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shadowkatPicked up the comic Angel After the Fall, part II yesterday and read it within thirty minutes. Not sure there's much point in writing a review or more accurately a critique, considering everyone who cares about it has already done one. Only agreed with one of them - which I can't find and don't remember the author of - wasn't on lj, I know that much, Petzepellingo provided a link to it from Whedonesque. If I could remember it - I'd just copy the link and tell everyone to read that one. But I can't find it. So I've decided to write my own, which I'm putting behind a cut-tag due to length and spoilers.
At any rate, Angel After the Fall isn't a long comic and moves pretty quickly. Brian Lynch is good at dialogue and even better at pacing. Also unlike *cough*Jeanty*cough* I could actually tell the characters apart without reading the dialogue too closely and did not have to re-read bits to figure out who was who. I've read so many graphic novels in my lifetime that I've ceased being picky about certain things like *cough*thedepictionofthefemalebodyespeciallyherboobs*cough* - all I ask for is the ability to figure out what is going on by just looking at the artwork and being able to tell the characters apart.
The Art
A brief note about the cover - I got the Tony Harris Cover without the title and credits blocking the art. Adore this cover. Surrounding Spike with flames and putting demon faces on them as the flames rise from the character and he appears to be hugging himself in an almost vulernable pose is insightful. It is also an excellent depiction of who this character is post soul, post Chosen. He's a man consumed by spiritual flame - is it demonic or spiritual in character? Can't be sure.
In regards to Urru...sigh, there's almost as much criticism and controversy regarding Urru's art as there is on Jeanty's. Was discussing the art in the Buffy and Angel graphic novels with the comic book store owner at Rocketship, he had asked if I'd be interested in the new Serenity comic. Apparently they are doing one that takes place prior to the film and Those Left Behind, which sort of fills in the gaps. (yes, I'm behind the times) I asked him who was writing it. He said it was the same team that did the last one - Brett Mathews and Will Conrad - which is good news. Of all the artists, I think I like Conrad's work the best. [Ugh, I wrote this long bit about the art controversary discussing how Urru's work fits the genre and type of novel he is working on not to mention the depiction of women in the series and how both series dealt with nudity and sexuality, but lj did something wonky with it, so I had to delete it. Just as well. It's not like I was writing anything new. Plus who really cares? You either like the art or you don't. It either bugs you or it doesn't. No point arguing about it.]
the characters
I actually like what Lynch/Whedon are doing with all of the characters. Of course I wasn't a huge fan of the Angel/Nina relationship to begin with (sort of ignored it on the show) - so I was admittedly relieved that the writer chose to break them up. (Apparently Lynch agreed with me.) If he kills Nina off, I'll be quietly cheering in the corner. Find the fact that Nina and Gwen have teamed up with Angel's son - Connor rather amusing -Connor seems to be involved with every girl his father hooked up with. Okay, every girl, except for the two Spike shagged and dear old Mom. Can't go over board, after all.
Connor
Keeping in mind that this is Angel's book and we are in Angel's first person point of view, the characterization is quite good. Better in some regards than it was in the series. Or rather I like Connor and his dialogue more here than I did in Angel. Not sure why that is. He's funny. He reminds me a lot of the character who popped up at the end of S5. Don't know what the writer plans to do with him, but he doesn't dwell too long, and yet at the same time gives me just enough to keep me interested. I also like that he hasn't made Connor bitter. And...he's given him some great one liners.
Gun
Gun surprises me. I like this twist a lot better than I expected. Lynch and Urru are doing a great job of exploring what a soul means. It doesn't make you good necessarily. What it does is provide a sort of restraint or compass. Gunn without a soul has become a bit Machiavellian. The ends justify the means. Makes sense - this was the Gunn we saw at WRH with the upgrade. He's a lot like Angel in a way - he's all ego. Angel's problem has always been his pride and vanity. That's how he fell into this mess to begin with - his arrogance, the fact that he thought he could overturn a centuries old demon establishment more or less on his own. It's what makes Angel the anti-hero of noir fiction. His fatal flaw is his ego. It's the reason he left his father and fell into Darla's arms, it's why his son was taken from him and sent to hell, and it's why he lost everyone. It's also why he and Buffy did not work. Angel couldn't handle Buffy being the hero, his ego kept getting in the way. Just as Angelus could not handle competing with the Master for Darla's affections and had to be the worst monster on the planet.
Gunn is in some respects a reflection and a victim of that. Just as Illyria is. Both show what happens when the ego is allowed to go unrestrained. Gunn justifies every horrible thing he does by - it will work out, I'm going to save the world. If you listen closely, he is mimicing Angel, his leader. And his statement that Angel may not have been a good man to begin with, is in some respects Angel's greatest fear.
Betta George - is a new character introduced by Lynch in his Spike series and adored by Whedon to such an extent the character has been added to this series. You do not need to read the Spike series to figure out who Betta George is. He's basically a demonic telepathic fish who has been rehabilitated at an asylum. I can see why Whedon likes him, I like him for the same reasons - he's snarky. He also provides insight on vampires - or how others in this world may perceive them.
Spike
[As an aside, Lynch and I are in agreement regarding Spike. Lynch is the rare fan who actually like *all* the characters equally, but wasn't into the romantic relationships. He's like most guys in that respect. Few men were into the romantic relationships. He wasn't anti-spuffy, he just wasn't into spuffy. Doesn't bother me, because even though I liked spuffy (spike/buffy), I honestly do not see the two characters ending up together - I don't think it works storywise. I don't see Buffy with Angel either - the writers made it pretty clear to me that the two characters loved one another but could not be together and no, not because one of them was cursed - if that had been the only thing keeping them apart, they'd have stuck together. Same deal with Buffy and Spike - they loved each other, but they could not be together. Their journeys required them to take different paths. This is actually very realistic and fits the genre - horror, not gothic romance.]
I actually like what they are doing with Spike. Basically after the fight was over, after Spike watched Gunn get devoured, Angel go after his dragon, he gave up and said the hell with this, I'm going to retire and enjoy myself in Hell. Of course it wasn't as simple as that - he pretty much tells Angel that he had to work hard to get where he currently is. And Angel really wasn't anywhere to be found at the time. (Note how many characters ask Angel where the heck he was or what he was doing?) In short, Spike survived and made the best of things. That's what Spike does. Spike's also the reluctant hero, he loves a good fight, but the whole hero thing he's a tad cynical about.
And...this is Angel's story - so when we meet Spike it is through Angel's point of view. And Angel believes at this point that Spike and Illyria caused the deaths at Westwood.
It certainly looks like they did it - the bloddy handwriting is primoridal and stinks of Illyria, and the women's deaths stink of Spike - or at the very least match what Spike did in the old days pre-Buffy and pre-Soul. Angel, remember, has a tendency to jump to the obvious suspect first, and does not know about Gunn. Spike's line to Angel is hilarious - "More than just you and me walking Middle Earth, you sod." Not the best detective in the universe. Remember how long it took Angel to figure out Cordelia was behind everything in Season 4? He basically blamed everyone but her.
Whatever you see of Spike or any of the other characters in this series is going to be filtered through Angel's point of view, just as the characters in Buffy are more or less filtered through Buffy's point of view. One of the hazards of having a series named after a lead character.
Also, note the title - "After the Fall" - after the fall from grace. Angel is in hell.
And he's brought everyone he's currently loved with him. None of them are particularly happy with him for doing it.
What I find interesting about Angel is how everyone who has joined his team wants to kill him at a certain point. Whedon stated once that if they'd been able to bring back Doyle - he would have been one of Angel's Big Bads. They had intended for Kate to be Holtz's accomplice. This is typical of noir - the friends and family of the hero are either killed or turn against him at some point. The other interesting bit is how all of Angel's associates - Wes, Cordy, Gunn, and Fred have turned into monsters or villians - based on some internal flaw in their character that matchs Angel's and that would not have happened if it weren't for Angel. Remember this was Angelus's modius operandi - he got pleasure out of breaking people, turning them into sadistic monsters like himself. He says as much to Spike in Damage. And Spike calls him on it Destiny. Heck, Drusilla states that's Angelus plan for Buffy way back in the second season of that series. He likes the power he has over another, the ability to mold them into his own image. It's one of the things Angel hates most about himself. It's also what makes Angel incredibly interesting to me as a viewer and reader.
Angel was never a series for people who liked clean cut heroes or straight forward heroes. It was dark and the lead was a vampire who had pre-soul been worse than Dracula.
It's not like Moonlight or Blood Ties - where the vampire isn't really all that bad.
This guy was your worste nightmare. In some respects, Angel has more in common with Dexter or the Sopranos...he's an anti-hero.
The fact Spike is with Illyria makes sense. They probably bonded over losing Gunn and their mutual anger at Angel. Plus Illyria got off on fighting Spike and Spike got off on fighting Illyria. (I think the tv producers went that route after they figured out how great the two actors looked fighting one another - both have dance backgrounds so their fights looked like dance numbers). She even called him her pet on the series. So that's in character. Plus she hates being alone almost as much as Spike does. Neither are loners like Angel - they need people around them. It's ironic because they both act like they don't want anyone. They also both act like they don't want to save the world or help, yet in some regards they care more than Angel. Their anger at Angel testifies to that.
The love/hate relationship between Angel and Spike continues to amuse and entertain me.
They do act a lot like siblings, siblings who know quite a bit about each other, including all the flaws. Lynch is spot on with the dialogue and Urru captures the character's likenesses perfectly.
Illyria
Haven't seen enough yet to make a comment. I don't mind the drawing. She looked that way on the show - the costume was skin tight and seemed to accentuate Amy Acker's bust. I remember thinking - oh, she has bust, who knew?
And the dialogue was in character. She would say that.
Overall? I enjoyed this comic quite a bit and can't wait for the next issue. For some bizarre reason I find myself enjoying the Angel comics more than the Buffy one's. I don't know why. You'd have thought it would be the opposite. Maybe it's because I can sort of predict what will happen with Buffy, and not so much with Angel? I don't know. Just is.
At any rate, Angel After the Fall isn't a long comic and moves pretty quickly. Brian Lynch is good at dialogue and even better at pacing. Also unlike *cough*Jeanty*cough* I could actually tell the characters apart without reading the dialogue too closely and did not have to re-read bits to figure out who was who. I've read so many graphic novels in my lifetime that I've ceased being picky about certain things like *cough*thedepictionofthefemalebodyespeciallyherboobs*cough* - all I ask for is the ability to figure out what is going on by just looking at the artwork and being able to tell the characters apart.
The Art
A brief note about the cover - I got the Tony Harris Cover without the title and credits blocking the art. Adore this cover. Surrounding Spike with flames and putting demon faces on them as the flames rise from the character and he appears to be hugging himself in an almost vulernable pose is insightful. It is also an excellent depiction of who this character is post soul, post Chosen. He's a man consumed by spiritual flame - is it demonic or spiritual in character? Can't be sure.
In regards to Urru...sigh, there's almost as much criticism and controversy regarding Urru's art as there is on Jeanty's. Was discussing the art in the Buffy and Angel graphic novels with the comic book store owner at Rocketship, he had asked if I'd be interested in the new Serenity comic. Apparently they are doing one that takes place prior to the film and Those Left Behind, which sort of fills in the gaps. (yes, I'm behind the times) I asked him who was writing it. He said it was the same team that did the last one - Brett Mathews and Will Conrad - which is good news. Of all the artists, I think I like Conrad's work the best. [Ugh, I wrote this long bit about the art controversary discussing how Urru's work fits the genre and type of novel he is working on not to mention the depiction of women in the series and how both series dealt with nudity and sexuality, but lj did something wonky with it, so I had to delete it. Just as well. It's not like I was writing anything new. Plus who really cares? You either like the art or you don't. It either bugs you or it doesn't. No point arguing about it.]
the characters
I actually like what Lynch/Whedon are doing with all of the characters. Of course I wasn't a huge fan of the Angel/Nina relationship to begin with (sort of ignored it on the show) - so I was admittedly relieved that the writer chose to break them up. (Apparently Lynch agreed with me.) If he kills Nina off, I'll be quietly cheering in the corner. Find the fact that Nina and Gwen have teamed up with Angel's son - Connor rather amusing -Connor seems to be involved with every girl his father hooked up with. Okay, every girl, except for the two Spike shagged and dear old Mom. Can't go over board, after all.
Connor
Keeping in mind that this is Angel's book and we are in Angel's first person point of view, the characterization is quite good. Better in some regards than it was in the series. Or rather I like Connor and his dialogue more here than I did in Angel. Not sure why that is. He's funny. He reminds me a lot of the character who popped up at the end of S5. Don't know what the writer plans to do with him, but he doesn't dwell too long, and yet at the same time gives me just enough to keep me interested. I also like that he hasn't made Connor bitter. And...he's given him some great one liners.
Gun
Gun surprises me. I like this twist a lot better than I expected. Lynch and Urru are doing a great job of exploring what a soul means. It doesn't make you good necessarily. What it does is provide a sort of restraint or compass. Gunn without a soul has become a bit Machiavellian. The ends justify the means. Makes sense - this was the Gunn we saw at WRH with the upgrade. He's a lot like Angel in a way - he's all ego. Angel's problem has always been his pride and vanity. That's how he fell into this mess to begin with - his arrogance, the fact that he thought he could overturn a centuries old demon establishment more or less on his own. It's what makes Angel the anti-hero of noir fiction. His fatal flaw is his ego. It's the reason he left his father and fell into Darla's arms, it's why his son was taken from him and sent to hell, and it's why he lost everyone. It's also why he and Buffy did not work. Angel couldn't handle Buffy being the hero, his ego kept getting in the way. Just as Angelus could not handle competing with the Master for Darla's affections and had to be the worst monster on the planet.
Gunn is in some respects a reflection and a victim of that. Just as Illyria is. Both show what happens when the ego is allowed to go unrestrained. Gunn justifies every horrible thing he does by - it will work out, I'm going to save the world. If you listen closely, he is mimicing Angel, his leader. And his statement that Angel may not have been a good man to begin with, is in some respects Angel's greatest fear.
Betta George - is a new character introduced by Lynch in his Spike series and adored by Whedon to such an extent the character has been added to this series. You do not need to read the Spike series to figure out who Betta George is. He's basically a demonic telepathic fish who has been rehabilitated at an asylum. I can see why Whedon likes him, I like him for the same reasons - he's snarky. He also provides insight on vampires - or how others in this world may perceive them.
Spike
[As an aside, Lynch and I are in agreement regarding Spike. Lynch is the rare fan who actually like *all* the characters equally, but wasn't into the romantic relationships. He's like most guys in that respect. Few men were into the romantic relationships. He wasn't anti-spuffy, he just wasn't into spuffy. Doesn't bother me, because even though I liked spuffy (spike/buffy), I honestly do not see the two characters ending up together - I don't think it works storywise. I don't see Buffy with Angel either - the writers made it pretty clear to me that the two characters loved one another but could not be together and no, not because one of them was cursed - if that had been the only thing keeping them apart, they'd have stuck together. Same deal with Buffy and Spike - they loved each other, but they could not be together. Their journeys required them to take different paths. This is actually very realistic and fits the genre - horror, not gothic romance.]
I actually like what they are doing with Spike. Basically after the fight was over, after Spike watched Gunn get devoured, Angel go after his dragon, he gave up and said the hell with this, I'm going to retire and enjoy myself in Hell. Of course it wasn't as simple as that - he pretty much tells Angel that he had to work hard to get where he currently is. And Angel really wasn't anywhere to be found at the time. (Note how many characters ask Angel where the heck he was or what he was doing?) In short, Spike survived and made the best of things. That's what Spike does. Spike's also the reluctant hero, he loves a good fight, but the whole hero thing he's a tad cynical about.
And...this is Angel's story - so when we meet Spike it is through Angel's point of view. And Angel believes at this point that Spike and Illyria caused the deaths at Westwood.
It certainly looks like they did it - the bloddy handwriting is primoridal and stinks of Illyria, and the women's deaths stink of Spike - or at the very least match what Spike did in the old days pre-Buffy and pre-Soul. Angel, remember, has a tendency to jump to the obvious suspect first, and does not know about Gunn. Spike's line to Angel is hilarious - "More than just you and me walking Middle Earth, you sod." Not the best detective in the universe. Remember how long it took Angel to figure out Cordelia was behind everything in Season 4? He basically blamed everyone but her.
Whatever you see of Spike or any of the other characters in this series is going to be filtered through Angel's point of view, just as the characters in Buffy are more or less filtered through Buffy's point of view. One of the hazards of having a series named after a lead character.
Also, note the title - "After the Fall" - after the fall from grace. Angel is in hell.
And he's brought everyone he's currently loved with him. None of them are particularly happy with him for doing it.
What I find interesting about Angel is how everyone who has joined his team wants to kill him at a certain point. Whedon stated once that if they'd been able to bring back Doyle - he would have been one of Angel's Big Bads. They had intended for Kate to be Holtz's accomplice. This is typical of noir - the friends and family of the hero are either killed or turn against him at some point. The other interesting bit is how all of Angel's associates - Wes, Cordy, Gunn, and Fred have turned into monsters or villians - based on some internal flaw in their character that matchs Angel's and that would not have happened if it weren't for Angel. Remember this was Angelus's modius operandi - he got pleasure out of breaking people, turning them into sadistic monsters like himself. He says as much to Spike in Damage. And Spike calls him on it Destiny. Heck, Drusilla states that's Angelus plan for Buffy way back in the second season of that series. He likes the power he has over another, the ability to mold them into his own image. It's one of the things Angel hates most about himself. It's also what makes Angel incredibly interesting to me as a viewer and reader.
Angel was never a series for people who liked clean cut heroes or straight forward heroes. It was dark and the lead was a vampire who had pre-soul been worse than Dracula.
It's not like Moonlight or Blood Ties - where the vampire isn't really all that bad.
This guy was your worste nightmare. In some respects, Angel has more in common with Dexter or the Sopranos...he's an anti-hero.
The fact Spike is with Illyria makes sense. They probably bonded over losing Gunn and their mutual anger at Angel. Plus Illyria got off on fighting Spike and Spike got off on fighting Illyria. (I think the tv producers went that route after they figured out how great the two actors looked fighting one another - both have dance backgrounds so their fights looked like dance numbers). She even called him her pet on the series. So that's in character. Plus she hates being alone almost as much as Spike does. Neither are loners like Angel - they need people around them. It's ironic because they both act like they don't want anyone. They also both act like they don't want to save the world or help, yet in some regards they care more than Angel. Their anger at Angel testifies to that.
The love/hate relationship between Angel and Spike continues to amuse and entertain me.
They do act a lot like siblings, siblings who know quite a bit about each other, including all the flaws. Lynch is spot on with the dialogue and Urru captures the character's likenesses perfectly.
Illyria
Haven't seen enough yet to make a comment. I don't mind the drawing. She looked that way on the show - the costume was skin tight and seemed to accentuate Amy Acker's bust. I remember thinking - oh, she has bust, who knew?
And the dialogue was in character. She would say that.
Overall? I enjoyed this comic quite a bit and can't wait for the next issue. For some bizarre reason I find myself enjoying the Angel comics more than the Buffy one's. I don't know why. You'd have thought it would be the opposite. Maybe it's because I can sort of predict what will happen with Buffy, and not so much with Angel? I don't know. Just is.
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Date: 2007-12-30 11:43 pm (UTC)Interesting that Lynch said they were toning down the big boob thing. LOL! I wonder sometimes if people watched the same shows I did. I mean it wasn't as if the shows didn't get crude on the sexual gratification/innuendos. Girl in Question? The head gal at WRH had huge boobs and a cleavage. Cordelia certainly did, as did Nina. And what about Gwen and Illyria's ahem, skin tight costumes? Buffy did it with the guys, always taking Spike, Riley, Xander, and Angel's shirts off. The comics are sort of doing the same thing - the Buffy comics have a lot of nude scenes for guys. The Angel ones do it for the girls. But Urru did admittedly go a bit over the top in this issue, the Spike comics were considerably toned down.
Yep, that's the big difference between the Connor we saw at the end of S5 and the Connor in S4 - a sense of humor. I loved his dialogue with Angel in this. Great contrast to Angel's inner dialogue.
Regarding Gunn - I was thinking the upgrades had been cancelled or reversed after Underneath? IF they haven't that would explain how he knows what the orb does and why he'd be able to write in an ancient language. Also makes sense he's gone nuts - who wouldn't - after getting brain upgrades, spending time in purgatory, losing his best friends, getting injured in a vampire fight, walking into hell, and being turned while Angel is talking to a dragon? (Interesting - Angel appears to turn all his closest human friends into versions of Angelus - Cordelia became EvilCordy, Wes went all vengeful Wes and now haunts WRH, Fred became Illyria, and now Gunn has become an insane vampire.)
On Lynch's devotion to the characters and being on your side? Yes, I know what you mean and completely agree. In some ways I trust him more with these characters than the original creators. He reminds me a lot Drew Goddard. He clearly loves the characters and the universe in the same way I did. That's the problem with a lot of fanfic I've read - the writer always seems to dislike at least two or three of the characters or they have a romantic or moral agenda that well requires the characters to become someone else in order to work.
I'm actually enjoying Buffy more now than I did. The last two issues were quite good. The art has gotten better. And from what I've seen of the preview text for the upcoming issue - it looks like it may be the best issue to date. Really delving into who the characters are and their emotional arcs.