Spike: AtF issue 1, Angel AtF issue 10 - musings

[moscow_watcher]

Spike: AtF issue 1

Lynch makes a bold experiment: he tells a story with an outcome we already know. Earlier on Angel: AtF we discovered Spike as "the lord of Beverly Hills" and heard Spider's story about his tribulations: "When we first crossed paths, the other ladies wanted to end you. You were shockingly handsome but a tad scrawny and very much the loudmouth. And your traveling companion, the lass behind door number one, she was a tad unstable. I told them to spare you. I had rumblings that started in my heart and ended beyond. And I was right. You stepped up and eventually *we* began following *you*."

Not we're going to have a more detailed version of this "synopsis". But can writer make interesting a story with a known outcome? Can the audience get interested in it? It's quite a challenge, especially for spoiler whores like me. A big part of the charm is speculating on the twists and the catches in the next issues.

Nevertheless, new Lynch's project seems a winner. He focuses on characters and conveys Spike's voice perfectly. "Did Angel deal with this kind of lip? I mean other than from me? Did Buffy deal with this kind of lip? I mean other than from me?" Spike laments when human teenagers annoy him. Poor Spike. I think Buffy did deal with "this kind of lip" from Potentials in season 7, but that's another story.

Looks like Spike became a children's champion. In NFA he saved a baby. In S: AtF he saves a boy and then tries to appease human teenagers who are bored under his protection. The first issue is mostly a set-up, with some flashbacks (including nice callback to Spike and Fred brief reunion). Fred recalling her Pylea days is poignant, and Spike preferring that she'd exist as Illyria because a goddess has more chances to survive in Hell is doubly poignant. Oh, I with I could see these scenes acted out by James and Amy!

By the way, Spike's decision to give Illyria a distraction - fighting with a giant mechanical Evil Duck (from Shadow Puppets) in the theme park is absolutely priceless!

Spike has got a friend (kinda) who, in a way, is his human reflection. He also was "too late" to find happiness with his girl. He wants Spike to call him Jeremy and not Jerry - the way William resented when Angelus called him Willie. Looks like Jerry\Jeremy didn't make it to Angel: AtF so today friending Spike is as much a kiss of death as dating a Scoobie.

When Spike leaves to scout another hiding place, a bunch of girls on black latex suits arrives and takes control. Obviously they're the girls who will later become Spikettes. So by the end of issue 1 we approach familiar territory. Are we?

Urru's art makes the fights vivid and graphic. The HellA bestiary becomes more varied, now with intelligent dinosaurs who also want to rule the place. And, of colurse, I can't keep from mentioning that one of them is named after by dear friend mrs_underhill, who posts on IDW forums as Nata.

Angel AtF issue 10

Issue 10 looks like the set-up of the next chapter of Angel's adventures.

It starts with human!Angel's nightmares about superheroic Spike and Connor helping the helpless in "Spike's Town". Angel wakes up to discover snowfall outside and Fang Gand planning to make rounds.

Spike and Wesley have a conversation about Illyria. "If whatever H&R has planned involves hurting what's left of Fred, and you're even the smallest part of it I will find a way to kill you," Spike says to Wesley. "I couldn't be more grateful for that," the latter replies.

In Gunn's lair Gunn experiments with Betta George and his slayers. He orders slayers to hurt Betta and orders Betta to "freeze" them with the force of his mind.

Angel and his team find a vamp nest and pump its leader for information. Angel wants to know who tries to play him. Vamp talks about a "group" who began "to make ripples before the fall of Los Angeles". Illyria reveals Angel's secret: he's not a vampire anymore. Connor immediately orders him return to Hyperion. He refuses. He realised that Illyria can read power patterns and he asks her to trace the vampire who is "sitting on the power".

Meanwhile, Gunn succeeds in waking up Betta George's abilities to mentally "freeze" people. Slayers are immobilized and Gunn slits their throats. Then Gunn orders Betta to contact anybody outside of LA. The action switches to Las Vegas: Betta's friends get his telepathic message about LA being in hell, check TV and see that LA is fine. Judging by Gunn's reaction, he already knew about it. That's exactly when Angel arrives to Gunn's lair. (To be continued)

So they're in another dimension. There is another, "regular" LA where everything goes as usual. Good plot twist, it gives Lynch a lot of space to build new stories.

Snowfall in Amends echoes nicely here. Obviously a coincidence, but still poignant.

Overall impression is that one chapter is finished in issue 9 and another started in issue 10. A story about Angel saving the city from evil lords is over. The next story will be about his confrontation with Gunn and about Wesley-Illyria-Fred issues. I wonder if Wesley will stay a ghost and if yes, then how long. In season 5 writers kept Spike in a ghostly state for seven episodes. If we exclude "The First Night" issues, this is the seventh issue. Time to materialize.

So far, it's mostly exposition and a lot of foreboding. The idea of Angel and Connor trading places is inspired and I hope we'll get more of them (the cover of issue 12 is a heart-breaker!)

The art is definitely better in this issue, but still there are too much by-the-numbers panels. Yet Nina's feral pose when she guards sleeping Angel is a great idea and the first panels that parody Batman and Robin comics are priceless.

Buffy: The Time of Your Life

I don't know what to say about BtVS # 16. Basically the previews told us everything we have to know about the plot; Scoobies have changed their looks again and it's like the third set of actors are playing them. Xander is yummy, centaur!Dawn is very beautiful... I wonder if we'll see Xander riding a centaur!Dawn. (What? Yes, I'm a perv! :)
Looks like I ran out of positive things to say and since I don't want to whine I'd better shut up.