Rewind to 1994 and 1995 to go over the early eponymous miniseries starring Spawn’s angelic rival.
Written by Neil GaimanCover by Greg Capullo
Illustrated by Greg Capullo
Colored by Todd Broeker
Lettered by Tom Orzechowski
Angela has long been a supporting character and occasional enemy of Al Simmons, better known as Spawn, from her inception. The experienced angel to his inexperienced Hellspawn, the bounty hunter to his attempted Faustian rebellion, there is a lot going for her. With the three-issue “Angela” miniseries, Neil Gaiman has a chance to develop the eponymous character out of her two-issue introduction in the ninth and tenth issues of “Spawn,” as well as further develop her relationship with the holy forces of Elysium and how the latter operate. How does Gaiman’s writing utilize this chance to flesh out Spawn’s angelic counterpart?
From the get-go, “Angela” is very much a comic born of the 1990s, though Gaiman manages to gear the tendencies of the era toward a relatively positive approach. There is an intense focus on action, especially the eponymous angel’s love of hunting for sport or just the thrill of it, but it is tempered by her moral code and the nature of the people she comes into conflict with, thereby requiring far less gore than is often prominent. Although she does adhere to the “sarcastic and effective fighter” archetype with a hint of bloodthirstiness, most of that attitude is held back by the majority of the story focusing, though using action, on interaction with other angels. When she does talk with Al Simmons himself, her sarcasm and experience come into direct conflict with his brooding inner monologue and lack of much in the way of a clue as to what he is actually doing. In this way, while handily utilizing a wide variety of the common tropes of the era, they are spread out well enough that they help the story to come across as multi-faceted with a variety of sides and interesting, contrasting characters, rather than being too one-note to allow for the continuation of an overall arc. At worst, the dialogue or behavior coming out of Angela or Spawn can seem closer to the range of teenagers than adults, and thereby a bit off-putting.
Some of the comedy built into Gaiman’s script has a subdued, but overall very amusing nature to it, at times even tongue-in-cheek. The name of a demon can be ridiculous but not outright stated to be so, while said demon also discusses humorous nicknames for his employer. Situational comedy involving Spawn’s lack of information regarding how his powers actually work and Angela’s bickering back and forth with him lend greatly to their begrudging coordination in one event or another. Even the final page has a bit of meta-fictional humor in the form of a nod to the comic industry itself in relation to the then-emergent Image Comics, prompting a snicker on the way out.
While Greg Capullo later became known for his crisp work on “Batman” among other stories, his illustrations on “Angela” are far more stylized and highly dynamic. For the various angels in the tale and the lone Hellspawn, there is a high emphasis on movement, motion, and liveliness to every panel. Rather than slow or meticulous, the workings of Heaven and Hell are very fast-paced, and his concentration on that dynamism, both in combat (bloody or not) and in even basic conversation helps to add a life to what many would consider to be various afterlives. This type of artwork is especially prominent in his work on Spawn’s cape, which flutters, flows, and even seemingly tears or warps in ways that bely its supernatural and even sentient nature, rather than having it be nothing but an interesting article of clothing.
Despite the speed incorporated into the illustrations, Capullo also takes the time for subtleties as well. Given that Spawn cannot show a face for the majority of the arc, his body language, shading, and his mask’s expression all tell a great deal about his internal conflict to supplement Gaiman’s internal monologues. The use of darkness also helps to emphasize the solitude of Elysium in the cosmos, as well as the less peaceful of Angela’s thought processes in spite of what would be a logical solution. In all, the use of light, shadow, and body language all work together to keep tension high even in the calmer scenes, though the emotions granted may change from scene to scene, from panel to panel.
Continued belowHowever, Capullo’s art is not without the influences of the era (or perhaps influences on the era) in which it was drawn. At times, the dynamic posing can seem exaggerated to the point of nearly comical in spite of the apparent seriousness of events taking place. There is an intense concentration on sexualization for “camera” angles on the agents of the divine, especially Angela herself. Perhaps that kind of artwork is an intended effect, given how Al Simmons even seems to draw attention to it on several occasions in the arc, but it still appears to be notable, for good or ill.
Todd Broeker provides a variety of color palettes to “Angela,” each depending upon the setting. Intense or at times even psychedelic color choices pepper different realms and planets, especially those outside of Earth, emphasizing how different they may appear to humans. Alien colors light up the skies in one location as gruesome red, brown, or green splatter the landscape of a realm of Hell. At the same time, the bright, seemingly welcoming gold and a rainbow of other colors help Elysium to appear welcoming on the surface. All of these hues work in stark contrast to the relatively muted browns of Earth which themselves are held up against the various holy or demonic forces who come to them, giving human life a sense of both calm and almost boredom (barring the conflicts that take place there) in contrast to the work of Heaven or Hell.
The coloration associated with the different forces of Heaven and Hell also help to distinguish them. Black, red, and perhaps even orange are by and large the order of the day when it comes to Hellspawn and their demon masters, barring Spawn’s green eyes. On the other hand, blue, green, gold, and at times white or purple are closer to how the angels appear, from the agents such as Angela up to the higher beings such as a high-ranking superior. The “light” held up against demonic “darkness,” or the “coolness” contrasting with the latter’s “heat” helps to contrast the forces visually and gauge their varied interactions.
