How decompressed do you like your comics storytelling? If your answer is “very,” then Angel #5 from Boom! Studios may be the comic for you because, unfortunately, not much happens.

This issue tells a story that fans of the TV show already know, which remains largely unchanged: the origin of Gunn, a character who in the original continuity was a significant part of Team Angel. The issue also sees Angel recruit Gunn to help take care of Fred, while he goes to Sunnydale to handle the Hellmouth, leading him to exactly where we saw him in the most recent issue of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

With the first arc is out of the way, writer Bryan Edward Hill shows that he has a good handle on not just Angel but his burgeoning supporting cast. It’s a shame, then, that this issue feels like a bit of wheel-spinning as the upcoming Hellmouth crossover with Buffy the Vampire Slayer gets started. It will be exciting to see what Hill is allowed to do with these characters unburdened by continuity.

Gleb Melnikov’s art (with colors by Roman Titov and letters by Ed Dukeshire) continues to shine. Angel and Gunn look enough like the actors who portrayed them on TV to satisfy purists, without falling into the trap of looking stiff and lifeless that many licensed comics fall into. An early sequence of Gunn talking to his social media followers is a particular standout.

All the components for a good comic are here--a good writer with a handle on the characters, a solid art team that particularly works well together. Why, then, does Angel #5 feel (pardon the pun) lifeless? 

Grade: B