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A review by kiarrasayshi
Angel Vol. 1, Volume 1: Being Human by Bryan Edward Hill
3.0
I am so glad I liked this!! It's impossible not to compare this to its partner in the Buffyverse. I'm not liking that series. Not even a little. I find it incredibly boring. Angel, however, I find interesting. I cannot express how relieved this makes me because I love the Buffyverse and I was so excited for these new reboot comics. I wanted to give this 4 stars, but dropped it down to 3 because I think part of that want was just me expressing how much better than Buffy I find this. Into the review.
From issue #0, I felt like I had a grasp on who Angel was. And my understanding of him pushed the story forward and also grew as the story moved forward. Unlike the Buffy series where I felt like I was expected to already know these characters from the TV show. This volume felt like it's own story whereas Buffy felt like a modern day AU of the original show. (Alright, I'll try and cut back on the comparisons now.) I appreciated the addition of new characters. It made the story fresh for me instead of just a wait-and-see of which TV character would make a cameo appearance next. I really loved Angel's and Helen's dynamic and was excited to see where that went. More on that later. Lilith makes a great addition as well. She gives Angel roots and a past. They have history and a shared goal to "fight darkness." Angel has already been at this game for a long time. He's not some washed up vampire torturing himself with a bad haircut and no goals until someone points him at Buffy and convinces him to clean up his act. I like that. Even the flashbacks weren't just an ode to glory days with Darla, Spike, and Drusilla (though I'm happy for that eventual tie-in, even if I'm unhappy with the latter two's incarnations in the sister comic), Angel was raising hell all on his own, at least as far as we are made aware.
Now I'm getting tired of writing this review, so I'll be brief on my dislikes. First and foremost, the death of Helen. So much potential there!!! Angel had a mentee, a partner. Someone he trusted and cared for and worked with. Then she gets her head eaten in the most anticlimactic way possible. I know it was issue #0 and it was just set up and prologue and I didn't need to read it, but I did read it damnit and I cared for that relationship! I cared for Helen, but her death was too early for me to have formed a connection to make it properly painful and to move the story forward in a satisfying way. She should have stuck around. If they wanted her dead so they could bring back just the core of the OG Angel Investigations, they should have had her die at the end of this volume. That would've given her and her relationship with Angel enough time. I still would've been mad, but I'd also be sad and it would give the arc as a whole more weight as Angel is forced to reckon with his impending new group dynamic.
The envy demon was also lame. I'm not one to mind a lame bad guy, especially so early in the game, but why did he know or care about Angel's future friend group and love interest? That doesn't seem like his area of expertise and it brought a sense of importance and destiny to the story I'm not personally fond of. There doesn't need to be some great, higher meaning to the formation of what will be (or used to be called) Angel Investigations. Personally, I think there's something special in people coming just because they happen to come together. I don't like the idea of it all being planned out and important. At least the way Lilith explained it, for her it was just that she can see past, present, and future all muddled together at the same. Instagram Demon Guy made it all fanciful and portentous. Boo, Instagram Demon Guy!!
Finally, it was a little cheesy. I'm okay with that. Some standouts were Angel telling Helen it was good of her to use her anger and then the NEXT PAGE saying anger is just fear and fear is what "they" feed on. So... Not good to use anger? The last cheesy bit was when Angel banished Instagram Demon Guy. Anybody else read the Cardcaptor Sakura books? Anyone else get some major "return to your true form, Clow Card" vibes? Especially with that pattern in the background? Just me? Okay. No biggie.
In the end, I am absolutely gonna keep reading and it might get me to continue Buffy so I'm caught up for the crossover.
From issue #0, I felt like I had a grasp on who Angel was. And my understanding of him pushed the story forward and also grew as the story moved forward. Unlike the Buffy series where I felt like I was expected to already know these characters from the TV show. This volume felt like it's own story whereas Buffy felt like a modern day AU of the original show. (Alright, I'll try and cut back on the comparisons now.) I appreciated the addition of new characters. It made the story fresh for me instead of just a wait-and-see of which TV character would make a cameo appearance next. I really loved Angel's and Helen's dynamic and was excited to see where that went. More on that later. Lilith makes a great addition as well. She gives Angel roots and a past. They have history and a shared goal to "fight darkness." Angel has already been at this game for a long time. He's not some washed up vampire torturing himself with a bad haircut and no goals until someone points him at Buffy and convinces him to clean up his act. I like that. Even the flashbacks weren't just an ode to glory days with Darla, Spike, and Drusilla (though I'm happy for that eventual tie-in, even if I'm unhappy with the latter two's incarnations in the sister comic), Angel was raising hell all on his own, at least as far as we are made aware.
Now I'm getting tired of writing this review, so I'll be brief on my dislikes. First and foremost, the death of Helen. So much potential there!!! Angel had a mentee, a partner. Someone he trusted and cared for and worked with. Then she gets her head eaten in the most anticlimactic way possible. I know it was issue #0 and it was just set up and prologue and I didn't need to read it, but I did read it damnit and I cared for that relationship! I cared for Helen, but her death was too early for me to have formed a connection to make it properly painful and to move the story forward in a satisfying way. She should have stuck around. If they wanted her dead so they could bring back just the core of the OG Angel Investigations, they should have had her die at the end of this volume. That would've given her and her relationship with Angel enough time. I still would've been mad, but I'd also be sad and it would give the arc as a whole more weight as Angel is forced to reckon with his impending new group dynamic.
The envy demon was also lame. I'm not one to mind a lame bad guy, especially so early in the game, but why did he know or care about Angel's future friend group and love interest? That doesn't seem like his area of expertise and it brought a sense of importance and destiny to the story I'm not personally fond of. There doesn't need to be some great, higher meaning to the formation of what will be (or used to be called) Angel Investigations. Personally, I think there's something special in people coming just because they happen to come together. I don't like the idea of it all being planned out and important. At least the way Lilith explained it, for her it was just that she can see past, present, and future all muddled together at the same. Instagram Demon Guy made it all fanciful and portentous. Boo, Instagram Demon Guy!!
Finally, it was a little cheesy. I'm okay with that. Some standouts were Angel telling Helen it was good of her to use her anger and then the NEXT PAGE saying anger is just fear and fear is what "they" feed on. So... Not good to use anger? The last cheesy bit was when Angel banished Instagram Demon Guy. Anybody else read the Cardcaptor Sakura books? Anyone else get some major "return to your true form, Clow Card" vibes? Especially with that pattern in the background? Just me? Okay. No biggie.
In the end, I am absolutely gonna keep reading and it might get me to continue Buffy so I'm caught up for the crossover.