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Angela (comics)
Encyclopedia
Angela is a fictional character
in Todd McFarlane
's Spawn
comic book
series. The character was created for the series by writer Neil Gaiman
and artist Todd McFarlane
, which led to a legal battle between McFarlane and Gaiman over the rights to the character.
in Spawn #100.
In 1994 and 1995, a three-issue Angela limited series
was published, written by Gaiman and illustrated by Greg Capullo
. The series was later reprinted in a trade paperback
titled Angela Trade Paperback (a.k.a. Spawn: Angela's Hunt where in later printings it was retitled as under a new cover design) (ISBN 1-887279-09-1), which, as of 2005, is out-of-print. There was also an Angela stand-alone comic (1995).
Angela has also been featured in several crossovers
. The "Rage of Angels" miniseries saw Angela meeting Glory
in Angela and Glory (1996), and was continued in Youngblood
#6 (1996) and Team Youngblood #21. There was also a crossover Aria/Angela, featuring Angela in the Aria comic series
.
(along with three other recognized authors, Alan Moore
, Dave Sim
, and Frank Miller
) to write one issue of Spawn. While doing so, Gaiman introduced the characters Angela, Cogliostro
, and Medieval Spawn. All three characters were co-created and designed by series creator Todd McFarlane
. All continued to be featured in the series after Gaiman's involvement, and some had tie-ins with McFarlane's toy company. Cogliostro had a prominent role in the live-action movie in 1997. McFarlane had initially agreed that Gaiman retained creator rights on the characters, but later claimed that Gaiman's work had been work-for-hire and that McFarlane owned all of Gaiman's co-creations entirely, pointing to the legal indicia in Spawn #9 and the lack of legal contract stating otherwise. (Some argued that this change of heart was motivated by his desire to gain full ownership of the characters by using Miracleman
as a bargaining tool.) McFarlane had also refused to pay Gaiman for the volumes of Gaiman's work he republished and kept in print. In 2002, Gaiman filed suit and won a sizeable judgement against McFarlane and Image Comics for the rights due any creator. All three characters are currently co-owned 50/50 by both men.
; a tall, beautiful red-haired woman with the typical Spawn symbol on her earrings appeared in one scene, and it is hinted, although not specifically stated, that this is meant to be Angela, played by Laura Stepp. She also appeared in the animated HBO series Todd McFarlane's Spawn, voiced by Denise Poirier
.
Angela is the subject of a song by heavy metal
band Iced Earth
called "The Hunter", which appears on their Spawn-themed concept album The Dark Saga
.
She reappears to help Kurosawa later in the series, from the clutches of a monstrous phlebiac. The two double-team to defeat the monster, where she disappears shortly thereafter.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane is a Canadian cartoonist, writer, toy designer and entrepreneur, best known for his work in comic books, such as the fantasy series Spawn....
's Spawn
Spawn (comics)
Spawn is a fictional comic book superhero who appears in a monthly comic book of the same name published by Image Comics. Created by writer/artist Todd McFarlane, Spawn first appeared in Spawn #1...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series. The character was created for the series by writer Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
and artist Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane is a Canadian cartoonist, writer, toy designer and entrepreneur, best known for his work in comic books, such as the fantasy series Spawn....
, which led to a legal battle between McFarlane and Gaiman over the rights to the character.
Fictional character biography
In the comics, Angela is an angel who acts opposite Spawn as a bounty hunter working under the auspices of Heaven. She attempted to kill Spawn upon their first meeting, but he managed to defeat her despite her significantly greater experience. When he later came to her aid during her trial in Heaven - ironically, he was there to testify that she had permission to attempt to kill him - then they started a romantic relationship. Angela was killed during the battle with MalebolgiaMalebolgia
Malebolgia is a fictional character in the Spawn universe, drawing its name from the term in Dante's Inferno used to describe Malebolge, the ditches in the eighth circle of Hell where humans who committed the sin Fraud are punished...
in Spawn #100.
Publication history
Angela is a recurring adversary and ally of Spawn, and so is featured often in the series. Her debut was in issue Spawn #9, but she has since appeared in issues #62, #89, and #96 through #100.In 1994 and 1995, a three-issue Angela limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
was published, written by Gaiman and illustrated by Greg Capullo
Greg Capullo
Gregory “Greg” Capullo is an American comic book artist and penciller, best known for his work on Quasar , X-Force , Angela and Spawn ....
. The series was later reprinted in a trade paperback
Trade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
titled Angela Trade Paperback (a.k.a. Spawn: Angela's Hunt where in later printings it was retitled as under a new cover design) (ISBN 1-887279-09-1), which, as of 2005, is out-of-print. There was also an Angela stand-alone comic (1995).
Angela has also been featured in several crossovers
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
. The "Rage of Angels" miniseries saw Angela meeting Glory
Glory (comics)
Glory is a fictional character originally from Image Comics, and later on from the Awesome Comics comic book series created by Rob Liefeld. The character's full name is Gloriana Demeter, a half-Amazonian, half-Demon warrior.- Rob Liefeld's Glory :...
in Angela and Glory (1996), and was continued in Youngblood
Youngblood (comics)
Youngblood is a superhero team that starred in their self-titled comic book, created by writer/artist Rob Liefeld. The team made its debut as a backup feature in the 1987 one-shot Megaton: Explosion before later appearing in its own ongoing series in 1992 as the flagship publication for Image Comics...
#6 (1996) and Team Youngblood #21. There was also a crossover Aria/Angela, featuring Angela in the Aria comic series
Aria (comics)
Aria is a comic book metaseries published by Image Comics, written by Brian Holguin and drawn by Jay Anacleto. Its central conceit is that 'mythic beings exist in the modern world,' a premise seen in numerous works of dark contemporary fantasy...
.
Legal rights
In 1993 McFarlane contracted Neil GaimanNeil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
(along with three other recognized authors, Alan Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
, Dave Sim
Dave Sim
David Victor Sim is an award-winning Canadian comic book writer and artist.A pioneer of self-published comics and creators' rights, Sim is best known as the creator of Cerebus the Aardvark, a comic book published from 1977 to 2004, which chronicles its main character in a 6,000-page self-contained...
, and Frank Miller
Frank Miller (comics)
Frank Miller is an American comic book artist, writer and film director best known for his dark, film noir-style comic book stories and graphic novels Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City and 300...
) to write one issue of Spawn. While doing so, Gaiman introduced the characters Angela, Cogliostro
Cogliostro
Cogliostro is a supporting character in Todd McFarlane's Spawn comic series. Cogliostro was created in 1993 by author Neil Gaiman and artist Todd McFarlane and introduced in Spawn issue #9.-Al Simmons:...
, and Medieval Spawn. All three characters were co-created and designed by series creator Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane is a Canadian cartoonist, writer, toy designer and entrepreneur, best known for his work in comic books, such as the fantasy series Spawn....
. All continued to be featured in the series after Gaiman's involvement, and some had tie-ins with McFarlane's toy company. Cogliostro had a prominent role in the live-action movie in 1997. McFarlane had initially agreed that Gaiman retained creator rights on the characters, but later claimed that Gaiman's work had been work-for-hire and that McFarlane owned all of Gaiman's co-creations entirely, pointing to the legal indicia in Spawn #9 and the lack of legal contract stating otherwise. (Some argued that this change of heart was motivated by his desire to gain full ownership of the characters by using Miracleman
Miracleman
Marvelman, also known as Miracleman for trademark reasons in his American reprints and story continuation, is a fictional comic book superhero created in 1954 by writer-artist Mick Anglo for publisher L. Miller & Son. Originally intended as a United Kingdom home-grown substitute for the American...
as a bargaining tool.) McFarlane had also refused to pay Gaiman for the volumes of Gaiman's work he republished and kept in print. In 2002, Gaiman filed suit and won a sizeable judgement against McFarlane and Image Comics for the rights due any creator. All three characters are currently co-owned 50/50 by both men.
Appearances in other media
The character had a minor cameo appearance in the 1997 live action film SpawnSpawn (film)
Spawn is a 1997 American superhero film loosely based on the comic book of the same name, by Todd McFarlane and published by Image Comics. Directed and co-written by Mark A.Z. Dippé , the film stars Michael Jai White in the leading role...
; a tall, beautiful red-haired woman with the typical Spawn symbol on her earrings appeared in one scene, and it is hinted, although not specifically stated, that this is meant to be Angela, played by Laura Stepp. She also appeared in the animated HBO series Todd McFarlane's Spawn, voiced by Denise Poirier
Denise Poirier
Denise Poirier is an American voice actress best known for playing the character of Æon Flux in the MTV animated series of the same name.She also had prominent roles in Reign: The Conqueror, HBO's Spawn, and the English version of Golgo 13: Queen Bee, the Vampire Hunter D video game, as well as...
.
Angela is the subject of a song by heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Iced Earth
Iced Earth
Iced Earth is an American heavy metal band from Tampa, Florida. Originally formed under the name "Purgatory" in 1984, Iced Earth has released a total of ten studio albums, one live album, three EP's, two compilations and boxsets...
called "The Hunter", which appears on their Spawn-themed concept album The Dark Saga
The Dark Saga
-European Limited Digipak bonus track:-2008 Slave to the Dark bonus tracks:-Credits :*Jon Schaffer – rhythm guitar, vocals*Matt Barlow – lead vocals*Randall Shawver – lead guitar*Dave Abell – bass guitar*Mark Prator – drums...
.
Awards
In 1995 and 1996, Angela was nominated for, but did not win, a number of Wizard Fan Awards: 1995 Favorite Villainess, 1995 Character Most Deserving of Own Ongoing Title, 1995 Favorite One-shot or Limited Series/Miniseries, and 1996 Favorite Heroine.Manga Counterpart
During Ken Kurosawa's travels in the manga Shadows of Spawn, he mistakes another Spawn-hunting angel, Mikaela, to be a normal human. Kurosawa saves her from the Violator, who wanted to eat her heart. Instead of being grateful, she despises Kurosawa for his act, proclaiming he stole her dignity. She decides to try to battle him, but Violator explains that he knows karate as his main fighting skill. She flies off into the night, wanting a rematch when she has learned the martial art.She reappears to help Kurosawa later in the series, from the clutches of a monstrous phlebiac. The two double-team to defeat the monster, where she disappears shortly thereafter.
External links
- Angela miniseries
- Angela toy
- Spawn related Mini-series
- About legal battle between Gaiman and McFarlane
- http://www.ca7.uscourts.gov/op3.fwx?submit1=showop&caseno=03-1331.PDF
- http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9677
- http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal/2004_02_22_archive.asp#107766958467371937