When is a crossover not a crossover? When it’s Angel #6 from Boom! Studios, evidently. Advertised as part of the Hellmouth event, where Angel meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the first time in this rebooted continuity, this issue has almost nothing at all to do with the crossover. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as Angel #6 is one of the strongest chapters in this new title’s run.

This issue finds the vampire Spike in LA appearing in Angel for the first time after the events of Hellmouth #1 (that’s it, that’s the entire crossover part of the issue). Lilith, the benevolent demon who has been working with Angel and his friends, sends Gunn and Fred to find Spike for information about a vampire who Gunn has been tracking for years. They find him at a nightclub and immediately have to protect him from an assassin, and chaos ensues.

Bryan Edward Hill is a great writer, and it’s satisfying to see him play with the rich characters of Gunn, Spike, and Fred without the challenges of establishing a new status quo. It’s telling that the most potent issue of the book to date doesn’t include the titular character at all; one wonders if Hill has as much trouble making Angel charismatic as the writers of his television show did a decade ago.

The art by Gleb Melnikov, which has always been strong, hits a new level here. He adopts a looser, cartoony-er style here, reminiscent of Humberto Ramos or Joe Madureira. His linework is complimented exceptionally well by the color art by Roman Titov and lettering by Ed Dukeshire.

Angel #6 is not just the best issue of the title to date. Still, because of its focus on the supporting cast, it also feels the most like the original television show--an admirable feat, since the context and situations are so radically different from the TV series. More issues like this one could put Angel near the top of the pull list.

Grade: A-