Dc Comics

Azrael Vol. 1: Fallen Angel

Azrael Vol. 1: Fallen Angel

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-10-17 09:54:32
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Denny O'Neil
  • ISBN：1401260608
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Summary

The beginning of one of the most controversial comics characters of all time。

There’s a new hero in Batman’s world， whether the Dark Knight likes it or not！

Jean-Paul Valley has just been told by his dying father that his family is part of an ancient secret society known as The Order of St。 Dumas—and that he is the latest in a long line of deadly assassins！ Now with his psychological conditioning complete， Valley has been transformed from a computer science major into the unstoppable weapon known as Azrael。 But when he is forced to target the heroic Batman， he starts to question his life and duty。

Legendary creators Dennis O’Neil and Joe Quesada are joined by comic industry superstars Barry Kitson， James Pascoe， and Kevin Nowlan。 AZRAEL VOL。1 FALLEN ANGEL collects BATMAN: SWORD OF AZRAEL #1-4， SHOWCASE ’94 #10， and AZRAEL #1-7。

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Reviews

Jess ，

For years I wrote off Azrael as a stupid idea。 Maybe because I didn't read Knightfall in the right order。 Still haven't。 And how- in the wrong hands。。。 Jean Paul Valley （AKA Azrael） is little more than Bat-Punisher。Whereas， in the right hands， he is a tormented victim of religious violence。 He's horrible scared。 All he wants are answers and help from those who have the power to help him- first his father， then Nomox， then Batman， then Brian Bryan and Sister Lilhy and in various ways they all tur For years I wrote off Azrael as a stupid idea。 Maybe because I didn't read Knightfall in the right order。 Still haven't。 And how- in the wrong hands。。。 Jean Paul Valley （AKA Azrael） is little more than Bat-Punisher。Whereas， in the right hands， he is a tormented victim of religious violence。 He's horrible scared。 All he wants are answers and help from those who have the power to help him- first his father， then Nomox， then Batman， then Brian Bryan and Sister Lilhy and in various ways they all turn him down or at least don't help as much as he needs。 It's nice to see Bruce actually ADMIT this。 Especially mid to late 90s Batman， which is where the whole 'I can be as big a dick as I want and get away with it， because I'm always right' Batman really got its start。 Is Azrael， well I'd call a hero？ No。 Not even an antihero。 But in the right hands his story is compelling。 And it just goes to show that Dennis O'Neil could spin even some of the most ludicrous Batman stories into gold。 。。。more

Casey Taylor ，

Mini series is excellent， especially for people like me who cut their teeth on Knightfall， but all the subsequent stories pale。

Neil Pearson ，

Huge gap in the storyThis is a bit of a whirlwind。 It introduces the character with a miniseries then skips the entirety of "knightfall" before beginning his solo series。 But skipping the whole "being batman" phase is really weird and doesn't work as a graphic novel。 It should arguably be split in two。 The artwork is strong， quesada steals the show but kitson does a decent job too。 I preferred the pre batman story Huge gap in the storyThis is a bit of a whirlwind。 It introduces the character with a miniseries then skips the entirety of "knightfall" before beginning his solo series。 But skipping the whole "being batman" phase is really weird and doesn't work as a graphic novel。 It should arguably be split in two。 The artwork is strong， quesada steals the show but kitson does a decent job too。 I preferred the pre batman story 。。。more

Matt Maielli ，

peak 90s stuff in that there's a lot going on here and it seems like there was no real plan。 Also the continuation of this character's story is so bad that it kinda makes Knightfall worse。 peak 90s stuff in that there's a lot going on here and it seems like there was no real plan。 Also the continuation of this character's story is so bad that it kinda makes Knightfall worse。 。。。more

Henry Blackwood ，

I’m finally through this Knightfall slog。Even though I haven’t finished Troika for now the run is over。I gotta say I mostly hated this trade。 I think the first four issues of it are vital for the knightfall run and the showcase is cool but the rest is just bad。 Really really bad。 Jean Paul just doesn’t work in the batfamily I’m surprised he’s still in it today。 That’s something I didn’t see happening。I’m going to mention it here that it seems baffling to me why Batman would let Azrael go and do I’m finally through this Knightfall slog。Even though I haven’t finished Troika for now the run is over。I gotta say I mostly hated this trade。 I think the first four issues of it are vital for the knightfall run and the showcase is cool but the rest is just bad。 Really really bad。 Jean Paul just doesn’t work in the batfamily I’m surprised he’s still in it today。 That’s something I didn’t see happening。I’m going to mention it here that it seems baffling to me why Batman would let Azrael go and do whatever he wanted when he knows he’s going to kill。 It just doesn’t make sense。Also， （and this is more of a knightsend beef） what was with Batman getting training from Lady Shiva？ Especially when she was opening killing people。 Seemed very dumb。But I guess that’s just the 90’s。Time to take a mini break from 90’s Batman and read Infinity Gauntlet for the first time before I read Contagion for the first time。 。。。more

Jessica ，

Azrael Is Surprisingly UncoolBefore reading this comic， all I knew about Azrael was that he was Batman for a while after Bane smashed a certain back。 Now I know so much more， and somehow care so much less than before。 The biggest problem I have is how little agency Azrael/Jean Paul seems to have in his own story。 He's very reactive， doing things because someone else tells him to。 Other people are pushing him to do things throughout the book， kicking him into gear。 He doesn't really seize control Azrael Is Surprisingly UncoolBefore reading this comic， all I knew about Azrael was that he was Batman for a while after Bane smashed a certain back。 Now I know so much more， and somehow care so much less than before。 The biggest problem I have is how little agency Azrael/Jean Paul seems to have in his own story。 He's very reactive， doing things because someone else tells him to。 Other people are pushing him to do things throughout the book， kicking him into gear。 He doesn't really seize control until towards the end （of a quest Batman sent him on， with supplies and everything）， and whoo boy， that end is something else。 Without spoilers， his origin is ridiculous， and that ending is more a cliffhanger than anything。 Also， Jean Paul reminds me in looks of the lead from a MST3K time travel movie （Time Chasers？）， who is a total dork。 Fitting， really。 There's also a couple issues with continuity， the most glaring being Ras Al Ghul switching from facial hair to clean shaven and back between issues。 Now， for a couple of nice things I can say。 Alfred was in this for a bit and I liked most of his character， though he was quick to blab about Batman。 Sister Lilhy， who seemed to be a one note character at first， became more developed， interesting， and likeable as the comic progressed。 And， for something I almost never notice and have literally never commented on， the coloring in this comic is awesome。 The colors themselves， the contrast， everything about them just elevates the comic。 The art is normal， but the colorist did a fantastic job and should feel proud of himself。 Would I recommend this？ Not unless you're dying to know the story of Azrael， who is pushed into pretty much anything。 Well， the coloring is great， too， but still， overall， I doubt anyone will love the book。 。。。more

Nate ，

I kind of like Jean Paul Valley。 Not as Batman， mind， but as the avenging angel of a mysterious order， draped in red and carrying a flaming sword。 Yes， Azrael is a ridiculous character clearly influenced by Spawn， but he can be fun to read about and I like the quasi-medieval flavor of his stories。 This book collects the Sword of Azrael miniseries taking place before Knightfall， as well as the first seven issues of his ongoing title （which ran for 100 issues）。 I enjoyed both。 I’m not sure if DC k I kind of like Jean Paul Valley。 Not as Batman， mind， but as the avenging angel of a mysterious order， draped in red and carrying a flaming sword。 Yes， Azrael is a ridiculous character clearly influenced by Spawn， but he can be fun to read about and I like the quasi-medieval flavor of his stories。 This book collects the Sword of Azrael miniseries taking place before Knightfall， as well as the first seven issues of his ongoing title （which ran for 100 issues）。 I enjoyed both。 I’m not sure if DC knew Azrael was going to take over as Batman when they created him， but it’s not apparent from Sword。 It reads simply as an origin for this new character with Batman supporting， and it mostly works。 The ongoing series takes place immediately after Knightfal， where Valley is confused and homeless with great power， going after the Order in Switzerland。 It goes about as well as you’d expect。 On the way， he meets Ra’s Al Ghul， who's always great to see。 The seven issues constitute a full arc。 You can tell O’Neil wasn’t entirely sure what to do with Azrael post-Knightfall， especially with the retcon of his origin。 I still had fun reading it， though， in all its outsized 90’s action。 。。。more

anthony e。 ，

This gets two stars because the first four issues， Sword of Azrael， is some solid 90s comics。 The rest of this book though？ Wow is it rough。 The art is stiff and dull， the characters nonexistent and bland and maybe a little bit offensive。 Its pseudo-Christian religious brainwashing veers too far into outlandish science fiction。 The dialogue is entirely pedestrian and obtuse， even by 90s standards。 Honestly， the only way I found it enjoyable is if I treated it as though it came out in 1940， which This gets two stars because the first four issues， Sword of Azrael， is some solid 90s comics。 The rest of this book though？ Wow is it rough。 The art is stiff and dull， the characters nonexistent and bland and maybe a little bit offensive。 Its pseudo-Christian religious brainwashing veers too far into outlandish science fiction。 The dialogue is entirely pedestrian and obtuse， even by 90s standards。 Honestly， the only way I found it enjoyable is if I treated it as though it came out in 1940， which made it sort of campy and strange in the way Golden Age comics are。 I hope that's what they were going for。Anyway， even with that allowance， it's pretty much drivel。 。。。more

Max Z ，

I love Azrael as a character。 A driven man， not unlike Batman， that brings some religious undertones to the crimefighting genre。 This book has two large sections， one is four-part origin story that is illustrated by Joe Quesada （both are written by Dennis O'Neil）。 His art is good and has its moments of excellence。 The remains of the order of St。 Dumas are established and the story splits between the Batman and Azrael parts。 Batman is， surprisingly （and pretty rarely nowadays， I think）， taken cap I love Azrael as a character。 A driven man， not unlike Batman， that brings some religious undertones to the crimefighting genre。 This book has two large sections， one is four-part origin story that is illustrated by Joe Quesada （both are written by Dennis O'Neil）。 His art is good and has its moments of excellence。 The remains of the order of St。 Dumas are established and the story splits between the Batman and Azrael parts。 Batman is， surprisingly （and pretty rarely nowadays， I think）， taken captive and it's up to Alfred and Azrael to rescue him。 Overall， a good entry for the character。The other two thirds of the book is taken by the first eight issues of the main series。 Taking place after the events of Knightfall， it deals with Jean-Paul Valley trying to find himself and his past in a journey all over the world and culminating when he finds the place where he was born。 The book ends on a tragic cliffhanger leaving me wanting for more。 Unfortunately， in the usual DC fashion， only a single volume has been produced so far （in 2016， no less， it's already been two years， DC！）， so I would have to resort to buying single issues which I rarely do。 The pencils here are by Barry Kitson and the team of penciller/inker/colorist does not change during the course of this volume。 However， the art is uneven。 The first issues are amazing but then it declines into mediocrity with some spikes of greatness here and there。 A pity。 Let's hope that it will become better later on。Great page by Joe Quesada detailing the transformation from Jean-Paul Valley to Azrael。 。。。more

Joel ，

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the origin of a character that I'd always loved the concept and design of but never actually read。Azrael's origin and introduction didn't disappoint and the very 90s artwork was fun - for the most part - but even by the end of this collection it becomes clear that the writers weren't sure what to do with him beyond his role in Knightfall and the immediate aftermath， which is a shame。 I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the origin of a character that I'd always loved the concept and design of but never actually read。Azrael's origin and introduction didn't disappoint and the very 90s artwork was fun - for the most part - but even by the end of this collection it becomes clear that the writers weren't sure what to do with him beyond his role in Knightfall and the immediate aftermath， which is a shame。 。。。more

Rob Ryan ，

Brilliant

Vanessa ，

Sword of Azrael is good。 It has an obvious wit to it。 One of the draws is how over-the-top it is。 The issues after that aren't as enjoyable。 They are too bland and ordinary。 I lost the reason to keep reading。 Sword of Azrael is good。 It has an obvious wit to it。 One of the draws is how over-the-top it is。 The issues after that aren't as enjoyable。 They are too bland and ordinary。 I lost the reason to keep reading。 。。。more

Robin Erika Powell ，

The first part of this book consisting of "Batman: Sword of Azrael" was quite good。 Nothing extraordinary， but Azrael is a cool character if not a terribly deep one。 He had potential， though， which kept me reading。（view spoiler）[Following the end of the Batman book Azrael was at a very interesting crossroads that reminded me of Spawn。 A confused man with superhuman abilities finds himself homeless with little memory of what makes him who he his。 He makes friends with a homeless alcoholic and hel The first part of this book consisting of "Batman: Sword of Azrael" was quite good。 Nothing extraordinary， but Azrael is a cool character if not a terribly deep one。 He had potential， though， which kept me reading。（view spoiler）[Following the end of the Batman book Azrael was at a very interesting crossroads that reminded me of Spawn。 A confused man with superhuman abilities finds himself homeless with little memory of what makes him who he his。 He makes friends with a homeless alcoholic and helps him with his problems against thugs。 It could have spent much more time in this setting in Gotham， showing us the torment Jean-Paul was going through after being tossed to the side by Batman。 He would then make a name for himself as a tormented， but well-meaning hero （or anti-hero） on the streets of Gotham， eventually redeeming himself to the slighted Batman who's mantle he had assumed previously。 Instead， the writers decided to rush him towards his next adventure right away， instantly forgiving Batman and taking his advice。 It makes no sense， and could have been crafted much better at this point。Following this， Azrael confronts the Order of St。 Dumas， who Batman and Oracle just happen to be able to find easily now even though they've been a totally secretive conclave since the Crusades。 Not to mention， in the previous storyline it had seemed they were a dwindling bunch， being hunted down one by one by Biis。 Now they have a whole network of acolytes and strongholds。 It's the lack of consistency I have the biggest problem with。 （hide spoiler）] However， in the last part of the book which was from his own series "Azrael" I felt that the quality of the writing dropped off。 The tone of the characters felt wrong， be it from Batman & Robin or Jean-Paul Valley himself。 He was going through traumatic psychological issues， to be sure， but I found myself scratching my head at a lot of the dialogue。Can't say I'm a fan of this overall。 。。。more

Mhorg ，

ExcellentLeave it to Denny O'Neill， who revived Batman with Neil Adams， now creating a new and excellent character， with Joe Quesada to be part of the Batman mythos。 Great stories and wonderful artwork。 ExcellentLeave it to Denny O'Neill， who revived Batman with Neil Adams， now creating a new and excellent character， with Joe Quesada to be part of the Batman mythos。 Great stories and wonderful artwork。 。。。more

Levi ，

I've always been a fan of Jean-Paul Valley's Azrael， not at all liking the Da Vinci Code nonsense that Michael Lane's Azrael got wrapped up in。 So I was ecstatic when they announced that JPV's series would finally be collected in trade paperback， for the first time ever！ However， now that I read through solid， pure JPV/Azrael adventures， I realize that I might be more of a fan of the idea of Jean-Paul rather than the actual character。JPV was created to become a replacement Batman as something of I've always been a fan of Jean-Paul Valley's Azrael， not at all liking the Da Vinci Code nonsense that Michael Lane's Azrael got wrapped up in。 So I was ecstatic when they announced that JPV's series would finally be collected in trade paperback， for the first time ever！ However， now that I read through solid， pure JPV/Azrael adventures， I realize that I might be more of a fan of the idea of Jean-Paul rather than the actual character。JPV was created to become a replacement Batman as something of a sarcastic "Take that！" to fans who wanted Batman to be more like the Punisher。 I mean， look at his costume。 It's the most quintessential over-the-top loud and flashy '90s look that you could dream up。 He's got this crazy origin story which is dying to be retold in a more toned down fashion， involving some kind of Christian cult dating back to the Knights Templar （Okaaayyy。。。）。 But the clincher is that JPV is genuinely mentally ill。 A mentally ill superhero has boatloads of dramatic potential！ Unfortunately， Denny O'Neil squanders that and instead just makes him a spacey， clueless schlub who is prone to bouts of psychotic violence。 The basic plot of this trade （after the origin story in the first four issues， plus the entire Knightfall saga） is that Jean-Paul is sent by Batman to find out just what's going on with the Order of St。 Dumas， the aforementioned cult。 It's mildly entertaining， and has genuinely good comic book storytelling。 （It is Denny O'Neil we're talking here！） But neither Jean-Paul nor Azrael are sufficiently charismatic enough to make it particularly memorable。I suppose if you read it as an affectionate， self-aware parody of pretty much everything that was happening in mid-'90s comics， it's worth a read。 I don't have that context to read it in though， so I can't enjoy it that way。 Pretty much the only draw from that point is nostalgia for a terribly mishandled character。 The best parts of this book were when Jean-Paul was in Gotham City， so maybe it will get more interesting in future trades when he returns there。 。。。more

Patrick ，

It's kind of annoying they put the Sword of Azrael miniseries in this and only an annual and 7 issues of the actual series。 I already owned the Sword of Azrael miniseries so that was redundant。 Anyway， the rest is the first series arc as former Azrael-turned Batman Jean-Paul Valley tries to rediscover his Azrael powers。 The best is yet to come， right？ It's kind of annoying they put the Sword of Azrael miniseries in this and only an annual and 7 issues of the actual series。 I already owned the Sword of Azrael miniseries so that was redundant。 Anyway， the rest is the first series arc as former Azrael-turned Batman Jean-Paul Valley tries to rediscover his Azrael powers。 The best is yet to come， right？ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Azrael Vol. 1: Fallen Angel

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Azrael Vol. 1: Fallen Angel&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Azrael Vol. 1: Fallen Angel&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0