Issues 22-25 is going to be a major story arc in the life of the Fallen Angel and her base of operations, Bete Noire. It begins with a series of events as seen from the point of view of a small boy who sleepwalks his way into the city and finds himself in the middle of a war zone. That’s #22. Issues #23-#25 depict full blown warfare in Bete Noire as a new player arrives with a simple goal–To snatch control of the city from Jude and remake the world in his own image. The status quo will be massively shaken up, long time cast members will die (and no, they won’t come back, ever) and unexpected characters will be returning.
You really shouldn’t miss it.
PAD
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2 quick questions:
1. Any movement on more TPs from DC to finish the run?
2. Will there be another superhuge superdeluxe IDW compilation of the second set of 12 issues? I thought the deluxe hardcover was quite lovely.
Oh Peter, you say the nicest things to me. 🙂
I would’ve read it without being given the spoilers, as the deaths would’ve been more shocking. Now the surprise will be blunted. But hey, I’ll still be there. 🙂
Will there be another superhuge superdeluxe IDW compilation of the second set of 12 issues? I thought the deluxe hardcover was quite lovely.
That’s actually my preferred way of reading Fallen Angel, so I’d like the question to be considered “seconded.” Although I wouldn’t expect to hear anything about it until volume 5 is released.
Eh, I LIKE the teases. Sounds great.
It’s funny, if there’s a thing that I cannot associate with Fallen Angel, it’s “status quo”.
Since the DC era, it seems to me that there’s always changes in the characters and situations, therefore no status quo.
Killing major characters will not boost-up this feeling but if it can be Asia Minor, I can’t stand this guy.
With Peter saying long term characters will die, no character is safe. Heck, it would not surprise me if he chose to kill Lee.
I’m guessing that whoever the big-bad-“villain”-of-this-story-arc-is feels that Bete Noire is ripe for picking since Jude took over from his father.
But is it safe to assume that your comments about characters does not include Sachs and Violens since they are not completely yours?
Of course I won’t miss it. You wrote it, I buy it.
Oh, I don’t mind teases. Just spoilers. And if spoilers are frustrating enough as it is, I would think that they’re even less necessary on here, since I would imagine the people who are fans enough of Peter’s to come here are already reading FA. Then again, I sometimes forget spoilers by the time I read the story in question, so I’m hoping that’ll happen by the time the story comes out. 🙂
Sounds tremendous.
I hope Juris returns. To be honest, I am getting a little tired of Jude.
I’m up to Vol. 3 of the trades (dunno if Vol. 4 came out yet). I have every issue of the DC run, and I love the book so much that I have to read it in trades now in full arcs (single issues make me get all twitchy). This story arc sounds great because I’ve been wondering how Bete Noir shapes the world actually works. Can’t wait to read this trade. In, uh, late 2008. I guess. Heh.
I know PAD said in a Wizard interview that he has an “end point” in story for Fallen Angel (and then he could do Pre-Lee era stories). I love the F.A. universe, but I dig endings even more (closure is awesome). Of course, I would assume Lee’s story era would probably not wrap up till, like, issue 50 or 100.
I love Fallen Angel, but one thing has confused me that I hope you (or someone) can explain, Peter. Apparently 20-some years have passed in between the DC series and the IDW series, as Jubal has grown up in that time. And yet in all that time the status quo hasn’t changed (except that Juris gor married and had a son). S & V’s relationship seems to be the same. Everyone seems to hold the same positions in Bete Noire. The characters all look the same 20 years later, not having aged or gained weight. Even after 20 years, Mariah has held her tongue on Boxer’s death and not sought revenge on Juris.
A recent issue says that time passes differently in Bete Noire. So do the characters that live there aware or feel like 20 years have passed? I assume they must be, as Juris’s 2nd son has grown up in Bete Noire and I suppose aged normally. Am I overthinking this? Although I really enjoy the stories and let myself go along for the ride, it still nags at the back of my mind.
>So do the characters that live there aware or feel like 20 years have passed?
I doubt the latter. Dolph would be well over a hundred years old otherwise.
“A recent issue says that time passes differently in Bete Noire. So do the characters that live there aware or feel like 20 years have passed? I assume they must be, as Juris’s 2nd son has grown up in Bete Noire and I suppose aged normally. Am I overthinking this?”
Jubal grew because he was born in Bete Noire, and thus aged. Everyone else are outsiders who came to Bete Noire and their aging either slowed down or stopped entirely. The exception is the Fallen Angel, who continues to age because she spends half her time outside the city.
PAD
If you were taking a poll (which you’re not), I’d say ‘Thumper’ as the character I’d least mind seeing written out permanently. Honourable mention to Benny, though from what you’ve said before that’s impossible.
Writing about polls …
Whatever happened to the favourite X-Factor characters one? Did you ever tabulate the results? I don’t remember seeing them get posted.
So how old is Lee physically, in human terms?
And speaking of being human, does having been an angel cause her to age differently at all, or at the same rate as a human?
I see Lee as being between 45 and 50 in human terms.
PAD
Physically? (i.e.: her appearance?) Geez, from the way the artists have drawn her, she’s always appeared a lot younger.
(Or did you mean chronologically?)
Btw, HAPPY HANUKKAH TO YOU AND YOURS, AND TO ALL JEWS EVERYWHERE!
When she is in Bete Noire, she appears about twenty five. It is only when she is outside Bete Noire that she looks to be in her late 40s.
PAD
PAD,
I’d like to know the same thing as Luigi. Does Lee age at the same rate as humans? In other words does she just appear to be 25 in Bete Noire, or does her time there physically restore her to that age for the duration? If the latter, does this rejuvenation impact how fast she ages in the outside world (whether or not her status as an angel has any bearing on how fast she ages)? In short, if Lee is 45 today and spends the next five full years in Bete Noire, would she appear to be 50 when she returns to the outside world? Or still 45? Or somewhere in between?
On another note, way back on June 2, 2002, in the “price is wrong” thread, you wrote, “Sooner or later, I think companies are going to have to bite the bullet and collapse several titles together into $3.50 perfect bound titles on slicker paper with stiff covers, 32 or 48 pages, and *that* will be the regular format.” Of course this hasn’t yet become the regular format (and maybe it never will), but from a writer’s point of view, would you want a book like Fallen Angel to be published at say, 48 pages every eight weeks (so the artist isn’t scrambling all the time to meet deadline) instead of C. 20 pages every four weeks (or whatever its release schedule is)?
Would that allow you to tell better stories, or would there be a downside (strictly from a writing point of view— we’ll assume marketing, sales numbers, etc. are just as good— or better— than they are now; and/or that all comics would be published this way, so Fallen Angel wouldn’t be all alone in this format) that would make you hesitant to take that path, despite the larger page count?
By the way, when you wrote “collapse several titles together”, did you mean several issues? While I can see an advantage— especially from the reader’s POV— of having 48 pages of one story, I don’t see the advantage (other than the price savings) of essentially combining, say, issues of Spider-Man and Thor under one 48 page cover for $3.50.
Also, any chance of getting a letters column in Fallen Angel— either in its current incarnation, or as a hypothetical 48 pager? I believe letter columns are a plus. From my own experience, the letter columns in particular books not only let me get some insight into what had happened in previous issues I’d missed, but sometimes also prompted me to go out and track down back issues. Perhaps you had similar experiences?
I know some people say we don’t need letter columns in comics now that we have message boards and blogs like this. But they miss a key point: Anyone who picks up say, Buffy #9, which came out this week, can read the letter column, whether they buy it today, next week or ten years from now in a back issue bin. By contrast, an online message board or blog thread dedicated to a particular issue of a comic will be pretty dámņëd hard to find ten years from now— assuming someone knows where to look (and that the website or blog still exists).
Yes, I know people need to write in order for there to be a letters to publish; but I think it would be a good idea for publishers to make that space available in their comics. And when there are no letters (or very few) to fill that page? They can use some or all of that space for the writer, publisher, etc. to plug upcoming issues and/or any other titles the company puts out (sorta like a Stan’s Soapbox); or even include something akin to DC’s old “Ask the Answer Man” feature.
Rick
All I want to know is when the next issue arrives. Can’t find anything on IDW that reveals shipping dates.
I look forward to this book every month but ship weeks keep changing. Any information is welcome!
Gayle
Gayle
>> All I want to know is when the next issue arrives. Can’t find anything on IDW that reveals shipping dates.
Fallen Angel #22 is scheduled to ship this week.
Regards,
Simon.