AtF #11 & 12, a review of sorts.

[elisi]

“Oh my God you killed Angel!”
“You bastards!”

Ahem. Just had to get that out of the way. Didn’t write about last month’s issue - partly because I got it so late (and others had written already), and partly because I didn’t have much to say. It was a Gunn tour-de-force, with really, really excellent characterisation and lots of storylines beginning to be explained, but it ended on a cliff hanger. Would the rest match up?

The answer: Oh yes. The more I think about it, the more impressed I am. The storytelling flowed beautifully, the exposition *worked* and the ending was a real sucker-punch. Let me try to untangle some of my thoughts, because they’re all a-jumble...

First of all, I (still, again) love the Connor/Spike thing. It’s only one panel, but their relationship is great, and works just the way I always imagined.

And then... oh the dragon and the dragon’s name! Connor’s “That’s what you went with? I’m serious, Angel. Weirder and weirder.” suddenly got 20 times funnier! And the reason behind the naming - Angel talking to *Cordy* to get him through the pain - is something I just adore! I always liked the Angel/Cordy dynamic, the way they relied on each other, how she could make him laugh and never took any bullshit.

So getting Angel& Cordy back again here made me happy in too many ways to count! (I might have squeed quietly when I realised that she was actually there...)Their banter is spot-on, both of them just *perfect* - I could hear their voices in my head. (Esp “People follow my lead and always without fail ends the same way.” Oh my Angel!)

Jumping sideways for a moment, I liked the Illyria bit v. much. Her angry lashing out, and her subsequent taking charge was all very well done (poor Nina!) although why was the road called ‘Doyle’? Just another sign that this is Angel’s hell?

Then there’s Gunn and Wesley and they just break my heart yet again. Gunn especially, deciding *he* could be the vampire who’ll shanshu. (Angel’s reaction to the whole thing is v. interesting: “But I’m not a vampire anymore. God help me, I thought it was Spike. I dreamt it was Spike.” I don’t think he means just the silly dream in issue 10, I think this goes back to his dreams in S5. And we also see how far he’s come - from the petty jealousy in ‘Chosen’, through the anger and worry in ‘Destiny’ and the general mistrust of anything resembling a reward in S5, to not just acceptance but almost relief that he wasn’t The One anymore.)

Anyway, Gunn here is fascinating - we saw in issue 11 how conflicted he is, trying to fight against what he is. And yet he embraces it, wants to be special (echoes of Spike in ‘Destiny’, here) and won’t accept that he’s been played.

The whole thing reminds me of ‘Inside Out’ - the retcon is not in the same league, but it works in the same way: It weaves the current story into the past, making the whole thing one organic whole without re-writing the past drastically. (Very nicely done, I approve.)

Also, I’m reminded of this exchange:

Fred: Will it make a difference? We really are just pieces being moved around a board.
Gunn: Then we'll kick it over and start a new game. Look, monochrome can yap all he wants about no-name's cosmic plan, but here's a little something I picked up rubbing mojos these past couple of years. The final score can't be rigged. I don't care how many players you grease, that last shot always comes up a question mark. But here's the thing-you never know when you're taking it. It could be when you're duking it out with the Legion of Doom, or just crossing the street deciding where to have brunch. So you just treat it all like it was up to you-the world in the balance-'cause you never know when it is.

What’s interesting is that this time around Gunn is trying to work *with* the ‘cosmic plan’ - in as much as it has been shown to him. He’s trying to rig the final score, but then has the rug pulled out from under him, when he discovers that the game was a different one to what he thought - that he has been played too. (Although apparently he’s made an impact “...your interpretation is what’s currently making W&H reconsider your part in all this.” Hmmmm. Intriguing.)

Playing the system, rather than resisting getting played, is something that goes back Gunn’s decison to join W&H in ‘Home’ I think. That was the turning point for him, and the point where the Senior Partners began working on him properly. The continuity of the character development is wonderful. *is happy reader*

Btw I LOVED “I liked the old Wesley better. He had integrity - and stubble, and mass-” We were promised slashiness, and we are certainly getting it. :)

ETA: Gunn is here the poster child for "What we once were informs all that we have become. The same love will infect our hearts - even if they no longer beat. Simple death won’t change that.” This makes me very, very happy.

Anyway, then there’s the Shanshu shown to Angel... and all I can hear is ‘Wesley is the reason we’ll win.’

(I don't believe that vision for a second.)

So - Angel’s dead. Or is he? There’s a whole lot of thoughts - all about destiny, and choices, and suicidal missions and giving up etc - going round my head, but I’m afraid I can’t formulate any of them right now. Partly because I’m just wildly curious to see where our heroes go from here...

Artwork:

The artwork frustrates me greatly, because it is so inconsistent. Some of the panels are dropdead gorgeous, just *waiting* to be turned into icons, and others are just terrible. But next issue’s cover is so hauntingly beautiful that I’m *thisclose* to cutting it out and framing it. ::meeps::

(Sorry about the rambly nature of this review. I've written this in odd moments and I'm still trying to take in all the developments. I feel like I'd probably be able to write a much better review in a week's time, but don't know when I'd find the time...)