Writer: Bryan Edward Hill
Art: Szymon Kudranski, Frank D’Armata, VC’s Joe Sabino, Tom Muller, and Ashley Witter
Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 11th, 2019
As Apoth approaches, Psylocke’s past continues to haunt her in this week’s all-new FALLEN ANGELS #3 by Bryan Edward Hill. How will Kwannon handle the responsibilities of leading her team as she molds Laura and Cable into a new fighting force? Furthermore, are they prepared to take on the children of Apoth? Let’s dive into the issue and find out!
Bryan Edward Hill continues his FALLEN ANGELS run with unclarity, more confusion, and fast-paced action in this week’s suspenseful thriller. As much as this comic reader loves high-octane action melee’s, this fan respects coherent stories with intention and direction so much more. From the first perplexing page to the continued misrepresentation of Laura and Cable, this comic seems to be missing the mark each and every issue. Hill has taken characters that have progressed so much throughout the past decade and has consciously scrapped all character development at the expense of furthering Kwannon’s personal character development.
Hill continues to promote Kwannon as the leader of this team, which this X-fan actually has no problem with. However, Kwannon spends half the issue teaching Laura to appropriately channel her anger and leaving Cable lost to the enemy. If this reviewer hears Kwannon teach Cable and Laura about fighting or war one more time, I may simply drop this series without finishing it. Cable and Laura both have just as much, if not more, experience fighting in wars and battles than Kwannon ever has before. This reader honestly wonders if Hill has taken the time to read anything from the past decade involving these characters and frankly wonders why Tom Muller and Jonathan Hickman (the Head of X) are ok with this. Hill’s approach seems counterproductive to what HOX/POX was intending throughout the summer and it appears as though the series is spinning its wheels.
Many may read this reviewer and feel this criticism comes out as harsh and direct, which is totally warranted. However, this fan would like to direct you to the prior two reviews in which I not only raved about issue one, but praised Hill’s attempt to step out of the normal and introduce a character new to me, as well as many other X-fans that hopped on board this summer. Still, couldn’t Hill explore Psylocke without tearing down Laura and Cable in her wake? This reviewer has thoroughly enjoyed many of Hill’s past work, especially his minor stint on DETECTIVE COMICS. Nonetheless, something just doesn’t feel right about this issue, the characters, and Hill’s writing in general. Not only are the key players in the story out of character but this fan could argue that this writing also seems out of character for Hill himself.
Now, not only has the storyline become stuck, but so has the art. While many have been upset with this art team, I’ve hung in there giving it glowing praise… until now. Szymon Kudranski and Frank D’Armata continue to create very real illustrations that saturation the page drawing this fan deeper into the narrative. Nevertheless, the issue was too dark and ultimately added to my confusion. Some panels looked like they were retreads from prior pages and issues. Furthermore, Kudranski frequently zoomed in on the character’s eyes making it very difficult to distinguish which female character was which while D’Armata’s colors were so dark that this reviewer couldn’t see facial expressions or decipher what was happening throughout a variety of panels. Heck, at one moment, the three main characters are fighting side by side and later the narration states that Cable was hit ”miles away”. How does that happen? Personally, the art cannot totally be blamed for that misrepresentation but ultimately this only helps prove a disconnect with this creative team and what appears to be a lack of personal connection to the story.
FINAL THOUGHTS
With HELLIONS arriving in March, this series without solicits in February, and Psylocke on both teams, it appears as though this series is already on the outs. That said, why continue to fight through a series that continues to portray at least two of the main characters incorrectly? Why pay for something that’s difficult to follow, hard to understand, and appears to have no further backing by Marvel? This reviewer hates to say it, but if you had to cut an X-book to save money, this may be the one… and this is coming from someone who finds EXCALIBUR a struggle right now. I pride myself on honest reviews and it truly pains me to say that, especially with the respect and admiration I have for Hill and this creative team. With the writer heading to television, it just seems like this book is lost in the shuffle right now. Hopefully, Hill can find a way to pull this story together as it closes and better depict the main characters before it’s too late.