Fallen Angels #1 is out 11/13/2019. — **Fallen Angels #1** is out 11/13/2019.

By Zack Quaintance — No. Oh no. No no no no no no no. Noooooooooo...is what I was thinking while reading Fallen Angels #1, the sixth and final title in this Dawn of X relaunch wave for the X-Men franchise. Admittedly, I’m being harsh here, but Fallen Angels suffers from proximity to five other excellent new X-Men comics, and the comparison exacerbates this comic’s flaws.

About those flaws..Syzmon Kudranski is the artist here, and I probably like his work more than some. Kudranski is as prolific as it gets in superhero comics, jumping from book to book with seemingly no pause in production. I have a great deal of respect for creatives like that, unpretentious folks who understand this is a deadline-driven business and the work needs to got-damned get done. I take the same tact with my own writing, ranging from my day job as a magazine editor to the comics journalism I do with ComicsBeat. I will, however, admit that with my own work there is inconsistency that creeps in at times when I’m really pushing myself to meet deadlines, and that’s also seems to be a challenge at times with Kudranski’s work. For every gritty and excellent Punisher run, so too is there a comic in which odd choices are made and an unclear visual story manifests. Fallen Angels belongs more to the latter group. I won’t belabor this, but I’ll say it’s perhaps most evident in a talking heads conversation...which in this comic is depicted through close ups on the lips for about six panels, a sustained framing choice that is odd and distracting, lending little gravity to what’s being said.

Another challenge for Fallen Angels #1 is something all of these new X-Comics have had to deal with to varying degrees — the cast feels a bit thrown together with a rushed rationale for why those participating would have motivation to be part of this. The other titles in Dawn of X have faced this, all of them handling it mostly well, with some (Marauders and New Mutants stand out) handling it excellently. This book hurries through assembling its small cast, with two of the members being recruited for this adventure because they were sparring at a camp fire rather than resting up and looking content. This in and of itself might work, but it’s not executed especially well here, to the point it feels like the creators are just moving characters around like static action figures.

The last part of Fallen Angels #1 I struggled with was that writer Bryan Hill’s cinematic, spare scripting style is a bit at odds with the complicated issue of identity this story centers on. I’m a fan of Hill’s writing, and I’ve really liked his work on both his long run on Top Cow’s Postal and the ongoing Batman and the Outsiders. The latter title especially feels like a high octane, Michael Mann action flick, jumping from genetically-enhanced double crosses to mystical samurai battles with fun and stylish ease. This book, though, involves a character who for years has had had their consciousness held prisoner while watching someone else occupy their body, and, as a result, is now struggling to find their place in a veritable utopia. It’s really emotionally complicated ground to tread, and the book makes a good faith effort with brief snippets of thought and feeling. At times, however, it feels like an over-simplification of the situation. That combined with the other issues adds up to the first misfire of this new X-Era. That said, shooting five of six from beyond the arc (to borrow a basketball metaphor) is stellar numbers by any metric.

All of that said, there are some positives here. The concept of a hedonistic machine replacing drugs is a strong one, given some of the other themes related to technology that have been at work in this new status quo since House of X / Powers of X. Some of the scenes toward the end also play to Kudranski’s strengths, enabling him to show-off his talents with drawing sinister and eerie imagery. This book really had a huge challenge in front of it, having to assemble a fresh team within such an intricate new plot by using characters with such intricate old backstories. Now that that heavy lifting is done, I’m hoping things start to get better.

Overall: This isn’t the best start of the new Dawn of X comics, but there are a few reasons to be hopeful that this creative team can settle in and rise to the level of the other books in this line. 5.0/10

Fallen Angels #1
Writer: Bryan Hill
Artist: Syzmon Kudranski
Colorist: Frank D’Armata
Letterer: Joe Sabino
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $4.99

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Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.