Angel

"Angel — The Complete Series Collector’s Set”

Sitting atop a booklet and 30 discs of episodes, commentaries and extras inside the "Angel — The Complete Series Collector’s Set” is the collector’s item that drives geeks wild. It’s a letter from Joss Whedon, creator of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” the spin-off "Angel,” "Firefly,” "Serenity” and dozens of comic books, and he has a point to make about "Angel.”

While Buffy had mythology, Angel had nothing of the sort, he said. Buffy had a destiny; Angel was a blank slate.

But in five seasons, the writers took great joy in the character’s wide-open path.

Angel (David Boreanaz), the vampire with a soul, goes all over the place and, for the most part, it’s a ton of fun.

The series starts small in season 1, which is also filmed small in the 4:3 aspect ratio, by reuniting Angel with a few Buffy cast-offs (Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia, Alexis Denisof as Wesley Wyndam-Pryce) before bringing in a whole new cast of oddball demons and demon-hunters.

The biggest change from the "BTVS” series is the emergence of Angel as a comedy figure. Amid all the fighting and killing and heartache, Boreanaz is shown to play a great straight man and, by playing against type, a very funny guy.

The set has everything the single-season boxed sets did, all in a nice, compact box. For series fans or "Buffy” fans who never crossed over to "Angel,” the set is well worth the investment for the hours of enjoyment it will provide.