Review Detail

I confess. I am a huge Buffy fan. When the series ended, I was bereft. Luckily, Joss Whedon is still producing Buffy stories -- only now they're comics, and the adventure continues! The freedom of not having to adhere to a special effects budget has meant wilder stories, more complicated plots and monsters, and the creators of these books are revelling in that freedom.

This story takes place after the end of Season 8, with the loss of magic in the human world. Giles is (sob) dead, and Angel is on an apparently misguided mission to resurrect him. Faith sticks by Angel however, refusing to turn her back on the only friend who never left her, and together they fight demons, argue philosophy with Harmony and brood. Angel is good at brooding.

Angel (Buffy's vampire-with-a-soul-ex-boyfriend) already had his own spinoff series, charting the outer reaches of the world of Buffy, and Faith (the evil-not-really-dark-Slayer-with-issues) is welcome wherever she shows up. Put Angel and Faith together, and you've got a great story.

On the other hand, if you're not already a Buffy fan, you probably shouldn't start here. This volume doesn't pussyfoot around with backstory. It just drops you into the thick of things -- which is where Angel and Faith like to be.

If you ARE a Buffy fan however, I highly recommend you start exploring the world of Buffy comics, and this is a welcome addition to that library.

There's also a special treat for Doctor Who fans -- yes, there is some (ahem, a lot of) crossover between the camps -- buried in the pages of this book and I giggled with delight when I stumbled across it. For that reason alone, ANGEL & FAITH is worth a gander.