Angel & Spike #12 Review
Writer: Bryan Edward Hill
Artist: Gleb Melnikov
Colours: Roman Titov
Letters: Ed Dukeshire
Each of the individual storylines which have been set up over the course of Booms! run on Angel take a significant step forward in this issue, leaving the reader no idea what is going to happen next or how the stories will develop. All of this set against the back drop of the ongoing monster storyline as well. Bryan Edward Hill has definitely made his own mark on the Angel mythology, capturing the feel of the TV series while making it take a significantly different direction. It has the combined effect of making it feel fresh and new.
Detective Lockley’s role feels a little more integral to the series than was previously apparent. Lilah reveals in this issue it wasn’t just the parallels between Kate and Mara in the previous issue that was causing Angel to flashback to his past, that there’s more going on here than we realised before, and now that these truths are in the open it’ll be interesting to see how these are explored.
Spike gets a couple of good moments in this issue, it shows that bringing him over into Angel and making him part of the title was a stroke of genius, although the fact that he’s soulless but fighting on team Angel needs to be explored a bit more.
The storyline with Fred and Baphomet is really starting to heat up, considering this has been teased since early on in the series it’s quite satisfying that this storyline is beginning to go somewhere, and it promises to have lasting effects on Team Angel in the future.
Gleb Melnikov has done some of the best art in his run on Angel in this issue. The fight between Angel and the possessed Gunn from the end of the previous issue is epic, with the demon causing Gunn to become something extremely monstrous yet recognisably Gunn. Then there’s a full page spread with Angel leaping into the fray, full Vamp face on, which is epic. The whole fight scene is extraordinary, with Fred doing her part in the battle as well. He also does a great job of capturing Spikes facial expressions, so well that the reader can practically hear James Marsters speaking the lines.
Roman Titov does a great job with the colours as well. The previously mentioned battle is occurring on several fronts simultaneously, and his colours help to differentiate between the different aspects of the battle going on. Titov is a great pairing with Melnikov.
It should be noted that the current creative team of Angel will be changing after the next issue, with Zac Thompson taking over writing and illustrations from Hayden Sherman, so with only one issue left under Hill’s writing it’ll be interesting to see how much of the current storylines are resolved, and what direction Thompson takes Angel & Spike in after.
An action packed issue, a number of storylines are taking unexpected and interesting steps, it’s going to be interesting to see how they resolve. Team Angel feels a lot more fluid and less defined than in the TV series, no-one feels safe or a permanent fixture yet, which adds a sense of danger to the series. Melnikov’s art is truly outstanding and has been an excellent match for the series, and this issue has some of his best moments.
Artist: Gleb Melnikov
Colours: Roman Titov
Letters: Ed Dukeshire
Each of the individual storylines which have been set up over the course of Booms! run on Angel take a significant step forward in this issue, leaving the reader no idea what is going to happen next or how the stories will develop. All of this set against the back drop of the ongoing monster storyline as well. Bryan Edward Hill has definitely made his own mark on the Angel mythology, capturing the feel of the TV series while making it take a significantly different direction. It has the combined effect of making it feel fresh and new.
Detective Lockley’s role feels a little more integral to the series than was previously apparent. Lilah reveals in this issue it wasn’t just the parallels between Kate and Mara in the previous issue that was causing Angel to flashback to his past, that there’s more going on here than we realised before, and now that these truths are in the open it’ll be interesting to see how these are explored.
Spike gets a couple of good moments in this issue, it shows that bringing him over into Angel and making him part of the title was a stroke of genius, although the fact that he’s soulless but fighting on team Angel needs to be explored a bit more.
The storyline with Fred and Baphomet is really starting to heat up, considering this has been teased since early on in the series it’s quite satisfying that this storyline is beginning to go somewhere, and it promises to have lasting effects on Team Angel in the future.
Gleb Melnikov has done some of the best art in his run on Angel in this issue. The fight between Angel and the possessed Gunn from the end of the previous issue is epic, with the demon causing Gunn to become something extremely monstrous yet recognisably Gunn. Then there’s a full page spread with Angel leaping into the fray, full Vamp face on, which is epic. The whole fight scene is extraordinary, with Fred doing her part in the battle as well. He also does a great job of capturing Spikes facial expressions, so well that the reader can practically hear James Marsters speaking the lines.
Roman Titov does a great job with the colours as well. The previously mentioned battle is occurring on several fronts simultaneously, and his colours help to differentiate between the different aspects of the battle going on. Titov is a great pairing with Melnikov.
It should be noted that the current creative team of Angel will be changing after the next issue, with Zac Thompson taking over writing and illustrations from Hayden Sherman, so with only one issue left under Hill’s writing it’ll be interesting to see how much of the current storylines are resolved, and what direction Thompson takes Angel & Spike in after.
An action packed issue, a number of storylines are taking unexpected and interesting steps, it’s going to be interesting to see how they resolve. Team Angel feels a lot more fluid and less defined than in the TV series, no-one feels safe or a permanent fixture yet, which adds a sense of danger to the series. Melnikov’s art is truly outstanding and has been an excellent match for the series, and this issue has some of his best moments.
A Look Inside
