What do you think?
Rate this book
Angel & Faith: Season 9 #3 & Spike: A Dark Place
Angel & Faith: Season 9, Library Edition: Vol. 2
Willow arrives in London looking to join forces with Angel and Faith and gain access to Angel’s son, Connor. With Connor’s help, Willow hopes to travel to the fearsome hell dimension, Quor’toth, and restore magic to earth! On the dark side of the moon, Spike embraces some peace, quiet, and distance from the Slayer. But when a pack of demons and a succubus rip him from his melancholic reverie, he embarks on an unexpected adventure that reveals some hard truths.
Collects the third volume of Angel & Faith, alongside Spike: A Dark Place, in a deluxe hardcover format with extensive extras from artist Rebekah Isaacs!
Collects the third volume of Angel & Faith, alongside Spike: A Dark Place, in a deluxe hardcover format with extensive extras from artist Rebekah Isaacs!
280 pages, Hardcover
First published August 25, 2015
About the author
Christos Gage
1,552 books127 followersChris N. Gage is a writer for comic books and television.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 25, 2020
This volume is a strange collection because half of it is near perfect, and the other half is... kinda pointless and directionless (*cough*Spike*cough*). The Quor’toth arc of A&F season 9 was possibly my favorite one during my original reading; I just loved the inclusion of Willow, Connor, and even Gunn. It was so exciting to see old faces and Angel back in LA. I had hoped to see Connor and Gunn again after this, but unfortunately this is their final appearance in the original canon. Still— what a great arc! I’m not sure I can pick a favorite arc out of this season of A&F because I just love it all so much, but this one is up there. Spike: A Dark Place, on the other hand, is just okay. It’s there, awkwardly, and nothing really comes of it besides the bugs being written out, which honestly was probably the main objective of it anyways. It was weird, cliche, and went on for too long. And it just added nothing to the universe or Spike’s emotional journey. It’s a shame we couldn’t have gotten a reunion between Spike, Beck, and George. Instead, Spike’s final series is mediocre and blah. What was the point of it? I couldn’t really tell you! The only thing it has going for it at this point is that it’s not BAD, like some of the Season 11 titles. 4.5/5 stars— Angel & Faith more than makes up for the lackluster Spike miniseries.
May 19, 2025
Highs:
Angel Investigations reunion (Gunn, Connor, and mentions of the entire cast)
Drusilla (what happens when insanity and regret becomes cureable?)
Willow's magic quest (the start to Willow's miniseries on magic's return)
Whistler's origin (brings depth to an otherwise 2d character)
Lows:
Spike and the spacebugs (FINALLY, this idea was put to bed)
Giles magic wielding great aunts (Not even Ripper could save the concept)
======
Bonus: More positives than negatives here. For characters that dwell on their pasts a LOT, there's definite progression and growth to most of the characters. Nice to see nods to the other shows/characters in the Buffyverse.
Angel Investigations reunion (Gunn, Connor, and mentions of the entire cast)
Drusilla (what happens when insanity and regret becomes cureable?)
Willow's magic quest (the start to Willow's miniseries on magic's return)
Whistler's origin (brings depth to an otherwise 2d character)
Lows:
Spike and the spacebugs (FINALLY, this idea was put to bed)
Giles magic wielding great aunts (Not even Ripper could save the concept)
======
Bonus: More positives than negatives here. For characters that dwell on their pasts a LOT, there's definite progression and growth to most of the characters. Nice to see nods to the other shows/characters in the Buffyverse.
October 23, 2016
A great addition to the Buffyverse. I loved seeing more of the team join the quest for magic and the glimpse into the land of Connor's childhood. Learning more of Pearl and Nash's history added more depth to their characters, and I'm very intrigued by Whistler's propostion for Angel. Dark Places with Spike was endearing and captivating. While part of the ending was bittersweet, I'm proud of his loyalty and excited for the adventure to come. Beautiful artwork and coloring throughout (though, as in Buffy Season 9, Volume 2, I felt Willow's likeness was a bit off).
October 1, 2020
This focuses on Angel's daddy issues with his sire-ing of Drusilla (who's sane thanks to a lorophage demon who sucks out traumatic memory), Giles' past being thrust into watcherhood by his father and the paternal influence he has on the scoobies, Faith's trust issues with her drunk/dodgy dealing dad and her newfound role as an inspirational slayer to those(one) less experienced, suffering from seeing her friends killed in front of her.
Great story but perhaps not as tight as some of them - felt really open ended!
Great story but perhaps not as tight as some of them - felt really open ended!
August 25, 2020
Grateful for the Spike miniseries sidebar* (cuz any reference to Connor or automatically makes me mad), but I really didn't dig the Firefly vibe of Spike on his buggy spaceship with a Succubus/Courtesan.
*even though his cheekboney British slang isn't as fun without James Marsters bringing it to life
*even though his cheekboney British slang isn't as fun without James Marsters bringing it to life
April 20, 2019
Willow, aside from maybe Dawn, who thankfully isn’t in the Angel and Faith books, is the most annoying and selfish character. Please go look for magic in your own book and get out of Faith and Angel’s.
May 18, 2020
Loved the spike stuff, great to see some character progression for him. I enjoyed the angel/faith/willow bit but it was a little rushed and didn’t flow as well as the spike section.
Overall another decent book and its only getting better since the start of season 9 buffy/angel
Overall another decent book and its only getting better since the start of season 9 buffy/angel
May 10, 2017
Spike is back! Spike is back! Yay!
Good read. Also fun to see Dark Willow. Not boring at all.
Curious about where it's going but enjoyed where it's been.
Good read. Also fun to see Dark Willow. Not boring at all.
Curious about where it's going but enjoyed where it's been.
January 6, 2018
I know! It was a rhetorical exclamation intended to express my panicked displeasure!
December 31, 2023
A dark and gritty arch for Angel and Faith as well as the whimsical not really explained but still enjoyable Spike arch. Over all better than part 1
April 30, 2024
4.5 stars
August 11, 2024
Not a huge fan of the character backgrounds developed in this collection.
January 14, 2016
*Book source ~ Library
From Goodreads:
Willow arrives in London looking to join forces with Angel and Faith and gain access to Angel’s son, Connor. With Connor’s help, Willow hopes to travel to the fearsome hell dimension, Quor’toth, and restore magic to earth! On the dark side of the moon, Spike embraces some peace, quiet, and distance from the Slayer. But when a pack of demons and a succubus rip him from his melancholic reverie, he embarks on an unexpected adventure that reveals some hard truths.
First off, this book is ginormous. Good thing it comes with its own ribbon bookmark because I don’t have a lot of bookmarks that are very large. Second, the artwork is gorgeous. Just gorgeous. And third, Spike! Yes, I know this book is titled Angel & Faith and there’s plenty of them (with Willow and Connor, too), but Spike’s story takes up about half of the book. So, yay! Since I’ve read most of Buffy Season 9 (except #4 which I’ve been waiting on for months from the library) I’m not lost when it comes to Spike’s story. It might not make too much sense if you haven’t read Buffy Season 9, #2. But at the end? Was that Riley? No eye patch, so it couldn’t be Xander, so I’m going with Riley. But seriously. He looks nothing like anyone I know from the Buffyverse, but Spike calls him Wanker, so I’ll go with Riley. For fuck’s sake, try to get these characters at least close to the way the actors look, so we know who the hell they are. So annoying. Anyway, the story arcs in both stories are decent and I have no berating to administer. Carry on.
From Goodreads:
Willow arrives in London looking to join forces with Angel and Faith and gain access to Angel’s son, Connor. With Connor’s help, Willow hopes to travel to the fearsome hell dimension, Quor’toth, and restore magic to earth! On the dark side of the moon, Spike embraces some peace, quiet, and distance from the Slayer. But when a pack of demons and a succubus rip him from his melancholic reverie, he embarks on an unexpected adventure that reveals some hard truths.
First off, this book is ginormous. Good thing it comes with its own ribbon bookmark because I don’t have a lot of bookmarks that are very large. Second, the artwork is gorgeous. Just gorgeous. And third, Spike! Yes, I know this book is titled Angel & Faith and there’s plenty of them (with Willow and Connor, too), but Spike’s story takes up about half of the book. So, yay! Since I’ve read most of Buffy Season 9 (except #4 which I’ve been waiting on for months from the library) I’m not lost when it comes to Spike’s story. It might not make too much sense if you haven’t read Buffy Season 9, #2. But at the end? Was that Riley? No eye patch, so it couldn’t be Xander, so I’m going with Riley. But seriously. He looks nothing like anyone I know from the Buffyverse, but Spike calls him Wanker, so I’ll go with Riley. For fuck’s sake, try to get these characters at least close to the way the actors look, so we know who the hell they are. So annoying. Anyway, the story arcs in both stories are decent and I have no berating to administer. Carry on.
January 4, 2017
Not the strongest entry in the franchise, this volume feels very much "in the middle", tying up a few ends and bring back a couple of characters. Ultimately, it felt a little forced in both the Angel/Faith/Willow storyline as well as the Spike miniseries. Both were competently navigated but not groundbreaking or especially memorable.
I'm also feeling hollow on evil Legolas and Galadriel. Fleshing out their background did NOT help make them interesting or even tolerable villains. I'm still internally groaning every time they show up.
I'm also feeling hollow on evil Legolas and Galadriel. Fleshing out their background did NOT help make them interesting or even tolerable villains. I'm still internally groaning every time they show up.
April 24, 2016
Angel and Faith keep on doing their thing. This series ties in heavily to the BUFFY SEASON NINE comic, so it's really best if you've read those, and probably all the previous seasons, too. With that said, Spike plays a major part here (in fact, a large part of this volume is a 5-issue SPIKE mini-series), and he is a nice addition to the group.
You'll like it if you're a fan. If not, don't start here!
You'll like it if you're a fan. If not, don't start here!
September 8, 2015
Another very strong entry for the series. Many odd story bits were resolved and there were some great dramatic moments balanced with thoughtful character development. (I'm being deliberately vague so I won't get spoilery.) This volume should be read before the second volume in this season of the Buffy series or the "Willow Wonderland" story found in BtVS Season 9, Vol. 2 won't make sense.)
January 30, 2016
I can't believe a Buffyverse comic book could make me at least somewhat like Connor, but there you go. I also really liked the Spike story, even though it feels like it belongs more to the Buffy library collection than here. Anyway, Season Nine continues to impress! Another great volume of the series.
March 19, 2016
read 1/18/16
October 15, 2016
While the Angel and Faith parts are solid, this really shines by reprinting the Spike miniseries and showing how that story sets up for him joining the titular characters.
June 5, 2016
Loved this volume!
March 30, 2017
this just keeps getting better
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews