“This is a little thing we call bad cop / bad cop / bad cop / bad cop / crazy primordial seriously bad cop.” – Angel to Flouncy Theater Vampire
Not thrilled with this issue for some reason, and I can’t quite figure out why. I’ve read it through a few times now, and although some things obviously DO happen, I still can’t shake the feeling that nothing really happens. Maybe it’s because after the finale of the big Angel vs Demon Champions showdown last issue, anything else was going to seem slow? Maybe it’s because I’m not all that thrilled with Nick Runge’s art, and wish Franco Urru was still drawing it?
Anyway, Angel’s comic book dream was a nice touch. Then he talks to Nina and Mayor Lorne and Connor and Gwen and Illyria, and it’s snowing, and I’m kind of bored. The scene between Wesley and his babysitter Spike is okay, but doesn’t really tell us anything we didn’t know about these two already. The scenes where Gunn pressures George to use his powers are interesting — but a bit confusing too. I kind of feel like the whole “What’s the Hell’s Gunn Doing?” mystery has played out way too long at this point, particularly when it comes to how George and the Slayers involved. I get the impression we’ll finally get some clarity on that next issue, but that doesn’t do anything for the frustration I feel this issue.
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“Does anyone have a car? We could get further away from Angel if we had a car.” – Spike
“Man’s career path is based on a pun, can’t be too much inner pride.” – Angel, referring to the Loan Shark Demon
So after all this time, it turns out the Loan Shark Demon is named “Bro’os”. Get it? Think Finding Nemo. Well played, Brian Lynch!
As I’d hoped, this issue brought back the cohesiveness that I felt the “First Night” issues lacked. Armed with a new artist (Nick Runge), we return to the story exactly where it left off at the end of Issue #5, in the middle of a pitched battle of Angel & Friends versus the Champions of the L.A. Demon Lords. At the last minute, Wesley (“Casper the Dapper Ghost”) has appeared on the scene, and as a result, Illyria has reverted back to being Fred again. And according to Spike, it’s not the first time. Apparently, she flips back and forth regularly, and whenever she’s Fred, he protects her.
Observation: If we’ve learned nothing else about Spike over the years, it’s that in the women department, he seems to be attracted to nothing quite so much as a fixer-upper — Crazy Drusilla, Season 6 Buffy, and now Fred-Not-Fred. And yet in each case, these women are powerful, and once fixed, they always move on. I’m guessing the same will happen with Illyria/Fred, even though technically, the two aren’t romantically involved.
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“Seriously, we have to work on our gathering skills. Our slaughtering skills are second to none. But being late, that’s always our problem.” – Demon Mercenary
“What’s with that one word in your head, over and over … seriously, what the hell is a slayer?” – Betta George
“Well, this guy can go back to his box and pee next to where he sleeps knowing full well that he was right — and you’re all stupid!” – The End is Near Dude
Okay, so the “First Night” arc is over. And here’s what we’ve learned …
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