|
Post by hitnrun017 on Jan 13, 2010 17:43:59 GMT -5
Thought this issue was a pretty big improvement over the last one. Happy it was mostly Angel heavy, kicking off what looks to be a great story. The idea of people wanting to become vampires, but still having a soul, is interesting. Looking forward to see how it continues, and how exactly Angel will get out of his predicament. Very happy Willingham managed to capture Angel's voice for the majority of the issue. There were a few weird moments ("this is nonsense!"), but it was good.
Denham's art was also great this issue. He draws an awesome Angel, some amazing panels with lots of shadows. There was also a lot more detail.... except for...
... once again, the dreaded group scene. It was shorter than the first issue, but it was just as awkward, and the voices seemed even more off. Angel Investigations doesn't seem to be accomplishing much. Two days later and they've done nothing regarding Angel or that army.
Eddie Hope's story continued to impress. Hope he gets that nasty Jacob guy next issue.
Overall, liked it a lot more than the last issue. If things continue the way the Angel portion did, I'm a happy camper. It'd be nice if the group split up in upcoming issues, give each other room to breathe and shine.
|
|
|
Post by Wyndam on Jan 13, 2010 17:47:27 GMT -5
This was a good issue, and a better issue overall than #28. Denham’s art was stellar throughout, especially in that great fight sequence. I had no idea how that super-stylized preview page where Angel dusts the two vamps would be worked in (since the preview page didn’t have any dialogue), but it really looked great. The colorist impresses me more and more as well. Definitely a keeper. I would have preferred if the issue had centered solely on Angel, as the scene with the rest of the team didn’t add much, although Connor deciding to use his new army to find his dad was pretty cool. I am really excited about where this army storyline will go and what it means for Connor. Denham’s art was a lot more dynamic in this scene though, so plus. I agree that the team needs some breathing room though, split up a bit. It will allow more one on one dynamics between certain characters, and allow Willinham to separate and differentiate their voices a lot better. That’s too bad that the person that was trampled at the coffee shop was the man trying to represent Angel, what a great scene though. Now that the back-story is out of the way, I can’t wait to see what comes next. Angel has “joined” a new firm, so I think it is safe to say that nothing is going to go right. The Eddie backup was nice, but wasn’t as great as last issue’s, which I thought was a brilliant set up in just 4 pages. In this one all Eddie does is travel to his next victim for most of the story. I understand each one, being only 4-5 pages, won’t be epic stories each time though, so I’m fine with it being mostly more set-up. The glimpse back to Hell-A was great though, and I am excited to find out more about Eddie’s back-story. And this may be the most accidentally ironic, on the nose line of dialogue I have ever read, in relation to recent Buffyverse events:
Angel: “I guess I’m just not the evil overlord type. Not comfortable having minions constantly underfoot, cringing and obeying all the time.”
|
|
Hellbound Hyperion
Bad Ass Wicca
$20 per soul, no refunds[/B]
Dude, you just rescued a puppy![Mo0:18]
Posts: 2,268
|
Post by Hellbound Hyperion on Jan 13, 2010 18:47:32 GMT -5
+1 for me on this issue. Great issue, better than #28 (even the group scene was mildly better, but Willingham needs to find a new way to handle them or it's going to be utter chaos). Denham really shone this issue, lots of panels struck me, especially the coffee shop (I avoided the preview pages this time around so it was a nice surprise). And as usual, Messina kicks arse up and down the street with the Eddie Hope backup. I'm with Wyndam in that it wasn't as awe-inspiring as the first one, but then, it's gonna be really tough to one-up that first backup. He's definitely a compelling character, and I'm excited to see how he plays out in the main story. Special mention to Jenny Frison, whose covers look even better in real life, if that's even possible.
|
|
|
Post by Wyndam on Jan 13, 2010 19:29:28 GMT -5
Also, I noticed that last month the issue's subtitle was "The Crown Prince Syndrome, Part 1" and this month it was "Immortality for Dummies, Part 2." I wish they would decide on a name and stick with it so I can stop changing thread titles around.
|
|
jellymoff
Ensouled Vampire
Claimer of Funn[Mo0:0]
Posts: 1,174
|
Post by jellymoff on Jan 13, 2010 22:50:54 GMT -5
I don't know, I'm still not sold on this arc. It was only OK for me. Angel is starting to sound more like Angel, but I feel like Willingham still doesn't have a grasp on him. I don't think Angel would have ever done with the guy from Innovation Labs, and what was he doing "out for coffee"? Maybe fame has changed him?
|
|
neowhobaz
Respected Watcher
"Beyond the Shadow you settle for, there's miracle illuminated"[Mo0:0]
Posts: 594
|
Post by neowhobaz on Jan 14, 2010 1:35:41 GMT -5
It was a nice issue. Definetly nice to see the whole fame angle being taken into a more realistic account where as Aftermath kind of poked fun at the idea. I do really wish Angel investigations would get off butts though. I mean tehy work for ANgel and all but they can take some initative. It wouldnt hurt lol.
I havent seen anybody say it and I hate to be that guy cuz its never me but Illyria was ugh. I read the issue a couple times to absorb it and no matter how you look at it I dont think Willingham will ever grasp her. Its okay since he didnt create her so its not expected he Know characters that arent his own in and out but it would probably be better to avoid any Illyria heavy moments cuz I see them turning out badly. Other than that one thing it was a great way to see that he's gotten into Angel nicely. It really felt like an episode of Angel what with Angel comically and inadvertently scaring everyone away just for a cup of coffee lol.
|
|
Hellbound Hyperion
Bad Ass Wicca
$20 per soul, no refunds[/B]
Dude, you just rescued a puppy![Mo0:18]
Posts: 2,268
|
Post by Hellbound Hyperion on Jan 14, 2010 1:41:54 GMT -5
Teehee, someone hasn't read the solicits for #30 and #31. I have to disagree with you here because, so far, there haven't been any Illyria-heavy moments yet, so we don't know exactly how Willingham's going to fully characterize her. Brian Lynch and Scott Lobdell both have an excellent grasp of her, but they both also wrote stories which featured her prominently. Illyria's going to get her moments soon in the main Angel book; we'll see how it is then. The point: one sentence doesn't mean bad. Bendis-speak makes many good characters seem one-voiced; that doesn't mean that they are. (Yes, I said Bendis-speak. Fight me. )
|
|
neowhobaz
Respected Watcher
"Beyond the Shadow you settle for, there's miracle illuminated"[Mo0:0]
Posts: 594
|
Post by neowhobaz on Jan 14, 2010 1:52:15 GMT -5
I definetly won't fight you Hellbound since I believe in freedom of internet speech lol. The fact that it's really late where I am may have made me a bit Hasty on Illyria but the whole Cop experience comment about Kate felt so forced. The real Illyria was all about downplaying details cuz she said lower lifeforms were all the same to her. Obviously with ATf, Only human, etc she's grown as a character to appreciate more Human things but Idk.... like I said it just didnt feel natural.
About the solicits though I did forget that shes supposed to play a part in thirty one so hopefully we'll see what he can really do with her when he cuts loose.
|
|
Hellbound Hyperion
Bad Ass Wicca
$20 per soul, no refunds[/B]
Dude, you just rescued a puppy![Mo0:18]
Posts: 2,268
|
Post by Hellbound Hyperion on Jan 14, 2010 2:01:46 GMT -5
Oh, I agree with you on that point. That comment did seem a bit forced. But again, Willingham is not handling crowds of well-developed characters with any kind of grace. Once they all start getting some air, though, we should finally see some actual Illyria lines come out.
I will say that he seems to have a good handle on Spike so far. (Of course, Brian Lynch will always be my favorite Spike writer.)
|
|
neowhobaz
Respected Watcher
"Beyond the Shadow you settle for, there's miracle illuminated"[Mo0:0]
Posts: 594
|
Post by neowhobaz on Jan 14, 2010 8:16:19 GMT -5
I can oddly agree with the Spike handling. When he first put SPike in 28 and you heard it you could tell he had good grasp on the character. Same with Angel.He definetly surprised me with his writing but in a good way.
|
|
|
Post by kaleidoscope on Jan 14, 2010 9:29:29 GMT -5
I'm not sure about the Spike handling myself. For example, his relationship with Connor is very different to the one which Brian wrote and I think that in #28 he was too much of a jerk. It didn't seem to gel with where he was at the end of #27. I'm very much aware that Spike can be a jerk sometimes, but I thought that in #28 that aspect got overdone and he was thoroughly unlikeable. #29 is much better, though and I could see signs that Bill could be a good writer for Spike.
I agree with those disappointed with Illyria so far. Fair enough, she hasn't said much yet, but in #28 she sounded like a robot and the copper's hunch thing speech didn't work.
I'm not down on #29. I rather enjoyed it and the focus on Angel worked really well. The art was excellent.
|
|
|
Post by winterdreamer on Jan 14, 2010 11:27:50 GMT -5
I really want to read this! Alas I havn't ven got my 28 yet, TFAW, you're useless!
|
|
cutiepatootie
Common Vampire
lay waste to the world, and everything in it[Mo0:0]
Posts: 87
|
Post by cutiepatootie on Jan 14, 2010 16:20:33 GMT -5
I think I might start buying the Angel comics, the quality of the art and the constant good press I hear about the story is really attracting me, especially after the mess that was Twilight.
|
|
patxshand
Ensouled Vampire
Writer/director/Amy Acker's husband.[Mo0:0]
Posts: 1,918
|
Post by patxshand on Jan 14, 2010 16:50:16 GMT -5
Definitely do. IDW's Angel is primo.
|
|
|
Post by warlockangel on Jan 15, 2010 14:14:59 GMT -5
Hmm, I hope they improved. I wasn't going to buy this issue because I thought the characters were just off. I definitely thought Spike was overdone and a retread and one note. Issue 28 totally forgot his previous development. It was a turn off and I decided to drop the book. If the story for 29 is better I might start back buying Angel. I'll wait till issue to 32 to see if I'll get back into it.
|
|
|
Post by dragonweaver on Jan 15, 2010 15:26:26 GMT -5
I've finally read Angel #28 and 29 today. Let me first say that Aftermath really turned me off of the main Angel series. I gave it a couple issues but eventually decided that it was stupid wasting money on comics I don't enjoy. With that in mind I read these latest two issues with hesitation and anticipation of another failed attempt to continue the Angel story. Now I'm so glad I gave the new issues a chance. I really enjoyed both very much. I agree that the group scenes at Angel Investigations were extremely awkward but Connor stayed compelling and the art helped ease the discomfort of seeing a lighthearted Gunn and having Spike talking like a teenager. Plus #29 really supplied the build up of what seems to be a great new story arc. Can't wait to read the next issue.
|
|
|
Post by warlockangel on Jan 15, 2010 16:17:03 GMT -5
I've finally read Angel #28 and 29 today. Let me first say that Aftermath really turned me off of the main Angel series. I gave it a couple issues but eventually decided that it was stupid wasting money on comics I don't enjoy. With that in mind I read these latest two issues with hesitation and anticipation of another failed attempt to continue the Angel story. Now I'm so glad I gave the new issues a chance. I really enjoyed both very much. I agree that the group scenes at Angel Investigations were extremely awkward but Connor stayed compelling and the art helped ease the discomfort of seeing a lighthearted Gunn and having Spike talking like a teenager. Plus #29 really supplied the build up of what seems to be a great new story arc. Can't wait to read the next issue. Well, I guess you can't please everyone. I can't stand any focus on Connor. I thought Gunn was off and Spike talking like a teenager will always cause me to lose interest. It basically ignores the development of the character and turns him into a caricature. It's the same way I felt when Angel came to Buffy and started acting like a 13 year old. It ignored the development of the character on his own show. Anyway, if they are going to reset the character development in their own book at the end of each arc, then I'll have a problem with that.
|
|
neowhobaz
Respected Watcher
"Beyond the Shadow you settle for, there's miracle illuminated"[Mo0:0]
Posts: 594
|
Post by neowhobaz on Jan 16, 2010 17:21:26 GMT -5
You gotta remember Warlock the Writers have changed between the various Arcs. Its not like Willingham was there at IDW when Brian was to know how he developed the Characters. Like Everyones saying it'll take time and hopefully he stays on for awhile so what he develops sticks in our minds and eventually biulds on what came before.
|
|
Billie Erin
Ensouled Vampire
"I go back to December"
"I picked up a hitchhiker. You've got to when you hit them."[Mo0:0]
Posts: 1,536
|
Post by Billie Erin on Jan 17, 2010 12:37:56 GMT -5
I think Willingham does a great Spike and a great Connor but he needs to work on his Illyria a bit, because her voice is very distinctive and I think he's maybe putting a little too much emotion into it?
I must say I am getting seriously annoyed by the "Lucky Number X" features at the end of the comic. I don't read many comics, I am not a fan of comics in general. I am a fan of Buffy and Angel, and therefore am very frustrated that a third of the few pages actually allocated to our monthly Angel fix are being wasted on some stranger. With so many characters already in the mix, the surface area allocated to each is tiny, so any extra space should be used on them.
Overall though it was a lovely issue, I think the preview pages with the coffee shop were truly amazing, some of the best so far, so kudos to Willingham
|
|
neowhobaz
Respected Watcher
"Beyond the Shadow you settle for, there's miracle illuminated"[Mo0:0]
Posts: 594
|
Post by neowhobaz on Jan 17, 2010 19:43:18 GMT -5
Billie did you mean the Eddie hope backups?
|
|