The new Top Cow Angelus #4 has, like Fight Club, a few rules you have to abide by if you’re going to enjoy the book to its fullest. The first rule is you must be steeped deep in the mythology of Darkness and Witchblade. The second rule is you must be steeped deep in the mythology of Darkness and Witchblade. The third rule is you must be interested in Heaven, Hell and the dark corners in between.
Angelus #4, while a fun book to read, isn’t a title one wants to jump into if they have no idea what’s going on at all. Several things happen in this issue and if you don’t understand their context, you will be lost.
Now for those of us who read this stuff Angelus #4 is a kick ass little book that features everything from an Angel/Demon throw down to a lesbian kiss. Jackie, who wields the power of the Darkness, has captured Dani, who once held the Witchblade but now holds the power of the Angelus.
While bad things are happening there, a rouge angel battles a huge fire breathing demon in order to bring a mysterious artifact to the angel Sabine. Now Sabine is supposed to be on Dani’s side but really is looking to usurp her position and become the new Angelus. Sabine is filled with a self-righteous assurance that she’s destined to be the Angelus and lead Heaven.
Meanwhile, Dani barely escapes the clutches of the Darkness aided by her lesbian lady friend Finch as well as Sabien whose looking to lull Dani into a false sense of security before she unleashes her plan. A plan that ends the issue with a giant purple creature named The Usurper. Oh, and did I mention the hot kiss between Dani and Finch? See what I mean, a lot happens in Angelus #4 and if you’re not hip to the scene you’ll be lost.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like writer Ron Marz lets all of this get away from him, quite the opposite. Marz’s sense of structure is so sound that all of the elements seem to organically fall into place giving the entire thing a very grounded sense of reality, which is key to any fantasy book. Marz just doesn’t waste time having the character regurgitate their history, he assumes you’ve read up until now and are ready for the titanic throw down.
Stjepan Sejic who uses his brush to create almost fine art paintings for each page once again supplies the art. The traditional sense of “panels” is gone here replaced with a more fluid but still effective sense of differentiating the action. I usually find this kind of art tedious, especially in comics, but for Angelus it works. I was especially impressed with Sejic’s use of color to bring out both the backgrounds and the emotions of the characters.
Naturally this all leading into the epic Artifacts story arc that will intertwine Angelus, Witchblade, Darkness and most of the supernatural Top Cow titles. Whatever the ultimate goal is, Angelus #4 does a solid job of setting up it’s own part of the tale through solid storytelling and great art. If you dig any of these titles then Angelus won’t let you down.
