Willow!
Angel & Faith #10 Angel & Faith #12 Angel & Faith #13 Angel & Faith #14 Angel & Faith #14 Angel & Faith #15 For prior Buffy related reviews.
Plot
In the aftermath of "Family Reunion", Willow continues her quest to restore magic!
Art
I really like the art in this issue. It's a little like Georges Jeanty's art but I like it better. The artist is able to capture more emotion than Georges is. I especially love the page with all the flashbacks(which I'll talk a little more about later) and how he draws Oz. I didn't get the main cover of this book with Willow running from a monster, and it's very pretty. The main cover which I don't own looks very nice as well. I'd also like to add that I love the way Willow's name looks on the cover.
Story & Script
The first page is fantastic, very well written and sounds like Willow a lot. From there it kind of goes down hill. See at times Jeff Parker writes a great Willow, and at times it sounds nothing like her. That is a key problem with this issue.
Another key problem is that it feel kind of rushed. The story is trying to do a lot of things in not that many pages. It's pacing is way off. One moment Willow's arriving in this new dimension the next she's already a few days into her journey. It's weird.
Now to the positives. Willow has some great moments in the issue. As I said the writer is a bit on and off with how Willow is written there are times where she sounds like Willow and there are times where she sounds almost a bit like Spider-Man. She quips a bit more than usual.
The story has a lot of potential, as does this "Wonderland" place. The dialogue is pretty good too, most of the time. We get to see Willow use some more magic which is nice. Her and Marrak's interaction with the caterpillar is very well done. The caterpillar seems to be the most interesting addition to the story, and is a bit more Cheshire cat than it is the caterpillar.
Now I'll be honest with you right now. This issue is pretty much a three star issue. Why then am I giving it a 3.5 score well there is a reason. The flashback page. The scene shows Willow through all these different time periods, from season one to two to six. In this page there is a cameos by Oz and Tara which in itself is awesome. The thing I love most about these two pages is that the dialogue is taken right from the episodes, and it's a very nice throwback.
Overall
Buy it, this book isn't perfect. Far from it, but it is pretty enjoyable and fun to read. Plus Oz is in it. I love the flashback page, it shows how much much Willow has grown as a character. From shy and insecure high school Willow to awesome bad @$$ Willow.