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Angel & Faith: Season 10 #1
Angel & Faith: Season 10, Vol. 1: Where the River Meets the Sea
Angel’s work is never done. Last time he averted an apocalypse, part of London turned into a chaotic stew of supernatural forces. Who better to watch over it than Angel himself? Or so he thinks. Meanwhile, Faith begins a new chapter in her life — slaying the undead, and then going corporate...
Collects Angel & Faith Season 10 #1–#5.
Collects Angel & Faith Season 10 #1–#5.
136 pages, Paperback
First published December 23, 2014
9 people are currently reading
428 people want to read
About the author
Victor Gischler
369 books413 followersVictor Gischler is an American author of humorous crime fiction.
Gischler's debut novel Gun Monkeys was nominated for the Edgar Award, and his novel Shotgun Opera was an Anthony Award finalist. His work has been translated into Italian, French, Spanish and Japanese. He earned a Ph.D. in English at the University of Southern Mississippi. His fifth novel Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse was published in 2008 by the Touchstone/Fireside imprint of Simon & Schuster.
He has also writes American comic books like The Punisher: Frank Castle, Wolverine and Deadpool for Marvel Comics. Gischler worked on X-Men "Curse of the Mutants" starting in the Death of Dracula one-shot and continued in X-Men #1.
Gun Monkeys has been optioned for a film adaptation, with Lee Goldberg writing the script and Ryuhei Kitamura penciled in to direct.
Gischler's debut novel Gun Monkeys was nominated for the Edgar Award, and his novel Shotgun Opera was an Anthony Award finalist. His work has been translated into Italian, French, Spanish and Japanese. He earned a Ph.D. in English at the University of Southern Mississippi. His fifth novel Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse was published in 2008 by the Touchstone/Fireside imprint of Simon & Schuster.
He has also writes American comic books like The Punisher: Frank Castle, Wolverine and Deadpool for Marvel Comics. Gischler worked on X-Men "Curse of the Mutants" starting in the Death of Dracula one-shot and continued in X-Men #1.
Gun Monkeys has been optioned for a film adaptation, with Lee Goldberg writing the script and Ryuhei Kitamura penciled in to direct.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
January 18, 2020
Victor Gischler and Will Conrad take over the creative duties on Angel and Faith. I like Conrad's art quite a bit. He's able to capture the actor's likenesses without being as cartoony as previous Buffy artists. Gischler continues Angel's storyline from Season 9 while Faith sets out to be a bodyguard for Kennedy's firm like Buffy did in Season 9. Angel patrols Magictown, felling guilty about the magic that was released in the area of London by Whistler. You definitely will have want to have read Season 9 as just about every character returns. I liked that Angel has to fight a horde of pixies but I felt Gischler missed some of the humor of the situation. It's a solid start to Season 10.
April 7, 2016
I'm not convinced Gischler was the right choice as a new writer for this series. Christos Gage, who did a marvellous job with Angel & Faith Season 9, is doing the Buffy half of Season 10 this time around, which I haven't yet read. But here, on A&F, things look dreary based on that first volume. The characterisation is fine, but the plots are pretty bad.
First of all, I don't think it was a smart idea to separate Angel and Faith and give each of them their own storyline. They don't even interconnect, and each character is kind of a bummer by themselves. Angel's story is bland, with a ridiculous villain and a lot of boring exposition, but at least he has Giles's awesome aunts. Meanwhile, Faith's story is just stupid. She works as a bodyguard for a douchebag teenage rock star? Really? I hate that they give Kennedy and her stupid security company so much focus, this whole establishment just doesn't work in the Buffyverse, and is something that is hauntingly reminiscent of the dreadful Season 8. And Kennedy, of course, was one of the most universally hated characters on Buffy the TV show. And then, to top it all off, just as Faith was apparently going to go and reunite with Angel, Kennedy makes her stay, because fucking Riley is missing. Seriously, guys? That assbutt again? Who cares that he's missing, let him rot!
Other than that, the last standalone issue in this collection was very good, it reminded me a lot of some early monster-of-the-week Angel episodes, which was nice for a change. And, again, I adore Lavinia and Sophronia, they are by far the best comic addition to the Buffyverse canon. Anyway, this one last issue was a one-star bump in my rating, because otherwise this volume sucked.
As a side note: I really wish they would bring more characters and plots from the Angel TV show to this series. I mean, damn, we can have Kennedy as a regular character, but no Gunn? They build a major plot point around Riley, but no Illyria? And Spike was so, so, SO much better paired with Angel than with Buffy, but no, now that we have two parallel comic series, Buffy should get Spike, while A&F is left with scraps. It feels as if all the Buffy TV events matter, but the Angel legacy is just tossed in the bin. That is so disappointing. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Buffy, too, I just really miss the Angel gang and think they deserve better than to be so blatantly forgotten. Makes me wonder how much creative input Joss Whedon still has on these comics.
First of all, I don't think it was a smart idea to separate Angel and Faith and give each of them their own storyline. They don't even interconnect, and each character is kind of a bummer by themselves. Angel's story is bland, with a ridiculous villain and a lot of boring exposition, but at least he has Giles's awesome aunts. Meanwhile, Faith's story is just stupid. She works as a bodyguard for a douchebag teenage rock star? Really? I hate that they give Kennedy and her stupid security company so much focus, this whole establishment just doesn't work in the Buffyverse, and is something that is hauntingly reminiscent of the dreadful Season 8. And Kennedy, of course, was one of the most universally hated characters on Buffy the TV show. And then, to top it all off, just as Faith was apparently going to go and reunite with Angel, Kennedy makes her stay, because fucking Riley is missing. Seriously, guys? That assbutt again? Who cares that he's missing, let him rot!
Other than that, the last standalone issue in this collection was very good, it reminded me a lot of some early monster-of-the-week Angel episodes, which was nice for a change. And, again, I adore Lavinia and Sophronia, they are by far the best comic addition to the Buffyverse canon. Anyway, this one last issue was a one-star bump in my rating, because otherwise this volume sucked.
As a side note: I really wish they would bring more characters and plots from the Angel TV show to this series. I mean, damn, we can have Kennedy as a regular character, but no Gunn? They build a major plot point around Riley, but no Illyria? And Spike was so, so, SO much better paired with Angel than with Buffy, but no, now that we have two parallel comic series, Buffy should get Spike, while A&F is left with scraps. It feels as if all the Buffy TV events matter, but the Angel legacy is just tossed in the bin. That is so disappointing. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Buffy, too, I just really miss the Angel gang and think they deserve better than to be so blatantly forgotten. Makes me wonder how much creative input Joss Whedon still has on these comics.
April 9, 2015
This is the beginning of a new season. Faith has left Angel and she is out on her own. Meanwhile, Angel is still in England dealing with the outcome of his battle with Whistler.
Nothing too exciting happened in this collection. Faith's story line of her being alone has been a recurring theme throughout the whole series and her temporary employment has also been done before with Buffy. Angel's story line was readable but nothing really excited me. It did introduce a new character and a new plot line that will be further explored. I believe the problem was that it didn't entice me enough with its explanation and it didn't leave me wanting more. Maybe the next collection will correct this.
If you are hooked on this series because you read the previous season then you should read this. I do not suggest this as a starting point. If you are new to this series I strongly suggest beginning with the first season as that was terrific and will make you become a fan.
Nothing too exciting happened in this collection. Faith's story line of her being alone has been a recurring theme throughout the whole series and her temporary employment has also been done before with Buffy. Angel's story line was readable but nothing really excited me. It did introduce a new character and a new plot line that will be further explored. I believe the problem was that it didn't entice me enough with its explanation and it didn't leave me wanting more. Maybe the next collection will correct this.
If you are hooked on this series because you read the previous season then you should read this. I do not suggest this as a starting point. If you are new to this series I strongly suggest beginning with the first season as that was terrific and will make you become a fan.
March 24, 2015
I've never found Gischler to be a particularly strong author, so I wouldn't have picked this book up if it weren't one of the core books for Buffy Season 10. Still, it wasn't bad. I was a bit bemused by the constant "shock reveals" at the end of issues of people that I had no idea who were, and the big bad of this first arc seemed quite ... little. Still, the Faith and Angel plots were both interesting enough. It was good to see Faith being Faith and Angel investigating something.
I'm not quite sure what to make of the newspaper headline in the last panel, but it was the most interesting thing about the book, because it was mysterious whereas most of the rest of the volume was mundane.
Really, a 3.5 out of 5.
I'm not quite sure what to make of the newspaper headline in the last panel, but it was the most interesting thing about the book, because it was mysterious whereas most of the rest of the volume was mundane.
Really, a 3.5 out of 5.
December 27, 2018
The writing has sadly gone down a couple of notches this season, there’s really no punch to it at all, and separating Angel and Faith when they’re the only two regulars isn’t the best of ideas.
I am enjoying the likeness in the art, but it does come off a bit stagnant/staged.
I am enjoying the likeness in the art, but it does come off a bit stagnant/staged.
July 16, 2015
So what happens when the two co-stars of your book are separated? You get a book that feels almost schizophrenic, as it switches back and forth between their separate stories. That'd be enough, but the dialogue and internal monologues manage to transition between each, which lands somewhere between 'cute' and 'annoying.' The actual stories are okay - Angel's is more interesting, as he investigates and tries to take down a vicious band of pixies in the newly created Magic Town, and finds new allies. Faith's story is a retread of Buffy's experience in the middle of Season 9, when she signs up for Deepscan, the corporate slayer experience. It has almost the same story beats (which the characters themselves even note), and doesn't do anything surprising until the last moment of its section of this collection; that twist bodes well for the story going forward, but it was a bit of a non-starter in what's included. Still, the art is good, with Magic Town having lots of unique characters and looks. This isn't quite as strong as Buffy Season 10 Volume 1, but it's a decent start considering the predicament it is in with its title characters being split.
March 2, 2017
While I didn't find the start of season 10 as strong as seasons 8 and 9, I still enjoyed this comic.
It felt a bit disjointed, with Angel and Faith now on separate continents, and I missed their chemistry. On the Angel side, I'm glad that he's dealing with the aftermath of Magic Town, and they introduced a few twists that I think could have interesting ramifications. On the Faith side, the story felt a bit paint-by-numbers, but I'm hoping the cliffhanger will liven things up.
As for the artwork, I thought the illustrations were beautiful and the likenesses well done. However, some of the panels got a bit messy and hard to take in, especially in action scenes.
Overall, this is a solid addition to the series, and has created some promising possibilities for volume 2.
It felt a bit disjointed, with Angel and Faith now on separate continents, and I missed their chemistry. On the Angel side, I'm glad that he's dealing with the aftermath of Magic Town, and they introduced a few twists that I think could have interesting ramifications. On the Faith side, the story felt a bit paint-by-numbers, but I'm hoping the cliffhanger will liven things up.
As for the artwork, I thought the illustrations were beautiful and the likenesses well done. However, some of the panels got a bit messy and hard to take in, especially in action scenes.
Overall, this is a solid addition to the series, and has created some promising possibilities for volume 2.
September 13, 2015
Wow, talk about a step in the wrong direction. Art and writing have gone down horribly after the great season nine. It's all been there, done that. Faith with Kennedy, check, Angel being told what to do and doing it, check... only mildly interesting development was the disappearance of Riley, which didn't get developed yet...
June 14, 2015
Enjoyed this comic. Hope everything works out for Angel and Faith. Glad that Giles is back. Hope they will be able to find Riley.
Would recommend to fans of Buffy and Angel. Also to fans of vampires in general.
Would recommend to fans of Buffy and Angel. Also to fans of vampires in general.
May 6, 2015
Angel and Faith split up, Faith has a delivery for LA while Angel stays back in London to deal with the fallout of unleashing magic back into the world. So many familiar faces, an old nemesis returns, and lots of Faith being awesome.
December 8, 2015
Not super absorbing, but I'm interested enough to give the next one a whirl. I didn't think the writing had as much of a Joss Whedony flavor as the previous arc.
April 8, 2025
At the end of the last season Faith left to join Kennedy's Deepscan, while Angel stayed to watch over Magic Town, the neighbourhood mutated into magical creatures by Whistler's failed plan. Angel & Faith starts the new season with the two separated into their own story arcs. Angel is trying to stop a gang of pixies that have taken control of the area, while Faith is working as the bodyguard for a rockstar. They're basically separate stories so I'll handle them one at a time. First though, we have the new creative team.
For some reason that I'm sure made sense to Dark Horse, they have shuffled the creative teams on the 3 Whedon comics. The team behind the last season has moved over to Buffy. Instead of them Will Conrad, previously the artist on the Serenity titles, has taken over penciling duties. Will Conrad is the best at the three at likenesses, the characters look exactly like themselves, but his approach to action can be a bit painterly. He was well suited to Serenity, but I'm not totally sold on him here. The new writer is Victor Gischler who previously wrote the very silly Spike: A Dark Place. He seems to write silly plots with extreme seriousness. He seems fine, but it's a bit soon to tell.
Angel's story is basically about introducing the new setting and players. Nadira is back, but she's been mutated both physically and into a new character. Gone is the brash young slayer, and in her place we have a mystic guru type. There's also a young cop who's mad that law enforcement has pulled out of Magic Town. The pixies are what they are - they're there so we can introduce the new setting.
Faith's story is a little more character based. She's feeling a bit lost and is working for Kennedy's Deep Scan, a body guard service which employs slayers only. Her job is to protect a rock star who turns out to be a demon who feeds off the energy of young women. In this case, the young woman is actually an underage girl. Kennedy admonishes Faith for not reading the file (even though she could have just told her when she briefed her), but denies any knowledge that he was targeting underage girls. So you were okay with him feeding off 18 year olds, Ken? I assume it didn't kill them, but it still seems extremely clear cut ethically. Congratulations Kennedy, you have invented Wolfram & Hart.
Lindsay McDonald addressed this problem in Angel's final season, "Every day you sit behind your desk and you learn a little more how to accept the world the way it is. Well, here's the rub. Heroes don't do that. Heroes don't accept the world the way it is. They fight it." Kennedy has fully accepted the world the way it is, and is now working to protect that status quo. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It is the only way to become that rich. I wish I knew whether the comic was aware of this, it seems to think the problem here is Faith. I think the problem here is Deep Scan, Kennedy and everything she's accepted about the world so she can become extremely wealthy.
I can't say I'm thrilled by the cliffhangers, but I am intrigued about how the book is going to reunite its two disparate halves into one again.
For some reason that I'm sure made sense to Dark Horse, they have shuffled the creative teams on the 3 Whedon comics. The team behind the last season has moved over to Buffy. Instead of them Will Conrad, previously the artist on the Serenity titles, has taken over penciling duties. Will Conrad is the best at the three at likenesses, the characters look exactly like themselves, but his approach to action can be a bit painterly. He was well suited to Serenity, but I'm not totally sold on him here. The new writer is Victor Gischler who previously wrote the very silly Spike: A Dark Place. He seems to write silly plots with extreme seriousness. He seems fine, but it's a bit soon to tell.
Angel's story is basically about introducing the new setting and players. Nadira is back, but she's been mutated both physically and into a new character. Gone is the brash young slayer, and in her place we have a mystic guru type. There's also a young cop who's mad that law enforcement has pulled out of Magic Town. The pixies are what they are - they're there so we can introduce the new setting.
Faith's story is a little more character based. She's feeling a bit lost and is working for Kennedy's Deep Scan, a body guard service which employs slayers only. Her job is to protect a rock star who turns out to be a demon who feeds off the energy of young women. In this case, the young woman is actually an underage girl. Kennedy admonishes Faith for not reading the file (even though she could have just told her when she briefed her), but denies any knowledge that he was targeting underage girls. So you were okay with him feeding off 18 year olds, Ken? I assume it didn't kill them, but it still seems extremely clear cut ethically. Congratulations Kennedy, you have invented Wolfram & Hart.
Lindsay McDonald addressed this problem in Angel's final season, "Every day you sit behind your desk and you learn a little more how to accept the world the way it is. Well, here's the rub. Heroes don't do that. Heroes don't accept the world the way it is. They fight it." Kennedy has fully accepted the world the way it is, and is now working to protect that status quo. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It is the only way to become that rich. I wish I knew whether the comic was aware of this, it seems to think the problem here is Faith. I think the problem here is Deep Scan, Kennedy and everything she's accepted about the world so she can become extremely wealthy.
I can't say I'm thrilled by the cliffhangers, but I am intrigued about how the book is going to reunite its two disparate halves into one again.
June 25, 2025
End of season 9 left Angel picking up the pieces to the mess that is 'Magic Town' and Young Giles and Faith looking to meet up with the OG Scoobie Gang...
Now?
Welcome to the hot mess...AKA 'Magic Town'. Angel is by himself and learns about the new powers of vampires after magic has been brought back. Nadira(?) (...that annoying angry Slayer that was blown up at the end of Season 9) is back and is more mystic guide than disgruntled former teammate. Faith is (STILL?) screwing up. Who needs to learn, mature, and age? It's not like it's been several years and tons of things have happened in their life to give them a new perspective on things.
Ugh.
Maybe we'll see characters change. Season 9 of Buffy wasn't too promising in that regard either.
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Bonus: At least the art is strong, with likenesses of the actors being near perfect.
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Now?
Welcome to the hot mess...AKA 'Magic Town'. Angel is by himself and learns about the new powers of vampires after magic has been brought back. Nadira(?) (...that annoying angry Slayer that was blown up at the end of Season 9) is back and is more mystic guide than disgruntled former teammate. Faith is (STILL?) screwing up. Who needs to learn, mature, and age? It's not like it's been several years and tons of things have happened in their life to give them a new perspective on things.
Ugh.
Maybe we'll see characters change. Season 9 of Buffy wasn't too promising in that regard either.
=========
Bonus: At least the art is strong, with likenesses of the actors being near perfect.
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February 13, 2020
So far, not as strong as Season 9, but I do love the new artist. I wish more of the art in both series was like this.
Angel and Faith are living totally different storylines, so I'm not sure why they're even included in the same comic for any reason other than they were together last season. This is also pulling heavily from the Buffy side of the universe, bringing in characters like and Kennedy. (Of all the characters to keep around, why KENNEDY??)
It would be nice to see a return of characters from Angel's TV series, instead of going back to rely on Buffy for plot points.
Angel and Faith are living totally different storylines, so I'm not sure why they're even included in the same comic for any reason other than they were together last season. This is also pulling heavily from the Buffy side of the universe, bringing in characters like and Kennedy. (Of all the characters to keep around, why KENNEDY??)
It would be nice to see a return of characters from Angel's TV series, instead of going back to rely on Buffy for plot points.
August 7, 2020
Quando mi sono approcciato a questo primo volume di Angel & Faith mi aspettavo che le loro strade al momento sarebbero state divise (angel resta a Londra e Faith accetta il lavoro offerto da Kennedy in America) ma mi aspettavo sarebbe stata una cosa momentanea. Così non è stato, e meno male... ripensandoci c'è la possibilità di esplorare i due personaggi principali da soli in questo nuovo mondo creato nel finale della stagione 9 di Buffy.
Sono sicuro che ad un certo punto i due si ritroveranno ma per ora mi godo il loro viaggio in solo!
P.S. Nadira è molto intrigante come nuova figura nella storia ma non mi fido. Vedremo!
Sono sicuro che ad un certo punto i due si ritroveranno ma per ora mi godo il loro viaggio in solo!
P.S. Nadira è molto intrigante come nuova figura nella storia ma non mi fido. Vedremo!
March 1, 2024
3.25ish? i dunno, tonally this wasn’t as good as last season - maybe it’s the fact that angel and faith are separated and the disjointed story telling sucks. maybe it’s bc we did the whole a good slayer joins Kennedy are realizes this isn’t for her, maybe it’s bc they are able to make me try and care that Riley is missing. angel just seems lonely and boring at this point, a whole cast of characters and not a single angel character can make it over? like what’s Gunn up to. Lorne? Connor? give me something!
ill be curious to see how the whole magic town consequences continues to unfold. the changes so far have been interesting.
ill be curious to see how the whole magic town consequences continues to unfold. the changes so far have been interesting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2022
Oof, why are we bringing back Kennedy & her bodyguard business again?? Just a rehash of the Buffy plot with them in season 9, basically. Only less interesting and more predictable. Nadira’s return is… fine. She’s not one of the stronger original characters of the series. And Inspector Brandt just seems like across the pond!Kate/Dowling-lite.
The new art by Will Conrad is GORGEOUS, and his Faith and Buffy in particular are stellar, although he’s weaker with the men. Jury’s out on season 10 here. I’ll be interested to see the titular characters back together in action.
The new art by Will Conrad is GORGEOUS, and his Faith and Buffy in particular are stellar, although he’s weaker with the men. Jury’s out on season 10 here. I’ll be interested to see the titular characters back together in action.
July 24, 2017
Being a buffy fan for so long it was good to see my good old friends angel and faith a bit more, however i did just jump into season 10 without reading any of the prior seasons before. This was great, and I loved the different atmosphere it allowed us to have
September 9, 2019
The new season is full of promises. I just hope Faith and Angel won't stay separated too long, the back and forth between the two stories will get annoying fast. The art is pretty good, somewhat different from the previous season but I like it.
June 30, 2023
Where has the depth and wit gone? The characters felt one-dimensional, the story flat, reintroduced characters uninteresting and important moments just brushed over. I was hoping for more this season (though my previous review of the volume says otherwise).
June 7, 2017
I've really grown to love Angel and Faith, and it's a damn shame they didn't get enough time on TV together. Ah well, they have their comics!
July 9, 2017
Sad angel and faith are apart. Also miss Giles. Good story.
August 25, 2017
There for awhile I was enjoying Angel & Faith more than Buffy. Now Buffy has overtaken this series though I'm still enjoying it.
February 27, 2019
Not as enjoyable as the first volume of Buffy Season 10, why did we have to break-up Angel & Faith if the book is called Angel & Faith?
May 11, 2021
With the game-changing events of Buffy, I'm glad to see the Angel storyline tying into it. Somewhat. In a completely different way. But I'm eager to see where this goes.
March 19, 2024
Pode Joss Whedon deixar de facer a vida de Faith miserable??
May 16, 2024
3.5 I miss the previous writer, really liked the Faith parts (and love the art for her) but Angel's plot was dumb. Still love my aunties though.
April 26, 2025
Season 10 for Angel and Faith starts of slow as it tries to find its fitting. This arc struggles to shift between monster of the week vibe and oh we need to set up an over arching plot.
July 4, 2025
Great start to a new season with Angel and Faith separated, trying to find their way with all the new magic happening. Nice art style too!
June 13, 2015
Angel and Faith have their own individual issues as Season 10 kicks off for the titular characters of this Buffyverse graphic novel. Having altered a portion of London into a mystical borough, Angel looks to patrol the so-called Magic Town in order to atone for his errors. His attempts to corral a gang of vicious pixies lead him to encounter old faces: Former Slayer Nadira is now a mystical guru, witch Amy Madison is stirring up trouble, and nightmares of Angelus may actually be more than just fever dreams. Faith, on the other hand, has dropped Giles off with Buffy and taken a gig with Kennedy's Slayer business. Her first assignment as bodyguard to a demonic rock star leads to her quitting the group - until being sent on a mission to locate the missing Riley Finn. Victor Gischler does a great job of balancing out his two protagonists, offering them two very different paths of continued redemption. The otherworldly Magic Town comes to life under the art style of Will Conrad, who also provide a counterpoint with the more urban experiences of Faith's job. Find out exactly where the river meets the sea; that's where you will find a great addition to the Buffy mythos.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews