Broken Frontier

It is no “trick” this All Hallow’s Eve, as IDW Publishing offers four “treats” in the form of all-new adventures featuring Angel and his associates. Coming in October is Angel: Masks, a 48-page Halloween-themed annual that focuses in on various members of Angel’s supporting cast. This specially sized issue features the IDW story debut of Angel’s “felt-side” in the form of Puppet Angel, from the fan-favorite episode “Smile Time.”

In this collection containing four seasonally themed stories, everyone wears a mask of one kind or another... including Puppet Angel, out on a “Mystery Date, “ courtesy of chaperones Jeff Mariotte (Angel: Old Friends) and Stephen Mooney (CSI: Dying in the Gutters); also, “Unacceptable Losses, “ by Scott Tipton (Spike: Old Wounds) and David Messina (Angel: The Curse) features Illyria; Cordelia shines in “Foreshadowing,” from Christopher Golden (Talent) and artist Steph Stamb; finally, Lindsey makes a surprise appearance in “Pencils and Paper Clips” by James Patrick (Death Comes To Dillinger) and Sean Murphy (Off-Road).

“A summer annual featuring Joss Whedon’s wonderful characters just didn’t feel right to me,” said IDW’s Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Chris Ryall. “But soon, the leaves will be changing colors, the sky will be clouding up, and a chill will be felt in the air. Which seems the perfect time to delve deeper into these lesser-seen characters. Plus, you know, when a Puppet Angel-on-a-date story presents itself, you jump at the chance to get it out there.”

Angel: Masks (Diamond Order Code AUG06 3369) is the first Angel annual and features 48 full-color pages under a special painted “Puppet Angel” cover by artist Jeremy Geddes (Doomed). Artist Zach Howard (Shaun of the Dead) offers up a variant cover as well. Angel: Masks debuts in October 2006.