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''Archangel'', also written as ''William Gibson Archangel'' or ''William Gibson's Archangel'', is a five-issue
limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered *Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...
comic book that was created by
William Gibson William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948) is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as ''cyberpunk''. Beginning his writing career in the late 1970s, his ...
and Michael St. John Smith, written by William Gibson, illustrated by
Butch Guice Jackson "Butch" Guice (born June 27, 1961) is an American comics artist who has worked in the comics industry since the 1980s. Biography Guice was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee.. Retrieved March 21, 2008. Growing up in the 1960s, Guice was fond o ...
and story-edited by Michael Benedetto. It is Gibson's first comic book series, which is set in an alternative version of 2016 in which the Vice President of America travels back in time to 1945 to secure power.
IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW), itself formed in 1999, and is regularly recog ...
first released ''Archangel'' from May 2016 to August 2017, then in October as a hardcover
graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
. It was nominated for an
Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...
for Best Limited Series and was adapted into an
audio play Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine t ...
that was released by
Audible Audible may refer to: * Audible (service), an online audiobook store * Audible (American football), a tactic used by quarterbacks * ''Audible'' (film), a short documentary film featuring a deaf high school football player * Audible finish or rush ...
.


Synopsis

In an devastated alternative version of 2016, US Vice President Junior Henderson uses a device called the Splitter to travel back in time with six commandos to 1945 Allied-occupied
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
. They kill Henderson's grandfather, an
Office of Strategic Services The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the intelligence agency of the United States during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines for all branc ...
major, and Junior takes his place. In 2016, another faction led by Major Torres seizes control of the Splitter and sends a stealth plane to stop Henderson but it crashes with The Pilot parachuting into US-occupied territory.
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
officer Naomi Givens, who had been investigating
foo fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) re ...
, agrees to share information with her ex-boyfriend Vince Matthews, a US Intelligence officer who has custody of The Pilot. Henderson arrives to take command but The Pilot escapes using a stealth suit sent by Torres. To complete his mission, The Pilot allies with Givens—who, based on her observations, accepts him as a time traveller—and Matthews, who is skeptical but realizes Henderson is a dangerous imposter. The Pilot predicts the
bombing of Hiroshima The United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, respectively. The two bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, most of whom were civilians, and remain the on ...
and reveals Henderson's plan to use the second atomic bomb to attack the
Port of Arkhangelsk Port of Arkhangelsk (russian: Архангельский морской торговый порт) is a major seaport at Arkhangelsk, located at the mouth of the Northern Dvina River, 50 km from the Dvina Bay of the White Sea. The important p ...
,
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
, destroying half of the Soviet fleet, and killing
Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...
and most of the Soviet chain-of-command, allowing the United States to rule the world unchallenged. With the aid of Soviet Colonel Yermakov, they locate Henderson's
B-29 The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fly ...
in flight and Torres teleports them aboard the aircraft, where they defeat Henderson and his commandos. In 2016, US government forces breach the Splitter's bunker and overpower Torres. Physicist Jack Davis, the inventor of the Splitter who until then had expressed doubts about the wisdom of Torres's plan, activates the Splitter. The armed nuclear bomb detonates at a temporary
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
located outside the Splitter facility. Givens and Matthews are returned to Berlin as news of the nuclear attack on Nagasaki is received in a restored timeline. The Pilot arrives in a peaceful 2016 Berlin, having thwarted one
megalomaniac Megalomania is an obsession with power and wealth, and a passion for grand schemes. Megalomania or megalomaniac may also refer to: Psychology * Narcissistic personality disorder * Grandiose delusions * Omnipotence (psychoanalysis), a stage of ...
US President only to be confronted by a newspaper headline describing the possibility of another.


Characters


1945

* Naomi Givens: An RAF Intelligence Officer, a materials scientist, and one of the main protagonists of the story. * Vince Mathews: A US Intelligence Officer, who is Naomi's ex-boyfriend, and one of the main protagonists of the story. * Fritz: Naomi's driver and black market expert. * Herr Säugling (Mr Baby): Owner of the last surviving night club in Berlin. * Yermakov: A Ukrainian colonel in Soviet intelligence


2016

* The Pilot: A tattooed Marine sent back to 1945, and one of the main protagonists of the story. * Junior Henderson: The US Vice President, who goes back in time to make sure his powerbase in entrenched in the past. His father is the US President for life. * Major Guadalupe Torres: A scientist who is in control of the Splitter. * Jack Davis: A physicist who created the Splitter; a detainee and eventual ally of Torres.


Writing and development

''Archangel'' co-creator and writer
William Gibson William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948) is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as ''cyberpunk''. Beginning his writing career in the late 1970s, his ...
was inspired by supernatural and conspiracy stories of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, which he called "The Weird War", and drew upon his own
Cold-War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of Geopolitics, geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term ''Cold war (term), co ...
nuclear anxiety Nuclear anxiety, also known as nucleomituphobia, refers to anxiety or even a phobia in the face of a potential future nuclear holocaust, especially during the Cold War and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. American anthropologist Margaret Mead ...
. Gibson, and writer and actor Michael St. John Smith, first pitched the idea for ''Archangel'' to a German television company, which declined it. Gibson and St. John Smith then developed the idea into a screenplay and a computer game. When
IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW), itself formed in 1999, and is regularly recog ...
approached Gibson about adapting a novel, he immediately proposed developing ''Archangel'' into a comic book. The IDW team included artist
Butch Guice Jackson "Butch" Guice (born June 27, 1961) is an American comics artist who has worked in the comics industry since the 1980s. Biography Guice was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee.. Retrieved March 21, 2008. Growing up in the 1960s, Guice was fond o ...
, and the comic book includes inking by Tom Palmer, colors by Diego Rodriguez, and letters by Shawn Lee. The comic book's main setting in Berlin is a holdover from the project's original pitch to German television. Gibson stated that the story became "leaner" and "more linear" as a comic. According to Gibson's
afterword An afterword is a literary device that is often found at the end of a piece of literature. It generally covers the story of how the book came into being, or of how the idea for the book was developed. An afterword may be written by someone other ...
in the hardcover edition, the story was continually revised due to contemporaneous events. The final frames give the ending a context the creators "could othave possibly imagined when we began work on our first issue".


Art

Butch Guice illustrated ''Archangel'', except for the fifth issue, which was illustrated by Wagner Reis and Tom Palmer. ''
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...
'' noted the art contrasts the bright neon colors of future technology with dark, earthy tones of the 1940s "that evokes wartime cloak-and-dagger exploits". A review in '' Paste'' noted the "conscious interplay of shadows and silhouettes" in the composition of frames makes for "a thrilling combination of uncertainty, dynamism and intrigue" that is required of the genre.


Publication history

''Archangel'' was initially published as a five-issue limited edition comic book series, the first issue of which was released on 18 May 2016 and the final issue was released in August 2017. The story was republished as a hardcover graphic novel on 3 October 2017.


Critical reception

Critics gave ''Archangel'' a positive reception. Tom Batten of ''
Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...
'' described the graphic novel as "thought-provoking, unabashedly political cience fiction. Joel Cunningham described the graphic novel as a "twisting, complex narrative ...
hat is A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
perfectly suited to the medium". Writing about the first issue, Toussaint Egan of '' Paste'' found it an impressive first comic by Gibson and Smith with strong artwork aiding the establishment of the main characters. Jonathan Gitli of ''
Ars Technica ''Ars Technica'' is a website covering news and opinions in technology, science, politics, and society, created by Ken Fisher and Jon Stokes in 1998. It publishes news, reviews, and guides on issues such as computer hardware and software, sci ...
'' stated ''Archangel'' has "hit a chord" and is "thought-provoking science fiction"; Gitli writes positively about the female characters with "strong wills and personalities", and also notes IDW Publishing sold out the initial print run in just a few days.
Cory Doctorow Cory Efram Doctorow (; born July 17, 1971) is a Canadian-British blogger, journalist, and science fiction author who served as co-editor of the blog ''Boing Boing''. He is an activist in favour of liberalising copyright laws and a proponent of ...
reviewed the first issue in ''
Boing Boing ''Boing Boing'' is a website, first established as a zine in 1988, later becoming a group blog. Common topics and themes include technology, futurism, science fiction, gadgets, intellectual property, Disney, and left-wing politics. It twice won ...
'' and said it "fires on all cylinders" and that the "art and dialog work extra duty to convey a story that is native to the medium". He concludes the comic is "spectacular". A review in ''
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...
'' stated the graphic novel "mines the rich pseudoscience mythology surrounding World War II, or 'The Weird War. Laura Hudson of ''
Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fra ...
'' wrote the graphic novel is part of a "long tradition of 'what if' stories about World War II", which examines "the apocalyptic terror of nuclear weaponry" and alludes to repetition of self-destructive human impulses. Jason P. Woodbury of ''Comic Book Resources'' gave the series a positive review and said it felt "deliriously contemporary" because it was published during the
2016 United States presidential election The 2016 United States presidential election was the 58th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. The Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana governor Mike Pence defeated the Democratic ticket ...
and features "power-hungry politicians, complicated conspiracies involving Russia, UK and US agents caught between shifting national allegiances ... pondering the justification of their actions". He took particular note of the '' Twilight Zone''-like ending and asks: "What if the true dystopia is whatever dystopia you happen to inhabit?".


Awards

''Archangel'' was nominated for an
Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...
for Best Limited Series.


Adaptations

''Archangel'' was adapted into a full-cast, three-hour radio play that was written by Gibson and Smith, and produced and released by
Audible Audible may refer to: * Audible (service), an online audiobook store * Audible (American football), a tactic used by quarterbacks * ''Audible'' (film), a short documentary film featuring a deaf high school football player * Audible finish or rush ...
. On 25 July 2016, at
Comic-Con International San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is c ...
in San Diego, William Gibson stated ''Archangel'' had been optioned for television and he later confirmed this on
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
.


See also

* List of works by William Gibson *
William Gibson William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948) is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as ''cyberpunk''. Beginning his writing career in the late 1970s, his ...


References


External links


IDW: Archangel #1


* {{William Gibson Novels by William Gibson Fiction set in the 21st century Alternate history