Angel Love #7 (1987)

Angel Love #7 (February, 1987)

"the search for Mary Beth, part III"

Creator/Writer/Penciller - Barbara Slate

Inker - John Wm. Lopez

Letterer - Bill Yoshida

Colorist - Bob Le Rose

Editor - Karen Berger

Here we go, the penultimate issue of the Angel Love series proper.  Will our leading lady locate her sister in time to save her mother's life?  Let's find out together.

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We open with Angel making her daily call to her hard-boiled detective buddy Levy... who still hasn't the foggiest idea where Mary Beth may be.  He suggests that Angel pack up her stuff and high-tail it back to Scranton.  Ya see, this city's too tough for dames like her!

As she hangs up my girl Wendy pops in.  She's got an audition... and you'll never guess for who.  C'mon, guess... Nah, you'll never guess it's the most famous famous producer in all of Broad-way, Howar Ruelle.  Why, he's so famous neither Wendy nor I can think of a single thing hes done!  I gotta admit, I don't know enough about Broadway to know whether or not this Ruelle is supposed to be a stand-in for somebody else... or, shoot, if Ruelle himself is a real dude!

Anyhoo, Angel tells Wendy to "break a leg"... and you kinda know where this is going.  Well, okay... she doesn't actually "break her leg" but she does fall down and hurt her leg.

After Wendy "walks it off", Angel sits down in front of the television set with a cup of coffee.  She's lamenting her current state, and fearful that she will not be able to find Mary Beth in time to save their mother... when... all of a sudden, she sees a televised speech from Congressional hopeful, Maureen McMeal.  She instantly recognizes the politician as her sister Mary Beth!

Wendy heads down the stoop... and, well I'll be damned... she runs into our old friend Mr. Bum!  He's completely drunk... and still quite the Wendy-fan.  She decides to treat him (and the neighborhood) with her rendition of The Good Boat Ice Cream Float.  She's better then Temple, she is!

She then hops into a cab, where she helps the poor cabbie "recognize" her... ya know, by telling him who she is... then being flattered when he repeats it back to her.  Wendy's the best... really.  Anyhoo... she arrives at her super special (open) audition to find she's got a lot of competition today.

Meanwhile, Angel has decided to visit the campaign headquarters of Maureen McMeal.  She strolls in and proceeds to just blurt out everything that's going on to some poor aide.  The look on this poor woman's eyes... perfect!  Angel comes across like a lunatic here... and it's all done wonderfully.  The aide says she'll call Ms. McMeal, but instead calls her bouncer, Bernie... who introduces poor Angel to the pavement.

Meanwhile again... Wendy is about to go on stage right after a punk rock Madonna.  The poor punkette is booted from the stage in mid-act, and Wendy takes her spotlight... which is also sadly short-lived.  A few Valium later, Ruelle gives her the hook.

Back at McMeal HQ, a pizza is being delivered... hey, not so fast, I know that pizza delivery boy.  Yup, it's Angel... trying to crib on the madcap antics usually reserved for her roommate.  She's again tossed by big Bern, but causes such a stir that a conference room empties out.

In that conference room was the woman of the hour herself... Maureen McMeal.  Angel is ranting from the sidewalk and has her face pressed into the glass.  Maureen notices, and... well...

She turns to Bernie and says... to keep that girl away from her.  Wow, that's cold sis!  Will Angel take "hell no" for an answer?  That's going to have to wait until the next issue, my friends.

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A whole lotta "losin' it" in this issue.  Angel loses her mind over the sight of Maureen McMeal, who she believes to be in reality her sister Mary Beth.  I enjoyed the way in which this scene played out.  It was convenient... but not easy.  I dug that.  I really liked Angel's expository explosion in the campaign office.  Knowing her like we do, it all made sense... but to the uninitiated?  She's a loony toon!

I'm guessing as the series is winding down that Maureen is really her sister, and we're about to learn a whole lot about the Love family.

Wendy's audition was quite funny.  We've only seen her "act" for the birds and cockroaches... never in front of a real audience.  I was happy to see that she was still rather terrible on stage (and on the street).  I feared for a moment that the goofy director would somehow like the cut of her jib and offer her the lead in an ironic kinda way.  

Oh!  We get another visit from our old friend Mr. Bum.  I'm tellin' ya folks, Angel Love continuity is tight as a drum!  I've been waiting to see this fella again from the first chapter so many months ago.  Glad to know he's still a fan of our girl Wendy.

Overall, things are briskly building to our climax, and it's still an enjoyable ride.  My only complaint is that it's going to end really soon.

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Letters Page:

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Interesting Ads:

Angel Love #6 (1987)

Angel Love #6 (January, 1987)

"the search for Mary Beth, part II"

Creator/Writer/Penciller - Barbara Slate

Inker - John Wm. Lopez

Letterer - Bill Yoshida

Colorist - Bob Le Rose

Editor - Karen Berger

Cover Price: $0.75

Still doin' that Angel Love thing.  For those interested, Reggie and I will probably be discussing this series (particularly the first issue) on next-week's Cosmic Treadmill segment of the Weird Science DC Comics Podcast (Episode 88).

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We open with Angel on the phone with hard-boiled Detective Levy who she has hired to locate her sister, Mary Beth.  Levy's search hasn't turned up the elusive MB, and so he suggests Angel take out an ad in "that Personals magazine" that may draw her out of the woodwork.  Angel thinks this is a boffo plan, and with renewed hope ends the call.  Outside the police station, special attention is being placed on some campaign flyers for a "Maureen McMeal" who is running for office... hmm...

Days later, Angel confides in her pal pregnant Cindy about the ad she placed in Personals.  She reads what she'd written in there... and Cindy is disappointed to find she used the truth... why, you'll never find her that way!  She suggests Angel zazz it up a bit, maybe ad that their mother is already dead... and that she's seeking Mary Beth to give her her share of the million-dollar inheritance!  Yikes.

Back at the pad, our Wendy is practicing lines for her birdie audience.  She is reading from a twisted version of Hamlet by Henry Shakespeare... er, Henry William... er, whoever the hell wrote it.  

Angel enters with her copy of Personals... one particular ad catches her attention... it's vapid and dopey... and yeah, it's Wendy's.

Two days later, Angel decides to check the mailbox... by now, if Mary Beth was going to write back, it may just be in there.  In the mailbox there is a literal crap-load of letters!  All for Wendy... so Angel figures it may be time to zazz up her ad the way Cindy suggested.

Later that afternoon, Wendy is filing her missives.  She's even got her file cabinet categorized... including a drawer labelled "H.T.B." which in doing my research either means "hate the b*tch" or "hard to believe"... Wendy clarifies that it stands for "Husband to be".  One letter really catches her eye... one from an Alexander Henry Applebottom III... who she thinks is real H.T.B. material... because he's fabulously wealthy.

She calls and gets a hold of Henry's butler, and when passed along to the man... er, boy... himself, they make a date for Friday at 7:30.  Yup, Wendy just made a date with a child.  We learn that casa Love is located at 19 West 106th Street... which if Google maps is to believed looks like a pretty decent neighborhood.

That Friday night, Wendy's all done up for her big date while Angel warns her that she may be headed out with a real "sex maniac"... which, hell... could be true?!  The doorbell rings and, dun dun dunnnn... the tot is hot to trot.  A very silly scene.

Later on that night, Angel meets up with pregnant Cindy, who announces that she is going to be married!  I guess Angel called that one.  She asks Angel to be her Maid of Honor, and she accepts.  Upon returning home, Angel sees a line of people wrapped around the block... all leading to her front door.  This is where she learns the important life-lesson of not advertising a million-dollar inheritance through the sleazy personals magazine!  Wonk wonk wonkkkkk... to be continued.

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A much more lighthearted issue that last time.  A lot of fun to read... I was pleasantly surprised to see that the heaviness of the overarching storyline hasn't weighed down the humor this book can bring.

Now, really Angel... offering a million bucks to whoever can read in New York City was a fool move.  Guess I can forgive it... she is really at her wits end here.  This type of Personals magazine is something I have zero experience with.  I can speak for their ubiquity or wide circulation.  Perhaps this really would have been the best way to try and find somebody back in the day.  It's almost like a creepy Craigslist "missed connection" type of thing though, ain't it?

The Wendy and her jail-bait husband-to-be bits were funny... and of course, would not fly today.  I'm glad it was played for laughs rather than anything icky.  The way she's written, I'm doubtful Wendy would have the first clue either way.

I was saddened to see in the letters page that I'm not the target audience for this book.  No!  In fact, this book is targeted at girls between 11 and 18.  Whoops.

Gotta mention... I love the cover this month.  This busy street crammed full of detail is a real treat.  It's almost Where's Waldo level of detail.  A lot of fun, and definitely would have popped out on the newsstand.  Overall, still having fun with this one... sadly, we've only got two issues (plus a special) left in the pipe.

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Letters Page:

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Interesting Ads:

Angel Love #5 (1986)

Angel Love #5 (December, 1986)
"the search for Mary Beth, part 1"
Creator/Writer/Penciller - Barbara Slate
Inker - John Wm. Lopez
Letterer - Bill Yoshida
Colorist - Bob Le Rose
Editor - Karen Berger
Cover Price: $0.75

Okay, playtime's over... check out that cover.  Things are about to get real.

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We open with... oh wow, Wendy's back in her nurses outfit... and we get the reappearance of Rose... ya know, the bird she almost got killed!  I never thought that would be mentioned again.  There's a point in the continuity column for sure!  It's scary that Angel Love has tighter continuity than contemporary Marvel!  Anyhoo... enter Everett... who's got this really weird love-hate thing going on with Wendy.  He's always in her space... yet he's always mad at her.  Dude, you may wanna talk to somebody about your issues.

Today he's mad that Wendy's still playing nursy to the birdie.  When his attempts at reasoning fall on deaf ears, he goes and tattles to mommy... er, Angel.  Dude, really... don't you have a girlfriend... and a home?  He talks Angel into confronting Wendy about her current avian obsession.  This intervention is immediately dismissed by Wendy because, ya see... this morning... the bird smiled at her.  Angel's reaction is almost "Cocaine?!" level.

Later on, Angel's back in the studio trying to summon Halo... but forgets to doodle on Halo's... halo.  She is interrupted by this series' plot-advancement tool... a ringing phone.  It is a Dr. Chin from Scranton, and she's got bad news.  Angel's mom is in a bad way... but, she won't tell how how bad over the phone.  That's kind of a crappy thing to do, Doc. 

So Angel packs a bag and prepares to go Pennsylvania-bound.  She is overcome with guilt over having left her mother to seek her fortune in New York's art world.  Her mind wanders for the entire trip, only compounding her guilt.  With nothing else to do, she prays that God spare her mom.

Meanwhile, we watch Rose watch All My Children, and run poor Wendy ragged with her requests for treats.  As Wendy goes to fetch some grubs, Everett wanders in and finds the bird doing her calisthenic exercises.  A-ha!  As Ev reads the riot act to a tiny baby bird, Wendy wanders back in just in time to see Rose slump to the ground.  Jeez, Everett... I'm no fan of lying birds either... but get a grip, pal.

In Scranton, Angel is sitting at her mother's bedside.  Mom seems totally at peace with whatever outcome she faces.  Angel's adamant that her mother doesn't give up hope.  Dr. Chin enters, and we learn that Mrs. Love has Acute Leukemia... and is not responsive to any pharmaceutical intervention.  She offers Angel a sliver of hope... they will need to perform a bone marrow transplant.  Angel is quick to offer herself up as a donor.  Angel is lead to Chin's office, and has her blood drawn to see if she would be a likely candidate for the procedure.

Back in the city, Everett has bird-napped poor Rose, and has taken her to the park.  Once there, they run in to Rose's sisters!  They get excited and do their best Sister Sledge impression as Everett smugly walks off... job well done, jerk.

His smug walk lasts just long enough for him to return to the building... where he is met by...

Back in Scranton, Angel is sleeping.  She is dreaming of the doctor happily sharing the news that she is the perfect bone marrow donor.  Too bad that it's just a dream.

Dr. Chin breaks the bad news... Angel's down... but she ain't out!  There's another blood relative she can shake down for some marrow... the storyline-titular Mary Beth.  We learn that Mary Beth had run out on the family some time earlier... so this will likely be no easy task.

Back in the City, Wendy is sobbing at the loss of her birdie.  The thing of it is... Rose knew how good she had it being waited on wing and talon.  She brings the family along, and before we know it they've made themselves at home.  I do love how theatrical Wendy is here... "I vant to be alone!", awesome.

We wrap up this chapter with Angel returning to the city via bus.  We learn that Mary Beth escaped to New York some fifteen years ago.  I guess I'll spoil it... not that I've read ahead, but it's on a cover.  Mary Beth is Angel's sister.  It's a big city... this ain't gonna be easy.

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As we enter, what I figure will be our second act of Angel Love... things start getting real.  Angel's got some actual non "bubblegum" problems rising to the surface in regard to her mother's illness.  From the covers yet to come, I think this arc may play us right to the end of the series.

I really appreciate the juxtaposition between Angel's non-acceptance of the news and her mother's having already made peace with it.  It's such an odd generational thing.  My family has recently gone through something quite similar.  My wife's grandmother was diagnosed with an aggressive (but easily surgically treatable) cancer in her foot.  This would be her second go-round with the disease, and she initially decided against the procedure.  My wife and I couldn't wrap our heads around it... but my in-laws understood, and accepted her decision.  She ultimately came around, and is currently cancer-free (and alive!).  It's just so eye-opening that a person can make peace with a situation like this.  Perhaps we (relative) youngsters are a bit too selfish in situations such as this.

I'll come right out and say, I'm not one'a those guys who will say "pull the plug" on me.  I don't wanna die.  Hell, plug me into as many machines as you gotta.  Have children jump up and down on my chest to keep my heart beatin' and lungs blowin'... so, I guess maybe I'm not in the right frame of mind to understand such things... maybe one'a these days I'll get it.

The Wendy scenes were fun, but she's starting to veer from cute to cartoony... or maybe that's cartoony to cartoony-er.  Still enjoyable, but perhaps a hair too silly.  Then again, it may have been written as especially so to take a bit away from the heavy Angel bits.  Also, Wendy's drawn as though she's a cyclops in one panel.

terrifying!

Overall, still pleasantly surprised with this series... really glad I lucked into it.  If you happen across it in the cheap-o's, I'd definitely recommend giving it a flip-through.

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