Okay, so technically, Issue #18 isn’t “After the Fall” — it’s more like “After After the Fall”. But more on that later. First, as usual, I’m overdue to recap the last couple of issues, which in this case were literally the last couple of issues of what we could probably consider Season 6 — the end of Brian Lynch’s “After the Fall” plot arc. Which I have to say, after some clumsiness in the middle of the arc, wrapped up in what I felt was a fairly clever — and true to the series — way.
RECAP DETAILS AHEAD (don’t read if you haven’t read the issues yet) …
Okay, so I’m long overdue to recap Angel: After the Fall. Three issues overdue, in fact. I’m starting to wonder if I should just buy the trade paperbacks for these. Because read as each issue came out, I’ll admit that I had a hard time getting into the story. But when I read all three in a row last night, I could feel the energy, and had a better sense of what Brian Lynch was aiming for. In hindsight, the TV show was like that too — sometimes it could be more rewarding in reruns than it was as a first run, because the main arc could get so twisty that you’d miss details along the way.
By the way, huge kudos to Alex Garner for the awesome covers he’s been painting for this series (seen above). Just as Jo Chen does for Buffy, Garner’s art really makes this comic jump off the shelf.
Now on with the recaps (here there be spoilers!) …
Whedon’s latest TV project, Dollhouse, is still slated to premier in January. Here’s the latest trailer, which I think clarifies the basic premise, for those who still aren’t sure what the show is all about …
You know, I usually like to start these Buffy and Angel reviews with some funny line of dialogue from the issue. And with Buffy Season 8, my problem is inevitably that I have TOO many lines to choose from, and have to decide which 2 or 3 were my favorites. But with Angel these last few issues, I find myself poring through the pages trying to find even one humorous line that stands out to me. Granted, I understand that Angel was always a darker show than Buffy, but still … even at its gloomiest, I remember laughing sometimes. That’s the beauty of a Whedon show — laugh a little, cry a little, care a lot about the characters as they battle certain doom. But in the last few issues, I can’t help but feel that the plot has overshadowed the characters.
Anyway, so Issue #11– which I was sorry to see was still being drawn by Nick Runge — picked up right where #10 left off, with Angel and Gunn finally coming face to face. Wait, can we talk about Runge’s art for a minute? Right on the first page, I’m confused, because there’s a guy in the second panel who looks like Angel. But then Angel’s in the third panel. And what’s with Fred’s expression there — is she supposed to be happy to see Gunn, or terrified? And why do most of the panels in this issue have no backgrounds? And WTF is up with Gwen’s, Spike’s, and Connor’s faces in those last two panels on the next-to-last page?
I’m on vacation, but wanted to let everybody know that the new TheWB.com website has gone live. They’ve souped it up with full episodes of their old shows, as well as some that were never actually on the WB network, but are owned by Warner Brothers — including Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Smallville, Roswell, Smallville, Veronica Mars, Babylon 5, and some other non-sci-fi classics like Friends, Gilmore Girls, and The O.C.
I’ve been part of the beta testing for the new design, and I’m told that they’ll be adding more episodes of all of these shows to the library as the year goes on. They also have some cool features on the site, including the ability together clips from their shows to create your own custom-edited clips. I’m not sure why you’d want to do that — presumable to create commercials for TheWB.com — but it’s a fun way to kill some time!
No word yet whether the site is non-U.S. friendly, and I’m in the U.S., so I can’t test that. Maybe some of my Canadian and European friends out there can let me know?
Edited to add: Freakgirl just visited the site, and it looks as if it’s not entirely Mac-friendly yet.
“This is a little thing we call bad cop / bad cop / bad cop / bad cop / crazy primordial seriously bad cop.” – Angel to Flouncy Theater Vampire
Not thrilled with this issue for some reason, and I can’t quite figure out why. I’ve read it through a few times now, and although some things obviously DO happen, I still can’t shake the feeling that nothing really happens. Maybe it’s because after the finale of the big Angel vs Demon Champions showdown last issue, anything else was going to seem slow? Maybe it’s because I’m not all that thrilled with Nick Runge’s art, and wish Franco Urru was still drawing it?
Anyway, Angel’s comic book dream was a nice touch. Then he talks to Nina and Mayor Lorne and Connor and Gwen and Illyria, and it’s snowing, and I’m kind of bored. The scene between Wesley and his babysitter Spike is okay, but doesn’t really tell us anything we didn’t know about these two already. The scenes where Gunn pressures George to use his powers are interesting — but a bit confusing too. I kind of feel like the whole “What’s the Hell’s Gunn Doing?” mystery has played out way too long at this point, particularly when it comes to how George and the Slayers involved. I get the impression we’ll finally get some clarity on that next issue, but that doesn’t do anything for the frustration I feel this issue.
“Does anyone have a car? We could get further away from Angel if we had a car.” – Spike
“Man’s career path is based on a pun, can’t be too much inner pride.” – Angel, referring to the Loan Shark Demon
So after all this time, it turns out the Loan Shark Demon is named “Bro’os”. Get it? Think Finding Nemo. Well played, Brian Lynch!
As I’d hoped, this issue brought back the cohesiveness that I felt the “First Night” issues lacked. Armed with a new artist (Nick Runge), we return to the story exactly where it left off at the end of Issue #5, in the middle of a pitched battle of Angel & Friends versus the Champions of the L.A. Demon Lords. At the last minute, Wesley (“Casper the Dapper Ghost”) has appeared on the scene, and as a result, Illyria has reverted back to being Fred again. And according to Spike, it’s not the first time. Apparently, she flips back and forth regularly, and whenever she’s Fred, he protects her.
Observation: If we’ve learned nothing else about Spike over the years, it’s that in the women department, he seems to be attracted to nothing quite so much as a fixer-upper — Crazy Drusilla, Season 6 Buffy, and now Fred-Not-Fred. And yet in each case, these women are powerful, and once fixed, they always move on. I’m guessing the same will happen with Illyria/Fred, even though technically, the two aren’t romantically involved.
“Seriously, we have to work on our gathering skills. Our slaughtering skills are second to none. But being late, that’s always our problem.” – Demon Mercenary
“What’s with that one word in your head, over and over … seriously, what the hell is a slayer?” – Betta George
“Well, this guy can go back to his box and pee next to where he sleeps knowing full well that he was right — and you’re all stupid!” – The End is Near Dude
Okay, so the “First Night” arc is over. And here’s what we’ve learned …
“Seriously, whose guy is the T-Rex? Who brings a T-Rex to a vamp battle?” – Loan Shark Demon Lord
Angel’s big day has arrived. The showdown with the Demon Lords. We learn that he has to shave and cut his own hair to keep people from figuring out that he’s not a vampire any more. And we learn that the glamour that creates the illusion he’s a vampire is somewhere inside of him. “Best not to ask.”
He jumps on his pet dragon and heads to the show. On the way, he saves human who’s been tossed into the crowd by a demon. Then he gives a really bad, very uninspiring speech. Then the champions start kicking his ass … or trying to. There’s a T-Rex, and a She-Skip, and a Human Torch, and a Shadow Thing. Please stop me if these descriptions are too technical for you. Continue reading →
You know, I usually like to start these Buffy and Angel reviews with some funny line of dialogue from the issue. And with Buffy Season 8, my problem is inevitably that I have TOO many lines to choose from, and have to decide which 2 or 3 were my favorites. But with Angel these last few issues, I find myself poring through the pages trying to find even one humorous line that stands out to me. Granted, I understand that Angel was always a darker show than Buffy, but still … even at its gloomiest, I remember laughing sometimes. That’s the beauty of a Whedon show — laugh a little, cry a little, care a lot about the characters as they battle certain doom. But in the last few issues, I can’t help but feel that the plot has overshadowed the characters.
Not thrilled with this issue for some reason, and I can’t quite figure out why. I’ve read it through a few times now, and although some things obviously DO happen, I still can’t shake the feeling that nothing really happens. Maybe it’s because after the finale of the big Angel vs Demon Champions showdown last issue, anything else was going to seem slow? Maybe it’s because I’m not all that thrilled with Nick Runge’s art, and wish Franco Urru was still drawing it?
So after all this time, it turns out the Loan Shark Demon is named “Bro’os”. Get it? Think Finding Nemo. Well played, Brian Lynch!
Season 1 of Angel has just been added to Hulu.com. All 22 episodes. Watch for free on your computer, with limited commercial interruptions …
“Seriously, whose guy is the T-Rex? Who brings a T-Rex to a vamp battle?” – Loan Shark Demon Lord