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mxrbxxr's review
4.0
really excited to see where the rest of this series goes! he’s as broody as ever, but i’m a big fan of the storyline and art so far
meemzter's review
5.0
Five stars is a bit generous but when you love the Buffyverse as much as me, any new content feels like a total luxury. What a joy to have this wacky reboot that feels so true to the original and yet takes the plot in aggressively new directions.
The good: angsty Angel, a fun new character who guides Angel named Lilith, Fred (as a future witch?!), set up for them linking up with Gunn (!) and allusions to future relationships with Wesley and Buffy
The bad: a social media plot that felt reminiscent of I Robot, You Jane. Lord help me.
The neither here nor there: It’s very interesting to see/contemplate a redeemed heroic version of Angel whose story doesn’t begin with Buffy. (Since in the show he was like... chillin’ in sewers eating rats until he started working with her).
In short, I feel the same way about this as I do about the companion Buffy reboot. This is a lot of fun, the writers clearly love the characters, and I’m excited to see where it goes.
But like. No more
The good: angsty Angel, a fun new character who guides Angel named Lilith, Fred (as a future witch?!), set up for them linking up with Gunn (!) and allusions to future relationships with Wesley and Buffy
The bad: a social media plot that felt reminiscent of I Robot, You Jane. Lord help me.
The neither here nor there: It’s very interesting to see/contemplate a redeemed heroic version of Angel whose story doesn’t begin with Buffy. (Since in the show he was like... chillin’ in sewers eating rats until he started working with her).
In short, I feel the same way about this as I do about the companion Buffy reboot. This is a lot of fun, the writers clearly love the characters, and I’m excited to see where it goes.
But like. No more
kiarrasayshi's review
3.0
I am so glad I liked this!! It's impossible not to compare this to its partner in the Buffyverse. I'm not liking that series. Not even a little. I find it incredibly boring. Angel, however, I find interesting. I cannot express how relieved this makes me because I love the Buffyverse and I was so excited for these new reboot comics. I wanted to give this 4 stars, but dropped it down to 3 because I think part of that want was just me expressing how much better than Buffy I find this. Into the review.
From issue #0, I felt like I had a grasp on who Angel was. And my understanding of him pushed the story forward and also grew as the story moved forward. Unlike the Buffy series where I felt like I was expected to already know these characters from the TV show. This volume felt like it's own story whereas Buffy felt like a modern day AU of the original show. (Alright, I'll try and cut back on the comparisons now.) I appreciated the addition of new characters. It made the story fresh for me instead of just a wait-and-see of which TV character would make a cameo appearance next. I really loved Angel's and Helen's dynamic and was excited to see where that went. More on that later. Lilith makes a great addition as well. She gives Angel roots and a past. They have history and a shared goal to "fight darkness." Angel has already been at this game for a long time. He's not some washed up vampire torturing himself with a bad haircut and no goals until someone points him at Buffy and convinces him to clean up his act. I like that. Even the flashbacks weren't just an ode to glory days with Darla, Spike, and Drusilla (though I'm happy for that eventual tie-in, even if I'm unhappy with the latter two's incarnations in the sister comic), Angel was raising hell all on his own, at least as far as we are made aware.
Now I'm getting tired of writing this review, so I'll be brief on my dislikes. First and foremost, the death of Helen. So much potential there!!! Angel had a mentee, a partner. Someone he trusted and cared for and worked with. Then she gets her head eaten in the most anticlimactic way possible. I know it was issue #0 and it was just set up and prologue and I didn't need to read it, but I did read it damnit and I cared for that relationship! I cared for Helen, but her death was too early for me to have formed a connection to make it properly painful and to move the story forward in a satisfying way. She should have stuck around. If they wanted her dead so they could bring back just the core of the OG Angel Investigations, they should have had her die at the end of this volume. That would've given her and her relationship with Angel enough time. I still would've been mad, but I'd also be sad and it would give the arc as a whole more weight as Angel is forced to reckon with his impending new group dynamic.
The envy demon was also lame. I'm not one to mind a lame bad guy, especially so early in the game, but why did he know or care about Angel's future friend group and love interest? That doesn't seem like his area of expertise and it brought a sense of importance and destiny to the story I'm not personally fond of. There doesn't need to be some great, higher meaning to the formation of what will be (or used to be called) Angel Investigations. Personally, I think there's something special in people coming just because they happen to come together. I don't like the idea of it all being planned out and important. At least the way Lilith explained it, for her it was just that she can see past, present, and future all muddled together at the same. Instagram Demon Guy made it all fanciful and portentous. Boo, Instagram Demon Guy!!
Finally, it was a little cheesy. I'm okay with that. Some standouts were Angel telling Helen it was good of her to use her anger and then the NEXT PAGE saying anger is just fear and fear is what "they" feed on. So... Not good to use anger? The last cheesy bit was when Angel banished Instagram Demon Guy. Anybody else read the Cardcaptor Sakura books? Anyone else get some major "return to your true form, Clow Card" vibes? Especially with that pattern in the background? Just me? Okay. No biggie.
In the end, I am absolutely gonna keep reading and it might get me to continue Buffy so I'm caught up for the crossover.
From issue #0, I felt like I had a grasp on who Angel was. And my understanding of him pushed the story forward and also grew as the story moved forward. Unlike the Buffy series where I felt like I was expected to already know these characters from the TV show. This volume felt like it's own story whereas Buffy felt like a modern day AU of the original show. (Alright, I'll try and cut back on the comparisons now.) I appreciated the addition of new characters. It made the story fresh for me instead of just a wait-and-see of which TV character would make a cameo appearance next. I really loved Angel's and Helen's dynamic and was excited to see where that went. More on that later. Lilith makes a great addition as well. She gives Angel roots and a past. They have history and a shared goal to "fight darkness." Angel has already been at this game for a long time. He's not some washed up vampire torturing himself with a bad haircut and no goals until someone points him at Buffy and convinces him to clean up his act. I like that. Even the flashbacks weren't just an ode to glory days with Darla, Spike, and Drusilla (though I'm happy for that eventual tie-in, even if I'm unhappy with the latter two's incarnations in the sister comic), Angel was raising hell all on his own, at least as far as we are made aware.
Now I'm getting tired of writing this review, so I'll be brief on my dislikes. First and foremost, the death of Helen. So much potential there!!! Angel had a mentee, a partner. Someone he trusted and cared for and worked with. Then she gets her head eaten in the most anticlimactic way possible. I know it was issue #0 and it was just set up and prologue and I didn't need to read it, but I did read it damnit and I cared for that relationship! I cared for Helen, but her death was too early for me to have formed a connection to make it properly painful and to move the story forward in a satisfying way. She should have stuck around. If they wanted her dead so they could bring back just the core of the OG Angel Investigations, they should have had her die at the end of this volume. That would've given her and her relationship with Angel enough time. I still would've been mad, but I'd also be sad and it would give the arc as a whole more weight as Angel is forced to reckon with his impending new group dynamic.
The envy demon was also lame. I'm not one to mind a lame bad guy, especially so early in the game, but why did he know or care about Angel's future friend group and love interest? That doesn't seem like his area of expertise and it brought a sense of importance and destiny to the story I'm not personally fond of. There doesn't need to be some great, higher meaning to the formation of what will be (or used to be called) Angel Investigations. Personally, I think there's something special in people coming just because they happen to come together. I don't like the idea of it all being planned out and important. At least the way Lilith explained it, for her it was just that she can see past, present, and future all muddled together at the same. Instagram Demon Guy made it all fanciful and portentous. Boo, Instagram Demon Guy!!
Finally, it was a little cheesy. I'm okay with that. Some standouts were Angel telling Helen it was good of her to use her anger and then the NEXT PAGE saying anger is just fear and fear is what "they" feed on. So... Not good to use anger? The last cheesy bit was when Angel banished Instagram Demon Guy. Anybody else read the Cardcaptor Sakura books? Anyone else get some major "return to your true form, Clow Card" vibes? Especially with that pattern in the background? Just me? Okay. No biggie.
In the end, I am absolutely gonna keep reading and it might get me to continue Buffy so I'm caught up for the crossover.
debyik's review
4.0
I am loving being back in the Buffy/Angel-verse. It's great to see some faves in this volume and can't wait to see who else they bring in later.
bibliotecadepueblo's review
3.0
Bastante bueno, aunque aún le queda para alcanzar al reinicio de Buffy, en mi opinión.
Primero de todo, tengo que decir que la historia que transcurre en el presente me ha recordado muchísimo a Yo, Robot, tú Jane, el octavo episodio de la serie de Buffy, pero modernizada gracias a la aparición de las redes sociales. Me ha gustado bastante, aunque el demonio protagonista no sea ni de lejos uno de los mejores villanos que pueda haber.
Otra cosa que me ha gustado ha sido ver a Fred y a Gunn tan pronto. Estoy deseando ver cómo desarrollan los personajes en este nuevo comienzo. Ojalá vuelvan otros también, como Doyle o Lorne. Además hay algunos nuevos como Lilith, que creo (y espero) que puede llegar a ser muy interesante.
En cuanto al dibujo, Glen Melnikov hace un trabajo bastante decente. No está al nivel de Dan Mora pero cumple muy bien, sobre todo dándole un tono más oscuro y gore con respecto al reinicio de Buffy, algo que a Ángel le pega mucho (y ya ocurría en la serie).
En definitiva, un reinicio que, aunque no está a la altura del de Buffy, promete mucho en futuros volúmenes.
Technology and vanity are lovers. Intertwined.
Primero de todo, tengo que decir que la historia que transcurre en el presente me ha recordado muchísimo a Yo, Robot, tú Jane, el octavo episodio de la serie de Buffy, pero modernizada gracias a la aparición de las redes sociales. Me ha gustado bastante, aunque el demonio protagonista no sea ni de lejos uno de los mejores villanos que pueda haber.
Otra cosa que me ha gustado ha sido ver a Fred y a Gunn tan pronto. Estoy deseando ver cómo desarrollan los personajes en este nuevo comienzo. Ojalá vuelvan otros también, como Doyle o Lorne. Además hay algunos nuevos como Lilith, que creo (y espero) que puede llegar a ser muy interesante.
En cuanto al dibujo, Glen Melnikov hace un trabajo bastante decente. No está al nivel de Dan Mora pero cumple muy bien, sobre todo dándole un tono más oscuro y gore con respecto al reinicio de Buffy, algo que a Ángel le pega mucho (y ya ocurría en la serie).
En definitiva, un reinicio que, aunque no está a la altura del de Buffy, promete mucho en futuros volúmenes.
Technology and vanity are lovers. Intertwined.
ecote525's review
3.0
brood, brood, brood. at least the tone is right. Better than the later Buffy reboots and definitely better than the Hellmouth crossover.
eilif_has_no_gender's review
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This book has a good idea but I wouldn't say I like it. Angel is very plain. A stereotypical broading man which was quite boring.
Not to mention that it was confusing. There were two characters we didn't even know the name of and they seemed important to Angel. According to the notes from other authors it takes place before the show and it only ties into the next book in the series.
So why not include the names of two characters. Not to mention it seemed like we were supposed to know certain information. This is a remake of a comic book series that eventually turned into a show. People (I am one of those people) will not have read the original or watched the show. Context is important!!!
Not to mention that it was confusing. There were two characters we didn't even know the name of and they seemed important to Angel. According to the notes from other authors it takes place before the show and it only ties into the next book in the series.
So why not include the names of two characters. Not to mention it seemed like we were supposed to know certain information. This is a remake of a comic book series that eventually turned into a show. People (I am one of those people) will not have read the original or watched the show. Context is important!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death
Minor: Mental illness
hayleyetterwrites's review
4.5
This book captures Angel's brooding side very well. Great monologues from him. I enjoy this new spin in these character, despite the fact that I originally did not think I would.