Peter David's mix of myth, crime drama and the super-hero genre stands out as one of the most unique, mysterious and intriguing comic books released by the industry's larger publishers, and I'm fascinated by the shifting tone that dominates and defines this title. After a year and a half, we're really no closer to learning the true nature of Bete Noire, but to be honest, I don't really care. The drama is riveting, and the characters, despite their fantastic powers and circumstances, are well developed and even down to earth, albeit in an unusual fashion. Fallen Angel is the sort of super-hero comic book that Rod Serling might have created.
The Hierarchy of Bete Noire have decided that the Fallen Angel has to be either driven out of the city or eliminated altogether, but there's no way for her to contact them in order to negotiate with or confront them. So, instead of trying to find the mysterious masters of the city, she opts to simply get their attention. Meanwhile, Dr. Juris consults with one of Lee's closer friends, desperate to find a way to protect her and to eliminate the danger she poses to his rather ruthless employers. Meanwhile, Shadow Boxer waits patiently in the dark.
Lopez's art boasts an incredibly detailed and realistic tone at times, and at others, it's simpler but more emotive. I'm reminded of Peter (Batman: Detective No. 27) Snejbjerg's style, actually. That dual nature of Lopez's style actually mirrors the dichotomies in the premise and characters. Eyring's colors leap off of the page when called for. The energies Mr. Kind and the title character throw around are vibrant and even blinding, but Eyring also knows when duller tones are called for, such as the brown and yellow tones employed in the opening flashback scene.
On the one side, Fallen Angel is an urban crime drama about one determined woman's quest to free people from the abusive rule of the criminals running the city. On the other, this is about a rogue goddess refusing to play by the rules set out by her cosmic equals. The tone of the dialogue shifts from stoic to colloquial. The heroine's enemies are also her allies. In the name of good, she employs villainous methods. Fallen Angel is a study in contradiction and contrasts.
Perhaps what's most intriguing about this climactic story arc is how David is stringing everything together with Shadow Boxer's very personal and down-to-earth background. David gorunds the explosive and traumatic main plotline with a look back at one character's unfortunate childhood. David is clearly foreshadowing Boxer's pivotal role in the unfolding drama, but he does so with a powerful and strong bit of characterization. 9/10
