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Live Through This, Part One is the first issue of the Angel & Faith comic book series. Written by Christos Gage and illustrated by Rebekah Isaacs, it was originally published on August 31, 2011, by Dark Horse Comics.

Synopsis[]

Left in a near-catatonic state following the events in Buffy Season 8, Angel will need a seriously rude awakening if he's to make amends for his ill-conceived deeds. Enter rebel Slayer with a cause — Faith Lehane. Together they'll have full access to the Watcher files and opportunities to make amends for all they've done... and will do.[1]

Summary[]

In his journals, Giles records a fight with a Plagiarus demon possessing a little girl. During the battle, Giles ponders the question that people seemed to frequently ask him, concerning as to why he didn't have children. Determining that "other people's children are quite enough," Giles sacrifices an important part of his life to anchor a spell to bind the demon until he can completely vanquish it. After promising the girl's mother, Anne, that he will return, Giles writes about the unspoken purposes of the Watcher's files: "So, that when the end comes for me, others might have the information they need to take up the burden. May God have mercy on their souls."

Some time later, Faith and Angel fight the same demon. While Faith tells herself that Angel can do this, Angel doubts himself. However, once the demon says something about Angel's "master," meaning Giles, Angel vamps out and bites the little girl to convince the demon that he's killing its host, and it leaves the girl. Faith and Angel hack away at the demon until Angel destroys its brain — causing the sacrifice Giles made to spill out and bathe Angel in the memory of the day that Giles fell in love with Jenny Calendar.

Angel becomes overwhelmed and has flashbacks to when he killed Jenny as well as when he killed Giles himself. But the demon is dead and the mother and child come back into the room. Angel and Faith tell Anne that the job is done. Angel apologizes for biting her daughter and explains why he had to do it. Anne assumes that Giles sent them, stating that she knew that he wouldn't just forget about her and her situation. While Angel hesitates, Faith confirms this.

On the way from the house, Angel says he felt bad telling Anne that they were sent by Giles, but Faith tells him it was the right thing to say, for the mother's sake. Faith then questions as to why Angel was catatonic one minute, being read the Watcher's Diaries by her, and, in the next minute, in his "helping the helpless" clothes. She asks Angel if he's going to go "spacey" again now that the job that roused him from his catatonic state is over. He says no and that he can get home on his own, while she has places to be.

A young British woman named Nadira is attacked while walking in the street. She's a Slayer, however, and defends herself, nearly staking her attacker, who turns out to be Faith testing her reflexes. Nadira is angry. They head to a club together, and Faith coaxes her to talk about the death of her squad. Nadira tells her they were thirty Slayers training in the Azores, all of whom she considered her family, adding that she would've died for them and should have. Nadira had pulled guard duty but never saw their attackers coming. The attackers were Pearl and Nash, who were not only having fun, but grew more excited and shinier as they killed more of them. And their boss, the masked Twilight, was with them, watching. Nadira adds that she almost died and that Willow found her and healed her.

Nadira explains she didn't tell Faith about it before now because she'd heard things about her relationship with Buffy and Buffy's relationship with Angel. Nadira has mixed feelings about Buffy, acknowledging that she has probably already been punished enough, as she's gone from "Slayer in chief" to waitress. Then, she adds that she wanted to give up and die, but Faith showed her life wasn't over and she's in Faith's debt. Thus Faith should know she wants to find the bastards who killed her sisters as well as Angel, and kill them all. Faith keeps her emotions to herself, takes a drink, and notes they all gotta dream.

Elsewhere, Whistler is doing his "big moments" speech at a bar. He exclaims that he was about maintaining balance, and, because Earth had been cut off from the mystical dimensions, he can't contact the Powers That Be, his precognitive abilities are gone, and it's Angel's fault for blowing off what Whistler told him. He asks his audience to help him because the world still needs to evolve; it's dead but doesn't know it yet, and someone needs to do a lot of ugly damage to save them all. Whistler says it won't be easy, and they would probably have to go up against Angel. He hands a beer to someone whose hand is drenched in blood. It is Nash, alongside Pearl, who have massacred all of the patrons in the bar. The duo accepts Whistler's proposition for the sake of bringing in the next stage of evolution and getting payback on their old boss.

Back at Giles' flat, Angel and Faith argue about what Nadira told Faith. Angel says that he did enlist Pearl and Nash as a part of his plan to bring the bad guys together and focus them so that Buffy could stay strong. He was doing it, he says, to keep the world from going to hell like Los Angeles did — which apparently no one remembers but him. Angel explains that Pearl and Nash are the spawn of a demon and a human woman, and the two worshiped Twilight as a god, having been told by their mother that they were the "Adam and Eve" of the next step of evolution. Angel says that he tried to keep Nash and Pearl contained, but couldn't because they feed off pain.

Angel reveals there were times that he was more under Twilight's influence than others, which affects his memories. However, when Faith offers up an excuse that it wasn't him, he claims the fault is still with him because he didn't ask the questions he should have or take whatever chances he had to think about what he was doing. He tells Faith that he was weak, and claims that he has more death on his conscience than Angelus ever did.

Faith tells Angel that it's nice of him pick up the ball for Giles, but that he has to stop obsessing over every detail of Giles' life if he wants to take his place. Angel replies that he could never take his place: he is going to bring Giles back to life.

Continuity[]

Appearances[]

Individuals[]

Organizations and titles[]

Species[]

Events[]

Locations[]

Objects[]

Rituals and spells[]

Death count[]

  • The Plagiarus demon, hacked by Angel and Faith.
  • Jenny Calendar, neck snapped by Angel (in flashback).
  • Rupert Giles, neck snapped by Angel possessed by Twilight (in flashback).
  • About thirty Slayers, killed by Pearl and Nash (in flashback).
  • At least eight people, killed by Pearl and Nash.

Behind the scenes[]

Production[]

  • The arc is named after Hole's 1994 album Live Through This.
  • Georges Jeanty's anniversary variant cover, celebrating Dark Horse Comics 25 years, is a homage to the title page from Will Eisner's The Spirit story "A River of Crime."
  • This issue has an exclusive cover for New England Comic Retailer Alliance signing tour.

Collections[]

Pop culture references[]

Gallery[]

Covers[]

Cover artwork[]

Preview[]

Quotes[]

Giles: "From time to time I am asked — by people with an alarming lack of tact — why a man like myself, who has demonstrated an affinity for working with children has none of his own. I answer truthfully. Other people's children are quite enough, thank you."
Angel: "I killed the woman he loved. He forgave me. And he paid the price."
Nadira: "Come on! I'll kill you all! I'll— Faith?"
Faith: "Easy, Nadira. I'm jealous of your rack too but you don't see me trying to poke holes in it."
Nadira: "I hear things. About you. That you're friends with her. Buffy. Or that you tried to kill her. I don't know what's true."
Faith: "It's... complicated."
Nadira: "Yeah, lots of mixed feelings after what she did. Cutting Earth off from the magical realm... Making it so there are no more Slayers. I say leave her be. I heard she went from Slayer in chief to waitress. That's punishment enough. But Twilight turned out to be her bloke. Angel. All the nights I wanted to give up... just die... one thing got me out of bed. You brought us together. Showed me my life isn't over. I owe you more than I can say. So you should know... I'm going to find the bastards who killed my sisters. I'm going to find Angel. And I'm going to kill them all."
Faith: "Hey. We all gotta dream."
Faith: "Like when you killed Giles. B said when it was over, you didn't know what happened. So it wasn't you."
Angel: "I wish I could say that. I really do. But there were too many times I was in my right mind. Times I could have turned back... asked more questions... really thought about what I was doing. But I didn't. And now I have more death on my conscience then Angelus ever did. More good people taken from the world when I was weak.

References[]

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