Well, Scoobies, I had to give my right arm to get this advance copy of Angel & Faith #8, but that type of thing is quickly becoming a trend, isn’t it? The point is that the Comic Book Slayer has scored another advance review for your comic book sniffing pleasure! MINOR SPOILERS BELOW

The Good:

Nothing like a little parental pressure. While last week’s made it seem like Faith’s father was up to the typical “dead-beat dad” no good, his actions take a darker tone in this issue. It turns out Faith’s daddy is in trouble with some real rough folks in ol’ London town, and given the revelation that his rough-and-tumble daughter is a slayer, he’s hoping to employ some of her more violent, life-ending habits. Can you think of a worse thing to ask of our dark slayer?

Faith turns on the dark. See above. Let’s just say that Faith has a pretty strong reaction to her father’s idea of using her as the family hitman. And, not everyone leaves with all of their…um…parts.

Rebekah Isaacs…big time! Gage’s script is awesome (as usual), but this issue really lets Isaacs shine. This is an issue full of pathos, and Gage’s script is elevated by the amazing emotions that Isaacs brings to Angel, Faith, and her father. Emotional beats are hard enough to craft, but Issacs soars in the pages of Angel & Faith #8, allowing the reader to actually see the inner feelings of the characters play out across their faces from panel to panel

The big finish. We’ve had a lot of big “WTF” cliffhangers recently. There’s one here that may be a little less “WTF” than the last issue of Buffy: Season 9, but it’s still really big, given what it may mean down the road.
The Bad:

It ended. And now, I have to wait another month before I get my fix. Grrr. (Argh.)
Don’t miss this issue, Scoobies! It’s worth an arm (and maybe a leg)! If you want to read my full, spoilerific review, it will be posted on Thursday over at www.fanboycomics.net!

’Till the end of the world,
-Bryant the Comic Book Slayer