Strange Bedfellows

'Strange Bedfellows' offers an interesting mix of Angel comic lore. The rarest piece is not from the comic series at all. 'Point of Order' is a David Fury and Ryan Sook tidbit that originally appeared in The TV Guide Ultimate Cable Magazine, of all places. This is a four pager where Angel and the judge get to compare the size of their gavels. 'The Changeling Wife' was done for Angel #4 by Chris Golden and Eric Powell. Our lone vampire thinks he is rescuing a woman from an abusive spouse, but quickly finds that he still doesn't understand the dynamics of human/demon relationships.Golden and Powell come together again for 'Phantom Dennis,' a humorous tale of Cordelia and her invisible roommate, Dennis the poltergeist. This one is from Angel #17. Cordy just wants to clean up and go to bed, but Angel drops of a jar of demon heart for her to look after. Ever thoughtful, Dennis comes to her defense when a visitor shows up for a snack and an unexpected tennis lesson.The gem of the collection is the title story, which pits Angel against a vampire bordello. When one of the ladies of the night gets a little too hungry, Angel steps in. Angel finds unexpected help from the madam of the house. This time it takes all of Angel's broody self-control to keep his mind on business. Golden and Sniegoski are the writers for this episode, while Christian Zanier once again demonstrates a hot pencil when it comes to illustrated women.This is my first introduction to the illustrated Angel, and I'm quite impressed. Dark Horse has a high quality artistic and writing staff, and has given the Angel series every bit of the attention it deserves. Now I'm going to have to track down the other illustrated trade paperbacks.