“Angel and Faith #16” starts the new four-part arc, “Death and Consequences.” There’s a scene early on that bodes well, in its lightheartedness, for this new story by Christos Gage: Angel has just lobbed a bomb at a big ugly demon when he yells out, “Fire in the whole!” Faith just looks at him, the two are at a safe distance and can afford a quick little quip between them. “I always thought that sounded dirty,” she says, “Seriously, if I worked demolitions, I’d be giggling like a twelve-year-old every time I said it.” Angel doesn’t miss a beat and replies, “If you worked demolitions, I’d be running for my life.” And, with that, Angel, like Indiana Jones, has managed to run off with another relic by the skin of his teeth, and Faith’s, by the way! Ah, one step closer to having all the mad ingredients needed to bring back to life a much beloved mentor, one Rupert Giles.
No one seems to bothering to ask if it’s worth it anymore. That was Faith’s job. All that appears to remain is one last part of the Giles soul to start some serious conjuring. But could it really be all that simple? No, no, not by a long shot. Hey, Faith finds herself imagining a whole conversation with Giles which leaves her less than motivated. Of course, there’s always drawbacks along the way and this story provides a whopper of a problem. And then there’s Faith’s nemesis, Nadira, and her Slayer posse, who don’t know when to stop holding Faith accountable for everything that has gone wrong in their lives. What animosity! Rebekah Issacs seems to enjoy drawing Nadira’s rage and her crew’s put-upon expressions. Poor Faith. But here’s the kicker: Nadira’s plans collide directly with Angel’s plans! Angel is not the only one with a beloved soul to resurrect.
Angel and Faith may be back in London and appear closer than ever to achieving Angel’s dream of bringing back Giles but there is hardly any guarantee that things will go Angel’s way. Nadira, in all her beautiful rage, makes a case that Angel is delusional but then can’t see how even more futile her dream is of bringing back to life a mere mortal. The anguish and determination coming from Nadira is quite palpable. It brings Faith a few notches back to her skepticism. But that’s not all. The twist at the end will surprise even the most jaded reader. It is a most satisfying twist and, just like the wry remarks between Angel and Faith at the start, bodes very well for us readers.
“Angel and Faith #16” releases November 28. Visit our friends at Dark Horse Comics.
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