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Angel & Faith: Season 9
Angel & Faith: Season 9, Vol. 1: Live Through This
Season 9, Volume 1: Live Through This
The supernatural world is reeling after the loss of magic in Joss Whedon's best-selling series Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8, a prelude to the events that shape Angel & Faith.
Throughout history Angel has had a lot to make up for, but it's his most recent mistake taht may forever alter the course of this fan-favorite antihero - the murder of one of Buffy's most trusted allies. In his ongoing search for redemption, Angel firmly believes he's found a way to make amends - by reviving the dead! Cue Faith - rebel Slayer charged with helping Angel recover in the aftermath of his biggest misdeed. Out of fierce loyalty she supports his ridiculous scheme, if only to prevent him from going too far to attain his goal. Past, present, and potential future threats emerge as this unlikely duo struggles against real and personal demons while hitting the dark streets of London.
Comic scribe Christos Gage (Avengers Academy) and series artist Rebekah Isaacs (DVS) launch readers into the heart of Angel & Faith, the newest addition to Joss Whedon's world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer! This collection also features a one-shot starring vampire Harmony, with art by Phil Noto.
The supernatural world is reeling after the loss of magic in Joss Whedon's best-selling series Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8, a prelude to the events that shape Angel & Faith.
Throughout history Angel has had a lot to make up for, but it's his most recent mistake taht may forever alter the course of this fan-favorite antihero - the murder of one of Buffy's most trusted allies. In his ongoing search for redemption, Angel firmly believes he's found a way to make amends - by reviving the dead! Cue Faith - rebel Slayer charged with helping Angel recover in the aftermath of his biggest misdeed. Out of fierce loyalty she supports his ridiculous scheme, if only to prevent him from going too far to attain his goal. Past, present, and potential future threats emerge as this unlikely duo struggles against real and personal demons while hitting the dark streets of London.
Comic scribe Christos Gage (Avengers Academy) and series artist Rebekah Isaacs (DVS) launch readers into the heart of Angel & Faith, the newest addition to Joss Whedon's world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer! This collection also features a one-shot starring vampire Harmony, with art by Phil Noto.
136 pages, Paperback
First published June 20, 2012
12 people are currently reading
1556 people want to read
About the author
Christos Gage
1,534 books128 followersChris N. Gage is a writer for comic books and television.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews
August 18, 2021
A new chapter for Angel and Faith. The backdrop...London!
A lot has happened between these two characters and I’m glad to see how close they are. Even when Angel has this crazy idea; .
I appreciate how much Faith has grown as a character. Despite the message Harmony has in the last issue of this collection, Faith’s past informs her person today.
It was great to see a maturity in her, especially as she is seen as a leader by the Slayers in London.
Two new villains are introduced. Twins named Pearl and Nash who were underlings of Twilight (although, you never saw them in the previous season).
I’m guessing they (along with the person they’re working with ) will be the Big Bad for this season?
The parts that peaked my interest were involvement and where Angel acted weirdly like at the end of issue #4.
The art has been pretty good so far. I’ve accepted that faces are never gonna look 100% accurate. Which is fine!
The last issue was drawn by a different artist and you could tell. It was less detailed and ‘cluttered’. I think it worked for the story it was accompanying; however, I do prefer the usual art design/style.
A lot has happened between these two characters and I’m glad to see how close they are. Even when Angel has this crazy idea; .
I appreciate how much Faith has grown as a character. Despite the message Harmony has in the last issue of this collection, Faith’s past informs her person today.
It was great to see a maturity in her, especially as she is seen as a leader by the Slayers in London.
Two new villains are introduced. Twins named Pearl and Nash who were underlings of Twilight (although, you never saw them in the previous season).
I’m guessing they (along with the person they’re working with ) will be the Big Bad for this season?
The parts that peaked my interest were involvement and where Angel acted weirdly like at the end of issue #4.
The art has been pretty good so far. I’ve accepted that faces are never gonna look 100% accurate. Which is fine!
The last issue was drawn by a different artist and you could tell. It was less detailed and ‘cluttered’. I think it worked for the story it was accompanying; however, I do prefer the usual art design/style.
July 27, 2012
Being in a post season eight funk, I approached this book with some trepidation. Angel coming to terms with his actions? Great. Whatever.
And then Faith told Angel: "Y'know what? Your whole Twilight phase makes about as much sense as a David Lynch movie"
THAT'S MY GIRL.
God I love Faith and I love her so much in this book. She's written and drawn so well. She's always been one of those characters that said more in her body language than she'd ever say out loud. Isaacs catches her dynamism perfectly and there's moments where Faith doesn't say anything verbally but says a whole world of stuff physically. It may just be in the tilt of a chin, or the widening of an eye, but it's there and it's beautifully done.
This book is really good. The dynamic between Faith and Angel, one of hard-won trust from soldiers who have seen their darkness, is brilliantly judged. There's a faith (sorry) that should either one of them go off the rails, the other one will pull them back and there's an understanding that they will do whatever it takes.
I thought I was struggling with the Buffy comics. I was, just because I wasn't reading the right ones. I don't quite get current Buffy. I get current Faith. I love her humour, and her nuances and the way she can't quite believe that she's somehow turned out to be the grown up. This book is so very very good.
And then Faith told Angel: "Y'know what? Your whole Twilight phase makes about as much sense as a David Lynch movie"
THAT'S MY GIRL.
God I love Faith and I love her so much in this book. She's written and drawn so well. She's always been one of those characters that said more in her body language than she'd ever say out loud. Isaacs catches her dynamism perfectly and there's moments where Faith doesn't say anything verbally but says a whole world of stuff physically. It may just be in the tilt of a chin, or the widening of an eye, but it's there and it's beautifully done.
This book is really good. The dynamic between Faith and Angel, one of hard-won trust from soldiers who have seen their darkness, is brilliantly judged. There's a faith (sorry) that should either one of them go off the rails, the other one will pull them back and there's an understanding that they will do whatever it takes.
I thought I was struggling with the Buffy comics. I was, just because I wasn't reading the right ones. I don't quite get current Buffy. I get current Faith. I love her humour, and her nuances and the way she can't quite believe that she's somehow turned out to be the grown up. This book is so very very good.
September 4, 2012
Angel & Faith picks up roughly where season 8 of Buffy left them: while under the possession of Twilight, Angel killed Giles. Naturally, he decides to make this right by bringing him back from the dead. Naturally, Faith realizes that this means he's no less dangerous, barely sane, and worth watching very, very closely.
If, like me, you were less than enthused by season 8, the first volume of Angel & Faith will be enough to get you excited about the comics again. Some of the best characterization I've seen yet, back to the sort of storytelling that Buffy and Angel so much fun in the first place (read: there are no dragons). I'm also pleased to note that you don't need to have read Angel: After the Fall to understand where Angel is coming from. The entire events of that series are covered in a panel or two and generally don't seem to bear any weight here. (A nice side effect of After the Fall having been published by a different company.)
If, like me, you were less than enthused by season 8, the first volume of Angel & Faith will be enough to get you excited about the comics again. Some of the best characterization I've seen yet, back to the sort of storytelling that Buffy and Angel so much fun in the first place (read: there are no dragons). I'm also pleased to note that you don't need to have read Angel: After the Fall to understand where Angel is coming from. The entire events of that series are covered in a panel or two and generally don't seem to bear any weight here. (A nice side effect of After the Fall having been published by a different company.)
February 17, 2021
As a big fan of the Angel show this was fun if not a bit safe.
Basically Angel after the actions in Buffy season 8 and killing a major character decides he wants to fix things. As always, he feels horrible for what he did, and wants to redeem himself. This time he asks Faith for help and together they do just that.
What works really well is Faith and Angel. Both together are wonderful, both funning and charming, and gives a lot of inseight into the minds of both. I really enjoyed watching them fight together and it feels just like it would if it was a TV show.
The plot itself is okay and the two evil twins are just typical so they didn't do much for me. Some of the art is solid with good fights, some not so much.
Overall, solid fun Angel/Faith action. If liked Angel the TV show you'll enjoy this!
Basically Angel after the actions in Buffy season 8 and killing a major character decides he wants to fix things. As always, he feels horrible for what he did, and wants to redeem himself. This time he asks Faith for help and together they do just that.
What works really well is Faith and Angel. Both together are wonderful, both funning and charming, and gives a lot of inseight into the minds of both. I really enjoyed watching them fight together and it feels just like it would if it was a TV show.
The plot itself is okay and the two evil twins are just typical so they didn't do much for me. Some of the art is solid with good fights, some not so much.
Overall, solid fun Angel/Faith action. If liked Angel the TV show you'll enjoy this!
March 22, 2014
I'll let this review stand for the series, not just this first volume. I'm not a rabid Buffy fan. I don't just categorically worship at the altar of Whedon. But I have seen every ep of Buffy and Angel and I do really love *some* of them and some of the characters. Faith is far and away my favorite, so I was very excited to find out about her future....
And then I was disappointed to find out that she's basically willing to follow Angel around and help him and serve him forever. I like their loyalty to each other in theory and I know you can't explore her heart without her relationship with Angel. But somehow Faith always seems to end up the sidekick.
The story is pretty mediocre graphic novel fare -- fine but not extraordinary. But I really think it fails to be about Angel AND Faith. It's really just more Angel with a bit of incidental Faith, and I think it sucks that the title is so glaringly inaccurate. At this point I get the impression that if they made a Faith book, it would manage to me more about Kennedy or something. :P
And then I was disappointed to find out that she's basically willing to follow Angel around and help him and serve him forever. I like their loyalty to each other in theory and I know you can't explore her heart without her relationship with Angel. But somehow Faith always seems to end up the sidekick.
The story is pretty mediocre graphic novel fare -- fine but not extraordinary. But I really think it fails to be about Angel AND Faith. It's really just more Angel with a bit of incidental Faith, and I think it sucks that the title is so glaringly inaccurate. At this point I get the impression that if they made a Faith book, it would manage to me more about Kennedy or something. :P
June 23, 2018
Angel has never been one of my favorite characters. I loved him in his own show, but any time he teams up with Buffy I feel like he gets shoved into the "Buffy's emotional baggage" box and loses what makes him interesting.
The combination of him and Faith on the other hand is one I genuinely love. They share darkness, guilt, and a desire for redemption they don't think they deserve.
I'm excited to see what this series has to offer!
The combination of him and Faith on the other hand is one I genuinely love. They share darkness, guilt, and a desire for redemption they don't think they deserve.
I'm excited to see what this series has to offer!
November 19, 2023
I still think this is the best comic series set in the Buffyverse. There is a reason why Gage and Isaacs got promoted to the main Buffy title after this run! 5/5 stars.
September 2, 2019
It has been a while since I've read Buffy so I was a bit slow to catch up with Twilight issues. I might even have to reread the whole arc :/
The artwork was better than expected. The characters seemed slightly off from what I remember.
It was an interesting approach and will have to read more of these soon.
The artwork was better than expected. The characters seemed slightly off from what I remember.
It was an interesting approach and will have to read more of these soon.
August 28, 2023
4.5 stars ~ [8.64/10]
I had a good feeling about this graphic novel series before I started it because I was always super interested in the parallels between Angel and Faith and it often felt like ATS could have done a lot more to explore that dynamic. I understand introducing a slayer as a season regular into Angel's spin-off would've potentially muddied the waters between the separate show identities that they were pretty adamant about back in the day, but I still felt a little short-changed by Faith's arc overall.
This story picks up after the very dramatic ending of BTVS, Season 8 - and IYKYK, Angel has a few more things to atone for as a result of those events. Faith being the loyal person that she is has taken it upon herself to stick by Angel's side even when she doesn't agree with everything that he's doing and that theme culminated in one of my favourite character interactions in all of the Buffyverse - especially when it came to Angel's self-awareness. Season 8 felt like a bit of step backwards for Angel's character but the story in this book felt so much more like the character we got to know over the 5 seasons of ATS. I'm excited to see where all of this goes!
The art style in this book was also my favourite of all the canon-Buffyverse comics so far, the tone, atmosphere, action and character likeness was superb and was really noticeable when a different artist drew the Harmony one-shot, which I didn't love as much.
I had a good feeling about this graphic novel series before I started it because I was always super interested in the parallels between Angel and Faith and it often felt like ATS could have done a lot more to explore that dynamic. I understand introducing a slayer as a season regular into Angel's spin-off would've potentially muddied the waters between the separate show identities that they were pretty adamant about back in the day, but I still felt a little short-changed by Faith's arc overall.
This story picks up after the very dramatic ending of BTVS, Season 8 - and IYKYK, Angel has a few more things to atone for as a result of those events. Faith being the loyal person that she is has taken it upon herself to stick by Angel's side even when she doesn't agree with everything that he's doing and that theme culminated in one of my favourite character interactions in all of the Buffyverse - especially when it came to Angel's self-awareness. Season 8 felt like a bit of step backwards for Angel's character but the story in this book felt so much more like the character we got to know over the 5 seasons of ATS. I'm excited to see where all of this goes!
The art style in this book was also my favourite of all the canon-Buffyverse comics so far, the tone, atmosphere, action and character likeness was superb and was really noticeable when a different artist drew the Harmony one-shot, which I didn't love as much.
December 31, 2020
You know, Angel was never my favourite character on either show. He had his moments but was mostly interesting as a baddy. And I would probably never pick up his graphic novels if it wasn't for Faith. Now that is a great dynamic character and I couldn't get enough of her and her redemption arc on Buffy. Here, these two balance out each other perfectly and the relationship they've built over the years could really come into focus. Plus, they both need a mission so there's that.
Over and out
Over and out
August 27, 2018
Read for Book Roast's Magical Readathon: NEWTs Exams. Subject: Care of Magical Creatures, E Level. (Less than 160 pages)
Okay, you know what, maybe humans are hard to draw. Sure, Eliza Dushku is the most beautiful woman anywhere in the entire gorram galaxy, but maybe your pencil slipped. A lot.
And you know, Mercedes McNab has cheekbones for days and was even in Playboy so you definitely know the shape of her human personage, but drawing her could be intensely difficult because you lost your glasses and all of your light bulbs burned out at once.
But how the ever loving goat humping fuck can you screw up Clem?!
HE'S ALL WRINKLES WITH SOME EYEBALLS IN THERE. HOW DO YOU SCREW THIS UP?!
I can't even think about plot, the last volume totally screwed everything in my brain up. Give me a second, I need to take a walk.
::slams down tea cup::
Okay, I'm back.
So, I am not up to date on the Buffy comic 'verse. So, there were....events I was not aware of before I started this. Dead-like events. And without context, I am really unhappy about it.
But Angel's back on a redemptive arc, and Faith is his trusty sidekick. While also trying to deal with slayerettes who are losing their minds a little.
We get a nice call back to season 1 of Angel, with the Morha blood. But we also get an appearance of Whistler, complete with his most iconic line, which feels...really stupid? And forced? Like, bringing him back is cool and all (even though he's helping the bad guys? Which makes literally no sense?), but I'm pretty sure someone reading this comic can figure out who he is without being hit over the head with a sledgehammer.
Have I mentioned how supremely unhappy I am about this artwork? It's best I forget this ever happened.
But I am invested in reading WTF happened in season 8, because whtthfck.
Okay, you know what, maybe humans are hard to draw. Sure, Eliza Dushku is the most beautiful woman anywhere in the entire gorram galaxy, but maybe your pencil slipped. A lot.
And you know, Mercedes McNab has cheekbones for days and was even in Playboy so you definitely know the shape of her human personage, but drawing her could be intensely difficult because you lost your glasses and all of your light bulbs burned out at once.
But how the ever loving goat humping fuck can you screw up Clem?!
HE'S ALL WRINKLES WITH SOME EYEBALLS IN THERE. HOW DO YOU SCREW THIS UP?!
I can't even think about plot, the last volume totally screwed everything in my brain up. Give me a second, I need to take a walk.
::slams down tea cup::
Okay, I'm back.
So, I am not up to date on the Buffy comic 'verse. So, there were....events I was not aware of before I started this. Dead-like events. And without context, I am really unhappy about it.
But Angel's back on a redemptive arc, and Faith is his trusty sidekick. While also trying to deal with slayerettes who are losing their minds a little.
We get a nice call back to season 1 of Angel, with the Morha blood. But we also get an appearance of Whistler, complete with his most iconic line, which feels...really stupid? And forced? Like, bringing him back is cool and all (even though he's helping the bad guys? Which makes literally no sense?), but I'm pretty sure someone reading this comic can figure out who he is without being hit over the head with a sledgehammer.
Have I mentioned how supremely unhappy I am about this artwork? It's best I forget this ever happened.
But I am invested in reading WTF happened in season 8, because whtthfck.
February 16, 2017
This series picks up several months after the end of Buffy Season 8 and runs concurrently with Buffy Season 9. My review for this will be pretty spoiler-ish for Buffy Season 8 and a little for the first volume of Season 9. So, if you haven't read that series of books, you may not want to read further. Angel was the big bad for season 8 and took on the persona of Twilight, a luchador mask wearing figure that had a pretty nefarious plan. Of course, Buffy ended up stopping this, but when she did so, she destroyed all magic in their world. It also cut of the connection from that world to the dimensions of demons. In the Buffyverse, vampires are human bodies that have been taken over by demons from a hell dimension. Since the link to that dimension is cut off, all vampires sired after Buffy Season 8 are feral, mindless beings that lack the control previous vamps had. The discovery of this is one of the major plot points of the first volume of Buffy Season 9.
While Buffy and her crew are a doing there thing in California during Season 9 volume 1, Angel and Faith are nearly halfway around the world in England. At the end of season 8, Angel is nearly comatose and distraught over the fact that one of his last acts as Twilight was killing Buffy's friend and mentor Giles. Faith feels obligated to stay Angel and help him any way she can because he did pretty much the exact same thing for her on the Angel TV series. Instead of trying to comfort the inconsolable Angel, Faith reads to him. Something she reads to him out of Giles' Watcher's Guide brings Angel around. This book picks up not long after that and we find out the major plot for this entire series is Angel wanting to right his most grievous wrong by finding a way to bring Giles back to life.
While there are other players in the book, Angel & Faith are the stars, as the title implies. Writer Christos Gage writes each of these characters and their relationship with each other perfectly. Since her introduction in Buffy Season 3, Faith has been my favorite character in the Buffyverse. I am ecstatic to see someone write this character so well and continue the growth of the character. From her first appearance until now, Faith has gone from a streetwise thug that only looked out for herself to a person that cares for and looks out for many others. Somewhere during the break between seasons 8 & 9, not only did Faith look after Angel, but she rounded up some of the surviving slayers and helped them come together as a group. She also pops in from time to time to lend a hand with some fighting and the girls look to her for guidance.
I've read several of the original Buffy comics that came out when the TV series was still on, all 8 volumes of Buffy Season 8, the first volume of Season 9, the first 5 volumes of Angel: After the Fall, but this volume right here is the best Buffyverse comic that I've ever read. Christos Gage's writing has a lot to do with that. Rebekah Isaacs' art has plenty to do with it too.
While the art in most of Buffy Season 8 had characters that looked like their counterparts on TV, the art was in a style that doesn't have a lot of detail. I love comic artists like Jim Lee that put tons of detail into it. The art in most Buffy books is reminiscent of what you'd see in an adaptation of the Twilight series or some other book series that is aimed at female target audience. Isaacs' art not only makes the characters look like the actors that played them on TV, but the art would be right at home in a superhero. I personally think it the best art that any Buffyverse comic as ever had. At the end of the book, there is an art gallery that shows the original issue covers plus a few variants. One of those variants has Faith & Angel wearing Red Sox t-shirts and taking down a vampire wearing a Yankees shirt. I'm a huge Red Sox fan and I've never seen this cover until now. I plan on tracking one of these bad boys down one day so I can frame it and hang it in my house.
Both the writing and art aspects of this book get 5 stars from me. That makes averaging the overall rating for this one pretty easy. This is a 5 star all-around book. Anybody that loves the characters from the Buffyverse NEEDS to read this one.
While Buffy and her crew are a doing there thing in California during Season 9 volume 1, Angel and Faith are nearly halfway around the world in England. At the end of season 8, Angel is nearly comatose and distraught over the fact that one of his last acts as Twilight was killing Buffy's friend and mentor Giles. Faith feels obligated to stay Angel and help him any way she can because he did pretty much the exact same thing for her on the Angel TV series. Instead of trying to comfort the inconsolable Angel, Faith reads to him. Something she reads to him out of Giles' Watcher's Guide brings Angel around. This book picks up not long after that and we find out the major plot for this entire series is Angel wanting to right his most grievous wrong by finding a way to bring Giles back to life.
While there are other players in the book, Angel & Faith are the stars, as the title implies. Writer Christos Gage writes each of these characters and their relationship with each other perfectly. Since her introduction in Buffy Season 3, Faith has been my favorite character in the Buffyverse. I am ecstatic to see someone write this character so well and continue the growth of the character. From her first appearance until now, Faith has gone from a streetwise thug that only looked out for herself to a person that cares for and looks out for many others. Somewhere during the break between seasons 8 & 9, not only did Faith look after Angel, but she rounded up some of the surviving slayers and helped them come together as a group. She also pops in from time to time to lend a hand with some fighting and the girls look to her for guidance.
I've read several of the original Buffy comics that came out when the TV series was still on, all 8 volumes of Buffy Season 8, the first volume of Season 9, the first 5 volumes of Angel: After the Fall, but this volume right here is the best Buffyverse comic that I've ever read. Christos Gage's writing has a lot to do with that. Rebekah Isaacs' art has plenty to do with it too.
While the art in most of Buffy Season 8 had characters that looked like their counterparts on TV, the art was in a style that doesn't have a lot of detail. I love comic artists like Jim Lee that put tons of detail into it. The art in most Buffy books is reminiscent of what you'd see in an adaptation of the Twilight series or some other book series that is aimed at female target audience. Isaacs' art not only makes the characters look like the actors that played them on TV, but the art would be right at home in a superhero. I personally think it the best art that any Buffyverse comic as ever had. At the end of the book, there is an art gallery that shows the original issue covers plus a few variants. One of those variants has Faith & Angel wearing Red Sox t-shirts and taking down a vampire wearing a Yankees shirt. I'm a huge Red Sox fan and I've never seen this cover until now. I plan on tracking one of these bad boys down one day so I can frame it and hang it in my house.
Both the writing and art aspects of this book get 5 stars from me. That makes averaging the overall rating for this one pretty easy. This is a 5 star all-around book. Anybody that loves the characters from the Buffyverse NEEDS to read this one.
October 15, 2016
Found these shelved with graphics and decided to read now. While I liked this story, I felt Faith could have been more proactive.
May 10, 2013
Brian Lynch's Angel: After the Fall was a riotous comic in every sense, full of life, colour, and extraordinary art. It was an epic, felt fresh and its own thing. Gage's Angel & Faith has wrenched Angel kicking and screaming back into a more down to earth Buffyverse, the direction is good but the execution needs more pep. I miss Urru's art a lot which made the Angel comic feel like it had a wild, unpredictable, unique quality. Just as Buffy Season 8 was "out there" and has been brought back to earth after the wild events of that comic, for Buffy Season 9 Angel has also been reined in, in an attempt to make the appeal of the comic more human again.
I'm not really a fan of forming hasty opinions about comic series based on one story arc, it's something like judging a book's merit based on the first few chapters. But Angel and Faith doesn't do it for me yet like Buffy Season 9 does it for me. Maybe it's the lack of Buffy or Spuffy, or Pocalypses. Or maybe it's just the general generic sense of "this could be an episode of TV Angel" which generally played out as a lot of emotional hand-wringing too often without Buffy's deft satirical humour.
Angel has stopped trying to help the helpless and fight the good fight at least and he's pursuing an adventure of a deeply personal nature that's shows depth to his charcater that was too often lacking. With an often introspective Faith by his side he finally has a worthy companion too (Cordelia having vision-headaches was the dullest!) and she's constantly forced to make tough choices independently of but which affective Angel and the narrative. This is called Angel and Faith because it's Angel and Faith, which is kinda cooler than just Angel and (boring)friends.
Still this first arc is more than solid and there are intriguing strands that could go places. Often the best comics build on the seeds of their opening arcs and I hold out a lot of hope that this will become more satisfying as it progresses. That said the Harmony one-shot story in #5 made me mostly cringe. Gage's attempts at humour falling really quite flat.
June 23, 2012
3 and a half stars
I love Buffy The Vampire Slayer. I'm totally convinced it's one of the best t.v shows ever.
I have not read any other Buffy-related Graphic Novels. This one made me want to get out my Buffy DVD's and WATCH THEM ALL.
Angel was always someone that I was not a huge fan of. Every time I re-watch the show, I like him more and more but he still doesn't come close to Spike. I think if you combined Angel's sweet sensitive nature with Spike's British, sexy, sarcastic greatness, then you might have something pretty special.
I did like Faith in Buffy, though. She brought the drama and she was feisty and bad.
So, I was kinda :O when this graphic novel told me that It was shocking to me. The story is that Angel wants to
In the end, I enjoyed this but it was missing my favourite Buffy characters and I didn't think Angel looked enough like Angel. Faith was pretty well depicted. The story was interesting and it made me want to watch my Buffy DVD's ASAP!
I recommend this to fans of Buffy, especially if you've been reading the Graphic Novels inspired by the show.
(Thanks to Netgalley and Dark Horse Comics for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest opinion.)
I love Buffy The Vampire Slayer. I'm totally convinced it's one of the best t.v shows ever.
I have not read any other Buffy-related Graphic Novels. This one made me want to get out my Buffy DVD's and WATCH THEM ALL.
Angel was always someone that I was not a huge fan of. Every time I re-watch the show, I like him more and more but he still doesn't come close to Spike. I think if you combined Angel's sweet sensitive nature with Spike's British, sexy, sarcastic greatness, then you might have something pretty special.
I did like Faith in Buffy, though. She brought the drama and she was feisty and bad.
So, I was kinda :O when this graphic novel told me that It was shocking to me. The story is that Angel wants to
In the end, I enjoyed this but it was missing my favourite Buffy characters and I didn't think Angel looked enough like Angel. Faith was pretty well depicted. The story was interesting and it made me want to watch my Buffy DVD's ASAP!
I recommend this to fans of Buffy, especially if you've been reading the Graphic Novels inspired by the show.
(Thanks to Netgalley and Dark Horse Comics for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest opinion.)
July 23, 2012
To be right up front about this I am a little bit of Joss Whedon fanboy. With both Angel and Buffy being published by Dark Horse Comics Whedon has chosen to follow an example set by Warren Ellis' brief tenure on four of the X books at Marvel Comics. Ellis took over the titles, plotted out the basic storylines and then chose the writers to execute the stories. While Robert Kirkman is being falsely credited with creating this paradigm for comics, it really does resemble how a television show is run. Whedon lays out the season long storyline and contracts writers to execute it.
Angel was the better television show, and with Whedon and crew back overseeing his tale things have imrpoved some since the character's days at IDW (in all honesty they told better stories than Whedon's Season 8 Buffy stories). Angel is a mess. While arguably being torn apart by forces beyond his control, he killed Giles (this was over a year ago so I'm assuming this is not a spoiler at this point).
Except Angel believes he can bring Giles back to life. Faith, who was Giles covert operative in the magic world is following Angel believing he is just short of going insane. Both are dealing with demons and the like in a world changed by the absence of magic.
The best part. The real reason, revealed at the end of this volume, as to why Angel wants Faith around.
Angel was the better television show, and with Whedon and crew back overseeing his tale things have imrpoved some since the character's days at IDW (in all honesty they told better stories than Whedon's Season 8 Buffy stories). Angel is a mess. While arguably being torn apart by forces beyond his control, he killed Giles (this was over a year ago so I'm assuming this is not a spoiler at this point).
Except Angel believes he can bring Giles back to life. Faith, who was Giles covert operative in the magic world is following Angel believing he is just short of going insane. Both are dealing with demons and the like in a world changed by the absence of magic.
The best part. The real reason, revealed at the end of this volume, as to why Angel wants Faith around.
September 11, 2016
Sooooo, I've had this hanging around the house for yeeeears and have been ignoring it because...well, Angel has never been my favorite. Also right before this came out was the whole Angel/Twilight end-of-magic thing that I kind of hated, so I was not feeling real motivated.
But I actually liked it a lot more than I thought I would! The art (other than the silly Harmony story at the end) is really good, and I kind of loved how well Isaacs did with Faith's expressions. Good writing too--it came across sounding very much like her dialogue in the show. And, I mean, have I told you that I love Eliza Dushku? I don't even care, I really love Eliza Dushku (although Dollhouse? Eh.), so I just enjoyed looking at her face a bunch in this comic. Whatever.
I ended up also really liking the two of them together. They both have pasts they're super not proud of and feel the need to atone for, and both long for redemption, but don't feel deserving of it for themselves, though they do for each other, and that's...interesting. And it's fun seeing Faith take on the role of responsible adult, being the voice of reason against Angel's obsessiveness. It works!
Anyway, this did actually make me want to continue the series, despite Angel. Or maybe partly because of him? I dunno. Probably it's just Eliza Dushku's face.
But I actually liked it a lot more than I thought I would! The art (other than the silly Harmony story at the end) is really good, and I kind of loved how well Isaacs did with Faith's expressions. Good writing too--it came across sounding very much like her dialogue in the show. And, I mean, have I told you that I love Eliza Dushku? I don't even care, I really love Eliza Dushku (although Dollhouse? Eh.), so I just enjoyed looking at her face a bunch in this comic. Whatever.
I ended up also really liking the two of them together. They both have pasts they're super not proud of and feel the need to atone for, and both long for redemption, but don't feel deserving of it for themselves, though they do for each other, and that's...interesting. And it's fun seeing Faith take on the role of responsible adult, being the voice of reason against Angel's obsessiveness. It works!
Anyway, this did actually make me want to continue the series, despite Angel. Or maybe partly because of him? I dunno. Probably it's just Eliza Dushku's face.
October 4, 2012
See this review and more on The Moonlight Library!
Live Through This is the tale of retribution and atonement after Angel, Whedon’s popular vampire with a soul, commits a horrific act in the previous novel. Faith, the rogue vampire Slayer with a tumultuous past is the only character that will stick by him – and for good reason. During the TV show, Angel was the only person who stuck by Faith during her crash-and-burn phase.
The artwork in this graphic novel was amazing. The characters all felt as if they’d never gone off the air. The dialogue was also spot on, and all the way through reading I could hear the TV actors’ voices quite distinctly.
Angel and Faith make a fabulous pair – Faith is still a slayer, after all, and she’ll do her duty if Angel goes too far in his atonement. It was very entertaining seeing both of their growth through this graphic novel.
An advance reader copy was kindly provided by the publisher.
Live Through This is the tale of retribution and atonement after Angel, Whedon’s popular vampire with a soul, commits a horrific act in the previous novel. Faith, the rogue vampire Slayer with a tumultuous past is the only character that will stick by him – and for good reason. During the TV show, Angel was the only person who stuck by Faith during her crash-and-burn phase.
The artwork in this graphic novel was amazing. The characters all felt as if they’d never gone off the air. The dialogue was also spot on, and all the way through reading I could hear the TV actors’ voices quite distinctly.
Angel and Faith make a fabulous pair – Faith is still a slayer, after all, and she’ll do her duty if Angel goes too far in his atonement. It was very entertaining seeing both of their growth through this graphic novel.
An advance reader copy was kindly provided by the publisher.
February 6, 2013
I really enjoyed this fresh new direction for Angel. After the incidents in 'After the Fall' and 'Twilight', it almost seemed like his character had been through so many over-the-top plot twists that it would be hard to find an interesting direction to take him. This book manages to find that by bringing him back to his roots as a detective.
By simplifying the basic story into 'Angel and Faith investigate pages from Giles' diary', the comic provides a solid framework for what looks to be an intriguing story that provides ample opportunity for moral conundrums, malevolent monsters, and a one-liner for every occasion.
Christos Gage manages to balance all of these elements quite well, keeping us intrigued and remaining true to the characters while not overdoing it on those one-liners.
The artwork is also quite good- I particularly appreciate the amount of color used. It's tempting to use only dark, Gothic tones on an Angel story, but here, the colors are bright, going a considerable way towards creating a new feel for these new adventures of Angel.
By simplifying the basic story into 'Angel and Faith investigate pages from Giles' diary', the comic provides a solid framework for what looks to be an intriguing story that provides ample opportunity for moral conundrums, malevolent monsters, and a one-liner for every occasion.
Christos Gage manages to balance all of these elements quite well, keeping us intrigued and remaining true to the characters while not overdoing it on those one-liners.
The artwork is also quite good- I particularly appreciate the amount of color used. It's tempting to use only dark, Gothic tones on an Angel story, but here, the colors are bright, going a considerable way towards creating a new feel for these new adventures of Angel.
November 15, 2012
Why read: Love Angel.
What impressed me: More Angel! Yep, that's about it.
What disappointed me: This is a decent continuation of Angel's story, but without Buffy or even his old friends from the series, things are dry. Faith just doesn't make the greatest partner to carry the series. The storyline was sort of ridiculous. Angel wanting to bring Giles back from the dead. As heartbroken as I was when Giles died, the entire idea just seems sadly like grasping at straws.
Recommended: Only if you really need an Angel fix.
Continue series: Yes, but only because I do, in fact, need an Angel fix.
What impressed me: More Angel! Yep, that's about it.
What disappointed me: This is a decent continuation of Angel's story, but without Buffy or even his old friends from the series, things are dry. Faith just doesn't make the greatest partner to carry the series. The storyline was sort of ridiculous. Angel wanting to bring Giles back from the dead. As heartbroken as I was when Giles died, the entire idea just seems sadly like grasping at straws.
Recommended: Only if you really need an Angel fix.
Continue series: Yes, but only because I do, in fact, need an Angel fix.
June 8, 2013
En algún lado leí que la historia de Giles que hay en este tomo (contada a través de Flashbacks) estaba pensada originalmente para un spin-off de Giles en Inglaterra, tías inmortales incluidas. Si bien, como buen fan del Buffyverso me da mucha lástima que no haya habido más spin-offs televisivos (sobre todo la película de Spike), como fan de los comics me puso contento ver esta gran historieta con dos de los mejores personajes de este universo como protagonista (los que le dan el título, por supuesto). El dibujo sigue siendo más bien mediocrón, pero bastante mejor que las porquerías de "Angel tras la caída" y similares.
August 10, 2016
Sometimes the comic relief characters really make these Buffy sequels/continuations worthwhile. If not for the In Perfect Harmony issue, I probably would have given this a lower rating. I did enjoy seeing Faith and Angel team up, although I wonder if I need to review some old Buffy issues-it looked like Faith was flying in one panel. Can Faith fly? I didn't think so.
The artwork was good, and the storyline about bringing Giles back was interesting. For all the doom and gloom everyone is giving out about that, I really hope they do. I miss Giles.
Looking forward to reading the next volume.
The artwork was good, and the storyline about bringing Giles back was interesting. For all the doom and gloom everyone is giving out about that, I really hope they do. I miss Giles.
Looking forward to reading the next volume.
June 25, 2015
I did enjoy this way more than I thought I would. I've always liked Angel and Faith together in the series. But you never know how that will translate in the comics. They pulled it off though. I also like where the story arc is going. It seems as though a part of Giles is possessed in Angel. And how they are using all of Giles resources left to Faith. I also enjoy Faith in a more mature and responsible role for once and looking out for Angel. Art was sketchy in some places hence the 4 stars. But I'll be getting volume 2 for sure.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 18, 2012
I've always enjoyed watching Faith's evolution as a character, so it's nice to see more of her here.
November 11, 2016
Glad to see Faith and Angel team up, mostly a keep it moving book.
December 5, 2013
That was not bad. Leagues above some of the newer buffy volumes.
February 23, 2024
This volume gets a sort of bonus star. Most of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8, Volume 1 and Angel: After the Fall, Volume 1 are so unforgivably bad, that it's nice to see that this is just a decently written comic.
Christos Gage has neve been one of my absolute favorite writers but he is a very competent comic writer who's worked in the industry for years. He knows how dialogue works on the page, and he understands how to unfold a narrative structure in comics/graphic novels.
Also, unlike Whedon, he has a decent sense of how to use nostalgia, continuity, and mythos to tell a new story that harkens back to familiar, enjoyable storylines, without having the subtext scream "I WROTE BUFFY, REMEMBER HOW AWESOME YOU THOUGHT I WAS, PLEASE CONTINUE TO LOVE ME, EVEN THOUGH MY IDEAS ARE HORRIBLE!!!!"
I almost put in a caveat about how much I enjoyed the first volume of Angel: After The Fall, only to watch it absolutely fall apart and become unbearable garbage later. I just think Gage is too good a writer for that. I think his worst comics are mundane, whereas After The Fall was an incompetent mess by people who hadn't mastered the medium.
Also, the art on this book is miles better than most of the Season 8 & After The Fall volumes. Rebekah Isaacs and Phil Noto are both top tier artists. While their styles are different, they both know how to how to fly a motorcycle over The Uncanny Valley, and make the characters look like the characters you love rather than be slaves to what the actors look like. Also, they both put in much mroe background detail than the previous artists, which I appreciate.
Overall, I'm excited about where this very focused first volume is headed. I thought the final issue in this collection, a callback to one of the best issues of Buffy Season 8, felt fun and essential to the overall storyline, even though it veers away from the main plot.
This is a Buffy related comic I am happy to recommend to fans of the show.
Christos Gage has neve been one of my absolute favorite writers but he is a very competent comic writer who's worked in the industry for years. He knows how dialogue works on the page, and he understands how to unfold a narrative structure in comics/graphic novels.
Also, unlike Whedon, he has a decent sense of how to use nostalgia, continuity, and mythos to tell a new story that harkens back to familiar, enjoyable storylines, without having the subtext scream "I WROTE BUFFY, REMEMBER HOW AWESOME YOU THOUGHT I WAS, PLEASE CONTINUE TO LOVE ME, EVEN THOUGH MY IDEAS ARE HORRIBLE!!!!"
I almost put in a caveat about how much I enjoyed the first volume of Angel: After The Fall, only to watch it absolutely fall apart and become unbearable garbage later. I just think Gage is too good a writer for that. I think his worst comics are mundane, whereas After The Fall was an incompetent mess by people who hadn't mastered the medium.
Also, the art on this book is miles better than most of the Season 8 & After The Fall volumes. Rebekah Isaacs and Phil Noto are both top tier artists. While their styles are different, they both know how to how to fly a motorcycle over The Uncanny Valley, and make the characters look like the characters you love rather than be slaves to what the actors look like. Also, they both put in much mroe background detail than the previous artists, which I appreciate.
Overall, I'm excited about where this very focused first volume is headed. I thought the final issue in this collection, a callback to one of the best issues of Buffy Season 8, felt fun and essential to the overall storyline, even though it veers away from the main plot.
This is a Buffy related comic I am happy to recommend to fans of the show.
March 19, 2017
Okay so this was literally so much fun. Nothing like the Buffy comics where I'm constantly grossed out my Xander and Dawn (just thinking about it is making me queasy). So the whole thing with trying to bring Giles back to life was dull, plus I'm still pro Giles death because I think he should've died before Anya or heck even Tara. I'm not super duper team Angel, because he doesn't treat Buffy right and he's willy nilly with his feelings while trying to be broody and act like she's the only one for him. The way I envision this series getting worse is if Angel goes for Faith then it would just be the Cordelia thing all over again and I will be upset all over again. Aside from all those bad memories it brought back some good memories. Number one being that last issue with Harmony and Clent. I love Harmony she is so underrated and so funny and she deserved so much more screen time (way more than Spike deserved). She made a penis joke to David Tennant involving the Tardis like are you kidding me! So good! She should have her own comic book series. Anyways back to this actual comic book series it was very interesting to see how things are going with the lack of magic. I'm really feeling for Faith in that she's trying to do right by the Slayers and by Angel. Ultimately she just wants everyone to be happy and wants Angel to be a human so he can get it on with Buffy like yes, please, thank you, do the thing. I really didn't follow the Angel as Twilight thing very well because I was too annoyed with the weird sexual things going on in the Buffy comics to be honest (I don't want to go into it because I'll get upset again and this was so pure and good). His bad guy sidekicks are getting on my nerves and I wished they would die sooner rather than later (even though I know it'll be later [I didn't get into the Buffyverse yesterday I know how these things work]) but overall I liked it despite the obvious choices and Harmony was there so ultimately I had a great time and even laughed out loud.
April 2, 2025
Angel as a character has always been defined by a desire to make up for his past, he just also has a bad habit of doing new things he needs redemption for, and in Buffy Season 8 he caused the death of about 250 slayers, and personally snapped Giles' neck. After spending his requisite two months of catatonic moping he has now started reading through Giles' watcher diaries and tying up the loose ends there. Faith also has done things she needs redemption for, but that's mostly in the past. Now she's somehow found herself as the mature sensible slayer. Since Buffy has become a bit of a pariah in slayer circles, it's Faith the younger ones are turning to. And it's Faith who feels she can help Angel find his way back to the righteous path. Together they're going to resurrect Rupert Giles. Well, Angel's going to try to bring back Giles and Faith is trying to decide if she's going to help him or stop him.
It's a good setup for a book, and comics generally do better with smaller casts, so the two of them seems like a good start. I'd toss in someone like Gunn or Lorne too, just for fun, but that's just me. It's a strong start.
After the first arc there's a one shot about Harmony and a sex tape, but I found it kind of dull. It felt potentially fun but I think a lot of the fun of Harmony is lost without Mercedes McNab's performance. The story also felt too out of lockstep with what the comic is doing. It would have fit in better in the first two seasons of the show, which the comic even acknowledged in some narration.
It's a good setup for a book, and comics generally do better with smaller casts, so the two of them seems like a good start. I'd toss in someone like Gunn or Lorne too, just for fun, but that's just me. It's a strong start.
After the first arc there's a one shot about Harmony and a sex tape, but I found it kind of dull. It felt potentially fun but I think a lot of the fun of Harmony is lost without Mercedes McNab's performance. The story also felt too out of lockstep with what the comic is doing. It would have fit in better in the first two seasons of the show, which the comic even acknowledged in some narration.
November 28, 2019
I wasn't sure if I was going to like this series, but it's off to a great start.
I still don't really like the whole Angel/Twilight thing from Buffy season 8, and I wasn't sure what they were going to do with that here. They manage to acknowledge it and use it as a way to move forward, in a fairly smooth and somewhat humorous way. (In the first issue, Faith says: "Y'know what? Your whole Twilight phase makes about as much sense as a David Lynch movie.")
Gage's writing is great here. The voices for the main characters sound right without going over the top or relying on catchphrases. (Though we do hear a "five by five" from Faith at one point.)
I wasn't familiar with Rebekah Isaacs before this, but I do like her art. She's pretty good with the likenesses for the main characters, and the new characters and monsters all look good too.
I still don't really like the whole Angel/Twilight thing from Buffy season 8, and I wasn't sure what they were going to do with that here. They manage to acknowledge it and use it as a way to move forward, in a fairly smooth and somewhat humorous way. (In the first issue, Faith says: "Y'know what? Your whole Twilight phase makes about as much sense as a David Lynch movie.")
Gage's writing is great here. The voices for the main characters sound right without going over the top or relying on catchphrases. (Though we do hear a "five by five" from Faith at one point.)
I wasn't familiar with Rebekah Isaacs before this, but I do like her art. She's pretty good with the likenesses for the main characters, and the new characters and monsters all look good too.
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