Review: Angel and Faith #9

Daddy Issues, Part Four

Writer: Christos Gage

Pencils: Rebekah Isaacs

Covers: Steve Morris/Rebekah Isaacs with Dan Jackson

Faith goes off the deep end after discovering that her father was the same useless sod she had always known him to be rather than the reformed good guy he claimed. However, as usual, Angel has her back and acts as the voice of reason despite the cost of rescuing her from her own poor decisions.

This issue acts as the final chapter of Faith’s ill-fated reunion with her father and to be honest I was shocked by the way things played out. I realise that Faith has always been a broken, insecure person wrapped in a veneer of bravado and untouchability, but to see her run to a demon to solve her problems struck me as out of character. Having said that, I suppose Faith has always struggled with the temptation to take the easiest escape from her self-loathing. Maybe the encounter with her father was so painful it pushed her right back into the darkest of places. As before, it was Angel who was there to acknowledge her pain and talk some sense into her.

Meanwhile, Angel continues to be haunted by Drusilla. Like Faith with her father, Drusilla is one of Angel’s greatest demons (no pun intended) but unlike Faith he is somewhat more accustomed to dealing with the feelings she causes. A century or so as an immortal being does give one some time to come to terms with the evils of one’s past I guess. Nevertheless, in the end it comes down to a choice between Faith’s future happiness and Drusilla’s. With all that he owes her it must have been difficult for Angel to once again plunge Drusilla into the depths of her madness. This incident will no doubt be another mark on the ledger of ills Angels feels that he has done Drusilla.

The ‘Daddy Issues’ story arc has explored the central theme of Angel & Faith, the reasons these characters are so damaged and their continuing struggle to heal. It provided a nice glimpse of some of the pre-slayer trauma that helped make Faith the woman she is, building on her complexity as a character.

I would imagine that we will return to the ‘Bring Giles back to life’ storyline now which is also something to look forward to. 6/10

Bernice Watson