Spike: Asylum (Angel comic)
Encyclopedia
Spike: Asylum is a five-issue comic book
limited series
based on Angel
television
series. It was released from September 2006 through January 2007. The five issues were collected together in a single trade paperback in May 2007.
Later, Betta George from Asylum appears in Lynch and Joss Whedon
's canonical Angel: After the Fall
. The Mosaic Wellness Center is seen briefly, and Spike refers to him and George as going "way back". Later references under Lynch's penas the series went on (such as in the After the Fall Epilogue in issue #23) would place the events of Spike: Asylum more definitively within the chronology of the series.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
based on Angel
Angel (TV series)
Angel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffys creator, Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series. It was released from September 2006 through January 2007. The five issues were collected together in a single trade paperback in May 2007.
Story description
Ruby Monahan has gone missing and her family recruits Spike to track her down. It seems Ruby (a half-demon) has been checked into "Mosaic Wellness Center", a rehab facility designed to cure the demonic. In an unfortunate turn of events, Spike faces both the Mosaic Center, which hopes to cure his vampiric nature, and its clientele who want him dead.Cultural references
- The Usual SuspectsThe Usual SuspectsThe Usual Suspects is a 1995 American neo-noir film written by Christopher McQuarrie and directed by Bryan Singer. It stars Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio del Toro, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Pollak, Kevin Spacey and Pete Postlethwaite....
: A 1995 movie written by Christopher McQuarrieChristopher McQuarrieChristopher McQuarrie is an American screenwriter, producer and director. His screenplays include The Usual Suspects, for which he won the 1996 Academy Award, The Way of the Gun and Valkyrie....
, directed by Bryan SingerBryan SingerBryan Singer is an American film director and film producer. Singer won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and is especially well-known among fans of the science fiction and superhero genres for his work on the X-Men films and Superman Returns.-Early life:Singer was born in New...
, and starring Kevin SpaceyKevin SpaceyKevin Spacey, CBE is an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and crooner. He grew up in California, and began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, before being cast in supporting roles in film and television...
. The cover for Asylum #2 is an homage to promotional material from this movie. - SmallvilleSmallville (TV series)Smallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on the DC Comics character Superman, originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB Television Network , premiering on October...
: In Asylum #3, a character calls Spike BrainiacBrainiac (comics)Brainiac is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Action Comics #242 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
, a character that actor James Marsters played in season 5 of the television series about a young SupermanSupermanSuperman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
. - FireflyFirefly (TV series)Firefly is an American space western television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as executive producer, along with Tim Minear....
: When Lorne is seen performing in Las Vegas at the end of issue 3, he is performing the theme to Firefly, a Joss Whedon television show. Whedon is also the creator of both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and AngelAngel (TV series)Angel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffys creator, Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999...
. - GhostbustersGhostbustersGhostbusters is a 1984 American science fiction comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. The film stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, and Rick Moranis and follows three eccentric parapsychologists in New York City, who start a...
: Ivo Shandor, the Gozerian cultist/architect, is named as the person who built the Mosaic Asylum. Specific lines from the movie are mentioned ("society being too sick to survive", etc.), and Spike muses on why the name is familiar to him.
Timing
In his blog, writer Brian Lynch has commented on when the comics takes place within Buffyverse continuity:Canonical issues
Angel comics are not usually considered by fans as canon. However unlike fanfic, 'overviews' summarising their story, written early in the writing process, were 'approved' by both Fox and Whedon (or his office), and the books were therefore later published as officially Angel merchandise.Later, Betta George from Asylum appears in Lynch and Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
's canonical Angel: After the Fall
Angel: After the Fall
Angel: After the Fall is a comic book published by IDW Publishing. Written by Brian Lynch and plotted with Joss Whedon, the series is a canonical continuation of the Angel television series, and follows the events of that show's final televised season...
. The Mosaic Wellness Center is seen briefly, and Spike refers to him and George as going "way back". Later references under Lynch's penas the series went on (such as in the After the Fall Epilogue in issue #23) would place the events of Spike: Asylum more definitively within the chronology of the series.