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Angel & Faith #9 Review: Some People You Gotta Write Off

 

 

ANGELAF-9-VARIANT-FC-FNL-copyGreetings, Scoobies! The Comic Book Slayer is back with another review of Angel & Faith, as writer Christos Gage and artist Rebekah Isaacs deliver their final chapter of the ‘Daddy Issues’ story arc. Most fans have been eating up this current arc, which features the return of the utterly insane Drusilla and a special appearance by Faith’s deadbeat dad, and the dream team of Gage and Isaac delivers an appropriately morose and tragic ending to an arc that has been full of regrets from our heroes.

 

 

 

SPOILERS BELOW

 

 


Here’s a quick summary of Issue #9:

This issue opens with Faith giving into her pain and turning to Drusilla and her pet Lorophage demon to have her trauma removed. Angel tries to step in, but it’s too late and Faith, free of her psychological baggage, is feeling great! Angel appeals to the slayer to consider what she’s lost. Faith says it doesn’t matter since it’s already been done – there’s no going back. Angel challenges this, questioning Drusilla as to whether the Lorophage could give someone their trauma back. Drusilla doesn’t like this subject of conversation and attacks Angel.

Convinced that Angel wants everyone to be damaged like him, Drusilla is aided in her onslaught by the Lorophage. Dru decides Angel can no longer be given a choice and restrains him as the Lorophage prepares to drain his trauma. At the last minute, Faith steps in and helps to free Angel.

Angel and Faith take on Dru and the Lorophage together, and Angel manages to drive the Lorophage’s claws into its own head, killing it and releasing the trauma it was carrying from all of its victims. Drusilla begs for Angel to help her, but her trauma seeps back inside her head, rendering her insane once more. Everyone else’s trauma, Faith included, has been restored, and Drusilla exits, revealing a cryptic premonition about horrible things to come.

Angel and Faith battle their way out of the formerly blissful mob of Lorophage victims and end up discussing Faith’s decision to remove her trauma on a rooftop afterwards. Faith also reveals that she knows about Angel’s plan to resurrect Giles and has decided to help. And, off into the night they go…

 

 

The Good

Dru & her beloved Lorophage demon. I’ve really loved these two. The Lorophage is both creepy and cute with an intriguing ability, and the newly sane Drusilla has added a depth to the character not seen since her time with Brian Lynch. (That sounds a lot more sexual than it actually is.) Still, all good things come to an end, and it’s time to wave goodbye to Dru and her lil’ buddy Lorophage. While you will be sad to see them go, their exit scene is totally worth it, especially Drusilla’s heartbreaking plea to Angel for help before her trauma (and insanity) swirls around her, seeping back into her head and driving her mad once more. It’s so gracefully pulled off that it ends up being one of those moments that begs to be filmed. I’m sure Juliet would’ve nailed it!

“All the broken children cutting each other like glass…” Drusilla also delivers a cryptic premonition in this issue that spells out pain and doom for those that we love. Sure, we are hitting that typical “It’s the end of the world!” point in the season, but is that any reason to fear it less? Some may have poo-pooed the arrival of Twilight, but in the end, the blood of a beloved friend stained the ground. I don’t think things are going to go any easier this season, and Drusilla seems to agree.

 

 

The Bad

You know that’s not good for the console. Let’s just say there’s a little bit of the ‘hitting the reset button’ feel to this issue and the wrap up of the arc. A sane Drusilla and a trauma-less Faith were two exciting and powerfully huge changes to these characters, and it feels a little lame for them to be returned to status quo, especially so quickly. It doesn’t bother me horribly, but I just hope it doesn’t become a pattern.

So, why isn’t that Drusilla mini-series happening again? It just seems like there’s a lot going on with Dru right now, and a mini-series focused completely on this crazy bird would be Buffy fandom crack! Let’s hope Juliet Landau’s schedule opens and Dark Horse can get this one back on track.

The Ugly (Fan buzz, that is…)

Fan reaction has been mildly positive for this issue, with good reviews coming in from Comics Grinder and BAMFAS.

Wait…so, Faith’s just cool with that? The one story point that readers seem to be having a tough time swallowing is how easily Faith has accepted Angel’s plan to bring back Giles. It just has “bad idea” painted all over it, and many seem to feel that Faith would be a little more perceptive about this.

Angel & Faith #9 wraps up another fine chapter! Gage and Isaacs continue to explore redemption and the possibility of Rupert Giles’ resurrection with their top notch talents, and we’ve only just begun. You won’t be disappointed with this series, and I only see darker waters ahead, Scoobies!

 

 

 

‘Till the end of the world,

 

-Bryant the Comic Book Slayer

 

 

 

 

Greetings, Scoobies. The Comic Book Slayer is back with another review of Angel & Faith, as writer Christos Gage and artist Rebekah Isaacs deliver their final chapter of the ‘Daddy Issues’ story arc. Most fans have been eating up this current arc, which features the return of the utterly insane Drusilla and a special appearance by Faith’s deadbeat dad, and the dream team of Gage and Isaac delivers an appropriately morose and tragic ending to an arc that has been full of regrets from our heroes.

 

SPOILERS BELOW

 

Here’s a quick summary of Issue #9:

 

This issue opens with Faith giving into her pain and turning to Drusilla and her pet Lorophage demon to have her trauma removed. Angel tries to step in, but it’s too late and Faith, free of her psychological baggage, is feeling great! Angel appeals to the slayer to consider what she’s lost. Faith says it doesn’t matter since it’s already been done – there’s no going back. Angel challenges this, questioning Drusilla as to whether the Lorophage could give someone their trauma back. Drusilla doesn’t like this subject of conversation and attacks Angel.

 

Convinced that Angel wants everyone to be damaged like him, Drusilla is aided in her onslaught by the Lorophage. Dru decides Angel can no longer be given a choice and restrains him as the Lorophage prepares to drain his trauma. At the last minute, Faith steps in and helps to free Angel.

 

Angel and Faith take on Dru and the Lorophage together, and Angel manages to drive the Lorophage’s claws into its own head, killing it and releasing the trauma it was carrying from all of its victims. Drusilla begs for Angel to help her, but her trauma seeps back inside her head, rendering her insane once more. Everyone else’s trauma, Faith included, has been restored, and Drusilla exits, revealing a cryptic premonition about horrible things to come.

 

Angel and Faith battle their way out of the formerly blissful mob of Lorophage victims and end up discussing Faith’s decision to remove her trauma on a rooftop afterwards. Faith also reveals that she knows about Angel’s plan to resurrect Giles and has decided to help. And, off into the night they go…

 

 

The Good:

 

Dru & her beloved Lorophage demon. I’ve really loved these two. The Lorophage is both creepy and cute with an intriguing ability, and the newly sane Drusilla has added a depth to the character not seen since her time with Brian Lynch. (That sounds a lot more sexual than it actually is.) Still, all good things come to an end, and it’s time to wave goodbye to Dru and her lil’ buddy Lorophage. While you will be sad to see them go, their exit scene is totally worth it, especially Drusilla’s heartbreaking plea to Angel for help before her trauma (and insanity) swirls around her, seeping back into her head and driving her mad once more. It’s so gracefully pulled off that it ends up being one of those moments that begs to be filmed. I’m sure Juliet would’ve nailed it!

 

“All the broken children cutting each other like glass…” Drusilla also delivers a cryptic premonition in this issue that spells out pain and doom for those that we love. Sure, we are hitting that typical “It’s the end of the world!” point in the season, but is that any reason to fear it less? Some may have poo-pooed the arrival of Twilight, but in the end, the blood of a beloved friend stained the ground. I don’t think things are going to go any easier this season, and Drusilla seems to agree.

 

The Bad:

 

You know that’s not good for the console. Let’s just say there’s a little bit of the ‘hitting the reset button’ feel to this issue and the wrap up of the arc. A sane Drusilla and a trauma-less Faith were two exciting and powerfully huge changes to these characters, and it feels a little lame for them to be returned to status quo, especially so quickly. It doesn’t bother me horribly, but I just hope it doesn’t become a pattern.

 

So, why isn’t that Drusilla mini-series happening again? It just seems like there’s a lot going on with Dru right now, and a mini-series focused completely on this crazy bird would be Buffy fandom crack! Let’s hope Juliet Landau’s schedule opens and Dark Horse can get this one back on track.

 

The Ugly (Fan buzz, that is…)

 

Fan reaction has been mildly positive for this issue, with good reviews coming in from Comics Grinder and BAMFAS.

 

Wait…so, Faith’s just cool with that? The one story point that readers seem to be having a tough time swallowing is how easily Faith has accepted Angel’s plan to bring back Giles. It just has “bad idea” painted all over it, and many seem to feel that Faith would be a little more perceptive about this.

 

 

Angel & Faith #9 wraps up another fine chapter! Gage and Isaacs continue to explore redemption and the possibility of Rupert Giles’ resurrection with their top notch talents, and we’ve only just begun. You won’t be disappointed with this series, and I only see darker waters ahead, Scoobies!

 

‘Till the end of the world,

-Bryant the Comic Book Slayer

Bryant Dillon, Fanbase Press President

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Favorite Comic BookPreacher by Garth Ennis and Steve DillonFavorite TV ShowBuffy the Vampire Slayer Favorite BookThe Beach by Alex Garland

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