IDW's Angel - Reading Order

In five days, my first comic book hits the stands. It's called ANGEL: YEARBOOK, and it's a collection of stories based on Joss Whedon's classic television series Angel. The book includes stories and art by all of the creators who have worked on IDW Publishing's Angel title through the years, including Brian Lynch, Peter David, Scott Tipton, Stephen Mooney, David Messina, Franco Urru, and--among others--me. I'm doing a countdown to the release of the book on my other blog, Buffyverse Comic Reviews, but I figured I'd do something here as well.

IDW has put out such a wealth of Angel comics in the past five years that some fans have mentioned now knowing where to start. Here's a suggested reading order of everything published since Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch started telling the official, post-television series Angel story.

Angel: Barbary Coast

NOTE: This takes place before Angel the Series

Spike: Asylum

NOTE: This takes place during the fifth season of Angel

Spike: Shadow Puppets

NOTE: This takes place during the fifth season of Angel

Angel: After the Fall Volume 1

NOTE: This takes place after the final episode of Angel

Angel: After the Fall Volume 2 - First Night

Spike: After the Fall

NOTE: This takes place before Angel: After the Fall but should be

read as a flashback, as it spins off of the events of Spike's flashback in

Angel: After the Fall Volume Two

Angel: After the Fall Volume 3

Angel: After the Fall Volume 4

Angel Volume 5: Aftermath

Angel Volume 6: Last Angel in Hell

NOTE: The events of this book take place before, during, and after

Angel: After the Fall. The individual stories will make the timing clear.

Angel: Only Human

Angel: The John Byrne Collection

NOTE: This is a collection of all of John Byrne's Angel stories, three of which take place

before Angel the Series and one of which ("Music of the Spheres") takes place

after Angel: Only Human.

Angel Volume 1: Immortality for Dummies

Spike: The Devil You Know

Angel Volume 2: The Crown Prince Syndrome

Illyria: Haunted

NOTE: This series begins at the same time as Angel: The Wolf, the Ram, and the Heart

and Spike Volumes 1 - 2.

Angel Volume 3: The Wolf, the Ram, and the Heart

Spike Volume One: Alone Together Now

Spike Volume Two: As of Yet Untitled

Angel: Yearbook

NOTE: The stories in this volume are very diverse; some take place

before Angel, some take place during the television series, and some

take place during the events of the on-going comic book.

Before Brian Lynch and Joss Whedon set things off with Angel: After the Fall, IDW Publishing was already telling great ANGEL stories. The following list is a pre-After the Fall collection of Angel and Spike series.

Angel Volume One: The Curse

Angel Volume Two: Old Friends

Angel Volume Three: Spotlight

Angel Volume Four: Auld Lang Syne

Spike - a collection of three one-shots by Scott Tipton and Peter David

Spike vs Dracula

Angel: Masks

Scott Tipton, writer of Illyria: Haunted and Angel: Auld Lang Syne, also adapted three Angel episodes into awesome comic books. Those are:

Angel: Smile Time (the hardback includes Smile Time 1-3, Spike: Shadow Puppets 1-4, and a story from Masks)

Angel: Not Fade Away (the TPB includes NFA 1-3 and the script for the televised episode)

Angel: Hole in the World (the TPB includes Hole in the World 1-5 and another short Fred/Wesley-centric comic by Scott Tipton)