Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Angel ("The Hollower" Part 3) [COMICS]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Angel # 3
(Dark Horse) (Limited Series, 1999)

Creators: Chris Golden (writer), Hector Gomez (penciller), Sandu Florea (inker), Ken Bruzenak (letterer), Guy Major & Jeromy Cox (colorists)

Setting: Season 2

T.V./Movie Character Appearances:  Angel/Angelus, Spike, Drusilla, Giles, Buffy

Major Original Characters: Catherine (vampire), The Hollower (monster)

Summary:  In 1894 Vienna, Angelus leads a mob of vampires in the fight against The Hollower.  Angelus has prepared some sort of acid flask to throw against it, but Catherine gets grabbed by a tentacle and is right in the line of fire.  But Angelus doesn't hesitate, and hurls the flask, driving The Hollower away but burning her severely.  Afterwards, Angelus heads east, leaving Catherine, Spike, and Drusilla behind.  In the modern era, Giles continues to do research and figures out a potential way to kill The Hollower that involves an enchanted spear.  He enlists Buffy's help.  On the outskirts of Sunnydale, Angel and Catherine track The Hollower down and Angel flings flasks of "holy poison" at it.  Catherine is killed by The Hollower before Buffy appears to help in the fight.  Giles arrives with the enchanted spear and gives it to Angel, who uses it to destroy The Hollower.  Afterwards, Angel explains to Buffy that he was never tempted to let the monster suck out the demon inside of him--it was a risk he wasn't prepared to take because he has too much to lose (Buffy).


Review

The final part of the limited series.  Definitely a fast-moving issue.  I wish The Hollower had more backstory (or an origin), because (apart from the sucking out vampire's demons) it was a pretty generic massive tentacle monster.  Similarly, there's no mention of Catherine after she's killed, and since she's been built up over the past two episodes, you'd think there'd be a reaction from Angel.  All in all, though, I'd rank the limited series as a bit above average for Buffy comics of the era.

Notes

* In the credits, Jeromy Cox is credited as colorist "with apologies".  I wonder what that means--was he rushed and felt he turned in sub-par work?

* There's no Darla in the backstory segments, even though she also ran about with Angelus, Spike, and Drusilla around this time period.