Broken Frontier

Last time we saw Angel, things didn't look too good for him. His TV show was ending, his comics had stopped and he faced seemingly insurmountable odds.

But he wouldn't be Angel if he didn't battle his way back to the forefront.

Angel, who originally built his fan base when he appeared on Buffy The Vampire Slayer before spinning off to his own successful TV show, is a man in conflict with his own vampiric side, as well as with the seedier elements of the supernatural world. One of the reasons Angel has been able to survive for so long is that he's been surrounded by a support team of friends and fellow warriors.

Until now, that is.

IDW Publishing returns Angel to comics in Angel: The Curse, the first five-issue Angel miniseries that sees him going at it alone. Angel is on the run in a mysterious forest in Romania, searching for the Gypsy clan that cursed him so many years ago. But he discovers that the landscape of Romania has changed considerably since he's been gone—now, the Gypsies are oppressed, living under the thumb of a local warlord who holds his power by using a vampire army. Angel is forced to take a stand, and the resulting conflict may well doom any hope Angel has of ever reversing the curse.

The Curse, the first of many Angel books planned by IDW, will be written by popular Angel novelist (and former IDW Editor-in-Chief) Jeff Mariotte. Mariotte has written more Angel novels than any other writer, and co-wrote the first official behind-the-scenes series companion, The Angel Casefiles, Vol. 1. Italian artist David Messina provides brilliant visuals, perfectly capturing the familiar characters. All five issues of the miniseries will feature exciting variant covers from renowned artists like Tim Bradstreet, Igor Kordey, Jill Thompson, ChrisCross, Ben Templesmith, each offering up their unique interpretation of the characters. And while this first adventure is more an Angel solo tale, fans can expect to see Spike and the rest down the line, too.

“To be asked to continue the story of Angel after five seasons on TV (not to mention dozens of books and comics) is really an honor,” writer Jeff Mariotte said. “Angel fans have been wondering where and how the vampire-with-a-soul's story would go from the series finale, which left Angel and friends in a pretty tight spot. I've been wondering too, but now I get to tell the tale myself, with direct input from Joss himself. What could be cooler?”

Angel: The Curse is a five-issue miniseries debuting in June.