Los
Angeles has a new serial killer, who's leaving bodies in strange places,
almost as if he's trying to send someone a message...
Of
course, he or she is, although it takes Angel a while to deduce this,
as he encounters Abner, a misshapen sewer dweller.
With
Doyle's death occurring in the middle of the previous story, EARTHLY
POSSESSIONS, Angel is helped, or hindered, by Wesley Wyndham-Pryce,
fresh out of his rogue demon hunting period. And by his behaviour here,
it's a miracle that he came out of it alive, unless they were rogue girl
demons with one hand tied behind their backs.
Relying
more on doing things by the book and a complete lack of common sense,
it's no surprise that Wesley manages to get him and Angel into trouble
pretty quickly.
Trouble
also comes in the shape of Detective Kate Lockley, who is also investigating
the murders, although naturally she has a different idea who the killer
is.
However,
the artwork isn't up to the standard of the plot. The original characters
are quite well drawn, but those from the TV series are nothing like the
actors who play the parts. Angel is just about recognisable but Wesley
seems to be based on Harry Potter and there's absolutely no trace of the
fine examples of female pulchritude that are Kate and Cordy.
Overall,
CHAPTER 1 is a decent opening installment,
with the story rattling along at a decent pace and an intriguing cliffhanger.
It's just a shame that it's let down by some dodgy artwork.
