Discussion of Angel 11.07 - Released 7/19/17 (Dark Horse)

[Priceless]

On a ship filled with zombies, pirates, and a plague of zombie-creating beetles, Angel is torn between saving his past evil self--to save his own future--and making sure that the ship he is on never reaches land.

Source: DarkHorse

I'll be honest and say I have no clue what's going on here. We have two timelines running simultaneously, the past is affecting the future and Angel can feel it, but isn't telling the audience. If anyone knows what's going on, could they explain it to me

There are a lot of panels that are just Angel fighting, the script is very thin. Angel is on a row-boat in the middle of the ocean in daylight with only a wooden shield to protect him, though it does seem to be doing the job. Illyria is talking about losing her soul . . . it all makes no sense to me. But strangely that makes it more interesting than the first 6 issues.

 

[EditorsNote]

I'll be glad when this run is over. With Faith gone, Angel needs more of a supporting cast. Dark Horse needs to bring back any surviving characters!

 

[Grace]

The second arc isn't quite as tidy with the "flower problem" situations (or maybe I'm just not seeing them as clearly), but we still have a version of one. By going back to the Galene and saving the "jeweled beetle" from being lost at sea, Angel and Fred unleashed a plague of zombie-making beetles, which now threatens to be released on land. So they definitely made things worse by trying to make them better. The tension here is that not only do they have to worry about the beetles and the zombies the beetles create, but also about making sure Angelus stays alive out at sea, so Angel doesn't cease to exist. Angel, however, isn't too concerned about Angelus. He thinks Angelus will be able to take care of himself, and so he worries more about the beetle plague.

The creepy sailor who brought the beetle on board is the one trying to steer the ship toward land. He says: "Our time has come. When we reach our new home we will swarm beyond counting. You think you can stop destiny?" Angel answers, "It's worth a shot." I don't know if this has any relevance to the present.

Spoiler

But since bugs (the same ones? I don't know) have re-emerged in the present, it seems worth noting.

That creepy sailor tasted nasty to vamps and smelled "chitinous," so I guess he had already been affected by the beetle before coming aboard the ship in Sydney. (Angel says, "Last time, I lived and the one bug went to the bottom before it could infect much of anyone." So I think that implies that the creepy sailor had somehow been infected when Angelus killed him in the original timeline.)

A few lines that stand out:
Illyria: "You credit Angelus with the wits to survive this, but not yourself? That hardly seems fair. Are you not the same person, in many ways? Soul or no soul, you are a survivor. Only your reasons for wanting to live have changed."

Angel: "It feels odd, but I keep getting flashes as it happens to him. To me. Like, right now...they've flipped the boat, and they're under it."
Fred: "Angel, you being this close to your past self can't be healthy. I mean, forget stepping on a butterfly, we're changing the past in huge ways."

 

[thetopher]

Again this issue isn't bad exactly, its kinda swashbuckly and action-paced and enjoyable in that sense. Nothing wrong with that in a comic book even if the plot is rather thin.
- The Fred/Illyria switch thing is happening because 'plot convenience and its getting irritating. Though I understand Illyria coming to the fore to safe-guard Fred's life. I'm not sure if Darla would've actually turned Fred, but its interesting that Illyria thinks that's a possibility and that she would lose her soul if that happened.
That...doesn't make a whole lot of sense unless Fred and Illyria's souls (not just their bodies) are somehow tied together. Was that ever mentioned?
- Angel and Fred trying to stop the ship from landing even when its on fire and beset by zombies (and zombies on fire!) and pirates is a great example of the sort of swashbuckling I'm talking about. Odd that its Angel who is put into this kind of role
- More evidence of Angel's 'new memories' popping up. Their pretty lucky that something awful hasn't happened to the time stream, although the whole 'unleashing a hoard of zombie bug-men' is up there on the 'screwing up' meter.

- Decent enough cliff-hanger; in a rowboat as the sun rises and their surrounding by zombies that can swim. How will they get out of this one? *sigh* Illyria. Probably Illyria.