Live Through This ~ Part Three

Angel & Faith issue #3: Live Through This ~ Part Three.

My first impression of this issue (after I read it, of course) was, "eh". My "eh" is mainly because of the art which was fairly much like the last issue. Rough. The only thing I liked most about it was really just the plot, which is still chucking along slowly (but maybe a little too slow).

I was contemplating if I should even mention the covers this time. This is why. First of all I don't really get how the official one by Morris even relates to Part Three. Nothing on the cover aside from the two main characters signifies any of the events in this issue. Is it meant to be some deep motif thing? 'Cos seriously, I don't get it. My first impression of the cover before I flipped through the comic was: Is that Angelus? Is he gonna be in this issue? Morris has drawn Angel with a fiery aura around him. Not a typical glow of sorts but a shell-like exterior of his vampire self. It's an interesting illustration, I have to admit. The demon part of him, a mere facade and only skin deep, but split it open, and inside you find that annoying, brooding guy. Ok, fine. The real Angel we know, a hero fighting for redemption. As impressive the concept is, what has it to do with the story inside?? I have no clue. I use to believe that art need nothing but to be aesthetically pleasing to the eye. But nay, without meaning there is no point. Illustrations should tell a story (that was the whole point of its creation) and the story should be the inspiration from which it stem. So this cover really did nothing for me. The infant angel swooping down from a rain of shooting stars and Faith sitting quietly in the background... nothing.

Isaacs, again illustrates the alternative cover. And again I say the cover was well done and neat, in contrast to the art inside the book. Unlike Morris' cover, Isaacs gives us meaning. The cover relates very much to the plot in the issue. I have to say I love the red. In fact I loved the use of red in this issue. I noticed it was used on a fair few panels for backgrounds. It did well to highlight mood and for contrast. In this cover the bright red contrasts well with the bluey-grey of the outfits of our duo heroes. The Mohra demon's face is glowing red in the background, large and towering, signifying his important in this issue (and has been the subject of the last three issues if you've been following). This is the issue our heroes find that guy. In the forefront, Angel and Faith wield their weapons, broad sword and barbarian axe, respectively, and they're on the offense it seems. Come on, let's see the fight!

..and we do. Not as many as in the last issue and not as epic as the opening fight in the first issue but action, yes. Aside from that I see another trend. It seems like each issue is going to contain a couple of pages at least of the pair hopping buildings in the night. I think they should get a car. Didn't Giles own a car back home? I know I said I enjoyed these scenes before, but, it's something about the different blues they used this time, just wasn't a good choice.  

Skip ahead to the most memorable page of the issue, it was a tie. This first one because it is unlike any seen before in the comic so far, the intro for the new character Alasdair Coames. A frail, old, Englishman and friend of the late Giles, and a now turned ex-archmage due to the magic-less world. A full page has been arrange for his intro. A third of it taken up by an inserted panel of a close up of Alasdair greeting our heroes in an open door frame, holding a steaming cup of tea and another hand grasping the arm of his half moon spectacles attached to chains around his neck. The interesting part is the other two thirds of the page under the inserted panel. We look up, as if we are sitting on the floor, in a wooden floor boarded living/study room. Ahead we see Angel leaning forward to scratch a black and white cat perched on the arm of a purple sofa. High up on the back of the same sofa is perched a two headed cat with feathered wings and a devils' tail. It paws towards Angel. Jealous of the regular, earth dimension cat? Faith, arms folded, learns on a wall far back in the room. One brow raised as she stares suspicious up at flying pixies over her head. While Alasdair, still holding his steaming tea puts his left hand forward to calm a small orange dragon, wings in full span as it floats above a second ornamental sofa, decorated in an orange floral pattern. But in the speech bubble he actual says "Off the furniture, you cheeky thing." Around the room we see other small magical creatures. One hiding in an antique-like pot, it's head rearing up from beneath the lid but its face is hidden in the dark. All we see are two small glowing red eyes in the darkness, a long snake-like grey tail and small sharp claws hangout over the brim of the pot. Two pairs of green cat eyes glow from the darkness under the orange sofa, while two different kinds of reptiles sit on the sofa, above. Sitting like spectators are another two pixies, high up on a latter propped against the open wall bookshelf. The opposite wall hangs a orange demon/tribal like mask and a giant spiderweb (plus the spider) hangs from the ceiling; while little marbles litter the floor before us. It's an intricately drawn room where orange is the colour. In a magic-less world this room thrives of what remains.

The other contending page was the scene where Nash and Pearl crashed in on the demon tussle. They sure know how to make an entrance! They literally exploded through the window, with their fluro-green power beams. The page is split into two vertical panels. In one, we look up from behind Angel at the two floating half demons coming through the shattered window. The indigo to blue tones of the outside night sky brilliantly contrast with the inside green glow and highlighted by the sole red on Nash's outfit. Nash is floating upright and holds up his left hand in a symbol of might with green smoke still bellowing from it. While Pearl floats upside down, in a mockery to see more closely the feeble ones below them, has green smoke lifting from her eyes. Both stare menacingly down at Angel and Faith. The two are magnificent in all their evil glory. The second panel simultaneously timed, reveals Angels' concerned response to the party bashers, as we look from Nash and Pearl's perspective down at Angel standing among the shattered window glass. This page uses colour far more superbly than any other page in the comic thus far. The use of the split panel with Angel and more neutral tones pulls back the saturation and balances the whole page well. In truth I think I like this page more than Alasdair's living room. I'm a sucker for good use of colour and invigorating compositions.  

So that's it. Be back for Freefall ~ Part Three.