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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. |  |
Once More, with Felt is the first issue of the Spike: Shadow Puppets comic book miniseries. Written by Brian Lynch and illustrated by Franco Urru, it was originally published on June 20, 2007 by IDW Publishing.
Synopsis[]
Angel once put a stop to an evil children's show, but not before being turned into a puppet during his fight. Now, fresh out of the Asylum, it's Spike's turn! Writer Brian Lynch and artist Franco Urru (Spike: Asylum) reunite for a miniseries that sees Spike and Lorne heading off to Japan to stop the latest Japanese kids' show... Smile Time! Will they become "puppetized" themselves? And along the way, find themselves in a fight with hundreds of ninja-puppets, reuniting with fellow Asylum inmates, and be at extreme odds with one other? We're not telling (but, um, yes)! Fellow Angel-ofile David Messina (Angel: Auld Lang Syne) provides a cover of puppety variance, too!
Summary[]
Lorne visit Spike in his secret apartment to deliver an envelope containing a video of a Japanese Smile Time episode. They book a flight on a supernatural airline and, upon arriving in Tokyo, are confronted by the new Smile Time gang, who leave hundreds of demonic puppet ninjas to kill Spike and Lorne.
Continuity[]
- The story takes place after the Spike's stay in the Mosaic Wellness Center (Spike: Asylum), but before the fall of Los Angeles ("Not Fade Away").
- Spike recalls living in the basement while Buffy's home was filled with Potential Slayers (from "Potential" to "Chosen").
- Lorne refers to Spike's time in Las Vegas after he left Mosaic in Asylum, Part Five.
- Spike and Lorne recall Angel's previous encounter with Smile Time, in the "Smile Time" episode.
Appearances[]
Individuals[]
- Angel (Only mentioned)
- Cat Scratch
- Krevlornswath of the Deathwok Clan
- Fauna
- Jin Hansu (Only in flashbacks)
- Konikoff
- Oxley Lhurg
- Marco
- Polo (Only mentioned)
- Ratio Hornblower
- Snuff
- Spike
- Buffy Summers (Only mentioned)
- Turk
- Andrew Wells (Only mentioned)
Organizations and titles[]
- Slayer (Only mentioned)
- Smile Time
- Spike Investigations
Species[]
Locations[]
- Japan
- Tokyo
- United States
- Las Vegas (Only mentioned)
- Los Angeles
- Spike's secret apartment
Objects[]
- Dicky Duck (Only in flashbacks)
- Official Smile Time Cannon
Death count[]
- Jin Hansu, killed by demonic puppet ninjas (in flashbacks).
- Several demonic puppet ninjas, beheaded by Spike.
- Turk, beheaded by the Smile Time gang.
Behind the scenes[]
Production[]
- The title is a reference to "Once More, with Feeling," as the four issues of the miniseries have puns on Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes.
- David Messina's cover replicates his own for The Curse, Part Three, replacing Angel with puppet Spike.
- After being fired upon with the Official Smile Time Cannon, Spike remarked: "I really hate official cannon." This reflects writer Brian Lynch's position on canon, who has declared: "To tell you the truth, I don't [understand the concern over canon]. Even when I wasn't writing the characters, it didn't occur to me to think of whether or not things were canon. I understand now why people care, but I just love a good story. For instance, STAR WARS eps 1–3? [George] Lucas says they happened, I pretend they didn't."[1] Lynch also joked about the concept in the story Boys and Their Toys, Part One.
Distribution[]
- Once More, with Felt was the 176th best selling comic issue in its publishing month, with 7,834 sales in June 2007 at comic specialty stores.[2]
Collections[]
Pop culture references[]
- Spike reflects on Andrew likely calling him apartment his Batcave.
- Lorne compares Spike's apartment with Dungeons & Dragons.
- Spike says is apartment was furnished with products from IKEA, Lorne noticing their Klippan love seat.
- Lorne mentions actor David Hasselhoff.
- Spike refers to Angel in his puppet form as being inspired by Xavier Roberts, the creator of Cabbage Patch Kids.
- Spike mentions the Japanese video game company Nintendo.
Gallery[]
Covers[]
Cover artwork[]
References[]
- ↑ Brian Lynch, "Spike:After the Fall-coming in July from IDW!". Whedonesque.com, March 12, 2008.
- ↑ "Top 300 Comics--June 2007". ICv2, July 15, 2007.