An Interconnected Epic Full of Surprises
Following the epic announcement of the return of Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics with Kelly Thompson at the helm, Dynamite is excited to announce the companion series that fans have been waiting for, as Angel kicks off this August by Thompson and artist Giulia Giacomino.
Once the terrifying vampire known as Angelus, the man fans now know as Angel was cursed for his crimes with the return of his soul. His newfound humanity led him to the seemingly idyllic small town of Sunnydale, and a star-crossed love affair with the Slayer — Buffy Summers. Once the tragedy had run its course, Angel set off for new adventures (and his own show) in Los Angeles as a detective specializing in supernatural cases and helping the helpless.
Things don’t always go according to plan however and sometimes you do have to go home again. But what if in trying to set something right, chaos follows? This is that story.
Best-selling and Eisner Award-winning writer Kelly Thompson (Absolute Wonder Woman, Birds of Prey, Captain Marvel, Black Widow) helms both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel titles — structured as a seamless event story that will redefine the Buffyverse.
She’s joined on Angel by rising star artist Giulia Giacomino, who made her breakout at Dynamite on Lilo & Stitch and comes from the lineage of Mirka Andolfo’s legendary Arancia Studio. Alongside Buffy‘s Stephen Byrne, Giacomino is tasked with capturing the magic of all these beloved characters for fans new and old. Colorist Lee Loughridge and letterer Jeff Eckleberry round out the cast.
This is a one-of-a-kind crossover event that Thompson has described as “setting the table” for a whole new status quo in the Buffyverse. Angel #1 picks up directly after the events of Buffy #1, and fans are encouraged to follow along with both in release order to get the full Buffyverse experience and enjoy the epic tale Thompson is crafting — including big surprises that will be revealed at release! The flexible nature of comics allows the creative team to tap into what fans love — to see the relationships and emotional ties between these iconic characters in visually stunning ways. That said, the two titles have their own identity with Angel narrating and guiding his own series, and Buffy doing the same in hers.
“Starting with a big universe-defining event book opening feels risky and like a big ask of the readers, but for the idea itself to be done properly – for all the character moments and action set pieces, and emotional tumult to land, we really needed the page real estate,” said writer Kelly Thompson. “And the idea demanded most of the main cast from both books to be involved, which is something that can easily tip a book over – but combining the two books for the first arc and telling one big interconnected Buffyverse story gave us the room to do the concept justice.”
Complementing the all-star cast of artists assembled for Buffy covers, her bad boy fallen Angel beau isn’t lacking in that department either. Superstar David Nakayama contributes the lead cover, matching up with his Buffy piece. He’s joined by Clayton Crain, Meredith McClaren, and Meghan Hetrick who all fit the distinct tone of the series. A series of Icon covers starts with remastering gorgeous works by Jenny Frison.
Avid Angel collectors can also consider the mystery blind bag, featuring three premium variant covers for the book selected randomly from a range of logo-less editions, line art presentations of art, and wholly original artwork exclusive to this offering