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Angel Comics (Buffy Vampire Slayer)
Angel Omnibus
Discover the Angel Omnibus, which collects the IDW's Angel: The Curse, Angel: Old Friends, Angel: Spotlight, and Angel: Auld Lang Syne.
This huge collection of comics includes work by New York Times best-selling writer Peter David, and features the most popular characters from the TV show including Spike and Illyria.
This huge collection of comics includes work by New York Times best-selling writer Peter David, and features the most popular characters from the TV show including Spike and Illyria.
488 pages, Paperback
First published November 18, 2008
6 people are currently reading
910 people want to read
About the author
Jeffrey J. Mariotte
161 books163 followersAlso writes as Jeff Mariotte
Jeffrey J. Mariotte is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 70 novels, including the Cody Cavanaugh western series, historical western epic Blood and Gold: The Legend of Joaquin Murrieta (with Peter Murrieta), thrillers Empty Rooms and The Devil's Bait, supernatural thrillers Season of the Wolf, Missing White Girl, River Runs Red, and Cold Black Hearts, horror epic The Slab, and the Dark Vengeance teen horror quartet. With wife and writing partner Marsheila (Marcy) Rockwell, he wrote the sf/horror/thriller 7 SYKOS and Mafia III: Plain of Jars, the authorized prequel to the bestselling video game. His most recent release is the short story collection Byrd's Luck & Other Stories, comprising five "traditional" Western tales and five horror-Western stories, two of them brand-new for this edition.
He also writes occasional nonfiction, short fiction (some of which is collected in Nine Frights), and comic books, including the long-running horror/Western comic book series Desperadoes and graphic novels Fade to Black and Zombie Cop. With Marsheila Rockwell, he has published several short stories and is working on more. He has worked in virtually every aspect of the book business, as a writer, editor, marketing executive, and bookseller.
Learn more at www.jeffmariotte.com, and follow him at https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyJMari... and @JeffMariotte on Twitter.
Also writes as Jeff Mariotte
Jeffrey J. Mariotte is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 70 novels, including the Cody Cavanaugh western series, historical western epic Blood and Gold: The Legend of Joaquin Murrieta (with Peter Murrieta), thrillers Empty Rooms and The Devil's Bait, supernatural thrillers Season of the Wolf, Missing White Girl, River Runs Red, and Cold Black Hearts, horror epic The Slab, and the Dark Vengeance teen horror quartet. With wife and writing partner Marsheila (Marcy) Rockwell, he wrote the sf/horror/thriller 7 SYKOS and Mafia III: Plain of Jars, the authorized prequel to the bestselling video game. His most recent release is the short story collection Byrd's Luck & Other Stories, comprising five "traditional" Western tales and five horror-Western stories, two of them brand-new for this edition.
He also writes occasional nonfiction, short fiction (some of which is collected in Nine Frights), and comic books, including the long-running horror/Western comic book series Desperadoes and graphic novels Fade to Black and Zombie Cop. With Marsheila Rockwell, he has published several short stories and is working on more. He has worked in virtually every aspect of the book business, as a writer, editor, marketing executive, and bookseller.
Learn more at www.jeffmariotte.com, and follow him at https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyJMari... and @JeffMariotte on Twitter.
Also writes as Jeff Mariotte
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
January 16, 2022
if you loved the show and want some more this is a good read.
some of the art isn't very good like the story of conner you coudn't really tell it was him.
but i loved the stories anyway, specially the ones with spike.
some of the art isn't very good like the story of conner you coudn't really tell it was him.
but i loved the stories anyway, specially the ones with spike.
March 26, 2015
Angel Omnibus collects four previously published Angel graphic novels that take place after the TV series finale.
Most of the stories are pretty good, with Old Friends being the strongest of the four volumes and Spotlight volume being the weakest, even though Illyria: Spotlight is probably the best single issue in the entire collection.
Even though the characters do not always look like they did on the TV show, the art is great, except in the few spotlight issues that were not done by the same artist that did the rest of the omnibus.
Overall, a great read for the fans of the TV show.
Most of the stories are pretty good, with Old Friends being the strongest of the four volumes and Spotlight volume being the weakest, even though Illyria: Spotlight is probably the best single issue in the entire collection.
Even though the characters do not always look like they did on the TV show, the art is great, except in the few spotlight issues that were not done by the same artist that did the rest of the omnibus.
Overall, a great read for the fans of the TV show.
December 28, 2022
This was fun.
Getting to reimmerse in the world of Angel but with differences to the show so not boring or overplayed. It was fun seeing the characters again and seeing their interactions.
Getting to reimmerse in the world of Angel but with differences to the show so not boring or overplayed. It was fun seeing the characters again and seeing their interactions.
October 24, 2017
Probably more like 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Overall, I enjoyed the stories in this omnibus. Each added a little more depth to Angel's world, and I especially appreciated the issues that focused on other members of Wolfram & Hart. Being a huge fan of Angel and Spike's dynamic, I thought the story that forced them to work together offered an interesting examination of their characters, particularly how they each grapple with their souls and regrets.
My main critiques are that I felt the art was sometimes too dark (which made some volumes difficult to "read"), the character likenesses weren't great (especially compared to other Angel/Buffy comics), and I sometimes felt Angel's actions seemed out of character for him.
Still, an enjoyable read for fans of Angel's gritty world, action-packed plots, and eternal brooding.
Overall, I enjoyed the stories in this omnibus. Each added a little more depth to Angel's world, and I especially appreciated the issues that focused on other members of Wolfram & Hart. Being a huge fan of Angel and Spike's dynamic, I thought the story that forced them to work together offered an interesting examination of their characters, particularly how they each grapple with their souls and regrets.
My main critiques are that I felt the art was sometimes too dark (which made some volumes difficult to "read"), the character likenesses weren't great (especially compared to other Angel/Buffy comics), and I sometimes felt Angel's actions seemed out of character for him.
Still, an enjoyable read for fans of Angel's gritty world, action-packed plots, and eternal brooding.
January 4, 2020
Nicely done! The last story has my favorite graphics and my favorite plot. If you're an Angel fan, you'll probably enjoy this. I read it using Comixology. The flow is fairly good, but sometimes, the panels switch from portrait to landscape too often. It's not so much fun flipping your tablet every 10 seconds. Im forgiving of this, because this volume is not exactly recent and we're fortunate to have a digital version of it. Thank you, publishers.
July 29, 2023
enjoyed these additional stories of angel - i know it is not technically canon but the stories featuring spike (old friends and auld lang syne) were very good and i enjoyed seeing their dynamic continue to develop. not my favorite of artists here but the stories were good enough.
also as im still a b*tch for spike/buffy.. the ending line from him saying Buffy’s the only thing that keeps him alive… goodbye
also as im still a b*tch for spike/buffy.. the ending line from him saying Buffy’s the only thing that keeps him alive… goodbye
May 8, 2018
It was so nice to immerse myself in the Buffyverse again. But I seriously need to go back and rewatch Angel — there is so much I’ve forgotten.
October 22, 2020
Pack con unitarios de Angel previamente publicados por Norma.
September 30, 2024
A decent collection The Curse and Old Friends were each a solid 3, I didn't care for Auld Lang Sune but did really enjoy Spotlight averaging the book out at three.
September 26, 2016
Not to put too fine a point on it, but there is no point in reading this if you are not already familiar with and, it has been submitted, emotionally over-invested in the world of Buffy and Angel.
Best/easiest reviewed individually. Spoilers duh.
"The Curse" is a strong start. Angel visits the Rom clan he terrorized a century past, now to help them oust a racial-cleansing-happy leader and then to see if they, perhaps, will ixnay his ursecay. Wouldn't you know, it comes down to a nominally mystical, structurally existential moral choice. Which is why the Buffyverse pleases me so: you get what you want rarely, you do what you must regardless, and that is that. David Messina's art is of good tone and mood. (Oh but the women. They are universally possessed of: size 4/6 with hourglass figures; marvelous antigravity cantaloupes where the human breast tends to happen; and a singular sartorial bent toward that sensible workaday classic, the hell-of thong.)
One of two doppelgänger plots in the collection (noooo complaint, I eat this shit up), "Old Friends" features old friends, right, behaving homicidally, and at the bottom of all this is something evil. The pleasure to be had here is dialogue. Jeff Mariotte writes the speech bubbles that pop in my head as the respective television actors' voices; which in the weird case of there being a question is a compliment.
Demiurge incarnate Illyria gets the Whedon treatment (nuance, of a kind, grown from genre standards) in my favorite of the "Spotlight" studies. Scott's rendering of faces and body language is apt. Pennington's art for Gunn's spotlight was sometimes (cityscapes, demons) pleasing and sometimes so uncrisp and so oddly colored it distracted from the story. I wish Gunn was more complexly developed, as I wish most of the other spotlights did with their respective foci. The Wes, Doyle and Connor spotlights are all solid and believable with better than decent art; I just know they could be a bit smarter. (Like everyone's dad: I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed.)
"Auld Lang Syne," the second doppelgänger plot, combines the better parts of an Angel episode, with unlimited budget not as a crutch but an enhancement. And we get Darla! Dru! Holtz! Skipp! Spike's slain slayers! Spike's mum, even! An Angel/Spike deathmatch/teamwork even! The deathmatch snaps, thanks to dialogue and internal monologue playing off the other in familiar-beloved dorky-witty style. The Big Bad of the story is amusing but effective—she feeds off the suffering of men until their pain "runs down her chin like nectar" (Everywoman, really)—and it was all silly and smart and endearing. Spike sez: "How very 'lawful good' of you. Whatever. Let's do this."
Best/easiest reviewed individually. Spoilers duh.
"The Curse" is a strong start. Angel visits the Rom clan he terrorized a century past, now to help them oust a racial-cleansing-happy leader and then to see if they, perhaps, will ixnay his ursecay. Wouldn't you know, it comes down to a nominally mystical, structurally existential moral choice. Which is why the Buffyverse pleases me so: you get what you want rarely, you do what you must regardless, and that is that. David Messina's art is of good tone and mood. (Oh but the women. They are universally possessed of: size 4/6 with hourglass figures; marvelous antigravity cantaloupes where the human breast tends to happen; and a singular sartorial bent toward that sensible workaday classic, the hell-of thong.)
One of two doppelgänger plots in the collection (noooo complaint, I eat this shit up), "Old Friends" features old friends, right, behaving homicidally, and at the bottom of all this is something evil. The pleasure to be had here is dialogue. Jeff Mariotte writes the speech bubbles that pop in my head as the respective television actors' voices; which in the weird case of there being a question is a compliment.
Demiurge incarnate Illyria gets the Whedon treatment (nuance, of a kind, grown from genre standards) in my favorite of the "Spotlight" studies. Scott's rendering of faces and body language is apt. Pennington's art for Gunn's spotlight was sometimes (cityscapes, demons) pleasing and sometimes so uncrisp and so oddly colored it distracted from the story. I wish Gunn was more complexly developed, as I wish most of the other spotlights did with their respective foci. The Wes, Doyle and Connor spotlights are all solid and believable with better than decent art; I just know they could be a bit smarter. (Like everyone's dad: I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed.)
"Auld Lang Syne," the second doppelgänger plot, combines the better parts of an Angel episode, with unlimited budget not as a crutch but an enhancement. And we get Darla! Dru! Holtz! Skipp! Spike's slain slayers! Spike's mum, even! An Angel/Spike deathmatch/teamwork even! The deathmatch snaps, thanks to dialogue and internal monologue playing off the other in familiar-beloved dorky-witty style. The Big Bad of the story is amusing but effective—she feeds off the suffering of men until their pain "runs down her chin like nectar" (Everywoman, really)—and it was all silly and smart and endearing. Spike sez: "How very 'lawful good' of you. Whatever. Let's do this."
December 5, 2009
I really adored this book, as I think most fans will as it brought back so many memories of the show.
This is a collection of four separate series that ran, all put together in one book for your enjoyment.
1. the Curse
In "The Curse" Angel heads back to Romania to see if he can negotiate some type of deal with the gypsy clan that cursed him. It's that pesky "one moment of happiness" thing that really needs to go.
While he's in Romania he ends up getting mixed up in an ongoing battle between locals and the local over lord! ;op
He ends up having to make some pretty hard moral choices.
2. Old Friends
In "Old Friends" Angel and the Gang are forced to do battle with themselves, literally. For some reason there seems to be a clone of each one of them and they have some added physical strength. They need to find out who's behind it before the clones end up killing one of them.
3. Spotlight
"Spotlight" takes the time to focus on a story revolving around each of the following characters Illyria, Gunn, Wesley, Doyle, and Connor. It gives you a bit more insight into the character from their perspective and brings us up to the current space and time. :0)
I really enjoyed getting into Illyria's head a little more.
4. Auld Lang Syne
I really enjoyed "Auld Lang Syne"! This story has my two favourite men, *clears throat* I mean Vampire's working together to solve the case. Spike and Angel are seeing people from their past, only they can't be there as they are dead. Some force seems to want to pit the two boys against each other, but for what purpose. This would have made such a cool episode :0(
This is a collection of four separate series that ran, all put together in one book for your enjoyment.
1. the Curse
In "The Curse" Angel heads back to Romania to see if he can negotiate some type of deal with the gypsy clan that cursed him. It's that pesky "one moment of happiness" thing that really needs to go.
While he's in Romania he ends up getting mixed up in an ongoing battle between locals and the local over lord! ;op
He ends up having to make some pretty hard moral choices.
2. Old Friends
In "Old Friends" Angel and the Gang are forced to do battle with themselves, literally. For some reason there seems to be a clone of each one of them and they have some added physical strength. They need to find out who's behind it before the clones end up killing one of them.
3. Spotlight
"Spotlight" takes the time to focus on a story revolving around each of the following characters Illyria, Gunn, Wesley, Doyle, and Connor. It gives you a bit more insight into the character from their perspective and brings us up to the current space and time. :0)
I really enjoyed getting into Illyria's head a little more.
4. Auld Lang Syne
I really enjoyed "Auld Lang Syne"! This story has my two favourite men, *clears throat* I mean Vampire's working together to solve the case. Spike and Angel are seeing people from their past, only they can't be there as they are dead. Some force seems to want to pit the two boys against each other, but for what purpose. This would have made such a cool episode :0(
June 19, 2010
Maybe if I hadn't read any of the After the Fall books I would have liked this better. But I have read them and they are much superior. The stories in this omnibus aren't very interesting, they're passable but nothing special, the dialogue so-so, and the artwork is pretty disappointing. Half the time, I had to use my mighty powers of deduction to figure out who's who. Out of the artists featured, I think David Messina's are the best. However, I did like most of the stories in Spotlight, which featured select characters in small tales of their own, specifically everyone's but Gunn's, which were about Illyria, Wesley, Doyle and Connor. Auld Lang Syne was the best of the "bigger" books in this and had a fairly interesting plot. Truth be told though, I'll probably forget most everything in the book, and while it's worth the read, I'm glad I didn't pay for it.
June 25, 2016
This collection of numerous Angel comics (450+ pages' worth) comes from the early licensing days, when the comics were running concurrent to the series, rather than telling new stories or retelling episodes. There are some decent stories in here, but nothing earth-shatteringly good. And the art styles vary from barely recognizable characters to really good likenesses. There's more action here than in the live series, and more and stranger monsters (the collected Long Night's Journey has some highlights). They definitely make good use of the medium, but are hamstrung by the fact that they can't have any real impact on any of the characters, since they were coming out while the show was on. For licensed work it's pretty good, and fans of Angel will definitely enjoy it. But there isn't anything here that's likely to attract new fans.
July 22, 2016
A great continuation of Angel's story for fans of the series who just couldn't let go. The artwork is great and the dialogue - for the most part - follows Whedon's style. The only part I didn't like as much was the character spotlight section where each of the minor characters is given a small episode of their own. The graphics were in different styles and, for the most part, not as good. And the stories weren't as interesting. But I am definitely looking forward to reading all the other Angel and Spike comics.
June 5, 2011
I received an e-version of this book through NetGalley. It is a collection of comic books based on the television show Angel that were released while the show was originally on the air. Because the comics were written in tandem with the show there wasn't much they could do storywise to develop the characters. It was mostly just some plot driven stand alone stories featuring the characters. Just as I never much cared for the stand alone episodes of the show that didn't develop the larger story arc of the show, I wasn't overly excited by the comics.
April 28, 2012
I was pleasantly surprised by this collection though I'm not sure why I had low expectations. Maybe I found the titles of the individual series to be a little cliche. In fact, I think these really captured the aura of the television show perfectly. The Curse was really a fantastic Angel story that could easily have been an episode and Old Friends also fit right in with the series. The Spotlight issues were really nicely done. The only one I didn't absolutely love was Auld Lang Syne but it may just have been that I'd had enough of the doppleganger thing already. Anyway, very enjoyable.
January 20, 2009
20 comics for a great price. This mirrors the format of the Buffy Omnibus editions from Dark Horse, which is nice for those who collect Buffy/Angel trade paperbacks. They'll all look good on the bookshelf together.
These are all of the pre-After the Fall IDW Angel comics (with the exception of the Masks one-shot... not sure why they didn't throw that in too). The canonicity of these is called into question due to After the Fall, but they're still a good read anyway.
These are all of the pre-After the Fall IDW Angel comics (with the exception of the Masks one-shot... not sure why they didn't throw that in too). The canonicity of these is called into question due to After the Fall, but they're still a good read anyway.
March 29, 2010
In the Buffyverse, Angel has not been one of my favorite characters, but this was an enjoyable collection of stories - including characters highlights on Gunn, Wesley, Connor, and Inyara.
Collect highlights what I think are stories from later in the television series - post- Cordy, at least. Certainly worth a read for a fan.
Collect highlights what I think are stories from later in the television series - post- Cordy, at least. Certainly worth a read for a fan.
April 29, 2013
Por lo que veo en la descripción, de este tomo ya llevo leídos "Old Friends" (en "Viejos amigos" de la edición de Norma) seguro, y no sé si Spotligh. The Curse lo estoy por leer en la edición española, "La Maldición", así que quizás mañana actualice. Eso sí, no tengo idea de qué laburo de Peter David se supone que trae este tomo (de nuevo, según la descripción), pero sin duda sería bienvenido.
February 27, 2011
A good read. If you are a fan of the Buffy / Angel universe its a definite read. These are the comics that were written to continue the Angel series after season 5, but prior to the official (canon) After the Fall series. They are considered non-canon, but its cool to see what ideas they had before the top selling After the Fall.
November 4, 2011
I get so tired or the super dark pallet used in the Angel graphics. Yes he's dark. Yes he is brooding. Does every panel have to be hues of gray and black with a splattering of scarlet blood and greenish slime thrown in? It just starts to all look the same. It's a pity because the stories are so creative. Did love puppet Angel. The concept is, dare I say it....adorable.
December 30, 2013
This volume collects the first stories that IDW did with Angel. It includes: The Curse, Old Friends, Spotlights and Auld Lang Synne. The Spotlights are the highlight of the book, especially the Illyria one that shows her investigating the emotion of remorse. All the stories feel authentic and the artwork is nice, just ignore the cover that makes Angel look very old. A very good read.
August 18, 2009
Storylines were disappointing...almost ranging on "bored now".
Don't even get me started on the artwork...you can't even tell who the characters are in most of them...extremely disappointing...especially for such a great character as Angel.
Don't even get me started on the artwork...you can't even tell who the characters are in most of them...extremely disappointing...especially for such a great character as Angel.
February 17, 2011
Personally, I loved it. Artwork was great. The extra stories made me think a lot about the characters I missed. I'm glad I picked up this graphic novel. If you were a fan of the show, then it's likely you'll enjoy this read!
January 3, 2013
First of all, none of these comics are considered canon. Meaning they don't actually fit into the Buffy/Angel universe. Second, it is boring. I'm only giving it above one star because it isn't offensively awful.
March 17, 2014
Neither the stories in this Omnibus did much to pique my interest. I found most of the artwork to be very unappealing; the lack of resemblance of the drawn figures to the actual characters from the TV Series (or even to themselves from story to story) was severely distracting.
August 4, 2015
Nice drawings, but not recommended for those that either haven't read Angel or seen the seasons, as it does have some spoilers in it.
Read
July 30, 2011a bit dark for my taste, and nearly all about post- "Not Fade Away"
September 21, 2011
I had read this after I started reading the After the Fall story line and while it was ok, I didn't feel that the stories contained within held up to After the Fall.
July 24, 2014
Well done comics with Angel as the featured character.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews