Joss Whedon’s Angel is coming back to Dark Horse Comics. I actually enjoyed the old Angel comics more than the tv show. The new comics will return in 2011.

“I’ve always regretted letting Angel go in the first place,” Dark Horse senior managing editor Scott Allie said. “So we’re really excited about getting him back, as well as all his supporting cast. It’s necessary for how Joss wants to handle season nine, details of which will start spilling out in the months to come. Right now, we’ve got to wrap up season eight, and IDW still has a good long run of books before season nine starts.”

IDW is publishing their last Angel story arc in November and from there it will lead right into Dark Horse Comics picking it up. IDW has been publishing Angel since 2005.

Chris Ryall, IDW’s Chief Creative Officer said, “We’ve loved the half-decade of publishing the exploits of both ANGEL, and the fan support has been truly inspiring and appreciated. The fact that steps are being taken by both companies to tie the books more closely together is something I’ve long wanted to do. This will not only ensure a smooth hand-off back to Dark Horse, it will also give the fans a cohesive storyline and explain some of the lingering questions they might have. While I hate to see Angel go, I know Joss has a vision for where things are headed and I’m excited to be a part of that.”

Release Date:

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What happens when you combine robots, ancient love, and unbelievable powers? If you’re Shoji Kawamori (creator of “Macross Plus” and “Escaflowne”) you make an Anime series and name it “Aquarion” of course!

This series presents us with a futuristic view of Earth, however the time period isn’t known to us. 12,000 years ago, Shadow Angels plagued the Earth. They harvested humans and destroyed anyone (and anything) in their way. Now they’re back to continue what they started – which they claim is to create a paradise.

Luckily, descendants of those who survived have prepared themselves for such an occurrence. They’re gathering and training as many people that they can find whom they have named “Elements” – people that have special abilities. How powerful these abilities are depends on the level of emotion that is used at the time. But for them to beat the Shadow Angels, they need to use robots. Yes, those Shadow Angels are huge!

The robots start off their attacks as flying crafts, and they are only deployed in groups of 3. They need to “Merge” to create a giant robot (similar to the 80′s cartoon “Voltron” actually) which allows the Elements to channel their powers to combat the latest Angel attack. The giant robot is known as “Aquarion”.

Each time an attack occurs, different Elements are sent out and therefore the Aquarion form is also different. And even when the same Elements get sent, the form can be different – it just depends which Element is the head as to what Aquarion form is used.

The Elements themselves are just as diverse. When we start watching the first episode we meet Apollo – a street urchin living on whatever he can to survive. He and his friend Baron raid a food shelter to feed themselves and the younger street urchins they are looking after. They successfully avoid being captured by the robotic authorities, and return to their camp. The next day, some Elements track him down and spy on him from the sewer. Detecting their scent, Apollo calls them out.

They no sooner start battling each other than a Harvest Angel appears. However the song it uses to attract its victims doesn’t affect Apollo and the Elements – but it does affect Baron and the others. Apollo tries to rescue Baron – but it is in vain.

Meanwhile, Aquarion has been sent forth to handle the Angel. The Angel lands a powerful blow to the Aquarion, which separates the Elements from their Merge. One of the Elements gets knocked hard enough to be sent into a coma (which for this collection he doesn’t come out of). Apollo gets close enough to this particular Elements ship that the machine itself chooses to swap Apollo for the injured Element. After all, he’s determined to save his friends, and the Aquarions are fuelled by such emotion.

All 3 pilots manage to Merge and get rid of the Shadow Angel threat, however this does not save Baron. It appears as though he is being used as fodder for the Tree that the Shadow Angels plan to use in their creation of paradise. With no other choice, Apollo is then taken back to the Aquarion HQ to be trained.

They soon discover that Apollo has a large amount of power, and as the head of Aquarion he becomes the legendary form of Solar Aquarion. This fact is a possibility that he could be (and ultimately is) the reincarnation of the legendary Appalonius – a Shadow Angel that turned his back on his comrades in favour of Celiane, the human he loves.

The reincarnation of Celiane is a stuck-up Princess named Sylvia. She is an Element (one of the 2 that had originally found Apollo), and dislikes Apollo right from the moment she lays eyes on him. She has a strange attachment to her older brother Sirius (who is also an Element) which I guess you could compare to the Luke and Leia story from Star Wars – the difference is that they’ve known each other from birth.

As stories and friendships begin to take shape, watch as Apollo and Sylvia awaken their past lives – battling Shadow Angel after Shadow Angel, as well as their own personal demons! Will Apollo curb his old habits and submit to the new skills he’s being taught? Will Sylvia work through her disgust and jealousy to see the bigger picture? Can Apollo save Baron and their friends, AND finish the 12,000 year old battle against the Shadow Angels?

The Special Features include:

• Interview with Director Shoji Kawamori
• Tokyo International Anime 2005 Talk Show – A live on-stage interview with Shoji Kawamori, Terashima Takuma (Apollo), Sanae Kobayashi (Reika) and Hiromi Sato (Rena).
• Tsugumi’s “All About CG!” Solar Aquarion Edition, Cherlbim Edition, Aquarion Luna Edition & Aquarion Mars Edition – individual in-depth segments on the different Aquarion forms and Cherlbim soldiers, narrated by Tsugumi.
• Textless versons of the opening song (Sousei no Aquarion) and closing song (Omna Magni).
• Trailers for other Madman releases

Mecha and robot shows have never been a genre I like however I really did enjoy this series. It’s a mixture of action, comedy, drama, and romance, and the development of the characters’ storylines appeals to me enough to want to see the rest of the series. And I’ve fallen for the closing theme so much that I want it as a ringtone on my phone.

I would recommend this to buy, however I would get it for someone old enough (or mature enough) to handle the more adult scenes. Go, Aquarion!

Review product was provided by Madman Entertainment, and does not affect the outcome of this review.

With the honour of opening the London Games Festival this year, the MCM expo blitzed attendance records yet again by hosting a number of over 38,000 visitors throughout the weekend, a staggering 11,000 alone who appeared within the first hour of opening. The scene was set for yet another spectacular showcasing of well loved favourites as well as the latest in movies, games, television shows, anime and comics, proving exactly why people continue to flock to the MCM every year. So let’s check out the events of the day and what this Angel’s highlights of the weekend was.

This October’s special guests included the legendary Ronny Cox, famous for his roles in Robo Cop, Total Recall and Stargate; True Blood’s Nelson Ellis, the cast of Warehouse 13 as well as the leading ladies from the BBC’s Merlin. The panels were diverse and interesting. Ronny Cox and his band entertained the crowd with music from his new album and Nelson raised the audience’s temperatures with tales from the hit show True Blood. Seats were packed for Warehouse 13 and the ladies’ reception for Merlin was as electric as last year.

But as always, we were spoilt for choice; a chance to meet and talk to the amazing guests being just the top of the list.

With gaming exclusive previews from the likes of Ubisoft and James Cameron’s Avatar on a 3-D television wowing spectators, as well as playable demos of the amazing new Nameco’s Tekken 6, Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed 2, SEGA’s Bayonetta – from creators Devil May Cry – and Capcom’s Monster Hunter Tri, Gamers were well looked after. The gamestands were packed, the queues to check out playable demos often long but the atmosphere and vibe so friendly and fun that no one minded. Plus, with the massive range of cosplayers showcasing their spectacular costumes, there was no threat of boredom.

Universal Pictures’ statement of the MCM being “The biggest and most interactive show of the year” could not be more true and as you check out the following highlights and pictures from the event, I am sure you’ll agree!

Angel Highlights:

Interviewing Ronny Cox at a roundtable:

Ronny’s first passion has always been music, he told us and his panel was proof of this. Treated to a concert of country and western music at his panel, we fell in love. In our round table interview we got to ask Ronny:

GA: Throughout your entire careeer so far, which character has been most enjoyable for you to play?

RC: I can name two. I loved being in Bound for Glory, I loved the folk music and Hal Ashby, for my money, was the great American Director for that period of time. Working with him was great. The next one will be a surprise for you – I absolutely adored playing the Chief of Police in Cop Rock…it was 10 years ahead of its time, I have never had so much fun. It was a glorious failure, we were guaranteed 13 shows and we got to 11 shows and they said – we’ll pay you not to turn up. But I have never had so much fun on a shoot, ever. I went to work every day, whether I was called in or not.

Avatar playable demo:

Playing on a similar vein to Halo, the FPS format worked brilliantly well with the theme of Avatar. Stunning lush, jungle backdrops with multiple arenas, including negotiating through a hover level, navigating dangerously beautifully rendered stone columns and snaking the machine inbetween slim passages kept our cameraman Rhodri hooked for hours on end. With the demo presented on a 3-D television as well, the overall image and feel of Avatar is that it’s a smooth, beautiful and challenging game. We’re looking forward to experience the full thing when the game comes to launch at the end of the year.

Photographic evidence:

Ronny Cox and Co.’s awesome concert.

 
True Blood’s Nelson Ellis.

Fantastic Rorscharch cosplayer

Our camerman, Rhod and the new love of his life – Avatar on the XBOX 360

Yours truly and the love of my life – Jin Kazama

Brilliant Vega cosplayer at the Cosplay Masquerade

You know who you’re gonna call!

Lego Rock Band – these guys were performing Kung Fu Fighting. And the crowd loved it!
 

The MCM will be back again in London again on May, 29-30th so be there for more explosive, amazing and awesome fun. We will!