moscow_watcher | Angel: AtF issue 1 summary and analysis

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Angel: AtF issue 1 summary and analysis

Angel: AtF issue 1 summary and analysis

Summary:

"It all started with a girl."

Season 6 starts with Angel saving a girl. In Hell. Or, rather, in Los-Angeles that has been sent to Hell. On the first panels Angel seems to be "back to the beginning" - he is a lonely hero who helps the helpless. But the more we find out the creepier it becomes.

The girl is a former lawyer who has now turned into a looter (people adapt quickly). Angel and his friend the dragon patrol the city and try to save the remaining people. Angel gives the girl the car and the address of safe place. But he prefers to stay anonimous. Because he blames himself for LA's current chaos. "I tood a stand. Wolfram and Hart has sent an army. There were losses on both sides. And then Wolfram and Hart sent Los-Angeles to Hell".

LA has been divided into zones where different demon lords rule. The majority of humans are their slaves. Sun and moon are on the sky day and night. The sun doesn't hurt vampires. The moon influences werewolves in a weird way. The remains of human resistance, including Nina and Gwen, have a headquarters in a hotel in Santa-Monica. Their leader is Connor.

Ghost!Wesley inherited Lylah's position of Senior Partners's representative on this plane. He tries to play the peacemaker between Angel and the demon lord whose minions Angel has killed. In one of the funniest and the creepiest twists Wesley assures the demon lord that Angel will be punished: he will be grounded and Wesley will "take away his TV privileges".

Obviously, SP still have plans for Angel. The plans may have something to do with a mysterious orb. There is a drawing of the orb at the wall of Angel's office. And on the next panel we see the identical orb embedded in the chest of a blue slimy demon who proclaims himself the lord of Westwood. A group of creatures who look like humans attack the demon and get the orb. "Yay team Gunn!" their leader proclaims. So, Gunn is fighting the forces of darkness again? Not exactly: the last panels reveals that he's a vampire and he feeds on the girl-slave from demon's harem.

Analysis:

Pre-cyberpank dystopian traditions usually depicted two versions of Hell. The first, mostly represented by European authors (Kafka, Orwell, "Brazilia" 's Terry Gilliam) explored bureaucratic dictatorships thwarthing an individual through paperwork and red tape. The second, very popular in Hollywood (Escape From New York, Escape From Los Angeles as well as countless B-movies), plunged poor humanity into chaos, anarchy and barbarism.

The originality of Angel: After the Fall lies in choosing the third way. Or, rather, paradoxically combining the first two. There is chaos, anarchy and barbarism in Hell - but bureaucracy still has the last word in every wrangle. And - it's very realistic. (Believe me. I lived in Soviet Union the first 30 years of my life)

Another radical change in season 6 is the total absence of humans in the regular cast. Angel, Spike and now Gunn are vampires. Wesley is a ghost. Illyria is a God. Nina is a werewolf. Gwen and Connor have superpowers. The battle for humanity is waged by non-humans. Humans are just extras in the war of superhuman beings.

Or so it seems. Judging by occasional leaks by actors and writers, Angel: AtF is Joss Whedon's "plan A" for season 6. And Joss has always been blatantly, glaringly antropocentric. Either the team Whedon/Lynch have some unexpected aces in their proverbial sleeves or... or Joss' worldview has changed.

And here I approach a theme that may be even more volatile than Spuffy/Bangel wars so I beg you not to throw stones at me.

The set-up - how would you behave in Hell? - is a sore point for modern America. Because in current political situation liberalism doesn't work. Liberalism is unable to defend the world against terrorism. When it's kill or be killed, you kill. You can't be kind in the world where cruelty is strength. You can't allow the luxury to be noble in the world where the noblesse is regarded as weakness and will kill you and your friends.

Do you remember the scene in "You're Welcome":

ANGEL What's a code 7, Eve?
EVE I don't know. (Cordelia glares at her) Seriously.
CORDELIA OK, this is getting us nowhere. Angel, torture her.
[...]
ANGEL I can't just... torture her.
FRED He's right, Cordy. If we sink to their level—

This is Cordelia, Angel' moral compass. A woman whose body and mind had been raped by demons and gods who used her "for the greater good" and killed her. Unlike Angel, she knows she's already dead and this is her last chance to do something worthy. Unlike Angel, she doesn't have any illusions anymore.

Obviously, a year later Angel also doesn't have any illusions. "Cavemen win. Of course the cavemen win," said Fred in AHITW before she died, thus destroying Angel's argumentation in favor of the astronauts. To win you have to be a caveman. To sink to their level. And Angel can. He can be ruthless, cunning, dangerous. He can unleash his inner Angelus.

Now, I know that Joss has always been a diehard liberal. But, judging by the dilemmas his characters face in Serenity and AtS season 5, lately he is ready to explore the opposite viewpoint and, probably, accept some ideas. So, one of the most compelling aspects of Angel: AtF is exploration of the hard choices Western society faces today. Genre gives the chance avoid the trap of political correctness, inevitable in case of realistic stories (as happensin the current batch of political movies - Rendition, Lions for Lambs etc. about torturing the prisoners and sending people to death). Genre stories can tell unpleasant truths more openly. Hopefully Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch won't miss the chance.

Brian Lynch seems to be Joss' perfect accomplice in this risky and dangerous adventure. His Spike comics revealed subversive mentality, gallows humor and ability to think out-of-the-box. His current issue of Angel has great narrative twists and sharp dialogs. Here are small tasty bits and and pieces I loved the most:

-- Urru's art. Bleak grungy visuals evoke the mood of "Escape from New York", "Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome" and other post-apocalyptic classics.

-- Angel + Dracon = Drangel Forever! (Seriously. Great idea. Two mythical creatures patrolling a desolate ruined city... awww!)

-- Parasite that heals Angel. "If it was used to heal, mutate, murder..." The idea of using a murder weapon as a healing tool may be foreshadowing of future means of saving the day.

-- The fact that there are both humans and demons in Connor's team is very interesting, especially given the inventiveness in their depiction (the guy with a tentacle growing from his gut is creepy).

-- The first demons we see have wings. Wings + tail = sinister and paradoxically funny.

-- The "ART" piece of "Wolfram and Hart" logo is priceless.

Some spoilery speculations.

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This panel of Spike Shadow Puppets was spoilery, after all: Spoiler!Wesley's skin color suggested that he'll be back in undead state. So I suppose the rest of puppet stuff could be spoilery too. Illyria may split into Illyria and Fred; still don't know what to think about two Gunns.

The barrier Angel mentions is confusing. If they're in a different dimension, why do SP need a barrier? Maybe LA is still on Earth?

I wonder what triggered Angel's decision to start the war at this particular moment. Judging by Connor's mention of hundreds of cars with dragon claws in their backyard, Angel continued to help humans at least several months without starting a war. Why now? Was is the decrease of the supplies? Parasite's poison? Wesley taking away his TV privileges?

It would be neat if the girl Angel saves on the first panel possesses some knowledge or artefact crucial for breaking the barrier. This way "It all started with a girl" would sound deliciously ambivalent in hindsight.

To sum it up:
Issue #1 looks and sounds very promising and may establish a new tradition: to make season 6 the most compelling and controversial season of any Joss-related show.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

okay, soooo headed off to Vintage Stock to pick up the issue :) i was never into comics until Buffy and Angel, but this series is sounding pretty good...thanx for the info, love :)

Oh I loved your anysis, your really went into the heart of the first comic. With Brian I do think Joss can go to new levels of depht. They can both be deep and dark. Which is why I think Joss choose Brian.

Ok sorry gotta go now, my friend has arrived. So much to talk about in future issues

The originality of Angel: After the Fall lies in choosing the third way. Or, rather, paradoxically combining the first two.

Well put! I didn't recognize it before, but you're absolutely right. And it is very realistic - perhaps moreso than either tradition on its own.

The set-up - how would you behave in Hell? - is a sore point for modern America.

Indeed it is, and I am looking forward to seeing how Whedon and Lynch tackle these kinds of important and relevant questions.

Well technically - Joss isn't going anywhere. This is all Brian and the folks at IDW.

Joss just gave his blessing on their storyline.

(one who likes to be accurate).

But amazing analysis. I totally forgot that panel in Shadow Puppets!

Joss just gave his blessing on their storyline.

From the sound of it he did a lot more than that. He sat down with Brian Lynch in long meetings going over all his plans and thoughts for Season 6, and Brian then took those and wrote the story based on them. So it's more like Buffy season 6 (to elaborate on Moscow's last sentence) with Brian Lynch in the role of Marti Noxon...

Can you show me somewhere that says that? Because that's not the story I've heard and I'd like to verify it.

I've read a few recaps/reviews of the comic and yours was the best for me. Not only do you clearly & concisely recap what happens (really great for those of us who haven't read it) but your comments and analysis are quite thought provoking. I hope you keep doing this MW - it's really appreciated. thanks!

From Comicbookresources article

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=12328

Over the course of a long breakfast which Lynch described as "the best breakfast ever," Whedon laid out where he and the other "Angel" writers had planned to take the series had it returned for a sixth season. "He told me all those ideas, including ideas that they weren't going to try, but he always kind of liked, in case I wanted to grab little pieces from it," Lynch said.

After their initial meeting, Lynch and Whedon exchanged many an e-mail, fine-tuning what was to become the plot of "Angel: After the Fall." The first set of notes Lynch received from Whedon read, "I think it's really well done, and I think this would be entertaining. But it's safe, and I don't want you to play safe." With that in mind, Lynch went back to the drawing board and crafted a story that could only be told in a comic book.

Thanks!

We're gonna be talking about it on Joss'd! (http://jossd.com/) And I wanted to make sure I get the story right

I hope you'll like it. I have started reading comics only when the first issue of BtVS season 8 has been published and they slowly grow on me.

Oh I loved your analysis, your really went into the heart of the first comic.
*blushes* Thanks!

With Brian I do think Joss can go to new levels of depth. They can both be deep and dark. Which is why I think Joss choose Brian.

Yes - "Spike: Asylum" was disturbing and dark. And funny. I think it's a very Jossian trait - to combine dark with funny. I adore Joss' last contribution to AtS - A Hole in the World. The episode is incredibly dark and heartbreaking; and, at the same time, it features the funniest Spangel scene ever - "cavemen vs astronauts" argument. A scene which, in hindsight, might be a foreshadowing of season 6 themes and issues...

Я не буду скачивать «Ангела». Not interested. Герои там, IMHO, сплошь моральные уроды, получившие по заслугам.

Хотя, описания почитать можно.

С нетерпением жду Buffy 8.09. :)

Excellent analysis. [applause]

I sincerely hope you will analyze future episodes of A:ATF, as well. This was thought-provoking and deeper than much of what I've read thus far on the issue.

I am looking forward to seeing how Whedon and Lynch tackle these kinds of important and relevant questions.

I hope they'll be able to convey the complexity of Angel's moral dilemmas and the choices he has to make. I read in an article that Joss commented on Lynch's first draft: "I think it's really well done, and I think this would be entertaining. But it's safe, and I don't want you to play safe." Writers' willingness to step on the dangerous ground, to stir up fans and make them argue is very brave and compelling.

Thank you! Hopefully, my recaps will eventually seduce you to read the comics. :)

сплошь моральные уроды, получившие по заслугам.

Мдям, суровый приговор. Ну что ж - насильно мил не станешь. :)

А девятый выпуск Баффи я тоже жду с нетерпением.

Or so it seems. Judging by occasional leaks by actors and writers, Angel: AtF is Joss Whedon's "plan A" for season 6. And Joss has always been blatantly, glaringly antropocentric. Either the team Whedon/Lynch have some unexpected aces in their proverbial sleeves or... or Joss' worldview has changed.

Thank you so much for saying this. It's what I've felt ever since BtVS Season 7, that something very intrinsic about the overall attitude of the universe had been altered. For better or worse, it does seem a reflection of the post-9/11 American mindset (S7 Buffy's ticking timebomb-esque nation-under-siege plotline and desperate-times-require-desperate-measures attitude had a lot more in common with the likes of 24 than I would have previously expected from someone of Joss's political leanings). I've never been able to see the end of AtS as a fabulous example of Angel at his most heroic - the carnage he was set to unleash in the name of good was not a simple case of Good vs. Evil, but far more complex and gray, if not outright black, if you judge by results instead of intentions. Perhaps we're lucky that it's been a few years - if the first issue is any indication, we might be in for some good nuance on this topic which, as you say, is an extremely sensitive subject.

The originality of Angel: After the Fall lies in choosing the third way. Or, rather, paradoxically combining the first two. There is chaos, anarchy and barbarism in Hell - but bureaucracy still has the last word in every wrangle.

Great observation! Although I am finding a little similarity here to some post-apocalypse stories, where a vestige of civilization is struggling to survive or build anew in a barren, hostile environment - the wrinkle here seems to be that Wolfram & Hart's beauracracy is the vestige of civilization, because once-normal humanity seems well on the road to becoming part of the chaos (the "warriors" in the arena). Which, now that I think about it, makes Connor's multi-species gang sort of symbolic of that fusion.

*blushes and curtseys*

Thank you - but I'm afraid my next review will turn into whining about writer's disrespect towards Spuffy...
Seriously - I'm looking forward to the next issue, but, at the same time, I'm very cautious. Lynch thinks that Buffy didn't love Spike and, while Buffy is far, far away, I suppose, writer's mindset influences all the stories he tells.

I've felt ever since BtVS Season 7, that something very intrinsic about the overall attitude of the universe had been altered. For better or worse, it does seem a reflection of the post-9/11 American mindset (S7 Buffy's ticking timebomb-esque nation-under-siege plotline and desperate-times-require-desperate-measures attitude had a lot more in common with the likes of 24 than I would have previously expected from someone of Joss's political leanings).

Agree. I suppose it has started even earlier, in season 6, albeit on a subconscious level. If you check the dates on the scripts, you notice that Life Serial is the last pre-9/11 episode; All the Way has been delivered September 17, Once More, With Feeling - September 18, Tabula Rasa - October 5. But I suppose these three episodes had been on different stages of completion by 9/11 so the writers were finishing the stories started in a pre-9/11 mindset.

But with Smashed (delivered October, 17) the tone had radically changed and the show became much darker.

now that I think about it, makes Connor's multi-species gang sort of symbolic of that fusion.

Connor's gang intrigues me. In a barbaric world cruelty is the ultimate strenth - so, if a civilised person deals with barbarians he has to be cruel to be taken seriously. At least that's how it works in RL. I wonder if Connor also had to make some hard choices.

Of course writers could use him as a "white hat" opposition to Angel's grayness (as a compensation of his behavior in season 3-4), but I hope they'll make him as complex and controversial as his father. After all, Connor has spent the first 16 (?) years of his life in a barbaric world.

Interesting review.

The themes of "kill or be killed" are certainly very strong in both S6 and S8. Our heros are still struggling with what it means to be on the side of right--which is an even more interesting question now that the scope of their fights has broadened for both Buffy and Angel.

Great review! I haven't read the comics yet but I'll try to get it as it sounds really good. Drangel forever I've always liked me dragons, so I'm thrilled by this new ship :D

Great review, Moscow. The best I've read, I think. I agree, it's all shaping up to be very promising from lots of angles and I particularly like what you say about the different ways of depicting Hell.

Thanks!
Yes, Joss has considerably "greyed" his universe, and character's moral choices are much harder. I hope Joss and Brian Lynch won't compromise the theme and won't go for "easy" solutions.

Thank you!
I hope you'll read the issue soon. It's dark and captivating.

Thanks, Deborah!
Up the thread,

the_deadly_hook has made an interesting comment about Joss' attitude changing after 9/11. Obviously, in later seasons he was compelled to explore more global problems. Jasmine's arc may be regarded as a metaphor of the failure of socialism; season 5 is a verdict to the corporate society. And season 6... I'm salivating, thinking of possibilities. :)

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Angel: AtF issue 1 summary and analysis

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