Fallen Angel : Reborn

For any artist, a near five-year run on a comic book is rare these days, more so when the title jumps from one of the Big Two publishers to a smaller, but ambitious, indie press. Yet, that’s what J.K. Woodward has accomplished on his run of "Fallen Angel" with superstar writer, Peter David. With today’s release of the latest storyline, "Fallen Angel: Reborn", Mr. Woodward extends his streak.

After a brief stint at DC, the "Fallen Angel" series landed in December 2005 at IDW Publishing. Throughout the 33 issues published since then, Mr. Woodward has employed his painterly and realistic style to create an unforgetable rendition of the heroin, Liandra, and her world. With the new limited series, that world is turned upside down, as it clashes with the Whedonverse.

"Fallen Angel: Reborn" sees the introduction of Joss Whedon’s character, Illyria (TV sereies, "Angel"), into Liandra’s life, bringing to the series a new direction in action and characterization.

We spoke with Mr. Woodward about "Fallen Angel: Reborn" and how Mr. Whedon got involved in the project. According to unnamed sources, Mr. Woodward thinks it involved cash and some illicit activities, although his recollections are not entirely clear.

Get us up to speed on what’s happened behind the scenes for you and Peter David between the last issue (#33) and the new limited series, "Fallen Angel: Reborn" releasing today?

I’ve been busy working on various covers for BOOM! Studios (mostly for "Eureka" and "POE"), and a Halloween cover for Devil’s Due Publishing, as well as the "Star Trek: Alien Spotlight-Klingons" book for IDW Publishing.

I can’t speak for Peter, but "Mr. Prolific " has probably continued to work on any of his hundreds of monthly comic titles, or his novels or his screenplays or god knows what else. But I also know he and Chris Ryall met with Joss Whedon.

What promises of riches—or threats of blackmail—were made to Joss Whedon to introduce Illyria into the Fallen Angel universe? It was a poker bet Whedon lost that made it happen, wasn’t it?

Well, if I answered this question, I would be breaking the deal we made with Whedon. Let’s just say there was a dead hooker involved and I can say no more. Other than that, when things were cleaned up, Whedon was happy to lend us Illyria (and a great deal of cash).

Seriously though, I wasn’t involved until Peter sent the script for the first issue, so I don’t know too much about it. I was on a panel at NYCC with Peter and I seem to remember this same question being asked. Now, I can’t quote exactly what Peter said but he made the whole meeting sound very casual and Whedon remarked that he knew that Peter knew how to handle his creations well (remember Peter has done the Whedonverse before for IDW).

From a storyline POV, what’s happened between then and now, to the characters, etc.?

Well, I think most of the changes happened in the last issue (#33) of the old series. The world of Bete Noire was completely altered. Essentially Peter’s starting over with this limited series. If you read the old series, you’ll recognize those changes and if this is your first time reading Fallen Angel, you’ll be introduced to a whole new world right along with old readers.

From the Illyria point of view, it occurs late in Season Five of “Angel,” just after Illyria has been depowered, but the same goes for the Angel television series. Even if you’ve never watched Angel and have no idea who Illyria is, you’ll still enjoy this series. This story actually starts with an Illyria backstory or as Peter describes it; "...a lot of her background is presented in the first issue, including scenes from her fully demonic days that have never been depicted on television before. The closest we’ve ever seen is the illustration of her in a book; in ’Fallen Angel’, we bring that illustration to life in a sort of preamble that’s evocative of the first few minutes of the film of Lord of the Rings. So if you never read "Lord of the Rings" but had no problem following that film, you should be fine here for the same reason."

How does Illyria’s role change Liandra?

I think there’s a weird kind of kindredness there. You get the feeling that Liandra (the fallen angel) has a kind of understanding (if not sympathy) for Illyria. They are not exactly on the same side, but I think there’s an understanding that comes from them both being ancient beings that have been depowered, but still trapped by their destinies. I also think Li’s a little uncomfortable with this. She doesn’t want to like this person.

Does the "Whedon Effect" force you to change your storytelling process? Does it increase the pressure for you to take your art and storytelling up a notch?

I don’t think it was a Whedon Effect that did it, (though I was extremely honored and excited to be working with this character) but I definitely took my art up a notch. I was struggling with a photo realistic painting style but was always frustrated that the action scenes seemed to be lacking. I realized that in some cases, action scenes require some distortion. Basically action depicted in a still picture was always pulled off better with cartooning than painting. I came up with a style that (I hope) gives you the best of both. I came up with the style when I was working on a Star Trek book that had Kang (Klingon villain from the original series, for those who don’t know) telling three, 8-page stories. Each story was in a different Star Trek era, so I wanted to develop three different art styles to depict them. This art style was developed then and seemed to be the most popular. But more importantly, I really enjoyed doing it. My work was exciting to me again and I couldn’t bring myself to give this series anything less.

As far as storytelling, yes there are some changes. Unlike most previous FA stories, this one takes place mostly outside of Bete Noire. The city of Bete Noire definitely has a specific mood that I had gotten used to over the years, but with this series all of a sudden I’m laying out action in L.A. , Antartica, NYC... it’s all over the place. I really enjoyed the "vacation" and it was particularly nice to paint my beloved L.A. again. This was one the first things I worked on when I recently moved to NYC from L.A. and I was feeling a little homesick, so it was nice to paint a page with the Illyria in the Wilshire District. Thanks for that Peter!

What are the biggest artistic challenges you’ve faced so far on the series?

Amy Acker. She has very much the perfect symmetrical features that make up the typical "comic book face". It’s hard to depict a panel that says "This is Illyria as portrayed by Amy Acker" rather than just looking like a typical comic book creation. She’s so pretty! I’ve been crushing big time since working on this book.

What’s the most satisfying part of working on "Fallen Angel", the characters, Peter David, etc.?

I enjoy living in that world Peter created. Bete Noire with all its faults and dangers, is actually a place I’d like to retire to.As sick as this sounds, Peter David has created a hell that I would like to live in. It’s been almost 4 years now and I think if I ever stop working on "Fallen Angel", I’m going to miss that city. It’s a sick addiction!

What’s next for you after "Reborn"?

Nothing’s confirmed, but my understanding is there will be more "Fallen Angel" series to come and I’ve already expressed to both Peter and Chris that I’m on board. In the meantime, I’m starting a 48-page project with Scott Dunbier at IDW titled, "Belladonna", and another Star Trek book after that.

— Ommus