Comic Info
Comic Name: Angel: After the Fall
Publisher: IDW
Writer: Josh Whedon/Brian Lynch
Artist: Franco Urru
# of Issues: 5
Release Date: 2008
Angel: After the Fall #1
Reprints Angel: After the Fall #1-5 (November 2007-March 2008). Los Angeles is in Hell…literally. The entire city has been sucked into the dimension along with its inhabitants. Now the demon rulers of Hell have staked out portions of the city and enslaved the human inhabitants. As Angel works to rescue them, Gunn secretly starts off a riot by killing a demon leader and framing Spike. Now Angel has challenged the Lords of Hell to a competition to become the true leader of Hell. There is one problem that he has hidden from everyone except Wesley at Wolfram & Hart…he’s no longer a vampire.
Plotted by Angel creator Joss Whedon and written by Brian Lynch, Angel: After the Fall—Volume 1 continues the storyline of the WB series Angel following Angel—Season 5. The collection features art by Franco Urru and the issues in this collection were also collected as Angel—Season 6 Volume 1.
This comic falls along the lines of Buffy the Vampire Slayer—Season 8. If you didn’t watch Angel and only watched Buffy, this series is nearly impossible to follow. You can read it, you probably won’t get all the nuances, and half the characters are foreign to you, but you will get the gist of the series. If you are going to read Angel: After the Fall without watching Angel, it is best to do some research on the characters, know how Angel ended, and be prepared to read and reread the comic to figure out exactly what is going on.
Angel: After the Fall #5
Once you sort out what actually happens in this comic book, it still seems like it is overdone but underdeveloped. The melodrama of the TV show just seems over-the-top on the page and the witty banter of the characters doesn’t mesh well with the action occurring. It also leaves a big cliffhanger that doesn’t seem like much of a resolution since the big battle which the story has been building to is still occurring.
Franco Urru’s art is so-so. It is always strange to do character who are real actors but I think he does a better job at that than the artists on Buffy the Vampire Slayer—Season 8. They come off as lookalikes but still cartoony enough to have their own feel. His demons and other mythical creatures however all seem really generic and all look alike.
Angel: After the Fall has potential but it doesn’t reach it in this volume. The series might be fun and a fun alternative to Buffy the Vampire Slayer (much like the original series). I’m willing to give Volume 2 a shot and series does make me want to go back and watch the original series. Angel: After the Fall 1 is followed by Angel: After the Fall 2: First Night.
Related Links:
Angel: After the Fall 2: First Night
