Angel and Faith #9 kicks off right where issue #8 ended. Faith’s father George has shown his true colors and Faith suffers as a result of his treachery. Angel has had to battle up to this point and will once again face both his daughter Drusilla and her Lorophage demon. Thus far Giles has remained a constant character within the Angel and Faith universe; his presence has pushed the boundaries and created new facets of Angel’s personality.

This issue is written by Christos Gauge with the art being excellently done by Rebekah Isaac. The cover art is done by Steve Morris with coloring by Dan Jackson. The executive producer and creator of the Buffy universe, Joss Whedon has remained a strong force with the Angel and Faith series, shaping it to make these characters more human and less like supernatural killing machines. Combined, these writers, artists and producers create an ever evolving world in the paranormal community that is Post Twilight and without magic.

Spoiler Alert!

In the aftermath of Angel and Faith #8, Faith is left shattered by memories and the pain that she feels. Buying into the cult of Drusilla, the Lorophage demon removes her pain and she is granted the wonderful bliss of not being burdened by the pain of her past. George Lehane has certainly left his mark on Faith as she struggled all throughout her life to overcome her own personal demons.

So too did the death of the professor as she fought alongside Buffy Summers early in her slayer career. Without these forces to contend with in her life, Faith is a shadow of her former self, nearly powerless to help Angel in his time of need. Not often done, the partnership of Angel and Faith suffers for the first time, using excellently plausible scenarios to further flush out the necessity of human emotion.

Dire circumstances call for dire actions as Angel charges into a den full of vampires and Drusilla’s followers in order to save Faith from herself. Confronting his daughter, in essence his creation, Angel uses his pain to empower himself. As Drusilla, her spells broken and her insanity returned to her like a violent gift from the gods, it is possible only this crazy daughter of Angelus knows the events to unfold through the use of her seer powers.

Angel, in his time as Angelus, has been responsible for many heinous crimes to society and yet here, it is these crimes that show him the path of righteousness. His regret gives him strength and makes him feel, giving him a plausible argument for which to convince Faith that she too needs this pain to learn from her past. It is he who saves her and opens her mind to the idea of saving Giles from an eternity in a forgotten prison.

The end of the comic revolves around the strengthening partnership between Angel and Faith. Up until this point there have been small pieces of the puzzling being assembled on their quest to bring Giles back from the dead. Recalling Egyptian soul mythology as well as calling on Angel to trust her, Faith dives into the struggle with her partner with the full knowledge that some really weird things are going to happen.

A dark omen from Drusilla, shadowed in the form of prophecy or foresight, may yet be the keys to unlock the storyline as the search for Giles continues. As one crazed vampire seer flees the scene from her father; one truth remains, that no matter who you are, everyone has daddy issues.

Score: 4/5

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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.