Buffy The Vampire Slayer

(S08I03) It’s pretty clear, when you’re reading through these comics, that the budget that would be involved to make this a season of television would be through the roof. A gianormous Dawn, an army of thousands of undead and Willow’s intense spells, all set in a castle in Scotland which is outfitted with a bunch of technology. Thank God for a medium that lets creativity go completely wild without budget worries.

If I’ve got one criticism for these books I’d have to say it’s how the characters are drawn on the pages. The cover images (as you can see here to the right) are amazingly detailed and truly capture what we remember of the characters, but the inside pages have a bit to be desired.

That said, it’s a minor point to complain about. In the end it’s the writing that makes these stories and the characters come alive. Once again the writing is much better than the first issue of the series. The dialog is very much what one would expect to hear on the television series, including, once again, some great quotes.

Ethan Rayne is actually one of my favorite characters from the Buffyverse. He has been used very little in the series, though his background with Giles makes him all the more interesting. Things of his past are only hinted at. Once upon a time I had a story in mind for what I’d picture for The Ripper pilot, the spin-off we were supposed to see for Giles (is that dead or what?). We’d open with Ethan in a military prison in the Arizona desert, and he’s being interrogated by an unseen person. The person asks him where things all began for his magic, and Ethan takes us back to when he met Giles, issuing the beginning of the show. Anyway, I’m digressing way too much.

Ethan’s appearance is a strange one, though. Is it really him or is it really just a part of her dream world? I don’t think anyone thought of Ethan for a minute when we saw the mysterious cloaked mad reach out for Buffy — how could you?

What someone did predict was who Amy’s boyfriend is — a flayed Warren! I’m not sure if you knew something the rest of us didn’t, but bravo on that guess (if it was one). I remember reading that comment and thinking it made a lot of sense, and so here he is. But is he alive by his own abilities or did Amy bring him back? Is it because he was killed by magical means, just as Willow mentions of Kennedy’s "death"?

Oh, and I have to mention my total brain fart when referring to Andrew as a straight guy in my last review. I had totally forgotten his behavior in previous episodes (with Spike, in particular), and this issue almost comes right out and says he’s not really interested in girls (I mean, a game of strip poker with a bunch of hot slayers is not fun?) Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

The dream sequence with Buffy in bed with both Spike and Angel was hilarious, and it was a great way to tease the hell out of fans into not knowing who Buffy prefers to be with. I wonder if this is the "minimal" involvement Angel and Spike are going to have in the series.

rating 6I’ll give this issue a 6 on the TV Squad 7 scale. One more issue left in this first "episode" of the series, then we’re off to see what Faith has been up to.

Quote of the issue:

Xander: ’One attack by the undead and Renee has to take a nap. "Oh, I’m all run through with a broadsword. I have to lie around and heal..." Back in my day, which was about a week and a half ago, we took our lumps and we got back up and we cried like babies and quit and put on weight.’