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Post by Whedon Fan on Jun 13, 2008 17:14:46 GMT -5
Loved the Gwen story, best part was seeing the city change all around her...awesome-ness Not to keen on the civilians part as it wasn't so much civilian as it was just a crazy guy. There should have been more randome civilians in this instead of just one guy Gunns was pretty good, I loved the alley fighting scenes, though I thought ANgel would have teleported away and thats why he could help Gunn insted of just leaving. Eh I didn't really like the scenes with Gunn and the random vampires. I did like how Gunn was angry at being a vampire though. This was probably the best First Night one so far although what ever happened to Connor and Kate?? I would be someone elses kidney that Kate dies. Nina too
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Post by wenxina on Jun 13, 2008 18:14:33 GMT -5
Here's the bit that doesn't completely convince me that he was really getting messages from the PTB. There's no hint of him being at least part demon, and if that was the case, we're talking MAJOR headache. Like the kind that makes your head go kaplooey. He never mentions the pain, unless of course he's so far gone down loony-ville that it doesn't register, which is strange since pain is a universal warning for sentient beings. However, he could be part demon, and just not know it, like Doyle... until he started manifesting demon morphology. BUT... since Angel's the PTB's champion (or maybe even Spike now), why is it that this guy never mentions Angel? I'm not saying he should know Angel by name, but I mean, I would suspect that there would be some detail that would tip us off about the origin of the "visions". Especially since Angel is pretty much to blame for the cataclysmic events taking place in LA now.
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BenTaylor3907
Wise-cracking Sidekick
Illyria's Qwa'ha Xahn
~ Listening To Fear ~[Mo0:25]
Posts: 2,958
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Post by BenTaylor3907 on Jun 13, 2008 19:24:19 GMT -5
The "Powers That Be" have been known to send visions to humans. Example: When they sent visions of Darla to try and prevent Connor from killing the girl to bring Jasmine into this world. So they might have tried to warn the civilians through him.
But then again, he was probably was just crazy. Theres always some guy in the street yelling on how the world is coming to an end.
And I liked how Gunn was sired by an unknown character, because it gives us fresh characters. Even though I was hoping it was Harmony because I really want to know what happened to her.
Brian, your doing a fantastic job so far, keep it up!
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El Diablo Robotico
Ensouled Vampire
Robo Pimp-Daddy
"Surely you have heard about our great victory over the Devil's Robot."[Mo0:3]
Posts: 1,199
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Post by El Diablo Robotico on Jun 13, 2008 19:39:08 GMT -5
I really liked the Gwen and Gunn stories; the Civilians one was a little , but if it's going to have some significance later on, I can roll with it for now. In the end, I was happy that it turned out not to be Harmony that sired Gunn--that would've made the whole thing silly, and his story definitely shouldn't be silly. (And I'm glad I'm not the only one who saw Nate and immediately thought of Nathan Fillion.) So, overall, while I had some minor complaints about it, "First Night" was a good series that I enjoyed a lot... but I'll be glad to get back to the 'main' story in #9...
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Slayer489
Wise-cracking Techno Genius
"Why do I feel like this? Why do I let Spike do those things to me?" - Buffy 'Dead Things'[Mo0:0]
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Post by Slayer489 on Jun 14, 2008 7:19:45 GMT -5
I enjoyed this issue. It felt short but it's only because of the story being split into 3 or 4 if you include Betta George. I liked Gwen's story when she was having a romantic moment, then Hell came, she got her powers back and killed her love interest. Was sad. The Civilians story was a nice story to include with that guy knowing about the end of the world. And then getting ready to fight 2 weeks later. Gunn's story was interesting and I was a bit confused as to who sired him but it turns out that it was partly Angel's fault and we now know why Gunn blames Angel. I think that Gunn is smarter and more aware than the average vampire about his condition as one because of his lawyer upgrade at the beginning of season 5. Having random vamps sire Gunn was a interesting, different direction to take the story down. Like we were all thinking it would be someone we knew, but it wasn't, so, cool! Great issue and I enjoyed First Night. Let's get back into the main story.
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Ethros
Novice Witch
I beat the bad guys[Mo0:0]
Posts: 291
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Post by Ethros on Jun 14, 2008 11:07:56 GMT -5
Got mine today, really enjoyed it.
From the alley fight scenes it looked like Gunn's eye had been gouged right out, and somehow it had grown back when he became a vampire. I take that's not the case, and his eye was just cut?
Was that a nod to Gunn in IDW's previous "Old Friends" comic?
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Joe
Wise-cracking Sidekick
Obsessive Paranoid Boob
"Gypsies are filthy people! We shall speak of zem no more!" *spits* -Ilona Costa Bianchi[Mo0:0]
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Post by Joe on Jun 14, 2008 15:16:08 GMT -5
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Post by SlayerLV on Jun 15, 2008 0:56:49 GMT -5
I thought it was a really boring issue. Gwen's story really cool, the citizen's story almost made me fall asleep. And don't get me started on Gunn, most of us thought the vamp that sired him was someone we knew but after all of this it turned out to be some random vamp?! Thankfully we get back to the main story in the next issue.
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Post by Emmie on Jun 15, 2008 1:13:21 GMT -5
I'm actually glad that Gunn wasn't sired by someone we know. I can't imagine someone we know turning Gunn playing out in a way I'd like. Gunn being sired by Harmony would make it almost comical and I feel like that's a disservice to Gunn's tragic story. Angel and Spike are good and wouldn't want Gunn to become a demon - they wouldn't see it as saving him but damning him. The only vampire left is Drusilla and I don't see her motive in turning Gunn; I don't think she ever met Gunn.
The only speculation theory I found really interesting was Wyndam's idea that Angel was human because Angelus was split off from him and now had a seperate but identical body. Angelus turning Gunn would've been interesting to me. He'd love to amp up the torture by turning one of Angel's crew, plus how much Gunn hates vampires and the idea of becoming one.
I think this is another example of how speculating can create expectations that block enjoyment of the story. All the speculation about who sired Gunn made the reveal disappointing. Like all the speculation about the final panels of Buffy Issue 15 and how it wasn't what anyone thought.
I actually like the mystery behind the group of vampires that had been watching Gunn and turned him. Something's going on there and I wanna know more.
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Post by Wyndam on Jun 15, 2008 15:32:44 GMT -5
I've been sick so I haven't been around the forums much for the past few days, but I'm finally getting around to posting my thoughts.
I really, really enjoyed this issue. It was a great conclusion to First Night. I've enjoyed every issue of After the Fall thus far, and this one was certainly no different.
Gwen's story was just fantastic. I really had no idea what her story was even going to be about. We hadn't seen Gwen since her last appearance on the show in Season 4, before After the Fall started, so it was nice to get to see what she was doing right when Hell struck L.A. I loved how she was more or less enjoying her life. LISA allowed her to be normal, and all of that was taken away when L.A. was sent to hell. Add to that the fact that she killed the guy that she was with, and her story just keeps getting more sad. From what we have seen in issues #1-5, she has dealt with what has happened pretty well, and I look forward to watching her develop more. It was also nice to see more of the barrier that is containing L.A., and I can't wait to find out more about it.
I thought the Civilian's story was also a great addition, especially how it focused on this homeless guy. He was celebrating the fact that "The End Was Near," and squabbling with the woman and not caring at all about her, and then two weeks later he was wishing she would return. Really interesting story.
Also really enjoyed Gunn's story. I thought for sure that he would be sired by a vampire we knew, but I was perfectly fine with it being this new group of vamps. I think some people developed these expectations that Gunn was going to be sired by Harmony, Dru, or even Angelus like I theorized, and then were disappointed when the story itself didn't go in that direction. I like that Brian surprised us with someone new. He keeps things fresh instead of doing the expected, which is what a series like Angel needs. Kudos to him. The vampires also raised some interesting questions about what their plans were and why they were watching Gunn in the first place. Really interesting stuff.
Now that First Night is finished, I also have to give kudos to Brian for the way that First Night was designed and planned out as well. The entire point of these three issues (in my opinion) was to a) show what happened to all of the major players after Not Fade Away, and b) illustrate how Team Angel became fractured after L.A. went to Hell. The use of different artists really helped to showcase this really well, and I just love how it all turned out.
Also, for the people that believe we didn't learn much from these three issues, are you so sure about that? Here's a quick summary of what we learned about each character:
Angel: Teleported away from the battle by WR&H, turned into a human, has his back broken which puts him out of play for weeks. This is so major because Angel was effectively out of commission for a long time, and wasn't able to fight for L.A. This is probably the main reason why L.A. has gotten so bad by issue #1, with the different Lords and the enslavement of the citizens.
Spike: Also teleported away from the fight, in which he finds Fred and discovers that she is still alive inside of Illyria. That's about as major as you can get.
Wesley: Pretty much tortured by WR&H with the idea that he could be with Fred forever, only to be ripped away from that and forced to work for the law firm. We also found out that the Senior Partners plan to use Wesley in some way down the line. He's their "key" to winning.
Gunn: Pretty much the stuff that I explained up above. We learn why he blames Angel, who sired him, and the beginnings of why he was sired as well. We also learn that there is some sort of motive behind this group of vamps that sired him.
Connor: Huge revelations for Connor. He remembers EVERYTHING that has ever happened to him, all the way back to Darla's womb. I can't wait to see more development with him.
Add to that the fact that we got to see Kate again, and learn how Connor gets back on track, and I'd say First Night was very eventful.
Looking forward to #9!
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Post by gunsandsmoke on Jun 15, 2008 15:39:49 GMT -5
I thought it was a really boring issue. Gwen's story really cool, the citizen's story almost made me fall asleep. And don't get me started on Gunn, most of us thought the vamp that sired him was someone we knew but after all of this it turned out to be some random vamp?! Thankfully we get back to the main story in the next issue. I hate to say it, but I agree. Gunn's character has been my favorite of this series and I've really been looking forward to seeing how he was changed into a vampire. But I just feel like it was cheapened by just some random vampire. There must be a bigger picture to all the madness but still. All the possibilities and this is how the history played out? Ehh.
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kimtaro
Ensouled Vampire
Everybody's Buttmonkey
Crime tastes funny[Mo0:10]
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Post by kimtaro on Jun 15, 2008 16:21:35 GMT -5
there is a bigger picture, the "random" vamps told Gunn that is really important, too important to die.
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Post by MawdurnBukanier on Jun 17, 2008 6:07:44 GMT -5
I think this was one of the most boring issues of the series and I'm very glad that First Night is over. Before it started I was really excited for First Night, but now it seems like IDW just wanted to stretch their best selling series out as long as they could, who cares if they inject pointless filler in the middle.
Gwen's story was pretty uneventful. She macks on some guy and then her powers go all crazy when LA goes to hell. Nothing new there, we already knew that her powers went all wonky in hell and this is far from the first person that she's killed, so I think losing her normal status would affect her more than murder.
The civilian's story was probably the lamest thing I've ever read. When I found out there was a story about civilians I was expecting something interesting to happen, or even a really interesting moral to the story. But no, all we got was a couple pages about a crazy guy who was sad when his not-girlfriend stopped coming around.
Gunn's story was OK, but really could have been more eventful given that it was the big climax of First Night. I know I'm not the only one that speculated who sired Gunn, and having it just be some random Joe Schmoe kinda cheapens it. Sure this guy had some hidden agenda, but who in the Angelverse doesn't?
Personally I can't wait to get back to the real series. In my opinion, First Night should have been condensed into a one shot that had Wes, Lorne, and Gunn's story in it, we didn't need to take all this time off from the real story.
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balesthebloody
Wise-cracking Techno Genius
"Angel's gettin' some! Good on you mate!"[Mo0:0]
Posts: 733
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Post by balesthebloody on Jun 18, 2008 19:09:55 GMT -5
I really liked this issue. Everything that happened was sort of needed. We needed to see why Gwen chose to fight again. Nice to see how the civilians reacted to our little "situation". Plus know we know that "The Powers" seem to be involved. Then Gunn's story was GREAT! "An inside line"? Who could it be? Can't wait to find out! Plus Gunn being sired by a random vampire was a very nice twist!
A good way to close out "First Night"!
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Post by Wyndam on Jun 18, 2008 19:15:13 GMT -5
Plus know we know that "The Powers" seem to be involved. Are you referring to the homeless guy that mentioned them? I don't think that he was saying anything about the actual PTB's that have had an influence on the Angelverse in the past, but was just using that as an expression. "Powers that Be" has been an expression for a loooooooooong time, it wasn't a concept that was first developed on Angel. I could be wrong though, but that's how I read that.
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BenTaylor3907
Wise-cracking Sidekick
Illyria's Qwa'ha Xahn
~ Listening To Fear ~[Mo0:25]
Posts: 2,958
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Post by BenTaylor3907 on Jun 18, 2008 21:16:04 GMT -5
I really liked Gwen's story. I heard that her back was bleeding because LISA was broken. I didn't see any blood. So what’s that about? And is it me or does Nate look a little extra crispy, im guessing Hell-A has something to do with her powers growing stronger. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Civilians’ story though. I also like Gunn's story. I cant wait to see who is in charge of the "Inside Line" and why they want Gunn.
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balesthebloody
Wise-cracking Techno Genius
"Angel's gettin' some! Good on you mate!"[Mo0:0]
Posts: 733
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Post by balesthebloody on Jun 18, 2008 22:22:36 GMT -5
Plus know we know that "The Powers" seem to be involved. Are you referring to the homeless guy that mentioned them? I don't think that he was saying anything about the actual PTB's that have had an influence on the Angelverse in the past, but was just using that as an expression. "Powers that Be" has been an expression for a loooooooooong time, it wasn't a concept that was first developed on Angel. I could be wrong though, but that's how I read that. True. I guess I was just putting it with the fact that Wes had some kind of contact with Cordy as mentioned in issue 9 but who really knows besides Joss and Brian?
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Post by Skytteflickan88 on Jun 22, 2008 12:33:20 GMT -5
I haven't read this issue, but I've heard that Gunn's sire will be a real let down, so I guess it was an "accident".
Gunn was fighting with a bunch or vamps and they got the better of him, as seen on the cover. Blood flowed, they drank from him, and Gunn happened to get some vamp-blood in his month. Or it was just some random unknown vampire who tried to turn Gunn, succeded, but got dusted on the spot.
My other scenario is that Angel's vampireness had to go somewhere when he turned human, and it went into Gunn.
Hope I'll get the damn issue soon. If they send it together with issue 9, to save money, I want my money back.
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Fredikins
Rogue Demon Hunter
Crazy Taco Lady
"Occasionally I am callous and strange," Willow.[Mo0:14]
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Post by Fredikins on Aug 6, 2008 23:53:07 GMT -5
The hands with black nail polish on them look like spike's. hmph
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