Angel: The Curse #3
Angel: The Curse #3 is part of the five-issue miniseries that holds the distinction of being the first Angel comic story published after the conclusion of the television series, as well as IDW Publishing's inaugural Angel title — making each chapter in the run a foundational moment for the character's post-TV life in print. Issue #3 sits at the narrative midpoint of that pioneering run, deepening the story's central dramatic question: whether Angel can persuade the last surviving member of the Kalderash clan, Natalya, to amend the Ritual of Restoration so he can experience true happiness. The miniseries as a whole established IDW's creative template for Angel comics — multi-variant covers from an array of high-profile illustrators, stories set directly after 'Not Fade Away,' and a commitment to honoring the emotional continuity of the television series — all of which defined how Buffyverse comics would be packaged and marketed for the rest of IDW's six-year tenure with the license.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The series was written by Jeff Mariotte, an author with deep prior ties to the franchise through Angel prose novels, and drawn by Italian artist David Messina, who would go on to become IDW's primary visual voice for Angel across multiple subsequent series. Story overviews were submitted for approval to both Fox and Joss Whedon's office before publication, giving the book an officially sanctioned — if not strictly canonical — status as licensed Buffyverse merchandise. Editor Chris Ryall oversaw the title, and the robust variant-cover program for each issue, including covers by Ashley Wood, Alex Garner, and Igor Kordey for issue #3, reflected IDW's then-aggressive collector-focused publishing strategy.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published August 24, 2005, by IDW Publishing; written by Jeff Mariotte, interior art by David Messina (pencils, inks, colors) with inking assistance from Andrea Fattori and color assistance from Davide Amici.
- Part of the five-issue 'The Curse' miniseries (June–October 2005), the first Angel comic series published after the TV show's finale 'Not Fade Away,' and IDW Publishing's debut Angel title.
- The issue's story — Warlord Corneliu Brasov's thugs raid a Rom hideout while Angel attempts to earn the trust of the Kalderash clan — is set in Romania directly after the events of the TV series, exploring Angel's quest to amend the Ritual of Restoration (the 'happiness clause' of his soul curse).
- Key character introduced across the miniseries: Natalya, the last direct descendant of Magda and the sole surviving Kalderash clan member capable of removing Angel's curse.
- Issue #3 shipped with four covers: the standard David Messina cover plus three variants featuring painted/illustrated work by Ashley Wood, Alex Garner, and Igor Kordey, as well as a retailer incentive photo cover.
- Characters appearing in the issue include Angel, Natalya, Ion, Petru, and Corneliu Brasov, with several TV cast members — Doyle, Cordelia, Wesley, Illyria, and Spike — represented in flashback sequences.
- The entire five-issue run was collected in a trade paperback published by IDW in January 2006 (with subsequent printings), with the TPB also collecting bonus materials and all cover artwork.
- Story overviews for the miniseries were approved by Fox and Joss Whedon's office, making it officially licensed Buffyverse merchandise, though fans and wikis generally regard the series as non-canonical relative to the later Whedon-co-plotted 'Angel: After the Fall.'
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Reprinted in Angel #1 (2006), Angel Omnibus #1 (2008)
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