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PLOTLINE
Angel
visits a lady named Rita. Cordy and Doyle talk.
In flashback mode!
The
most UNDER-hyped comic ever. With such a media frenzy
over the TV show it was a surprise that the comic did not get
that much attention in the trades. Sure there were previews
in, err, Previews, but a feature on the Dark Horse site
wouldn't have done any harm, nor would have a few more adverts
in other DH books or even an interview over in Wizard
or on various websites.
WRITING
Okay,
so it's the first issue of a new series - it's not going to
be fantastic. It could be, but this is a media tie-in.
But nevertheless, I did have high hopes for this.
The
storyline at the moment is very hard to actually pick out.
What appears to be happening is that Angel is called by 'the
powers that be' to investigate a young lady named Rita who has
recently had 'problems' with her newborn child. The problem
is that the child wasn't human. And then somehow Angel
goes missing, thrown down a well by some thugs. End of
storyline.
The
main purpose of this issue is to lay the groundwork, get us
familiar with the characters, for the book has two target audiences
- the diehard Buffy fan and the everyday comic book
fan.
I
had major problems reading this issue. The opening
shot, where Angel battles a massive demon which is actually
four little demons is magnificent - and then it seems to get
a bit complicated. Angel goes to this woman Rita's house
and then he gets thrown in a well. Period. Maybe
this was Golden's purpose, to make you buy #2 but by the looks
of things he's confused readers more than he's gripped them.
Characterisation
has always been Golden's strong point, but here something seems
lost. Angel can be a very good character to write; here
he's written pretty well but for Cordy, a woman who was supposed
to have been changed since her trip to LA, still seems very
much 'Sunnydale' Cordy. Doyle seems cool.
I noticed one bit of Irish in his speech - could've been more.
Also,
as a person who has yet to actually watch the show, I was baffled
by one of Doyle's "episodes" as he refers to them.
As Dark Horse ships comics all around the world, and not all
countries have had the pleasure of watching Angel, a
little dialogue box could've been helpful. Just a little
something.
So
overall, not a very impressive first issue storywise.
ART
It
sucks. After Buffy #12, I had high expectations,
but after reading this, I can't help but cringe at the thought
of this comic. The artwork is certainly not as bad as
Joe Bennett, but it's still bad. Zanier's main problem
is storytelling - he sucks at it.
Here
are some prime examples:
Page
5, where Doyle has an "episode". First
box: head up and light blasting, next panel: head down, notepad
out writing things down. It didn't make sense. There
could've been a shot of Doyle straining and clutching his head
with one arm going into his pocket, and then a shot of him writing.
But here he's in pain one minute, and fine the next.
Page
17. Just what happens at the top of this page? One
minute Doyle is sitting down and Cordy is walking. Next
panel, the opposite. There was no gap in speech, it just
all flowed. Did Doyle and Cordy somehow just magically
jump into each other's bodies?
Page
23. One moment Doyle is holding the dead woman's arm,
the next panel, he's in the corner with his hands in his pockets.
It's
a disappointment, especially when Zanier keeps changing the
appearance of the characters throughout the book. One
one page Angel actually looked like Arnold Schwarzenegger, on
the next he looks like a Swedish porn star. The facial
changes are off-putting. Doyle changes age throughout
the book - one minute he's 25 and then he shrinks back to 12.
Zanier has obviously relied on still photos or shots from the
show to draw the comic. Professionalism please, Mr Zanier!
Also what Zanier has problems with is anatomy. In some
instances he can't get the characters in the right position.
First page - Angel looks really short, something doesn't seem
right. His arms should be longer - nothing really improves
from there. Necks might be too short, legs are smaller
than the body. It doesn't add up. Cordy is drawn
like a 25-year-old when she's supposed to be 18. Zanier
has failed to impress me, and I'm disappointed. I actually
thought this team could work.
COVER
Pants,
really. Matsuda, go away. You've had your fun with
over nine covers! Go away and let other children play
on the swings. The body of Cordy looks like something
from a Disney cartoon (what is up with her face?) Angel
looks nothing like a human or a vampire. And Doyle is
fat. Sheesh.
NITPICKS
The
colouring's pretty cool on this book. It's not done by
Guy Major, which took me by surprise as he's done every other
Buffy book in existence.
The
lettering's very neat and tidy as well. I like the
technical side, especially the letter column layout. Very
posh. I thought the interlocking covers was a good
idea though, but I would've loved to have seen Doyle on the
Angel cover.
OVERALL
Writing
- an issue that confuses rather than entertains.
Golden lost me after the first seven or so pages. I can
see the sales of this book slump to the ground and near cancellation.
Art
- terrible work by Zanier. Facial changes, body structure
out of place. The storytelling sucks. He may be
better than Gomez, but that's not saying much. My 8-year-old
cousin is better than Gomez. Zanier uses too many
shots that are obviously straight from stills or shots from
the show.
Four
words: BIG...LOAD...OF...PANTS
Next
up: issue #2. Here's an idea. Save your money
and buy a decent book. I picked up Transmetropolitan
today as well - cheaper at only $2.50 (£1.65) but it left more
of an impact than 100 issues of Angel ever would. BACK
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