I already have my copies of "Spike: Old Times" that I ordered from IDW. It's good thing too, not just because I got it in time for my trip to Toronto for James to sign, but because it seems IDW is sold out of the comic at the moment. Unfortunately, I think I have to wait until the third printing of "Angel: The Curse" #1 as I missed out when it was available.

killinj | August 24, 16:57 CET

Ok, so I loved Spike: Old Times. It read like a really good Spike episode. Some of the artwork captured James Marsters as Spike 100%, and Halfrek/Cecily almost as much. And it's a good thing I ordered it because the three shops in my town don't have it on the shelves. Apparently there were none left after all pre-orders were filled. I only got one cover, but was thrilled it was the sexy James photo cover.

Congrats on your copy, killinj! I can't believe you get to see James. Lucky girl.

I suppose it's worth $7.49 US because it's of course longer than usual and the pages and cover are all especially glossy and nice. I can't remember what time period it's supposed to take place, before or after NFA. If it's after, then hmm. It feels pre-NFA, but I can't be sure. Anyway, I really liked it. I can't decide which is better, the story or the artwork. It's a tough call. (psssst: It's a nice improvement over the current Angel series!)

April | August 25, 00:51 CET

I think it actually takes place sometime between "Older and Far Away" and "Selfless" on Buffy.

killinj | August 25, 02:50 CET

I just finished reading the Spike book. It was great! Damn I miss Spike so much.

eddy | August 25, 05:10 CET

Okay, I just got mine in the mail just now. My thoughts are mixed. I'm fairly obsessed with continuity so I was annoyed they didn't explain when it was set and/or why Halfrek was alive. There was also a line where Halfrek mentioned she met with Spike at Dawn's birthday and it was Buffy's. I'm also going to be petty and say I didn't like the "Buffy and Angel Movie" thing - it would have made more sense for it to be an episode title, which would also have been more subtle.

But then there were things I liked such as the return to McTarnan's and both the story and art were good, the only thing that could improve the story would be a better explanation of why he was in LA. The "annoying something" thing would have worked if Spike had appeared in Angel S3 but as he hadn't it just seemed confusing and a detraction.

Another thing I liked was the production values on the book, down to the selected glossy parts on the cover, which is a lot more than Marvel or DC would do.

And there you have my overly critical and petty review.

Jackal | August 27, 12:03 CET