Reviewer: Mathan Erhardt
Story Title: Before the Fall
Written by: Peter David
Penciled by: David Lopez
Inked by: Fernando Blanco
Colored by: Nathan Eyring
Lettered by: Pat Brosseau
Editor: Nachie Castro
Publisher: DC Comics
A year ago Doctor Juris decided to spend his annual day off at Mardi Gras. It was there that he met Sam “Boomer†Grant. They became friends, in a way. Unfortunately the character soon to be known as Fallen Angel was looking for Sam. Apparently she believed that Boomer was a rapist and a killer, and she intended to bring him to justice.
A bar fight ensues, during which Juris becomes infatuated with Angel and attempts to aid her in the capture of Boomer. Still Boomer escapes. During Angel’s pursuit of Boomer, Juris pursues Angel. They meet up and Juris begins a sort of courting of Angel. Eventually she agrees to dine with him, but only if he can deliver Boomer so she can bring him to justice, by killing him.
Juris does deliver Boomer, a dead Boomer. It’s his way of keeping Lee’s hands clean. They hit it off, and Juris pulls a disappearing act would make Batman jealous.
Peter David is sadistic. He clearly enjoys teasing his readers with hints that Fallen Angel and the title character of his “Supergirl†title are one and the same. That said, this is yet another great issue. The idea that Juris gets only one day off is a tantalizing hint to who or what he is. And seeing how Lee and Juris met is almost as priceless as “When Harry Met Sally.†David is one of the few writers whose mere name piques my interest, and one of the handful that write comics worth the time it takes to read them.
You don’t hear enough about Lopez and Blanco. In an era when fill-in artists are the norm, these guys have gone strong for a year. Kudos. They also manage to capture the debauchery of Mardi Gras and the playfulness of courting.
