It's an IDW kind of week. Part 4 of the five part intro storyline for our angelic heroine, and issue 2 of everyone's favorite vampire and his decades-spanning rivalry with the vamp lord. Whad'ja think?
PAD
(Updated: I'd been under the impression I'd opened up an X-Factor #5 thread previously. Apparently not. So you can comment on that here as well.)
Posted by Peter David at March 30, 2006 12:14 AM | TrackBack | Other blogs commentingI just read Spike Vs. Dracula, and thought it was just spiffy. In fact, it would have made a great flashback episode - this is the sort of thing that makes me really wish they could make a Spike series someday. The Surprise Ending fun too. Great work!
(Um... I meant a Spike series on TV - obviously we've already got comics!)
Spike Vs. Dracula #2 was a fun read, though I liked issue #1 better - it made me laugh out loud a couple times.
Fallen Angel was great as usual. The final scene was just fantastic.
Somehow, I got "Fallen Angel" #3 and #4 together. I enjoyed both books, but read together, the story seems to be burrowing inwards to the main characters of the series. This is almost expected for those people who've been reading the series for a while, but to newcomers it might seem to be just another soap opera. I hope that there will be some external menace that Lee will have to confront, in addition to her own psychoses and situations. To put it simply, it's time she kicked butt...and not any of the ones belonging to her regular cast.
"I hope that there will be some external menace that Lee will have to confront, in addition to her own psychoses and situations. To put it simply, it's time she kicked butt...and not any of the ones belonging to her regular cast."
Geez Louise, dude, she not only slugged it out with Malachi (who, having showed up for the first time four issues ago, could hardly be considered "belonging to her regular cast") but in flashback she incinerated a guy and then dropped a statue on him. How much more butt need be kicked?
PAD
I think it's clear that nobody will be satisfied until she's taken on the Justice League. Hop to it.
No X-Factor #5 thread?
[BTW PAD, you misspelled my name on the letters page of XF5. GeraRd, no l :(]
FA #4. Maybe it's the art, still growing on me, but I wasn't KOed by it. Not sure why I expect to be. Could be I'm just worn out (we rearranged our entire little condo this month, so I'm short on the recreation/rest). Maybe I'm more in the Doesn't Mind Mysterious Characters camp, but getting all the flashbacks on Lee's history is not bringing the happy to me.
Maybe it's because I'm missing Dolf, Benny, even Boxer (yeah, I know I shouldn't expect to see more of him any time soon). It seems like this FA isn't the same FA that sucked my back into comics.
"Maybe I'm more in the Doesn't Mind Mysterious Characters camp, but getting all the flashbacks on Lee's history is not bringing the happy to me."
Well, that puts me squarely into the "damned if you do, damned if you don't" department. There were all the readers who bitched endlessly about not knowing her background. In fact, during the DC run, there were fans who announced, "It's issue #2 and we still don't know her background. I'm out of here." These, of course, being the same people who had no problem with nothing more than vague hints about Wolverine's background for thirty years.
So I reveal her origin and there are readers who don't like that either.
"Maybe it's because I'm missing Dolf, Benny, even Boxer (yeah, I know I shouldn't expect to see more of him any time soon)."
Dolf and Benny were in issue #1, #2, and will be in #5. Boxer's dead. Not coming back. In this series, dead means dead and stays dead. I don't rule out flashback sequences, but otherwise, no.
"It seems like this FA isn't the same FA that sucked me back into comics."
Personally, I think it's better. How people can not be riveted by that last page, I can't even begin to guess.
Next issue the Fallen Angel explains what God's plan is and why bad things happen to good people, in case anyone wants to find out.
PAD
Hey, I haven't given up just yet. :) And the whole Holly flashbacks have been riviting. I'm partly trying to figure out for myself why I don't seem as into the IDW run was I was the DC run. I might just be getting caught up on the art. It's good. It just doesn't feel like FA to me. Like when your favorite soap actor gets replaced. It's the same character, and with the same writers, it even sounds like the same character. But there's a transition that marks a difference between the two actors, and not everyone gets carried over. I think once this arc finishes, and maybe after the next one starts, I should be able to get over my little hitches.
PAD, please don't think I'm not enjoying the run. Just not as much as the first 20 issues. Yet.
Next issue the Fallen Angel explains what God's plan is and why bad things happen to good people, in case anyone wants to find out.
Just so typical. How can you expect us to be interested in that pointless squak? You're completely ignoring Satan and the Garden myth and it's issue four!@#! I'm outta here!
On a serious tip - Enjoying the new series. I don't always love the painted style in general but here I think it works great.
Just wanted to drop a small line about the villain from the book. It's not often that I am genuinely frightened when reading a comic book, but while Syryn was sitting front row center in his show of torture and pain I was in the back row hoping he didn't hear the squeak of my sneakers as I cowered, waiting for a chance to be up and out. Amazing, and thanks.
Nathan Armson
Reader of your Stuff.
"Next issue the Fallen Angel explains what God's plan is and why bad things happen to good people, in case anyone wants to find out."
Well you've hooked me PAD, and I dropped the original series from issue 4 though around 14 because of Lee's abortion comment. You wrote to me and explained what the rationale was so I gave it another shot, I really look forward to it now and I think it's because I don't have to try and figure out how everything that happens are clues to her being Supergirl. If that was a marketing idea to attract Supergirl fans it was a mistake. Fallen Angel should always have stood on its own merits, not on some insiders' comic game.
Oh and this: "These, of course, being the same people who had no problem with nothing more than vague hints about Wolverine's background for thirty years."
Are they really the same people?? Are you taking names? It's possible, I think, that there are two entirely different sets of readers.
On another subject: When are you going to write about the last few episode of the West Wing? I thought the whole "Santos lost his briefcase and what Vinick presumed he knew" was really intriguing. Santos had mentioned his low-life brother previously.
George
I am not usually one to wait for the trade, but I am doing so for Fallen Angel.
WARNING! POSSIBLE SPOILER IN NEXT (X-FACTOR) COMMENT.
Nice cover on the latest issue of X-Factor, but I think it would possibly have made a good cover for the issue where Siryn finds out about the death of Banshee.
SPOILER DONE.
In the case of X-Factor, I am buying the monthly issues, but I do have to ask if this latest issue will be the end of the first trade or the beginning of the second?
Put me down as one of those who enjoy the current run of FALLEN ANGEL even more than the DC run. I am enjoying the flashbacks that reveal the origin of Lee and I love the painted artwork.
As for your Spike miniseries, I love it. Damn, if they ever bring back Spike for his own tv series, you need to be on the writing staff. It is so much fun to read. While I find the art to be only adequate, your writing makes it a must read for any fans of the character.
Anyone who is not enjoying this Fallen Angel MORE than the DC run is, quite frankly, smoking Crack!
The flashbacks, the art, the storyline it's all good.
Carry on PAD!
I have been collecting FALLEN ANGEL since issue #3 of the DC series. I am happy to report i got another fan started who RARELY buys/reads comics (or books for that matter). It may not mean much as it is my husband to most of the fan community, but since he is so picky on what he will read, especially where comics are concerned, i am very happy and wish to pass on my thanks to Peter David.
I had left issue #1 and #3 of the 2nd series out on the coffee table in preparation to putting them away in the long comic boxes. While taking care of said kids, my husband went to the table to remove them before the kids found them and got attracted by the painted covers and decided to take a look at the interior art and then next thing i knew he had me pulling out all the DC issues and #2 of the second series as he got hooked just by those two. He read all of them in 2 hours. No interruptions. If you knew my husband, you would realize how cool that was to see. Now the only complaint i have is that he is bugging me for the next issue and complaining that comics like FALLEN ANGEL should be more frequent...like weekly. (If you think this is bad, you should have heard him after he realized that there was no more FIREFLY after watching the DVD set and the movie Serenity.) He read the SPIKE VS. DRACULA #1 (haven't got #2 yet) because the same writer who wrote FALLEN ANGEL wrote it and he said that Mr. David was one of the few comic writers who actually "got" Spike in his opinion.
Anyway, i just wanted to say thanks PAD for getting my husband hooked on reading again. He of course is impatient for the next issue which i am off to get later today.
I'm really surprised that so few people are talking about what is, to me, the best issue of X-factor so far! I'm so glad this book isn't going away and. while I'm looking forward to Olivetti's work on 7, I'm glad we're going to have 1 artist on 8-12. Dark, moody, dangerous, I wouldn't mind the whole series going in this direction.
Also, referrign to apost above, PAD, do you think we'll ever see a return to non-pinup style covers?
I used to like being able to know whats in a book by it's cover.
the spike series is the best buffy/angel type comic ive ever read it makes me sad you wont get to write more
I guess I'm in the crack-smoking, Doesn't Mind Mysterious Characters, "DC series was better" camp. Sure, the art is pretty, but there's less humor, less "noir," less of an ensemble feel to the cast, and, above all, less mystery. But my main problem is that I've always been bored by any story dealing with mythology, whether it be Greek, Roman, or Judeo-Christian (the exception being Walter Simonson's work on Thor). Sure, the series has always flirted around with biblical allusions, but now that it's been confirmed that the title is indeed meant to be taken literally, I find myself losing interest. That's not to say that it's not a well-produced comic, it's just... not my thing.
I liked the continuation of Lee's origin in Fallen Angel, and updated the Wikipedia article on her to reflect it.
I missed the Spike miniseries because I didn't realize it was out, but maye I'll track down the issues. :-)
Oh, and I almost forgot: Was I the only one who liked the color on the cover of FA #4? Really nice and vibrant. :-)
Wow. I think it's the best issue so far. The last panel was incredible. And Malachi working for the Heirarchy and lying to Lee... incredible stuff. I can't wait to see the next issue!
Peter: Just wanted to let you know that I'm really enjoying the SPIKE VS. DRACULA mini-series, especially this latest issue. Great punchline, too. (I admit I didn't see that coming.)
Looking forward to seeing where you're going with this next . . . .
Our friendly neighborhood comic shop sold out of SPIKE VS. DRACULA #2 before I could get a hold of it; I'll have to wait for more copies to come it. However, I did read X-FACTOR #5 last week. It's great that you are including, not only a lettercol, but also starting with a "what has gone before" page. Although, (SPOILER) if you are going to mention Siryn being brutally assaulted by an unknown assailant, do you really what to name her attacker just two paragraphs earlier? (END OF SPOILER).
FALLEN ANGEL is moving right along. Both my wife and I are reading this; I'm just not completely happy with IDW's printing quality (or price).
There aren't many 32 page comics with cover prices of $3.99 that I will buy new. In fact, there is only one. I loved the DC version of Fallen Angel, and I love the IDW version too. I hope lots more readers discover (and buy) FA, because I want this comic to continue so I can keep reading it.
I'm also greatly enjoying your new run on X-Factor. (Why isn't Marvel offering subscriptions on this series yet?)
PS: I haven't posted here in quite a while, so was delighted to find that the Preview button still has no effect whatsoever except to use up a minute re-loading the page. If the Preview button ever actually results in a preview of one's post, I fear the end of the world will be night.
"I fear the end of the world will be night." Well, yes, that too, but what I actually meant to write was "... will be nigh."
Haven't read the Spike book yet but both Fallen Angel and X-Factor are great, fun reads. I too am enjoying Fallen Angel more now than I did at DC. As for X-Factor I think it is what we all wish X-Men would be on a regular basis. It's excellent. The biggest and most appropriate thing to say , I feel, is thanks PAD. Just thanks for giving me some fun this week.
Michael
The Boss responded to me:
"Geez Louise, dude, she not only slugged it out with Malachi (who, having showed up for the first time four issues ago, could hardly be considered "belonging to her regular cast") but in flashback she incinerated a guy and then dropped a statue on him. How much more butt need be kicked?"
Okay, point taken. What bothers me is that all of this butt-kicking has to do with her. (Her son's fate seems to be secondary to her; she got drunk, a most introspective and conceited thing to do when there's work to be done.) It is good to know exactly why she is damned, but any moderately sophisticated reader knows that she can't be un-damned without ending the series. There's nothing that Lee or anyone can do to improve her situation. So the only thing she can do is try to improve the situation of others.
In other words, I'm waiting to see if she can save any one else from descending to her fate or worse (beginning with her son), and to see exactly what price she will pay for being so heroic. Anything else she does, like revisiting her past and flagellating herself over it, just seems like marking time to me.
Dammit, PAD... You're making me feel like a comic uber-geek for falling for your characters.
Granted, the first one was because the way CC drew Marlo made me yearn for a cold shower, but with Lee...
The more I learn about her, the more I get drawn into the story. Every little nuance that made us wonder if she was somehow punishing herself now makes perfect sense, and damned if it doesn't make me want to reach out to her as if she was a normal, flesh and blood human. I have to love the irony of how she's supposed to be so detached from us, yet she's more "human" than most of the people in that city.
I always cared about Lee as a character up to now, but these last two issues have made me care about her as a *person". Well done, PAD. Keep writing and I'll keep reading.
Hey Peter,
This is just a general comment. I am enjoying the hell out of X-Factor. Issue #5 is my favourite issue, thus far. I'm wondering how long Dennis Calero will be drawing this book, because I think he's doing a fantastic job taking over the art chores from Ryan Sook.
All the best
"Well, that puts me squarely into the "damned if you do, damned if you don't" department. There were all the readers who bitched endlessly about not knowing her background."
Fallen Angel:
During the DC run, I was satisfied just thinking of her as Supergirl. (Was she, at the time, and this is a new origin?)
During the IDW run, I'm glad to see her origin. I think you won both ways.
But, the origin? A child-killer, caught by the police, freed on a technicality, then burned to death by angry vigilantism?
I'm trying to guess a little more about him:
Was he the bastard son of a hundred maniacs? Will he come back to haunt the children where they're most vulnerable--in their dreams?
Oh, and I love the painted artwork on the new series. I was never a huge fan of the line art in the DC.
PAD doing Spike Vs. Dracula? I have -got- to pick up that trade.
I stopped posting here about a year ago just because my life took over, but I really felt I speak up now. I love Fallen Angel. It's my first comic (and the only one I actually follow), and I've found it compelling and beautiful and fascinating. I started collecting at about #4 of the DC run, getting the first four all at once, and sometimes going to great lengths to actually get to the issues (because I was at school, and didn't really have easy access to a comic book store). What I want to convey is that I feel a great loyalty to this book, and can't imagine not reading it.
I agree with the people who liked the DC run better, though. And I don't know why, and it scares me because I'm afraid I'll stop loving it enough to keep buying it. I wish I knew what it was, because if I did, then I could suck it up and get over it. Maybe I just don't like change, even though I definitely like IDW's support of Fallen Angel much, much better. I think I agree about how the art can seem static, but I haven't seen a lot of comic book art. The old style of art on Fallen Angel was kind of the one I started on. (It's like starting on TOS. All my contemporaries might like TNG better because that's what they grew up with, but I was living overseas, and TOS reruns were all we had. And I know it's not perfect, but I have a soft spot for it.)
I'm still waiting for the next arc to see whether the narrative style has changed a lot. In a way, this first arc is still so much exposition for new readers and to catch us up to the new situation. It's been a couple of decades, the characters have changed or at least shifted a little. How can it be anything but difficult for us to adjust to these new versions? I miss being able to admire most of the characters despite their darkness, even if that was only possible because aspects of their natures and stories were hidden. I miss having a little crush on Juris and a little crush on Lee. I see these bitter, bitter, brutish expressions on their faces, and I recoil from them. Even the younger characters--Jude, for instance, who, from what we know so far, doesn't have nearly as much reason as the rest to be like that, even if he is angry--are like that in this new Fallen Angel. I miss the humor.
But, for all I know, there is a reason for it all, and you, PAD, will reveal to us all a plan that'll make it all right. I shouldn't really presume to tell you how you should write your work. You've done such a wonderful job, and like you said, you can't please everybody, and it's not like I could do anything like what you do. So, I'm looking forward to see where FA goes next.
The IDW FALLEN ANGEL run has been fantastic, as was the DC run. Still, I can understand that some folks are having a hard time making the transition -- be it for the new art style or the current storyline. We're all different, after all, with unique tastes, etc., and sometimes change is tough. And sometimes we just aren't getting what we were hoping to get. Personally, I love what I've been reading and seeing in the IDW run, but that's me. I respect others who feel differently.
But, man oh man, I don't know how anyone can disagree with me when I say that the last page of FA #4 was simply one of the most beautiful moments of comic book art and storytelling in a long, long time. There were no words on the page -- no word balloons, no captions. And, man, they were not necessary. Seriously, when I turned to that page, I got goosebumps.
Damn fine show, PAD and JKW.
Tom Waltz
To Floridafrank about pin-up covers: I don't know whether you actually look at covers in the store, but there are tons of Marvel books that have dropped the entire pin-up deal. And X-Factor itself has had at least 2 covers that depict scenes in the book or are related to the story inside.
As for FA, loved the DC series, don't really feel like spending 4 bucks on the IDW one though. If it had been the same artistic team, yeah, maybe, but now it feels like just too much. If they offer a trade, I'll buy that one, it being a superior product. If not, oh well :)
I didn't like X-Factor #5 too much. It was solid but it was trying a bit too hard at times to be clever (what comes off as natural for Alan Moore doesn't necessarily have the same effect with others for some reason) and I thought the focus was a bit too narrow. Still a good book, but it's been better. I can take or leave Calero, it's the inker that does it for me. Wade does a fine job.
Fallen Angel, Twenty Years Later - I'm enjoying the series, as I did the DC one beforehand, and am thankful for every new issue I get my hands on (it's not often a cancelled series I loved gets a second chance at life!). However, the thing about this initial story arc that is diminishing my enjoyment somewhat is that it's an origin story that definitively breaks the connection between Lee & Linda. Can't be helped, I know, and it's a minor quibble really, but I must admit that I'm more excited about the present day adventures continuing rather than the flashbacks we're getting right now. I am looking forward to #5 and am very happy that #6 is actually #6 rather than a new #1.
"But, man oh man, I don't know how anyone can disagree with me when I say that the last page of FA #4 was simply one of the most beautiful moments of comic book art and storytelling in a long, long time. There were no words on the page -- no word balloons, no captions. And, man, they were not necessary. Seriously, when I turned to that page, I got goosebumps."
I've gone back to #4 a couple times now, and I picked up one of the reasons why it wasn't gelling with me like it seems it was with others. See, during that last couple panels, I thought it was JUDE telling LEE he hated her. My mistake...clearly, it's LEE telling JUDE how much she hates him, which of course ramps up the emotion of the final panel. You can almost hear the violens building to a crescendo during that splash scene, followed by the black screen "To Be Concluded...."
Of course, the parallels to Holly explained during this arc make a ton more sense now.
Suffice to say that, after a couple re-reads, I'm totally hooked. I'll get over the art.
Bobb said: "I've gone back to #4 a couple times now, and I picked up one of the reasons why it wasn't gelling with me like it seems it was with others. See, during that last couple panels, I thought it was JUDE telling LEE he hated her. My mistake...clearly, it's LEE telling JUDE how much she hates him, which of course ramps up the emotion of the final panel. You can almost hear the violens building to a crescendo during that splash scene, followed by the black screen 'To Be Concluded....' "
**FA #4 SPOILER**
Hey, Bobb, like you I went back and re-read the issue and I have to say that I now wonder if Lee was telling Jude she hated him, or if she was actually saying it to The Boss (God)... or maybe even to herself. After all, she says, "God, I hate you..." In her case, that could mean so many things. Great writing, PAD.
Oh, and it actually says, "To be conlcuded..." on that fantastic last page. Maybe that's one of them new teenaged internet spellings.
:-)
(Sorry, couldn't resist.)
As I said before, great FA issue. Can't wait to get my hands on number 5.
Tom Waltz
Tom, I had the same thoughts. Which I spent about 30 seconds on. A single panel. Just thinking about all the different meanings that one little phrase can have.
Totally. Great. Writing.
I still could have done without the origin reveal, although I see now it's critical for the story. It could have progressed without it, but we'd be missing some subtext to Lee's reaction. Granted, I now want to see what happened when Lee was first found...how do you explain a naked woman with scars on her back in the middle of a smoking crater in the desert?
PAD,
RE: X-Factor
I don't get it. I think you are so out of it politically, but I find myself really enjoying X-Factor. I like it better than any of your other stuff. I think it is because of the team dynamics and how you play them off of each other, combined with how you build on their mutant powers.
This episode was good. I continue to love Layla (sp?). I never read House of M so she is fun and has no baggage for me.
I said this elsewhere (I think on FNS thread), but this series has had a clear goal and direction from the start. I feel like it is not the typical superhero soap opera (which gets old quickly -- let's see, we need tension so let's break up Peter and MJ again) but instead is a mystery. While that tends to be your strength, it is best displayed in this particular book. It was a stroke of brilliance to set X-Factor in a detective agency type setting.
Minor spoiler warning: Don't read if you don't want to know.
I am curious about the previews saying Quicksilver will be possibly joining. I liked him in your previous run, but like this version far better. I trust you have a reason, but could care less right now whether he stays or goes. That said, if you are exploring "what happened," it is inevitable that he would have to be a part of this series.
As I said from the first issue, this is the type of PAD story I like best. So until Madrox wakes up and realizes this has all been an illusion from the right wing republican dimension, I am with you.
Iowa Jim
"So until Madrox wakes up and realizes this has all been an illusion from the right wing republican dimension, I am with you."
You forgot that it would be the "evil right wing republican dimension." ;P
Jim, you and PAD could be the poster children for the "hate/like the game, not the playa" poster. Although I'm always surprised when people say "I disagree with you on X...but I'm surprised when your art doesn't reflect your opinions." It's fiction, fantasy, made up stories. Sure, it can include the creator's personal views, and is probably influenced by them. But it's not like they're incapable of presenting views they may disagree with in a realistic fashion. Or keeping their views totally out of their work. Look at actors. According to rumor, half of Hollywood is homosexual. Yet you can't tell from their collective body of work. Sir Ian McClellan publicly calls himself an Old Queen, yet his Gandalf is one of the straightest wizards ever to wear the pointy hat.
Bobb,
You have a point. But let me be clear that I don't in any way hate PAD (nor do I think he hates me).
It is hard when you see someone who (in your opinion) thinks clearly in one area, and yet totally disagrees with you in another. That is life, and it is important to realize that because I disagree with PAD in some areas does not mean he is wrong in every area.
Fundamentally, though, if you have deeply held values, they do bleed into your work. I think PAD would do a great job portraying an honest picture of a conservative Christian in a book or comic if he so desired. However, when I look at the themes behind the stories, when I look at the values that are consistently portrayed, I can quickly see where we differ.
This is NOT a republican versus democrat issue. This is not a "I'm moral and PAD's not" issue. It is rather an honest evaluation of fundamental world views. If I believe there is a sovereign God in the universe who gives life, that will impact my view on things. If I see life as coming from random chance (and it really doesn't matter whether or not God exists), then that also will impact my view on things. That does not mean we will always disagree or that one or the other will lack morality. But the very foundations on which a view of morality is built does matter.
For example, here is my personal interpretation of PAD's work. I see a fundamental difference in how he would portray redemption and how I would portray it. That is not a criticism, nor is it to say we are completely at odds. But I have read enough PAD to know we approach certain fundamental issues of human nature and development differently. I can step out of my view and see it from his and enjoy his work, but I do not see it as being true to fundamental reality. Not to put words in his mouth, but I would guess that PAD could understand the concept of my view of things but reject my view as being true to reality.
Why say all this? Because it is more than one character being honestly portrayed. I look at the bigger picture of good and evil. I suspect I am a lot more black and white than PAD. I enjoy and respect PAD's ablity to write. I also respect the fact that in his writing, he is portraying a view of reality (and I think it is intentional -- he is too good a writer for it not to be so). So our differences are far more than for whom we vote for president.
Iowa Jim
Bobb said: "...how do you explain a naked woman with scars on her back in the middle of a smoking crater in the desert?"
Blame it on Al Qaeda. :)
Tom Waltz
Actually issues 6 and 7 do indeed reveal what happened after Liandra crashed to earth, as show in issue 4.
PAD
I am loving current furn of FA. I love the artwork and the current storyline. I joined the DC version about halfway through so it was kinda rough to follow until I got the tpbs. I am enjoying the flashbacks and can't wait to see FA is taken.
>So I reveal her origin and there are readers who don't like that either.
Put me in the 'both worked' camp.
> but any moderately sophisticated reader knows that she can't be un-damned without ending the series.
I wouldn't bet the mortgage on that. Peter David is nothing is not resourceful and good at throwing in twists one would never expect, only to subsequently blink and admit it made perfect sense all along.
I am, however also in the camp of those who hope most of the regulars from the DC version will still be around in some form or other. Though I am delighted that there is a "dead means dead" philosophy to the book. A nice change from the usual comic books where it just means giving the writers something to think about in terms of figuring out how the character spent 100 karma points (obscure Marvel Universe RPG reference) and weren't dead after all.
To Peter the poster Not Pad,
Calero is inking himself. So I guess then you like him.
Well, it looks like I may have missed, for now, Spike/Dracula #2 and X-Factor #5. But I did get, and was very impressed with, Fallen Angel #4 (and yes, that IS a nice cover).
It was a bit of a shift initially, going from being given litlle bits and hints during the DC run, to the huge, consisten revelations here. But it has been very good, and interesting, learning the truth about Lee (even if it has meant, of course, the end of any of our imaginings of a connection to Linda/Supergirl); and I'm very curious to see what mental state Lee will be in, and what direction she'll be headed, after the end of this arc.
A few highlights of the issue, and questions raised:
Page 1: "Liandra, do you have any idea how LONG you've been here?" "Couple days... a week..." "A year and a half."
MALACHI was the killer's guardian angel? (And does this imply anything about the quality of his guardianship?)
"Oh. Wait. I CAN!" and the panel, one page later, with the statue of Lady Justice collapsed on Newsome's body, wings snapped off.
And what about the storm, which seemed to almost deliberately knock Jude from Juris' boat, and back to Lee? Hm, I wonder who could be behind that...?
Oh, and Lee's "Will you please stop shaking me" line, third panel of page 21 - if I keep looking at the issue, this post could go on and on, I suspect. Let me just sum up by saying - thank you for another great read, Mr. David. Can't wait for the next issue!
I get my comics by mail every two to three weeks, so I just got Spike vs. Dracula #2.
Peter, I've been a fan of your work for longer than I care to think about, but I think this may be one of my most favorite books you've ever written.
Oh, I figured out who "Eddie" was right away -- even before I read the name Eddie -- 'cause I'm a big ol' geek for the biopic about him, which I've seen maybe a dozen times. And you tied into that so perfectly, all the while remaining tru to the Spike and Dru we know and love from Buffy and Angel.
Seriously, Dru's line about Lugosi reminding her of her daddy was absolute freaking genius when you pause to consider the metatextual significance of it.
Outstanding stuff, sir.
Oh, yeah, and I'm still loving Fallen Angel and X-Factor, too, of course. But SvsD #2 just really hit the spot!
"Seriously, Dru's line about Lugosi reminding her of her daddy was absolute freaking genius when you pause to consider the metatextual significance of it."
Yeah, that pretty much went past everybody. Drusilla, who was played by Juliet Landau, said that Lugosi reminded her of her father, and Juliet Landau's father, Martin Landau, played Bela Lugosi in the movie "Ed Wood," which also featured Juliet Landau, and Ed Wood was in the comic "Spike vs. Dracula" as a character. So it all wraps around.
PAD
Just wanted to say that I LOVE Fallen Angel - have from the beginning. I liked the possible Supergirl references but Lee has been made into a fantasmic character all by herself. My only extremely minor compliant thus far in the IDW run is that Asia hasn't made a return yet. He was by far my favorite supporting character. =) can we expect something with him in it soon?
I'm very late in the game to comment on this, of course. I enjoyed Fallen Angel, like I always do.
X-Factor #5 I did't particularly enjoy, and I'm *really* trying to give this book a chance because 1) I usually love your writing and 2) the book contains characters to whom I have a longstanding attachment.
Nothing happened to enrich or round out characterization for any of the characters involved in XF #5. That's how I feel in a nutshell. The whole thing seemed fairly pointless to me.
Sincerely,
Annie
San Francisco
a too late comment about the issue of DC vs. IDW Fallen angel:
In the DC series Lee main characteristics was cool (if biiter) and tough. In the beginning of this series we find her in poor shape, depressed and relatively weak. It is like some seasons of Buffy (usually in the beginning and in the end) in which we find her more depressed and apparently less capable of facing the threats before her. You keep waiting for the moment she'll be back in form and really kick ass (which she eventually does). I think it is a good plot device. But in Buffy, even if the season's first chapter had her depressed and weak, she still had a chance in the same chapter to show her cool and toogh character. In the new Fallen Angel it took longer.
Beyond that the pacing of the story is slower. This has two causes. One is the fact that what we have now is a long exposition (+ flashbacks). The other is that the current art has a more static feel to it (at least in the first two issues).
these are the reasons for the different feel of the story. I admit I enjoyed issues 1 and 2 less, but by issues 3 and 4 things were picking up, and I'm looking forward what will come next.
PAD seems to have taken a different approach and pacing in teling the story in this arc than in the DC series. As a result of that the immediate feel of the series at the beginning was different. I hope it works out in the long run.