[WARNING: This content contains spoilers.]

The life of a parent is never easy with children running amok, killing every which way and surviving murder attempts. The Angel and Faith series has always featured the paranormal, world-saving duo of Angel and Faith Lehane. In ‘Angel and Faith: Daddy Issues, Part One’, the concept of fatherhood is exemplified through the relationships that Angel and Faith experience. The challenges that a father must face to teach his children life lessons will come back to haunt Angel in the most challenging of ways.

The storyline was created by Christos Gage while Joss Whedon famously handles executive producing duties. The artwork is, as always, excellently done by Rebekah Isaacs. It is her artwork that is prevalent throughout much of the Angel and Faith Series. With colors by Dan Jackson and letters by Richard Starkings as well as Jimmy Betancourt of Comicraft, this Angel and Faith release is as good as expected in a series that is gaining serious momentum. Steve Morris was responsible for the cover, while Rebekah Isaacs handled the variant cover.

Faith Lehane has always been the most rebellious Slayer of any that have come before her in the series. Thus far, she has stuck by loyally with Angel as they try to bring Giles back from the dead. Her sharp wit and impulsive nature make her quick to anger and practical to a fault. Yet, there is another emerging side to her character not often exhibited and, therefore, makes the character of Faith that much more complex.

In Angel and Faith #6, Faith takes on the role of mentor for a younger group of Slayers, giving them the benefit of Faith’s experience. This is a decidedly different role for the normally taciturn Slayer as she reminds one young and passionate slayer that sometimes a crazy guy is just a crazy guy and not a Vampire. She flashes back to her early Slayer days when Buffy failed to prevent Faith from staking a human she mistook for a Vampire.

There is often a warring argument inside the mind of a parent, one between protecting their children and preparing them for the real world as they grow up. Rupert Giles experiences his father’s choices in a very specific way when he and a young group of Watcher Trainees are sent out on a mission to take down what was reported to be a single vampire. A Watcher is not strictly a hunter of Vampires by definition, but is instead a trainer of Vampire Slayers. However, the resulting chaos and bloodshed put a young Rupert Giles at odds with his own father and the Watcher’s Council.

The recounting of Rupert Giles’ experience with his father and the Lorophage Demon leads to several other startling discoveries by Angel, as the Vampire with a soul reads through Giles’ journal. The city of London has never been a favorite of Angel’s because the memories of the horrors he committed still linger in his mind today. His search to bring Giles back continues as the Watchers’ journal guides him like a compass on his path to redemption. In this way, Angel has a mentor, or father figure, in Giles even while trying to bring the man back to life. The lessons and information in Giles’ journal have been instrumental to the storyline of Angel and Faith thus far.

Yet, what issue about fatherhood would be complete without a personal blood relation to both Angel and Faith themselves. The surprise inclusion of Faith’s father, on his search to find his daughter, is sure to spark the interest of fans. The possibilities of what the inclusion of Faith’s biological father can mean for the series is overshadowed only by the inclusion of Angel’s daughter, Druscilla. Fans of the Buffy universe will remember that Druscilla is the not quite sane Vampire sired by Angel for the purpose of specifically torturing a pure and innocent girl into decadent insanity.

The fear is palpable as it rips through Angel when he finds out that following Giles’s journal to hunt a demon leads him on a path to reuniting with Druscilla. There are questions that plague fans regarding Druscilla; most mainly wonder if this insane Vampire seductress is actually insane or a masterful actress. No one really knows and in a series like Angel and Faith, knowledge is power.

The sixth issue of Angel and Faith is out for pre-order now and will hit local store shelves near the end of January. This issue is filled with surprise guests as well as the usual variety of violence and mayhem. The story seems to be gearing up for a big showdown as Angel and Faith continue to try and save Giles in a world without magic. How will Giles continue to affect Angel and Faith? How will Druscilla and Faith’s father factor into the story? All of them are good questions that will hopefully be answered in the next issue of Angel and Faith.

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About the author

Calvin Li
Calvin is currently a Politics and Entertainment writer, as well as the Assistant Gaming Editor for Toonari Post. He holds a Master's Degree in History and a Bachelor's degree in Marketing. A Native New Yorker, he enjoys speed reading and eating, as well as exploring, snowboarding and bowling.

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