Angel #4

Overview

As the first chapter in this epic tale reaches its penultimate point, Angel issues a challenge to someone-a lot of someones, actually-that he can't possibly win. Meanwhile, Spike considers changing sides as this hellish new status quo presents some opportunities he can't pass up. And we promise a shock ending more explosive than even those of the first three issues. Joss Whedon, Brian Lynch and Franco Urru continue their march through a Los Angeles truly gone to hell.

Issue four starts with a flashback to the night of Angel and the gang’s last stand against Wolfram and Hart. Angel is engaged in a fight against a demon while his thoughts go to his friends. He wonders where Spike is and then spots him. He thinks about the dragon helping their odds and then starts thinking about Gunn but can’t find him anywhere. In the next moment he finds himself teleported. He’s on a rooftop and he can see evil looking things but he’s not in the fight. He sees a zombie terrorizing people on the street below and thinks he’ll get back to the fight after a quick beheading. As he jumps he feels his heart racing and he thinks about Gunn again. He’s falling through the air when he realizes that his heart is racing and the next sensation he feels is the breaking of his legs and back as he slams into a car below and bounces off. As he lays on the street he sees Wesley, dressed in a suit, walking slowly towards him. Angel starts to say something about finding Gunn but Wesley just apologizes.

In the present, Angel is on a make-shift bed in Wolfram and Hart holding a evil looking book and chanting spells with Wesley to heal his wounds. When that task is finished Wesley brings up their current problem, finding a way for one human to defeat hell’s most powerful champions. He asks Angel why he did it and Angel tells him that he did it because he wants out of hell. Wesley questions if picking a fight is the best way to accomplish his goals and Angel replies by saying “it’s not hell because of where we are.” He tells Wesley that he’s human now not because of the Shanshu, he signed that away, he’s human because Wolfram and Hart know that right now is when he most needs the abilities of a vampire. That leads him to believe that the only way to get out of hell is to act like nothing’s changed. Wesley says he understands but things have changed. The magical quick-fixes he and Angel are using to heal his body are running out and they weren’t even meant for humans anyway. Wesley tells him he needs to call off the fight but he knows Angel would never do that. Right then, a light appears behind Wesley and two women in robes and strange hair appear. Wesley thinks it’s finally time for him to go, but the women have come for Angel. They lead him to his car and the four of them take off. The dragon sees them going and follows, leaving the offices of Wolfram and Hart unguarded and empty. On a nearby rooftop Gunn and his men begin to infiltrate the building.

At Spike’s place one of the Lords has come to speak to the Lord of Beverly Hills. Spike won’t let him see her because Illyria is busy screaming her head off and can’t be bothered. The Lord tells Spike that when she’s done, he should give her what’s just been handed to him, a staff that can kill an immortal being. The other Lords of LA don’t think Angel will survive the fight, but just in case, they’ve each got one of those staffs so they can kill him if it comes to it. The Lord leaves and Spider, Spike’s top woman says that they should use the staff to kill Angel and the other Lords so they don’t have to live in fear. Spike says they’re not hiding in fear and while the two argue Illyria continues to scream on the other side of the door and the two bounce back and forth through time and in one future Spider ends up without a head. When they return to normal Spider says that Angel is going to die either way and if it’s by the hands of the Lords then things stay the same, but if Spike does it they can really change things for the better. Spike sends Spider off so he can think.

On the outskirts of Silverlake Angel is being driven around by the two women who appeared in his office earlier. As they cross the city limits the world goes from full-on hell to a happy little community inhabited by nice demons and humans. Both Angel and Wesley seem to know who called for them and while Wesley doesn’t trust the situation, Angel does. As they come out of the car the girls explain that a singer-turned-harpy is always flying around and her song keeps everyone in a good mood. It turns out that the demon who helped her tap into her inner harpy, their Lord, is none other than Lorne. The green demon chooses that moment to introduce himself and starts showing his old friends around his new town. As they are taking the tour Angel says that he thought Lorne didn’t want to see him again. Lorne says that yes, for a while he was in a bad place because of what Angel had asked him to do, but then when everything went to hell he found a new purpose in protecting the people of Silverlake. He takes Angel to a building and shows him and magic sphere that lets him keep track of all his old friends and says that he’s always around for them if they need him, just like Angel does now. He knows about Angel’s challenge to the other Lords and while he won’t be joining them in their attack against him, he’s still in a lot of trouble. Lorne uses his magic sphere to show Angel the champions that the Lords have already gathered and it’s not pretty. Lorne takes Angel outside and tells him that while he can’t officially get involved, unofficially he can point him in a good direction. With that, a figure riding on a winged horse comes out of the sky and lands next to Angel. It’s Groosalugg, and he plans on fighting with Angel in his big battle. As Angel and Groo go off to talk, Wesley and Lorne have their own conversation. Wesley says that Lorne is scared of him and Lorne can’t really deny it what with Wesley now working for Wolfram and Hart. Lorne has made a nice, safe place and he feels like inviting Wesley in is like giving the serpent a front row seat in Eden. Wesley tells Lorne why Wolfram and Hart brought him back, it’s because they don’t control hell. They want to, but it’s too much evil for even them, and that’s what Lorne should be worrying about, not Wolfram and Hart.

Back at the home office Gunn and his vampires are just leaving the building. One of his lackeys asks if they should have taken all the potions and jewelry and stuff but Gunn says all they needed was the witch doctor healing crap, nothing else. Despite that though, Gunn himself has grabbed an old picture of when Angel’s group still lived in the hotel and had Conner. The henchman asks about it and Gunn tells him to shut up and turn around. Inside the building are a multitude of explosives and minutes later the whole place explodes. Standing in the rubble Gunn says that that almost made everything worth it.

Over in Silverlake Wesley is still talking with Lorne and says something about how if they don’t do something soon, Angel will die. He and his words start to fade away though because he’s the liaison to the Senior Partners and with the home office gone, he ceases to exist.