In 2018 BOOM! Studios secured the license to publish new comics based on some of Joss Whedon’s beloved TV series. After Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it seemed inevitable that Angel would be added to the mix. But, not like this.

BOOM! had teased that a popular character would be added to their Buffy the Vampire Slayer series in issue 4. Turns out, that’s Angel, who appears in his menacing vampiric guise on the cover. But, he’s also getting his own solo series – starting on April 17.

BOOM! has kept this quiet, not even soliciting the title, and according to BOOM! VP of Marketing Arune Singh, the surprise addition to their slate of Whedonverse titles follows Joss Whedon’s style of cliffhangers and late surprises. The move was also done to limit deconstruction of the series before it even launches, keeping the attention on the new book and its appearance in comic book stores.

The new Angel comic will be presented similar to the Buffy reimagining, set to create new stories for the vampire with a soul while acknowledging established canon. The comic will be helmed by the creative team of Bryan Edward Hil (Batman) and Gleb Melnikov (Go Go Power Rangers). We’ll see Angel adjusting to suburbia and the sunniness of Sunnydale. He’ll still be introspective and looking for ways to help people and atone for his very bloody past. They also plan to explore pockets of his past that weren’t seen in either TV show. He has plenty of history to draw from, which could make for some very good stories.