Brian Lynch's Spike

Brian Lynch's Spike - A Retrospect on the Series that Made Me Love Comics

by Patrick Shand

Listen up, boys and girls. Time for quick math lesson.

Five issue mini. Plus this Brian guy. Plus a vampire with a soul… no, not that one—

Equals this:

I guess it all started with SPIKE: ASYLUM.

When it was announced that Joss Whedon was going to continue Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a comic, I wanted to bone up on my funny books before the first issue hit the stands. I’d read some comics as a kid (I remember digging this oversized Stephen King Creepshow book), but it had been years since I’d picked one up. I took a trip down to the comic shop, picked up some of the very early IDW Angel books, and enjoyed them. It was until a few weeks later when I returned, wanting more of IDW’s Angel, that I saw they had a spin-off. Spike. I picked up Asylum #1 and everything changed.

I’d later discover Scott Tipton’s Angel: Auld Lang Syne and the three Spike one-shots (one by Peter David and two by Tipton) were up there with Brian’s work in quality and feels-like-the-showness, but Brian’s work on Asylum #1 was the first comic book that showed me what the medium can do when a phenomenal writer and a brilliant artist join forces on a story that they’re both dying to tell. And I guess that’s really saying a lot, because writing comic books is kind of what I want to do with my life.

Brian followed Spike: Asylum with Spike: Shadow Puppets (a sequel of sorts to Smile Time) and a prequel to his and Joss Whedon’s Angel: After the Fall called… well, Spike: After the Fall, that shows what Spike and Illyria did in Hell while Angel was healing from his unfortunate every-bone-in-his-body-breakage. Each of these Spike minis went above and beyond; not only did they feel authentic in both dialogue and characterization, they introduced new characters that readers actually cared about, developed both these newbies and the already existing characters so that they would be changed after the book, and centered around themes. Actual English major approved themes. Not “death is a theme” or “betrayal is the theme.” Single words aren’t themes; they’re motifs, and that will always bug the shit out of me. But Asylum, Shadow Puppets, and Spike: After the Fall had solid themes; statements about these characters, and he let those statements function as the backbone of his series without beating us over the head with a message.

Brian and Franco Urru (who is essentially the comic book version of Fonzie; that man is so suave) did great work on the Spike trilogy and Angel: After the Fall, so you can imagine my excitement when it was announced that they’d be doing an on-going Spike series together. I was at NYCC at the IDW Panel when it was revealed and Brian said he’d keep writing it until they made him stop. After the panel, I talked with Brian about some of the possible plots (we’ll cover that in an upcoming interview) and man did it all sound good.

But then, time passed. Other stuff came up, things were delayed, and then… it was announced that Dark Horse would be taking the Angel license from IDW. At first, it wasn’t clear if Brian would be able to continue Spike with IDW, because there were some quotes taken out of context that said Spike would remain on-going… but, as it unfortunately turned out, the Spike title would pass to Dark Horse as well.

So it goes.

It was at the next NYCC, a year and a half later, that I finally got my hands on Spike #1. It was everything that I wanted it to be; funny, epic, beautiful, smart, and (like all of Brian’s Spike stories) balls out insane. The issue sees Spike team up with Beck and Betta George to go to Las Vegas to stop whatever bad is brewing there; and that bad happens to be Wolfram & Hart. Erm, and a giant monster made up of Elvis impersonators.

The Spike on-going that became an eight issue Spike miniseries was about Spike leading a group of friends. In Buffy, Spike was fine at leading a group of lackies… because he didn’t give a shit if they lived or died. Then, he operated alone. Then, when he fell in love with Buffy and got a soul, he fought Buffy’s side with the Scooby Gang. Then he fought on Angel’s side. During After the Fall, he was the leader of a group of warriors, but he didn’t lead; he withdrew from the fight and set up a sanctuary, electing to protect his “flock” rather than lead them into battle. So Spike treads new ground, setting up our bleach-blond hero as leading a group of people that he cares about for the first time. He has to calculate decisions, he has to make tough calls, and he has to deal with everything Angel and Buffy have been dealing with for years. Spike grows, as he grew in all of Brian’s stories.

Spike is also about a serial killer named John who believes Spike has his soul. It’s about Drusilla, and how the (as Kr’ph so uneloquently put it) “hell moment” made her sane. It’s about how Spike gave her her sould back and unknowingly broke that sanity. It’s about hard choices. It’s about realizing when it’s time to walk away for your friends for their own safety. It also functions as a bit of narrative bridge to Season Eight, as the last issue has the infamous bug ship land in the middle of Las Vegas.

For me, Spike does a bunch of things. I could see the story growing as I read more than any story I’d read before. Like the eponymous character, Spike as a series was trying to find its footing. By issue #5, when Stephen Mooney took over as artist and Willow Rosenberg guest starred, Spike and Brian were knocking it out of the park. After that, every issue was better than the last until the epic conclusion.

For me, Spike makes certain hard-to-swallow elements of Season Eight a bit easier to take.

For me, Spike isn’t just a “this is how Spike gets the bug ship” story, which—and I don’t know why—was the reason why some people bought the series. For me, Spike was an ending. It ends with Spike leaving Beck and Jeremy and Betta George behind, because he realizes what being a leader means… and he doesn’t want the people he loves to deal with the fallout. He says, “No one is in control of anything. Innocents become dangerous. Heroes can turn on a dime. Sometimes, evil can do an about-face and want to help. People come into your life. People leave. Everything’s changing. Everything’s always changing. Bottom line, the only thing any one of us is in charge of… is ourselves.”

And so, Spike leaves on the bug ship in pursuit of the Senior Partners of Wolfram & Hart. Spike leaves Beck, Jeremy, George, Drusilla, Biv, Marv, Anna, and the rest of the Mosaic staff. He leaves IDW and he leaves us.

Spike was only on-going for eight issues. But Brian wrote three Spike minis before this that all seem integral to the narrative and character development of Spike and his stellar supporting cast… so, I guess, in a way, Spike sort of was this sprawling, on-going tale of a vampire with a soul trying to find his place in the world. Since Brian wrote twenty-one issues of Spike as a whole—and that’s not counting his twenty-two issues of Angel, his Last Angel in Hell special, and his upcoming short story in Yearbook—I can say that this was a good run. A beautiful, weird, hilarious, and goddamn I’m so sad it’s over run.

I wish Brian got to write the series how he intended it. I wish it didn’t have to get rushed due to some license crap. I wish Brian could write Spike forever, because no one gets Blondie Bear like that man. I wish a whole bunch of stuff, but you know what? This is what’s really special about Brian Lynch’s SPIKE series. Even all those wishes won’t come true, Brian managed to deliver a fantastic story… and that’s what I’ll remember when I think about, re-read, and talk about SPIKE for years to come.

Spike #3

Spike #3

"Everybody Loves Spike"

Written by Brian Lynch

Art by Nicola Zanni

Spike #3 was good.

I love Lynch's writing. It's funny, emotional, smart, and true to the characters. At this point, though, we're almost as the halfway point in the Spike series, and I'm still waiting for an outright epic moment. Lynch delivered the "oh shit" moment early in Angel: After the Fall. In fact, we get two of those moments in the first issue and then another game-changer at the end of the third. With Spike: Asylum, I was wowed from Page One. While I'm consistently laughing while reading Spike, I've yet to be emotionally riveted or outright captivated. I like what's going on in Spike's head, and I hope we get a bit more depth to it. I love the cast. Losing Franco this early on in the series was devastating, but my thoughts are more concentrated on hoping he gets well soon than wishing he were on the book. The art in this issue is mostly good, though it's a bit static, making the action scenes a bit awkward and confusing. I can't wait until Mooney jumps on the book.

But again, I liked it. There is an awesome scene between Betta George and Drusilla that made me laugh out loud, and everything with Groo is wonderful. I just want a bit more emotional weight or tension or anything to heighten the drama at this point. There is a moment between "Jeremy" and Spike that's pretty dramatic, but it's brief. For me, After the Fall was the best story ever told about these characters, and I'm looking forward to when Spike ups the ante and brings the drama to the same level. Not at the expense of the humor, of course, because the funny is a bit part of what makes Spike Spike... but I'm just waiting for a bit more. Fully enjoying what I'm reading, aside from some confusing action scenes due to the art, but waiting for it to be captivating.

On the technical side of things... there were just so many typos. It's happened in the past and I usually don't include it in reviews, but it was actually jarring this time. On the title page, the chapter name suffers from the same problem that the second half of the "Connorland" issues had... it's not updated. The book is called "Everybody Loves Spike," but the title page still says "What Happens in Vegas Slays in Vegas." George says "He hangs out with Angel and company. Well, I think switched teams but that's still him." and I don't know what was really being said there. Two pages later, Spike says "There are different... kinds of vampire." leaving off the "s." In the next panel, the dialogue bubble doesn't have a period. Again, not problems with the story... but jarring to see so many typos one after the other in the final product. I hope they get fixed for the collection!

Now, don't get me wrong. I loved the first issue and liked the second and the third. I know Brian has amazing, character-altering stuff to throw our way... I just hope that it happens soon. We've got five issues until Spike bows out, and I trust IDW and Brian more than anyone--yep, anyone--to tell a story worthy of the character. I can't wait until I'm able to give an outright glowing review to another Spike issue.

Oh, and Beck is awesome.

Angel #38, Illyria #1, Spike #2

Angel #38

Cats in the Cradle (the conclusion of "Connorland")

Plotted by Bill Willingham, David Tischman, and Mariah Huehner

Written by David Tischman and Mariah Huehner

Back up story ("Eddie Hope: Knockout Punch") written by Bill Williams

Art by Elena Casagrande

The scene on the roof.

That is all.

Alright, kidding, but I seriously could end the review there, because... just damn. More on that later. A few loose ends get tied up here: The Sisterhood of the Jaro Hull is defeated in one of the best fight scenes in the comics, Spike's soul flu is cleared up with a few lines of a dialogue (all that needed, for me), and the chief characters (Angel, Connor, Spike, Illyria, and Gunn) are all taken or about to be taken to interesting places.

Gunn is back in the group. The Eddie Hope back-up story shows him being saved by the gang, but the main action of the issues shows Gunn already back in play. He was my favorite character in After the Fall, and the whole reason that arc resonates so well is that all the crazy shit that happened while they were in hell matters because they remember it. Gunn's character is at such a rich point, and he hasn't really been explored that well since Become What You Are. But he has a little moment in this issue, where he throws a weapon to Connor and simply says, "We'll talk later" before proceeding to whoop Sisterhood ass. Based on conversations I had with writers David Tischman and Mariah Huehner at NYCC (videos to come!), Gunn is in for some wonderful, deep, and startling development.

Spike. Oh, Spike. Probably the main issue most folks took with Willingham's run was his characterization of William the Bloody. Mariah Huehner wrote this article that promised there was a twist concerning Spike if fans just waited, and that twist came to light a bit earlier in the arc. Spike's got a soul flu, which was a fallout from his ghosties all the way back in Season Five. In this issue, Spike is back to his... well, Spikey-self (Is there really an adjective that can properly describe him? No one word can sum up his Spikeyness.) and it's great to see. He recognizes that he's been acting out of character, and he's off to do some soul searching (mwah!) to find out what he's made of.

Illyria leaves the group after a conversation with Angel that happens in between scenes. To see this convo, read Illyria #1. These two issues really work well together, even though they're kick ass on their own. For those who didn't really dig Willingham's characterization of Blue Thunder, this issue and Illyria #1 are here to show you that IDW is on top of things.

Now, Angel and Connor. I'm bunching these two together because, really. With Connor in the picture, Angel is really all about his son. He's not interested in aerial sex, wearing costumes, or hanging out with skinless dudes. Just Connor. And Connor knows this. And here's another thing that the both of them know: Connor is special in a way that has yet to be discovered, and the Sisterhood--creepy as they were--helped show them that. And Connor isn't going to be able to tap into his true power and see how far he can stretch it in order to become a champion while Angel is around, worrying about him every second of the day. Angel and Connor have this conversation, which has been in the works since... well, I was going to say since After the Fall, but I think it dates as far back as the finale of Season Four. Angel walked away from Connor, leaving him in the safety of a normal life. But Connor didn't belong there. Connor belongs where he is now, playing the role of a champion... and Angel recognizes that it's finally time for him to walk away, leaving Connor to fend for himself the way Angel did when he came to LA. The scene on the roof is beautiful, calling back to both Home and Angel and Connor's post-resurrection reunion in After the Fall #16. A lot to live up to, huh? Well, it easily succeeds. It's heartbreaking as it is heartwarming, if that's possible. You see those broken pieces of your hearts? They're super toasty.

I'll end with a quote from the issue. Angel says to Connor, "None of that matters. What matters is you and me and the people in this city. The city needs you. And maybe you'll find you need it, too. So... maybe it's time I stepped back for awhile and let you find each other."

That is Angel. That is all.

PS: The title. Jeez. Fits. Wow.

Illyria #1

Haunted (part one of four)

Written by Scott Tipton and Mariah Huehner

Art by Elena Casagrande

...My god.

So, so very good. While IDW has given Illyria a lot of attention in the past (Fallen Angel: Reborn, Illyria: Spotlight, Angel: Only Human, etc.) this book gives us more insight into her perspective than we've gotten... well, ever. Since her arrival in Shells, she's been a mystery. We've seen her develop, change, grow... but she remains alien. Now, we finally get a good look at her thought process, and it's fascinating. Illyria has great conversations with both Angel and Spike that sheds light on all three characters in new and interesting ways. And that's really what good writing is. Developing characters in a way that makes sense considering their history, but keeping it all unexpected. Illyria: Haunted treads new ground, which is kind of ironic seeing that the plot is taking Illyria back to where she started: The Deeper Well.

All in all, it might be the best Buffyverse issue since Brian Lynch's epic "Become What You Are." It's right up there with that issue, and also the recent and awesome Spike #1. Good things are coming in with all of the IDW Angel comics, and I can't wait to see what the dream team of Mariah, Scott, and Elena have in store for us. If the next three issues are anywhere as good as this, I just might have to break my "Serious Fans Do Not Squee" rule.

Actually, I may have broken that when I read the dream sequence where everyone but Illyria and Spike were crayon drawings. What an outright brilliant way to tinker with the medium.

NOTE: After Illyria #4 is released, Scott Tipton will be dropping by Buffyverse Comic Reviews to give you guys "Illyria Annotated." He, Mariah, and Elena threw a lot of tiny jokes and references into the book, so let's see if you can catch them!

Spike #2

What Happens in Vegas, Slays in Vegas

Written by Brian Lynch

Art by Franco Urru and Nicola Nanni

The issue was good and fun. I'm finding that while the balance of Brian Lynch's Spike: Asylum, Spike: After the Fall, and Angel: After the Fall series was in tune with that of the television series (equal parts comedy, drama, and fantasy), the on-going Spike series is veering more in the direction of comedy. And that's not really a problem. It has a Spike: Shadow Puppets kind of feel, even more in this issue than the first. I can tell that there are bits that will have emotional payoff, such as Spike's upcoming reunion with Drusilla and whatever happens to Jeremy, who is revealed to be possessed in this issue by an agent of Wolfram & Hart. Seeing Spike taking the reigns as leader is awesome, and Brian Lynch utilizes the thought captions very well, showing our hero's thought process as he struggles to pave his own way. There continue to be awesome one-liners (Beck's "Weird, right? Whoa, someone must really want you to shush?"; Spike's "Gits like you mess with the mystique. Seriously, mate, the chocolate cereal vampire is embarrassed by you."; and John, the Big Bad's "I fully anticipate a slap on the wrist" come to mind) and fun character moments, but I'm anticipating the story really kicking off. The first issue had a lot of great set up and fun moments. This issue had a great deal of comedy, banter, and exposition. I'm ready for the arc to kick in, and I'm excited to see where my favorite Buffyverse writer takes his trademark character.

Also, for you continuity nuts and Whedonesquers taking issue with how these relate to each other and Season Eight, here's a quote from Mariah Huehner to clear things up.

Mariah Huenher: "You can ask Brian for more specifics, but it's not actually a continuity goof so much as gray area of time. And some inside jokes. Buffy is a year ahead of all the Angel comics at least, and while Spike will be more directly related than the others, we're not defining precisely how far behind it is. Hence why you're not seeing direct ref's to Harmony's show or the like. It's just a bit of humor for those who have read both, it's not to be taken as exact references to the timeline.

Spike's Vegas adventure takes place after Angel #38, and that's pretty much all the defining of the timeline we're doing for now. Illyria's story takes place after #38 as well, and after the little fight with Angel and Spike. When you see Illyria #1 you'll see how some of it ties together, but again, it's a tight time frame for only those specific events. The Spike adventure goes off on its own and has its own arc to manage. Brian's story was too important to hamstring with trying to force it all to gel perfectly. And a lot of the Spike comic had been established before the last story arc became the last one, so it's more on me than it is on Brian. We just want to link what we can, and hope fans will be forgiving and okay with the sort of vague "happens after #38" answer. :}

The way we see it, the pro-vamp attitude has probably been around awhile. Heck, there have been groups who really didn't understand how bad there were long before ATF (the ep of Buffy with the pro-vamp teens, for instance). So this is really just an extension of that, plus the fact that vamps are "known" now in this verse, and a little bit of a poke at the sparkly "romantic" vamps of "Twinkle". It's just playing with the idea that people are easily misled when they want to be. Our culture has often romanticized vampires, and this is just another facet of it. Which is, I'm sure, what the idea was in the Buffy comics. So we're just showing how it manifests in the Angel/Spikeverse side of things. :}"

Spike #1: Alone Together Now

SPIKE #1

"Alone Together Now"

Written by Brian Lynch

Art by Franco Urru

Editor: Mariah Huehner

Review by Patrick Shand

This is why I do these reviews. This sort of comic is why I made this site in the first place.

You might have noticed a lot less reviewage here. I've been doing the IDW Extravaganza here for a while now, and that will continue until the end of their ANGEL and SPIKE series. But there hasn't been a BUFFY or even an ANGEL review for a while now, which, as some of you pointed out, kind of goes against the name of the site. Well, I can promise that the SPIKE series, the ANGEL series (starting with #38), and the ILLYRIA mini will be reviewed in full... hopefully on their respective release dates. With all of these books, my passion for the comics has been reignited, and I'm glad to be excited about this wonderful universe again.

Now. Spike #1. Brian Lynch. Franco Urru. Neil Patrick Harris.

Well, maybe not that last. More on him later, though.

The issue starts with some background stuff. We have Spike narrating a scene in Las Vegas that involves murder, mayhem, and bugs. Not giant bugs, though. Casino-bugs that do the whole swarm and eat tourists thing. Then, more Spike narration over a montage of his life. He gets sired, he arrives in Sunnydale, Buffy's fist makes its first appearance in an IDW comic by punching Spike, Spike gets a soul, and then Spike admits that Angel is better than him, much to the chagrin of a bunch of Spuffy fans. Actually, though, not at all. The page I'm talking about, the image that was used as the exclusive NYCC cover, is not about evolution. It's not about who is better. It's the way Spike sees things, on a scale from "pure evil" to "so noble it's coma inducing." Spike is below Angel because, to him, he registers as a "chaotic 8 and a half." And that's the thing. Out of context, I can see how this would piss off fans who have spent years arguing that Spike is better than Angel or vice versa, but in context, it's just indicative of where Spike sees himself of the morality scale. He's a bad boy, the anti-hero who functions as a champion. He more than recognizes this; he revels in it.

Then, more set-up. Spike narrates the montage of him going to Wolfram & Hart, him going to Hell, the reaction to the release of "Last Angel in Hell," and then... then, my favorite moment of the issue. The loyal readers of "After the Fall" get some closure with Spider, wrapped up in the funniest "Twilight" parody since... well, probably since "Twilight" itself. Wait, what? You mean... "Twilight"wasn't parodying itself? It was... unintentionally that bad? Erm. Well. Shit.

Anyway.

So the "Twilight" of the Buffyverse is called "Twinkle," and Spider wrote it about Spike. There are a few scenes from the movie adaptation in the comic, and it's hilarious. Also, it's the segue from the pages of exposition to the actual meat of the comic. When a bunch of vampires decide to feast on some fans waiting in line to see the third installment of "Twinkle" ("Re-clipse"), Spike, Angel, and Illyria swoop in to save them. I love how Spike's behavior kind of riffs off the development he underwent in "Boys and their Toys," because even as he's working under Angel, it's apparent that he's aching to get out on his own. The two ensouled vampires still have the level of mutual respect (well, maybe more of a mix of respect and familial contempt) that they gained for each other in "After the Fall," but Spike is clearly antsy to go on his own adventure.

Which he does.

He picks up Beck. A sexier, more fiery, out of control Beck. He picks up Betta George, who rides in a sidecar on Spike's motorcycle. Picture it.

Based on "Asylum" and "Shadow Puppets," we know the team has chemistry (and I can't wait to see how they work with the fourth member, Groosalugg, who comes into play in issue #2), but we don't get much interaction time in this particular installment. Which is fine, because this issue is very much a set-up for things to come. It's a solid book, rife with hilarious lines and moments that are so damn in character that you'll start to forget that Brian Lynch didn't create Spike himself, but it does seem to scream "This is just the beginning." We're in for the most epic Spike tale that's ever been told, and the starting pistol has been fired.

The rest of the issue is essentially fast-paced action. A demon is making itself a giant body by sucking a bunch of Elvis impersonators to itself... which Spike has to deal with without hurting any of the innocent Elvises ("Er... Elvisii? Elvees?"), much to Beck's woe. She'd rather just torch the thing and call it a day. However, for the safety of Elvises everywhere, and also for the plot development, it's a good thing Spike told her to hold back. Right before kills the bearded, tendrilley demon responsible for the abundance of Elvises, he finds out that whoever hired this strange fellow knows him.

And then, things get super sexy. Like, remember when Buffy had sex in space? Well, actually, bad comparison, that was kind of just weird. Point being, the issue ends with Drusilla and a new enemy, all sorts of naked, talking about our lovely, bleach blond protagonist. Drusilla says that nothing the man does for her will ever be real, because Spike has her heart.

And then, the plot twist. The man says that he can do her one better. Spike has his soul.

DRAMATIC-THUNK-SOUND-AT-THE-END-OF-LOST!

Oh, also, Spike pokes fun at space sex. Yes.

So as I write this review, in formal attire-- What, you're surprised? Do you think that Brian Lynch deserves any less than to be reviewed by a dapper man in a suit? Well, actually, as much as Brian does deserve that, I'm dressed this way for International Suit Up Day. Are you not doing the same? Do the same. Neil Patrick Harris and Brian Lynch deserve no less.

So.

I loved it. It was a fitting start to a series that I've been waiting for since it was announced almost two full years ago. Brian understand Spike in a way that no one else does, matching the quippy, clever Whedonesque dialogue with his own distinctly Brian-y style. I can't wait to see where he takes Spike, but I know it's gonna be one hell of a journey.

Also, check out Buffyfest's review of the issue.

Also also, man oh man... Franco's art. Best artist working in comics today, bar none.

Buy the damn thing.

Bill Williams Interview

IDW Extravaganza

Pat Shand Interviews Bill Williams

Writer of the Eddie Hope backups in ANGEL

and SPIKE: THE DEVIL YOU KNOW

BUFFYVERSE COMIC REVIEWS: For starters, how did you get into writing comics?

BILL WILLIAMS: I backed into writing comics and from there stumbled into writing prose. I have an art degree from the University of Texas and I’m a cartoonist by training. When I was trying to break in as an inker, I needed pages to work on, so I wrote a story and hired a penciler and before you knew it I was making pages and the pages became actual comics. In my college writing courses, I scored pretty well and even had a teacher tell me that I should write for a local paper after reading a movie review I had churned out in class. Since then, I’ve written a novel, a few dozen short stories, a few spec screenplays and fifty plus comics. There are more stories on my plate than I can finish at the moment and a few pitches floating around in some editorial offices.

At this point in my career, I’m more of a crime writer and a fan of the superheroes and the creatures in the supernature. Writing stories about devils looking for revenge and a charming vampire out to remind the world how awesome he is fits me pretty well. I currently split my time between writing and drawing, but more on that later.

BCR: You’re the first writer to tackle a SPIKE series since Brian Lynch essentially redefined the character with his SPIKE trilogy, “After the Fall,” and his upcoming ongoing series. What did you draw from to add your own spin on this fan favorite character?

WILLIAMS: First off, I love Spike. I think the best of the episodes from Angel Season Five starred Spike. I really drew on the early Buffy seasons and the last season of Angel for my tone for Spike. He’s a full fledged hero now and he’s totally engaged with the waking world. Spike seems to enjoy every moment in life. Even when Dru leaves him he feels it, but without all of the pouting.

Spike strikes me as the character that’s always having fun and I wanted the mini-series to reflect that. Comics are too grim and dour. I wanted to find a way to capture a charm and drive of Spike. Playing him off of Eddie worked pretty well because Eddie’s a pretty decent straight man.

In terms of mythology, when the series starts Spike is a character at the cross roads. He’s been told that Angel has dibs on the Shanshu Prophecy and he is shut out. Spike needs to find a new way to live when he meets Andrea in a bar. Since Spike is a hero, she‘s trying to kill him and steal a charm from him, but it sets him more along his true path. So many vampire stories are about family and Spike’s family tree shakes out a real villain.

Spike: The Devil You Know #4

Cover art by Franco Urru

BCR: There are so many aspects of Spike that fans fell in love with. So many people are passionate about the character for different reasons. What about Spike did you want to portray in THE DEVIL YOU KNOW?

WILLIAMS: In a lot of the stories I drew from, Spike had been reduced to a punch line. He was Illyria’s tackling dummy. Spike was the runner up in the Shanshu Contest. That was totally disconnected from the Spike I loved in his early appearances and I wanted to get back to that version of the character. In The Devil You Know, Spike’s competent and fun and charming.

The pitch I sent in to Mariah was detailed enough to give a good road map for ther story, but loose enough to improvise as I was banging out the pages. I think I wrote the first draft of the thing in two weeks. There was a wait and then the rewrites and the search for the art team and we struck gold with ChrisCross and Marc Deering.

BCR: The Buffyverse is my favorite fictional universe, easily. However, even I have to admit that the mythology sometimes suffers when a writer has a good idea. Angel’s facial hair situation seemed to change from “yeah, vampires can grow mustaches, because look how badass he looks” to “what? Vampires? Facial hair? Pshaw.” However, you seem to be making an effort to make the mythology a bit stronger by tying TDYK into the early Buffy episodes by having the Order of Aurelius show up. What about the Order interested you?

WILLIAMS: The World of Buffy plays by a set of rules and I like that about it. For the two series, they created new mythologies out of whole cloth. If they needed a demon casino, BANG there it was and it was never seen again. Same for a special school for Gwen. Here and gone. In most comics we tend to do endless navel gazing and end up choking on continuity. I wanted to bring an awareness of what has come before to the Spike mini-series and if anything, tie Spike into that larger world a little better.

I was struck that the Order seemed to die with The Master. It seemed that he was an order of one and that’s not much of an order. So I created the villain Tansy Fry as a kind of protégé to the Master who had predated Darla as the apple of the old monster’s eye. The nice thing about a character like The Master is that there are long deep pockets of his personal history that can be explored. I see that the Buffy comics are going to be doing a bit of that.

An early idea that I rejected in the writing process was to have a few distant surviving members of The Order arrive in Los Angeles looking for Spike. These badass vampires find Spike and immediately start bowing to him. They ask him to be the new head of the Order. But that approach lacked the conflict and tension that Tansy brought to the story. I wanted to write something bigger than a one joke story.

BCR: Coincidentally, The Master has just showed up in the BUFFY comic. It seems as if the comics are sort of making a return to the roots of the TV series. How do you think writing an ANGEL or SPIKE comic is different than writing an episode of the series?

WILLIAMS: The comic writing process is miles away from the television writing process. I’m based in Austin and I work with people all around the globe with the editor functioning as the coordinator for the stories. Most comic stories have one author. In the television model, the writers are in the same room and there is better collaboration and stories that get off topic can be nipped early on. Recently, I was brought in to by an independent production company to rewrite their pilot for a new one hour drama. I kept half of the original pilot and totally rewrote the back half of the project. That would never happen in comics.

More television writers are now writing comics, so they’re picking up our bad habits. The Master is an interesting plot device. He’s the pater familias of the Order and at the trunk of the family tree that includes Darla, Angelus, Dru and Spike and many others.

BCR: Tell us a bit about the process of developing the Eddie Hope character.

WILLIAMS: When Mariah hired Willingham to write Angel, he wrote a document that detailed where the series would go. It was not exactly a pitch document, because he already had the job. He pulled me into the project and set aside four pages a month for my little Eddie stories. I’m grateful for the work and the time in front of the audience. But Eddie was born as a single paragraph in that original document.

At our annual Clockwork writing retreat I wrote and emailed to Willingham my first Eddie story. He told me that I was missing the point and that the original script did not illustrate the premise. So, I told him that I could just have Eddie walk into a bar and kill someone. He said go with that. So the first story became the second story and I was off and writing.

For the sixth script, I had started Eddie off in a fight club story. Behind the bars in Whedon’s LA, there was always a demon fist fight going on and I wondered what would happen if someone organized that and made it a pay per view contest complete with wagering. So Eddie was in the middle of that and it was a story about Eddie taking a beating, a real hard loss. I turned in the first chapter of that story and thought about it a bit more. Then I contacted Mariah and told her that I wanted to get a do over and that I thought it would be more interesting to have him slam into Gunn and through him get into a fight with Team Angel.

I got the emotional handle on Eddie when I had a woman from his past track him down to ask him why he had not come home after LA left Hell. Answering that question gave me more insight into Eddie’s head.

By the time all is said and done, I think I wrote twenty Eddie stories and a dozen will see the light of day. I may rework and reuse elements of some of the stories that never left my hard drive.

Angel #38 Variant Cover

Art by David Messina

BCR: With Eddie Hope’s story rushing toward its climax, fans have been wondering if the character is going to get closure or not. Without spoiling, any thoughts?

WILLIAMS: If you do not close a story, you’re writing a soap opera. The best stories have ends. The artistic value of stories falls if the story never ends. The Wire ends. The Watchmen ends.

Writing an ending is tricky. It’s the hardest part of the process. I compare the ending to the dismount in a gymnastic routine. You have to stick the ending if you want a story to sing. The movie Michael Clayton has a bit of unnecessary non-linear storytelling, but it mostly works. It’s popular to hammer on Clooney, but he’s pretty good in that movie and it could go either way. But then within the last few moments, he delivers a total verbal smack down to someone who has it coming. That final dramatic scene saves that movie. As you can see I think they have to end. The thing is that the next morning, the next story starts.

Eddie gets a decent send off. It ends the way I always saw the story ending, just too soon.

BCR: It’d been said that you were months ahead on the Eddie scripts. Was there anything you wanted to do with the characters that fans won’t get to see?

WILLIAMS: In the spring this year, I finished writing my Eddie stories so that I could free up my schedule enough to finish writing a detective novel. Given the option, I wrote a year’s worth. I love the character and the world around him. At Mariah’s instruction, I had written the Eddie stories through issue #44. My run’s a lot shorter than that now. My last issue is #39 and it was written after all of the changes had shaken out. Originally, there was the story about the woman from his past. I wrote a long hallucination that Eddie endured as he recovered from a beating. There was a three part stranger in town story where Eddie realizes that the locals are corrupt as they are giving him a beating. And finally, I wrote a killer two-part story about Kate and Eddie killing demons in a police substation.

I wanted to do more with Kate the cop. In the Angel television series, she had originally been fired from the police force for being obsessed with the creatures in the supernature. Then LA went to Hell and proved her points. I figured that she could give the mother of all I Told You So’s to the department, but she would have too much class for that. In the back of my head, my plan was to make her the liaison between Angel Investigations and the regular authorities in LA. Of course at the time, I had assumed that I would have a long run on the characters with Willingham.

I don't want to say too much about what else we had planned, because I don't know how much of the original blueprint the new writing team will use.

Angel #37 Variant Cover

Art by David Messina

BCR: You touched on Gunn’s emotional state, which has sort of been pushed to the side in the main storyline since #23. Where do you think Gunn’s head is at, and do you think his experience with Eddie Hope has changed him as a character?

WILLIAMS: There has to be a way to reconcile Gunn’s acts in hell with his current life and his survival. In the Buffyverse, the bad guys get punished just like in any morality play. Gunn lives. I have the feeling that it will be something with satisfying conclusion at the hands of the new writing crew coming onboard with Season Nine.

BCR: Is Eddie only after people who committed atrocities in Hell? He seems almost Rorschach-esque in his black and white morality, but then he works side by side with Spike, a known murderer. Why is he okay with Spike being alive but so opposed to Gunn (who wasn’t in control of his actions) living to see another day?

WILLIAMS: Eddie’s not a big objectivist. He’s more pragmatic than that. Assuming that we all want to change the world for the better, most of us fumble around for the best place to start. When Los Angeles went to hell, Eddie got up close and personal with truly evil people as a part of his devilish transformation. He knows the people that went through the process with him. Now that he’s out and about and a devil, he is pretty sure that one of the quickest ways to fix the world is to remove those people from it. In hindsight, he might have just left Gunn off of his list the way you might forget where you put your car keys.

As to Spike, one of the things that troubles me about the Buffyverse is the perfect relay of information. Everybody knows everything. Everyone knows that Angel and Spike are official heroes. If you look out your window, you see our modern society is polarized. People are said to have their own facts. That makes Eddie something of a skeptic. Eddie might come after Spike under different circumstances.

But if you reread the first issue, Eddie is ambivalent to Spike’s suffering as our beloved vampire hero is fighting the bodybuilder vampires. At this point, Eddie considers vampires evil because they eat people. At the least, they are the kind of predator that you should keep an eye on. Later, Eddie halfheartedly considers staking Spike. I think that they are both waiting to see what the other guy proves to be.

BCR: You worked with Willingham on the main ANGEL title for a year, and got a chance to pen your own SPIKE tale. Not many men can say the same. How would you sum up your experience working with IDW on such a landmark title?

WILLIAMS: I worked with Willingham before when I published his Pantheon mini-series through my little company back in the day. He’s a lot of fun to sit and have a story session with. Trust me, you’d better bring your ‘A Game’ because he’s sharp. The insight on the introductory script was a revelation for me.

The people at IDW have been nothing but nice with me. Chris Ryall and Mariah Huehner and Alonzo Simon have done their best to make this a smooth process and I’d love the opportunity to work with them again.

BCR: Now that you’ve worked on ANGEL, where can the folks who loved “Devil You Know” and the Eddie Hope stories find more of your writing?

WILLIAMS: It made sense to launch a website showcasing all of the stuff I’m doing for other publishers. So, last month I launched www.billwilliamsfreelance.com which has a load of fun stuff in addition to the shameless self-promotional plugs that the internet is famous for. Any of the pitches I manage to get greenlit will have an announcement on that page when the time is right.

Mystery fans might want to go download a trio of short detective stories at WOWIO. You’ll need a pdf reader, but I posted a free short story collection called Young & Foolish that is set in my hometown of Austin, Texas. http://www.wowio.com/users/product.asp?BookId=6702

And webcomics fans might want to go check out my weekly webcomic about Super-Powered female body guards. It’s called SideChicks and there is a hundred and fifty pages of free content parked at Graphic Smash. http://www.graphicsmash.com/comics/sidechicks.php I’d like to put the webcomic out more often, but the inking and coloring on top of the freelance writing keeps me busy.

Sidechicks- a webcomic written by Bill Williams

This image is also inked and colored by Williams

BCR: Were you a big ANGEL fan before working on the book?

WILLIAMS: To be honest, I never caught the wave when it first hit. But the Angel television series was in syndication here in Austin and it was on late at night when I was working on freelance stuff. It ran after something I was already watching so more than once, I looked up and caught the show. Slowly but surely, I got hooked on the mystery/ detective angle and watched the syndicated run through to the end of the last season. When I got the chance I picked up the whole series on DVD. I’d gone through the first season on DVD when Willingham called and gave me the good news that we were the new team on the Angel comic from IDW.

So I went through the next four seasons and put together a document that I called my Angel Bible so that when it came time to ground stories in that world, I had a road map. After doing the cross-referencing with the wikipedia pages, I was ready.

And of course, I read Brian Lynch’s Angel series from the relaunch. When Willingham asked me what was going on with that series, I was able to boil it down for him.

BCR: What do you think it is about ANGEL that makes fans so passionate?

WILLIAMS: Angel is a classic character in that he was caught in a star-crossed romance. Time had its way with Buffy and Angel, and they failed as a couple. I think Angel has a lot of charm because in many ways he is a very modern and a very adult take on the classic romantic hero.

Thanks a lot, Bill!

Readers, make sure to pick up SPIKE: THE DEVIL YOU KNOW #4! It's out in comic shops today. I just finished reading it, and it was a solid end to a cool Spike adventure.

Print and some video interviews with David Messina, Jenny Frison, Mariah Huehner, David Tischman, Brian Lynch, Stephen Mooney, and more coming soon!

Spike: After the Fall Hardcover Review

What Is It?: A hardcover that collects the Spike: After the Fall miniseries.

The Story: A lot of beloved stories don't really hold up to a second reading. A lot of stories that didn't go over so well read a lot better after a second reading. Spike: After the Fall definitely changes with repeated reads, but doesn't fall into either of those categories. It was fantastic when I first read it, but the more I read the more the utter greatness of it starts to stand out.

Getting the flaws out of the way first, Art Lyon's coloring doesn't really vibe with Franco Urru's art. It's not really appropriate, I feel, for the tone of either Spike or Angel, but at least his coloring work on this book was an improvement over his work on the middle issues of Angel. The art is best in the third issue, in which Jason Jensen's beautiful coloring leaps off the page, but Urru's art is as good as ever, so it is still able to shine even with less than ideal color work. He is wonderful with character likeness and even better with movement. Take the page in #2, where Spike and Spider have a bit of a stand-off. Perfect pencils, perfect layout. What an example of how effective visual story-telling in comics can be.

As for the story, it's a prequel that truly stands on its own. It tells what happened to Spike and Illyria between First Night and the main arc of After the Fall, so we know where they start and where they end up... but getting there is all the shocking, tragic, bloody fun. Spike's dialogue is the strongest it's ever been, allowing us to get close--but not too close--to our vampire champion. Brian Lynch subtly, gracefully crafts the relationships between the three leads, Spike, Illyria, and Jeremy, setting us up for heartbreak that we knew had to come but could have never predicted how. Brian described the story as having an "indie" or "low budget" feel, and he's right in that the tone is a lot closer to the television series than the Angel title, but this just makes it a more interesting read instead of limiting it. It's a fast paced, highly emotional tale with great character development, cool connections to the Angel title, fantastic dialogue, and Brian's best original villain. Well, at least tied with Kr'ph.

Spike's story reads even better in the context of the entire Angel: After the Fall arc. Both of them play off each other so well, elevating both stories to a new level. I loved Spike: After the Fall when it was released in four parts, and I looked forward to the book every month... but it's nothing compared to how the story reads now. Knowing what is to come for Spike, knowing how Angel: After the Fall is resolved, reading the story is a nearly perfect experience. Things that didn't seem to matter much before--such as Gunn being interested that Illyria was with Non--are now vital in the light of the final few issues of Angel: After the Fall. Jeremy's entire arc, knowing what will become of Illyria... it all works so well with the book. Also, the story is so tight, so many little moments pop up and are payed off, that this is really the only form that can do the book justice. Even the little things--like the way Spike tells time in #1 vs. the way Connor does in #4--contribute to the tight feeling of Spike: After the Fall. I've seen a lot of people say it's the best installment in Brian's Spike trilogy of Asylum, Shadow Puppets, and this, and I always thought Asylum was slightly better. Now, I think they're at least equal.

Brian ended his commentary by saying this: "Spike's grown a lot throughout the TV shows, hasn't he? Just thinking about all the changed Whedon and company put him through on the TV shows, it's pretty mind-boggling. He's a wonderfully rich and complicated character, and hopefully Franco and I did him justice."

I'll end my review by saying this: Spike is among the most well-developed characters in the Buffyverse, going from pitiful poet to feared killer to a monster trying to go against his nature to a true champion. Brian and Franco took that character to the next level. In their Spike trilogy, they forever changed the character, reminding us how deep and complex he can be, something that might have been glossed over in the business of Angel: Season Five (which isn't an issue, I don't think). They've added at least a season's worth of development to the character, taking him in brand new and excitingly dark directions, and I can't wait to see what they bring to him with the on-going Spike series. No one writes our favorite blond vampire better.

The Presentation: Tony Harris's cover from Angel: After the Fall #2 was used, which I found odd at first. But it's really a beautiful book, and once you lay it next to the hardcovers Angel volumes, you understand. The painted look of the cover really vibes well with the other books. Other than the golden tint (which does make it hard to read the embossed title and credits), there isn't much different than the look of the other hardcovers. The images chosen for the chapter headings were very nice.

Special Features: Not much in this volume, which is understandable, considering both Brian and Franco were finishing up work on Angel: After the Fall at this time. There are, however, extensive Franco Urru sketches, including a whole bunch of different perspectives of the Spike/Illyria kiss, as well as quick sketches of particularly important scenes. There's a nice "previously on" section set over an image of Spike sizing up Angel's dragon, as well as some commentary on the first issue. I do miss the in-depth commentary offered in Brian's first two Spike volumes, but when it comes down to it, I would definitely rather Brian and Franco have the time to make the actual comics the best they could be, so I'm good with the limited commentary. There is also a comprehensive cover gallery, featuring all of the Urru and Sharp Brothers covers.

Rating: 10/10 Classic.

ANGEL #17 review; MET BRIAN LYNCH; ANGEL/SPIKE details, all at NYCC

NY Comic Con.

I met a lot of wonderful people that I admire. Met the man who has quickly become my favorite writer. Met some of the best artists working, met some cool up-and-comers. Also saw a dude at a certain popular Comic Con booth try to go stealth for an ass-scratch, but he wasn't as suave as he thought.

All in all, fantastic experience, ass-scratcher aside.

Since this is a review site, I'll start with--gasp--a review. I'll do a proper review for Angel #17 this Wednesday when I get a copy to keep, but yes, I did get to read it in full. Which means, yes, I got to meet Brian Lynch, who is one of the men I mentioned above. Hint? Not the ass scratcher.

ANGEL #17 QUICK REVIEW

Loved it. It's such a perfect end to the series, packed with huge character moments and a lot of action as well. The Angel/Spike talk Brian promised? It delivers. It's funny, poignant, and gives insight into Spike's role in the overall scheme of things. It's gives us some of the most brotherly, emotional Angel and Spike moments of the entire series, but keeps it popping with all the bickering and quipping you'd expect from a conversation between our two vamps. There are great moments for Nina, Illyria, and a lot of the earlier villains (who, after the physical reboot, are all alive again). It's so low key, and really feels at once like a return to the normalcy of the Angel series and like an effective ending to the most epic story that has ever been told about these characters. There are some great exchanges between Spike, Betta George, and a certain early villain who gets a lot of screen time, and oh is it deserving. It's Franco's best art even, the colors are great, and it is every bit as good as #17. I'll give a more insightful review when I've read it again and I'm not so worn out, but damn what an ending. What an ending.

Before I get into the bigger stuff--the IDW panel, as it was big on announcements--I'll tackle the Dark Horse panel. I didn't stick around for the entire thing, because I heard they were selling colorful energy drinks for affordable prices next to the Image Comics booth, but I caught all the Buffy announcements. As Buffyfest (grumble, grumble) (just kidding, love you guys) posted earlier, there is going to be a Tales of the Vampires one shot that focuses on a slayer and vampire in modern times. That comes out in June, which is great, as that is when the Buffy comic will go on a one month hiatus. Gotta say, I'm glad they gave us another issue this time, as it was pretty hard going that long without a Buffy fix. Allie announced a writer and artist, but I didn't really catch the name. Becky something is the writer, and Fabio Moon and someone else is on cover duty, along with our beloved Jo Chen.

Scott Allie really breezed through Buffy, but he did reveal the cover of the "Predators and Prey" trade, which I have... here.

...No, just kidding. Here it is.

So, that's it on the Buffy front.

Before I go into the autographs, pictures, and assorted nuzzles I got, it's time for the big stuff. This may/may not be the first time you're hearing this stuff, so read carefully, favorite the site, tell all your friends, etcetera.

SPIKE IS GETTING AN ONGOING SPINOFF

Yup, you knew it. It's been implied quite a lot, but now it's official. Brian Lynch is writing, Franco Urru is pencilling. It's about Spike trying to find himself, find his true purpose. And if you read Spike: Asylum, Shadow Puppets... you know like I do that it'll be a risk, seeing Lynch take on a character like Spike that he's never really dealt with before. *cricket* Really, though, it'll be awesome. Can't believe we're lucky enough to get an ongoing anything from Mr. Lynch, who already has enough on his plate. Oh, which I will get to later.

But yeah. You knew all that, so how about some NEWISH Spike details?

+ Will BECK be in it? Uhhhhhh yes. She will. In other news, Brian Lynch said that Beck is based on the lady sitting behind me who (Pat Shand turns around) just happens to be Brian's wife!

+ Will BETTA GEORGE be in it? Uhh, yeah. Notice how many less h's there are there. It's because while Betta George is awesome, Brian feels that "the fish has had his time in the spotlight." I think Spike might find it hard to stay away from George, though, I think he has a fish thing.

+ It's an on-going. Brian said it will go for at least a bit over a year.

+ Not really related to the SPIKE series, but there was a moment right before the spin-off was revealed that Brian "revealed" that Spike dies in #17. For those that bought it, there was collective gaspage. The panel was really pretty damn funny the whole time. My friend Anthony, who I'll get into later, was cracking up the whole time, and he doesn't really even read comics.

To break up the big mondo revelation news, and also because it was the highlight of the con for me and my buddy Anthony (Twon, we call him, Twon), I'll get into my meeting with Brian Lynch. Pretty cool when your favorite writer is also the most down to earth, chill dude there is. I was thrilled that he recognized me, and equally thrilled that he recognized Anthony from his role as DRAKE in Whatz Good Studios, a webseries I created. I got to talk to Brian for a while about Angel, got to meet his wife and some of the dudes around him, and yeah, t'was awesome to meet the guy whose books I've been buying/reading/reviewing/repeat for the past... damn, has it really been more than two years since Spike: Asylum #1 came out? But yeah, definitely the highlight of Comic Con for me, seeing the IDW team. So even if I was the unfortunate witness to a gruesome ass scratch, I also met Brian Lynch, so all is well in the world.

DRUSILLA... YEAH?

Yep, really couldn't come up with a better title there. Speaking of Mr. Brian Lynch, he's also writing more books in the official Angel title. Well, co-writing is more like it. Let me start over.

An Angel comic. Two issues. In the main series. Centering on Drusilla. Art by Franco Urru. Written by Brian Lynch and... and... get ready for it... are you ready?... ew, are you peeing in anticipation?........... Juliet Landau. Yup, best Angel writer there is teams up with Drusilla to write about Drusilla.

Remember that moment in Lost when Hurley tells Jack that he thinks they're all dead and in Heaven, because everything is perfect? I agree with good old Hugo, things are lookin' mighty fine.

Oh, on the topic of the main ANGEL line...

ANGEL: AFTERMATH

Yup, new Nick Runge cover. Best of his work on the series yet, easy. And that's saying a lot, have you seen his covers to #18-21? Whew! I'm guessing this is for #22.

Some small info on the Aftermath title was announced during the panel by Brian, with a bit of input from Chris Ryall. Gunn is (SPOILER:) comatose in Angel #17 but (SPOILER:) "upright" in Angel #18. There will be an issue--it might have been implied the Drusilla centric issues would handle this--that explains. As Brian put it, the Gunn moment in "Aftermath" might make fans go "WTF." The explanation will make 'em go "THAT T.F."

THE EVIL INTERWEBS

So before the interwebs start talking, as they inevitably do, let me clear the air. We all know the letter section of the Buffy comic has been dismissive of Angel: After the Fall. Scott Allie recently apologized for being snarky after some fans got riled up at a comment he made about the book over at Slay Alive. The Buffy book was brought up at the panel, and Brian made a joking comment about the book. Something along the lines of "Buffy who?" and "I skip out on the letters section," the former maybe in reference to how Allie reminds us at every Q&A that he doesn't read the Angel book. BUT. But but but. Throughout, he assured the audience that he was joking about the book, loved the story, and respected the entire creative team. The question that Brian Lynch was answering, to get to the center of that, was if LA citizens remembering Hell was the real reason the public knew about vampires in Buffy #21. The answer was an "I don't know." But yeah, in short, I'm squashing this before it's whined about by anyone else. Yes, Brian Lynch reads Buffy. Yes, Brian Lynch loves Buffy. Yes, Brian Lynch was joking, had you missed the assorted shits/giggles/and "I'm kidding"s. A year ago, I might have had confidence in the interwebs to not have to clarify, but after the whole "IZ DIZZ CANNON" debacle, I feel I sort of have to spell it out.

Oh, and by the way, that's canon.

As you can see, I'm a master at blocking photographs. This is a picture of the IDW panel. On the far left is J. K. Woodward, center is Chris Ryall, far right is Ben Templesmith, who is obscured by a computer (I got a better picture coming up). I'll talk about Woodward first.

How is he involved in Angel? Well, he's the artist of Fallen Angel, which will cross-over with Angel for four issues this summer. Illyria will visit Peter David's Fallen Angel world in Fallen Angel: Reborn 1-4, with art by the stylish Woodward. It's set during the fifth season of Angel, shortly after Illyria gets depowered. The series deals with Illyria looking for a way to regain her full power, and Peter David gave cryptic hints about her true form. He also signed a Fallen Angel TPB for me, so I'll be all caught up in time for the issue.



Cover art for Fallen Angel: Reborn #1 by Franco Urru. Who I also met. I heard an Italian voice behind me, looked, saw a handsome man. I remembered that Franco is Italian. I remembered that Brian said he was handsome. Me, being the genius that I am, put simple numbers together and shook hands with the hand that pencilled "After the Fall."

Didn't see Mooney, though. :(

Who I did see, however, was Ben Templesmith.






Ben Templesmith! It's true, there isn't always a computer that obscures his face. He's an actual face-having person!

NOTE TO SELF: Next time, be spiffier. Next to the dapper Mr. Templesmith, it's hard to be stylin'.

So Ben. Ben Templesmith. This is non-Buffyverse related, but he's working on a book with Chris Ryall called Groom Lake. It's out in March. I tried to track Mr. Ryall down after I finished reading Angel #17 to see if I can get in a sneak peek of Groom Lake #1 so I could do an early, non-spoilery review... but the thing about Comic Con? Looooootta people. Saw two of my professors, though, which was a bit beyond awesome.

Yup, met Georges Jeanty, Buffy artist, also. The guy did a fairly extensive Illyria sketch for me, which was cool. I'll talk more about Georges and the sketch later, when I get the sketch scanned. I'll save the Jeanty and Andy Owens bits for then.

So yeah. That's all folks. Loved Comic Con, loved the IDW Panel, will be going back next year, and hopefully to the SDCC. We shall see.

I got a lot of free shit that I said I'd review, so look out for some new comic reviews on the page this week. And stay tuned for a more in depth review of Angel #17 on Wednesday, as well as a NEW YORK COMIC CON/PAT SHAND PART II: THE CONSIDERABLY SHORTER AND LESS REVEALING AND LESS PICTUREY SEQUEL in the next few days.

All Bloody Hail

What Is It?: Spike- After the Fall #4 (written by Brian Lynch.)

Timing: Directly after Spike- After the Fall #3.

REVIEW: It's hard to believe that the majority of this issue is one fight. It's so emotional, so bloody, so action packed, and so filled with well-written dialogue that it seems like many, many events are happening instead of one long fight. Including Connor was a nice touch, and I especially like his interactions with Non and Spike. Another thing I appreciated was how the focus wasn't taken off Spike or Illyria. Even when fighting the biggest bads, the story was 100% about them. Even the way Non was dealt with in the end was more about Spike's character development than actually defeating Non.

Like any Brian/Franco issue, it's loaded with fun little extras, like Spike taking on a vampire Hugh Hefner, who I think was turned way before LA went south for the fall... and how Spike got his robe. Fantastic. But nothing that happens here is really little, per say. For a book that is essentially a prequel to the main Angel: After the Fall arc, there are such huge, huge things happening here. Illyria has one moment that is frighteningly true to her character, and the way it's handled sheds light on where both Spike and her heads are at. It's definitely an emotional issue, on par with the latest two installments of Angel.

So concludes Spike: After the Fall, one of the most consistently, thoroughly good comics we've got this year. I'm praying we'll see more from the terribly talented trio (Brian/Franco/Spike) in the future.

Art: Brian Lynch has called Franco Urru the best artist in comics... and I'm starting to agree. He manages to nail all the emotional moments, but also captures the motion of the battle scenes so perfectly that you can almost see the characters fighting with each other across the panels. He's a champ at pretty much every aspect, especially his full page revelations which... in this case, are actually heartbreaking. I still think the man's one weakness is the detail of the characters when they're a distance away, but even that has improved dramatically since his work on Angel. I just wish he was paired with a talented colorist to bring out the best in his work. Art Lyon is back on this book, which was especially painful after Jason Jensen did such a fantastic, fantastic job last issue. I Art has improved at incorporating more colors into his coloring, and the book benefits from it. But honestly, how can you not make Kr'ph blue? Kr'ph needs to be blue. I will end with saying this--in this book, Art Lyon did surprise me with the improvements that he did make.

Covers: Franco Urru provides the better cover of the set again (of course). It's a very detailed cover, featuring many characters in the heat of many battles. And there is muuuucho blood. I'm not sure that it's Franco's best Spike likeness, because the face is sort of long, but otherwise it's a great cover. The Sharp Bros also deliver their best cover, with Spike in a circus setting presenting Illyria, the sideshow woman/monster. It's by far my favorite cover by them, and among the most interesting of the series. I love the text on the cover as well.

Characters We Know: Spike, Connor, Illyria, Fred, Non, Spider, Jeremy

Rating: 9/10