20. Angel: After the Fall, Vol. 1

Angel: After the Fall, Volume One by Joss Whedon & Brian Lynch. Illustrated by Franco Urru (Canada) -(US)
Angel: After the Fall series

Pages: 192
Ages: 18+
Finished: Feb. 4, 2010
First Published: Aug. 4, 2008
Genre: graphic novel, paranormal
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

It all started with a girl.

Acquired: Bought and own a copy.

Reason for Reading: I love "Angel" to the nth degree!

Comments: I usually start my reviews with a brief summary but I can't with this book which picks up some time after the fight at the end of Season 5 of the television series Angel. The show ended with the end of the world and "the gang" taking on an epic battle against a horde of demons, including a dragon, which the viewer would assume continued until the bitter end. Well things are not exactly as they seem and the first five comics gathered here contain shocker after shocker about pretty much everything, especially about each individual member of the cast. And everybody is present and accounted for, except of course for dear Cordy. But we do have the return of three characters who had limited story lines in the show Groosalugg (from Pylea), Nina (the werewolf girl) and Gwen (the electricity girl).

This is a perfect continuation of Angel. I am completely satisfied with the direction that has been taken. The characters retain their sense of voice from the show. You can hear the actor's voices in your head, the humour and sarcasm, plus the interaction between the various characters is all perfect. The artwork is delicious. It is aptly dark and broody but the use of colour has been wisely placed to make a stunning book to just look at.

My book doesn't have a rating on it but I'd assume the comics were rated Teen. There is the typical violence of the TV show, that is the slaying of demons and beasts, nothing that would deserve a Mature rating. There are a few bits of language that wouldn't have made the show but nothing terribly profane or frequent. The only thing that could be of concern is the plenitude of women in barely there thong bikinis or bikini-like costumes, shown from various scintillating points of view.

The book itself has bonuses. I have the hardcover which comes with a ribbon bookmark (fancy shmancy!). The book starts with a note from Brian Lynch, then once the five volumes are over there is an art gallery which includes the covers of the comic books, artwork by various artists and photos of Angel and Spike. Next comes the original proposals for each of the five volumes, these are textual short stories and not exactly how the finished comics turned out. Then comes a Sketch Gallery by Franco Urro and finally the book ends with an annotated script of chapter one. I actually read through the annotations right after reading chapter one and gained a lot of insight before continuing on with the story.

If you have watched all five seasons then you must continue on with the story by reading this and be prepared to be shocked over and over as each chapter ends with a stunner. I can't wait to read the next one!