By Dustin Cabeal

I really, really, really fucking tried to overlook the fact that this was someone in Hollywood using comics as a backdoor to getting a passed on project made. It’s not uncommon, hell that’s how Cowboys and Aliens got made. Adrianne Palicki’s involvement made me weary of this comic because of that, but it is a Black Mask title so I hoped it would be different.

Unfortunately, this is just another Hollywood actor making a comic so that they can backdoor the project and get it made in Hollywood. Nothing sells better these days than “based on the comic.” And it’s not just the fact that the main character looks a lot like Adrianne Palicki, it’s the fact that the story is more movie script than comic script.

Spoilers ahead, though the title pretty much gives this all away.

The story is generic as fuck. I know that’s mean and not very critical, but it’s so generic that it’s painful, to sum up. Angel’s made babies. Some of those babies had babies, and now when two angel bloodlines have a baby, the kid ends up with wings. That’s the gist. Heaven and Hell, Nephilim, the Bible and the war in Iraq just for good measure. Any of this sounding original or interesting? If it sounds interesting, then you probably have an interest in things like this to begin with. Let me just say, your interest aside, it's poorly written and paced from the top down.

The story is written in such a way that it only develops the main character and makes her too perfect. She was perfect in the war. Perfect for her job in the FBI. Her only fault is wanting to leave her hometown because it’s small and shitty. Which isn’t a fault and that’s the problem, the writers think that it is one.

The art is awful. It’s some of the worst I’ve seen lately, and it blew my mind how bad it was given the publisher it was coming from. The main character’s face was never the same shape twice; perspectives are ignored and make no sense. There’s no consistency to the linework; faces will have thick lines and heavy shadows while a book or a letter will have thin lines and light, but fitting details. It’s like two different people were working on the book, but there wasn’t. I still can’t get over how many times the main character had a random double chin or hexagon jawline all of the sudden. If the writer weren't trying to hammer home the character’s name by having everyone use it, I would have wondered if it was the same character throughout.

I was extremely disappointed by this title. Yes, I was leery of it, but I still like to give Black Mask a chance. Lately, they haven’t produced much for me to enjoy. If others are enjoying it, then good for them, but I’m starting to study the solicits more and decide if it’s worth the time and effort to read some of these books. No Angel certainly wasn’t and I won’t be back for more angel half-sister bonding time/Hollywood audition. Coming soon to a theater near you, based on the comic book from Black Mask Studios, it’s this thing.

Score: 1/5

No Angel #1
Writers: Eric & Adrianne Palicki
Artist: Ari Syahrazad
Publisher: Black Mask Studios