Angel: After the Fall, Vol. 4

Summary: Gunn, now unsure of the source of his visions, is trying to get things back to the way they were before everything went to Hell - by killing Angel. And Angel, now that he's seen the outcome of the Shanshu Prophecy and his own role in the Apocalypse, is more than willing to let him. But of course Wolfram & Hart aren't going to let things go down like that, and while the gang thinks they may have figured out a way to get themselves out of hell, things are going to get messy - and more than a little deadly - before they do.

Review: I like this one. I liked this one a lot. Well, a lot better than the first three volumes, at least. It does an excellent job of explaining what the heck's going on, of tying together loose ends, of show more bringing things to a satisfying end, and of leaving enough open questions to fuel the start of a new story arc. There were also a lot of really good - and really touching - character moments, even for characters that I don't normally care that much about. All in all, while I don't think Angel: After the Fall is going to be knocking Buffy Season 8 off its pedestal any time soon, this final volume did make me appreciate the cool directions in which Whedon & Lynch had been taking the story, and brought the whole thing together better than I had expected. 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: The best of the series, I think, and it definitely helps to make sense of what's come before. show less

3.5

*Book source ~ Library

What the hell did I just read? There’s some hinky shit going on in this volume and I’m left scratching my head in bewilderment. I’m not as pleased with this installment as the others mostly because I was clueless as to what was going on. It’s the whole time slipping crap that gets me. I hate that shit. But there is some really awesome back and forth between Spike and Angel. Stuff like what made Angel Season 5 memorable for me as I was not a fan of the show in general before Spike came on to make Captain Boring’s life more amusing. For me anyway. The artwork is consistent with the previous works and is still gorgeous. My library doesn’t have Volume 5 or 6, so I’m not sure what I’m going to do show more about finishing this arc up. I guess I’ll suggest the purchase and cross my fingers. show less

Angel: After the Fall, Volume Four wraps up the main story of Angel and company after Wolfram & Hart sent Los Angeles to Hell following the series finale cliffhanger. The story, plotted by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch with a script by Brian Lynch, delivers while also delving further into darker territory, in keeping with the show's thematic feel. Stephen Mooney an Franco Urru's art effectively sets a tone to match the story as they portray Angel, Wesley, Cordelia, Gunn, Fred/Illyria, and Spike battling the armies of Hell to restore Los Angeles to the world. They also offer an explanation for why these events don't impact other storylines, such as those in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, season 8. Fans of the series will gain a much-needed show more sense of closure from this volume. show less

Angel and his friends continue to deal with having been sent to hell following the battle against Wolfram & Hart. Writing continues to be spot on, though there weren't as many cool extras at the end, just an original treatment of the entire series that was largely scrapped. Disappointing considering what the previous volumes contained. My eyes continued to be completely overwhelmed by the graphic illustrations, but as I am not a general reader of graphic novels, I don't have much to compare them to. As ever, I completely rejoice in anything Whedon is involved with.

A good, enjoying continuation of the television series. Plenty of unexpected developments, but not overwhelming. The artwork, however, I found less good: I didn't care for the style, and it often wasn't too close to the characters.

i liked this one a lot. draws everything together, fairly tightly written, and they're doing something or other that's really nifty with the coloration too. though hmm, can't resist mentioning that it follows the Three Deep webseason version strikingly, which i guess is validation for that one, given the Joss-credit here for plotting of the storyline.*g*

It's kind of hit or miss for me. I did enjoy seeing Lorne as a lord tho, good place for him.