Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight: The Long Way Home
Writer: Joss Whedon
Art: Georges Jeanty
Genre: Graphic Novel/Action
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best]: B+
My Thoughts: Since Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended its run in 2003, there have been a lot of rumors about spin-offs and movies, but except for the already-running Angel spin-off, we hadn’t gotten anything. Until creator Joss Whedon brought back the slayer for “Season Eight,” a new series from Dark Horse comics that is the official, in-continuity continuation of Buffy’s tale.
This first volume acts, in essence, as the first “episode” of the season. Approximately a year and a half after the TV show ended, Buffy has taken all the girls whose powers were activated in that final battle and begun to construct a sort of global slayer network. Willow is missing, Dawn has befallen a rather unique misfortune, and Xander is slowly transforming into Nick Fury. Oh - and the government is getting antsy over what they perceive to be a sort of supernatural terrorist network, and as such, they’re willing to cut a deal with an old friend of Buffy’s.
Although I’m still, slowly getting into the Buffyverse, I didn’t feel lost at all reading this book. Whedon has established his characters well even for a new reader. His trademark wit and skill at dialogue are evident, and Georges Jeanty’s art is second-to-none. This was way to bring Buffy back, and I’ve got my fingers crossed for a nice, long run.