Fallen Angels was the one Dawn of X title that fans were most likely not to realize had a history. In 1987, there was an eight-issue mini-series featuring a team of runaway mutants led by the former X-Men villain The Vanisher. It was notable for also including Boom Boom, who'd been appearing in X-Factor. Boom Boom became a favorite character for fans and went on to be a staple in X-Force and later Nextwave, Agents of H.A.T.E.
The new series features Psylocke, but the one whose body Betsy Braddock was trapped in by the Hand. Also known as Kwannon, she recruits the teenage Cable and X-23 to assist her in unraveling a mystery involving her past. It's a little different from the original limited series. Which one is better, though? Here's the argument for both.
10 Original: Devil Dinosaur Is In It.
Devil Dinosaur is a Jack Kirby creation from the 1970s that just screams awesomeness. A bright red T-Rex that has the ape-like Moon-Boy riding on him can only have been done by Kirby. Never mind the anachronistic nature of having dinosaurs and prehistoric humans living side by side. Subsequent stories, including this one, have them on another world, sometimes a parallel Earth.
In Fallen Angels, they are recruited because they are mutants. When the series ended, they were still in New York City which later stories took care of. Devil is a constant presence and an obvious catalyst for the plot.
9 Reboot: Psylocke/Kwannon Gets Fully Fleshed-Out
Kwannon is a character derived from explaining how Betsy Braddock became Japanese. Unfortunately, it was originally explained by a writer that had not read an important back issue. It remained confusing throughout all of her appearances.
Since her resurrection in Hunt For Wolverine, Kwannon returned to control of her original body with more complete telepathic abilities. She also exhibited a code of honor that led Wolverine to ask her assistance in gaining revenge for Wolfsbane's murder. This is the Psylocke that is the focus of this series.
8 Original: A More Diverse Cast
If there's one thing the mutant books of the 1980s are good at, it's diversity. The original Fallen Angels followed through with Roberto DaCosta being the primary protagonist. However, in the entire team of eleven, including two aliens, there were only three white males. Of course, that's counting Jamie Madrox only once.
The second closest thing we have to a primary protagonist is Chance, an Asian-American thief just starting to develop mutant powers. She and Bobby develop a friendship that keeps the group together. It also gives Bobby a chance to show the thieves a more heroic path. While Psylocke is Asian-American, both Cable and X-23 are very white.
7 Reboot: The Title Makes More Sense
In the current series, the title is a metaphorical description of the main characters. Psylocke, X-23, and Cable all are ill-suited for a place in the new mutant nation. The whole point of the first story arc is Kwannon's emotional baggage from being a captive passenger in her own, stolen body.
Cable and X-23 also bring baggage to the journey. Like Psylocke, they're killers in a nation where killing humans is one of the first established crimes. Krakoa should be paradise, but they take the first opportunity to go somewhere else.
6 Original: Boom-Boom Is On The Team
Boom-Boom is one of those annoying characters that work for some reason. Over time, she's found a following for her flirty, flighty attitude. Fallen Angels, written by Jo Duffy, is where a lot of that attitude took shape.
Boom Boom spends a lot of her time in the book flirting with and fawning over Jamie Madrox. She also proves to be a valid asset, exhibiting a high degree of control over her time bombs. Fortunately, she didn't stay with the Fallen Angels.
5 Reboot: The Villain Is Downright Evil
Apoth sees himself as a technological god. He captures and tortures Cable, seeing him as a link between mutants and machines. However, seeing Psylocke as his mother, he does some more atrocious stuff.
Apoth is behind a horrible new technological "drug" called Overclock. Apoth hooks even children on Overclock, and, in front of Psylocke, kills some just to show he can. He also reveals that he killed Kwannon's daughter because he doesn't want to share his "mother."
4 Original: It's Not As Dark As The Reboot
Even at its darkest, the original series manages to keep its characters heroic. Even the thieves see themselves as a family and eventually find their better natures. The only true villain is the Vanisher and he's just a coward.
A series can't be too serious when the team considers a couple of cybernetic lobsters as members. The real villains turn out to be an alien race that looks like the tackiest part of the 1980s. Despite being about one of the New Mutants in crisis, it keeps the path light-hearted.
3 Reboot: The Art Is So Much Better
The quality of comic book art is subjective. However, The original Fallen Angels is a product of its time and a need to produce the comics as quickly as possible. Kerry Gammill does an admirable job and even gives some great pages, but it pales to the modern series.
Szymon Kudranski can take the darkest script from Bryan Hill and match that mood. While he can draw some nice, cinematic shots, his emphasis is on the storytelling. His Psylocke loses all of the cheesecake quality she has carried for so many years. In the latest issue, we even get framing decoration to the pages on Krakoa.
2 Original: The Team Is Saved By A Lobster
Bill is never the same after his fellow lobster Don is stepped on by Devil Dinosaur. He spends the rest of the series as one very angry crustacean. When the team is captured by Coconut Grove, it seems that everything has been thought of by captors. They didn't think about Bill.
Bill rescues the Fallen Angels. Once they start working together with Ariel and Chance's new powers, they can go back home. There are even several great shots of one angry lobster.
1 Reboot: The Cast Is Expanding
The latest issue has Husk and Bling join the team. They bring something to the team. Husk knows loss and has once betrayed her team. Bling brings needed diversity and her past abuse from Emplate gives her a personal reason to be here.
By expanding the team, we get new dynamics with the members. We also see Psylocke formally take on leadership in the mission against Apoth. She is coming a long way in redeeming herself in her own eyes. That is the most important thing the new series has in common with the original.