Customer Reviews
What could have been... 
2008-10-07
As a devoted Buffy/Angel fanatic, I figured that after the launch of Buffy: Season Eight at Dark Horse that it wouldn't be long before Joss Whedon let loose some new adventures for Angel as well. Well, here we are with Angel: After the Fall from IDW, which is basically what season six could have been. Picking up shortly after the series ended, Los Angeles has pretty much been turned into Hell on earth, and we soon learn just what has happened to Angel and his crew. In this first storyarc, we learn the fates of Angel, Spike, Gunn, Ilyria, Connor, Lorne, and even wolf-girl Nina and lightning-girl Gwen. There are a number of absolutely delicious twists and turns that will catch you by surprise as well. Co-plotted by Whedon and veteran Angel and Spike comics writer Brian Lynch; Angel: After the Fall isn't as engrossing as Dark Horse's Buffy series, but it is an entertaining ride regardless, even if the story becomes a little incomprehensible during all the big action. Franco Urru provides some great artwork as well, and IDW has done a fine job assembling the storyarc in a very handsome hardcover edition. All in all, Angel: After the Fall is a great new direction for the heroic vamp, and is a more than worthwhile trip for fans of the series.
Disapointed but not suprised 
2008-10-01
The story and dialogue is not up to the standards of what you'd expect from an "official" Whedonverse continuum. Especially after Buffy's season 8. Also the art is fuzzy and feels a bit tight fitted.
Unless the story improves from this, it would've been better to leave it at the excellent cliffhanger ending of the tv series.
Great book to wrap a great series 2008-09-23
This book was awesome. I am deployed to the middle east, but I will say this, that book helped pass the time. Can't wait for the other volumes.
Whoa! 
2008-09-10
Simply awesome! A fantastic follow up to the series, and a great story that I hope continues for a LONG TIME TO COME!!!
Simply fantastic!!
Terrible from the get go 
2008-09-09
As much as I wanted to see what happened to Angel and the rest of the cast, I couldn't manage to stomach the hideous, hideous artwork in this comic. The characters are compltely unrecognizable from their TV equivalents and, in true terrible comic book fashion, all the women have huge "assets", always wear skin tight outfits and constantly want to have sex with either gender.
This was an insulting mess.
Think of this as Angel Season 6 Disc1 2008-09-02
In Angel's final television season, his world ended... but his story didn't. Picking up where Season Five of the fan-favorite TV show left off, this first collection looks at who lived and died after the climactic battle. Why did the team go their separate ways? How did Connor rise up to become one of Hell's greatest champions. Find of what really happened on the night L.A. went straight to hell.
Where's the light? 
2008-08-31
Finally, the continuation of Angel! I couldn't believe it. I was esctatic.
And disappointment followed.
To explain: the series had grown quite dark by the time it was cancelled. It was with a mixture of gratefulness and regret that I saw it go--I thought Joss was trying too hard to make the show ultra-apocalyptic for the ratings. The final episode, to me, was perfect. It was more about the relationships within what was once Angel Investigations, the characters, the mythology, the rich backdrop Whedon weaves.
Unfortunately this book continued in the strain of the first part of that last season: so dark, I couldn't see the light. Some of the character development and twists were incredible, the story was good, but it just didn't hit the right chords. The entire group has been split, and instead of dialogue urging that split on, there seemed to be apathy on the characters' parts about the cost of the apocalypse on the characters.
I don't want to give too much of this book away, but I definitely think this book continued the ultra-apocalyptic slide, to the detriment of the characterizations and heart of the whole story. If the story could somehow have been made while maintaining a sense of connection and realism (as with Buffy and the first three seasons of Angel) I wouldn't voice my reservations, but that isn't the way it came out.
The violence was gratuitous and to the cost of the best thing about one of my favorite shows: the people. I recommend this book only to whet the fan's curiosity about what happens next. I hope the next one will be more...well...light-filled.
Good Story; Disappointing Art 2008-08-27
I was concidentally rewatching the last season of Angel recently when I found out that this book just came out. I was ecstatic. The story, although quite a step away from what I was expecting, was very entertaining. I only wished the art was better. The story DESERVES better art than this.
A good continuation 2008-08-27
A good continuation. I felt AtS did leave some open character lines (esp WRT Illyria/Fred) and the comic continues to explore them. I enjoyed it.
pretty disappointing actually... 2008-08-26
I actually couldn't connect to this at all...felt pretty superficial. Made me miss the actors a lot! I didn't have the same reaction to the continuation of the Buffy series...to me the personalities of the characters and the plot still engaged me. This just felt dead to me. Angel always had a dark side to it, but it was contrasted with an element of light that I just couldn't find here at all. It just felt flat, dead, depressing and pointless.
Sorry to all of the Joss fans out there (of which I am one) would have loved to be able to give a better review! I loved Fray and Buffy season 8, so I'm hoping the next segment is better...
