Angel

When IDW Publishing announced it would debut the official continuation of the Angel TV show with series mastermind Joss Whedon co-writing the story, fans of the show and of IDW’s previous Angel comic books went into a fever of anticipation. But now that the issue has hit the stands, the fever has not broken: Angel: After the Fall #1 has become IDW’s highest-charting comic book release ever, selling out its initial print run before the issue even hit the stores.

Presided over by Whedon, with a hand-picked creative team that includes scripter Brian Lynch and artist Franco Urro, the issue’s second printing (Diamond item code SEP07 8061), featuring an iconic photo of Angel himself, has nearly sold out as well, and a third printing is now on the way.

Critical and fan response to the debut has offered a cascade of overwhelmingly positive reviews, along with mainstream coverage in New York Magazine and at TVGuide.com.

“The Whedon-sanctioned return of Angel will be enough to bring them in, but there is more than enough going on here to bring them back,” wrote FractalMatter.com. Newsarama.com, meanwhile, noted that “it’s also written tightly enough that a newbie could jump in… though there’s of course a tremendous advantage associated with being familiar with the material.” At the comics review site ComicPants.com, reviewer Randy Lander asks: “Does Angel: After the Fall live up to the standards of five seasons of Angel? The answer, I’m happy to report, is yes.”

The epic storyline, plotted by Whedon and Lynch, details the cataclysmic events that follow the stunning series finale of the show. Angel and company must now contend with being trapped in a Los Angeles that has quite literally gone to Hell; and as that saga unfolds, IDW will publish spin-off stories like the “First Night” tale currently slated for April, detailing exactly what happened in the moments after the last episode’s credits rolled—including the fates of some characters not seen in the finale.

Angel: After the Fall #2 (Diamond item code OCT07 3581) will arrive in stores Dec. 19.