PeterDavid.net

For the moment?!

I can only hope it's for the moment. Lee's one of the most interesting characters I've read in a long time, and I'd love to hopefully see her background and what makes her tick. And Bette Noir is a town I hope I can visit again someday, because of all the tantalizing little bits that have been thrown out regarding the nature of the town and it's denizens.

Still, if one considers #18 as the finale and #19-20 as the epilogue, not a bad way to end it for now. The ending shows much promise for very interesting future storylines and I hope I get to see them. Thanks for the ride so far, PAD. Let's hope it's just a temporary rest-stop. (And not one on the Jersey Turnpike)

Goddamn brilliant. I am as invested about these characters as I ever have been in any fictional characters.

Now when in God's name do we get to find out what all these hints about the series' return mean. I need to read more Fallen Angel right now.

Well, as a final issue, it sucks, especially when compared to #18. But if Fallen Angel really is continuing, then I guess it's alright. It's a solid issue, not quite at Hurlyburly standards (which was fantastic), but still a good read. I like the revelation of Benny's true nature, as well as the idea of Lee and Mariah joining forces (that's a twist I didn't see coming). I was also surprised that Sachs and Violens look like they're going to be regular fixtures in Bete Noire, rather than just a guest appearance. Nice touch there.

I love the big reveal about Benny, and how Juris reveals it as if it's nothing important. Looking forward to seeing these characters again. Something this good will refuse to stay in Comic Book Limbo.

Or "The Dreaming" as the locals know it. Yeah, I'm sticking with that theory. I somehow doubt Enoch is around in any real world location after so long.

PAD, you missed a trick in #18 by not making Jude's wings made of fire (as a Linda hint/red herring). Eh, maybe he gets them from his dad.

Speaking of which, I wonder where Boxer's soul ended up...

Hell, no. The sooner the whole "Lee is Linda" argument dies the better. Besides, I think having them feathery angelic wings has a much better emotional impact that fiery ones.

I'm in denial that its over... please don't let it be over....

I love this series and hope it turns into DC equivalent of Spider Girl. A book that has had many issues published despite many attempts to cancel it. Anyway does anyone know if original Sacs and Violin mini will be collected in a Trade paperback for those of us that have no idea for the hell these two characters are but are intrigued to learn more?

So,when will we see the first issue of Volume Two?

I don't know what to say. It didn't feel like a last issue, more like DC cut it off prematurely. Not to short change your writing at all, it just felt incomplete. I had been following the series since the first issue and I am saddened to see that it's impending doom was inevitable. But thank you so much, you rocked my world.

1 If a Hypothetical other comic company were able to start Fallen Angel again with a new series would this hypothetical comic company be able to release hypothetical trade paperback collections of the DC material that hasnt been released in trade previously at this hypothetical new comic company?

[b]PAD, you missed a trick in #18 by not making Jude's wings made of fire (as a Linda hint/red herring).[/b]

I've long since given up on Lee being Linda. It seems to me that all of the circumstantial evidence -- "My name is L...," the loss of the baby -- points to her being Linda. The more concrete evidence, however -- the scars on her back, Jude in general -- point away. It seems to me that she has more in common with the Archangel Michael from JLA #5-8: an angel who came to Earth for love and then got screwed. That's probably much simpler then the real deal, but it's my theory.

I've developed a theory in the last couple months that the original idea that eventually became Fallen Angel came to PAD as The Adventures of Linda Danvers, but he realized that all he needed to do to give himself complete ownership of the concept was to take Linda out. He did so, but he threw in some red herrings for long-time fans. Remember that FA and it's cast is creator-owned, not corporate, and it doesn't get any more corporate then Supergirl, and thus, Linda Danvers. (I'm not saying anything bad about it -- I loved PAD's Supergirl. I'm just stating a fact about her ownership.) Last time the man created a weird, interesting town and a fascinating cast of complex characters around Linda, it got canned, and there was no way IDW (or another independent company) could publish a hypothetical continuation. If that goes for Supergirl, then it goes for That Chick Who Used to be Supergirl, too. So That Chick Who Used to be Supergirl became This Chick Who Didn't Used to be Supergirl But Sure Acts a Lot Like Her. Or Fallen Angel, for short.

I'm probably way off base, but that's my thinking.

By the way, I also loved the latest issue of SOULSEARCHERS AND COMPANY. Hey, people, start buying this book. It is always a blast and definitely brings a smile to one's face (with a couple of groans, too).

I haven`t got the last (hopefully really only for the moment!) issue yet and am looking forward to it with very mixed feelings.

But that is not only because it is so far, at least, the last one. I never read any comic with Sachs and Violens before and therefore I knew nothing about these people when I started reading. I was completely put off and saw nothing that made them likeable or at least interesting. They are crude and very much about sex and violence.

I don`t want to meet this couple again, also because they didn`t offer anything of importance, at least nothing I can see at the moment.

But the rest of the story was really good so that I am curious how things will end for now.

Really enjoyed issue #20, Peter. Sachs and Violens are fun characters and the ending was terrific. Can't wait to see what FA and Mariah do in the second volume.

I enjoyed it all right - the bit about Benny the Snake caught me wonderfully off-guard - although I had an awful time trying to find a copy (no surprise), and I can't say I got so much into Sachs and Violens. Maybe it's just that I never read the original stories, but the characters didn't hold my interest. Still, my fiancee and I are waiting with bated breath for news of a new series. :D

I liked it. A nice, fitting "ending," leaving it wide open for a second series. I've always liked Sachs & Violens, too, even though I was probably, technically, too young to read their series when it came out. Proudly, I have all four issues, plus the foil cover. Gotta love the variant-cover-crazy 90s.

So when is the book coming back? And who's gonna be drawing it? :)

This may seem a little off-topic, but I hope not entirely. PAD, given a history of leaving titles before you were done with them (Aquaman, Hulk, Captain Marvel, Supergirl), I would like to pose the following question: If you were allowed to stay on a book for as long as you wished, would you eventually reach a point where you decided that there were no more stories to tell and therefore leave, or would you continuously reinvent your characters and thus continuously renew the storytelling possibilities? If you never left Hulk and Aquaman and it were up to you, would you still be writing them today?

Sorry for the longwindedness.

Why "Benny the Snake"?

I could see "Louie the Snake", or "Billy" or "Pauly" but "Benny"?

-- Confused Ken from Chicago

P.S. I'm looking forward to IDW upcoming series picking up FALLEN ANGEL . . . soon. Please?

This was a fitting ending, but it didn't feel like a final issue. I did like the way in which the issue ended with Lee's final line of the series.

A few fun twists and turns in this issue that I didn't see coming. The connection between Bumper Ruggs and J.J. was very clever, and the reveal about Benny was very satisfying and makes perfect sense.

But I'm wondering...if this series were to continue, would Sachs and Violens become residents of Bete Noire, given the connection between Bumper and J.J. and the offer that Juris made to Ernie? I doubt that PAD would want the book to become Fallen Angel and Friends, so I doubt that Sachs and Violens would become supporting players in the series. Nevertheless, incorporating them into this world was very entertaining, and opens up possibilites for them to occasionally appear in the series, IF it continues.

Fingers crossed.

I enjoyed it.

I hope to see Bete Noire continue in some form. Maybe it could be the next Astro City or Sin City and do stories based around the other citizens of the city.

Eric

Decent issue, but not great. I liked seeing Sachs and Violens, since I got their limited series, but I thought the "resolution" was a bit contrived.
The possibility of Mariah and Lee teaming up was slightly interesting.
But overall, I just felt the issue suffered in comparison to issue #18 as a finale (for now).
Again, PAD, it is great you have such passion for this series. That is the primary reason I will be picking it up when it - theoretically - returns.

Loved the Perez covers for 19 & 20. FA was a fun ride and really enjoyed Sach & Violins in Bette Noir. Violins would Rock as the new Chief Enforcer. Please keep this series going somehow, somewhere.

I have to agree with the first commentator that #18 was a better ending for the series. That does not mean #20 was bad. You wish! Great, satisfying ending to a two-parter with some very, very nice twists in the story. And the art is as amazing as ever.

I hope this is not the last we hear from Lee and the rest of the cast. Keep it up, Peter!

I loved it.

I can only hope that Fallen Angel will be back soon in one form or another.

Regards:
Warren S. Jones III

I liked the issue a lot. My only question is whether Bumper Ruggs is the nun who threw the shard into the fire. I loaned my prior issues to a friend so I can't check whether her first appearance was before or after the shard incident, but I think it was after that, and that she is that nun. Was that previously revealed?

It was okay, not as good as 18, but okay.

I think part of my problem is that I was a hard-core Linda fan and when it became clear that Lee was not Linda, I began to lose interest.

So Sachs is Bumper Ruggs' sister? Interesting twist, but since this is the first time I've ever read anything with Sachs and Violens at all, not that interesting to me.

The sooner I see Lee again, the better. And hopefully you can expand on this particular Twilight Zone city. Or maybe it's a suburb of Straczynski's "City of Dreams." Or a sector of The Outer Limits. Or, to wind up on a funnier metaphor, that left turn after you travel through The Scary Door.

Great issue. As a "FINAL ISSUE", it doesn't have the poetic eloquence that #18 did, however, its a real interesting post-script and set up some neat possiblities of a new series. Love the idea of having Sachs and Violens just hangning out in Bette Noir. And Violens as the enforcer is a great idea --- the dude carries around bazkooas! Now THAT, kids, is how you do enforcing. None of this pansy waist boxing stuff. Boom! Blamo! Bazkooka joe, motherf*%&ers!!!

Sorry, I'm excited of the idea of basically having Rambo hanging out all the time. That would rule.

I liked it, Peter. I recommend miniseries in the future to either tie up loose ends or begin new threads. But PLEASE...get a different artist. With all due respect to the artists, I don't think they're the best ones to represent your work, and that the book suffered because while they were ok, they weren't much better than that.

Bumper Ruggs first appeared in #1, Steve. So they're two different nuns.

I got involed with FA late but I picked up some back issues and the trade. I totally love this book and can't wait for it to come back.

You really know how to write sad finales, Peter. The last issue of Captain Marvel was heartbreaking, and the last panel of the Fallen Angel finale is, in light of its cancellation, also strangely sad and poignant.

Peter,

A question;

Was the blurb in the DC event page giving you their blessing to shop the franchise around, or a promise to bring it back in some form? In the DC Comics Encyclopedia, Fallen Angel is a referenced character.

As to Lee as Linda; either it was her or Zauriel has gone through alot of changes.

David

Now this is one comic I'm going to miss, and I hope they bring it back in some form someday. I'd even buy a trade because it's a story I can pass on to others to show how good comics can be.

I know you get a lot of flack from the comic book snoba about your brand of humor - which I personally like and it makes me think that if you had been born 30 or 40 years earlier your name would be on classics like Horse Features or Duck Soup. Your good at them so I don't see the problem with doing what one's good at.

But to all those critic I point to Fallen Angel as one of the reason why you walk amongst the comic high lords, and why when your name is one a book it gets attention, you're earned it.

I've heard/read (I keep thinking I'm "hearing people talk" when I read message boards - I've been on the internet WAY too long) rumors that you might continue the story in independant format. I hope so. I'll put it on my pull list if you do and pre-order it if you let the secret slip out (nudge-nudge, wink, wink.) Any book that get's away with adding a Grocho Marx quote so smoothly deserve's to exist.

Sorry for the delay -- I'm a little behind in my reading.

You did your usual bangup job on this final issue, from staying the course in consistantly confounding expectations, to providing some dark laughs. I thought it worked great as an ending -- I mean, no one complains about "Casablanca" being abruptly truncated, do they? IF Fallen Angel were to end here I'd feel pretty satisfied with that ending.

And, yet, that "this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" panel really DOES hold the tantalizing possibility of more to come. CAN Lee and Mariah take Juris down before they kill each other? I -- for one -- would like to find out.

I just read the so far last issue: I enjoyed it a lot. Oh, I will miss this series!

I even started to like Sachs and Violens, which is something I definitely didn`t expect to happen. Some of the scenes were pretty funny. Maybe having them around in more FAllen Angel won`t be so bad after all.

I was disappointed, but only because 18 was such a good ending to the run, and 19-20 were just another regular issue. Which is to say, they were great, but not a good way to end a run.

Which supports the idea that maybe this isn't the end of the run...

It kinda feels like season 6 of Buffy. Season 5, with Buffy's sacrifice and death, was such a perfect way to end...well, maybe a really depressing way to end, but it was a great ending. Then it got picked up for another season, and it just seemed...like you were prying. Like you had seen all that you were meant to see, and now you were invading someone's private life.

This is wayyyyy late in the game, but I'm wondering if the 2 panels when Lee had the gun pointed to her head were a reference of something. I'm thinking Taxi Driver (panels shad a end-of-the-movie Travis Bickle vibe) or its another Casablanca reference that flew over my head.

I think you [i]need to make more of them[/i]!!!!

Seriously, I'm one of those guys who grabbed [i]Supergirl #1[/i] because it was an off-shoot of the [i]Superman[/i] titles, and for no other reason. Within a year, the only [i]Super[/i] book I was reading was yours. Then it ended, all of the sudden, in a rush and push. Then [i]Fallen Angel[/i] started and I thought, this is it, this is the next logical step of the character! Whether Lee is or isn't Linda is a pointless debate. Regardless of the name, you're clearly exploring where the character would have gone, if she'd continued. And how [i]that[/i] book is dead, too! Oh, the pain... You keep saying things like "for the moment" and ending the book with a reference to "all the time in the world." DON'T SCREW WITH US! Are you publishign this through Image? Wildstorm? Puppet shows? Help us out, man.