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Angel & Faith: Season 9 (Library Editions) #1
Angel & Faith: Season 9, Volume 1
The supernatural world is reeling after the loss of magic in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8. The death of Buffy's mentor, Giles, at Angel's (possessed) hand has the vampire with a soul looking for a way to make amends. He's going to bring the Watcher back from the grave! Faith, rebel Slayer, is helping Angel with his quest, if only to keep him from going too far. But there's more keeping this duo sword ready: a set of demon twins, Angel's former guide Whistler, Faith's vengeful Slayer sisters, and the crazed vampire Drusilla!
Collects the first two volumes of Angel & Faith in a deluxe hardcover format with sketchbook extras!
Collects the first two volumes of Angel & Faith in a deluxe hardcover format with sketchbook extras!
280 pages, Hardcover
First published March 24, 2015
About the author
Christos Gage
1,485 books120 followersChris N. Gage is a writer for comic books and television.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
September 4, 2018
Can I just say YASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
I've loved Faith since she appeared in season 3 of Buffy. Yes, she had some issues and kind of went bad but when she reappeared in Angel and had that break down in the rain...BRILLIANT. Also, I think the dynamic between Angel and Faith has always been one of my favorites so I was super excited to see that they got their own seasons. However, I probably should have finished reading Buffy season 8 before starting this because major spoilers happened. So I will be going back and finishing that and paying more attention to where things fall in this universe lol
The main arc of this story is Angel is trying to atone for something he did at the end of Buffy season 8 - in total Angel fashion. Faith is there trying to bring Angel back and stop him from losing himself completely in this mission. She's also trying to watch out for the new slayers and deal with her own issues, because let's be honest, it's Faith and she has a lot.
The story was fun and moved well. We got to see some old favorites make appearances along with references back to the show. This is one series I am super excited to see where it goes.
I've loved Faith since she appeared in season 3 of Buffy. Yes, she had some issues and kind of went bad but when she reappeared in Angel and had that break down in the rain...BRILLIANT. Also, I think the dynamic between Angel and Faith has always been one of my favorites so I was super excited to see that they got their own seasons. However, I probably should have finished reading Buffy season 8 before starting this because major spoilers happened. So I will be going back and finishing that and paying more attention to where things fall in this universe lol
The main arc of this story is Angel is trying to atone for something he did at the end of Buffy season 8 - in total Angel fashion. Faith is there trying to bring Angel back and stop him from losing himself completely in this mission. She's also trying to watch out for the new slayers and deal with her own issues, because let's be honest, it's Faith and she has a lot.
The story was fun and moved well. We got to see some old favorites make appearances along with references back to the show. This is one series I am super excited to see where it goes.
May 28, 2020
Live through this
Angel and Faith teaming up is the best thing to come out of Buffy season 8. Faith, having formed a much bigger bond with Giles in season 8 is out to continue the work they’d started and Angel, having committed many problems is on his now standard mission to atone. Only this time he’s insistent on bringing Giles back from the dead. The first arc of the duo sees them using Giles diaries as a means to keep up his mission and Angel trying to find means to bring him back. Faith is also working closely with the new slayers and some very dangerous enemies from Angel’s days as Twilight come looking for vengeance. As far as opening arcs go this is genuinely great, it’s a tight story with enough set up to show what this series has to offer. The cover art by Steve Morris are stunning and Rebekah Issacs art is gorgeous. The actors likenesses are there but no drawing ever looks like a sketch but rather Issacs has captured their likenesses near perfect.
In perfect Harmony
Harmony is back on the scene and this time she needs Angel’s help to find out the person black mailing her! A sex tape which sees Harmony siring someone is about to be exposed unless a reluctant Angel and Faith can find out who is doing it and put a stop to it. The issue is a campy romp which sees Faith/ Angel/ Harmony and Clem trying to figure out who and why she’s being blackmailed. There’s a cameo of David Tennant and some interesting interactions with all involved. Phil Noto steps in on the art for this filler issue, it’s not his best work but it more than suffices in a story this fun.
Daddy issues
Faith and Angel begin a hunt for a demon that is connected to both Giles and Angel’s past but more worryingly Faith’s future. This arc is an excellent read that truly captures the tone of the a Whedonverse show with stellar pacing and enough hooks to keep you reading. The themes of guilt, atonement and acceptance are rife throughout and Christos Gage really shows an understanding of these characters with writing that shows this. Angel is offered the chance to accept his past and have it not affect him but rejects this as he made peace with it as a way to feed his need for redemption. Faith? Not so much. When her father reappears on the scene it’s all too much for Faith and she takes some drastic steps. A returning Drusilla and an interesting new demon are along for this ride and it’s easily one of the best Whedonverse comic arcs.
Women of a certain age
Chris Samnee (!) steps in for this issue. The issue serves as an introduction to Giles’ great Aunts and the chaos that ensues is an enjoyable read. The art is excellent and the story solid.
Overall this is easily the most enjoyable/ solid Whedonverse graphic novel. This edition itself is beautiful with Steve Morris’ covers shown in all their glory in a library edition.
Angel and Faith teaming up is the best thing to come out of Buffy season 8. Faith, having formed a much bigger bond with Giles in season 8 is out to continue the work they’d started and Angel, having committed many problems is on his now standard mission to atone. Only this time he’s insistent on bringing Giles back from the dead. The first arc of the duo sees them using Giles diaries as a means to keep up his mission and Angel trying to find means to bring him back. Faith is also working closely with the new slayers and some very dangerous enemies from Angel’s days as Twilight come looking for vengeance. As far as opening arcs go this is genuinely great, it’s a tight story with enough set up to show what this series has to offer. The cover art by Steve Morris are stunning and Rebekah Issacs art is gorgeous. The actors likenesses are there but no drawing ever looks like a sketch but rather Issacs has captured their likenesses near perfect.
In perfect Harmony
Harmony is back on the scene and this time she needs Angel’s help to find out the person black mailing her! A sex tape which sees Harmony siring someone is about to be exposed unless a reluctant Angel and Faith can find out who is doing it and put a stop to it. The issue is a campy romp which sees Faith/ Angel/ Harmony and Clem trying to figure out who and why she’s being blackmailed. There’s a cameo of David Tennant and some interesting interactions with all involved. Phil Noto steps in on the art for this filler issue, it’s not his best work but it more than suffices in a story this fun.
Daddy issues
Faith and Angel begin a hunt for a demon that is connected to both Giles and Angel’s past but more worryingly Faith’s future. This arc is an excellent read that truly captures the tone of the a Whedonverse show with stellar pacing and enough hooks to keep you reading. The themes of guilt, atonement and acceptance are rife throughout and Christos Gage really shows an understanding of these characters with writing that shows this. Angel is offered the chance to accept his past and have it not affect him but rejects this as he made peace with it as a way to feed his need for redemption. Faith? Not so much. When her father reappears on the scene it’s all too much for Faith and she takes some drastic steps. A returning Drusilla and an interesting new demon are along for this ride and it’s easily one of the best Whedonverse comic arcs.
Women of a certain age
Chris Samnee (!) steps in for this issue. The issue serves as an introduction to Giles’ great Aunts and the chaos that ensues is an enjoyable read. The art is excellent and the story solid.
Overall this is easily the most enjoyable/ solid Whedonverse graphic novel. This edition itself is beautiful with Steve Morris’ covers shown in all their glory in a library edition.
January 13, 2020
This series is still perfect. The art, the characters’ voices, their growth... All stellar! And the incorporation of Giles into the plot is so well done and natural. His aunts are also nice additions to the Buffyverse; I love them! 5/5 stars, and probably the best collection of Buffyverse comics so far in my reread.
May 18, 2016
A great first installation of a very promising series. This is the most enjoyable Buffyverse comic book I have read, and it almost makes all the frustration of Buffy Season 8 worth it. In Angel & Faith, there are no dragons, no giant people, no flying submarines and european castles. But there is brilliant characterization, great art and exciting story. Highly recommended.
December 9, 2016
Bonus star for Dru.
November 2, 2016
It's not easy to write Faith. This guy wrote Faith pretty well.
Angel went pretty off-the-rails in IDW's After the Fall (much like Buffy Season 8). I haven't even finished it yet. As Joss Whedon promised with Buffy Season 9, Angel & Faith is a return to form for these characters. As a new series, its first task was to re-establish the lead characters' pasts. There's a lot of familiar material here, all laid out to remind you why Faith and Angel do what they do and why they are drawn to each other. It also picks up the Giles line from Season 9. The "Daddy Issues" arc was a little on-the-nose, but thoughtfully presented. It ended up being the strongest part of this book.
Angel went pretty off-the-rails in IDW's After the Fall (much like Buffy Season 8). I haven't even finished it yet. As Joss Whedon promised with Buffy Season 9, Angel & Faith is a return to form for these characters. As a new series, its first task was to re-establish the lead characters' pasts. There's a lot of familiar material here, all laid out to remind you why Faith and Angel do what they do and why they are drawn to each other. It also picks up the Giles line from Season 9. The "Daddy Issues" arc was a little on-the-nose, but thoughtfully presented. It ended up being the strongest part of this book.
August 25, 2020
Faith says "Five-by-Five" too much and Angel McBroodypants was never my favorite, but it's definitely more linear and consistent than the Twilight arc of the Buffy comics, and I'm enjoying getting some glimpses into Giles's past. I'm glad , but it was definitely interesting .
May 10, 2017
Angel and Faith interactions always feel so nice and genuine. Early Buffy episodes with Faith were designed to make you dislike her, but I'm glad that she's given more depth and motivation within the comics realm.
Found use of the "R" word once within the collection, and I don't care if it was from a bad guy. There's no reason to keep using it. I know you comic writers can find another way of displaying one-note villainy than perpetuating ableist slurs. It's lazy writing - do better!
Found use of the "R" word once within the collection, and I don't care if it was from a bad guy. There's no reason to keep using it. I know you comic writers can find another way of displaying one-note villainy than perpetuating ableist slurs. It's lazy writing - do better!
September 6, 2017
I didn't enjoy them as much as the BTVS comics, mainly because I was never an Angel fan as he existed in the Buffyverse. Angel on his own show was less of an annoyance because he had more purpose than to brood over Buffy all the time. But back in her universe in this comic - it was more of the same old Angel. But! FAITH! My favorite second slayer. She more than made up for the old broody Angel.
February 17, 2023
A fun start to the buddy series of Angel and Faith. While the start of the arc is slow, it gives an update on things post Twilight from season 8 as well as Angel and Faith trying to move on with the post-magic world. Enjoyable and a must read for any Buffy fan.
January 6, 2018
A spot of tea would be delightful, if it won't put you out.
July 8, 2018
An enjoyable read. Angel and Faith are a great pairing and this is probably my favourite of the Buffy comics so far.
August 21, 2018
The Daddy Issues arc is particularly strong. It's a shame that the Drusilla series never saw the light of day.
November 22, 2019
Faith was always my favorite character of the entire Buffy-verse, so of course I'm biased and loved this. :P
August 4, 2024
I wasn’t a huge fan of the Faith backstory, but I like the slow burn going on and the plots overarching into the Buffy comics.
October 17, 2015
*Book source ~ Library
From Goodreads:
The supernatural world is reeling after the loss of magic in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8. The death of Buffy's mentor, Giles, at Angel's (possessed) hand has the vampire with a soul looking for a way to make amends. He's going to bring the Watcher back from the grave! Faith, rebel Slayer, is helping Angel with his quest, if only to keep him from going too far. But there's more keeping this duo sword ready: a set of demon twins, Angel's former guide Whistler, Faith's vengeful Slayer sisters, and the crazed vampire Drusilla!
Wow. Just…wow. I love this volume and what a volume it is! It’s giganamous! According to Amazon it weighs 3.7 lbs and I don’t think that’s an exaggeration. I didn’t want to return it to the library. I vow I will own it myself someday. It’s so pretty! The artwork is gorgeous. Granted, I wasn’t always happy with the way the characters looked depending on who was rendering them, but it’s still a very visually appealing graphic novel.
There are four stories in this volume: Live Through This, In Perfect Harmony, Daddy Issues and Women of a Certain Age. All are thoroughly enjoyable with my least favorite being the one about Harmony. I’m not a huge fan of that bint. There are references to H.P. Lovecraft, Doctor Who and Star Wars. Awesome! There are probably more, but those are the ones I caught (and remembered) on the first read. Also, Drusilla!! I love seeing her involved and hope there will be more of her in future episodes. I’m really curious about Pearl and Nash and I have to say, wtf Whistler?! Quite intriguing and I��m looking forward to Volume 2.
Bonus stuff: sketches/gallery and bios. Nice!
From Goodreads:
The supernatural world is reeling after the loss of magic in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8. The death of Buffy's mentor, Giles, at Angel's (possessed) hand has the vampire with a soul looking for a way to make amends. He's going to bring the Watcher back from the grave! Faith, rebel Slayer, is helping Angel with his quest, if only to keep him from going too far. But there's more keeping this duo sword ready: a set of demon twins, Angel's former guide Whistler, Faith's vengeful Slayer sisters, and the crazed vampire Drusilla!
Wow. Just…wow. I love this volume and what a volume it is! It’s giganamous! According to Amazon it weighs 3.7 lbs and I don’t think that’s an exaggeration. I didn’t want to return it to the library. I vow I will own it myself someday. It’s so pretty! The artwork is gorgeous. Granted, I wasn’t always happy with the way the characters looked depending on who was rendering them, but it’s still a very visually appealing graphic novel.
There are four stories in this volume: Live Through This, In Perfect Harmony, Daddy Issues and Women of a Certain Age. All are thoroughly enjoyable with my least favorite being the one about Harmony. I’m not a huge fan of that bint. There are references to H.P. Lovecraft, Doctor Who and Star Wars. Awesome! There are probably more, but those are the ones I caught (and remembered) on the first read. Also, Drusilla!! I love seeing her involved and hope there will be more of her in future episodes. I’m really curious about Pearl and Nash and I have to say, wtf Whistler?! Quite intriguing and I��m looking forward to Volume 2.
Bonus stuff: sketches/gallery and bios. Nice!
August 31, 2016
After the Buffyverse-shattering events of Season 8, I was hesitant to read Angel & Faith. Sure, at the end of Buffy Season 8, Whedon promised a return to basics – but how could I trust that letter after what I'd read? Well, the team of Angel & Faith delivered and restored my faith in the franchise.
Angel is at his brooding, self-flagellating best (or is it worst?). Faith is the redemptive bad ass I've come to love (again). The plot has high stakes, but the reader is allowed a much-needed reprieve from any kind of apocalypse, as well as an exciting first glimpse into the new world. The art is drop-dead gorgeous. And Druscilla? Lovely, as always.
Here's hoping that the next volumes (and Buffy Season 9) follow suit.
Angel is at his brooding, self-flagellating best (or is it worst?). Faith is the redemptive bad ass I've come to love (again). The plot has high stakes, but the reader is allowed a much-needed reprieve from any kind of apocalypse, as well as an exciting first glimpse into the new world. The art is drop-dead gorgeous. And Druscilla? Lovely, as always.
Here's hoping that the next volumes (and Buffy Season 9) follow suit.
April 22, 2016
Following the events of BUFFY Season 8 (the comic), and running parallel to BUFFY Season 9 (the comic), this series follows Angel & Faith as they deal with the fallout of the events in BUFFY Season 8. Clearly, it's not a great place to start reading if you're not familiar with the characters or their "universe," but it's great fun to follow the characters and watch them in action. There's a creepy appearance by Druscilla, and other characters from the "Buffyverse" pop in and out. The characters act the way they should, and the art is quite good. Fun stuff!
May 28, 2015
This may very well be my favorite graphic novel collection in the series so far. Definitely better than the mess IDW made of Angel: After the Fall, but it also has better stories than those in the BtVS season 8 collection. I felt that I was watching the TV show(s) again. Excellent work; highly recommended.
June 28, 2015
Amazing. By far my favorite in the series so far since the TV show ended. The comics are true to the characters and it is so engaging. I initially had doubts but am so happy for taking the plunge and buying Library edition volume one. If you like Angel you will love this. Can't wait for volume two!
December 10, 2014
The Angel & Faith series is a good addition to the world of Buffy. In fact, I think it's a necessary one. It helps deepen the Buffy mythology.
March 19, 2016
read 12/16/15
February 1, 2016
Loved this book a lot - can't wait to read the next one.
February 6, 2016
5 • SO GOOD. Angel & Faith > either Buffy seasons, hands down, in terms of plot/storyline, character depiction, and art. Can't wait for the next one!
May 3, 2016
7,5/10
January 4, 2017
4.5/5. Not a huge fan of Harmony's random appearance in the first half, but Daddy Issues and the other surprise guests from BtVS were great.
August 16, 2021
I’m not a huge fan of angel but I couldn’t put it down!
March 30, 2017
so good
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews