All PostsBuffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #1 by Joss Whedon and George Jeanty. Dark Horse, 2007.
I’m a big fan of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I’ve probably watched the complete run at least 4 times. I was sad to see the show go, but it ended at a good point as far as storyline, simultaneously an ending and a beginning. A few years back I got a few of the Buffy comics at a bargain basement price and found them utterly boring. The stories didn’t have the verve and emotion of the episodes, and the art tried too hard to make the characters look like the actors. So it is with some trepidation that I read this first issue of the new comic series which continues where the episodes left off (making an odd tv to comics transition that is almost opposite to Whedon’s Firefly series transition from tv to movie), but Joss Whedon is supervising the series and at least writing the first storyline.
This issue provides a decent introduction not unlike the first episode of a tv season. We see a few of the main characters and get a quick look at what they are up to and their relationships with each other. There is a brief introduction to some opposition, the return of an old friend/foe, and a quick fight scene. It leaves questions open (like where did Buffy and friends get so much money to buy fancy gear and what appears to be a Scottish castle), and sets up continuing drama.
The art has that slick superhero style that I am not a fan of, still better than the previous Buffy comics I’ve seen. There a few places where good use is made of the transition from one page to the next: the reader gets a set-up and then turns the page for the pay-off. Otherwise, nothing particular great about the comics aspect of it.
In the end, it was probably better than I expected, and I’ll keep with it for a few issues to see how it goes. Definitely one for the fans, I don’t see anyone picking this up if s/he isn’t already a fan of the tv series.
“where did Buffy and friends get so much money”
IIRC Giles is independently wealthy, and perhaps they were able to tap into old Watchers’ Council facilities and holdings?
I’d buy the second answer, though I’d like to see some brief little explanation other than “we don’t have a tv budget now so we can do anything we want” (which I’m sure is closer to the truth).
I’m also a fan and have some contact with the TV show though my job. I really likes issue 1, but 2 and 3 are not as fun. Still, readable and feel like the show.
I’m also thinking the took over the Watcher stash.
I have to say that I was NOT IMPRESSED with the first 6 issues from Whedon. I’ve been reading and collecting comics for 20 years and this was NOT an easy read. It had no flow to it. It jumped around to much and I sometimes felt like I missed a page or something. On the other hand, issues #7 and #8 by BKV were GREAT! He blew Whedon’s writing outta the water!
Hi Matt, I do agree the writing was a little… jumpy. I think part of it is that the kind of superhero/action style is much more compressed than Buffy the tv show was. By working in that style, he’s not letting the characters and scenes… breathe as well as they did in the show.
That does seem to be the case. Glad to see someone out there knows what I’m talking about. My girlfriend is a huge buffy fan and I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to introduce her to the world of comics. And with Joss writing, I thought she might really get into it. She wasn’t big on the idea, but she has stuck with it. The jumpy storytelling has only managed to support her idea that comics ARE NOT entertaining. I can’t really blame her. For someone who LOVED the show, and is not used to the format of comics, I can see why one may be a little confused with the story. Seeing as how Whedon has had great success on other comics, I’m very surprised he hasn’t been able to make the transfer of BTVS to the comic page go slightly smoother. Maybe he’ll look at what BKV is doing with the Faith storyline and make some adjustments.