Posted in: Boom, Comics, Review | Tagged: angel, boom studios, buffy, Joss Whdon

"Angel" #2: Ancient Vampire VS Demons of Social Media (REVIEW)

Published Wed, 26 Jun 2019 19:30:15 -0500

Last updated Thu, 27 Jun 2019 22:15:57 -0500

I'm really enjoying the new Angel and Buffy comics from Boom! Studios. The new books have updated, refreshed, and in many ways rejuvenated the universe that Joss Whedon and company brought to life over 20 years ago. By many standards, the Buffyverse was revolutionary for its time- but, by today's standards, it's nearly pre-historic.

[rwp_box_recap id="0"]

"Angel" #2: Ancient Vampire VS Demons of Social Media (REVIEW) — //Credit: BOOM! Studios

How would modern audiences relate to the "teens in terror" trope, especially since a world without smart phones seems so alien right now? When Buffy the Vampire Slayer debuted on television in 1996, affordable cell phones where still a few years away, the Information Age was still very much in its infancy.

With the new Angel series, writer Bryan Edward Hill is able to amp up the alienation that a man out of time like Angel would feel in our era. A demon is using social media to possess people and cause them to do terrible things, and Angel isn't quite sure what to do about it.

Think about it- after being alive for hundreds of years, the absolutely staggering advance in technology over the last 30 years must seem awfully fast, compared to the moderate tech stability Angel has experienced through most of his life.

The heroic vampire is visited by Lilith, who shows him hints at the evils to come through an apple. She shows him the danger that modern man has unlocked by immortalizing itself with modern technology, and the vanity that has ensued, which is so tasty to demons.

There is a absolutely gut-wrenching possession later in the book, and I don't think it's anything that the television show would have gotten away with. I literally flinched when I hit that page, so kudos to Hill and illustrator Gleb Melnikov for putting together a very effective, and often horrifying book.

The art is better than most of the work you see in licensed books, with a very stylized edge that brings Angel and his Sunnydale compatriots to life. If you're a fan of Angel, and the Buffyverse in general, this book comes highly recommended.

SUMMARY: Script: Bryan Edward Hill; Illustration: Gleb Melnikov; Colors: Gabriel Cassata and Gleb Melnikov; Letters: Ed Dukeshire; Editor: Jeanine Schaefer; Publisher: Boom! Studios; Release Date: June 26, 2019; Cover Price: $3.99; 24 Pages

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!