Angel and Faith Season 10 #2

By Victor Gischler, Will Conrad & Michelle Madson

Victor Gischler and Will Conrad’s Angel and Faith got off to a strong start with the first issue and they’re back again to give us another stellar outing in which further re-establishes our faith (pun not intended) that they’re the right writers to carry us through Season 10 following the tremendous success that Gage and Issacs had with Season 9. Both Gischler and Conrad are working wonders here, and if you’re a Buffy fan who was perhaps hesitant to buy this issue due to lack of familiarity with the creative team, then rest assured, Angel and Faith is a book worth jumping on board for because it’s a lot of fun.

Angel’s storyline sees him chasing down leads in bars infested with demons whilst Faith is becoming a paid bodyguard, putting her Slayer skills to use as a protector. Gischler has made these arcs feel like the natural fit for both characters but as mentioned below, there is a problem that comes with this. Otherwise, the book is fairly solid, shaping up to be one of the better reads that we’ve had from a strong week of releases in terms of scripting quality.

There’s just one problem though, that seems to be occurring with this book – keeping Angel and Faith separated in an Angel & Faith book may not be the best idea for a long-term storyline, probably better suited to a 3-4 issue arc at most. If the writer is a weak one than it will mean that the readers will find one storyline more interesting than the other, and lose interest in either the Angel or the Faith storylines respectively which is a real shame because they both demonstrate some potential here. Thankfully though, Gischler isn’t a weak writer and has managed to sidestep this problem by making both stories interesting, but this may be something that could be a flaw in the title going forward.

Once again Will Conrad handles the pencilling duties very well. He gave us a taste of what his work was like in the final few issues of Nightwing over at DC and he really shines, proving a better fit to Gischler’s vision of Angel and Faith than a more mainstream superhero comic. The connections to the TV counterparts are easier to spot this time around, with a strong photo-realistic look.

Michelle Madson’s colours are visually impressive. They create a darker and more tense atmosphere than the current Buffy ongoing and work well because of this. It’s something that’s pretty solid and really enhances the book’s quality – with some strong work on hand here.

On the whole then, Angel & Faith Season 10 #2 is a good second outing for these two characters even if they are still separated in a book where they should be working together. However, that’s literally the only problem that this book suffers from, and it’s a minor issue that really doesn’t detract from your enjoyment of the book – because for the most part, it’s an exceptional issue and something that should keep fans wanting more.