Product Description

Springing out of Joss Whedon's Angel: After the Fall story line, novelist Kelley Armstrong (The Summoning) comes aboard to explore the many repercussions following the explosive last issue of Angel: After the Fall. Artist Dave Ross also comes aboard to present the first arc of AFTERMATH wherein we learn who lived, who died, and who will be forever changed from the experience.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14568 in Books
• Published on: 2009-09-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 132 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781600105166
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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Customer Reviews

They need a different writer
I like the direction that the new storyline is taking, and I can even support narrowing the focus on fewer characters. However, the writer of these issues has absolutely no ear for how the characters speak. Even the few paltry instances of witty repartee have none of the impact Whedon fans have come to expect. Hopefully, the previous writers will be back for future issues, or at least exert some much needed influence on the dialog.

A bit of a reinvention for the series.
Unlike the previous 4 volumes, I believe Angel: Aftermath isn't trying to be an extension of the TV series. For better or worse, this volume felt like a comic book. Still good, but it has at least a slightly different feel in almost every aspect. The first thing I noticed was the art. It's very good and looks right, but the layout and pacing is very "comic booky" which sometimes doesn't fit the feel that has been established so far. By contrast, the Buffy series has taken it's comic book form in stride in every way. This is a minor annoyance at best, though, because the story itself is excellent and absolutely perfect for Angel.

Angel is at his best when he's trying to find his way through the murky grays of good and evil. Everyone in Los Angeles remembers being in hell and, more interestingly, remembers that Angel saved them. Suddenly, Angel is not just a hero, but a bit of a superstar in a city where fame is so important. This complicates things in interesting ways as Angel is just about the last person on earth who really wants fame, but how can he be angry at people for appreciating him? It gets even more complicated as the over-the-top antics of Wolfram & Hart push the Powers That Be into getting more directly involved in ways that make everyone - shall we say - uncomfortable. And let's not forget the unsettlingly large number of crazy people running around for no apparent reason.

Adding to that, all the familiar faces who would have been considered the "core" members of Team Angel are gone (some with no hope of ever returning). Obviously the entire tone of a story can change when you introduce an entirely new cast of central characters, but I can't help but feel like the writer just doesn't quite get some of these characters. The new core group is composed mainly of very familiar supporting characters who are given their chance to really shine here. We know how these characters should act, how they should talk, we can picture them in motion and we know the sound of their voices. When they do or say something that feels "off", it's obvious to the die-hard fan. Still, it's a minor quibble overall. On the flip-side, the original characters are simply excellent. They fit the Whedon-verse while also expanding it in some very cool ways. I actually find it kind of exciting to see how this new team develops. It certainly has potential.

This is a good read, but prepare to look at Angel from a different perspective. I think Joss Whedon is really trying to give Angel a totally different flavor than the Buffy series and I think, overall, it's working and will continue to get better.

Angel lives on!
For the ardent Angel fan who deeply regretted the end of the tv series. A must have!