Netflix's adaptation of My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way's comic book series, The Umbrella Academy, has taken the Internet by storm, but with only 10 episodes in its inaugural season, the superpowered fun doesn't last nearly as long as viewers might want. Not to worry, though, because I've got 15 books like The Umbrella Academy for you to read after you marathon it.
Based on Way's 2007 comic book series of the same name, The Umbrella Academy centers on a tiny family of seven, superpowered siblings, all adopted by a wealthy eccentric named Hargreeves, who encouraged them to develop their abilities. Not all of them survived, however, as the unnamed Number Five disappeared after his time-traveling talents went awry, and Number Six — a.k.a. Ben, a.k.a. The Horror — died tragically, and the rest eventually went their separate ways. After Hargreeves' death, the remaining siblings reconnect, somewhat reluctantly, and Number Five returns from the world's post-apocalyptic future to warn his brothers and sisters about the coming doom.
Speaking with Forbes earlier this month, Way said that he "learned a lot from" working with Netflix on the adaptation, and that he "started to think to myself, 'Yeah, this is something I could do. It's a new medium for me and I'd like to do more of this.'" In addition to writing the original Umbrella Academy comic, Way penned a follow-up, The Umbrella Academy: Dallas, in 2008. A third series, The Umbrella Academy: Hotel Oblivion, premiered in October 2018. A fourth series is reportedly in development at this time. Way is also the author of Doom Patrol, and co-author of Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye, both of which are published under his DC Comics imprint, Young Animal.
If you're still itching for more to read like The Umbrella Academy, check out the 15 books I've picked out for you below.
'The Umbrella Academy, vol. 1: The Apocalypse Suite' by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá
If you've already finished Netflix's The Umbrella Academy, why not take the chance to read, or re-read, the comics? There are two volumes currently available, with a third due out in Aug. 2019, but the story begins in The Umbrella Academy, vol. 1: The Apocalypse Suite.
'After the Golden Age' by Carrie Vaughn
Celia West's parents are the world's most famous superheroes, but she doesn't have any special abilities, unless you count her finesse as a forensic accountant. But when her parents' archenemy may finally be brought to justice, Celia is drawn back into the world of superpowered citizens.
'Spoonbenders' by Darryl Gregory
Years after a once-famous family of gifted psychics has fallen into relative anonymity, the CIA comes calling, interested to know whether any members of the next generation have inherited their parents' and grandparents' abilities.
'The Immortalists' by Chloe Benjamin
Contrary to what the title suggests, this one doesn't involve any superpowered siblings. But if you love the family dynamics of Umbrella Academy, you might love this book. In 1969, the four Gold siblings sneak out to visit a psychic who claims to be able to tell them when they'll die. Chloe Benjamin's novel follows them for the next 50 years, as Daniel, Klara, Simon, and Varya live with their forbidden knowledge.
'Doom Patrol, vol. 1: Brick by Brick' by Gerard Way and Nick Derington
In this Gerard Way-penned reboot of Grant Morrison's offbeat superhero series, the world's weirdest superheroes are brought back together to save one of their own — and possibly the world.
'Renegades' by Marissa Meyer
Taking place in a society that was once saved by superheroes, Cinder author Marissa Meyer's Renegades centers on Nova, a girl who wants vengeance on the eponymous heroes, and has allied herself with the villains they thought they defeated.
'The Girl from Everywhere' by Heidi Heilig
The daughter of a time traveler, Nix has been almost everywhere there is — or was — to be. But when her father finally finds a map that might help them save the girl's mother, who died in childbirth in the mid-19th century, Nix's very existence could be at stake.
'The Similars' by Rebecca Hanover
The six eponymous teens in this YA novel are not your average students. They're cloned versions of other kids at Darkwood Academy, and they're the new talk of the school. Emma doesn't really care, until she realizes that one of the Similars looks exactly like her best friend, Oliver, who died over the summer break.
'All Our Wrong Todays' by Elan Mastai
In this debut novel, a time traveler attempting to win back his ex finds himself in a parallel universe totally unlike his own. In this strange, new world — our 2016 — nothing is perfect, but Tom Barren still has the woman he loves.
'Geek Love' by Katherine Dunn
Determined to save their family circus, Al and Lil Binewski manufacture a family of sideshow freaks by inducing birth defects and mutations. Years later, their least-loved daughter, Oly, tries to save her own estranged child, Miranda, from a life-altering surgery.
'Six of Crows' by Leigh Bardugo
One last job — that's all Kaz Brekker has to do, and he'll be set for life. Assembling a crack team of fellow misfits to pull it off was the easy part. Saving the world? That will take some work.
'Amberlough' by Lara Elena Donnelly
Inspired by the extravagant, art deco aesthetic of the 1920s, Amberlough centers on three of the title city's most complicated characters: Cyril, a reluctant double agent who has been blackmailed into working for a fascist government party; Aristide, the cabaret master of ceremonies, and Cyril's former lover; and Cordelia, a cabaret dancer who helps Aristide with his less-than-legal projects.
'The Epic Crush of Genie Lo' by F.C. Yee
In this YA debut, title heroine Genie Lo, a 16-year-old who's primary concern is getting into a fantastic university, discovers she is the latest embodiment of a celestial being with powers beyond imagination — just as demonic entities begin to attack her Bay Area home.
'Every Heart a Doorway' by Seanan McGuire
What happens to children who disappear into fantasy worlds, after they grow up? Seanan McGuire attempts to answer that question in the first book in her Wayward Children series, Every Heart a Doorway, which centers on Nancy, a formerly lost child who wants nothing but to return to the Halls of the Dead, where she lived for years as a statue.
'Noumenon' by Marina J. Lostetter
When an anomaly in deep space gets the attention of an astrophysicist on Earth, humanity embarks on a journey of discovery that will take ages to complete. To accomplish their mission, the humans create generations of clones to pilot the nine-ship convoy beyond the stars, but no one knows how the clones might change from incarnation to incarnation.
