[.uk] Spike (ISBN 1600100309)

The art work is over the top:
I loved the stories( all three) and the art work is wonderful. I mean very beautiful. I say this is worth the purchase. Or if you rather now they have a Premiere edition in hardback... it has all the Spike stories( 5 or 6, I think), go for that! I am.

Not great but not the worst.:
I was not impressed by the artwork. The storylines where unoriginal and lame. They could have done better. The cover art is the best part of the book. Tales of the Vampire is way better.

Good stories, but disappointing art:
As the title of my review shows, I have mixed feelings about this Spike comic book. In a nutshell, I liked the stories but not the art (at least not half as much as I had hoped I would). After having seen some Spike comic books where the "hero" (well, protagonist) hardly bore any physical resemblance to Spike as we know him from the Buffy TV series, I was really looking forward to the "photo-realistic" art of this one. The cover really looked promising in this respect. However, when I read it I was disappointed. Not because the art is not photo-realistic or because Spike doesn't look like James Marsters - it is and he does, on 95% of the panels at least - but because it is a bit TOO "realistic". It is clear to see that the procedure followed by the artist was simply to paint over Buffy / Angel vidcaps that showed Spike in some position appropriate for the story. Many of the shots that were used are very easy to recognize, for example in the story "Lost & Found" that has Angel visiting Spike in his apartment while he is playing a video game. The entire scene is based on vidcaps from the Angel episode "You're welcome", when Lindsey visits Spike. The images have been copied in every detail, except that Lindsey has been replaced with Angel in some of the panels. I don't like this; it just feels like a cheap trick. I would much prefer to see original art. Also, the limitations of the procedure are clear. In cases where the artist had no full example to copy, the art clearly deteriorates. For example, in the post-WW2 flashback scenes in "Old Wounds", Spike's face and body look like they don't belong together at all (which is of course due to the fact that no vidcaps of Spike in a contemporary suit were available, so his face had to be "glued on"). On the positive side, I did like the stories, in particular the first and the last one. "Old Times" gave a satisfying closure to Spike's history with Cecily/Halfrek; I particularly liked the twist at the end. The only thing I didn't find very believable about this story is that Spike would leave Sunnydale and travel to LA in the middle of his relationship with Buffy in Season 6, but that's a very minor detail. "Lost & Found" I liked, among other things, because of the interaction between Spike and Harmony (the "e-Pay" thing was just hilarious) and because of the end, which showed that Spike really had come a long way since "In the Dark", the Angel episode referenced in this story.

Features one of the best Angel-Spike stories...:
This graphic novel collects 3 previously published stories, "Spike: Old Times" by Peter David, and "Spike: Old Wounds" and "Spike: Lost and Found" by Scott Tipton. The art in each of the stories is by Fernando Goni. All of the stories are set during Angel: The Series. Spike is living in Los Angeles as a vampire with a soul. If you found his portrayal on A:TS a bit lacking, I think you might enjoy this book more. First of all, the artwork is superb. There is nothing worse than reading a Spike comic that draws Spike ugly or as having little or no resemblance to James Marsters. Fear not, Goni's artwork is painstakingly accurate to ALL the actors from the series. Some of the expressions that he gives Spike seem straight out of BTVS, like choices that James Marsters would actually make as an actor. The first story, "Spike: Old Times," pits Spike against the Vengeance Demon Halfrek, who used to be Cecily, the woman that Spike once loved and wrote "bloody awful poetry" for back when he was the human William. Cecily once told Spike he was "beneath her". This is an amusing little revenge tale for Spike. The second story is "Spike: Old Wounds". Spike teams up with Fred to prove his innocence in a gruesome murder from decades past. We get to see a lot of Spike's backstory here from his Bad Boy days. More importantly, perhaps, we see his relationship with Fred, and conversely, the lack of trust he receives from the rest of the "Fang Gang". The final story is also the best, and the most compelling reason that I am recommending this volume. It is "Spike: Lost and Found," and it reads like the best episode of Angel never made. In Angel Season 1, Spike guest-starred in an episode where he goes to LA to steal the Gem of Amarra from Angel, a magical ring that makes the vampire who wears it indestructible and impervious to sunlight, crosses, stakes, etc. "Lost and Found" is like a sequel to that episode. Complete with humorous flashback to Spike's short-lived relationship with Harmony, we discover that, unbeknownst to Spike, there were actually TWO Gems of Amarra. Now a vampire has his hands on the Gem, and is using it to commit murders in broad daylight. It's up to Spike and Angel to find the vamp and take back the Gem. The best thing I can say about this story is that it does read like an actual quality episode of Buffy or Angel. The characterization, plot, and humor are all there. The interaction between Angel and Spike is brilliant, and possibly better than anything we saw in Angel Season 5. The story, besides having a good plot, is all about the CHARACTERS and the tension and guilt between Spike and Angel. Fighting against a vampire with the Gem of Amarra reminds Spike of the vampire he used to be, and also of the torture he had inflicted upon Angel when he was after the Gem. Perhaps the best part of the story is the ending. The question is, if Spike regains the Gem, this time what does he do with it? Does he use it to become invincible, does he use it for his own selfish purposes (such as visiting Buffy), or can he make the same choice Angel once made, and destroy it? Exactly how much has Spike grown and changed since his earliest days on BTVS? Fascinating read, excellent dialogue. Scott Tipton treats these characters well, and you'll thank him for it! This volume of stories portrays Spike as a Good Guy and a Hero, without watering down his snarky attitude or Bad Boy persona. Highly recommended for all Spike fans.

A winner:
I like Spike, so when I saw this comic book (I guess they say graphic novel now), I ordered it right away. The stories are good, the text easy to follow and the drawings are outstanding. I recommend this one highly!