Let's get to it then. Welcome back to the talents of Isaacs and major story arc! I know I have dis-ed the art in the past for some of the messiness but I was glad to see the style back after A&F #5; I realise that the style has very much grown on me. All the people who work on the A&F and B stream for Buffy Season 9 and Season 8 definitely put in the hard effort to bring us the goods and not let down the story, the characters and most of all us, the fans. This warming gratitude stems from my recent encounter with the attempt of the similar comic follow up to the series Charmed to which unfortunately my curiosity was rewarded by disappointment. Nothing more shall be said here. So back to A&F...
Cover One. Quite an artistic cover depicting various aspects of what can be found inside for the reader. Looking at the cover for the first time I pondered the title initially: Daddy Issues.Whose daddy issues are we exploring here? Can't be Angel's, he's issues are old news, dustily old! Then it must be... - Morris comically depicts the Giles we all love and remember in his old librarian attire as a polished down and well crafted wooden babushka doll with a bubble head for fun. The doll is life sized enough that a young posh fella with dark brown waving locks breaks out from inside the doll. The young man stares intently at us ...and then it struck me - there's something so familiar about his gaze. Could it be? Oh yes he is! The likeness Morris amazingly incorporated in illustrating a young Giles is remarkable. A ribbon-like gas spills out from within where our young Giles hides directing us down to the sharp stick-like claws stroking the base of the doll as if holding it up to the viewer. A tale there is to be told here, one belonging to the young man who invites us in beyond the varnished exterior of his older self who we are so familiar with. In the background to the right Angel floats distantly, his eyes closed and palms open in a futile gesture. To the left, and drawn much larger, is Faith with her cherry-ripe lips apart and gaze in our direction she looks more or less looking not at us but past and over our shoulders at something more concerning. Swashes of purples over a salmon pink base, its a beautifully crafted cover.
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| Cover by Steve Morris |
Cover Two is a simple depiction of Faith and Angel wielding swords by Isaacs. In red to contrast with the indigo back drop, Faith flies in from the right, her hair in tangles and waving behind her as she clutches double blades for double handed combat. Angel, whose complexion for the first time resembles a dead guy in pasty grey, charges in with his broad sword from the left.
The story opens in Highgate Cemetery. It's dark, windy and some thing's up, but Angel's on the lead. Blah blah... an inside joke... blah which leads us to a psycho murderer getting a full page to himself as he is walked in on, on his act of bloody murder. Dramatic, yes. Shocker, er.. not really. This is a vampire story after all. Come on give us what we're here for! And sure enough we get just that. A Highgate Cemetery 1972 story. There is a gripping panel composition on the page where a young team of Watchers meet their horrific fate by moonlight. Followed by a pretty impressively drawn three-man-foot-long-demon-tackle! Too bad it was too late to save the youngsters. They would have been impressed too.
Of course, a history story does not sate. So the cherry on the sundae ice cream can only be in the now. Tying the issue's plot together from start to finish with a red bow on top is, finally a familiar face we want to see... Drusilla! ...with a superiority complex to boot and an added twist. The most memorable page this issue is this month the most memorable panel instead. A long vertical rectangle depicting a close up of Drusilla's porcelain face. With her chin held high and nose pointed she looks down at the reader under her purple shaded eye lids as she rests her lilac gloved index finger on her lower jaw; her pinky visibly sporting an emerald cut ruby set gold ring. With perfected quaffed hair adorning a Victorian dress her presence is indubitable.
That's it. That's all.
