Written by Christos Gage
Illustrated by Rebekah IsaacsA mysterious illness is plaguing the streets of London and turning everyday humans into emotionless killers. The Watcher’s Files, which may be the key to unraveling this mystery, have led Angel and Faith to seek out a demon from Giles’s past for answers. Meanwhile a peculiar friend and foe returns to London and to Angel’s inner circle.
Hey look, everyone’s favorite Buffy-related column is back to discuss the new issue of Angel and Faith, hitting newsstands today! Written by fan favorites Christos Gage and Rebekah Isaacs, the book has had its ups and downs in the short time it’s been around, but it all came together and now, after a short adventure with everyone’s favorite Mean Girl with fangs, Harmony, and her loose-skinned demon friend Clem, we’re back to business.
Check out my thoughts beyond the cut!
The business of comics is a curious thing. Everyone loves a surprise, and comics, in theory, can deliver the best thrills out there, as everyone is merely limited by the imagination of the creative team. Since there’s no such thing as a “casting call” per se, characters can be under wraps until they’re ready to be revealed to the reader. It’s a good system. Unfortunately, the nature of the business also means that solicits can ruin the surprise of who is in to book two months before it comes out!
That’s the only failing of this book. For the sake of those who only read the comic and avoid spoilers, I won’t reveal exactly who is in this issue, but while it was a very enjoyable book, perhaps even stellar, the surprise that comes in the end was lessened by spoiler-y solicits for following issues. While we’ve talked about this before on the site, it still bears mentioning. The worst part is that it’s an endless cycle. People who pick up the books probably did because of those same spoilers piqued their interests in the first place. Oh well.
On to the book itself!
Christos Gage, who quickly became one of my favorite writers when he started Avengers Academy and further cemented it with Angel & Faith, once again proves his love and knowledge of the franchise. He gets the characters that Joss Whedon created and the conflict that seems to be brewing in the book. Even though the book is titled “Angel & Faith, I do think it will end up being Angel vs. Faith at some point in the future, possibly near the end of this “season.”
One of the more fun ideas about this book is that while it is indeed called Angel & Faith, one Rupert Giles is as much of a character as they are in this book, albeit one who lives primarily in flashbacks to his time as a Watcher or his time in the Watcher’s Academy. The present day story is affected by his time away from the Scooby’s, and this is no different. While the first arc was during his time most likely in between seasons six and seven, this flashback takes place when he was Head Boy in the Academy for kids who have been born to be Watchers (sux 4 them) and a case he was sent on as a final exam of sorts. Only instead of scantrons, they have to stake a vampire, which isn’t unlike Buffy’s “final exam” in season three, so at least they practice what they preach in that regard. There’s even a second twist that wasn’t teased in the solicits (that I remember) which ties together the idea of the past coming back to our protagonists, whether they like it or not.
One of the cleverest things about the story is how the two introductions might tie together. While Angel’s past acquaintance was teased throughout the issue (Buffy fanatics with a long memory will get the reference pages before you actually meet this character, who you will absolutely love, if you’re like me), but Faith’s past acquaintance mirrors Angel’s in a very real way.
Continued belowNow, Rebekah Isaacs is an artist who you wonder just how successful she’ll be in the future. Her composition is so wonderful and detailed that you imagine how well she’d do on a “bigger” project for the Big Two. The rub is that she does so well on this book; I kind of want Dark Horse to tie her to a stair bannister to prevent her from moving onto other projects where she might get misused. Suffice it to say, she knows how to convey the perfect emotion on the page, from Faith’s empathy to a slayer-ette who nearly killed a human to Giles’ annoyance and fear when he was child of only 17 (and still looks nearly exactly like Anthony Stewart Head would have looked at that age!). Furthermore, there seem to be some fun little tidbits to find within the book (at least in your humble blogger’s eyes), as Charlotte, the girl that teenage Giles had feelings for reminded me of one Karen Gillan of Doctor Who fame. Whether or not that was intentional is something that can only be discussed with Isaacs herself, but I really enjoyed it.
While her detail is and composition are great, it all would have been for naught if her sense of movement were static and unfeeling, which is a problem with some artists. Her fights scenes continue to be at their most dynamic, with frenetic action scenes, even if they simple sparring scenes. She’s not even afraid to make the blood flow to make it that much more exciting to read. Isaacs was sorely missed from my Best Artists of 2011 list, and I mean to correct that when the next best of lists start going around.
Aside from the problems I had with the business of comics feeling like they hurt the comics of comics, at times, it did not diminish the book in any meaningful way. It’s still going quite well for the UK Team (so to speak, and it’s definitely worth picking up.
Final Verdict: 8.0 – Buy
