Angel: Only Human

Angel Comics (Buffy Vampire Slayer)

by Scott Lobdell

Now that the Fall is over, Illyria and Gunn are trying to get back on the straight and narrow. But having tasted their truly darker sides, is there any way to really come back from trying to end existence? Maybe a road trip will help. But visiting Fred's folks brings up more than just memories as The Scourge makes an appearance, along with an old enemy of Illyria's who's looking for a little payback. And it all hinges on whether Gunn and Illyria can settle their differences and learn to fight together.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Vampires, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Horror, Graphic Novels Comics

125 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 2, 2010

About the author

Scott Lobdell (born 1960) is an American comic book writer.

He is mostly known for his work throughout the 1990s on Marvel Comics' X-Men-related titles specifically Uncanny X-Men, the main title itself, and the spin-off series that he conceived with artist Chris Bachalo, Generation X. Generation X focused on a number of young mutant students who attempted to become superheroes in their own right at a separate school with the guidance of veteran X-related characters Banshee and Emma Frost. He also had writing stints on Marvel's Fantastic Four, Alpha Flight, and The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix mini-series with artist Gene Ha. He wrote the script to Stan Lee's Mosaic and an upcoming film from POW Entertainment featuring Ringo Starr. He also participated in the Marvel Comics and Image Comics (from Jim Lee's WildStorm) crossover mini-series WildC.A.T.s/X-Men.

Reviews

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed seeing Gunn and Illyria trying to figure themselves out together! Plus the imagery in this was amazing (bloody but amazing!) They were both kind of going through a crisis of identity which is relatable...although maybe not to their extreme! Overall, this was a really good, quick series that showed us where a couple of beloved characters were in their lives after the Fall of Los Angeles!

[TJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first reread in probably close to ten years. I really enjoyed this title when it was originally published; I'm a huge Illyria fan, so it was great to have some character growth for her here. And the look into her past was interesting. Gunn, post-AtF, is also pretty interesting, so I'm glad we got this chance to further explore his trauma. That said, I didn't love this one as much as I remembered. I'm thinking my expectations were really high from my nostalgia of reading it back in the day. Still, overall this is a solid story, and it's one of the better post-AtF IDW Angel comics not written by Brian Lynch (the only other worthy reads outside of his being this one, Music of the Spheres, Illyria: Haunted, and Yearbook). The character arcs are interesting, if done a bit too quickly. The art is good, I love the coloring. And the references to past episodes such as Hero and Time Bomb are really cool, since those are two of my favorite episodes! The ending twist was unexpected and interesting, but it felt like it wasn't given enough time to breathe, which is weird since the story overall probably could have been done in one less issue. So this time around, I was left with a few questions that irritated me, relating to the demons and specifically the child. It felt like it ended somewhat suddenly, which is a shame because that ending plot point was one of the most interesting things in this story! This miniseries is really just one long extension of #23 "Become What You Are" but it's worth reading to see some new angles of Illyria's character. 4/5 stars.

[Sesana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Set in the aftermath of the After the Fall storyline, Only Human is a miniseries starring Gunn and Illyria. The summary makes rather more of the story than is actual there. If you believe the copy, it's about Gunn and Illyria struggling to return to their former lives after hell, and Illyria coming to terms with the legacy of Fred. Not so much. Neither seem terribly bothered by what came before (the mainline book does a much better job of dealing with Gunn's guilt, and Illyria never seemed that upset to begin with) and Illyria doesn't really care that much about Fred's legacy. That aside, it's a very standard demon of the week plot, with only impossible-under-a-TV-budget special effects to separate it from an average episode of Angel. It isn't terrible, but neither is it great, or even essential.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always skeptical as to whether an ultra-powerful god can team up with a human street-fighter. The imbalance makes it so awkward, but this managed to pull off the unwieldy Superman-Batman team-up.
Although I think I'm just about done with I'm-a-psychopath-but-I'm-trying-to-fit-in-with-normal-people-unless-someone-tries-to-kill-me, but maybe that comes from watching Dexter and reading about OOTS's Belkar.

[Lady · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it a lot. Fred/Illyria are one of my favorite characters from Angel. I was glad to read a story about her.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story from the Angelverse wherein Gunn and Illyria visit Fred's folks to attend the funeral of her uncle. Illyria senses a gathering of The Scourge, a Nazi-like race of demons who manage to unearth a huge wormlike monster that she had buried beneath the Earth's surface eons ago. Amazing art and story. Very highly recommended.

[Love_booksforlife Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this volume definitely my favorite one of the Angel series so far. The storyline for Ilyria was amazing and had a great outcome. It was nice seeing her and Gunn together and working as a team.

[pianogal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love Illyria, not a big fan of Gunn. This one was a little flat for me, but I'm still glad I read it.

[John Michael Strubhart]

Neato!

Brilliantly illustrated and engaging my told, this little gem will make your day if you choose to read it. Enjoy!

[Meital Gertel · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute story with nice callbacks to ANGEL

[Robert · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Let's take the two worst characters and but them together" said the drunken editor who approved this.

[Sarah Weiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Wow! I really liked this! First, the art was a step-above Urru's After the Fall work - they looked like their characters!

The villains were also welcome - I won't get into spoilers, but my expectations were certainly subverted. This book doesn't shy away from what humanity means in the Buffy-verse. It uses it to interrogate the characters and their decisions. Gunn and Illyria are each trying to figure out who they are after they return to LA, but in different ways: Gunn needs to reclaim his membership in the demon-hunter squad, but he also needs to allow his knowledge from his time in Hell to inform his demon hunting. Illyria has recognized that she is different because of Fred's memories, but she doesn't know how to blend her demonic and human inclinations. It's a very good story.

[Nan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure if I should read this book or not, as if follows after the Angel: After the Fall storyline, and I never had a chance to read the second half of that story. However, once it arrived in the mail today, I simply couldn't resist and jumped in almost right away.

This is the story of Gunn and Illyria, after everything is over. They're both at crossroads within their lives and trying to find a role for themselves in this new present. Fred's parents call to tell her that there's been a death in the family, so Gunn and Illyria decide to go to the funeral--both of them looking for connection and escape.

The narrative moves smoothly between flashbacks to Gunn's childhood and Illyria's first incarnation and shows how that past informs who they are now and the choices they make. I'm not sure just how much of the plot of this episode changes them in their day-to-day lives afterward. However, it is a great short story that allows readers to see the ways in which each character is lost within themselves and seeking connection to others.

I loved this book.

And I still miss Fred.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

We get to see more of Charles Gunn's background when he encountered his first vampire and the beginnings of how he became the vampire hunter we first met in his first TV appearance on "Angel" and how this story explores the themes of Gunn's and Illyria's identity crisis following the previous events of Illyria's resurrection and the Fall of L.A and Gunn's brief stint as a soulless vampire back to human again.

An old villain makes a return appearance: The Scourge with the same goals as last time, wipes out humanity and Gunn/Illyria manages to stop them and a demon from Illyria's past.

The flashbacks were fun and interesting to see the parallels between the similar journeys that Gunn/Illyria was experiencing in present tense but it still felt like something was missing just can't put my finger on it.

Perhaps it's me wishing that the themes in this comic were explored further perhaps extending the story into a three-parter or something as it feels like Illyria is still very dismissive of Fred's legacy even though she's still trying to adapt to her new situation, "her humanity".

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gunn and Illyria go on a road trip after 1) LA's return from Hell and 2) news that Fred (the human body the demon Illyria inhabits) uncle has died. While Illyria decides to explore what it is to be human (and apparently not caring very much about it) we get added info on both her and Gunn's past. An attempt is made here to give demons actual personalities and understanding of their motivation. While creator Joss Whedon has back away from this series because of recent online controversy over this series and Dark Horse's Buffy series, this installment, as has Brian Lynch's episodes, read close to a Whedon creation.

[Jessie (Zombie_likes_cake) · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a change, I thoroughly enjoyed one of the Angel comics again. Yes, the fight sequence was a bit too drawn out and I would have liked to see more of an interaction between Illyria and Fred's parents, but that aside "Only Human" has a lot going for it, and I flew through it.
The place Gunn went to made him so interesting, he was never one of my favorites on the TV show but his arc in the comics I find rather fascinating. And Illyria was one of my favorites as soon as she took over, what a shame to not have seen more from her on the TV screen.
The plot here is not overly inventive but I found it engaging and driven. Glad I picked this up!

[Lloyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting this to be quite the standalone story that it was, but it wasn't bad. The writing was more to my liking than the immediately preceding volume, even if it was narrowly focused on Gunn and Illyria. It might not move the overall series along right away, but it does give some more character background and explain how they are coping with their memories of the non-history of events "after the fall."

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

A spin-off volume following the events of Angel: After the Fall, involving Illyria and Gunn and them dealing with the after-effects of the finale. There were some interesting glimpses into both of their histories, but overall this just fell flat for me. There really wasn't much depth here, and it was disappointing just how much of a standalone this wound up being.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

A road trip with Illyria and Gunn, where they happen to come across the Scourge. Some really nice character bits, and it does feel like an Angel episode. You can literally hear the characters speak in your head. A good read. Nice and self contained, just the odd mention about 'After the Fall'.

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better, much better. It had a nice juxtaposition between uber powerful and merely human, enjoying an exploration of what it means to be both or neither. The art was much better, too. This one was quite enjoyable, but then, I've always loved seeing old ones fight.

[Jennifer Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this volume definitely my favorite one of the Angel series so far. The storyline for Ilyria was amazing and had a great outcome. It was nice seeing her and Gunn together and working as a team.

[Mary Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really rich story featuring Gunn and Illyria. The visuals are just stunning and the story is solid. Must read for fans of the Angel tv series and these characters.

[Wt Prater · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent

[Saint Lart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. Call me a fanboi but I'll take and excuse to go back into the Buffyverse. Who wouldn't want to go on a road trip with Elder thing blue and Gunn?

[Variaciones Enrojo]

Continuación de Tras la caída.

[Arie ☂ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars. Disappointing. Illyria arcs are usually my favourite, but nothing really happened here? It was just pretty blah. She's better off teaming up with Spike.

[Hayley (Strange & Unusual Book Club) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The antagonists are dispatched far too easily but the character work with Gunn and Illyria is great.