Angel

This weekend, at a hotel somewhere in New Jersey, between hands of Demon Hold’em poker and Demon Dancing that lasts long into the night, a singular group of men and women will gather to eat, drink, be merry (in a dark and brooding way, of course).

These folks will celebrate the impending wrap on one of the truly great fan enterprises, the City of Angel Web site.

I hesitate to call CoA a "fan site" because it was simply so much more. CoA began following the Whedon series "Angel" from its very beginning back in 1999. It also followed the high standard of quality the show set.

Led by site owner Virginia Obeius and staff director Kristy "Swoop" Bratton, CoA rivaled a professional showbiz site in its caliber and savvy. For nothing more than their love of the show about a vampire with a soul "helping the helpless," CoA staffers covered conventions, interviewed cast and crew, and more. In so doing, they became the definitive source of "Angel" news and views.

Even after The WB unwisely and unceremoniously pulled the plug on the series, CoA continued on with purpose and aplomb. It’s as much a credit to those who run the site as to the pull of the series itself that CoA remains such a vibrant community.

But a year has passed since Angel and his "fang gang" left the air. CoA will remain active for at least another year, until Obeius and Bratton decide what to do with it.

"We’ve established a great relationship with the cast, crew and producers of the show, so I think that would have grown and we could have continued to provide fans with an excellent source for the series," Bratton told me. "But I don’t think I have bittersweet memories or any regrets. Everyone, and I mean everyone, was so gracious to us and I hope we did a nice job for Angel in return. We have to especially thank people like Dayne Johnson and David Fury who have continued to help CoA as we’ve wrapped up the site."

Obeius and Bratton decided it was time to throw a "wrap party" for the site for CoA staffers and a few other minions such as myself fortunate to be invited for the weekend. (Sadly, the universe has conspired to make this the weekend I must move into my new house, and I won’t make it to the festivities. But I’ll lift a glass of my best O-negative and think of you, guys.)

"We couldn’t have done that without a lot of help, not only from the ’Angel’ side, but from the amazing staff we put together over the [five]-years," Bratton said. "It’s really been a small business gone huge and we’re all very proud of it. Blood-lettings not withstanding."