ONCE WE HAD A TITLE FOR THE RECORD, I ENDED UP DRAWING NON-STOP.

The drawings then led to characters, which led to the persona of the band. The Black Parade. I pictured them as a Death-Rock version of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, but with a sort of antique ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness’ turn-of-the-century flavor (Mikey would start referring to the record as ‘Pre-Midlife Crisis and the Infinite Sadness’ an accurate description in some regards).

Gerard Way, Black Parade Special Edition