The War Is Over

What Is It?: Angel: Blood & Trenches #4 (written and illustrated by John Byrne).

Timing: Read the series in order, obviously. But to say when it takes place is tricky. It tells what happened to Angel between #2 and #3, and then speeds up over what happened in #3, and concludes the story.

REVIEW: John Byrne's Blood & Trenches has been a very good read. It's unique, and its look and presentation works hand in hand with the story being told, which makes the reading experience all the better. Though the series has been fun throughout, the third issue took a slight step down in quality, but you'll be glad to know that Byrne bounces back for the final issue which really delivers a knock out punch.

The structure of the story works really well in this one. We get to see what happened to Angel while he was imprisoned by Kakistos, and though I was scratching my chin as to why this couldn't have been told linearly, the climax of the story when Angel figures out why Kakistos and his men were treating him like a human answered that question. The structure really works, putting all of the information we need in just the right place to give a proper build-up to Angel's realization. It's all really good stuff.

What I really liked about this issue was how Byrne handled the alliance between Angel and Colonel Geoffrey Wyndam-Pryce. It was never friendly, and they never really connected, but it was made the focus of the issue. All of the plot bits, even things as monumental as Lady Margaret's betrayal, fed into that unlikely partnership, serving to make these two men come together to face on Kakistos. And speaking of our cloven handed friend...

...there was obviously no way Kakistos could kick it, because we know he's alive in Sunnydale years later. Byrne handles his temporary defeat in a pretty cool manner, having Angel defeat him in a way that would a) make Angel believe he could have died and b) actually put Kakistos out of commission enough to ruin his place. It was really clever. The most clever moment, however, came at the end, when it is revealed that... well, I'm not gonna write it here. It's something you really should read. Angel and the Colonel unknowingly make a grave error, and thanks to good old dramatic irony, they will never know. And thank God for that, because we all know Angel already has enough to brood about.

In the end, very good issue with a great shock ending. This has definitely been the best non-After the Fall Angel comic that IDW has published (not including the SPIKE spin-offs).

Covers: The cover captures a moment from the book, where Kakistos and Angel fight on the wing of a plane. It's not the most detailed of all of Byrne's covers, but the action and violence is pretty catching. It's definitely appropriate for the issue.

Characters We Know: Angel, Kakistos, and (SPOILERS:) Hitler.

Rating: 8/10

BKV Style Backstory of Colonel Geoffrey Wyndam-Pryce

What Is It?: Angel: Blood & Trenches # (written and illustrated by John Byrne).

Timing: Non-linear. Set before, during, and directly after Blood & Trenches #1 and #2. Clues us in on stuff we need to understand to appreciate what happens after #2.

REVIEW: The art is as great as ever here. It's shadowy, sketchy when it needs to be, so so detailed when the story calls for it, and just incredibly good. Angel's likeness is spot-on, and the fact that it isn't inked gives the story an almost washed-out look that works well with this historical story. In a way, it's out of date, and meant to be. I'm no historian, but I buy the language, I buy the setting, and I buy how this story fits into Angel's life.

This comic is definitely a risk. Well, the whole series was in a way. Angel's current, happening-right-now story continues to be told in the on-going series, and all of the characters (particularly Gunn and Illyria) are at really interesting places in a post-After the Fall Buffyverse, so it was definitely a gutsy move to tell a four issue ANGEL tale that takes place before any of the supporting characters were alive, before Angel became the champion we now know him as, and before he really came into his own as a character. What makes this issue even more risky is that Angel's role is minimalized, and the story instead chooses to focus on Colonel Geoffrey Wyndam-Pryce, the "villain" of the piece, who we have seen little of up until this point. It's pretty cool that Byrne is confident enough in his story to take such a non-linear break from the narrative in the penultimate chapter, that's not in question. It's the results that... well, let's just say they vary.

The first half of the issue is a Brian K. Vaughan style back story on the Colonel. Much like BKV did with the supporting characters of Y: The Last Man, we're given a reason why the Colonel is doing what he's doing, and we're also introduced to the emotional bond between him a fellow officer. It doesn't go as deep as BKV's flashback issue do, and that's one of the problems here. We're left with a bit more understanding for the character, but I'm also wondering why Byrne didn't take it a bit further so we really feel for the character. We end up feeling some pain for him later, but the lack of true emotion in the opening (plus the lack of Angel and anything compelling except the "ohhh, okay"ness of connecting it with the main narrative) makes the first half a kind of dry read. There was a cool vampire fight, but we've seen those a million times, so that only goes so far.

One thing I also wish had been spruced up was a certain page of dialogue. When Wyndam-Pryce finds the vampire feeding on a young woman, he talks out loud to himself like a cheesy detective from a children's cartoon show. The same information could have been conveyed in captions, much like how Tipton did for Smile Time and Brian Lynch does in all of his ANGEL and SPIKE works. Perhaps Byrne didn't want us to get too close to the Colonel, and I definitely understand that. I would have preferred just letting the art speak for itself in that case, because the whole "talking aloud, alone" thing feels like the reader is being walked through the story, and I'm not sure that's necessary.

Things get better when we're caught up to the current story. Angel has somehow evaded Kakistos, and he comes back to Lady Margaret just in time for the somewhat emotional stuff with the Colonel to come to head in a tragic (and really violent) moment, and for a pretty crazy twist at the end of the issue. What John Byrne excels at is surprising the reader, even though we already know what happens... and that takes a damn good writer. We know Angel lives on years and years later, we know that Kakistos has to make it out alive... but Byrne's twist endings still pack that punch that leaves us eager to wonder what is going to happen to these characters now. This may not be the strongest issue of the series, but it was still a good comic.

Covers: Really cool one. I love the colors that have been used for this, from the dark purples of the first one, the bright blues and pinks of the second, and now the oranges and blacks of this one. We get a great close-up of Angel as a gloved enemy attempts to drive a stake into his heart. Did I mention Byrne is great with the details? Because oh is he ever. Second best cover of the series, after the fantastic #1.

Characters We Know: Angel, Kakistos.

Rating: 7/10

Sorry for the delay... ANGEL: BLOOD & TRENCHES #2!

What Is It?: Angel: Blood & Trenches #2 (written and illustrated by John Byrne).

Timing: Directly after Angel: Blood & Trenches #1.

REVIEW: Really sorry for the delay. I've been crazy busy, and if you want to see why, check out my other blog about my writing life. It's grind time at college as well, but I've managed to squeeze review time between waking up and the Lambda Iota Tau induction ceremony this evening. I promise I'll be back to regular Wednesday reviews this week with the release of Angel #20, and I'll try to squeeze in a review of Angel: Smile Time #3 between now and then.

But as for now, onto Blood & Trenches #2!

John Byrne's Angel/WWI epic continues with another great issue. Though the story definitely progresses, don't expect any major changes; if you liked the first issue, this satisfies in the same way. The art is done in the same style (just straight pencils, no inks, and the only color used is for SFX and blood), and it works wonderfully with Byrne's first person narration. I felt like I was reading a wonderful old war novel while I poured over these pages, but the spirit of Angel is still very much there. Though he's not yet the vampire we've come to know and love, that's kind of the point. This is Angel before he's gone through everything that shaped his personality, and he's still in a very dark and impressionable place... which is why I really don't get when people say his voice is off. This is Angel fresh out of being Angelus, robbed of every defining characteristic he had. And plus, this takes place a long time ago. It makes perfect sense that Angel doesn't speak like 2009 Angel does.

This issue pushes the story in an interesting new direction. While #1 did have a decent amount of supernatural elements, it was a lot more about Angel interacting with humans, both good and evil. This took things down an entirely different route, and explores the role that vampires played in the war at large. I'm still not sure why Angel was so invested in checking out what's going on that he actually stowed away on a boat to get where he is, but I'm perfectly fine with that. The mystery gets a lot more interesting when a new/old player is thrown into the mix. If you thought the Geoffrey Wyndam-Pryce reveal was crazy, wait until you see (SPOILER:) Kakistos bearing down on Angel.

Angel: Blood & Trenches was the best Buffyverse title of March, and so far it's true for April as well. I wasn't quite as blown away by this one as I was with the first issue, but I think that's sort of because the unique presentation of the story was really impressive and shocking when I first read the issue. This issue has less opportunity to play with format and time than the first issue did, but the way story itself continues is just great. I can't wait until this is published as a TPB or a hardcover, because I can just tell it would be fantastic to read this in one sitting.

Covers: I've seen all of the covers for this series online, and this is probably the least impressive. It's dynamic and all, with the bullets crossing behind Angel and the smoke rising off of his back, but I just found the colors sort of odd. I get that Angel is supposed to be burning in the sun, but it's not really how I would have pictured it. I wouldn't be as picky if the colors used on the covers of #1 and #3 weren't so exceptional. It's not a bad cover, but not especially good either. The variant cover is a black and white version of the normal cover.

Characters We Know: Angel and (SPOILER:) Kakistos.

Rating: 8/10

Soon soon soon

Nope, didn't forget Angel: Blood and Trenches #2. I read it Wednesday, and it is, as #1 was last month, one of the best comics so far this year. I'll obviously post a full length review very soon. I've just been insanely busy.

Doctor Horrible Has a New Nemesis

Well, not really.

I wrote a little short film last month called Ultimate Couples Therapy. It all came together rather fast. There were only about two weeks of shooting, and two or three of editing. I'm really proud of the film, so happy with the cast, and can't get over how awesome the Uber Chick costume was.

If you liked Doctor Horrible's Sing-along Blog, Everybody's Dead, The Guild, orrrrr other enjoyable things, you might find something to tickle your fancy and/or pickle in the film. I'm pretty proud of it, and feel really blessed to have such an awesome cast. Filming this was one of the best times ever, and I think the fun we had really translates in the final product.

Hope you enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRSIcsT5iiw&feature=channel_page

Oh, and please be sure to click on the HIGH QUALITY option. The cameras were uber nice, so allow them to strut their stuff.

I'll be back next Wednesday for a review of Buffy #24 and Angel: Blood and Trenches #2.

Until then, be safe, watch my film, and don't get caught by the Blond Bomber!

Best. History Lesson. Ever.

What Is It?: Angel: Blood and Trenches #1 (written and illustrated by John Byrne).

Timing: World War I (1914-1918, unspecified). In terms of the Buffyverse, it's after Angel arrived in New York following the events of the Boxer Rebellion, and before he was spotted in Chicago in the 1920s.

REVIEW: I remember when this title was first announced. After SDCC in July 2008, it was reported that Brian Lynch would be writing an Angel book titled Blood and Trenches. Along with the announcement of Aftermath, a buzz began to surround the book. The lack of details made it mysterious. Turns out, the mystery wasn't intended; the reporting just sucked. I mean, I guess "Byrne" kinda looks like "Brian" on paper if you suffer from cataracts, but yeah. Either way, the buzz became even buzzier when the future of IDW's Angel was made clear. Yup, novelist Kelley Armstrong would be taking over the main title for a five issue arc titled "Aftermath." Yes, Brian Lynch would be back on the title sooner rather than later. And the creative team behind Blood and Trenches would be none other than the one man show, the legendary... John Byrne.

So the fandom hype and the talent was there. IDW took it the next step to ensure that this wouldn't just be another mini-series side adventure by really going all out with the design of the book. As you can see if you scroll, there is no "art" section in this review because it's impossible to separate the art from the story from the product. Byrne "shoots from the pencils" here, which is basically what it sounds like. Instead of having the panels inked, they are printed as is from Byrne's pencils. The only color in the book is some blue/greens for a few sound effects and a great use of deep red for blood, which--as you might have guessed from the title--is a huge part of the book. The pages and cover are very different from anything IDW has printed before, using thick, non-glossy paper, giving a really appropriate old school feeling to the thing. And, this may seem strange, but when you buy the book... take a whiff of the pages. Really, just go for it. Just make sure no one's looking, because that's weird.

When reading Blood and Trenches, you can really tell the writer and artist are the same person. Byrne knows his art in and out, so he knows when to let the visuals carry the storyline and when to add some narration. And oh, the narration. It's first person, present tense Angel, written as if it were a novel. The writing shows a sophistication, with lines like "I carry the soldiers as far from the fire as I can in my weakened state. Then... I lay my burdens in the snow." Perfectly worded, especially when you see it placed over Byrne's wonderful art. I'm no historian, so I won't really be able to pull out any historical inaccuracies, but the confidence with which Byrne writes about the war is as impressive as the confidence with which he writes Angel.

The book starts in medias res, beginning with a catastrophic event that happened to Angel as he drove a truck full of injured soldiers across an expanse of snow. Just as the unthinkable happens, the narrative jumps back six weeks and shows how Angel got to that point. It's a wonderful starting point for the series, showing where Angel is at at that point in his life, revealing how he views feeding on evil humans, and introducing the Big Bad of the series who is an ancestor of a man that will later become Angel's best friend. The art is atmospheric, so different, and honestly just great. As I read the book, I just keep thinking "This is so good."

If you're looking for a great Angel story or a great war story, look no further. This book is friendly to new comers but will also please any true fan of Angel... or really anyone who likes great stories.

Covers: Byrne also crafts the cover for the issue. It's Angel and a woman he's protecting, Lady Margaret D'Ascoyne, surrounded by vampires that (deliberately) bear a striking resemblance to Angel. It's very old school, and evokes the same classic feel that the interior art and the feel of the pages does. I've seen three of the four covers for the series, and this is by far my favorite. The way the greys and the purples play off each other is wonderful, and the likeness--as with the interior art--is amazing.

Characters We Know: Angel. Very, very interesting. I hope they do a lot more of these solo adventures, with either Angel or any supporting character. It's wonderful.

Rating: 9/10

PS: Apologies for the delayed Angel: Smile Time #2 review. No worries on that front, it's definitely coming. I read and enjoyed the book, and will probably be able to review by tomorrow. It's been an incredibly busy and rewarding past three weeks for me as a writer, but things are calming down (for now) so I'll be able to make with the postage.

ANGEL news, BUFFY news, ANGEL cover, BUFFY cover, ANGEL extended, BUFFY delay, ANGEL arist change, BUFFY soliciation

WHERE THE &^*$ HAVE YOU BEEN?

It's been a while since I've dished the news, so sorry for the lag. I'm working real hard on my own webseries at the moment, so blogging has kinda shifted to the backburner. But I'm going to be going real hard to keep up with the news, and point you in the direction of new covers whenever they're released.

And speaking of which... Brian Lynch has the full color version of Stephen Mooney's ANGEL #11 cover over at his blog.

THIS WEDNESDAY

If you go to that link, you'll notice that we've got two great comics coming out this Wednesday. We've got EVERYBODY'S DEAD #5, which concludes that series, so everyone that's been following this epic/funny/weed-smokey tale better put in the order for this book. And, of course, ANGEL #11 comes out tomorrow, and it has a certain former-human-current-vampire's climatic meeting with a former-human-former-evil-vampire-former-ensouled-vampire-current-human.

CONCLUDING "AFTER THE FALL"

So it's getting closer to that time. Here's a few bits of news you may or not know concerning the end of "Angel: After the Fall" and the future of the ANGEL franchise.

1. "Angel: After the Fall" was set to end at #16. Now, it looks like IDW may extend the series by one issue to give it a beefier ending.

2. After #11, we say goodbye to Nick Runge and welcome Stephen Mooney, who takes over art duties for #12 and #13. You can see a preview page from #12 right here. You may know his art from the "CONNOR" and "KATE" stories from Issues #6 and #7, and also the SLAY ALIVE covers from #1-#12. Check out Brian's report on that right here, and also dig some of Mooney's really awesome takes on Wesley, Spike, and Gunn. Looks like the eye of ramras is back.

3. It seems that, after Mooney finishes up #13, FRANCO URRU is joining the team to finish out "After the Fall."

And here... here is the big news... if you haven't see this yet a) you're a n00b and b) get ready to soil yourself.

4. After "Angel: After the Fall," we're getting some more of our favorite broodster. KELLEY ARMSTRONG, supernatural novelist, takes on writing duties for ANGEL: AFTERMATH, which picks up on what Angel and the gang are doing after the conclusion of AFTER THE FALL. Kelley talked about the series on her forum, and gave out a few great bits of information.

+ "It'll be a 5-6 volume single story arc."

+ "The story will be approved by (Joss Whedon)."

+ "It will follow from the events of Angel: After the Fall, it will continue that storyline and subsequent storylines will follow from it. So, yes, it's considered canon."

+ Brian Lynch will also write a continuation, later down the road. Kelley says, "I should clarify this. Brian is writing a separate story arc. Both will continue the series from the TV show (and After the Fall), but they are separate stories, so if readers do decide my contribution is a "best-forgotten alternate reality blip", the blame will fall solely on me, unfortunately..."

5. John Byrne, comic book legend, is going to be writing/pencilling an upcoming ANGEL flashback book titles ANGEL: BLOOD AND TRENCHES.

HOW ABOUT THAT BLONDE GIRL?
Ah, Buffy. A lot of great stuff is going on over at Dark Horse concerning the Buffy comic, so I'll give yall the sitch.

1. We've got the entire map out for SEASON EIGHT, it seems. I'll give you the list after I post various bits of other news.

2. Season Nine is definitely a go, and Joss Whedon will be involved. Scott Allie says that Joss will definitely Executive Produce it, but he's not sure how much Joss will be able to write, due to his involvement in DOLLHOUSE and CABIN IN THE WOODS (a film he wrote with Drew Goddard) which has been given the FREAKING GREEN LIGHT. Great news all around.

3. Solicit for Buffy #20 is out today. The blurb reads, "Written by Jeph Loeb, penciled by Eric Wight and Georges Jeanty. Comic-book writer Jeph Loeb was set to executive produce, alongside Joss Whedon and animator Eric Wight, the proposed Buffy animated TV series. While Buffy fans won't be viewing that show anytime soon, Loeb, Wight, and Whedon offer the next best thing -- a comic inspired by the animated series!" (Speaking of which, you can check out that animated show that we "won't be viewing anytime soon" right here! Great month to be a Buffy fan.

4. Georges Jeanty's #2o cover is above. It's in the style of the original ANIMATED series. In the actual comic book, I think Georges is pencilling the present scenes while Eric Wright draws the flashback scenes in the style of BUFFY: ANIMATED.

5. Sadly, now this is a wee bit of bad news, Buffy #20 is delayed about a month. It comes out November 26th instead of the first week of November, which isn't a big deal. I'd rather a small planned delay than a... erm, not planned delay. Would you agree?

BUFFY SEASON EIGHT PLAN

#20: "After These Messages ... We'll Be Right Back" written by Jeph Loeb

#21-25: The arc described by Scott Allie as "Vampires in the Vogue." It consists of standalone issues, each written by a different writer. Jane Espenson kicks it off and is followed by Doug Petrie, Drew Greenberg, Jim Krueger, annnnd one person we do not yet know.

#26-30: OZ arc, written by Jane Espenson. (If this is a five issue arc, there will be no standalones. If it's only four, however...)

#31-35: Arc leading up to the conclusion, written by Brad Meltzer

#36-40: Concludes SEASON EIGHT, written by Joss Whedon

Alright guys, a lot of stuff to swallow, probably most of which you already knew. Ah well, I'm late sauce. Gotta go put in the order for EVERYBODY'S DEAD #5 and ANGEL #11. Catch you on the flip.

PS: If you have time, subscribe to www.youtube.com/whatzgoodwebseries. Episode One comes out AUGUST 29th, and we worked really hard on it to make it as shiny as we could, which we think is pretty damn shiny. Check out the trailers and such until it's released!