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Well...
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I barely know what the Hel happened. And why.
But whether you know all about Marvel comics and its frustrating tie-ins, and Angela and her story, or not, or not very well, 'Angela: Queen of Hel: Journey to the Funderworld' is fucking epic.
The first comic I read to feature Angela of Asgard is 'Angela: Asgard's Assassin, Volume 1: Priceless'. I didn't like it. It certainly didn't entice me to read any other titles starring Angela, who I thought was so wooden, careless, and soulless a character that I couldn't see any romance for her, with another woman or otherwise. To me she seemed like a generic, scantily-clad warrior woman archetype, an edgelord product from the nineties, like the comic book medium doesn't have enough of those. (I was also quite surprised, in doing a little research, to find out that she was originally created by Neil Gaiman, and was an antagonist in the 'Spawn' comics).
But upon reading about the received praise of 'Angela: Queen of Hel: Journey to the Funderworld', the latest and currently final title in Angela's storyline, it sounded interesting to me. Interesting enough that I would be willing to give her another chance. Maybe the writing will be better, the characters more relatable and charismatic, and it would overall make sense.
The "sense" in this context is subjective, mind you. But what a roller coaster ride from Hel!
The action and set-pieces in this book keep going, keep changing, and the character interactions are consistent while remaining fresh and unpredictable. The artwork is fantastic. The Hel-ish monster designs are amazing, like Lovecraftian terror. There thankfully isn't too much dialogue and exposition-dumping littering the pages, in this fantasy action comic with an angels-vs-Norse mythology backdrop that pays homage to Orpheus and Eurydice. With a lesbian twist.
Really, that setup alone should entice you to read 'Angela: Queen of Hel', with not much worry for background information and collector's issues.
Just enjoy the ride. That's what I learned to do whilst reading.
There are many storytelling themes in 'Angela: Queen of Hel'. It's a treasure, a furnace even, for pop culture, literary and mythology nerds. As well as Orpheus, there is Shakespeare, references to heavy metal bands, 'Game of Thrones', 'Scarborough Fair', and 'Final Fantasy' (they make sense in context...kinda, it's a weird comic), and Faust; where our main heroine, Angela, in an alternate reality is twisted into a demonic dragon lady and Faerie Queen named Faustia who also appears in a Shakespearean play, as magically penned by an alternate shadow version of her lover Sera (told you it was a weird comic, and that's not even scratching the surface).
I've never been a fan of Marguerite Bennett before, but her writing here is immensely clever and covers and ties together a lot of intricate, subtle threads, in what should have been a pretentious, convoluted mess of a story.
The whole comic book is like a heavy metal album on speed, or a ballad on ecstasy, with a bloody, beating lesbian heart, as shown through the two leads, Angela and Sera.
Angela is an Asgardian and Odinson's sister, stolen from birth and raised by angels in Heven. She is a god and a princess, but speaking for herself she is an angel through and through. She is also known as the Hunter Queen, and Angela of Nowhere. Angela the dark warrior woman with the ribbons lives and dies by one rule: A deal is a deal, nothing is for nothing, everything has a price, and every debt must be paid. She is so fierce and fiery she would be intimidating if not for Sera to balance things out, in more ways than one. Angela is searching for the angel handmaiden who raised her, Loriel, who may not be dead and in Hel after all. But first, she is searching for her lost love, Sera, in Hel.
Separated for so long, and with Sera trapped in a literal hell, how will things turn out once the lovers reunite?
Sera is a dark-skinned trans angel (how's that for representation!), and a prisoner throughout her life who desperately wants to be free, once and for all, and with Angela for all eternity (I'm guessing they are both immortal, or are half-dead, or Sera was dead but is brought back to life in Hel...moving on). She wants the freedom to be herself, and not suffer in darkness and despair any longer. Her magic is as awesome as her snark, and innuendo. Refreshingly self-aware in a comic that needs it, Sera is bubbling with pop culture references; she throws them out there, without being annoying, miraculously. She also breaks the fourth wall. Sera is like a POC femme queer trans Deadpool, and Loki. A comic relief (with so much depth) who is a cauldron of knowledge and party tricks. Plus she loves books! Overall, what a brilliant, surprising, if secretive, character.
While I may not know everything about the history between these two women and why and how they met and fell so deeply in love, the comic gets across well how much they mean to each other. Sera seems like the only person that the aloof and hardhearted Angela genuinely cares about, along with her missing foster mother, Loriel. Angela and Sera are like the Xena and Gabrielle of Marvel comics. Not my favourite characters in the world, but I'm glad they exist; mostly for diversity and positive representation.
Other characters include Leah: a handmaiden, a sort-of-slave like Sera, and a spirit from Hela's mutilated hand (this comic is super weird, yo), who seems superfluous at first, but she grew on me. She is the third wheel of the supernatural women's group to overthrow Hel. She wears East Asian attire, and acquires Loki's pet hellhound, Thori, on the journey. Leah, Angela and Sera become good friends to the end.
Hela, the current queen of Hel, most known for 'Thor: Ragnarok', is here, and a badass as expected. Meresyn, Angela's angel rival, first kill, dark past and trial, is another fierce warrior woman, who grows to become her trusted ally. The last few issues are a story where the women team up with Thor - female Thor! A bit disappointing that she doesn't end up doing anything, however.
After I finished 'Angela: Queen of Hel: Journey to the Funderworld' (the 'fun' play on 'underworld' is Sera's doing), I was exhausted. To say I was confused would be an understatement. Baffled, almost frustrated. But the more I thought about it (or tried not to, for my brain needed a rest), the more I loved the Hel out of it.
What I love most about it is that it is a weird, action-packed, passionate, over-the-top, totally out-there comic, like a lot of famous comics are, and it is entirely female-fronted, and female-centered. It is all about powerful women being badass and fighting for their freedom, defying gravity and the cosmos in their wake, and not giving a single fuck what any man thinks of them. They love each other. They would sacrifice so much for one another. They literally rule. They are not to be messed with, even in a mundane civilian setting. All in a genuinely well-written, well-planned and cultured story, written and drawn by women.
It is feminist. It is modern feminism, in such a fantastical context.
A line in the blurb says it best:
'To rescue her beloved, Angela must conquer this domain and rewrite laws as old as death!'
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Final Score: 4/5
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