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“Angel City” #6

By | March 16th, 2017
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“Angel City” comes to a close with as much of a bang as you could have wanted. Read on for our spoiler free of the series finale.

Written by Janet Harvey
Illustrated by Megan Levens and Nick Filardi

In the thrilling conclusion, Dolores and Joe must fight their way out of a tight corner, and go up against the cops, the mob, and even city hall to get justice for Frances’s murder. But even if they find the people responsible, can Dolores wring a confession from them before the clock runs out?

Comic shop shelves are crowded and getting more crowded every week. When this happens, smaller miniseries can get lost in the fray next to mega-events and headline-grabbing stunts. “Angel City” is one of those amazing gems that unfortunately fell through the cracks for too many people and this week it ended on a very high note, making it the kind of one and done miniseries that will make for an excellent suggestion for any fan down the road. “Angel City” #6 is a beautiful and proper finale to a story that tackled the genre from a different and exciting point of view.

“Angel City” #6 brings everything to a head: Dolores, after being framed for murder, is on the run and doesn’t get to hide out at Vega’s for that long when the police show up. A riot begins that gives her a chance to make her escape and finally face down Brenda, the madam who’s angry after almost being shot. Dolores not only comes face to face with her but her relationship with Gino also comes to a head in only the way it could in this series.

Finales are tough for a lot of reasons. Creative teams need to tell their story and provide satisfaction the readers and the characters. With a story like “Angel City,” that’s a tough hill to climb because of how many different plot points were contained in this story. There was Dolores’s desire to pave her own way through life while finding out who killed Frances, there’s Gino’s rise in power, Bugsy Siegel’s real life mob drama, and everything else happening in Hollywood at this time. Janet Harvey grabbed onto a lot of things to tell this story and thankfully she brings it all to a fitting conclusion that doesn’t leave anything out. “Angel City” #6 moves incredibly fast but it doesn’t leave anything out as each plot point gets an ending that almost feels too tidy. There aren’t any huge risks taken with this conclusion but, in a weird way, this is a refreshing change of pace. I felt like this was all worth it in the end but what stood out the most about this issue was the state Dolores was left in.

Without spoiling too much, her arc from start to finish was something very much unseen in this genre. First off, it’s rare to see a crime story (specifically in this era) written and drawn by women. Secondly, Dolores did not fill a typical role. She was not the damsel in distress and she wasn’t simply the girlfriend. Her actual job within the context of the narrative was an enforcer for Gino’s crew and her desire to find Frances’s killer was not driven by revenge. Instead she did that for friendship and partially redemption and I can’t think of a single noir story that positions women like this. In a past review, I said this filled the void left behind by “The Fade Out” but really this is Brubaker/Phillips from the perspective of women with women readers in mind and that’s made this story all the more special. “Angel City” looked at the women who live in this world instead of the greedy men who sit as mob bosses and studio executives. Frances was your Black Dahlia-esque victim but she meant more than just being the starting point of this story.

Filardi’s colors were always something in this series that kind of amazed me because it was never what I expected. “Angel City” #6 has some very dark moments and Filardi is able to bring those to life with sepia tones and excellent shadowing. However, it is the rest of the issue that amazes me because it isn’t dark. There’s this lightness to each page and it embraces the vibe of this period and this setting in a way that I haven’t really seen in this genre before.

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Megan Levens is one of the more underrated artists in comics right now. Her work on “Buffy,” “Spell on Wheels,” and “Madame Frankenstein” is some of my favorite stuff in the last few years and she’s at her best in “Angel City.” Her knack for period specific fashion is at the forefront with great looks for not only Dolores but the women at Vega’s garage. Even though they don’t spend a lot of time on the page, Levens gives each of them a spark of personality and makes them memorable. There are some great, nicely paced action scenes throughout this finale and it gives us one last chance to see just how much of a capable fighter Dolores really is.

It goes back to my previous point about how she’s been characterized and what I like about Levens’s work is that she kind of surprises you with just how physically powerful Dolores is.  Underneath the fighting and darker subject matter, there is this sense of light that she can bring out into her work so easily. With Vega in the courtroom, there is a sarcastic playfulness. In a couple of different instances, Levens can switch from dark noir to something more romantic and this is all thanks to her understanding of how characters should play off each other instead of just looking good. She gives us meaningful angles and perspective shots of these characters and it makes “Angel City” #6 fully become a perfect send off.

Final Verdict: 8.8 – A little fast but I couldn’t imagine a better ending than this.


Jess Camacho

Jess is from New Jersey. She loves comic books, pizza, wrestling and the Mets. She can be seen talking comics here and at Geeked Out Nation. Follow her on Twitter @JessCamNJ for the hottest pro wrestling takes.

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