Angel’s back in Magic Town and it’s…good?
Creative Staff:
Script: Victor Gischler
Art: Will Conrad
Colors: Michelle Madsen
Letters: Richard Starkings and Jimmy Betancourt
What They Say:
“A Little More Than Kin Part One”
After a stateside run-in with Archaeus, the Big Bad that’s been haunting Angel’s and Spike’s dreams, Angel heads back to Magic Town to follow up on a lead. Thanks to Faith and Fred’s sleuthing, Angel knows the word on the street is that Archaeus has arrived in their neighborhood to check up on the recruiting that his dangerous new sidekick, Drusilla, has been doing at a local prep school. Archaeus is determined to bring his line of vampires together, but what does he have planned for Magic Town?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
I’ve had a lot of complaints about Angel & Faith as a comic. It’s uneven, too thematically similar between the two main characters, blah blah blah. But it’s really been turning around lately. First, the (re)introduction of Fred and Koh into the story has brought the focus off of Angel and Faith enough that it doesn’t feel like the same thematic center is being told to through the pages of these comics. They provide a balance that wasn’t there before. And I understand why it’s Angel and Faith together in a comic; they kind of make sense. They have the same problem deep down and they can help each other. It just didn’t meld.
So when Angel left for Buffy, I was happy. He and Spike could have it out over Spike’s new bae and, more importantly, both comics would be better for it. So I was terrified of his return since Faith and Fred had such a rapport with each other. But the continuation of the Archaeus story is making everything meld back together. The main “antagonist” in Angel & Faith has largely been their own demons, but this brings a real life threat to them—something bigger than I can recall being in an Angel & Faith comic. It also brings back Drusilla, one of Angel’s old compatriots and someone who he is oh so acquainted.
In Summary:
I’m usually meh on setup issues because they stuff so much information, but this one was helped by being a continuation of Buffy. As such, I really liked this issue. It’s ramping up the stakes and it’s showing that Archaeus is smarter than the weird monster thing that he appears as. He’s been plotting ever since his demise in Buffy a few days ago and he’s ready for Magic Town.
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: B+
Released By: Dark Horse
Release Date: October 7th, 2015
MSRP: $3.50
