Chadzilla ROARS!!! (The Official Blog of Chadwick H. Saxelid, Writer)

Fallen Angel #22 - 26

"What, then, is the heroic journey?"

A troubled young boy named James sleepwalks into Bete Noire, where he is confronted by various nightmarish scenarios and beings.  Fleeing a fierce back alley battleground, James seeks shelter inside a nearby church.  There he meets the kindly Jude.  He also witnesses the beginning of a war...

With the Magistrate of Bete Noire able to wield the power to shape the world, for better or for worse, it is not at all surprising that there should be a governing body to not only monitor what the Magistrate is doing, but to also make "suggestions" for courses of action for the Magistrate to undertake.  That governing body is the Hierarchy.  

While the Hierarchy has been amused by some of the entertainments that Jude has brought to Bete Noire (i.e. such things as Church services and trials by jury) they are not at all pleased with the job that Jude has been doing as Magistrate.  The Hierarchy does not like that Jude has been trying to make the world a better place for the opposing team.  So a hostile takeover is, um, undertaken.

It is time to say good-bye to some familiar faces as the status quo of Bete Noire and Fallen Angel is given a shake-up worthy of a snow globe.  The war brings a new boss to power, and he is not at all friendly.  It's the demon lord Moloch, housed in the body and spirit of Jude's insanely jealous half-brother Jubal, who gets a rather unpleasant lesson in the truism of always being careful of what one wishes for, because you just might get it.

And, as I said, some people get got real good in this story arc.  There is not only a new magistrate, there is also a new Chief Examiner, someone literally loses his head, and Furors may or may not be closed for renovations.  As you can guess from that spoiler filled comment (these issue are three years old, at least, so the spoiler expiration date has come and gone) the battle for Bete Noire is not much of a war.  It's more of a one sided ass whooping for Team Jude.

That means the true war for control of the City That Shapes the World has only just begun to be fought.  Which also explains why, as interesting and exciting as the events in this story arc were, the conclusion left me feeling unsatisified and eager for some payback. 

I'm sure that will happen, in time.

Fallen Angel #20 - 21

Jude, the new magistrate of Bete Noire, and the child of the former magistrate, Dr. Juris, and the Fallen Angel, struggles through the first four stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, and despair) before finally reaching and embracing the fifth and final stage: acceptance.

What causes all of Jude's struggles are the voices in his head and the weight of the entire world bearing down on him.  For Bete Noire is the city that shapes the entire world...

And to be able to shape the world implies that one can control the world.  Right?  Part of Jude's acceptance is a small test of that shaping ability upon a certain reviled dictator named Antar Yyv (an obvious stand-in for the likes of Kim Jong Il, Muammar Gaddafi, and others.)

Fallen Angel issues 20 and 21 tell what seem to be two very different stories.  But the two stories are really two halves off a larger and more complex story that, when those two halves finally clicked together, did so in a dramatically satisfying and thematically significant way.  At first I was more than a bit confused by the supposed switch in story lines, as issue twenty charts Jude's battle in short, albeit tightly connected, vignettes that are titled with whatever stage Jude is currently struggling with in the story.  

Issue 20 also ends with Jude completing the fifth and final stage, thanks in very large part to his conniving half-brother, Jubal.  Jude's half-brother had hoped for a different outcome than Jude's acceptance of the role of Magistrate.  In a nice storytelling flourish, issue 20 ends with a title card showing Jubal "entering" the first stage of grief: denial.  Jubal's denial being that he will not accept that his older half-brother is the Magistrate of Bete Noire, for that is what Jubal yearns to be.

With a close like that, I cracked open issue 21 expecting to read about Jubal's struggle with the four stages of grief before coming to terms with the reality of the situation and accepting it.  Foolish me, thinking that writer Peter David would be so quick to resolve a conflict filled with so much dramatic potential.  David wouldn't, so he doesn't.

Instead he begins with Jude in a confessional, telling of his sinful conduct in shaping the world and dealing with the brutal (yet somehow tragically sympathetic) dictator Antar Yyv.  When the story began I thought that David was going over ground that he had already covered: Jude trying to force light into the darkness at the heart of Bete Noire.  But I thought wrong, for as the story progressed it became obvious that Jude was not trying to "fix" or "cure" the world by fighting against Bete Noire's power.  This time he was using the city's power, instead of fighting against, in his role as Magistrate to try and shape the world into, one would hope, a better place.  

Whether or not Jude is successful remains to be seen.  He has absolute power and, as we all know, absolute power can corrupt absolutely. 

Fallen Angel #17 - 19

"Do you think she knows she is damned?"

Lee awakens from a nightmare, angry at God and in need of a drink.  She walks the same road to Bete Noire that she has always walked, but finds herself in a Japanese community named Yellow Springs instead of the night cloaked city that shapes the world.  Her inquiries as to who is in charge of the town lead her to the palace of one Izana-mi.  But Lee is warned that there is one who has attempted to usurp the power of the local leader.

Meanwhile, on the flip side of issue #17: Ana Ishikawa (a.k.a. Shi) is visited by Jesus Christ (the real Middle Eastern skinned Jesus, not the one that has been made, in His words, to look like an "idealized white anglo-saxon protestant") who commands her to go to Yellow Springs to excise, the way a surgeon would a cancer, a certain individual named Yurei...

Which is how the Fallen Angel and Shi come to meet.

This three part story is a sequel of sorts to the one that just ended, wherein the reader met Lin, the woman "enforcer" that attempted to clean up the out-of-control streets of Bete Noire before Lee's fall from grace.  It's a caustic, raunchy and funny tale.  Caustic from the sarcastic and bitter swings at various theologies throughout the story, with the ending invoking the Star Trek original series season two episode  Who Mourns for Adonais?  The raunchy stuff comes from Lee pointing out how Shi's wardrobe choices put her "wares" on open display (a nice swipe at how sexualized most feminine heroes are in comic books) and the running gag of Lee's continued refusal of Shi's supposed sapphic seductive behavior.  Best line in the story:  "Unless you're waiting for me to give you a pap smear, close the legs and robe, okay?"  Love it!  The funny?  Lee just does not take a single moment of her forced team-up with Shi seriously.  She just want to get to Dolph's bar and have a drink.  Great stuff.

If the Yurei name drop rang a bell in your mind, then you remembered that he was the crime lord that Lin took down in the previous story.  It also means that you have a better memory than I do, and I read the previous story last week.

Everything builds to an apocalyptic finale that reveals how all the various gods of the world's many different theologies not only try and look out for one another, but how they also resent humanity for "outgrowing" and "discarding" them.  This story arc is another wonderful example of just how much smart fun Fallen Angel can be.

Fallen Angel #14 - 16

"I want my life back!"

Lin, a violent patient housed in a mental institution, believes that she has been cast out from the city of Bete Noire, although those who are taking care of her claim her memory of both the city and its inhabitants are a delusion caused by her mental illness.  Despite being told repeatedly, Lin refuses to accept that Bete Noire and its inhabitants are an hallucinatory fiction of her troubled mind.  She proves her captives wrong by forcing herself back to Bete Noire by sheer willpower.  Once there, Lin learns of why she was called to Bete Noire and how she was eventually cast out it...

Once again it has been two years since my last review of a Fallen Angel story.  I do not know how that happens.  I set the book aside to catch up on other things, or deal with some personal issues, and, next thing I know, it has been two years since I last cracked open an issue.

This little three parter was arguably the perfect point for me to pause in my regular reading of the Fallen Angel series, for the tale can also serve as a perfect jumping on point for new readers.  The arc allows both the reader and the disinterested title character to learn a bit more about the history and the supernatural undercurrents of Bete Noire, the city that shapes the world.

No one knows who Lin is, or where she came from.  Not even Lin herself knows.  Granted the amnesiac learning the terrible secrets of his or her dark past (Falling Angel, anyone?) is nothing new.  But author Peter David makes this boilerplate mystery structure work because he allows it illustrate the influence and power Bete Noire, not as a cheat for an attempt at a "Gotcha!" twist ending.  What happens is Magistrate Juris becomes overwhelmed by the unwanted responsibility of overseeing and guiding the city, and Bete Noire's darker elements all but take over.  The city and the world it is shaping literally begin going to Hell...

And that is when Lin, a mysterious and almost unstoppable woman of great arrogance and power, arrives from nowhere and begins setting things right.  Or setting them in a closer proximity to right, at least.  She comes into being simply because Bete Noire needed some correcting and, since the Magistrate was refusing to do what needed to be done, the city was doing some self correcting.

The attempt at self-correcting works, at first.  But Bete Noire has a bad effect on any and all who live inside of it.  Not even Lin herself is capable of withstanding the corrupting power of the city's darker element and her tale takes a Nietzsche style turn for the absolute worst, which is where it begins.

To find out where and how her tale comes to an end, I suggest that you read the story.  I think that you will be glad you did.

Fallen Angel: Down to Earth - by Peter David (writer), David Lopez (penciller) & Fernando Blanco (inker)

Lee goes to extreme lengths to acquire the shard for Sister Mary Catherine.  Lengths that are not at all appreciated by the devout nun.

The hows and whys of what first brought Lee to Bete Noire are also revealed.

According to my last posted review of a Fallen Angel story, it has been almost two years since I last cracked open what remains one of my favorite comic book serials.  Although, due to issues far too personal to be discussed here, I drifted away from reviewing comics regularly for the last year or two, I have not stopped buying them.  I have a really nice pile of Fallen Angel comics that I am flat out going to love getting caught up on.

But before I get to cracking on that marathon catch-up session, however, I thought it would be best to take a look at the second volume of the series DC era, Fallen Angel: Down to Earth.

Man, I forgot just what a dark and delicious book this is.  Dark in that author Peter David is not the least bit afraid to take Lee into the shadow cloaked corners of Bete Noire and let the monsters, both figurative as well as literal, come out to play with her.  Delicious because David lets his trademark wry humor glitter in that darkness and during those exciting confrontations.  The mixture makes it feel real, as if these other worldly figures were actually flesh and blood people and not just constructs of words, pencils and ink. 

For every question that is answered in this Volume, there are several more that are asked for the upcoming (and, and as of this writing, apparently uncollected) issues to deal with.  Since those issues have not been gathered together in a third volume to close out the 20 issue run of the series DC era, it looks like I am going to have to invest in some serious back issue purchasing.  Ouch.

Fallen Angel #13

"This is all your fault!"

While Jude is determined to hold a trial to prosecute Asia Minor for his crimes, the citizens of Bete Noire (including the Angel herself) are less than supportive of the idea.  In fact, some of the powers that move and shake things are beginning to think that the city is in need of a far better Magistrate.

The events in Fallen Angel #13 take a pretty rough toll on Jude, as he is corrupted even further by the horrible curse of his position.  Jude does put up a noble fight to hold onto his rapidly crumbling sanity and is resolute that some form of justice will be brought to the corrupt Bete Noire.  But Jude can no longer think clearly and the only person that can help ease the pain of his ongoing transition is the very man that the new Magistrate intends to "bring to justice," Asia Minor.

But the cracking of Jude's mind isn't the only threat to the new Magistrate, there is also the issue of his soul.  The world of Bete Noire isn't one that conforms to the simplistic good/evil morality that Jude believes in.  This confusing new world order defies every step Jude takes to make it a better place, with every good deed creating an unpleasant blow back to emotionally wound the Magistrate.  Witnessing the slow, painful death of the well meaning Jude's mind and spirit really makes this reader understand why Jude's father was so eager to rid himself of the position and leave Bete Noire for good, or ill.

Of all the issues of Fallen Angel I have read, I think that number thirteen has to be the darkest one to date.  It has an aura of utter hopelessness and futility to it.  When I finished it and set it down, I found myself dreading what would come next, because it looks like it will be something very unpleasant for almost every one involved in this particular story arc.

And Jubal should really be careful about what he wishes for, he just might get it.

Fallen Angel #12

"I believe the saying is, "There's a new Sheriff in town."  Do you have a problem with that?"

Jude wants Asia Minor, Bete Noire's drug dealer, brought to justice.  Lee wants Asia Minor to help her find a cure for Ezil.  Mother and son are about to face each other from the opposing sides of a potentially nasty battle...

Jude continues his slow descent into whatever form of madness the position of Magistrate brings about.  A condition that Jubal and his mother hope to use for their benefit.  It's also none too subtly hinted at that Jubal's relationship with his mother is close enough to be considered Taboo.  Yuck.

But that isn't the only unpleasant revelation in Fallen Angel #12.  The amoral Asia Minor finally steps out of the shadows (this is his first sizable appearance in a story since the book made the jump from DC to IDW) and gets his slime all over Angel and Jude.  Angel is used to it, but Jude, who is becoming more and more distracted-confused-overwhelmed by the voices of Bete Noire that are now filling his mind and robbing him of much needed sleep, is not, and Asia Minor is a very seasoned predator that knows how to find prey.  Minor knows about the voices that are plaguing Jude.  I'm sure Minor will be making an offer to "help" Jude get some much needed sleep in the future.  I think you know what kind of help that is.

Then there is the still unresolved issue of the drug Glory and its vampirism side effects.  I'm certain that Angel will be dropping by to discuss that issue with Jude and Asia Minor in the very near future.

Fallen Angel #11: The Long, Slow Seduction of Jude, Part One

"I...I was just trying to help him..."

After Ezil and Dolf are assaulted by a deranged junkie in the alley behind Furors, the Angel discovers that a powerful new (and possibly designer) drug named Glory is responsible.

I cannot say it enough: I love this book.

As its title suggests, the central theme of this story's opening chapter is Jude's losing battle with the burden of being Bete Noire's magistrate.  Jude is undergoing a rather drastic change of character, not at all unlike the one that the Glory destroyed junkie that gets the story proper started underwent.

In fact, each scene in this issue is intricately meshed with another, with unfolding events gaining a subtextual meaning (and power) because of their strong thematic link with the scenes before or after.  Maura's parting shot at Angel, Angel's decision to help Dolf and Ezil, and the two very different fates that await Ernie and Keith: it all ties in with Jude's slowly eroding innocence, and the temptations he both knowingly and unknowingly faces because of it.  In retrospect, the issue's most powerful moment is when the Angel responds to Ezil's above quoted comment, "From now on, you help nobody."  In a city like Bete Noire, it is sage advice.  It's too bad that Jude isn't around to hear it, because it is advice he desperately needs to hear.

The Long, Slow Seduction of Jude is looking to be Fallen Angel's best story yet, which is saying a lot.  Read it.

Fallen Angel #10: A Sad Song for Terry May

"A tale that will cure you of believing in fairness."

In the aftermath of Sirocco's church bombing, while Eddie "Violens" Schultz struggles to stay alive, the Fallen Angel tells Jude and Mariah of a special man with a special talent that she tried to help.

Peter David has done it again, delivering a tale that is every bit as humorous as it is dramatically potent.  (How does he do it?)  In trademark David style, the humor acts as a distraction, diverting the attention so that, when the gloves come off, the hits are potent enough to be breathtaking.  The story also puts the "what really happened is the reader's choice" ending to very good effect, it could be used as a textbook example of how to do it for beginning (or struggling) writers everywhere.

J.K. Woodward's art once again perfectly captures the emotional nuances of the story.  The use of black and white to illustrate the Fallen Angel's recollection of Terry May gives that part of the story a dream like quality, while the irony of what really happened differing markedly from how the Fallen Angel describes it are laugh inducing moments.  But, again, those jokes are just a calculated distraction from the drama building behind the scenes.  It is when Terry first sings, the denial of her fallen tears, and the tragic end of the Fallen Angel's story that the book comes truly alive, and reading it is like looking through a window into another world.

Fallen Angel #9

"...The house always wins.  And Bete Noire is the house."

Sachs is determined to make Sirocco pay with her life for placing Ernie at Death's Door.  Meanwhile Malachi explains to an injured Jude that the Magistrate's "Protective Mark" only covers so much.

Fallen Angel just keeps getting better and better.  Writer Peter David slips in some intriguing revelations about the Magistrate, Malachi, and Sirocco during the plentiful action that fills issue nine.  The big reveal (one I happily refuse to disclose here) at the issue's end really opens up the intriguing plot potential for future arcs.  Although her actions were monstrous from the perspective of Jude, Sachs and Ernie, Sirocco just might be on the side of the Fallen Angel.  Her statements regarding the political use of religion to achieve selfish ends is a pretty timely commentary.  Just go to the local bookstore and read a few passages from David Kuo's book Tempting Faith.  I think you'll get a good look at Sirocco's point in action.

But Sirocco's ends don't really justify her means, not for Sachs, who just might lose Ernie, or the Fallen Angel, who is pretty damn pissed that her son was inside the church when it was blown up.  Finding out how the fallout from these events and revelations will play out in issue ten and beyond will no doubt make for some exciting reading.

Oh, and now that Jude has been knocked down a notch and Jubal has found an Achilles Heel in the Magistrate's Protective Mark, the new Magistrate had better start watching his back.

Fallen Angel #8

"What a bitch."

Jude is eager to start reshaping the world by making Bete Noire , "the city that shapes the world," a better place.  The first step he wants to take is to reopen the local church.  This is something that the Hierarchy, the true overseers of Bete Noire, aren't too pleased with.  If that weren't enough, Bete Noire is paid a visit by a sword wielding woman with a mysterious agenda all her own.

A smile of delight spread across my face when I picked up Fallen Angel #8 and saw that Sachs & Violens were adorning the cover.  I fell in love with the couple when they made their first appearance back in issues 19 and 20 during Fallen Angel's run at DC.  The story, even though the Angel herself did not make an appearance, did not disappoint.  Twenty years (story time and time passes differently in Bete Noire) spent living in the same place have Sachs beginning to feel stale.  Ernie, however, has never been happier.  Should she stay or should she go?  Would Ernie go with her if she left Bete Noire?  If Sachs knew what happened to Juris when he left town at the close of issue five, I don't think she would be in such a hurry to leave.  Both Sachs and Violens don't appear to have aged a day, but that could change once they pass the town limits.

The tension between Sachs and Violens is echoed in the tension between Jude and his jealous brother, Jubal, as well as the bitter resentment between Black Mariah and Dolf.  I liked the subtle irony in having Malachi's warning to Jude ("It will not end well") pretty much mirror the one Jude gave Jubal ("Actions taken against me tend to backfire.") at the issue's start.  I think the Furors' barkeep sums it up best during a conversation with Ernie, "Sooner or later...all tabs become payable and due."  Good stuff, that.

The tab for one of those conflicts comes due and forms what looks to be a noose around one character's neck.  Where is the Fallen Angel when Bete Noire needs her the most?  Issue nine couldn't get to the shelves fast enough for me.

Fallen Angel #7: All Fall Down

"...kill me if you can."

Liandra, with the young girl Ayr at her side, rides to the desert stronghold of the murderous Inhaed Aen.  More than a simple, and quite bloody, dispensing of vengeance awaits Liandra there.

The second half of Liandra's first adventure on Earth comes to a satisfying, and blood soaked, conclusion.  It's not nice, nor terribly smart, to cross, or injure, the Fallen Angel or those she has chosen to aid.  But, if you have been reading Fallen Angel for any length of time, you'd already know that.

While the story is strong on action, it is equally strong in foreshadowing the possible fate that awaits all angels serving God.  This revelation, or hint of one, might not sit well with some readers of faith, but it picks up and weaves together the various threads that have run through the stories that preceded this one and makes them even stronger.

Not that this particular story is all gloom, grief, and grue.  There is a funny little gag involving an injured man's prayers that is even funnier if the reader knows what Lee told her son about God in the previous story.

Another great installment in a great book.  I don't think I'm capable of recommending it any more highly than I have in previous reviews.  Just read this book!  Please.

Fallen Angel #6

"These days, my friend...I'm not certain of anything."

The guardian angel Liandra has been cast out, punished for killing a murderer of children in an act of free willed revenge.  Now human, more or less, and uncertain of the world and her place and impact upon it, Liandra awakens to find that she has been taken in by a banished Arabic tribe.  They believe that the newly fallen angel is the returning spirit of their centuries-dead leader, Tin Hinan, the Mother of the Tribe.  Because of a child's faith in her, Liandra plays along and attempts to help the tribe.

This act has consequences...

Lee's first adventure upon falling to Earth isn't a pleasant or upbeat story, but it does the important job of explaining where Lee got her distinctive clothing and how she learned the nature of, as well as mastered, her other worldly powers.  It also shows how the soft spot she has for children governs her decision making.  The next issue promises a glimpse of the first time that Lee wields those powers against those she seeks to punish.  I can't wait to see that.

Fallen Angel #5

"Because what rational creatures could possibly worship a being who keeps annihilating them by the thousands?"

Jude and Lee, both wet and cold from their near drowning in the waters off of Bete Noire, arrive at Furors, to dry off and talk.  Jude has an important question, or two, to ask his mother.  The sad thing is that Lee's answer to the really important question isn't what the priest was expecting to hear.  Truth hurts.

Wow.

I mean, really, wow. 

Peter David's writing and J.K. Woodward's art are both, once again, at the topmost part of the Notch.  Fallen Angel #5 is nothing short of brilliant. 

Even the theological revelations Lee made to Jude made complete and logical sense, both in the context of the story and the world that I live in.  Bete Noire is now an entirely new place, both Lee and Jude have a Grand Plan to accomplish, each bursting with the potential for richly textured and complicated stories, and, well, I can't wait to see what happens next.

Issue five is also, visually speaking, the darkest entry to date, or so it appeared to be as I read it.  J.K. Woodward's art is just breathtaking.  One of my favorite images is a heavily shadowed scene in the office of Doctor Juris, where the Magistrate and his wife, Xia, share a far too brief moment of quiet mutual solace.  It's just beautiful.  Also, Lee has never looked lovelier than on the pages where she is answering Jude's questions.  Then there's...oh, wait, that would be a spoiler.  I try to avoid those around here. 

Just read it.  It's all great stuff.  It's all classic stuff.

Fallen Angel #4

"I CAN!"

Malachi pulls Lee under the water before she has a chance to warn Jude about Magistrate Juris's actual motives.  As Malachi and the Fallen Angel battle beneath the waves, the reason for her Fall is finally revealed.

YOU GO, GRRL!

Oh, excuse me, that revelation just got me a tad excited.  The revelations don't stop there, of course.  Each one enriches the story in a unique way, especially in regards to Malachi and his motivations.  Seeing how it will all play out in the arc's concluding installment should prove most rewarding.

I also want to take a moment and compliment artist J.K. Woodward. The art in this issue is simply breathtaking in both its beauty and dramatic power.  I so want a framed print of this issue's final page to hang on my wall.  The truth of the old cliche saying that a picture speaks more than a thousand words is proved true, it's a perfectly communicated dramatic moment that conveys more emotional complexity than any cluster of words could ever hope to.  Though, to be honest, Peter David's dialog building up to it does as good a job of it as it possibly could.

I don't think that there is a better comic out there than Fallen Angel.

Fallen Angel #3

"Why would he do that to me?  He must have known how it would end..."

Malachi reveals to Black Mariah, his lover, the painful events that led to Lee's fall from grace.

Well, that was certainly unpleasant.  Understanding the depth of Lee's anger at "the boss" for allowing what happened to happen is far easier to understand, you think?  (Issue three only recently wound up in my hold box, but it has been out for quite some time.  I'm just going to assume most of you have read it and already know what I'm talking about.)  To hell with Free Will, there is supposed to be a Right and a Wrong, and what happened was very, very wrong.

It was an Evil kind of Wrong.

Evil is supposed to be defeated, vanquished...punished.  How could "the boss" allow this to happen?  Was it a test?  Was Liandra the Protector (a.k.a. Guardian Angel) purposefully put in a position that would force her into falling from grace?  Questions that, I have no doubt, will be answered in future issues of Fallen Angel.

Still the best comic book being published today, as far as I am concerned.

Fallen Angel Volume One - by Peter David

This DC Comics trade paperback of Fallen Angel contains issues one through six.

Bete Noire isn't like other cities.  Night comes early and stays late.  Dangerous things lurk in the shadows.  It's a place that the innocent should avoid, if they wish to stay either innocent or alive, that is.  What happens in Bete Noire doesn't stay in Bete Noire, either.  Everything that occurs there somehow effects the rest of the world.

Into this city comes Lee, whose nickname is "Fallen Angel."  She is angry, she is wounded, and she is very powerful.  She also protects the innocent.  If you seek her help and you are not innocent, then God help you, because she certainly won't.

After hearing Peter David discuss the, at the time, impending cancellation of his DC book Fallen Angel on Fanboy Radio and his plea for people to buy it, I decided to take his advice and pick up issue nineteen when it came out.  I fell in love with the book the moment I read it.  The characters, locale, and stories were fascinating and issue twenty left me wanting more, so much more.  I applaud IDW for giving the book a deserved second chance.

Having read the first two issues of the IDW relaunch prior to this collection, I know a little bit more about Lee's back-story than is ultimately revealed in either the two stand alone stories or the four issue arc that comprised the first six issues of the short lived DC run.  That knowledge gives these stories a little extra shading that make the book even better.  Lee manages to be both sympathetic and frightening as she fights adversaries both human and not.  I don't think the artwork is quite as good as what J.K. Woodward is doing in the IDW book, but David Lopez and Fernando Blanco both did a fine job capturing the dark nuances of Bete Noire and the characters that live there.

Issue One: Darkness Falls introduces Lee in a somewhat straightforward noir story that gives the reader a brief glimpse of her considerable power.  It also does a marvelous job of introducing some of the primary characters, though the constant references to a dust-up between Lee and someone called Black Mariah made me feel like I had picked up the book mid-story.

Issue Two: Waning Moon is another crime story.  A local drug runner, Asia Minor, calls in a favor from Lee, asking her to watch over a valuable shipment of heroin, to make certain it isn't stolen by a competitor.  Said competitor shows up and the resulting battle allows Lee to reveal a little bit more of her power.  It also introduces another terrific character, the aforementioned Asia Minor.

The collection ends on a high note, with the four part Little Better Than a Beast.  Lee has a day job, evidently she teaches gym at a small college.  One of her students is ill with brain cancer and makes the mistake of sneaking out into Bete Noire for a clandestine meeting with a mysterious "Doctor" that promises a cure.  Of course it is a trap.  The girl is killed by a mysterious "force" that literally makes people explode.  But that is only the main story, there is a sub-plot or two to both strengthen and tie together some of the supporting cast.  Each thread weaves tightly together, creating an exciting and very gruesome Dark Fantasy story.

In either of its incarnations, Fallen Angel is a great book well worth reading.

Fallen Angel #2

"God's forgiven me.  How much does that suck?"

Now that Jude knows about Bete Noire, he wants to know about his mother.  When answers aren't forthcoming from the person that raised him, Jude has Slate take him to Bete Noire.  This is good, because the Magistrate is desperate to find him.  So desperate, in fact, that he is willing to try and kill the Fallen Angel to find out where his son has been hidden.

The biggest things in issue two (of a five issue story) are Jude's homecoming and a glimpse into Lee's past.  Neither of these seem to be particularly good.  Jude appears to be on the cusp of making some unpleasant discoveries about his genealogy and the story Lee tells the Magistrate about Rising Sun gives the reader some idea of what fuels her anger and pain.  There is a lot more going on than just those plot developments, though.  The motives behind at least one character's actions are not what they appear to be.

Most of issue two is focused on the characters dealing with the fallout from the revelations that occurred in issue one.  While it is a pleasure to watch the pieces fall into place, it doesn't really give me all that much to rave about without spoiling the content of the book.  (Something I hope to avoid in my reviews.)  Let me just say, once again, that Peter David's story is dramatically potent, J.K. Woodward's art is top notch, and that it makes Fallen Angel one of the best comic books out there.  If you aren't reading it, you're missing out on something truly special.

Fallen Angel #1

Lee, the Fallen Angel, returns once again to Bete Noire, as she does every night.  Although there is no one is seated at her table, seeking her help, the night will prove an eventful one.  Not only will Doctor Juris, the Magistrate of Bete Noire, be retiring at midnight, his son Jubal taking over the position, but someone from the Fallen Angel's past arrives with a message that could change her life forever.

Wow.

That's really all I can say at this moment, just wow.

I was a late comer to Peter David's book Fallen Angel, having only first heard of it during an early 2005 interview with the writer on Fanboy Radio.  During that interview he lamented how poor sales were sinking his beloved, and critically praised, book.  Curious, I strolled down to the comic book store I frequent and picked up the issue he recommended new readers start with, number nineteen.  The two issue arc of Sacred Cows was impressive enough to get me hooked on the book and to add it to my short list of must read titles.  Sadly DC canceled the book and issue twenty looked to be its last.

Enter IDW, which offered the creator owned book a new home.  Five months, and twenty years in the book, later Fallen Angel has returned, better than ever.

Oh is this a great book, one that deserves to thrive.  The characters are not only well drawn (figuratively as well as literally), but they live on the page.  I wouldn't want to meet Lee in either a darkened alley or a brightly lit room.  She's a violent and scary lady.  But one that, despite all her power, also seems almost sweet and vulnerable.  This makes her a fascinating and mysterious anti-heroine.  Who is she?  What is her secret?  Prepare to find out.

In a more recent interview, again on Fanboy Radio, David proudly stated that this relaunch of Fallen Angel is "The best thing I have ever written."  His pride in his creation is justified.  This book vibrates with an energy and soul that makes it addictive.  If you aren't reading it, then you are missing out on what is quite possibly the best comic book that is being published today.  Sure you might think I am just engaging in pre-release hyperbole, but I am not.  The book really is that good, and I haven't even mentioned J.K. Woodward's glorious artwork yet.

Woodward's painted illustrations perfectly capture the emotional nuances of David's story.  Within one or two panels it is clear why, as David told the radio program Destinies: The Voice of Science Fiction, "This is the go to guy, so let's go to him."  Impressionistic in some areas, photo-realistic in others, Woodward makes David's words come to vibrant life.

I could gush on and on, but it would turn the review into a rant.  All I can do is implore you to support this book; it really is the format at its very finest.