Angel

Given the success that Dark Horse has found with Buffy Season Eight, it shouldn’t be a huge surprise that IDW, license-holders for Angel, would try the same thing with Whedon’s other series in the “Buffy-verse.” There are a few key differences, such as Angel being a limited series (presumably first in a series if it’s successful) rather than an ongoing or Joss Whedon being co-writer rather than sole writer of the first arc. The biggest key difference, however, is one that works in IDW’s favor, and that’s that many of Angel’s fans were unhappy with the ambiguous season finale, and being able to see what happened next ought to be a huge draw. The question then becomes, does Angel: After the Fall live up to the standards of five seasons of Angel the way that Buffy lives up to the standards of seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer? The answer, I’m happy to report, is yes. For those who would know more, read on, and know that I have done my best to leave in only the mildest of spoilers, and those only from the first five pages of the comic.

OK, here come the details… and the caveats. There are any number of takes on Angel, and what kind of fan you were of the show will color how much you like the comic. There are those who never got into the show, and I suspect those fans, to no one’s surprise, won’t find much of interest in this true to the series take. There are those who liked the show but hated Angel’s bargain with Wolfram & Hart, and I’d guess those fans will be happy to see Angel returned to something of a rogue status quo once more, although he’s still technically with Wolfram & Hart. There are those who really disliked the ending of the series, who wanted to know what happened next, and I would guess most of those fans are going to be ecstatic with this first issue. And then there are guys like me, who loved the “never-ending battle” aspect of the ending of season five, found it the best possible ending for the darker, more complex Angel series and didn’t really think continuing the story was all that necessary. As it turns out, while it isn’t necessary, that doesn’t mean Lynch and Whedon haven’t found an interesting way to do it.

I’m going to start with a minor spoiler, hopefully the only one of the entire review, but it’s something you’ll learn in the first five pages, and it’s key to discussing the book. If you want to see it in comic-book form rather than hear me tell it, click on this link and come back. Back? OK, good.

Angel: After the Fall #1 page twoSo Wolfram & Hart, the demonic multi-dimensional law firm, doesn’t take Angel’s attack on their key partners so well, and as punishment, they consign all of Los Angeles to Hell. It’s a pretty clever setting twist, in that it removes Buffy and her army of Slayers from the playing field, isolating Angel and his crew, and it raises the stakes, something I wasn’t sure was possible after multiple Apocalypses and a seeming detente between Angel and his biggest foes. But being stuck in Hell, with the whole city an open battleground for demons? Yeah, those are even bigger stakes than the rain of fire, beast of the Apocalypse big bad stuff from season four. I’d like it if Whedon and Lynch had been a little more clear-cut about whether L.A. was brought to Hell or vice-versa, as that’s a pretty important detail as to whether or not Buffy and her gang would take notice, but I’m assuming the former because it makes more sense. And honestly, because the narration is done in Angel’s Whedon-esque quippy dialogue, telling us something straight out wouldn’t really feel natural.

I don’t know how the chores were divided up here between Whedon and Lynch, whether Whedon merely plotted or if he had some input on the dialogue. The good news is, neither will most readers. Angel’s taunting of one of the demon lords, little quips from one of the rescued humans to one of her rescuers, the banter between the characters and the noir by way of Whedon flow of the dialogue and narration is fully intact in these pages. As with Buffy Season Eight, there’s a definite increase in scale commensurate with the special effects budget comics affords (I doubt we’d see a giant panning shot of a demon-infested L.A. on the show without breaking the bank), but the general vibe is right in line with the Angel TV show. The sense of a long, brutal and maybe even un-winnable noble struggle against evil, both external and internal, is taken to the next level with this new status quo. Though it’s not officially called it, this series has a strong claim on being Angel Season Six.

That being the case, it also features any number of familiar faces, and more than a few surprises as a result. The entire cast of Angel isn’t here in this first issue, in fact there are two notable names missing. Because I don’t want to spoil some of the bigger shocks, I’m not going to name names or reveal changes. Suffice to say that there are some pretty big developments for these characters, the return of at least one character I wanted to see more of on the show but who had faded into the background and some big shockers in terms of where these characters fit into the new status quo. There’s also the dragon, a powerful new ally added to Angel’s retinue, which is a clever riff on the last five minutes of Angel Season Five that I quite like.

Angel: After the Fall #1 page sevenIn terms of the art, I can’t be quite as enthusiastic as I am about the writing. Franco Urru is a talented artist and painter, and his likenesses are, if not perfect, strong enough to convey who everyone is when you have the story for context. In addition, his storytelling is solid and clear. And really, that’s the key for a licensed book like this. Urru also does some impressive work on the post-apocalyptic Hell/L.A. landscape, especially in his opening two-page splash, which looks like something out of H.R. Geiger’s book.

However, there’s a muddiness to his colors and his forms, and I found myself wishing for tighter inks and sharper colors. The general look and mood is about right, even the darker palette works, but in general, the whole book looks like it was shot in soft focus, and I would have liked to see it all in a bit more sharper focus. It’s certainly good enough, but it’s not the really good to great I would have liked to have seen.

While Angel: After the Fall has its flaws, they’re relatively minor and generally overwhelmed by the nature of the comic as a fitting sequel to the television series. Angel fans rejoice, the whole series didn’t end in a dark alley with a futile struggle after all… it just gets more interesting from there.

This is an advance review. Angel: After the Fall #1 is currently scheduled to hit stores in mid-November.