Spike: Old Times (Angel comic)

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Spike: Old Times


Cover

Publisher IDW Publishing
Format 48 Pages, full color
Publication dates August 2005
Number of issues Spike: Old Times one-shot
Creative team
Writer(s) Peter David
Artist(s) Fernando Goni, Impacto Studios

Spike: Old Times is a comic based on the Angel television series.

Contents

[edit] Story description

By coincidence, Spike and several-hundred-year-old Vengeance Demon named Halfrek bump into each other in a bar in Los Angeles. Centuries earlier Spike had known 'Halfrek' as Cecily, who had been the object of his affections. Halfrek here reveals William's last name - Pratt. Spike soon discovers she is after another hopeless poet, Lenny. He is a decendant of one of the party-goers who attended the party where Cecily rejected William.

It turns out that every man in this family dies on his 30th birthday, and that Halfrek caused all their deaths. Spike then makes it his goal to save Lenny, just to spite Halfrek. He manages to get Lenny past attacking demons and an almost-accident with a truck, and takes him to an orphanage. Using the children as a 'cover' of sorts, he makes Halfrek lift the curse. Lenny is so over-joyed that he doesn't look where he's going, and falls out of the window.

Spike later visits the grave of Bela Lugosi where Halfrek tells Spike that one of Lenny's ancestors was the first man she ever cursed, which attracted the Master of Vengeance Demons, D'Hoffryn. She reveals that she actually liked William's poetry, and they kiss. Then, in 'the throes of passion', Spike tells her that she is beneath him.

[edit] Continuity

Single panel, from the comic.
Enlarge
Single panel, from the comic.
  • The comic story takes place in Buffy Season 6, and assumes that an unsouled Spike briefly left Sunnydale and visited LA.
  • A number of fans mistakenly assume this takes place in Angel season 5 because Spike appears in Los Angeles, and therefore do not believe it can fit into the continuity of the Buffyverse. The writer Peter David posted at Newsarama forums that We had to be deliberately vague as to when in continuity it actually occurred [for legal reasons]. My feeling was that it had to be set at some point in the [Buffy] sixth season between when Hallie and Spike first saw each other at the party and the point at which they basically gave each other dirty looks at the Magic Box later on that year. So we have to presume that at some point, Spike felt like stirring up some mischief with Angel and headed out to LA, where he accidentally bumped into Halfrek. My guess would be right after Xander's wedding imploded. 1

[edit] Canonical issues

Main article: Buffyverse canon
Buffy/Angel comics such as this one are not usually considered by fans as canonical. Some fans consider them stories from the imaginations of authors and artists, while other fans consider them as taking place in an alternative fictional reality. However unlike fan fiction, overviews summarising their story, written early in the writing process, were 'approved' by both Fox and Joss Whedon (or his office), and the books were therefore later published as officially Buffy merchandise.

Peter David, has regularly mentioned on his web log, that he is a big fan of the Buffyverse, and also mentioned that he did his best to keep his Buffyverse comics consistent with continuity established by canon.

[edit] Timing

  • Stories that take place around the same time in the Buffyverse:
Location, time
(if known)
Buffyverse chronology: January 2002 - Spring 2002
(non-canon = italic)
Sunnydale, 2002 B6.13 Dead Things
L.A., 2002 Angel book: Fearless
L.A., 2002 A3.13 Waiting in the Wings
Sunnydale, 2002 B6.14 Older and Far Away
L.A., 2002 A3.14 Couplet
Sunnydale, 2002 B6.15 As You Were
L.A., 2002 A3.15 Loyalty
Sunnydale, 2002 B6.16 Hell's Bells
L.A., 2002 A3.16 Sleep Tight
Sunnydale, 2002 B6.17 Normal Again
L.A., 2002 A3.17 Forgiving
L.A., 2002 Angel comic: Spike: Old Times
Sunnydale, 2002 B6.18 Entropy
L.A., 2002 A3.18 Double or Nothing
Sunnydale, 2002 B6.19 Seeing Red
L.A., 2002 A3.19 The Price
Sunnydale, 2002 B6.20 Villains
Sunnydale, 2002 Buffy books: Wicked Willow
L.A., 2002 A3.20 A New World
Sunnydale, 2002 B6.21 Two to Go
Sunnydale, 2002 B6.22 Grave
L.A., 2002 A3.21 Benediction
L.A., 2002 A3.22 Tomorrow
  • Angel comics are listed chronologically at the bottom of this article:


[edit] See also

[edit] Spike comics

[edit] Spike novels

[edit] References

1 Newsarama Forum - Peter David posted there in August 2005.

[edit] External links

Angel comics


Comics in order of Buffyverse chronology

Doyle: Spotlight | Surrogates | Earthly Possessions | The Changeling Wife | Hunting Ground | Love for sale | Past Lives | Cordelia special | Autumnal | Long Night's Journey | Spike: Old Times | Spike: Old Wounds | Spike: Lost and Found | Gunn: Spotlight | Wesley: Spotlight | Illyria: Spotlight | Connor: Spotlight | Spike: Asylum | The Curse | Old Friends

Comics with unknown/varying chronology

Spike vs Dracula #1-5 | Masks | Auld Lang Syne

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