Zombies, pirates, vampires, goddesses, romance, and battles: There is something for everyone in this latest edition of Angel, Time and Tide. The cover vignettes are spectacular, both enticing and jarring. Whisked away in a sweeping, romantic dip are a couple in period attire on the cover, inviting you into a magical, and yet dangerous, world. I was immediately struck by the boat etched in the woman’s dress – its passengers and their stories. Turn the page to behold Angelus, the man in period dress now ripping into a woman’s neck and dripping in blood.

Angel, a vampire with a soul, and Fred, a physicist who shares her body with a goddess named Illyria, have teamed up to travel through time to save the future. They land on the ship, Galene, running into Darla and Angelus, Angel’s girlfriend and souless self. While there, they discover a zombie-creating beetle and get attacked by pirates.

The pages of this comic are constantly turning and brimming with action, and while this satisfied the action junkie in me, part of me still missed the content staple of Joss Whedon’s humor.  There felt something lacking in the rapport between Angel and Fred and their dark, dry whit. I also question the choice to rely on Illyria so much as a Deus ex Machina. Fred is usually portrayed as much stronger, so I was disappointed to see her talents and her intelligence disregarded by Angel so often for Illyria.

Fortunately, the battles literally leaped off the page in excitement. Seeing the beetles explode out of the pirates’ heads, I knew the ship was in trouble, but, oh, what fun to read! As soon as one storyline ended, another continued on. It is a never-ending adventure. I favored the beetle/zombie storyline the most. Who wouldn’t love a zombie-creating beetle?!