I have always loved Conner! Great covers.

Must have....

Donna Troy | August 16, 11:30 CET

This was the only one I was tempted to miss but I think i'll pick it up just for completion's sake (also not read any Jay Faerber so this might be a nice sampler).

(and the next 'Great and Secret Show's out too, cool)

Saje | August 16, 13:12 CET

Since I'm having such a hard time to get these spotlight issues here in South America, I decided to pick all of them in TPB from that can be found in the schedule, somewhere in the IDW website.

Numfar PTB | August 16, 13:57 CET

I have been disappointed by the spotlights. Maybe I'm expecting too much. I get the feeling that I am reading a Betty and Veronica (not even Archie or Jughead) comic. Kind of antiseptic and a little too sweet (like a bowl of sugary cereal). I did not enjoy the Wesly one-shot all that much. I finished it and said, "they are trying way to hard."

I think reading this Connor 5-page preview pushed me over the edge and far, far away from buying this book.

Its a shame because I really have enjoyed the other 'verse titles.

alexreager | August 16, 17:58 CET

I missed the Doyle one. Was it any good? The Gunn one-shot was not the best but I really enjoyed the Wes and Illyria tales.

Simon | August 16, 18:02 CET

For the exception of SPike Vs Dracula, which I'm really enjoying (though haven't read any of the other Spike One-Shots yet, or the Spotlight One Shots), I find that this IDW run on the Angel comics just so-so.

Maybe it's nostalgia, but I still prefer the Dark Horse run, with Chris Golden and Tom Sniegoski. And we even got a mini series from Joss and Brett (sp?).
My preference to the previous run, goes artistically also, where Christian Zanier storytelling felt more comic-ish, rather the current style, which sometimes seems to try to hard to replicate a moving live action scene into the comic book frame.

As I've said, maybe is just nostalgia, and wasn't as good as I remember. Gotta check my archieves one fo these days.

Numfar PTB | August 16, 18:15 CET

The Doyle spotlight was OK, IMO, not brilliant but not bad either. As with most of them it was a bit slight, not really adding much regards character insight or plot to what we already knew about Doyle (in one sense there's not much there for a writer to attack but in another that sketchiness is kind of liberating and should let their imagination run pretty wild i'dve thought).

I agree that the Illyria one was the best one and the only one so far, for me, that struck much of an emotional chord.

(i'd also agree that the IDW comics, while presented very nicely, have been a bit patchy both in the quality of the writing and - especially - art. I thought 'Spike: Old Times' was pretty good though and 'Spike: Lost and Found' also wasn't bad though i'd say 'Spike vs Dracula' has been about the best so far. High hopes that 'Spike: Asylum' may also be great. No pressure, Brian, mere perfection will do just fine ;)

Saje | August 16, 18:47 CET

OMG, I've been waiting for this all my life!! FINALLY, Connor gets the attention he deserves!

I think the only time I didn't mind him so much was the last ep of Angel he was in.

NO! I take that back, I liked him when he was a baby. *Sigh* Why couldn't they keep him as a baby? Or even if they wanted to 'soap opera age' the kid, why not do it properly? First a baby, then a 5 year old, THEN an angsty teen. Oh I can just imagine the hijinks that 5 year old would get up to, and old Pop and Uncky Wes chasing him around the Hotel....good times...

Rogue Slayer | August 16, 19:20 CET

Simon, I enjoyed the Doyle one shot. I was going to give it a miss but I'm glad I didn't. I liked how it picked up his story right before he appeared in AtS. The author captured his character and there were some nice subtle moments captured in the drawings that I missed my first quick read through.

I think IDW has been doing a great job of bringing these characters and their stories to us. Some books are stronger than others but that's always the case in any series or TV show. I loved the Spike vs. Dracula series -- though I thought #5 was the weakest. I'm looking forward to the upcoming books - especially Spike: Asylum, which comes out next month. No pressure, Brian, but all the sneak peeks and your teasers have built up high expectations.

MacGuffin | August 16, 22:16 CET

But MacGuffin didn't you want to find out a bit more about Doyle than he was a loser before he met Angel (not exactly news) ? He's one of the few characters that doesn't have a lot of continuity that needs adhering to so I just think the story and character development could've been a bit more ambitious.

(I do agree though that the Doyle one-shot has some of the best art in the series e.g. the depiction of one particular noir staple with the neon lights or the way reflections and shadows are used, I just wish the story didn't feel so flat emotionally - IMO obviously)

Saje | August 17, 00:36 CET

I'm just patiently waiting for the trade paperbacks of all these comics. I suspect it will probably be quite a while before I get caught up on the Angel and Spike series, as well as these character spotlights.

Razor | August 17, 00:48 CET

Saje, Sure, it started when Doyle was a loser but it showed the turning point when he began his path toward redemption/atonement. That's what I found interesting. I agree that there are tons of stories to be told about Doyle. However, rather than viewing the one shot as potential unfulfilled, I view it as a start with more stories to come. Given the format of the book, they could only tell one story and I thought they chose a nice starting point - it allows them to go in either direction - back before he joined up with Angel or forward to when Doyle was working with Angel. I don't think we've seen the last of Doyle (unless the sales were so low that IDW doesn't think it's worth doing another book). Also, maybe there were story telling restrictions placed on IDW by Mutant Enemy. Not saying there were - just that it's a possibility.

[ edited by MacGuffin on 2006-08-16 23:15 ]

MacGuffin | August 17, 01:13 CET