Angel #1
- WRITER
- Christopher Cantwell
- Artist
- Daniel Bayliss
- Letterer
- Becca Carey
- Cover Artist
- Nimit Malavia
- Publisher
- BOOM! Studios
- Price
- 4.99
- Release Date
- 2022-01-19
- Colorist
- Roman Titov, Maria Augustina Vallejo
A soulless demon now cursed with a soul, the vampire Angel is embarking on an adventure of his own to fight the forces of evil -- again. A reboot of the 2004 TV series and a continuation of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics' lore, Christopher Cantwell and Daniel Bayliss' Angel #1 brings Angel, Cordelia and the Angel Investigations crew back for a triumphant return. TV star by day and monster hunter by night, Angel soon finds himself on a horrifying adventure that blurs the line between universes.
Angel #1 picks up with Angel and Cordelia living it up in the City of Angels, starring in the TV show Detective Angel while living dangerous, deadly double lives as investigators. They have plenty of help on that front, thanks to Watcher Wesley and his Slayer Freddy, as well as deadpan snarkers Spike and Lorne. But Angel's absence is keenly felt, especially when a brutal fight leaves Wesley cursed and mortally wounded and Angel is transported to a new world. Meanwhile, a blood-spattered, skittish nude man from another dimension finds his way, Kyle Reese-style, to their doorstep.
This first issue of Angel is faithful to its predecessor in terms of writing, tone and aesthetic, even more so than its Buffy counterparts. The structure of Angel #1 closely resembles the TV format, beginning with a cold open that goes from tense and riveting to abruptly humorless, in classic Slayerverse fashion. The transition from a suspenseful, shadowy sequence to a TV sitcom opening montage is seamless and perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the issue, carefully balancing comedy with the real threat of death, violence and emotional turmoil lurking around each corner.
True to the franchise and the series on which it's based, Angel #1 is full of rapid-fire, naturalistic dialogue. Cantwell perfectly replicates the stylized dialogue and quick repartee of the series, and more impressively captures each character's distinct speech patterns. British bad boy Spike is in excellent form here, as is the dry, wry wit of demonic smart-guy Lorne at his antisocial best. Being the high-stakes series that this is, the story goes from zero to sixty in terms of the shift from comedy to horror-drama. Aside from the aforementioned cold open, the battle between Fred, Wesley and Spike against an escaped mummy goes from Wesley frantically talking about the monster's "holy basement" (a comment Spike has plenty to say about) to him being critically stabbed by said monster with a cursed dagger.
From a technical standpoint, Angel #1 is almost perfect. Bayliss does a good job of portraying the original characters' likenesses from the series, while further exaggerating certain strong facial features to fit the traditional, slightly pulpy art style. The starkness of the lines and realistic, but strong body proportions and shapes suit the story, writing style and the series' glamorous if gritty Los Angeles setting. The colors are similarly strong and lush, going from the soft, warm and vibrant Hollywood set of the show to the blues, purples and oranges of Angel's office and the withered palette of dull blues, greens and browns of the undead.
The only major weakness in Angel #1 would be the pacing. Although the franchise is known, and even famed, for its rapid-fire tonal shifts and dissonance, it doesn't always translate easily from television to comic. It can also be hard to follow exactly what is happening, especially for readers who are relatively new to the franchise. The fallout of the mummy fight and the scenes leading up to Angel's interdimensional transportation -- triggered by a device to preserve Wesley's soul -- are written at a confusingly frantic pace that perhaps isn't reader-friendly.
Although a bit muddled in moments, Angel #1 has as strong as start as any can hope for in a series. This bodes well for the remaining seven issues in this series. Hopefully, alongside its existential horror, multiversal terror and interpersonal drama, Angel #1 can continue to deliver solid comedy and Hollywood Studio antics, as only an entry of this franchise can.