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Angel Comics (Buffy Vampire Slayer)
Angel: Barbary Coast
A recently souled Angel is on a quest for a "cure" in San Francisco when, of course, something goes horribly wrong. Seeking out a Chinese healer, Angel encounters a mysterious girl with a strange tattoo, and quickly learns that life in early 1900s America is full of surprises!
88 pages, Paperback
First published July 27, 2012
52 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 31, 2018
Interesting early tale of Angel shortly after the Gypsy curse that returned his soul, causing him to suffer for all the atrocities he has committed as a vampire. He seeks out a Chinese mystic to take away his suffering and ends up trying to tame a fire breathing dragon during the Great San Francisco Earthquake. Loved the story and art and would enjoy more early adventures of Angel. Exceptional. Very highly recommended.
January 4, 2023
A vampire with a soul battling with a dragon in San Francisco. Who could ask for anything more? This one is nicely written and interestingly illustrated. If you enjoy all things Angel and you enjoy comics, you'll enjoy this little gem.
August 15, 2024
Straigh-forward, uncomplicated fun.
September 30, 2024
Love the old timey SF, even if cringe cultural stereotypes. Bonus hidden easter eggs!
April 10, 2013
I'm on the fence about this book. For one, the setting of Barbary Coast San Francisco,is a great place to set the plot. For another, using Chinese mythology and Chinatown is also a great hook. Also, this is before Angel became the good guy so there is a nice characterization of a person in transition.
The drawing style feels like a mix between rotoscoping and traditional comic art. Nicely colored but very murky lines and blocked shadows that make it hard to discern details. That took away quite a bit of the experience for me - it was a too modern digital art feel for a story set so far in the past. I think the artist really missed the mark in that regard.
Also problematic for me was the story. It was a bit too 'monster of the week' for me and lacking in the cleverness I expect from any book based on a Whedon series. Due to either the murky drawing or the writer's lack, several scenes made no sense to me and I had no idea what the point was of putting them in there. It's frustrating to feel like I am missing something and likely contributes to why I was underwhelmed.
The story is fairly slim - with copious pages of cover art and then black and white drawings in the back - the drawings are of the story pages without color, so their addition did nothing to really enhance my experience.
There's no preface or introduction - I think this really could have used one to ease into the storyline. People just pop up for no reason, have several panels without plot, and then are left hanging.
I don't regret the purchase. But all the same, I've ready much better Angel or Buffy GNs.
The drawing style feels like a mix between rotoscoping and traditional comic art. Nicely colored but very murky lines and blocked shadows that make it hard to discern details. That took away quite a bit of the experience for me - it was a too modern digital art feel for a story set so far in the past. I think the artist really missed the mark in that regard.
Also problematic for me was the story. It was a bit too 'monster of the week' for me and lacking in the cleverness I expect from any book based on a Whedon series. Due to either the murky drawing or the writer's lack, several scenes made no sense to me and I had no idea what the point was of putting them in there. It's frustrating to feel like I am missing something and likely contributes to why I was underwhelmed.
The story is fairly slim - with copious pages of cover art and then black and white drawings in the back - the drawings are of the story pages without color, so their addition did nothing to really enhance my experience.
There's no preface or introduction - I think this really could have used one to ease into the storyline. People just pop up for no reason, have several panels without plot, and then are left hanging.
I don't regret the purchase. But all the same, I've ready much better Angel or Buffy GNs.
January 6, 2025
I've never been a fan of Angel flashbacks in the series but this book is a big exception. I disagree with anyone who argues that the story here has no bearing. This book is set just after Angel is cursed with a soul. He returns to the same selfish man he was before he became a vampire. He doesn't want to help anyone, he only wants his soul removed to stop feeling guilty. Through the course of this story, we see how his mindset changes. He becomes less selfish and begins on the path leading him to becoming a champion.
February 3, 2013
I own the individual comics for this series and I have to say this was an interesting little glimpse into Angel's past. It seems that all this side stories and short little arcs are all much more interesting than IDW's ongoing Angel title.
January 2, 2016
Very odd
April 30, 2013
A flimsy story about Angel's visit to San Francisco in the early 1900s that adds nothing to the established lore of the character. To make matters worse, it also is abysmally drawn.
February 27, 2014
Decent, easy to read story. Flashback to Angel in the early 1900s. Plus, a dragon!
June 13, 2016
A China-town, curse-ridden story for Angel, set in S. Francisco at the beginning of the 20th century. Remarkably, a dragon appears as well, way before the most famous one....
April 3, 2019
For some reason, the flashbacks of Angel in earlier time periods never really interested me that much. This comic is set shortly after he gets a soul, and the story itself falls short. At least the artwork for the dragon and action sequences are great. I expected this to be longer, but it turns out that the last third of the book is an art gallery.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews