this episode with a friend who needs to hear itSupport us and watch exclusive episodes: https://emosocialclub.tvIt was never just a phase. We connect the Myspace era to today's waves. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Brian and Lizzie record live from C2E2 to discuss the intersection of emo music and comic books, focusing on Gerard Way's graphic novels and early 2000s scene history.

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Gerard Way, The Umbrella Academy & Emo Comics

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This episode is 54 minutes long.

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This episode was published on April 7, 2026.

What is this episode about?

"Listen. If 9/11 didn't happen, we wouldn't have My Chemical Romance. We wouldn't have Twilight. We wouldn't have this entire Tumblr core era of girly pop."   We took the podcast to C2E2! In front of a live Chicago audience, we are unpacking the...

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