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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 to the top |
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