The world is in more peril than ever before in Angel #8, causing the Angel Investigations team to look to the past for a hero in their time of need.

Humanity loves a champion. Angel is the champion of the people in Hollywood and he fights to save humanity from the monsters that lurk in the darkness. He bumps back the things that go bump in the night. Although the Angel we know and love in this alternate world is different. He still fights the fight and runs Angel Investigations, but why he does it is still a mystery.

The only critique I’d have of Angel & Spike #14 besides beautiful, but ill-fitting art comes down to BOOM! Studios core premise rather than Thompson’s script. Angel & Buffy aren’t stories that benefit from a reboot because they’re evergreen… and also not very old. This kind of story could have been told beautifully within the confines of the established characters, almost beat-for-beat as is.

A violent creature is tearing the homeless of LA apart and its up to Angel Investigations to stop the threat. With the help of Kate Lockley it isn’t long before Angel has picked up the creature’s trail. Thompson uses a ‘creature of the week’ formula to ease the reader back into the story after last month’s one shot. The premise of the narrative is not the violent attacks but how each member of the cast reacts to them. This approach allows Thompson to illustrate his understanding of the central characters and the driving forces behind their personalities.

Issue 9 of Angel (and now Spike) introduces a TV favourite character into BOOM’s Buffyverse: Kate Lockley. The detective is trying to help a reluctant youth when they are attacked by a supernatural creature. With no-where else to turn, and with a little nudging, Kate turns to Angel Investigations for help.

In the lead up to the Buffy/Angel crossover event Hellmouth, an historic meeting is about to take place. In this week’s pages of Angel from BOOM! Studios writer Bryan Edward Hill retells the entrance of Charles Gunn into the Buffyverse, and it’s as violent as his screen introduction.

BOOM! Studios is starting to build a substantial fantasy world based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise and Angel is playing a massive part in it. Released this week is the dramatic end of Angel’s first story arc and it features a number of recognisable faces.