Comic Info
Comic Name: Angel: After the Fall
Publisher: IDW
Writer: Brian Lynch/Joss Whedon
Artist: Tim Kane/David Messina/Stephen Mooney/Johny Byrne/Nick Runge/Fabio Mantovani/Kevyn Schmidt/Mirco Pierfederici
# of Issues: 3
Release Date: 2008
Angel: After the Fall #6
Reprints Angel: After the Fall #6-8 (March 2008-May 2008). Los Angeles is in Hell. Now, the stories of Angel’s allies like Betta, Gunn, Wesley, Spike, Connor, Lorne, Kate, and Gwen are told and what they did after they discovered they were in Hell.
Written by Brian Lynch and based on plotting between Lynch and Angel’s creator Joss Whedon, Angel: After Fall continues to tell the story of what occurred after the climactic battle in the alley at the end of Angel—Season 5. The short collection has three issues of Angel: After the Fall plus sketch galleries and scripts.
I was a relatively faithful watcher of Buffy the Vampire Slayer but never watched Angel. When approaching the first collection of Angel: After the Fall—Volume 1, I was so lost. I expected to know more carry-over characters and themes, but found myself in a confusing world full of people with full backstories. Here in volume 2, I feel I’m a little more grounded though I am still trying to get a handle on the characters.
Angel: After the Fall #8
This collection was easier to follow because it was mostly just short stories. Each character headlined a segment and the stories were self-explanatory. I knew how Angel ended and I almost wish that they had this collection before the story in Angel: After the Fall—Volume 1. Part of the fun is the flashback aspect of the First Night, and some set-up was probably necessary, but it still would have been nice to see this first.
I also want more of people reacting to this “miracle”. Los Angeles is in Hell and all the residents are trapped there. That is almost a series in itself. There is not enough reaction to the fact that they are in Hell. I realize that Angel was very tongue-in-cheek in general, but I want a big response to demons and other creatures crawling all over Hollywood. I wouldn’t mind seeing more “civilian” stories as they presented in the third issue here.
Angel: After the Fall like Buffy the Vampire–Season 8 is an acquired taste and only for fans. This collection is fun with all the different artists, but some art scores while other art fails. It is the same with the stories. It doesn’t seem to have much rhyme or reason to how they are arranged or presented, and I’d love a bit better presentation to what could be a more interesting series.
Related Links:
Angel: After the Fall—Volume 1
