Comic Review: Fallen Angels #1

Fallen Angels #1

Marvel Comics

Writer: Bryan Edward Hill

Artists: Szymon Kudranski & Frank D’Armata

We have been treated to tons of excellent X-Men comics since House of X debuted over the summer. Book after book has released every week, with tons of new mutant teams, creative teams, and storylines for readers to enjoy. Fallen Angels #1 is the last of the Dawn of X debut, and while it has its flaws, there is still plenty of potential for a good series.

Fallen Angels is written by Bryan Edward Hill and features Psylocke front and center. The issue follows her journey to kill a certain character that is causing her trouble. I don’t want to go into much detail, as most of this issue’s charm is dependent on discovery. So far there hasn’t been an X-Men book in the new line that focuses on a single character as this issue does. The closest we have gotten is Kitty Pryde in Marauders, and even that doesn’t feel like it spotlights a character the way that Fallen Angels #1 does. Hill does a fine job at writing Psylocke, giving the character a strong voice. He has a fine grasp on the character and does well at allowing her to thrive in Hickman’s new vision.

While the characters are written well enough, I’m not as enthusiastic about the rest of the book. This issue suffers from rocky pacing. It is wordy, and yet it doesn’t feel like information if given to the reader at a good enough pace. The issue feels slow and not in the good “slow-burn” kind of way. Some moments are too fast, while others drag on. Fallen Angels #1 never quite catches any momentum, making it hard to stay engaged with throughout the issue. The content is good enough, it just could have been presented to the reader in a better way. None of the dialogue feels particularly strong, and the action scenes fall flat since they never really get going.

Szymon Kudranski & Frank D’Armata handle the art in  Fallen Angels and do a serviceable job. The style is neat and suits Psylocke enough, but the inconsistencies throughout the issue removed me from the experience a few times. The shading is a bit erratic, leading to quite a few faces suffering as a result. It’s a shame too because the panel layouts are fantastic. Even the gutter space is beautiful sometimes. The colors are gorgeous, adding some much-needed depth to the art. Simply put, some pages look great while a quarter of the issue looks subpar.

Fallen Angels #1 is a tad disappointing, as it is easily the weakest of the debuts. Still, the story is interesting enough so there is plenty of reason to stick around. If a few of the inconsistencies are ironed out, this will be another hit. It might just take some patience to get there.

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