Review: Angel & Faith #8

Daddy Issues Part Three

Writer: Christos Gage

Pencils: Rebekah Isaacs

Faith is thrown when her father shows up in town claiming to have turned over a new leaf. But it soon becomes clear that, unsurprisingly, he’s not telling the whole truth. Or even a particularly large chunk of it. Faith must face the fact that her father is the same man she always knew he was, even if it breaks her heart to do so.

One of the things that I love most about this series, and the Whedonverse in general, is that it doesn’t shy away from difficult truths. Despite wishes to the contrary, people who had an absent parent often find that person to be equally unreliable in an adult-to-adult relationship. Tempting though it may have been for Faith to suddenly connect with her reformed father and find the father-daughter relationship she had always craved, the way it plays out here is far more compelling. Similarly realistic is Faith’s eagerness to believe that he has changed, even in the face of her own better judgement and past experience. The underlying emotional truth here gives this story arc a real resonance.

Rebekah Isaac’s pencils are, as always, wonderful with Dan Jackson providing his beautifully toned-down colour palette. In this issue I was particularly taken with the backgrounds. They are both subtle and also textured, and they complement the action sequences perfectly.

Now that we’re up to issue eight in this series one has to wonder how long it will run for. Currently Angel’s quest to bring Giles back from the dead is still in full swing and no resolution is immediately evident.  8/10

Bernice Watson