Book #2 of 2011: Angel: After the Fall #2 First Night

I bought this book used.

It’s here that the major flaw in switching a TV series to a comic series becomes evident; while I’ve greatly enjoyed the writing, art and story lines so far the second volume of the Angel series is a series of short reflections back to the night when Wolfram & Hart flung LA into Hell. It’s emotional and engaging, but it’s way too short and at $20 ($10 used) a pop it’s just dissatisfying that there won’t be another episode next week.

I like, love, these characters and would follow them through a whole series in a reading-way-past-my-bedtime-on-a-school-night way. In a book or TV show these little snippets would be invaluable as mood builders and character defining asides. But as this book doesn’t push the plot forward much (if at all), and is significantly slimmer than volume 1, I can’t but be left feeling frustrated. Especially since the first graphic novel left off in the middle of a fight, and this one does little more than mention it.

If you’re a fan, of course you should check this out. But make sure to pick up the third too, because this won’t be enough to sate your taste for angsty vampires and hell dimensions.