Fighting a whole dimension to save demons. Crazy, right?
Creative Team:
Writer: Christos Gage
Artist: Rebekah Isaacs
What They Say:
The expedition to Quor-Toth has taken an unplanned turn for Angel, Faith, Willow, and Connor. While they struggle to survive the horrors that surround them, they have also taken on a mission to stage a great escape—and not just for themselves! They must act fast, before the effect that this hell dimension is having on their thoughts and emotions overcomes them!
The Review:
From the very first pages, this piece of the Family Reunion jumps into the story with wonderful character interactions, action packed battle scenes, and the kind of snarky humor I have come to love and expect in the Whedon world.
In the last issue, the team decided to stay on Quor’toth long enough to rescue the demons who have decided to follow Connor’s shining example of love and kindness. It isn’t long before they are wondering if they were crazy. Yet the danger and stress of the hell dimension help them learn to understand and appreciate each other even more. The angry voices in Faith’s head that try to convince her to just kill the team and run make her realize how difficult life is for Angel every day. This leads to some of the funniest exchanges between Faith and Angel in the whole series so far. Connor questions the impact he has on those around him, helping him to understand why Angel can’t just “let it go” – ever.
The touching moments, though, never become overly maudlin, because they are built into the intense battle sequences of the team fighting for the life against Quor’toth itself. The art in the battle scenes is amazing. The immense demon is terrifyingly huge, and even its voice is enough to cause damage to our heroes. Some of my favorite panels, though, are the close-ups on the faces of Connor and Faith. Their emotions were drawn so clearly that I felt like I could read their minds.
Helping the pacing stay “just right”; we break away mid battle to a scene with Pearl, Nash, and Whistler confronting Lavinia and Sophronia. Here we have more well-paced storyline as Gage combines humor and threats, and gives us a short peek into the “big bads” of the overarching story.
It isn’t easy to hit all the right notes at this stage in a story arc, but the Angel and Faith team nailed it with this one. The way they left us hanging with Willow, right at the end, ensures that I’ll be back to find out what happens next.
In Summary:
The Family Reunion story arc may be my favorite in Angel and Faith to date. The stresses of fighting on a hell dimension are helping the team learn about one another, and about what is most important in their lives. Seeing Willow with her magic mojo back is marvelous, too. When you add in the ever creepy Pearl and Nash, the mysterious motivations of Whistler, and the odd combination of Sophronia and Lavinia – this is a recipe for a wonderful tale.
Grade: A
