Reviews

Angel Vol. 1, Volume 1: Being Human by Bryan Hill

anniestar's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I really enjoyed the plot and the characterization. They fleshed Angel out and really gave him a less selfish and more cohesive character. I really love that. It makes the reboot more interesting. 

emily_m_green's review

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Thank you to the Fort Vancouver Regional Library for making Angel: Being Human by Bryan Edward Hill, Gleb Melnikov, Gabriel Cassata, and Roman Titov free and not just available to the public, but providing the service of the bookmobile, which brings books to the rural community where I teach. 

In Angel Volume 1: Being Human Angel is fighting demons who prey on adolescents, one in particular who contacts teenagers through social media and appeals to their desire to be attractive and admired. Angel is visited by Lilith, who comes to warn and help him. She also leads him to Winifred, who I am guessing will be the same Fred from the Angel television show. There is another thread that includes Angel siring Marius, who had formerly hunted vampires. A big part of the volume is concerned with Angel feeling guilty for past sins and trying to atone. 

I have read a lot of Buffyverse comics. I am not sure how many, but quite a few. Some were meh and some pretty good. This volume is closer to pretty good than meh and the drawings are decent. 

I cannot help but make a connection between Angel and all the men who have recently been exposed as wielding their power to get away with everything from harassment to sexual assault to blackballing women. Though I am not so sure how many of the guilty are actually remorseful or have regained their souls, the idea of having to atone for the amount and scope of harm is quite an interesting question. How does one right that level of harm? After destroying the lives of so many women, is there a path toward healing?

For the Angel in this volume, self-flagellation is unending and to the point of making his efforts at fighting less effective than they could be. The book encourages empathy for Angel, and the audience knows Angel’s evil deeds only as flashbacks and is more familiar and connected to his changed self. 

Would I teach this book? While this volume is better than mid, it is difficult to teach a volume of a series. It is easier to teach a first volume because its job is to introduce the conflicts and characters. I can see teaching a course on the first volume of comic book series (that would be a lot of fun) but even so, I do not see this volume as strong enough to teach. On a completely side note, the variant covers in the back of the book are amazingly emo. Like, extraordinarily. 

kaceychilvers's review

5.0

I always get really nervous when I story I love moves on to a different medium. It is hard to know if the creators will both capture the magic of the original while still bringing something new to the table.
Thankfully, this reboot gave us just that. Angel is still a supernatural noir worth reading.
After roaming the earth as a soulless vampire, Angel is cursed to live with the things he has done and feel the weight of those actions. Years later, he is off fighting anything that goes bump in the dark (or light) and this time, he's up against social media.
As with anything Buffyverse related, a lot of it sounds stupid when you say it out loud (like a vampire PI who once got turned into a puppet, for example) but if you go in with an open mind, things may just surprise you.
Can't wait to read vol.2!

waveycowpar's review

5.0

I don't know how this new Angel will play out, it doesn't look like he will have much time with Buffy and looks like they are deleting her as the catalyst as Angel's journey toward redemption, which, honestly, kinda blows; but this first story was great, Buffy at it's best and a modern take. The story would have fit the Buffy comic better most likely but this is the sort of modern retelling of Buffy I've wanted to see.

caitlinwhetten's review

4.0

Not as bad as you think a story about a social media demon would be. That part feels like older cringe Buffy/Angel and probably wouldn't be out of place on both show's earlier seasons. But where the story is heading is exciting and seeing how these reboots twist characters and give them new backstories, but still keep them familiar is super interesting to me and why I keep heading back to this series. The art is decent though not as good as that first issue of Buffy. And it's always fun to see how different artists interpret different episodes and iconic moments in the series in their own cover designs at the end.

charleslove's review

4.0

i will ALWAYS find "internet bad" villains cheesy as shit but other than that this was good !

jennykeery's review

2.0

The villain in this one is a demon that feeds on vanity and insecurity through Instagram. Social media is bad! What a fresh, nuanced take. I feel like this could have been a passable secondary plot for a later volume, but it's poor for a series launch. I hated that the first issue killed off a woman within a few pages and that the creators made Angel so bland. The whole appeal of his character is the bad boy/sad boi balance that David Boreanaz pulls off so beautifully in the shows, and his emotional turmoil in this comic isn't mysterious or engaging - it's so explicitly stated that it's funny. "I deserve this." Maybe, Angel, but I'm not sure I do.

elllie_725's review

4.0

I really loved the art and the angel snark and seeing Fred, it was also that violent edge from the TV show. The villain was a bit cringe.

cliobemuzedbookworm's review

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

lilymurph's review

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5