Enter IDW.
Buying at least one story arc (although Peter David has just reported that IDW has promised more issues beyond the first five), IDW has brought Fallen Angel back to the comic book shelves. If you missed the DC run of the book and considering the books status, you did, the IDW re-launch is the perfect way to atone. Some time has passed in the fictional city of Bete Noire, 20 years worth of time. All the characters DC readers are familiar with are still around, albeit with a few more wrinkles and some strands of gray. Even the title character is beginning to show her age. Purposeful or not, I find it interesting that Fallen Angel’s age is only noticeable when she is not in costume, a costume that has a strange mixing of various Judeo-Christian vestments. It is the subtle character attributes that marks Peter David as a master of keeping the reading interested without being blatant in the symbolism.
Not really a hero.
Fallen Angel isn't a hero in the truest sense, although she is indeed following her own hero journey in the Hero With a Thousand Faces way. Fallen Angel is a tortured character with a painful past. Thankfully, David is able to tread the fine line between realistic hero and the clichéd "woe is me" hero. The first issue of Fallen Angel is filled with character interaction and plot hooks that will keep the reader interested for many books. Knowing the enigmatic nature of the book and Peter David, many of these hooks will not be fulfilled in the first arc. Not just a talking issue, Fallen Angel also tosses in the action when the story calls for it, with the book having a knockdown brawl on, in the greatest comic book fashion, upon the rooftops of the big bad city. Moreover, like so many great books, Fallen Angel ends its first issue with a cliffhanger that will hook new and old readers.
Looks pretty too.
Much of the emotion behind Fallen Angel falls to the artist who brings the book to physical life. While I will miss David Lopez and Fernando Blanco, J.K. Woodward brings his gorgeous watercolors to life. Woodward’s subtle use of lighting helps to create a Bete Noire of two worlds. By day, it is a city that you would love to visit. At night, you will wish the good Lord would make your ending swift and painless. Woodward is able to paint the Fallen Angel of two worlds: The middle-aged woman who teaches girls P.E. by day to the crimson-garbed hero with strange dual scars down her back. Many people will make a correlation between Alex Ross and the artistic style of Fallen Angel. While there are some similarities, this is not a fair assessment. Yes, it is clear that Woodward is using models as the basis for his characters. However, unlike Ross (whose characters look more like statues in the Greek pantheon) the characters in Fallen Angel have life and death behind their eyes. The art is by no means perfect, but it is clear that Woodward will continue to grow as an artist and I hope he is able to stick with Fallen Angel for the books entire run.
It is great to see a wonderful book being given a second chance. The book is a heavy chunk of change for a comic clocking in at four bucks. However, Peter David and J.K. Woodward are crafting a story that I will look forward every month. You should too.
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