A pivotal issue in the series hits the stands this week. Whad'ja think?
PAD
Posted by Peter David at April 15, 2004 01:30 AM | TrackBack | Other blogs commentingI think I got first response! : )
I also think It's be a great read.
I also think I'll buy it this afternoon.
I also think I'll read it when the arc is over (as usual)...
And I most definitely think this post will be deleted : (
a good read. one of my favorites. please, dc, do NOT cancel! (why is this published under the dc imprint and not vertigo?)
PAD: are there different economies of scale for dc books, vertigo books and wildstorm books? meaning: can a vertigo book, with lower circ figures, survive as compared to a dc book with similar numbers?
i think of the example of conde nast / fairchild and details magazine. the parent company, advance, moved details from the conde nast line, where expectations were circs over a million, to fairchild, where a mag with 500K numbers could survive.
Wow, this was a really good issue. I think this issue, more than any other, was so interesting in the fact that you had not only a discussion about moral absolutes, i.e. good or evil, but you had people here that reflect that there is no cut and dry. Black Mariah is supposed to be "evil." She's a villain, yet her relationship humanizes her so much. The fact that she's practically looking for death - it reminds me of Callisto in Xena, who didn't even want to exist any more.
Lee is such a mix of good intentions and bad meathods. I find her character really interesting and sympathetic. I really loved the discussion that she had with Dolph, and I'm glad it was finally explained what went on with the vision when she was fighting the beast, because I didn't get it then.
I felt this issue really helped to solidify this series as a whole, and I felt like I'm finally at a point where I know who these people are. I'm anxiously looking forward to the next one. Thank you.
This was the best issue of the series so far, Peter. Can't wait to see what happens in #11.
Pasted from my review column (it came right after my discussion of JSA #60 and its philosophical musings):
Fallen Angel #10: Speaking of meaty philosophical stories (and meaty THWACKs, for that matter).... Dualism and false dualism have been building as themes of this book, mostly focusing on good versus evil as one might
expect from a book called Fallen Angel. But the axis tilts this issue and things come into focus, making a lot of things that were uncertain before, well, maybe not certain per se, but less uncertain. It took a while, I think this book has now "clicked" for me. Unfortunately, Lopez's art feels like it slipped in a few scenes this issue. Despite that, strongly recommended. $2.95/$4.50Cn
It also got "Best Book" honors from me.
I think I'm irritated because my retailer e-mailed me and said "Diamond failed to send us ANY copies of FALLEN ANGEL #10".
And I already prepaid for the !@#$% thing!
He claims they're going to get replacement copies in a few weeks, but I'm still ticked.
I really enjoyed this issue. My comments would probably make more sense if I had the book in front of me to refer to, but I don't, so here goes anyway.
When Black Mariah asked her boyfriend to apologize to God for her for flipping him off, I thought, "Huh?" I went back and sure enough, in the picture she's got two fingers out! Looks like Janet Jackson fallout to me. Damn censors.
But the story! Wow! The nun demanded that Lee redeem herself and threatened to come to Bete Noir if she didn't, and Lee is actually trying to redeem herself by getting Mariah's death back from the guy who took it from her.
And I liked Dolf's order/chaos dichotomy, and that whole discussion, especially the idea that Satan is an agent of chaos rather than evil, and that although God cast him down, He still uses his ideas, and in fact needs him to ensure change, and without change, there is no progress. Fun stuff. Also, that theme reminds me of the Architect and Oracle in the Matrix, who seem to have similar functions.
I thought FA #10 finally gave the series some perspective. I like that it avoids the typical "good vs. evil" idea, and I like that what Lee mistook for one thing actually turned out to be another.
I will say that I was very glad to get some understanding of issue #6, which still confuses me, but not nearly as much as it did. FA #6 struck me as horribly anti-climactic (sp?) because of the distinct lack of explanation. I'm not encouraging spoon-feeding, but am I alone in feeling that #6 didn't give enough info for the reader to draw solid conclusions?
So, in the end, I think #10 was good in its own right, but it gets extra props for explaining #6. I will now go back and read the entire series so far, and I think I will wind up being an even bigger FA fan than I have been.
BTW, I haven't seen any digest/manga-sized TPB's from DC, but it seems to me that the tone and thematic elements of Fallen Angel would hit home strongly with the "bookstore manga" crowd. (I also love Marvel's $7.99 digests, which I purchased this week.) I know just getting the regular TPB was a big deal, but is there any hope of a more... "progressive" format? (I can't seem to think of a better word right now, and I'm at work, so...)
Eric
"I think I'm irritated because my retailer e-mailed me and said "Diamond failed to send us ANY copies of FALLEN ANGEL #10"."
Who's the retailer? Because I'm perfectly capable of calling Diamond and asking if they really "failed to send" them, or if the retailer just didn't bother to order it.
PAD
"When Black Mariah asked her boyfriend to apologize to God for her for flipping him off, I thought, "Huh?" I went back and sure enough, in the picture she's got two fingers out! Looks like Janet Jackson fallout to me. Damn censors."
No, not at all. I specifically called for the two-fingered gesture in the script.
Although I haven't spelled it out, Mariah is part French, part British. The two-fingered gesture she used is the British version of flipping someone the finger. We've seen Spike use it a few times on "Buffy"--including, most memorably, in "Hush" when a mute Xander accused a tied-up Spike of being the cause of his voice being lost. Spike flipped him off with the gesture, which apparently went right past the Fox censors. They wound up using the clip in the opening credits of the entire sixth season of BtVS.
PAD
As usual, I enjoyed it, but can't really say why. A lot of things don't quite add up for me after ten issues. But if nothing else, they are adding up more and more at this point. I loved Lee's conversation with Dolph, even if I don't really agree that good and evil don't matter. I kind of doubt that we're supposed to agree, though.
I also liked the scene in the convent. I do wonder where it's all headed for Lee after this. I almost even feel sorry for her.
Spike flipped him off with the gesture, which apparently went right past the Fox censors.
I guess I'd be curious to know what the rules are with the FCC and gestures from other parts of the world.
All things considered, a highly detailed list of "no-no's" coming from the Salem FCC with these types of things on it wouldn't surprise me.
This was my favorite issue yet. Shades of Elric and B5 regarding chaos and order. I kind of like what the implications of this could mean to the title. I am a big fan of such concepts. There is an excellent series of fantasy novels by Modesitt called the RECLUSE SAGA that explore the concepts of chaos and order.
Peter, FALLEN ANGEL is really hitting a groove with this storyline. The question of whether Lee is/was Supergirl no longer matters.
This has become one of the most interesting books published by DC and this fact does concern me as I also considered the recently cancelled current incarnation of WILDCATS to also be interesting.
Well, I just started the series with issue #7 (was planning to wait for the TPB but negged on that) and I'm not sure if it's because I haven't read the first arc or what, but I'm not getting into this book. Just seems kinda dry. Sorry PAD.
Well, I just started the series with issue #7 (was planning to wait for the TPB but negged on that) and I'm not sure if it's because I haven't read the first arc or what, but I'm not getting into this book. Just seems kinda dry. Sorry PAD.
Going back to am earlier comment, the fact that Diamond did not ship something to a store is not surprising to me. Ever since they started distributing out of the Tennessee warehouse, there have been many times when my retailed was shorted books, or had damaged books, or whole boxes that never arrived.
I know that there are retailers who would use this as an excuse, but I have seen the invoices and NOT seen the books.
Who's the retailer? Because I'm perfectly capable of calling Diamond and asking if they really "failed to send" them, or if the retailer just didn't bother to order it.
G-Mart. Here's the site:
Heh. On their front page it says "Subscribe to your favorite titles and never miss an issue". So much for that.
Quick plug to Matt Adler- if you're not happy with your preorder retailer, may I recommend mailordercomics.com? Very friendly, and in a year, he's only missed one book, and he made sure he got me a copy the next month. And I order LOTS.
With that said, I'm waiting to read 10, but just sat here and read my 1-9 issues. I've been saving them up and all- I bought them knowing PAD was worth the wait.
This is a great book. I hope it survives long-term. There are things that I'm disappointed in not seeing over the 9 issues- more of Bete Noir, maybe a map, and maybe a reaction issue from some of the people who live in the city. But the characters you've got going are a lot of fun. And Lopez's art is amazing- he's a polished Sean Phillips or John McCrea. Strong, clear art that not only cleanly tells the story but knocks out my eyeballs. Better hold onto him, PAD- he's gonna be a big star, and soon.
As for the writing, if I hadn't seen that this was a PAD book, I wouldn't have believed it. It's not that the writing is poor or anything- it's just a complete departure from your normal dialogue style. No quick puns, humor is low-key, dark. And it completely works. You've created a remarkable environment, one I want to read more of.
Here's hoping that the trade sells big. With all of the cancellations at DC, any low-selling book is worth worrying about. One that's this good should be selling much higher than it currently is. Great job, PAD.
To be honest, hadn't picked this up since issue #4. This feed back has inspired me to give it another shot. I'll let you know what I think of #10.
BTW,
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Marvel's Avi Arad for the lowdown on all of the upcoming Marvel movies. The story runs tomorrow.If anyone would be intersted in having me e-mail them the story and/or the ton of cool info I had to leave out for space reasons, please e-mail at: jeromemaida@hotmail.com.
I'll be sure you get the story and additional info.
Thanks.
I've been following this series since Issue #1, the way people are talking about this one, I'd better head to my local shop and pick it up!
I've been following this series since Issue #1, the way people are talking about this one, I'd better head to my local shop and pick it up!
Who's the retailer? Because I'm perfectly capable of calling Diamond and asking if they really "failed to send" them, or if the retailer just didn't bother to order it.
What are you going to do if he didn't? Empanel a commission to investigate and then get mad if he doesn't apologize?
I did something I don't normally do. I gave FA a second chance, and I fevently wish this was NOT a DC imprint mag. I think it should be Vertigo.
I don't know why I could accept FA on a Vertigo imprint-- I take that back. Yes I do. I kind of feel that's what Vertigo is for, not DC. and I don't BUY Vertigo for that very reason. I even went and bought the previous issue (#9) to get more of the flavor, since I haven't read FA since issue #1.
Will I buy it again? Not likely. FA's just not my cup of tea. I don't like too much realism in my comics. In fact, the way comics are going, I may have to drop them altogether.
As an aside, I found Dolf's speech tied the title nicely into mainstream DCU themes. Order versus Chaos was a Big Deal in the 80s and 90s for DC, especially pointing out how Order wasn't always good, and Chaos wasn't always bad.
On an aside ( Fallen Angel wont get my UK store till later today...) Giving the V's up as it is called over here is actually a taunt that was used by English archers to the French. If my history teacher was correct, when the French captured English archers they used to cut their bow fingers off, so in turn the English would wind the French up by giving them the V's up!
http://www.fractalwisdom.com/FractalWisdom/index.html
Order & Chaos rather than Good & Evil?
This monthly graphic novel should be a TV show...on cable...please?
I liked the issue, but it's a very swift read. A lot of comics seem to be trending this way, and it's a concern for me. When I find a comic I like but that reads too quickly, I usually drop the title and pick it up in trade format. I don't want to do this with Fallen Angel because I know that the sales are precarious. The storytelling is quite good, but when a comic occupies my time for just a handful of minutes, it harder to shell out the 3 bucks for it. I think the content in each issue is fine, but for whatever reason I crank through the issues in 3-4 minutes. I'm not planning on dropping Fallen Angel as a monthly, but I do hope that this trend reverses itself.
Now this is noir! Instead of positive right and wrong, and a clear line between good and evil, there is a fog-shrouded battlefield of grey, planted with landmines. And just beause there's a person's name in the title of the book doesn't mean you will support, or even like, what that person does.
And all this in direct, straight prose, with interesting characters, and without all those annoying squiggly-bits detailing that Alan Moore does.
I'm glad I stuck with this book to this point, when I can feel good about buying it. Although, I think that it may be impossible to keep this book as a straight DC title and not a Vertigo title for too long.
"Pasted from my review column"
Which one?
"especially pointing out how Order wasn't always good, and Chaos wasn't always bad."
*snort* tell that to Hawk and Dove...
Alan.
Wonderful as always. I think this series is your best work yet. I and several other bloggers were thinking of possibly running a contest of some kind in the next couple of months to promote the book. We'll contact you to let you know about it when that gets going. Keep up the good work.
My copy's on hold...hopefully. I'll be picking it up on Saturday. I'm sure I will enjoy it as much as the previous 9.
I dug the issue. this is one of my fav. monthlies. not much on the action, or at all, but some nice dialogue. "Make the trains run on time" comming from Dolf (aka - the dude who kinda looks like Hitler) was pretty funny. And Lee smokes, which is a human touch I always dug about her character. Lotta levels to this issue and another smashed window, which is always great.
Two very very VERY important (if somewhat flip) questions that Peter really should answer:
#1 - Is Widle supposed to look suspiciously like crica mid-90s Lenny Kravits? I mean, since everyone in Bette Noir doesn't use thier real name, is this really what Lenny Kravits does in his down time?
#2 - Why did Widle knock off that waitress? I mean, sure, from a plot point of view - show he's a cold hearted bad guy with super-powers. That works. But why did he use the touch of death on the waitress from a character / story perspective? Was she slow in bringing his coffee? Did he not have enough for a tip? Does he just like to off waitresses in his spare time? etc. etc.
C'mon PAD inquiring minds, namely me, needs to know!
lates;
Al
Alan:
"Dave's Rants", posted to Usenet since 1992, available in archive form at http://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/Rants
And no, I don't get paid to do this. That would make it work and not fun. I've got sufficient work already, no need to convert fun into work. :)
Hawk and Dove were kinda the point, eh? Hawk represents Chaos, but barring inane megacrossovers needing a last minute scapegoat, he was a good guy. And Nabu over in JSA has been a real jerkwad lately.
I, for one knew EXACTLY what issue six meant. Of course, I thought I was dead wrong, but I knew what I thought it meant. But now it turns out I'm right. I even had an inkling that Peter might do that train joke with Dolph at some point. Which really begs the ultimate question, doesn't it? That question is... Is Peter reaching across the country and tuning into my brainwaves or is it the other way around?
I think you suck and I am a better writer than you.
Even if you were the real Bendis, that wouldn't be true.
PAD, as long as I'm at it. I want you to know that I might not like FA, and I might disagree with you on a lot, but you are an excellent writer, my friend.
Peter,
Order and Chaos? Could this be an invitation to DC characters who work on those lines (Dr Fate, Swamp Thing, etc.)?
Still reading,
David
Couldn't get my copy of #10 until late today, although I really can't add anything new to others' enthusiasm over the issue. This one REALLY put a lot of disperate pieces of this story arc's puzzle together for me. Thanks for another thoughful round from both you and Lopez, PAD. :)
KET
I thought # 10 was great. I feel when more of FA's cast members are used, i.e. Mariah, Boxer, Dolph, etc., the stories are much better.
I was kind of wondering how the nun has the balls to tell Lee she'll go after her, but I'm thinking that will be addressed in next month's issue.
So good job Peter. Looking forward to next month.
"This has become one of the most interesting books published by DC and this fact does concern me as I also considered the recently cancelled current incarnation of WILDCATS to also be interesting."
So they've tried WILDCATS 4 times & keep canceling it. I wonder when version 5.0 comes out?
I like Fallen Angel very much, but if #'s don't improove...?
I'm already bummed about Capt. Marvel & TMNT. 2004 looked like the year of the PAD but...
I can't wait for the new hulk LS.
Fallen Angel is a very good series. Is it DC's decision not to list it w/ VERTIGO? It certainly would get more exposure.
Fallen Angel is a very good series. Is it DC's decision not to list it w/ VERTIGO? It certainly would get more exposure.
No, it's the fans' decision not to buy it...
I think superhero books have become so stylized and formalized these days that they have become the domain of only a few and they are not attractive to anyone outside those few. Attempts to break out of those sylizations or create new forms are not welcomed by either the old or new, which contributes to the death spiral of the books...
My favorite exchange from the issue:
"Good, evil...it's not always that simple. Not that black and white."
"Sometimes it really, really is."
Wonderful to finally hear someone espouse that fact. I tire very quickly of the whole "shades of gray" argument, especially when the majority of the time it's made by the villain of the story.
I appreciate that that's the entire theme of this arc (what with Lee herself making the aforementioned argument), but I'm still glad to see someone stand up on occasion and just say: "Nope, no gray here, that goes straight to the ol' Evil column."
SEAN
Hi from France !
As from issue 11, I'll be buying two issues of Fallen Angel every month. I'm not that much of a collector, but this way I'll be able to hand it out to anyone who'd like to give the title a shot, and maybe save it from any future cancellation...
If every ready who feels the same way about Fallen Angel (meaning : who fell in love with the brilliant story and the incredible art) did the same, it would mean a great deal and the sales would indeniably increase !
I'm a moderator on a French comics forum. My signature is very simple, it says : Read Fallen Angel.
Thanks for a GREAT read !
"Fallen Angel is a very good series. Is it DC's decision not to list it w/ VERTIGO? It certainly would get more exposure."
"No, it's the fans' decision not to buy it..."
In what way? Whatever potential "fans" there might be around for this series, DC doesn't seem to be ACTIVELY PURSUING any of them at the moment. However, moving the title to Vertigo WOULD at least provide the publisher with an excuse to give FALLEN ANGEL a shot at better exposure.
Instead, it seems like DC's only interested in promoting the 'dumbing down' revamps of their mainstream superhero line.
KET
"Order and Chaos? Could this be an invitation to DC characters who work on those lines (Dr Fate, Swamp Thing, etc.)?"
Or even characters with those names?
** SEMI-SPOILERS **
That moment with Mariah flipping off God and what immediately followed was priceless.
Damn good issue.
FA is certainly one of the best new DC books to come along in a while. I'm waiting for the trade of the first six issues, but since 7 I've been buying singles off the rack and will continue to do so, then buy the trades to keep and pass out the singles to other people to get them to try it.
Keep up the good work!
Loved the issue and was seriously creeped
out by the idea of Lee seeking advice on
good and evil from Dolf.
Issue 10 was quite good. I haven't collected comics since about 1992 because of all the multi-covers and huge crossovers.. it because to expensive. But the last couple months I've started up again and since your run on the Hulk was one of my favorites... I decided to pick up FA.. I got 1-9 at the sametime and polished them off the day 10 came out. Damn fine work. One question though.. will anyone else from the DCU showup in these pages?
Over all I'd give the series an 9.1 :)
I'll admit that the art is still sort of hit-and-miss with me ... but from a writing standpoint, this issue made an awful lot of things click with me that hadn't beforehand.
There's a lot to be said to examining how much of the world (both fictional and real) is black and white vs. shades of grey. I'm in for the foreseeable future.
(Of course, given how often you got accused of doing Buffy/Angel riffs with Supergirl, I can't wait for someone to say that "the order vs. chaos stuff is just ripping off Babylon 5!")
TWL
In what way? Whatever potential "fans" there might be around for this series, DC doesn't seem to be ACTIVELY PURSUING any of them at the moment. However, moving the title to Vertigo WOULD at least provide the publisher with an excuse to give FALLEN ANGEL a shot at better exposure.
This is assuming that there's a big segment of fans who are not buying the book because they haven't heard about it.
I'm not so sure that this is the case. The current comics buying market is so small and so insular in its tastes that I'm not sure they will respond to efforts from the publisher to promote the book. Even when you've had a stunt like U-Decide, which certainly drew a lot more attention to a book than most, the effects were not entirely successful.
I'm not entirely sure that publishers' efforts are going to be that successful without revamping distribution structures on a wholesale basis...
"This is assuming that there's a big segment of fans who are not buying the book because they haven't heard about it."
Frankly, given the book's current sales figures, and given the usual LAISSEZ-FAIRE promotional practices of the publisher, I hardly think one even NEEDS to assume.
However, YOU might be assuming that DC has given the book a FAIR shake, but with HUNDREDS of books being issued EACH MONTH, it's relatively EASY for an UNTESTED title to be ignored out of hand.
"I'm not so sure that this is the case. The current comics buying market is so small and so insular in its tastes that I'm not sure they will respond to efforts from the publisher to promote the book. Even when you've had a stunt like U-Decide, which certainly drew a lot more attention to a book than most, the effects were not entirely successful."
Sorry, but the U-Decide stunt doesn't really factor in this case, as we're dealing with an DIFFERENT publisher. Although if you really want to dwell on that half-hearted promotional attempt, you might want to draw attention to the fact that Marvel NEVER announced THE WINNER.
Perhaps you should ask yourself this MUCH MORE RELATED question: has DC even BOTHERED doing IN-HOUSE ads in support of FALLEN ANGEL? 'Cause they SURE AREN'T SHY about doing them for just about EVERYTHING ELSE they currently publish. I saw SIX such ads in #10 itself.
KET
"I liked the issue, but it's a very swift read. A lot of comics seem to be trending this way, and it's a concern for me."
Well, in terms of pure wordage, "Fallen Angel" is as long or longer than my other works.
In any event, I don't write it to be read. I write it to be reread.
PAD
"This is assuming that there's a big segment of fans who are not buying the book because they haven't heard about it."
Roger, less than a month ago, a fan on a Newsarama thread basically said, "You know what Peter David should do? He should create his own Vertigo-esque book so he can explore stories with mature themes." A couple of people immediately said, "You mean like he's been doing for the last eight months in 'Fallen Angel?'" The response: "Fallen Angel? What's that?"
Then again, I had fans coming up to me at conventions saying, "Are you ever going to do anymore work for Marvel?" and I'd been writing "Captain Marvel" for two years.
Never, *never* underestimate the signal-to-noise ratio that hands like a shroud over any book that doesn't get the full court press. DC did nothing to push the return of Kara in "Supergirl" and it took us six months to bring the sales up forty places in the Diamond ranking. They bang the drums for three months on Batman/Superman #8 with the return of Kara and it debuts at #1.
PAD
"#1 - Is Widle supposed to look suspiciously like crica mid-90s Lenny Kravits?"
He's supposed to have a sort of rasta look to him, if for no other reason than I've gotten sick of seemingly every black villain (or hero for that matter) having a shaved head.
"#2 - Why did Wilde knock off that waitress?"
You know, I tried several different ways to have him express a reason. He didn't like the service, he was still hungry, etc. But no matter how I tried to approach it, it just came across as being flippant at a point where I didn't want flippancy. As if the waitress' death was simply a set up for a punch line. So I decided the best thing to do was just to let the act speak for itself. That the true horror of it was that he was so damned casual about it, it almost didn't matter *what* the reason was.
PAD
I just have to say, I loved seeing Lee in the "Peace, Love, Linux" t-shirt. Nice touch. Your idea or the artist's?
I manage a comic shop in Canada and would just like to share the fact that FALLEN ANGEL has gained new readers with every issue since #4 was released. It's a slow climb, but an easy sell once the customer has given the book a chance. It's so tough to make a new book fly these days with so much Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, X-Men etc clogging up shelf space, but when a comic is this engrossing, this GOOD, it makes it easier for me to get behind it as a salesperson.
I plan to make the most of the trade paperback when it is released. Too bad DC hasn't provided a poster or some sort of promotional dealie for me to work with. I want this book to last.
By the way, almost every single Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan I have in the store has started reading Fallen Angel---just a tip for any retailers reading out there...
c.
Never, *never* underestimate the signal-to-noise ratio that hands like a shroud over any book that doesn't get the full court press. DC did nothing to push the return of Kara in "Supergirl" and it took us six months to bring the sales up forty places in the Diamond ranking. They bang the drums for three months on Batman/Superman #8 with the return of Kara and it debuts at #1.
Ah, yes...well. Facts. Inconvenient things...
Perhaps I'm getting a bit disappointed with readership as a whole--what they say they want is not what they buy. When you point out examples of what they say they want in a book, they either shut up or ignore you....
Finally got a chance to pick this issue up. I've said something like this before, but THIS was my favorite issue!
As stated before I think we really get somethings cleard up and we really begin to see who some of these people really are.
Dolf really shines in this issue. I know the rumor out there is that Dolf is in fact Hitler. I think his views on good/evil and power/weakness really seem to fit with what I think Hitler might have thought at one time.
"You know, I tried several different ways to have him express a reason. He didn't like the service ..."
Just as well you didn't, as people would probably have pounced on a comparison with KINGDOM COME where Vandal Savage casually snaps the neck of one of Luthor's aides because she one sugar instead of two in his coffee. "Sorry, immortal habits die hard..."
Who's the retailer? Because I'm perfectly capable of calling Diamond and asking if they really "failed to send" them, or if the retailer just didn't bother to order it.
PAD
PAD,
I don't blame you for wanting to check up on their ordering, after all I know you largely blame the retailers for your books not selling(Even though I believe it to be a mixture of retailers not ordering, publishers not advertising and consumers not buying.), but DIAMOND frequently does not ship books to retailers that they DO order. Things have been much better recently, but our store for example has been shorted copies of Daredevil recently as well as Exiles and Uncanny X-Men. Sometimes we have to go to other stores to get replacements if Diamond doesn't have any available.
We carried Fallen Angel for the first 6 issues and we only sold 1 copy of issue 1 to a customer. We even put the book in our featured section and I told people about it and yet no one bought it except myself and the owner. It is very difficult to get consumers to try certain books out. Just the nature of the beast I guess. Fortunately we have recently gotten a subscriber recently to try out issues #7-11 after reading the description in Previews for #10. We reordered #7-9 for him so that he could read the whole story. Hopefully he'll stick with it. We're ordering copies for the shelf again so we'll see how it works out.
"Goddammit would it KILL you to use the front door?!"Classic line that had me busting a gut laughing.Came into the story late (issue 7 i think) but i love this title.The Chaos vs Order argument was interesting.Much like the lines from Jurassic Park when Goldblums' character was discussing Chaos theory and the natural order of things.Like that fact that Mariah is in crisis because her life is in someone elses hands .More to the point that she actually wants to die.Immortality would suck in the long term wouldnt it.Thanks for the info about the two finger salute .Who new Spike was flipping people off the whole time?
I figured she was on her way in giving God the bird, not knowing anything about the two finger version (nice touch). It was obvious to me what she was saying. Plus, I figured she was exhausted (being tortured and all) and she was slowly expressing herself.
Does Mariah want to die? Or the opportunity to die? And if she gets her mortality back, will she just die or grow old and then die? Could be interesting if it gets to that point.
Well, in terms of pure wordage, "Fallen Angel" is as long or longer than my other works.
In any event, I don't write it to be read. I write it to be reread.
PAD
Fair enough, but is it as long as your works 5 years ago, or ten years ago? I just settled in to reread the Death of Jean DeWolff, and each issue seems to take a lot longer to read. I'm not asking for quantity over quality, and I do like titles that I will return to over time to reread. However, I do feel that comics as a whole read a whole lot shorter, and yours are no exception.
The shop I frequent just received the issue this week. To echo what Rich said, Diamond seems to short my shop on one or two titles each week. It's not so bad when it is a DC title, because they can be reordered. It really hurts when it is a Marvel title lately because if Diamond doesn't have any copies left, the shop owner has to try to track them down from other sources.
I know in my case it was not the store failing to order the title because it has been on my pull list since Issue #1 and the owner has not failed to get it for me yet.
Anyway, I enjoyed the issue and am looking forward to see how this arc resolves. I am caught up in the story and this continues to be one of my favorite books.
Okay, so you specified the two-finger salute, and it was drawn that way.
Will you now please explain why the dialog in an earlier issue referred to Dolph using a Walther P38 and what he was holding was a Luger P08?
And whose idea was the "Aston Martin" joke in Asia's crypt?
And it's nice to see that I-10 runs through Bete Noire. Always did like coming into town on I10 when i visited the place...
"Will you now please explain why the dialog in an earlier issue referred to Dolph using a Walther P38 and what he was holding was a Luger P08?"
Do I *look* like the artist? I specified in dialogue what he was supposed to be holding. I determined what was appropriate by doing a google search as to popular guns with the German SS. If the artist turned around and drew the wrong gun, there's not a lot I can do about it.
"And whose idea was the "Aston Martin" joke in Asia's crypt?"
Dave's.
PAD
The esteemed Peter David explained the use of the wrong gun this way:
"Do I *look* like the artist? I specified in dialogue what he was supposed to be holding. I determined what was appropriate by doing a google search as to popular guns with the German SS. If the artist turned around and drew the wrong gun, there's not a lot I can do about it."
No one's asking you to do an Alan Moore, and write a whole script page for a panel. However, some local artists I know have regular reference books for things like weapons - especially people who do military and science fiction material. If I could draw, and draw well, and worked with a really great writer who described a weapon...well, I'd consider it SOP to look up what the pistol looked like. Even if it was only on the Internet somewhere.
And in the artist's defense...well, maybe he was hitting that ol' deadline wall.