IDW Publishing Forums

[fluff]

I'm not the kind of person that doesn't feel the impact of the story just because it was spoiled but that's hardly the topic here. I'll obey the spoiler ban.

[pshand05]

Gotcha. I just don't want it ruined for anyone else. I think there should be sooo much discussion of the issue--details, too. Just not a full out spoilery summary of "This happens then this happens." But otherwise, I'm almost as excited to read the discussion as I was to pick up the issue.

And mannnn is this book purdy.
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http://patrickshand.blogspot.com/

[BrianLynch]

I can't wait to hold it in my hands! I'm so excited to have it. Sad, sure, but proud of what we did.

[BrianLynch]

Also, if people want to know so badly, eh, spoil away. Let's go out conversing!

The ship is sinking but the band is still playing!

[bitsyfest]

I brought my flugelhorn!

[Buffyversefantic]

I've got my copy and really liked it.In light of paxthand and Brian's post and having read the book myself now,I'm not going to do a full writeup.Some of the stories are very short and it doesn't seem right to do that kind of writeup for this especially since it's IDW's last book.I will touch on a few things

Great job,patxshand.All the stories were actually great.Scot Tipton's Wes/Fred story set between Smile Time and AHITW was very tocuhing.Peter David's Harmony's blog was cute and I liked how Brian's story dealt with Angel finding a family in L.A.

The little Whedonesque cameo that closed out the book in Chris Ryall's piece was nice forth wall breaking.And I will quote the very last line of the book.

I kinda want to slay the Dark Hooooorse

Buffyfest also has an interview up with Brian.

http://buffyfest.blogspot.com/2011/05/idw-week-interview-with-writer-brian.html

[angeliclestat]

Wel I got the last ever IDW Angel (and possibly 'Angel') comic.

Congrats to all involved it was an excellent way to celebrate all the characters, and the series. Why Joss could not have let Angel alone and have him be at a place where such good work was being done will always baffle me.

So to give some quick opinions:

1/ ...dust to dust

Fitting that we start with the original 'ANGEL' pairing: Jeff Mariotte and David Messina.
'The Curse' and 'Old Friends' were really hampered by the 'we can't really tell you what happened after the show ended...but this is mayyybe it' clause which meant that Mariotte was not able to give the best work I know he is capable of in the Angelverse from his many excellent novels.

Here however he was not hampered by any such problems and gave us a nice little vignette of Gunn's development as a person and a vampire hunter. Short but to the point, it shows Gunn as a man raised to do the right thing...and how important family is.

2/OMG unicorns!

Now this was my least favourite part of the book. Too long, not terribly funny and really would have preferred a story about another member of the team. I am not a huge fan of Harmony, and the format of this did not appeal to me either. And with this being the last collection, it would have been better served having something different.

Peter David wrote some of the best early stories in the IDWverse, so I'm not gonna be too hard, but I won't ever be re-reading this.

3/All the time in the world.

The Wes/Fred/Illyria dream team of Tipton and Casagrande leave us with this beautiful, heartbreaking ode to the pairing that almost was. This is a lovely little addition to their work on 'A Hole in the World' and the Illyria mini which shows us what we were never allowed to see on TV (and which would have added even more to the devastation which followed)

Wes/Fred fans should be very grateful for this story.

4/My Only Friend.

This is a special story for a number of reasons. One it details something which was very important on the show - Angel's relationship with L.A. . I can't count the amount of times that L.A. was shown to be a place where people who 'didn't belong anywhere else' could go and find a place and a family. So it is fitting that a story which shows his connection to this city of Angels is in this final collection. It was short (too short, would have loved more!), and sweet...and we got exactly the depth of feeling behind it.

And of course it's special as it is the comic debut of Mr Patrick Shand. Huge congrats on your 1st published comic story. I doubt it will be your last. And we can all say we knew him at the beginning:)


5/Fight for the Remote

And of course...we have to have one last petty fight between Angel and Spike:) I loved all the references - Angel (and Boreanaz') love of Hockey, Passions...and of course a movie was going to be made of that!!

Again would have been nice to have even more of it, but a very funny 2 pages. Congrats bitsy!

6/This One Time

And now for the meat of the collection - the final Lynch/Urru Angelverse tale.

Not to re-hash a history lesson, but we all know that Spike:Asylum was the turning point for the IDW Angelverse comics. There had been some excellent ones before that, but this was something different. Something special. And a certain Mr Whedon thought so too, and because of this pairing we got After the Fall, and the ongoing...something for which I will be forever grateful.

This was a last (not chronologically of course) adventure for the gang. The central premise was a very clever way to get everyone involved and Lynch knows these characters so well you really think "Yes! that is so what character X would have done" in each of the "What-if moments". Everything was so true to the characters in this story, and it pretty much equalled a whole issue in terms of pages which was brilliant.

Brian Lynch is going to be really missed in the Angelverse.


7/ A Blessing and 'The Curse'

Not a story...but a little walk through Angel's time with IDW with a comicized Ryall. We all know how much Chris was dedicated to the Angel franchise...and how much it hurt him when it had to leave.

So as he takes off on Cordelia he delivers a final killer line which had me in stitches. I won't spoil. You gotta read it.

------------------------------------------------------------

So what can I say? Thank you so much for the last 6 years. I thought Angel was finished in that alley in 2004...little did I think I would still have Angel stories in 2011. It was because of the dedication, love, hard work and sheer damn talent of the writers, artists, editors, pencillers, inkers, colourists etc at IDW that this was made possible.

You have my everlasting gratitude.
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[Double Dutchess]

I expect to get my copy tomorrow (can't wait!) and until then I'm following Pat's advice by skipping over everything that looks spoilerish. But I couldn't miss that last line quoted by Buffyversefantic --

[Veiriti]

I've just bought my copy on ebay, but I expect to get it after a week... Anyway I'd like to read it without spoilers.
Loved the interviews with Brian Lynch and Scott Tipton. And I think there is a little hope to see Brian in Buffy/Angelverse again!
And it would be great Scott Tipton to continue with Angel series after ATF, he would have done better job than another authors (pstt Willingham and Armstrong)... I've totally enjoyed the way he wrote the Spike/Angel dynamic in Lost and Found and Auld Lang Syne.
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Spike - "Love like that makes you stronger than anything... you CAN SAVE THE WORLD WITH A LOVE LIKE THAT."

[Buffyfest]

Hi guys,

Thanks for posting the Brian Lynch interview, Buffyversefantic! I love what Brian wrote - it was so heartfelt. Just to let you guys know, we're having IDW Week all week long. We'll have Mariah's interview up tomorrow and if you haven't seen Scott Tipton's interview it's on the front page right now.

Michelle
www.buffyfest.blogspot.com
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buffyfest.blogspot.com

[Veiriti]

I have got one question to the people who have read the comics (no spoilers )
How many stories (excluding Brian’s story) have Spike? Thanks.
Bitsy, thanks for these interviews. I’ve just posted the link in BTube. As I’ve said above Lost and Found and Auld Lang Syne are my favorite stories
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Spike - "Love like that makes you stronger than anything... you CAN SAVE THE WORLD WITH A LOVE LIKE THAT."

[Scott Tipton]

[DanielW]

My father has a habit of bellowing for assistance with his computer when I'm just into a comic.

I was just finishing the Wes/Fred story when he called for help - and I had a tear in my eye. I had to tell him I poked myself in the eye with the arm of my glasses.
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Ohh 'Eck!

[Veiriti]

[Double Dutchess]