Fallen Angels was one of the first real duds in the Dawn of X line of titles. In hindsight, it should have been a red flag to the fanbase. The series is a footnote at this point and has probably been memory-holed unless you spend your restless nights reviewing old comics as I do.

Before getting into any actual review of the comic it's worth mentioning that the cover has nothing to do with the actual content of the book. I know there are a lot of comics that have bad covers but this one is particularly off because it doesn't give you an idea of what the series is about. It's just one woman looking at another, compelling stuff I know.

There isn't much going on in this issue aside from the fight between our trio of heroes (Psylocke, X-23, and Cable) and Apoth. The comic is immediately let down by the art direction. The pages are too dark and it's nearly impossible to make out what's happening on any given page. I'm not sure why Szymon chose to use this style for this material but the editors should have stepped in and made an adjustment.

The story is also a letdown and it's pretty clear that Brian is phoning it in at this point. I know he has a lot going on but this material is way below his writing caliber. The dialogue is pretentious and the characters will way off. The most egregious point aspect of the series has been Psylocke and the training that she puts Cable and Laura (X-23) through. The characters are young but the idea that Psylocke is giving them basic combat training is laughable unless you're a total noob and never read a story featuring these characters.

Young Cable is once again humiliated and never seems to land as a character regardless of the series he's in. I wasn't reading X-Men when he showed up initially but every comic I read featuring the character makes me miss the old version.

The series hints at a potentially interesting conclusion but Fallen Angels has been a slog. At best this is a series that should have been edited down to a one-shot. I have the rest of the series so I'll eventually review it but the title is one of the least exciting series I've read since launching this blog.

Rating: 5/10