Parents lie, and parents regret. This is a fundamental concept that takes on new meaning in Angel and Faith- Daddy Issues, Part Two. Feeling emotion both positive and negative is the driving force between the first and second part of Daddy Issues. In the first part of the issue, readers saw the surprising twist at the end where Druscilla, Angel’s Daughter, enters the picture.

The London crime fighters not only have to deal with Druscilla, who can think normally, but also with Faith’s father, who just dropped into the picture as well. Now, we will see what new tricks and treats lie beneath the surface of Daddy Issues, Part Two.

From the mind of Joss Whedon, this Angel and Faith comic is also excellently scripted by Christos Gage, who delves into an expected treachery, which hurts that much more, in a parent and child relationship. The art, and one of the Variant Covers, is done by Rebekah Isaacs, while Dan Jackson handled the colors excellently. As with part one, Richard Starkings did the lettering with help of Jimmy Betancourt from Comicraft. Steve Morris was responsible for the primary cover.

Often forgotten, the father of Faith, George Patrick Lehane, was an alcoholic as well as afraid of his daughter. He expressed concerns that he had been hallucinating due to D.T.S, which indicates that he might have suffered alcohol-withdrawal related ‘Delirium Tremens’ also known as  ‘the shakes’.

He shows improvement with battling alcohol and is even calling Faith pet names that she does not hate. This gives the reader welcome insight into her past, her disbelief at his sobriety as well as the desperate welcome hug that she gives him. Now, if only his entire story was not just a trick, Faith would have less daddy issues of her own.

Druscilla, a beautiful and elegant woman, possessed a purity of evil so dark that only talking to her could reveal her true nature. She is powerful, not because she is stronger than Angel, but because she is unpredictable. Her power to see into the future has led her to find Angel again. She recognizes in him parts of his past that bring Angel shame and wants to help him return to his former guilt-free self. Her control of the Lorophage Demon has given her, not only an occult following, but also returned a semblance of sanity to her broken mind.

Angel laments the pain of his past dealings with Druscilla in his role as both the killer of her entire world and as the Vampire who sired her. He knows that he broke her mind and her spirit, then raised her into an immortal vampire. He alone takes the blame for unleashing her special brand of insanity against the world, having once called her his ‘Masterpiece’.

In London, the city that has haunted him after many years, he is confronted by the deeds of his past on a constant basis, shaping both him and the story.

The city of London itself is ever present in his memories with brief flashes of Angel’s history in his Angelus persona, with Darla and Druscilla’s history playing out along side his own. In these memories, Angelus is seen systematically removing every solid support within Druscilla’s life, everything from religious faith to family is gone.

Flash forward to reality for Angel, as he visits the site where he destroyed Druscilla’s family, and the reader is confronted by the insane vampire herself. Here, in her home, she tries to do her version of good and remove Angel’s guilt.

Through all this, fans find out that there are indeed multiple parts to Angel’s growing personality as he evidently exhibits small traits from Rupert Giles. Sharp-eyed readers will recall past issues of Angel and Faith where Angel, a supreme predator, sports glasses and asks for a spot of tea. Much of Part Two is spent exploring the issues regarding Angelus’ masterpiece gone wrong and Faith’s similarly treacherous father.

The next issue is sure to push the series forward as the true reason for George Lehane’s appearance is revealed, and the soul fragments of Giles inhabiting Angel’s body shape the series in new and unexpected ways. The Angel and Faith series, as a whole, makes the reader really think about the characters as people instead of as abstract characters, giving them depth, life, and real responsibilities.

Daddy Issues, Part Two continues to delve deeper into the past of both of the leading characters, proving that as we grow older, sometimes parents need help, too, despite the issues we have with them.

Overall Score: 4/5

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[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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Fans of the Buffy: The Vampire Slayer spinoff Angel will have yet another taste of post apocalyptic London with Angel and Faith. Set after the death of Giles and Angel’s return to sanity, he is joined by Rebel Slayer Faith Lehane. The two combat the forces of evil in a post Twilight world where earth is completely cut off from magic after the events of Buffy Season Eight.

Fans will remember that in season eight, Angel and Buffy were manipulated into giving birth to an apocalyptic dimension called Twilight. During these events Angel adopts the villain name Twilight in order to combat Buffy after she inherits godlike superpower. There’s no confusion with sparkly vampires here, that’s for sure.

In Live Through This issue number 4, Angel is still haunted by the acts of horror he committed during Twilight with the death of Rupert Giles hanging over his head constantly. At this point he is knee deep in his quest to bring Giles back from the dead. Angel is bereft of his usual bevy of ally’s Buffy Summers, Dawn, Xander Harris and Willow Rosenberg.

His one remaining ally has thus far been the surprising but steadfast Faith Lehane. A slayer just like one other, she breaks more rules than she keeps but is loyal to the fight against evil. She is not only his partner on this adventure but also his insurance policy, which Angel openly admits. Should he ever become so obsessed, he knew within reason that Faith would knock some sense into him.

In fact, Angel seems to be counting on it. She notices how Angel’s personality changes, adopting some rather bookish reading habits. Nash and Pearl, the sibling demons who crossed over onto earth, are magic users that battle Angel at every turn. They take pride and joy in making his life difficult while advancing their plot for the next supposed step in evolution.

Their view of Angel as a traitor to their cause is less evident in this issue but they still threaten Angel that they have more power than he’d seen before. Far from being the standard issue enemy the character of Nash is protective of his sister and Pearl definitely has a sensual quality about her.

Whistler, fellow demon to Nash and Pearl, is more diabolical than his campy nature would seem. His long history with Angel further complicates matters since it was he who initially convinced Angel to take the mantle of Twilight in the first place. The character of Whistler himself has evolved over time, his true face of vengeance against Angel showing through.

His work with the demon siblings his brought him a vial of Mohra Blood, the Blood of Eternity for his nefarious purposes. One concern is that this series should remain fresh and original, rather than devolve into a campy mess of vamp vs demon combat. The emotional elements of the 4th issue, little as they are, serve to highlight the storyline and its characters.

The 4th issue in this series is available now, with issue #5 releasing on December 28th, now available for pre-order here through Dark Horse Comics. Fans will want to keep a watch for this series on the rise since issues 6 and 7 are also available for pre-order as well.

Written by Christos Gage with artwork from Rebekah Isaacs, coloring by Dan Jackson and cover art by Steve Morris, this is a great team that has worked on the Angel and Faith series since the very beginning. With mastermind creator Joss Whedon having provided an excellent backdrop with tons of characters that makes for a very easily advancing plot line.

The next few issues seem to be shaping up for a grand showdown of epic proportions with a few hidden surprises being foreshadowed to fans in these recent pages.

The article Comic Review: Angel and Faith Issue #4 (Steve Morris Cover) appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.