Angel: After the Fall
Angel: After the Fall, also known as Angel: Season 6, is a comic book published by IDW Publishing. Written by Brian Lynch and plotted with Joss Whedon, the series is a canonical continuation of the Angel television series, and follows the events of that show's final season.[1][2] Angel: After the Fall was prompted by IDW Publishing and Joss Whedon after the success of Dark Horse Comics' Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight which is the official comic continuation of Angel's mothershow, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Angel: After the Fall sees the heroic vampire, Angel, coping with the apocalyptic aftermath of the television series after he took over and subsequently betrayed the demonic law firm, Wolfram & Hart. The city of Los Angeles has since been sent to hell by Wolfram & Hart as a result of Angel's actions. The series follows his attempts to rescue the people he has sworn to protect. The first issue was released on November 21, 2007.
Angel: After the Fall
Monthly
Limited series (#1–17)
Spin-off ongoing series (#18–44)
November 2007 – April 2011
44
Brian Lynch with Joss Whedon (#1–17)
Kelley Armstrong (#18–22)
Brian Lynch (#23–27)
Bill Willingham (#28–38)
David Tischman and Mariah Huehner (#39–44)
Franco Urru (#1–5, 15–17, 23–25)
Nick Runge (#9–12)
Stephen Mooney (#12–14, 26–27)
Dave Ross (#18–22)
Brian Denham (#28–32)
Elena Casagrande (#33–44)
Originally intended as a 12-issue limited series, After the Fall expanded into a 17-issue Angel series. After the Fall was then followed by an ongoing series, with rotating writers and artists but without the input of Joss Whedon. In addition to this, After the Fall has also spawned multiple spin-offs of its own. Spike: After the Fall bridges the gap between Spike's "First Night" mini-arc and his first appearance in After the Fall over four issues. A second five-issue spin-off, Angel: Only Human, picks up after #23, following Gunn and Illyria.[3] A four-issue mini-series, Spike: The Devil You Know was released, teaming up Spike with Eddie Hope for a story set between Angel issues #32 and #33. A fourth four-issue spin-off featuring Illyria, titled Angel: Illyria: Haunted, was released beginning in November 2010. IDW also announced an ongoing Spike title, another "canon" title featuring explicit Buffy Season Eight crossovers.[4]
In the editor's column in the back of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Riley one-shot released by Dark Horse Comics, editor Scott Allie announced that the Angel comics would return to Dark Horse in late 2011. It was officially announced on August 19, 2010 that the series would come to an end with a six-issue arc titled "The Wolf, the Ram, and the Heart", and Dark Horse reacquiring the license to publish Angel titles, beginning with a new line of comics named Angel & Faith (co-starring Faith, 25 issues) in August 2011, tying in with a launch of Buffy Season Nine.[5][6] The planned Spike ongoing spin-off instead became an eight issue mini-series.[7]
Premise[edit]
Set some time after the season 5 finale, "Not Fade Away", Los Angeles is feeling the aftermath of Angel taking a stand against the demonic Senior Partners, who have retaliated by literally sending the city to Hell. Along with a dragon he befriended, Angel is trying his best to remain a champion of good. Wesley remains contractually bound to the sinister Wolfram & Hart and the Partners after his death, while Gunn has become a vampire capturing victims under the pretense that he is rescuing them. Angel's son Connor, ex-girlfriend Nina, and old acquaintance Gwen are working to provide a safehouse for the people of Los Angeles under siege by demons. Spike lives under the protection of Illyria, who is no longer in control of her powers and unpredictably assumes the appearance and personality of Fred Burkle.
According to Whedon, the absence of budget constraints allows Angel's world to expand in ways that were never possible with the television series, saying "It will definitely use Season 6's proposed stories as inspiration, but it's not exactly Season 6".[13]
Reception[edit]
Initial reviews were generally favorable. Troy Brownfield of Newsarama believed the most enjoyable aspect of the first issue "was seeing members of the extensive cast turn up again in surprising ways" and was pleased to see the return of minor characters from the television series. He described the reveal of Gunn as a vampire as "rather startling" and a "new injection of life" for the character.[16] IGN's Bryan Joel believed that the first issue wasn't as accessible for new readers as that of Buffy Season Eight, claiming that it read "less like the season premiere of the next season of Angel and more like episode 23 of season 5". He felt that the tone and characterization remained "true to its source material and fans will be happy to know Whedon's trademark dialogue knack is, for the most part, intact", but warned that the elaborate visuals of Angel flying through the hell-bound Los Angeles on a dragon may be too far removed from the television series for some readers. In an "Additional Take" review, Joel's colleague criticized the dialogue for lacking "the trademark witty banter" and worried that the hellish new setting might detract from the reality of the characters, describing it as "an interesting turn for what was once a very grounded fantasy series".[17]
The artwork by Franco Urru was described as "reasonably good" by Brownfield, who claimed that while it captures the likeness of the characters, Urru's work lacks sharpness and "the weight of that terrific Tony Harris cover."[16] IGN believed Urru is talented when he "lets loose" creating demons, but less impressive when it comes to matching characters to their respective actors.[17]
The series has been a success for publisher IDW Publishing, reporting it has become the company's highest-charting comic book release ever.[18]