The first arc of Angel never really established a reason for its existence beyond simply putting out more Angel content. As far as that goes, it isn't bad. However, the decision to set it in a just-slightly-different timeline is ultimately more confusing and distracting than additive, and judging by the final pages of this issue, that problem may only worsen. Read Full Review

Man. I really, really wanted to like this series. I love the TV show. It's like a foundational work for me. It's something I've watched to death, and will probably continue to watch until I keel over at 50. I do my best to approach alternate takes with an open mind, which is something I was punished for with the Buffy reboot. I just can't do it anymore.

Nothing about this comic feels justified from a storytelling perspective. Any enjoyment you get out of this cast of characters is when you remember them from the show, and that illusion is shattered by the dialogue of these vaguely familiar people that you thought you knew. It's like your friends have been hijacked by aliens wearing them as skin suits.

The cherry on top of this tragic sundae is the cliffhanger to this issue. I really, truly disliked the run before this one. Specifically, Zac Thompson's brief tenure on the title. That run ended on a cliffhanger that I thought would be addressed in the Buffy reboot. But no, it's being addressed here. I hated that cliffhanger then, and I hate it now. I guess it's good to tie these separate continuities within the Boom! era together... for the sake of it, but I just want an Angel comic that captures the spirit of the original show and these characters. Maybe that's an impossible task, but I really find these reinventions lazy.

At least do something truly different. Taking Fred and making her Buffy isn't different. It's confusing and basically erases away Winifred Burkle as a character. Making Gunn an agent for Angel and Cordy's TV show gives me the vaguest hints of Season 5 Gunn, but it erases the actual character of Charles Gunn. Spike is nothing more than a snarky bitch, which I will grant you is part of his character but he's supposed to be more than that. I could go on.

The story feels empty and lifeless. The comedy, an integral part of the show, comes across like someone missed the point of the humor in the series. It was tongue-in-cheek, not slapstick. Irony has poisoned this comic way too much. I will finish this series up, as it's only eight issues, but I am pretty much done with Boom's attempt at a Buffyverse. I'll just watch the shows. Or maybe even read the official canon comics, because as wacky as some of those got, they were still more in keeping with the spirit of the shows and I had fun reading them. more