Product Description

Poet, vampire, murderer, lover, hero, prisoner, slave - Spike has been called a lot of things. But, by the time this fight is over, he'll have one more name: Lord! Or "dust"... maybe we'll just call him dust, considering how it seems things are going in his immediate future. But after enjoying this collection of the four-issue Spike: After the fall series you'll be looking at the events of Angel: After the Fall in a whole new light, courtesy of Brian Lynch and Franco Urru!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #67665 in Books
• Published on: 2009-02-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 104 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781600103681
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Customer Reviews

Too Good to be a Prequel; Stands on Its Own
First off, IDW, as always, gave this hardcover the delux treatment. The book will stand out on your shelf, no doubt about that.

A lot of beloved stories don't really hold up to a second reading. A lot of stories that didn't go over so well read a lot better after a second reading. Spike: After the Fall definitely changes with repeated reads, but doesn't fall into either of those categories. It was fantastic when I first read it, but the more I read the more the utter greatness of it starts to stand out.

It's a prequel that truly stands on its own. It tells what happened to Spike and Illyria between First Night and the main arc of After The Fall, so we know where they start and where they end up... but getting there is all the shocking, tragic, bloody fun. Spike's dialogue is the strongest it's ever been, allowing us to get close--but not too close--to our vampire champion. Brian Lynch subtly, gracefully crafts the relationships between the three leads, Spike, Illyria, and Jeremy, setting us up for heartbreak that we knew had to come but could have never predicted how. Spike's story reads even better in the context of the entire Angel: After the Fall arc. Both of them play off each other so well, elevating both stories to a new level. I loved Spike: After the Fall when it was released in four parts, and I looked forward to the book every month... but it's nothing compared to how the story reads now.

Brian ended his commentary by saying this: "Spike's grown a lot throughout the TV shows, hasn't he? Just thinking about all the changed Whedon and company put him through on the TV shows, it's pretty mind-boggling. He's a wonderfully rich and complicated character, and hopefully Franco and I did him justice." I'll end my review by saying this: Spike is among the most well-developed characters in the Buffyverse, going from pitiful poet to feared killer to a monster trying to go against his nature to a true champion. Brian and Franco took that character to the next level. In their Spike trilogy, they forever changed the character, reminding us how deep and complex he can be, something that might have been glossed over in the business of Angel: Season Five. They've added a season's worth of development to the character, taking him in brand new and excitingly dark directions. No one writes our favorite blond vampire better.

10/10 Classic

Just As Good the Second Time
I remember reading the issues as they came out last Fall, and thinking that it was just as good as Angel: After the Fall. After reading it again, I still feel the same way. Great drama, humor, and just a bit of weird, Spike romance. Everything Brian Lynch writes seems to turn to gold, and this is no different. It's 4 issues that tell the tale of what was going on with Spike and Illyria before they showed up in the second issue of Angel: ATF. You also get surprise appearances by several other fan favorites. If this seems too short after reading it, don't worry. It's been announced that sometime soon (probably the Fall), Brian is going to be writing an ongoing Spike series.

Bloody Good
Gorgeous hard-cover graphic novel, though the inside illustrations aren't quite as gorgeous as the cover.

My only complaint, it's set in "hell" so it's dark, like really dark. There are dead humans and bones and stuff all over the place. I dunno ... just thought maybe Soulful Spike would be a little more put off by all the dead people.