Written by Christos Gage
Illustrated by Rebekah IsaacsGiles’s personal Watcher files lead Angel and Faith to what Angel believes will be his true redemption–at least for a portion of his unforgivable sins.
In the underbelly of London, where demons are coping with the lack of magic and the resulting changes to the natural hierarchy, Angel and Faith follow the first major lead in Angel’s quest… forcing him to reflect on his earliest days in Los Angeles.
The Dynamic Duo of Demonic Do-Gooders are back in another installment of the Buffyverse’s franchise companion book, Angel and Faith! Angel and Faith have gotten into a bit of trouble in the two short issues directly preceding this one.
Check beyond the cut to see my thoughts on the new issue, and how the series looks to be heading in the future!
If you read my previous reviews, you know I have nothing but love for the series and its team, Christos Gage and Rebekah Isaacs. I thought it was a worthy parallel book, one that could tell a different story but end in the same place as Buffy and the gang. Unfortunately, as that “new book” smell wears off and it settles itself into the normal monthly stack, the cracks in the foundation begin to show.
That’s not to say it’s a terrible book; by no means is it that bad. However, the dreaded decompression rears its ugly head, as Faith’s secret from Angel is referenced repeatedly throughout this book. Does she do anything about it, however? Does she confront him on how his quest to resurrect Giles is more trouble than it’s worth? No, she absolutely does not.
While there is a dual narrative that runs along the book, Faith is the POV character in this issue. Angel is the lead, but we don’t see anything through his eyes, because everything is seen through Faith’s instead. This is actually a good thing, because if there was ever a character that deserved to be THE lead in a book or series, it was Faith. The difficult thing about this book is that she spins in her heels and thinks the same things while not acting on them. While this is cute enough for an issue or two, it starts to tire after the third. Will she or won’t she kill Angel? She has to, but can she? There are only so many ways you can say this before it becomes a broken record.
The story, on the other hand, aids Angel’s character, as you get to see him brood and be his regular Angel self, which brings him back to the Buffy Seasons 1-3 Angel, who was dark, but might have been arguably more interesting before he became his own lead. It also works really well, considering the schism that’s forming between the two anti-heroes. Nevertheless, let’s hope the series doesn’t other him TOO much, to where he becomes the antagonist in his own series. However, who am I kidding? That seems to be the endgame, unless the “Resurrect Rupert!” plot gets resolved soon with no stakes in anyone’s chest.
As for the actual plot of the story, the glacial pace at which it moves is starting to show. They go to Place A, fight some demons, brood, go to a club, brood, go to Place B, fight demons, and the issue ends. While it can tell a decent enough story in a vacuum, the formula is wearing thin after only a few issues, the case in point being the villains in this arc, the Creeper Twins. They followed Angel when he was still Twilight, causing mass destruction, and they don’t like the fact he manipulated them and then screwed them over afterwards. The fact that the heroes have only just now come face to face with them struck me as too little, too late. Why didn’t it happen at the end of the first or second issue? The answer to that is simple: decompression. It’s disappointing.
Thankfully, Rebekah Isaacs, the Buffy fanatic and artist on the series, never dropped the ball. The gravity of the book is present throughout the book, while the humor that Joss Whedon is known for is all over the book as well. Her work is still as tight and detailed as it ever was, and her expressions in he book are as lovely as ever, especially (and despite the fact the writing was a bit grating) when Faith is considering what she’s going to have to do in the future when it comes to the “Angel Problem.” Isaacs is the reason to pick this up.
When it’s all said and done, the book suffers from a plot with a snail’s pace. If the writing can tighten and move at a more brisk pace, I’ll be more excited to pick it up. But at the moment, I’m not exactly the biggest fan.
Final Verdict: 5.5 – Buy if you’re a fan because you love to be frustrated with the franchise. Pass if you’re not. (How about that beautiful cover though?)
