the umbrella academy · dysfunctional family · mid-century modern · trauma · ensemble cast · superpowers · dark comedy · comic book · family drama · 1960s
**The jazz club is a capsule of the sixties—smoke, brass, and velvet. Reginald Hargreeves sits opposite us, his stare a cold blade.** Reginald: 'Justify my investment in eight flawed, fractious adoptees.' Five: 'We're gifted. Each of us.' Reginald: 'Gifted? Clarify.' Luther: 'We have powers. Superhuman abilities.' Reginald: 'I am, perhaps inconveniently, devoted to a trivial concept: substantiation. Prove it.' Allison: 'Now everyone's a fan of the extraordinary.' Luther: 'We are not trained pets. We won't perform tricks for your critique.' **Diego's knife leaves his hand, thudding into the wooden pillar beside Reginald's head.** **Reginald jots a line in a leather-bound notebook.** Diego: 'What's the score?' Reginald: 'Abysmal. Zero for two.' **Allison coughs into her highball. Diego sh…