I enjoyed it, which makes me happy, because I bought it. A good stand-alone story, and to re-iterate my point from the thread below, an “adult subject matter” thing that shouldn’t be too much of a big deal. At most, I would imagine some childish snickering from teenagers (and me, honestly), and parents of the under-aged should be able to deflect it with a “it’s a grown-up thing.” Or something to that effect.
I can’t wait until we get more into the “meat and potatoes” stories of FA, but maybe like everyone else I’m projecting “Supergirl” on this thing, which doesn’t seem entirely fair, although I think there’s been quite a bit of deliberate play with that on Peter’s end.
As a total aside, I’m waiting for a “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” when they make-over a hardcore, comics/sf geek. I think that’d be a hëll of a challenge…
“Worst…makeover…ever.”
*/threadjack*
“Thomas” as in “Thomas” Wayne? Bat on cover. Gas as in utility belt? Shadow on page 20. Knowledge of firearms page 11. Money to throw around. Could it be? Don’t ask, don’t tell. Great issue!
And Greymalkin is the address of another mansion used as a secret super-hero hide-out.
Okay, the idea of cussin’ and naughty bits intrigued me (since I haven’t seen a whole lot of either in PAD books), so I bought it.
I’ll try to summarize without spoilers here: I liked the surprise twist at the end (which will most likely bring me back for #3), but I’d like some more cussin’.
And naughty bits. =)
Also, that “supervillain hang-out” was probably the coolest secret lair since the Batcave. =D
I enjoyed this one even better than last issue. Cool guest appearance by “Thomas”. His showdown with “Lee” ended in just the way I hoped it would.
Looking forward to finding out the crack in the angel’s hardened emotional veneer.
KET
I’m liking this so far, but not sure as to why. OK, it’s well-scripted, and well-drawn, but the main story itself wasn’t much, Or was it?
I think you’re just setting things up here, with a lot of tantalizing hints scattered about. There is a ton of mystery here, andI think most of all I want to see how it plays out. In away, despite the one-part stories you’ve started, this feels like a novel, where things unravel slowly.
So in short, I’m definitely staying around for a while, but have no idea what to expect, or why.
Much better than the first issue. Though to be honest, I could do without the relationship between Lee and the Magistrate. It seems a little forced.
Asia Minor is a great character. And nothing beats his crypt hangout.
I still feel this book is fence sitting between Vertigo and mainstream, and as such, it’s being held back in either direction.
Oddly enough, I didn’t care for this issue as much as the first one, mostly because I felt it underlined the first issue’s problems. For a comic that mostly takes place at night, Lopez doesn’t really do atmosphere very well. Also the humor that is PAD’s trademark seems rather out-of-place in such a dark book. Like last issue’s foghorn into a cell phone this issue’s running bløwjøb joke fell flat, and the final twist on the joke made me sigh, not chuckle.
That said, we are only 2 issues in, so the creative team is still feeling the book out. There is plenty of good stuff to be had here, like Lee and Asia Minor, so I’m going to pick it up for awhile yet, and recommending it to friends.
I liked it.
It continues to develop nicely, and that development continues to intrigue me.
Sorry I can’t say more, but this is one of those books that I’m sure will look and feel differently to me six or eight issues down the line than it does now. There are still glitches to be worked out–I agree that, for now, the Magistrate/Lee relationship is feeling too forced, too pat–but there are already signs that this is going to click together quite nicely.
For my part, I find I enjoy it far more when I stop worrying about whatever DCU pastiches may be showing up. The further you keep it away from PLANETARY-style analogues, the more I suspect I’ll like it. Ultimately, of course, FA needs to stand or fall on its own–and the first two issues indicate that it’s going to be able to do the former.
(Plus, I bought this week’s copy from some girl with purple-ish hair who claimed to know the author, so I sorta had to like it….. )
One odd resonance in this issue: don’t know why, but something about Lee’s appearance/actions this time out put me in mind of DC’s old “I, Vampire…” series, specifically of the main villian therein, Bloody Mary. While the slight indications here that Lee might be a vampire are no doubt misdirection–I hope–I couldn’t help but wonder about the possibilities.
Would love to comment on it, but my comic book shope didn’t get it’s comics this week. They got 20 some boxes of toys from Diamond but no comics.
I was really looking forward to reading this, hopefully something will be worked out.
Well, it looks like I was wrong about it being a høøkër rather than Lee herself…
But I find George Grattan’s comments (regarding vampires) very interesting… my girlfriend doesn’t know squat about the DCU, much less about the “don’t ask don’t tell” policy about Lee possibly being Supergirl… but she’s convinced that Lee is a vampire (and I do my best not to spoil it for her… she would probably stop reading it if she knew about the Supergirl connection.) I thought she would be the only one who thought so, until I read George’s comment above.
Overall I enjoyed it and plan to buy it month to month, as long as it keeps my interest and entertains me.
I’m sorry to say the weakest aspect is the art work. While Mr. Lopez does a decent job of story telling his figures are awkward and his art lacks a power and professionalism seen in better drawn books. With a top rate artist, this could be a great book. (An example is how much “Rising Stars” improved when Brent Anderson took over.)
Did PAD have any vote on the artist?
I am wondering how long Lee can keep up an ambiguous rep vis a vis the “bad guys” if things keep happening like they did to Asia Minor at the end. It’d seem that within a few more issues, someone like Asia would never try to hire Lee since whenever someone like him does so, things end badly for him.
I’ll agree with those who say that this mostly feels like setup so far.
But it’s good setup — and as someone who was perfectly happy to spend at least a season of B5 doing little but setup for future payoffs, I’m inclined to stick around for quite a while until I see where things are going.
I think I’d also tend to agree that putting a “mature readers” label on the book might work well for DC, strictly as a CYA sort of thing.
TWL
About the Magistrate and Lee thing: She explained it already. Think carefully about what Yin and Yang means.
An alright story, but I could see the end coming for the story making it a little predictable.
I liked issue #2 more than I liked issue #1. Though parts of this still felt like setup, they didn’t seem as forced as some of the “insert character name here” bits in #1.
Thomas Graymalkin could have quite a future ahead of him in comics — I could see him carrying four or five books a month. 🙂 (Although the moustache made him look a little like Deadshot.)
Lee’s explanation of her relationship with the Magistrate was well done. Whether either of them believes it is ambiguous, as it should be at this point. I agree with the earlier comments, though, that eventually the criminal element in Bete Noir is going to grow tired of the double-crosses.
The “blow” jokes were good, though PAD’s disclaimer a few days ago had me expecting something even more ovre the top. (Given that heroin has been called “blow” in the past, this makes for a triple entendre.)
The problems everyone seems to have with Mr. Lopez’s art are beyond me. I think his style fits this book very well … the only other artists I could see drawing this and pulling off the mood so well are Geoff Isherwood (who drew some of the later issues of John Ostrander’s Suicide Squad), Denys Cowan (The Question) and … urm … the guy who drew the later issues of Nomad at Marvel (Hawbaker may have been his last name).
But I like Lopez’s work a lot on this book. It reminds me a bit of George Perez, only a bit more grim.
Overall, I thought it was a good story. Again, my concerns stem mostly from Lopez’s art, which, I think, conveys most of the faces as too flat.
My other concern was with Lee’s standing in the city. She’s hard as nails, with no apparent emotional vulnerabilities. Also, she’s supposedly amoral (see, she’s sleeping with the Magistrate, she’s gotta have no morals). I’m just not sure how long we can care about a character that’s so apparently oblivious to emotional danger and is so physically capable.
I guess you could say I’m looking for some angst.
Hello,
for the first time ever, I missed a PAD-comic, it was sold out here within a day. And because I was there while the comic-shop was unpacking, I grabbed my books right out of the bin and he did not put them in my pull-bin.
Anyway, does anybody here know, if the book is sold out from DC, or can I still hope for a reorder?
Thanks.
The story was better than the first issue, but the artwork is not very good, particularly the inking and the line weight.
I’m really enjoying the series thus far. I’m curious about Mr. David’s reaction to Fallen Angel #1’s placing on the July sales data. Was it what you were expecting?
Second issue…
I like the way it’s going so far. There an almost surly approach to heroic convention at the core of this thing. Enemies sleep together, hired goons call them on it, and a confrontation that could’ve easily been extended with a cliffhanger wraps up with an ending that is abrupt,comical, and pointedly anticlimactic.
This series reads like it was written by and for someone sick to death of the by-the-numbers comic art they know (and once loved)all too well. Places to see, people to do, envelopes to push. Yadda yadda yadda I’m intrigued.
Like others, I think the artwork is the weak part of this book. The story, however, was clever and the characterization was good. I’ll have to say, though, that the only way I can make this comic work in my mind is if Angel ISN’T Linda. I can’t see her doing some of these things, especially sleeping with the enemy.
Also, I won’t be sharing this one with my children.
–your pal, Hoy
To Armin: You could ask your store to reorder it. I was able to get a second copy of #1 that way for a friend who couldn’t find it where she lives.
I’m really enjoying the series thus far. I’m curious about Mr. David’s reaction to Fallen Angel #1’s placing on the July sales data. Was it what you were expecting?
No, it’s what I was fearing.
PAD
I know I’m late to the party, but I finally picked up my (preordered and specifically requested) copy of FALLEN ANGEL from the comic shop last week– and in a haul that included FINDER, GOTHAM CENTRAL and THE LEGION, it was nonetheless one my favorite books of the bunch.
The puns are godawful, but there’s such an infectious sense of style and fun here. I really, really love the old pulp-novel feel to the proceedings, and the way the book casually raises all these mysteries and seems in no hurry whatsoever to solve them. Great art, too– yes, Lee is a babe, but she also looks like a real human being.
I hope DC gets behind this book the same way they’ve graciously supported GOTHAM CENTRAL, because it could be a real winner– especially if eventually adapted to television.
Oh, and that shadow behind Mr. Graymalkin– was that an intentional resemblance, or a joke on the artist’s part?
I don’t get the people complaining about the art. I think it is perfect for this book.
• 
I enjoyed it, which makes me happy, because I bought it. A good stand-alone story, and to re-iterate my point from the thread below, an “adult subject matter” thing that shouldn’t be too much of a big deal. At most, I would imagine some childish snickering from teenagers (and me, honestly), and parents of the under-aged should be able to deflect it with a “it’s a grown-up thing.” Or something to that effect.
I can’t wait until we get more into the “meat and potatoes” stories of FA, but maybe like everyone else I’m projecting “Supergirl” on this thing, which doesn’t seem entirely fair, although I think there’s been quite a bit of deliberate play with that on Peter’s end.
As a total aside, I’m waiting for a “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” when they make-over a hardcore, comics/sf geek. I think that’d be a hëll of a challenge…
“Worst…makeover…ever.”
*/threadjack*
“Thomas” as in “Thomas” Wayne? Bat on cover. Gas as in utility belt? Shadow on page 20. Knowledge of firearms page 11. Money to throw around. Could it be? Don’t ask, don’t tell. Great issue!
And Greymalkin is the address of another mansion used as a secret super-hero hide-out.
Okay, the idea of cussin’ and naughty bits intrigued me (since I haven’t seen a whole lot of either in PAD books), so I bought it.
I’ll try to summarize without spoilers here: I liked the surprise twist at the end (which will most likely bring me back for #3), but I’d like some more cussin’.
And naughty bits. =)
Also, that “supervillain hang-out” was probably the coolest secret lair since the Batcave. =D
I enjoyed this one even better than last issue. Cool guest appearance by “Thomas”. His showdown with “Lee” ended in just the way I hoped it would.
Looking forward to finding out the crack in the angel’s hardened emotional veneer.
KET
I’m liking this so far, but not sure as to why. OK, it’s well-scripted, and well-drawn, but the main story itself wasn’t much, Or was it?
I think you’re just setting things up here, with a lot of tantalizing hints scattered about. There is a ton of mystery here, andI think most of all I want to see how it plays out. In away, despite the one-part stories you’ve started, this feels like a novel, where things unravel slowly.
So in short, I’m definitely staying around for a while, but have no idea what to expect, or why.
Much better than the first issue. Though to be honest, I could do without the relationship between Lee and the Magistrate. It seems a little forced.
Asia Minor is a great character. And nothing beats his crypt hangout.
I still feel this book is fence sitting between Vertigo and mainstream, and as such, it’s being held back in either direction.
Oddly enough, I didn’t care for this issue as much as the first one, mostly because I felt it underlined the first issue’s problems. For a comic that mostly takes place at night, Lopez doesn’t really do atmosphere very well. Also the humor that is PAD’s trademark seems rather out-of-place in such a dark book. Like last issue’s foghorn into a cell phone this issue’s running bløwjøb joke fell flat, and the final twist on the joke made me sigh, not chuckle.
That said, we are only 2 issues in, so the creative team is still feeling the book out. There is plenty of good stuff to be had here, like Lee and Asia Minor, so I’m going to pick it up for awhile yet, and recommending it to friends.
I liked it.
It continues to develop nicely, and that development continues to intrigue me.
Sorry I can’t say more, but this is one of those books that I’m sure will look and feel differently to me six or eight issues down the line than it does now. There are still glitches to be worked out–I agree that, for now, the Magistrate/Lee relationship is feeling too forced, too pat–but there are already signs that this is going to click together quite nicely.
For my part, I find I enjoy it far more when I stop worrying about whatever DCU pastiches may be showing up. The further you keep it away from PLANETARY-style analogues, the more I suspect I’ll like it. Ultimately, of course, FA needs to stand or fall on its own–and the first two issues indicate that it’s going to be able to do the former.
(Plus, I bought this week’s copy from some girl with purple-ish hair who claimed to know the author, so I sorta had to like it….. )
One odd resonance in this issue: don’t know why, but something about Lee’s appearance/actions this time out put me in mind of DC’s old “I, Vampire…” series, specifically of the main villian therein, Bloody Mary. While the slight indications here that Lee might be a vampire are no doubt misdirection–I hope–I couldn’t help but wonder about the possibilities.
Would love to comment on it, but my comic book shope didn’t get it’s comics this week. They got 20 some boxes of toys from Diamond but no comics.
I was really looking forward to reading this, hopefully something will be worked out.
Well, it looks like I was wrong about it being a høøkër rather than Lee herself…
But I find George Grattan’s comments (regarding vampires) very interesting… my girlfriend doesn’t know squat about the DCU, much less about the “don’t ask don’t tell” policy about Lee possibly being Supergirl… but she’s convinced that Lee is a vampire (and I do my best not to spoil it for her… she would probably stop reading it if she knew about the Supergirl connection.) I thought she would be the only one who thought so, until I read George’s comment above.
Overall I enjoyed it and plan to buy it month to month, as long as it keeps my interest and entertains me.
I’m sorry to say the weakest aspect is the art work. While Mr. Lopez does a decent job of story telling his figures are awkward and his art lacks a power and professionalism seen in better drawn books. With a top rate artist, this could be a great book. (An example is how much “Rising Stars” improved when Brent Anderson took over.)
Did PAD have any vote on the artist?
I am wondering how long Lee can keep up an ambiguous rep vis a vis the “bad guys” if things keep happening like they did to Asia Minor at the end. It’d seem that within a few more issues, someone like Asia would never try to hire Lee since whenever someone like him does so, things end badly for him.
I’ll agree with those who say that this mostly feels like setup so far.
But it’s good setup — and as someone who was perfectly happy to spend at least a season of B5 doing little but setup for future payoffs, I’m inclined to stick around for quite a while until I see where things are going.
I think I’d also tend to agree that putting a “mature readers” label on the book might work well for DC, strictly as a CYA sort of thing.
TWL
About the Magistrate and Lee thing: She explained it already. Think carefully about what Yin and Yang means.
An alright story, but I could see the end coming for the story making it a little predictable.
I liked issue #2 more than I liked issue #1. Though parts of this still felt like setup, they didn’t seem as forced as some of the “insert character name here” bits in #1.
Thomas Graymalkin could have quite a future ahead of him in comics — I could see him carrying four or five books a month. 🙂 (Although the moustache made him look a little like Deadshot.)
Lee’s explanation of her relationship with the Magistrate was well done. Whether either of them believes it is ambiguous, as it should be at this point. I agree with the earlier comments, though, that eventually the criminal element in Bete Noir is going to grow tired of the double-crosses.
The “blow” jokes were good, though PAD’s disclaimer a few days ago had me expecting something even more ovre the top. (Given that heroin has been called “blow” in the past, this makes for a triple entendre.)
The problems everyone seems to have with Mr. Lopez’s art are beyond me. I think his style fits this book very well … the only other artists I could see drawing this and pulling off the mood so well are Geoff Isherwood (who drew some of the later issues of John Ostrander’s Suicide Squad), Denys Cowan (The Question) and … urm … the guy who drew the later issues of Nomad at Marvel (Hawbaker may have been his last name).
But I like Lopez’s work a lot on this book. It reminds me a bit of George Perez, only a bit more grim.
Overall, I thought it was a good story. Again, my concerns stem mostly from Lopez’s art, which, I think, conveys most of the faces as too flat.
My other concern was with Lee’s standing in the city. She’s hard as nails, with no apparent emotional vulnerabilities. Also, she’s supposedly amoral (see, she’s sleeping with the Magistrate, she’s gotta have no morals). I’m just not sure how long we can care about a character that’s so apparently oblivious to emotional danger and is so physically capable.
I guess you could say I’m looking for some angst.
Hello,
for the first time ever, I missed a PAD-comic, it was sold out here within a day. And because I was there while the comic-shop was unpacking, I grabbed my books right out of the bin and he did not put them in my pull-bin.
Anyway, does anybody here know, if the book is sold out from DC, or can I still hope for a reorder?
Thanks.
The story was better than the first issue, but the artwork is not very good, particularly the inking and the line weight.
I’m really enjoying the series thus far. I’m curious about Mr. David’s reaction to Fallen Angel #1’s placing on the July sales data. Was it what you were expecting?
Second issue…
I like the way it’s going so far. There an almost surly approach to heroic convention at the core of this thing. Enemies sleep together, hired goons call them on it, and a confrontation that could’ve easily been extended with a cliffhanger wraps up with an ending that is abrupt,comical, and pointedly anticlimactic.
This series reads like it was written by and for someone sick to death of the by-the-numbers comic art they know (and once loved)all too well. Places to see, people to do, envelopes to push. Yadda yadda yadda I’m intrigued.
Like others, I think the artwork is the weak part of this book. The story, however, was clever and the characterization was good. I’ll have to say, though, that the only way I can make this comic work in my mind is if Angel ISN’T Linda. I can’t see her doing some of these things, especially sleeping with the enemy.
Also, I won’t be sharing this one with my children.
–your pal, Hoy
To Armin: You could ask your store to reorder it. I was able to get a second copy of #1 that way for a friend who couldn’t find it where she lives.
I’m really enjoying the series thus far. I’m curious about Mr. David’s reaction to Fallen Angel #1’s placing on the July sales data. Was it what you were expecting?
No, it’s what I was fearing.
PAD
I know I’m late to the party, but I finally picked up my (preordered and specifically requested) copy of FALLEN ANGEL from the comic shop last week– and in a haul that included FINDER, GOTHAM CENTRAL and THE LEGION, it was nonetheless one my favorite books of the bunch.
The puns are godawful, but there’s such an infectious sense of style and fun here. I really, really love the old pulp-novel feel to the proceedings, and the way the book casually raises all these mysteries and seems in no hurry whatsoever to solve them. Great art, too– yes, Lee is a babe, but she also looks like a real human being.
I hope DC gets behind this book the same way they’ve graciously supported GOTHAM CENTRAL, because it could be a real winner– especially if eventually adapted to television.
Oh, and that shadow behind Mr. Graymalkin– was that an intentional resemblance, or a joke on the artist’s part?
I don’t get the people complaining about the art. I think it is perfect for this book.