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This was an incredible issue. In the couple of reviews I've read, several people stated that they thought a reset to the night of Not Fade Away was on their minds, but they thought that they would hate that. I was one of those people, and I was wrong to think that way. What happens in this issue is no mere reset, it signals a change in the entire universe that A:ts and BtVS reside in. It was something that I thought would never happen because it is far too grandiose a move- a large scale population (larger than Sunnydale) becoming familiar with the demonic realm first hand. My head is practically swimming, so I'll start at the beginning of the issue.
Angel mourns the loss of his son, and you can't help but feel it. Franco outdid himself with this issue, and the loss is palpable in the panels. Angel, though grieving, realizes how he can get everyone out of Hell, but that it is going to cost him even more than he has already lost. Wesley reveals that they are all stuck in between moments, even though they have been in hell for what feels like months, they are in but a single moment after the battle began in Not Fade Away. If Angel dies, the Senior Partners only choice will be to pull Angel out of his timeline yet again, but the only way to get an entirely in-tact Angel would be to pull him from the NFA battle (thanks in part to Angel breaking nearly every bone in his body right after being sucked into Hell) which is something they do not want to do. Angel entices Gunn to fight, and our hero is decapitated by a flaming sword. Spike stops mid-battle, throwing his sword (hitting poor Betta George) as he screams "What the hell is THAT? What the hell is THAT?" while running and reaching out to Angel's headless corpse. Before Spike has a nervous collapse, Wesley explains the plan, and then walks off to the dead husk of Illyria's original form, knowing that he will pass on, not part of this reality anymore. His parting words to Spike are to take care of Illyria. And before Spike can ask Wesley where he is going, he is back in the middle of that rain-soaked alley way, knife in his arm, full vamp face. He finds Illyria engrossed in the battle already, and she even acknowledges his pithy comments. Angel too is back in action.
They remember everything that happened to them, and Illyria even shows some grief for having ended Fred's life however inadvertently, for taking away Wesley's "light." She seems to understand Fred, understand what people can mean to one another for the first time. Spike says she's acting human, and Angel says that she's working through the demons to get through her issues, but she won't have to do it alone- Cordy the Dragon appears and roasts most of the demons to smithereens. Angel senses Gunn, who is still human but badly bleeding from the gash in his eye and from various bodily wounds. Angel stakes the vampire that would have sired Gunn. Gunn begs to be left to die; he's seen the evil he caused and nothing can reverse those memories. They use Cordy Dragon for transport and attempt to go back to the Wolfram and Hart HQ, but find it an empty construction lot (a "Doublemeat Palace- Coming Soon!" sign nearby). Leaving Illyria and Spike at the lot, Angel takes Gunn via Dragon Airlines to the nearest hospital. It's a head trip to think about, but it's entirely possible that when Betta George contacted Beck at Primm, what she viewed on the TV was not a glamour but in real time on the proper timeline, the timeline that is reality for our heros now.
The ER waiting room is filled with people talking about their experience in Hell. They remember too. One man exclaims, "Just called my mom in San Diego, she said I was nuts!" while another says, "I made friends in Hell, and now I have no idea where they are-" A nurse asks Angel if he knows if vampires or demons attacked Gunn while he's rolled into surgery. Angel is taken aback, unsure of how to talk about such things in front of normal people. Angel steps outside the hospital for some air. Connor stands before him, very much alive. Angel weeps openly, gathering his son in his arms.
Connor: It's okay, dad. It's okay. In fact, it's kind of a happy ending, isn't it?
Angel: I'm not sure... I've never had one before...
This joyous father/son reunion is interrupted by a cameo appearance by Westerberg (I think that's how you spell it; he's a character from Brian Lynch's other series "Everybody's Dead" and he looks a little like Brian himself). Westerberg wants to thank Angel for freeing everyone and fighting the lords. Harkening back to Season Two of Buffy when Spike says that the crowd at the Crucifixion would have been enormous if every vamp who claimed to have been there had actually been there, Westerberg says that everyone who was in Hell.A. claims to have seen the big Champion brawl with the Lords, but there's no way that EVERYONE could have been there. Angel, at first, pretends to not be the big hero guy. "I think you have me confused with-"
Other people in the hospital come out and begin cheering for Angel, and Westerberg even snaps a cellphone photo for posterity.
Angel: Oh, this is not good.
Connor: This is big.
Angel: This is not good.
Connor: Nah, it's fine. You just moved on up... From urban legend- to just plain legend.
Angel's final thoughts for this issue are "Remember when I said Los Angeles was back to normal? I was wrong. I was very, very wrong."
As I hypothesized a few days ago about Angel's return to L.A. with everyone remembering their experiences (I did this on the comic thread at CDS), this ties perfectly in with the BtVS S8 Harmony plotline about vampires gaining some type of worldwide recognition. It's a huge step, and I didn't think that the Whedonverse would ever take such a massive leap such as this. I'm very happy for it. I'm very happy that all the citizens of L.A. remember their experiences. I'm glad that Jeremy is alive and will be able to propose to his girlfriend. I'm glad that chubby little kid will be with his parents. I'm thrilled that Connor and Groo are not dead. Unfortunately, there can't be all upsides here. I can imagine that those who suffered torture at the hands of the Lords and the other demons will not easily shuffle off these memories. And also unfortunately, the Lords are still creeping around along with Non. And by the looks of the cover for Aftermath with Angel being hounded by demonic paparazzi and Harmony's on-air Slayer-snack, certain vampires may have unwanted attention.
Brian Lynch said that Angel and Spike talking will take up a huge chunk of #17, and what I fear is that Angel and Spike will be parting ways. With BL hinting at a possible Spike series (whether it is a mini-series or full length is not yet known) with Beck and Tok, I have to wonder if Connor won't be having his Uncle Spike around as much anymore. Just in case, I'm already shipping Connor and Beck... Yes, that turns out to be Cock. O__o;;; Anyways, this was a terrifically written issue, and I cried very hard at a few parts. The artwork. My God, the detail! Franco truly outdid himself yet again, and the colours were just superb. I don't think any other team could have done a better job. This issue is 11/10 in my book.
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I always snicker the Uncle Spike references, because technically, it is Uncle Connor if you consider that Angel spawned Dru and Connor.
Hee!
Westerberg looks like Lynch?
:rolls eyes:
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Westerberg is sorta like a caricature of Lynch in Everybody's Dead (which is the story of what would have happened if Brian's fraternity in college was beset by zombies. it also features a caricature of another IDW artist- Dave), so he doesn't quite look like him in this issue. Now, a character that looks exactly like Lynch is the doctor who turns out to be evil in Spike: Asylum just as Joss Whedon made a cameo in Spike: Shadow Puppets. In this issue of Angel, Chris Ryall, the editor at IDW, also makes an appearance in the crowd. XD
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Poor Connor (and Spike). Their family really puts the "funk" in disfunctional.
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LOL! Well, I am glad that Angel gets some sort of happy ending. The poor guy deserves it!
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Heeeee!
what I fear is that Angel and Spike will be parting ways.
This is my fear, too. Ah, well. Just one more reason for me not to spend money on Aftermath. No Joss? No Spike? No interest. I'm completely satisfied with where things stand in this issue. The Angel/Connor reunion was the perfect happy ending for me. :)
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Kelley said in a recent post (January 17th) that Aftermath is only five issues long, actually...
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