Angel (IDW series)

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Angel is an ongoing comic book series published by IDW Publishing. It is the official continuation of the Angel television series, picking up where "Not Fade Away" left off. The series initially deals with the consequences of Team Angel's uprising against the Senior Partners, and later focuses on the re-opening of Angel Investigations.

The title began as a limited series subtitled After the Fall. This storyline lasted for seventeen issues, after which IDW chose to continue the series as an ongoing with new writers. While After the Fall was plotted by Joss Whedon and considered canon, the canonical status of subsequent issues is more ambiguous.

The series has several spin-offs, including a number of limited series and an ongoing Spike title from the creative team of After the Fall.

Summary

After the Fall

See: Angel: After the Fall#Summary

Ongoing series

Includes information from both the main Angel title and associated spin-offs.

One month after the Fall of Los Angeles was reversed, the city is still recovering from its time in hell. Angel is adjusting to his newfound celebrity status, while fending off assassin attempts from the former Demon Lords. He wishes to re-open Angel Investigations, but finds that his friends are too busy rebuilding their personal lives; he eventually re-establishes the detective agency with the help of Kate Lockley. Connor also takes part in his father's business, and in turn Gwen assists to try and earn Connor’s forgiveness after her betrayal in hell. The team initially operates out of an abandoned church before returning to their old base, the Hyperion Hotel. Angel finds business frustrating at first, since many cases turn out to be either assassination attempts or people wanting to meet their hero. One such assassin, a Mayan Jaguar Warrior named Dez, joins the team after betraying the Lord of Sherman Oaks; she helps the team investigate a bizarre case of animals being transformed into humans. The team gains another new member in James, who claims to be a Potentate, a race of warrior angels for the Powers That Be who were dispatched during the Fall. James helps Angel in defeating his fellow Potentates when they begin killing humans who are destined to commit evil in the future.

Meanwhile, Gunn lies comatose in hospital, after having his humanity restored by the temporal fold. Illyria watches over him, protecting him from those wishing to do him harm. Gunn is eventually awoken by Non, who plans to force Gunn to join her, but she is quickly defeated by Illyria and deposited at the Mosaic Wellness Center. Gunn and Illyria bond over their struggling humanity, and move into Fred’s apartment together. They later travel to Fred’s home town in Texas to attend her uncle’s funeral; Illyria wishes to explore Fred’s past and her own humanity, while Gunn wants to comfort Fred’s parents. In Texas, they encounter Angel’s old enemies, the Scourge, who use the Mutari generator to resurrect Baticus, an Old One and Illyria’s former pet. Illyria battles and defeats Baticus while Gunn executes the members of the Scourge. Their enemies dead, the pair make their way back to Los Angeles.

Back at Angel Investigations, Angel and Groosalugg travel to the San Diego Sci-Fi Festival to recover the Flaming Sword, a mystical weapon up for auction. At the convention, Angel sees a preview for the film Last Angel in Hell, an inaccurate depiction of Los Angeles' time in hell, starring Nicholas Cage as "Angel Cartwright". He also meets Spike and his friend Jeremy, who fall victim to a spell which turns everyone at the convention into their costumes. Spike is transformed into Angel, but it is the real Angel who ends up reversing the spell. Afterwards, Spike becomes a more active member of Angel Investigations, as does Betta George. Gunn and Illyria also rejoin the team after returning from their road trip. However, the team suffers an unexpected loss when Lorne sacrifices himself to save the entire multiverse; three entities, Discord, Disharmony, and Cacophony, attempt to shatter the Music of the Spheres, until Lorne uses his singing ability to stabilize reality. In doing so, he becomes "one with the universe" and watches over his friends from a new plane of existence.

Angel is kidnapped by Innovation Labs, a corporation which sells immortality by turning its clients into vampires. They plan to use Angel to manufacture vampires with their souls intact, keeping him imprisoned in steel-reinforced medical plaster. Meanwhile, Connor appoints himself leader of Angel Investigations in his father's absence, but struggles to assert authority; Gunn in particular clashes with Connor and leaves the team to reform his old vampire-hunting crew. Connor must also deal with the arrival of the Sisterhood of Jaro Hull, a cult of female demons supposedly devoted to him. Illyria tracks down and releases Angel, who destroys Innovation Labs with the help of former Watcher Laura Weathermill and her partner Polyphemus; afterwards, Laura invites herself and Polyphemus to join Angel Investigations. While on a drunken night out, Spike gets dragged into Tansy Fry's plans to reform the Order of Aurelius and open a "mini-Hellmouth" in Los Angeles. Fry invites Spike to join the Order as he, like her, shares the Master's bloodline. He refuses and promises to put an end to her plans. This experience brings Spike into contact with Eddie Hope, a human who had been recruited as a devil during the Fall of Los Angeles; since the city's restoration, Eddie had been tracking down those who had commited evil in hell. Spike and Eddie team up to defeat Fry and her minions, and successfully close the Los Angeles Hellmouth.

While settling in at Angel Investigations, Laura quickly exposes James as an evil higher power named Myresto Mor, who plans to turn the Earth into a demon breeding farm. When Gunn is captured by Eddie, who plans to kill him for his actions as a vampire, Angel Investigations arrive and reclaim their teammate, taking Eddie prisoner. However, Eddie escapes while being transported back to the Hyperion; reflecting on his mission as a devil, he decides to change and return to his family. James summons a Soul Eater named Liss, who attacks Angel Investigations and kills Dez before being decapitated by Angel. Before dying, Liss accuses Spike of being soulless, although Laura later determines that his soul is simply corrupted by a parasite. While all this occurs, James begins his plans to impregnate the human race with demons, starting with Anne's homeless teen shelter. Connor is kidnapped by the Sisterhood of Jaro Hull, who drain his blood in a ritual to become stronger. Angel Investigations unite to rescue him, but it is Connor himself who defeats the demons by exhibiting a new ability to turn his enemies to dust. During a heart-to-heart with his son, Angel realises he is holding him back and decides to go travelling alone, leaving Connor officially in charge of Angel Investigations. Spike also leaves to find his own identity, taking George with him, while Kate returns to being a police detective.

Seeking answers about her own nature and purpose, Illyria leaves the team to go on a personal quest. Spike advises her to return to the Deeper Well, and helps her on the initial stages of her journey. Upon arriving at the Well, Illyria regains her powers and embraces her humanity, but unleashes the Old One Arsgomor in the process; she uses her powers to give Arsgomor a second chance by regressing him to a fetal state. Meanwhile, Connor moves Angel Investigations to new offices while the agency continues to look into James' activities. Anne comes to them for help, having been impregnated by James, just as the team hears news from Kate about Angel's apparent death in a car explosion. Meanwhile, Gunn starts to consider Connor a threat when Polyphemus reveals that the Sisterhood's ritual is transforming him into a higher power similar to James. With information and weaponry attained from Wolfram & Hart, Connor leads his team in confronting James at his facility, but they are quickly outmatched and Polyphemus is killed.

Meanwhile, following his car accident, Angel wakes up in a dystopian future in which James has succeeded and the entire Earth is a demon factory. He is met by Darrow, the Wolfram & Hart lawyer responsible for bringing him to the future, and a time-travelling Illyria. Despite their reservations about trusting Wolfram & Hart, Angel and Illyria accept their help in order to defeat James. However, when they find him, James has been killed by his sister Rowant so she could reclaim Earth as her own. Darrow uses the Vanishing Gem - capable of killing a god - against Rowant, but is betrayed and killed by his colleague Mendoza. Illyria returns Angel to the present with the Gem, where he uses it against James. Connor then uses his new powers to transport Anne's baby into James, killing him but leaving the baby unharmed. Anne decides to raise the baby, who Angel realises is the Darrow he met in the future. Angel later confronts Wolfram & Hart at their L.A. offices, and tells them to get out of his town. He then resolves to do whatever he can to prevent a future as bad as the one he witnessed.

Main characters

Arcs

Main series

After the Fall (Parts 1-17)
Aftermath (Parts 1-5)
Become What You Are (After the Fall - Epilogue)
Drusilla (Parts 1-2)
Boys and Their Toys (Parts 1-2)
Immortality for Dummies (Parts 1-5)
Letters Home: A Jamesian Interlude
The Crown Prince Syndrome (Parts 1-5)
The Wolf, the Ram, and the Heart (Parts 1-5)

Annuals

Angel: Last Angel in Hell

Spin-offs

Spike: After the Fall
Angel: Only Human
Angel Special: Lorne
Spike: The Devil You Know
Spike
Angel: Illyria

Issues

Limited series

Main article: Angel: After the Fall

The first seventeen issues form a complete story arc entitled After the Fall, which was plotted by Joss Whedon. This story sees Los Angeles trapped in a hell dimension due to Team Angel's actions against the Senior Partners in "Not Fade Away". #17 ends with L.A. restored to normal and Angel re-opening Angel Investigations. The story was written by Brian Lynch, who later returned to the Angel series for #23-27.

Ongoing series

Title	Issue #	Release Date

"Aftermath, Part One"	18	February 25, 2009
Writer: Kelley Armstrong		Penciller: Dave Ross
Two weeks after the finale of After the Fall, novelist Kelley Armstrong (The Summoning) comes aboard to explore the many repercussions following the explosive Angel #17. Artist Dave Ross also comes aboard to present the first chapter of Aftermath, wherein we learn who lived, who died, and who will be forever changed from the experience.

"Aftermath, Part Two"	19	March 25, 2009
Writer: Kelley Armstrong		Penciller: Dave Ross
As Angel and the remaining survivors from their sojourn to Hell attempt to rebuild their lives and find purpose once again, they must also contend with the threat of a vengeful Lord, a mysterious cat-changer and a winged being from beyond…

"Aftermath, Part Three"	20	April 29, 2009
Writer: Kelley Armstrong		Penciller: Dave Ross
Angel's attempts to return to normal have been upended by the cat-changer Dez. But who is she, and where does she come from? Find out here, even as a larger question — namely, who is Angel's angelic visitor from beyond, and who sent him here? — comes to light.

"Aftermath, Part Four"	21	May 20, 2009
Writer: Kelley Armstrong		Penciller: Dave Ross
The aftermath of the city's return from hell continues to plague Angel, leading to a confrontation with the Powers That Be and some winged visitors from beyond the pale, even as Connor and Gwen face off with Dez.

"Aftermath, Part Five"	22	June 24, 2009
Writer: Kelley Armstrong		Penciller: Dave Ross
With the the 'Angels' help, team Angel is able to release already captured 'Angels' but at what cost?

"Become What You Are"	23	July 1, 2009
Writer: Brian Lynch		Penciller: Franco Urru
Since returning from Hell, Gunn has lain incapacitated, near death. Looking over him is Illyria, torn by a need to make him pay for his crimes and a compulsion to protect him. But what will she do when a threat from the pages of Spike: After the Fall causes them both to evaluate whether it's better to be good... or evil?

"Drusilla, Part One"	24	August 5, 2009
Writer: Brian Lynch and Juliet Landau		Penciller: Franco Urru
"Drusilla" herself, Juliet Landau, enters the comics Whedonverse by co-writing alongside Brian Lynch a special two-parter that brings Drusilla into the After the Fall universe. As an added bonus, each issue will feature a special back-up pictorial with Landau, too.

"Drusilla, Part Two"	25	September 16, 2009
Writer: Brian Lynch and Juliet Landau		Penciller: Franco Urru
Juliet Landau continues her two-part Angel adventure that returns Drusilla to the fold in a bloody big way! Laundau, Lynch and Urru conclude Dru's adventure inside a special asylum, where she either just presided over an insane rampage, or imagined the entire thing...

"Boys and Their Toys, Part One"	26	October 7, 2009
Writer: Brian Lynch		Penciller: Stephen Mooney
At 'Sci-Fi Fest San Diego' Angel sees how Hollywood views the events of After the Fall. But he is there for more serious reasons - the 'Flaming Sword' that killed him is up for auction. Who wants it the most and why? Spike turns up, curious about the movie, and the two vamps are forced to take on each others identities to stop the sword from getting into the wrong hands. But when Chaos reigns - will Spike make a better Angel than Angel?

"Boys and Their Toys, Part Two"	27	November 4, 2009
Writer: Brian Lynch		Penciller: Stephen Mooney
Angel and Spike-who is now convinced he is Angel-are thrown into a new kind of Hell as their battle at the comic convention gets hairy. Well, Furry, to say the least.

"Last Angel in Hell"	Annual 1	December 23, 2009
Writer: Brian Lynch		Penciller: Stephen Mooney
When L.A. went to Hell in After the Fall, so did thousands of screenwriters, one of whom wrote a movie based on Angel's experiences there. The first-ever Angel Annual presents an adaptation of Angel's travails, Hollywood-style, in Angel: Last Angel in Hell: The Official Movie Adaptation. Mooney presents two movie poster covers, one featuring the real Angel and company, the other with their Hollywood counterparts.

"The Crown Prince Syndrome"	28	December 16, 2009
Writer: Bill Willingham		Penciller: Brian Denham
An all-new adventure begins as Eisner-winning writer Bill Willingham takes Angel down some pretty twisted roads as the group's (and its leader's) fame starts causing tension and testing loyalties.

"Immortality for Dummies"	29	January 13, 2010
Writer: Bill Willingham		Penciller: Brian Denham
Where has the "hero of L.A." gone? While Team Angel Investigations try to figure out how to handle the everyday demons, danger, and evil-doing on their own, Angel's whereabouts turn out to be part of a seriously sinister conspiracy.

"The Trouble With Felicia"	30	February 24, 2010
Writer: Bill Willingham		Penciller: Brian Denham
Things are not going so well for either our famously intrepid hero or his "merry" band of assistant heroes. Spike and Gunn finds themselves committing rooftop shenanigans, Connor is in over his head back at the office, and Angel is starting to wonder if anyone is going to find him before he dies of boredom. And just what is Connor "chosen" for, anyway?

"The Big Dustup"	31	March 17, 2010
Writer: Bill Willingham		Penciller: Brian Denham
While Connor tries to get his devoted army of demon soldiers under control, a new player steps up, and Illyria decides not to take Angel's continued absence lying down. Meanwhile, Eddie Hope finds out that being a force for justice has some major consequences.

"Roman a Clef"	32	April 28, 2010
Writer: Bill Willingham		Penciller: Brian Denham
As more vampires start running around Hollywood, Connor and crew must figure out a way to stop the carnage and deal with his little merry band of demon girls. Meanwhile, Angel has it out with his captors, before learning that things really can get weirder than he thought.

"Letters Home: A Jamesian Interlude"	33	May 26, 2010
Writer: Bill Willingham		Penciller: Brian Denham
Now that Angel is back in the fold, Connor must readjust to life as the Chosen One’s son. Luckily, he has an army of demon women at his beck and call. But nothing could really prepare anyone for what Illyria has in mind.

"Bedroom Follies"	34	June 30, 2010
Writer: Bill Willingham		Penciller: Brian Denham
In the Angel family 'like father, like son' takes on a whole new meaning. With prophecies practically falling from the sky, Connor and Angel must figure out how to work together without getting back into bad habits. Meanwhile, Illyria's newfound interest in the prodigal son starts to get a little weird and the rest of the team wonders just what to do about ex-Watcher Laura Kay Weathermill.

"Prophet for Profit, Part One"	35	July 28, 2010
Writer: Bill Willingham		Penciller: Elena Casagrande
Sometimes being a 'chosen' one really sucks. Which is something Connor is about to find out when his little band of merry demon warrior women decide L.A. really needs to clean up its act. No human or supernatural thingie is safe from their swords. And not even Angel knows how to get them out of this mess.

"Prophet for Profit"	36	August, 2010
Writer: Bill Willingham		Penciller: Elena Casagrande
When L.A. went to hell, everyone thought things couldn’t get any worse. Well, they were dead wrong. Especially now that the new Big Bad is officially out for blood. Meanwhile the magical fall out from The Fall continues to get weirder, and Angel find himself with more enemies than you can wave a sharp wooden type thingy at.