The conclusion of the three parter about the Angel’s predecessor, “Lin.” Whad’ja think?
Oh, and I just got a sample cover for “Darkness of the Light,” the first novel in my new fantasy series due out in a week or so. Looks spiffy.
PAD
The conclusion of the three parter about the Angel’s predecessor, “Lin.” Whad’ja think?
Oh, and I just got a sample cover for “Darkness of the Light,” the first novel in my new fantasy series due out in a week or so. Looks spiffy.
PAD
• 
PAD,
Did Fallen Angel come out this week, or has it been delayed? My shop didn’t have it.
Rick
It’s out. My shop got it in and I’ve had major problems getting that book on time. I expect it’s going to be really nice to be able to read this thread as it’s written instead of coming back to it months later. It was great to see Lind…*ahem*, Lin…come back into the world in some fashion. Also as I said in the X-Factor thread, I love that last line. I’ll try to post something more comprehensive about the actual story content when I’m not at work and have the book in front of me.
“Beats the hëll out of limbo” was the best freaking line ever. 🙂
Although it did seem a little too quickly-concluded, and I’m still wondering how Lin escaped limbo in the first place – and why that demon wouldn’t have come after her for busting out.
Still, it was one of the finer *ahem*iknowican’tsaysupergirl*ahem* “Lin” stories you’ve done, and what came across on every page of all three chapters was how much you still love and miss the character. You are not alone.
And when are we getting J.K. Woodward back?
Hmmm. Really enjoyed this issue. A satisfying conclusion. Now since you have featured some characters that you have written in the past, how about a visit from the late lamented title, SOULSEARCHERS AND COMPANY? Perhaps as a fill in by Amanda Connor?
It’s out. I got my shop’s last copy, about two hours after they arrived on Thursday. The shop used to order three copies, and at least one would still be there when the new issue came out. Now, the six they order sell out very quickly. Have to be on my toes! (PAD, is it meeting/exceeding sales expectations?)
Interestingly bittersweet story. Enjoyed it, as always. Don’t mind the current artist’s work. Like the homage cover. 🙂
You guys are lucky. I can’t find an LCS that will carry this book and I always have to get my copy online.
Lester C.
I have to wait for the next trade to read it. I recognize now that there are some stories, like Vaughn’s Y or Kirkman’s Walking Dead, that I really want to get hit with all at once, and Fallen Angel is one of them. I hope the next trade comes soon!
Also, I must say, out of everything I’ve read from you, I think this series at IDW is your best. A lot of times I’ll go back and read old stuff and it doesn’t hold up as well… which astonishes me, because I know at the time I thought it was the best stuff ever… what causes this? I dunno. I just know that with Fallen Angel I have a story that I pretty much can read whenever I want, over and over, and it doesn’t ever seem tired or old.
The cover does nice, Peter. Nice cover scheme with the orange background and the lizard guy and woman in the foreground. Can’t wait to get my copy. 🙂
From the keyboard of Queen Anthai
Both those thought are mine, and I am jealous that I was not to make these comments first.
Having said that I can only hope this is not the last we will see of “Lin” and as the Queen pointed out why wouldn’t the demon follow her to get her back. Maybe we will see this in a future storyline. I really don’t follow any of the “X” books or the “Spidey” titles except “Spider-Girl”, so “Fallen Angel” is really the only comic work of your I read these days. Yet as in the old days of SuperAngelFallenGirl and Young Justice, and Aquaman, (I had used my quota of quotes for the day so I couldn’t honor those titles), you never fail to disappoint.
Bobb
oops The quote from Queen Anthai I was referring to was:
“Beats the hëll out of limbo” was the best freaking line ever. 🙂
Although it did seem a little too quickly-concluded, and I’m still wondering how Lin escaped limbo in the first place – and why that demon wouldn’t have come after her for busting out.
Bobb
(I just washed these hands and can’t do a quote with them!)
I assumed that Lin could escape because the creature was called/controlled by Juris, and Juris is no longer in charge of Bete Noire.
And I was kind of thinking that when Lin escaped from the asylum, it appeared that she had wings of fire, and sort of “shunted” away, wink, wink. I remember when there were hints that a certain similar character still had the potential for wings of fire, etc., but just couldn’t get them to work quite… or I could be totally off base.
Still don’t have #15 (the fact it came out a week after #14 musta confused the Diamond warehouse), but I got #16. Interesting Ken Steacy-ish vibe to the art.
Please tell me we’re getting a “Lin” spinoff?
Pretty please?
I loved the story, but really did not like the art. So to me, it was only half as good as it could have been.
Enjoyed the story and loved the homage to that “DC” cover.
Here’s a review from Broken Frontier
http://www.brokenfrontier.com/reviews/details.php?id=1400
I picked up FA16 yesterday.
Today i re-read “Supergirl” 50 – 80.
The juxtaposition of “Lin’s” story in FA and the last issue of “Supergirl” was fascinating.
Someone once asked what’s the status of the characters ypu created for “Supergirl” – specifically Buzz, though Cutter, Mattie and Andy come to mind, also – does DC own such characters, or do you, or is there some sort of joint ownership thing?
Does the Fallen Angel Premiere Collection hardcover have a new release date? It was supposed to be out in late May, but Amazon sent me an updated shipping notice for August.
Corey
I finally got a copy of the issue today.
I agree with J. Alexander that the storyline came to a satisfying conclusion. Sure, I’d like to have gotten more information, like how Lin escaped Limbo, but it I don’t believe it’s germane to the story.
In fact, I’m reminded of issue 10 of Astro City, where a villain called the Junkman (a former inventor) successfully robs a bank and gets away, but later becomes frustrated that nobody knows he’s the one who got away with it. So he returns to Astro City and embarks on a crime spree, letting himself get caught this time. On the final page, we have the Junkman’s trial; and in the penultimate panel, we see a strange device hidden in the chandelier. The Junkman’s narration reads, “And then the prosecution will rest. And I’ll trigger my escape plan, which has been in place for days…”
The final panel shows the Junkman in close-up, smiling. We never see the escape. We don’t have to. We know he’ll succeed.
Likewise, in Fallen Angel, we don’t need to know how Lin escaped from Limbo, because the story’s not about where she’s been, but where she’s going.
As to why the creature didn’t come after her, Neil C.’s theory that Dr. Juris is no longer being there to control it seems logical.
Another thing I liked about the story is that it took place over three issues, not six, as often seems to be the case these days. That’s not to say that all six-part stories are unnecessarily drawn out and padded, but some are. It’s good to have stories of shorter lengths, too, even the occasional stand-alone. In fact I’m curious how PAD would’ve structured the Lin storyline if it had been a stand-alone. More dialog balloons and narrative text? More details left to the readers’ imaginations? Both? Whatever the case, I feel confident he’d have successfully pulled it off.
But now I find myself wanting to compare and contrast a stand-alone Lin story with the current three-part version. PAD, can you drop everything else you’re working on and write another version of Lin’s story just so I (and possibly others) can satisfy my curiosity? Thanks.
Seriously, though, it would be an interesting experiment if the same story had both a multi-part version and a single version. Which would be better in terms of the overall quality of the story?
You know, until I read the other posts on this thread, I didn’t even think of that classic cover from Crisis #7. However, I did think that perhaps Lin would die. I suppose my missing the reference might be due to the fact that that pose has appeared so often that we might not give it a second thought.
Plus I wanted to read the story, so I didn’t linger long on the cover.
I get the impression from this issue that there had not previously been a “court of last resort for the desperate”, that Lin was the first. If that’s the case, and if the city summoned Lin in the same way an ill body summons antibodies, as Dolf theorized last issue, then is the Fallen Angel also serving that function? In other words, now that this “court of last resort” exists in Bete Noire, will it now always exist in some form or another? If or when the Fallen Angel finally leaves Bete Noire, will the city “summon” some other woman to fill her shoes… er, wrapped feet?
Rick
“I get the impression from this issue that there had not previously been a “court of last resort for the desperate”, that Lin was the first. If that’s the case, and if the city summoned Lin in the same way an ill body summons antibodies, as Dolf theorized last issue, then is the Fallen Angel also serving that function? In other words, now that this “court of last resort” exists in Bete Noire, will it now always exist in some form or another? If or when the Fallen Angel finally leaves Bete Noire, will the city “summon” some other woman to fill her shoes… er, wrapped feet?”
Oh, absolutely. As far back as issue #7 of the original DC run, it was established that others had come before Lee and would, presumably, come after her. I showed Lee’s arrival in Bete Noire and Dolf told her that the corner booth would be hers, because that was what had been done for “the others.” And the dialogue went:
ANGEL: “Others.” Others have come to Bete Noire to help people?
DOLF: Ja.
ANGEL: And what happened to them?
DOLF: They left.
ANGEL: Dead? Or alive?
DOLF: Both. And neither.
As for the length of the stories, one of the joys of writing an ongoing story that’s creator owned is that I have the leeway (no pun intended) to have stories find their own length. The Lin story, just as the Angel/Shi crossover starting next issue, was originally a two-parter (the set up issue and the revelation issue.) But the story started to grow and it wound up becoming three parts.
Is it possible to shorten a story? Yeah, it’s possible. I was faced with that in “1602” when I discovered, as I prepared to write issue #5, that I’d been under the mistaken impression the series was six issues. So I had to compress the rest of the story into one issue instead of two. It can be done; but it’s not always comfortable.
PAD
“As far back as issue #7 of the original DC run, it was established that others had come before Lee and would, presumably, come after her.”
Did these others come between Lin and the Fallen Angel or before Lin? In other words, was Lin the first to serve as this “court of last resort for the desperate”? Like I said, that’s the impression I got.
I also agree that it’s good to have stories find their own lengths. I was just curious how you would’ve handled Lin’s story if you’d decided to do it as a done-in-one.
Just out of curiosity, do you know how Lin escaped Limbo and why the creature hasn’t come after her? Or do you not concern yourself with such details unless they have a direct connection to the particular story?
Rick
Hi I finally got my copy in the mail up here in Alaska!!
Loved the story. Loved the cover of Lee holding Lin… although the glismpe of the retailer insentive cover looked great as well… I prefer J.K.’s version of Lin as he made her look just like Linda. But overall I like the art of Kristian Donaldson.
Did I say I loved the story! Cause I do.. Many Happy Returns is my favorite graphic novel and getting Mr. David to sign my copy a few years ago in San Fran was a super highlight.. love it!!
> Did these others come between Lin and the Fallen Angel or before Lin? In other words, was Lin the first to serve as this “court of last resort for the desperate”? Like I said, that’s the impression I got.
Hard to say. More than in most comic book series, time seems … elastic – to say the least. Lin…(ahem) seemed to exist in the present ten years back in that previous unnamed series. So she’d have wound up in Bete Noir no sooner than that.
Let’s assume at least a couple of years on the job. Ditto for Lee. Then the current stories, taking place twenty years later, should be set sometime in the next decade. This would make Dolf (if one accepts some theories as to who he really is) well over a hundred. Which again points to time being either very ‘elastic’, or that Bete Noir really hangs on to its denizens, conferring on them a longevity not had by the average citizen of other cities.
At which point accepted chronology goes right out the window as one tries to figure out what’s possible in such an environment. Especially with such a creative writer guiding things. Rod Serling would be proud.
I finally read it this weekend. What a great issue, and an excellent conclusion to the arc. It works both in furthering our knowledge of Bete Noire and the forces behind it, and as a fond farewell for Lin. Oh, and some nice humor to counterbalance the (surprising) horror, with Lee and Lin’s interractions. The entire last page is beautiful, concluding with that perfect (if slightly misquoted in this thread 😉 ) last line. Great work.