SDCC '07: BRIAN LYNCH ON ANGEL: AFTER THE FALL

[MattBrady]

by Troy Brownfield

It’s been a hope of many fans of the Buffyverse ever since “Buffy Season 8” kicked off, and now that hope is finally realized. Angel gets to continue fictional life (or is that undeath?) in comic form at IDW with Angel: After the Fall. The man tapped for the writing chores by creator Joss Whedon himself will already be familiar to fans of Angel-related comics: he’s Brian Lynch, the writer of Spike: Asylum and Spike: Shadow Puppets. We’ve spoken to Lynch, and he delivers as much as he can from behind the cloak of secrecy (and pesky Wolfram and Hart contracts).

Newsarama: You'll be working on Angel: After the Fall; how did you get involved with the project?

Brian Lynch: I wrote a comic called Spike: Asylum, based on a character from Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel named, of course, Asylum. Literally the day before issue 1 came out I ran into Joss at breakfast and told him what a huge fan I was and told him that the comic book was coming out. He said he'd check it out, and hurried away before his people tackled me and made me sign certain documents saying I would never come within fifty yards of him again.

A few weeks went by and IDW Editor in Chief Christopher "Chris" Ryall sent an e-mail telling me to call him and I did and Chris proceeded to read this very complementary, somewhat life-changing e-mail from Mr. Whedon saying that he enjoyed Spike: Asylum and thinks that maybe the time is right to officially continue the Angel story and that I would be the guy to write it.

We traded e-mails back and forth for a while and eventually met up for breakfast and he told me all his ideas and I told him the one I had ("Angel should fight monsters!") and then I put some of the ideas to paper, slowly the story's spine started to form, I'd send him an e-mail with more ideas, he'd send an e-mail back with even better ideas, it slowly but surely became the greatest story of all time and he was all "this is neat" and here we are.

NRAMA: With the involvement of Joss Whedon, this is the canoncial follow-up to the five seasons of the television series, right?

BL: Yes, it certainly is. Everything that happens in these pages officially happens to these characters. It's pretty exciting and kind of daunting. But the script for issue 1 is ready and the first five or six issues or so are very tightly planned out and I must say, it's a fine continuation. I think people will be pleased. And shocked. And hurt. And then pleased again. But a little hurt. But mostly excited. And a little sleepy. Because man, they stayed up too late last night.

NRAMA: Can you tell us anything at all about the plot basics or characters involved?

BL: Spike definitely enters into the story. But I must say, I'm writing who or what the story needs. It's not about favorites at all, it's about telling the best story we can.

And certain characters are surprising me. There is a character in the first issue that I never really "bonded" with on the show. Joss had a wonderful idea for said character in the book, so he-or-she is in the first issue, setting up his-or-her (Good Lord this is annoying, sorry) story, and it was kind of a revelation as to how cool this character really is.

I e-mailed Chris and Joss last week and told them "I just wrote character X, and I was shocked by how much fun he-or-she was to write." I told Ryall I wanted to give them a spin-off. continued...

Newsarama's Comic-Con International '07 coverage is brought to you by Witchblade – The Anime Series. Available on DVD September 25th. Click here to view trailer.

NRAMA: Who's handling the art and cover chores for the series?

BL: I've decided I'm going to tackle it. Little stick figures with teeny tiny little stakes.

Actually, myself, Mr. Ryall and Mr. Whedon all wanted one man, Franco Urru. I have already worked on 9 issues with him (between SPIKE: ASYLUM and SPIKE:SHADOW PUPPETS) and each time he surprises me.

And I can't wait to see his take on all the other ANGEL characters. So far I've only see a quick appearance of Angel, Wes and Illyria in SPIKE:SHADOW PUPPETS #2, and they weren't really Angel and company, they were all in Spike's version of them. Angel was dashing and young and high school jockish, Wesley was kinda nebbish and Illyria was...playing in the background. He's gonna blow people away and if I could I would clone him so we could do ninety different projects together at once.

As for the cover artist, he's so great a mere mortal such as myself cannot even type his name, I am not worthy (Editor’s Note: We’ll do it: Tony Harris). Just know I've been a fan of his for a really long time and the fact that he's providing the covers is such an honor.

Actually this whole experience is one big honor after another. Having Joss Whedon e-mail me and say he liked me stuff was amazing in and of itself, having him ask me to continue my favorite show of all time? That's pretty shocking. And the cover artist...it's more than I deserve.

NRAMA: Speaking at Wizard World Chicago a few years back, Whedon insisted that the ending of Angel Season 5 was not a cliffhanger; rather it was an invocation of the theme that the good fight never really ends. How much of that notion plays out in the theme of the new series?

BL: That's a huge part of the series. Angel and his friends took a stand because he thought it was the right thing to do. They fought the good fight even though they were probably going to lose, even though they were facing insurmountable odds. But that's the thing about insurmountable odds...surmounting them can be quite a bitch. The series begins to tackle the fall-out of Angel's stand, and what it cost everyone near, around, and close to him.

And there's monsters. And much saving of days.

NRAMA: Chris Ryall at the IDW panel said that this is a “12 issue-plus” series – how does that work?

BL: It's one long story told over the span of many, many months. I think it will be an ongoing, but there are scheduled breaks for the main series (only a month or two, tops) after an arc of the story concludes.

What we have planned during those breaks, however, is pretty amazing. Once this series begins, readers won't be without the characters for a while. Angel is definitely back.

NRAMA: If no one has ever seen the show or read an Angel comic before, what are they missing?

BL: What I love most about the show is it's a big epic good-vs-evil adventure, but it's told in a way that's highly personal. The action is great and mythology is staggeringly thought-out and impressive, but strip all that away and it's a very tightly constructed, pitch-perfect character story. Actually, it's five or six character stories, as each lead in ANGEL has so much going on they could carry their own series.

And on top of all that, it's funny as hell.

Also, if someone doesn't watch or read Angel, they're missing out on Lorne, I'd say. Demon lounge singer? Where else are you going to find that? Does Heroes have a demon lounge singer? No way. Does The Walking Dead have a demon lounge singer? Not hardly. Someday, hopefully. And then some crazy lady will pluck out his eye with a spoon.

[jeremybement]

First post!

Glad to see Angel's adventures continuing, and it's canon no less!

[Tom Daylight]

So... are those Spike comics now officially "canon"? I look forward to reading them, regardless.

[antillestk]

I am so frackin geeked for this series.!!

[amlah6]

With the exception of the stuff Peter David was writing, I got bored with the IDW Angel comics pretty quick. I'm not expecting this to be another Buffy S8, but it should be fun.

[scouse mouse]

I hope they find a way to bring back Cordelia and Lilah, the t.v series wasn't the same without them.

[Goodman]

Originally Posted by scouse mouse

I hope they find a way to bring back Cordelia and Lilah, the t.v series wasn't the same without them.

Cordelia was a fun character, but by the end of season 4 she had been pulled in so many weird directions that the character had become unusable. She was no longer an "everywoman", and her backstory had become so complex that one would be hardpressed to tell any new stories with her without 5 minutes of recap (and what was there left to do with her). I don't think they had any choice but to write her out. She was given a good send off though, so I don't think they should undo it.

Lilah wouldn't be hard to bring back, though without Wes and Wolfram and Hart there might be little point...

[SupermanL]

Im absolutely pleased with this happening. And I second the bringing back of Cordelia. Charisma Carpenter. YUM!!! All that needs to be said on that subject.

[nietoperz]

I'm really looking forward to this. I wonder when it's coming out?

[angeliclesta]

Originally Posted by nietoperz

I'm really looking forward to this. I wonder when it's coming out?

It'll be out in November http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=122899

This is such great news! I am so looking forward to this.

[jmcl89]

Originally Posted by Goodman

Cordelia was a fun character, but by the end of season 4 she had been pulled in so many weird directions that the character had become unusable. She was no longer an "everywoman", and her backstory had become so complex that one would be hardpressed to tell any new stories with her without 5 minutes of recap (and what was there left to do with her). I don't think they had any choice but to write her out. She was given a good send off though, so I don't think they should undo it.

All the backstory you'd really need is that she was dead, and now she's not. With that you could give her whatever powers and abilities you wanted, or none, and just ignore everything else. There are plenty of her fellow victims of editorial malpractice still running around just fine in the DC and Marvel universes, after all.

[scouse mouse]

Originally Posted by Goodman

Lilah wouldn't be hard to bring back, though without Wes and Wolfram and Hart there might be little point...

Thats true, but I loved Lilah! She was such a bitch and she had all the best lines. I was gutted when they killed her because I thought she was going to join Angels little gang and then BAM, she was knifed in the neck!

Cordelia did have a good exit in the 100th episode, but it was a shame that it got to the point that all they could with her was kill her because of her convoluted story. The fact that they replaced them with pale imitations Harmony and Eve was annoying as well.

[Princesa]

I'm very pleased I hoped for this as soon as I heard about the Buffy series.

[comicfanuk]

Angel Cannon! OOOOO yesssss!

Please, PLEASE include Connor. And Bring Wes back too.

[Jeffrey D. Smith]

Originally Posted by comicfanuk

Angel Cannon! OOOOO yesssss!

That's a great misspelling of "canon." I can just picture the scene. Some bad guys are chasing Angel, he ducks into an alley, they run in after him, and there he is -- standing there, grinning, and lighting the fuse on a big old cannon. Cool! I know you didn't mean to, but thanks for the image. It put a smile on my face.

[Liliaeth]

Originally Posted by amlah6

With the exception of the stuff Peter David was writing, I got bored with the IDW Angel comics pretty quick. I'm not expecting this to be another Buffy S8, but it should be fun.

Honestly, the Angel comics are a million times better than Buffy s8 which plain out sucks and has little or nothing to do with the actual characters it supposedly is about.

At least IDW is smart enough to let its Angel-comics have the heart of the show, especially the Spike ones.

[Liliaeth]

Originally Posted by jmcl89

All the backstory you'd really need is that she was dead, and now she's not. With that you could give her whatever powers and abilities you wanted, or none, and just ignore everything else. There are plenty of her fellow victims of editorial malpractice still running around just fine in the DC and Marvel universes, after all.

Nah, the mistake they made with Cordelia is that they tried to turn her into Buffy light. Cordelia was great as Cordy, she sucked as Buffy. Same with Angel/Cordelia, Angel worked perfectly wonderful with snarky bitchy Cordy, but the moment they started Buffyfying her, they ruined the ship.

[unmovedmover]

Originally Posted by Liliaeth

Nah, the mistake they made with Cordelia is that they tried to turn her into Buffy light. Cordelia was great as Cordy, she sucked as Buffy. Same with Angel/Cordelia, Angel worked perfectly wonderful with snarky bitchy Cordy, but the moment they started Buffyfying her, they ruined the ship.

I dunno - one of the best things about Angel to me was the character arcs of both Cordelia and Wes. Both were gradual, yet significant changes to the characters.

[GohanWinner]

I hope Gunn is dead.

Excited. I love Angel.

[zak7khan]

Angels back baby! Finally! Always preferred it to Buffy, maybe cause i'm a guy or it had a more adult theme. Angel, Connor, Spike, Illiriya an maybe Gun (if he's alive) will kick ass. Hope they bring back Wes, never liked him but he was becoming a pretty kick ass wizard.

[Frodo]

Originally Posted by Goodman

Cordelia was a fun character, but by the end of season 4 she had been pulled in so many weird directions that the character had become unusable. She was no longer an "everywoman", and her backstory had become so complex that one would be hardpressed to tell any new stories with her without 5 minutes of recap (and what was there left to do with her). I don't think they had any choice but to write her out. She was given a good send off though, so I don't think they should undo it.

Lilah wouldn't be hard to bring back, though without Wes and Wolfram and Hart there might be little point...

I hope Cordy isn't brought back either.Trying to pair her with Angel was so forced and the worst mistake the show ever made,something Whedon even admitted to, and destroyed the character.I'm glad she was salvaged some in You're Welcome but she should be left there with that nice exit.

Honestly, the Angel comics are a million times better than Buffy s8 which plain out sucks and has little or nothing to do with the actual characters it supposedly is about.

At least IDW is smart enough to let its Angel-comics have the heart of the show, especially the Spike ones.

I've really loved the Buffy comics so far especially after the mess of season 6 and 7.I've found most of the Angel and Spike comics on the dull side but I am looking forward to this especially with Joss now overseeing this more directly then the previous stuff.

[SpyGuy]

Me, I just want to find out how the battle featured in the closing moments of the final TV episode turned out.

A shame Wes is dead, but hopefully he won't stay that way...

[Xenith]

Originally Posted by Frodo

Trying to pair her with Angel was so forced and the worst mistake the show ever made,something Whedon even admitted to, and destroyed the character.I'm glad she was salvaged some in You're Welcome but she should be left there with that nice exit.

Really? When/where did he say that? Because I remember him saying how wonderful their relationship was crafted, especially because they never got to be together...So, basically what I'm saying is I'm pretty sure you just projected your very opinionated views and made that up.

[PatrickG]

Congrats on the dreamjob, writerguy.

As for Cordy... Meh.

I think it would be eleventy times the fun if she returned in the BUFFY comic.

Because it'd be another "homecoming" type of thing. And they could pick and choose what weird Angel developments were worth mentioning in the Buffy story.

Her role in Angel is complicated. But her role in a Buffy comic would be, well, simpler. Because you could write her MINDFUL of all the wacky stuff from Angel but pick and choose what to carry back over to the Buffy franchise and what to, well, just leave out.

And it'd be as simple as having someone explain her Angel backstory and just have them get interrupted when whatever they're saying isn't relevant.

[PatrickG]

Ooh! Actually, I just thought of something.

Joss has clearly been playing with both the unlimited budget aspect of comics as well as other conventions in the Buffy comic.

Such as the Starlin/Ditko-esque dream sequences and, well, 50 foot tall Dawn and her #$%#$ing cursing.

So you could just have Andrew (the uber continuity nerd) explain who Cordy is in a GIANT word balloon, with anything irrelevant covered up by floating balloons from the other cast members with relevant Buffy backstory.

As-in:

Andrew: "Cordelia became a higher p--" "I still can't believe you made out with her" "-- became the moth--" "In a BROOM CLOSET! That's uber sketch!" "-- was then possessed --" "I was a teenager!" "-- and then she died. But apparently didn't stay that way."

Buffy: "Wait."

Buffy: "She. Slept. With. Angel!?"

Willow: "My witchy sense detects a cookie dough metaphor coming on."

Xander: "Ooh! I like eating raw cookie dough. It's only the best thing ever."

Buffy: "..."

Willow: "Uh, Xander... You really need to brush up on your Buffy metaphors."

Cordy: "People. Focus on me. I'm still here."

Xander: "Typical."

BAM. She's back.