Angel Falling
Written by Jeffrey Kaufman
Pencils by Kevin West
Inks by Mark McKenna, Bob Wiacek, Jack Purcell, and Kevin Yates
Colors by Tom Chu and Pete Pantazis
Letters by John Hunt
Cover by Jeffrey Kaufman, Dave Stewart, and Stan Johnson
Variant Cover by Billy Tucci and Felix Serrano
Zenescope Entertainment
Release Date: August 28, 2013
Cover Price: $9.99

How would you react if you woke up as a half-naked woman in an alley just as two guys are about to assault you? And when you suddenly find yourself beating them down with almost no effort, what then? Well, that’s exactly how Angel Falling starts off. Not knowing who she is or why she’s there, she begins to search for answers alongside a new-found companion who is more than he seems, too.

Calling himself 5, the young man calls her by the name Angel but refuses to speak more on the subject. Or any subject for that matter, he is extremely tight-lipped about everything. What he does show her, however, is that he has perfect reactions and is exceptionally skilled at hand-to-hand combat. We learn that he has eidetic kinesthesia, also known as perfect physical memory. This allows him to mimic and retain every physical action he sees. His statement of “failure means death” is repeated often throughout the comic.

Angel finds herself targeted by two different assassins quite quickly. One is Jacob Mars, ex-CIA and contract killer, who turns down the high paying job on the spot (we wrote about his story here). The other person is simply called 1. We learn that Angel is identified as 3, apparently the numbering system is based on skill-set. The reader is also given information to show that Angel’s protector, 5, has already killed two others sent to assassinate her. Having avoided being killed, Angel and Connor (as 5 is now being called) try to mingle in the regular world. Things go well, at first, but in the end they are found out as the powers that be refuse to let them go.

There is much violence and more than a little death as our two heroes search for answers. But when they unwittingly involve civilians in their issues, Connor sets aside his distaste for death and takes the offensive with Angel right by his side. Reaching the Sanctuary where they once resided, the two rain death down upon everyone in their path. Things are not always as they seem when they confront the handlers behind the scenes. And while the whole story seemed to be about the redemption of Angel, it is Connor who finds himself at peace when the firefights end. Sometimes the past remains in the past and sometimes we are forced to embrace it. The ending is perhaps the strangest of all, but you’ll just have to read it to believe it.

Jeffrey Kaufman delivers another rousing story like always. Not everyone is willing to use anti-heroes to tell their story, but he is aware that in reality, no one is perfect. Once again, there is more to his work than you might first suspect. Backed by a large group of artists, Kaufman delivers great story with excellent art. But if I can make one stipulation, it’s that you read the prologue and the epilogue. And if those don’t touch your heart then I don’t think anything will. This book is definitely worth a read and it retails at less than ten bucks in softback form. More than a story with a moral, this is a story about personal redemption and finding peace with who you are. If you don’t snag this comic then it’s your loss.