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The canonicity of this article's subject remains dubious. Though it doesn't contradict official continuity, it has not been referenced in any confirmed canonical material. |  |
"Barbary Coast, Part One" was the first issue of the Barbary Coast comic book mini-series.
Synopsis
In 1906, Angel was staying at the Carlton Hotel in San Francisco. At night he went out to the Chinatown district to find a man named Xin. He was unsuccessful for at least two weeks and threatened a prostitute to tell him where to find Xin, when an old man (secretly Xin) interrupted them and told Angel he would tell him where to find Xin, if Angel could defeat the old man in combat. Angel was almost successful, but the man used a sheet of parchment with magical markings on it to knock Angel out. The man then had his two large bodyguards bring Angel to his hideout.
Meanwhile, at a bar called the Olympia, where a drunkard is proclaiming the end is near, a crime lord called Billy tried to bribe a police officer, who told him it was not possible. At the same time an inebriated sailor was harassing a Chinese woman named Ling Kai. He tore her dress to reveal a tattoo sleeve. Before he could become more aggressive, the bartender, Lynch, killed him with a blow to the head. A demon servant called Kryll was ordered to take the body into the kitchen to chop it up and serve it as meat to customers. Ling Kai then went to the table with the men and gave them an envelope with $400 in it, of which the police offer took $40 share.
Somewhere else, Angel woke up lying on a table with acupuncture needles in his face. In the room were the old man, Xin, and a young girl. The man revealed that the parchment was a spell to hold vampires down and that he was Xin. Angel revealed that the spell had not worked and that he was just playing dead. He told Xin that he wanted a potion to quiet the voices he had heard since he regained his soul. After a short fight, Xin told Angel he knew how to become more balanced. Angel would have to kidnap a girl with an unfinished dragon tattoo on her back: Ling Kai. Angel agreed and Xin told him Angel could find her at a bar in the red-light district, Barbary Coast.
The next night at twilight, Angel went out onto the rooftops to find Ling Kai, when he was attacked by a demon called Bart. Angel quickly overpowered him and threw him off a rooftop. At the Olympia, where another drunkard is claiming the end is near, Angel pretended to be drunk and got a prostitute to take him upstairs. Instead of following her, Angel went into Ling Kai's room. He quickly left, but when she later left the room, Angel surprised her and grabbed her, forcing her to come along with him. When they are downstairs, police raid the bar, and in the ensuing chaos, Ling Kai opens the front of the dress to reveal a cross-shaped tattoo which burns brightly. While Angel is distracted Lynch knocks him out.
Continuity
The story was set after the flashbacks from "Orpheus", but before Blood & Trenches.
Appearances
Individuals
Organizations and Titles
Species
Events
Locations
- Carlton Hotel
- Barbary Coast, San Francisco
- Chinatown, San Francisco
- The Olympia
Weapons and Objects
Death Count
Behind the Scenes
Trivia
- Ling Kai's boyfriend is called Billy by Hawkins in this issue. In issue 2, Ling Kai calls him Watson and he refers to himself as Jimmy. Common interpretation is that he is called Jimmy Watson and that Billy is either a nickname or a mistake by the writer.
- Xin tells Angel at some point that he will find Ling Kai at the Odyssey. Although, we clearly read the Olympia in front of the saloon where he finds her. This may be a mistake from either the writer or the penciller, depending on which one followed the original script for the comic.
Collections
- Barbary Coast
- Angel Omnibus: Volume 2
Pop Culture References
- Angel likened Xin to Confusius after using Chinese proverbs.
Quotes
| Angel: "San Francisco. The discovery of gold in 1848 turned this sleepy little west coast fishing village into an international destination attracting every low-life gambler and wannabee thug trying to make a quick buck. Prostitutes followed the money. It's the kind of city I used to love." |
Gallery
Previews
References
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