| Angel | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Dark Horse Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | (vol. 1): Ongoing (vol. 2): Mini-series |
| Publication date | (vol. 1): 2000–2001 (vol. 2): 2002 |
| Number of issues | (vol. 1): 17 (vol. 2): 4 |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | various |
| Artist(s) | various |
Angel comic book refers to one of two series published by Dark Horse Comics during 2000–2002. Both of these series are based on the television series Angel, and were published while the television series was on air. The first volume was an ongoing series halted after seventeen issues. The second volume was a mini-series, spanning four issues. Various related works have come out coinciding with these volumes.
In 2005, IDW Publishing picked up the rights and began publishing various Angel related mini-series and one-shots set during and after the show's final season (these series are considered non-canonical). In 2007, IDW began publishing Angel: After the Fall, which is considered the canonical Angel season 6 (following the success of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight from Dark Horse) and is overseen by the show's creator Joss Whedon. IDW continued to publish an Angel ongoing title until Whedon transferred the rights to the character back to Dark Horse, where he will feature as part of the Buffy Season Nine franchise, starring most prominently in the ongoing series Angel and Faith.
Angel must solve a case involving a demonic fertility clinic, when he finds a rash of murdered mothers, and their husbands turned into zombie-like guards. Assisted by Cordelia Chase and Allen Francis Doyle (simply referred to as Doyle), Angel is able to uncover the mystery, but Angel is thrown into a well for his troubles. Escaping his captivity just in time to survive the harsh light of day, Angel and his gang are able to stop the clinic. Set early in Angel first season, before the episode "Hero". Collected in Angel: Surrogates.
In Los Angeles, things can often not be what they seem. Angel attempts to help a woman who is trapped in an abusive marriage, however Angel is not seeing where the danger really lies. Collected in Angel: Strange Bedfellows.[1]
Angel attempts to drive a demon out of a possessed lawyer; Father Noe is an excommunicated priest who gives him a hand. Noe seems to hold expert knowledge on removing demonic forces. He is known to some as "The Exorcist to the Stars." However, there may be a darker reason for his success. Supposed to be set early in Angel's first season, before the episode "Hero". Collected in Angel: Earthly Possessions.
A murderer is leaving corpses across L.A. sewers, and the evidence found by Detective Kate Lockley suggests Angel is responsible. Angel does not know which demon or monster is trying to set him up. In the other story Cordelia lands the main role in a Blair Witch type film about three film makers looking for the Helm of Haraxis. However the film is a sham and the Helm's the real thing. Angel tries to rescue Cordelia and the other film makers. Collected in Angel: Hunting Ground.
A Californian congressman is robbed and killed by a woman of the night, a front-page sleaze scandal emerges with a scary twist: Cordy has a vision of the congressman just before his death, it seems the prostitute who murdered him was not human. Angel must find the inhuman assassin. Detective Kate Lockley eventually becomes involved in the case, while Angel and Wesley continue their attempt to discover the vampire-prostitute known on the streets by the name of Candy. They find a vampire bordello controlled by an ancient and seductive vampire has her eyes on Angel. He must face both a large group of vampires, and a battle the much stronger force of lust. Set in the first season of Angel. Collected in Angel: Strange Bedfellows.[1]
Angel looks in an abandoned amusement park to find and rescue a young girl from a gang of kidnappers. The thugs aren't the only things Angel face. Angel, the girl, and the criminals must fight their way past a huge number of demonic rats! It seems Angel has a dislike of the furry rodents. Angel later investigates a series of bizarre deaths which seem to be caused by spontaneous combustion. Angel soon associates the deaths with a teen runaway and a demon magic-user. Collected in Angel: Autumnal.
A crossover with Buffy the Vampire Slayer issue #29–30 (collected in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Past Lives). A huntress is tracking demons in L.A. This would normally seem to be a good thing, except leaving survivors to tell Angel that she sent them. Angel has a huge horde of demons trying to track him for revenge. His human friends, Cordelia and Wesley will soon no longer be safe, unless Angel can do something. At the same time monsters are leaving L.A. and trying to find refuge at Sunnydale. Buffy, Giles, and the others learn about recent chaos, and Buffy believes she should go to help Angel in L.A. Riley is displeased with such developments.
The Angel Investigations office has been blown up after the events of "To Shanshu in L.A.". The dark forces have discovered where Angel and Wesley live and are now forced to stash their demonic items at Cordy's haunted apartment. Dennis makes his presence felt. Collected in Angel: Strange Bedfellows.[1]
Promoted as "Angel retooled and reinvented" by Dark Horse Comics, the storyline represents an attempt to make Angel a comic-book hero in a more traditional sense, battling against huge behemoths of monsters, and they were the final Angel comics until IDW began publishing them in 2005. Not to be confused with the Angel episode, "Long Day's Journey", or the Angel novel, "The Longest Night".
Angel's searching for a kidnapped child, only to stumble upon a force of unspeakable evil and unimaginable power, seeking him for some reason. Angel ends up fighting a walking volcano, and must try and survive long enough to discover who or what is behind the recent strange series of events. Finally, the strange evil reveals itself; Perfect Zheng, a vampire who beat Angel up in the 1920s. Angel, Wesley, Cordelia, and Gunn try to put the pieces together in time to make sense of present events, a possible product of Angel's past encounter with Zheng. In fact, as it turns out, the gypsy curse that was used on Angel was meant to be used on Zheng, turning him into the 'vampire champion', but it didn't take, and Zheng is determined to find out why Angel's soul was restored and his wasn't. A battle for survival between the pair ensues, which Angel wins. Supposed to be set early in the second season of Angel. Collected in Angel: Long Night's Journey.
Cordelia lands the starring role in a demonic movie. Collected in Angel: Hunting Ground.
Exclusive to TV Guide Ultimate Cable readers. 3 pages. Collected in Angel: Strange Bedfellows.[1]
IDW released various, loosely connected mini-series and one-shots before launching a new ongoing Angel series in late 2007.
Having survived the battle of " Not Fade Away", we find Angel in Romania. He has traveled there in the hope he can find the Kalderesh clan, the Gypsies who cursed him with a soul. Angel believes that he deserves some happiness with a woman, possibly with Nina having been through so much and lost so many that had been close to him. Instead Angel finds a gypsy fighting force struggling against the oppressive regime of Corneliu Brasov.
This mini-series features the reunion of the Angel cast members after the events of the series finale, revealing some slim details of their fate; for example, Gunn has lost one eye. The group must ultimately face seemingly flawless clones of their own selves, created by Dr. Sparrow, one of the characters responsible for the death of Fred and rebirth of Illyria. After defeating Sparrow, the team agrees to work together again, and are set to continue fighting crime and the occult in Los Angeles.
Ruby Monahan has gone missing and her family recruits Spike to track her down. It seems Ruby (a half-demon) has been checked into "Mosaic Wellness Center", a rehab facility designed to cure the demonic. In an unfortunate turn of events, Spike faces both the Mosaic Center, which hopes to cure his vampiric nature, and its clientele who want him dead.
Angel has taken up his job in L.A. again, but is quickly faced by mysterious figures from his past, and they seem to be quite real. Similarly, Spike is faced by the ghosts of his pasts, and the two accidentally meet each other, placing the blame for the occurrence with the other. A fight ensues, but they soon discover that they are being manipulated and are forced to work together again. The culprit turns out to be a demon both men have wronged in the past, who hoped they would kill one another. Angel and Spike are able to defeat her however, and both go their own ways again. Features the IDW comics debutes of Skip, Holtz, The Master, Nikki Wood and the Chinese Slayer (Xin Rong).
In Europe, war ravages nations, but a greater darkness than human conflict calls Angel back across the ocean from his distant home in America – bodies of combatants found drained of blood, and signs of an ancient evil once more abroad in the world.
A recently souled Angel is on a quest for a "cure" in San Francisco when, of course, something goes horribly wrong. Seeking out a Chinese healer, Angel encounters a mysterious girl with a strange tattoo, and quickly learns that life in early 1900s America is full of surprises...
Agel a hole in the world, not fade away and only human ALSO!"
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A series of spotlight issues focussing on one character's motivations (although they are sometimes assisted by an additional character). Each one-shot featured a number of variant covers, illustrated by Russell Walks, Lee Kohse, Steph Stamb or was a retailer incentive photo.
Angel comics 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 summarizing 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 official Angel merchandise.
In August 2010, Dark Horse announced it will publish a new line of Angel comics alongside the Buffy Season 9. Darkhorse took the license back from IDW, supposedly against IDW's will. It's unclear how they did that, there seems to have been something in the license agreement that made Darkhorse or Joss Whedon able to do that.
Dark Horse Extra #25–28 (2000) ran a strip called "The Napalese Switcheroo" by Scott Alliie and Eric Powell where Angel's sidekick Doyle had his essence switched into a metal skull. Powell’s design of the skull came from an actual antique that sits in Buffy editor Scott Allie’s home office.
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