Book 5-Buffy Omnibus 1; Book 6-Fanboy; Book 7-Buffy Season 8.1
Book 6: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus Vol. 1
Writers: Joss Whedon, Christopher Golden, Dan Brereton, Scott Lobdell, Fabian Nicieza & Paul Lee
Art: Eric Powell, Joe Bennett, Cliff Richards, Paul Lee
Genre: Graphic Novel/Action
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best]: B
My Thoughts: My girlfriend and friends just recently began inducting me into the Cult of Buffy, and I’ve been making my way through the TV show slowly. But as I can’t seem to restrict my fandom to just one medium, I’ve also been getting into the Buffy comic books from Dark Horse. The Buffy Omnibus series will eventually reprint all of Dark Horse’s Pre-Season 8 Buffy comics in thick, relatively cheap paperbacks. The stories, it should be noted, are collected in chronological order, not in the order that they were published.
This first volume collects all of the pre-TV show exploits the comic produced, and while there aren’t many, the ones they give us are pretty good. After a so-so Spike and Drusilla short story, the volume begins in earnest with The Origin. The original Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie, starring Kristy Swanson, was really very much a butchery of the script that Joss Whedon wrote. In this story, Christopher Golden took the original, pre-butchered script and massaged it into a strong storyline that brings Buffy’s first adventure more in line with the version of the character we watched on television. Next up is Viva Las Buffy, which takes place right as the movie ends. Buffy and her boyfriend, Pike, run off to Las Vegas together, only to discover that the lifestyle of the slayer will follow her anywhere. There’s a short story featuring Dawn (which was apparently pretty controversial, considering the characters origins… the controversy wasn’t in the story itself, but in the fact that the story existed), and the book closes with Slayer, Interrupted, in which Buffy comes home only to find herself tossed in a mental ward. Las Buffy and Slayer, Interrupted also both feature a subplot with Rupert Giles, the man destined to become Buffy’s Watcher, on his quest to do so.
Although I’ve been told many of the Buffy comics varied wildly in quality, these first few comics (again, chronologically - they were actually produced pretty near the end of the run) are actually pretty good. It’s nice to have a more solid origin story for Buffy, and nice to see more of the circumstances that ultimately led her to Sunnydale. While this is by no means required reading, even for die-hard fans of the show, for folks looking for a little extra to satiate their Buffy cravings, this is a pretty good book.
Book 6: True Confessions of a Fanboy
Writers: James & Johnny Jacobs
Books about comics and the comic book world are growing more and more prevalent, with the volumes ranging from the largely academic (Douglas Wolk’s Reading Comics) to the largely apocryphal (Bryan Talbot’s The Naked Artist). True Confessions of a Fanboy, the latest volume on the comic book lifestyle by James and Johnny Jacobs, is definitely along the lines of the latter.
In this book, James offers us a glimpse into his world of fanboyism, from his refusal to wear anything but pristine socks and white underwear in the grime-free environment of his collection to how even attempting something as “normal” as fantasy baseball became a full-blown fanboy obsession for him. Each chapter is followed by commentary by Johnny, basically venting about how infuriating the behavior his brother mentioned in the previous segment is to him.
There’s a lot to like in this book. James’s comments are usually well-placed, and touch upon a lot of facet of fanboyism that even the die-hards may not really give much thought to (the contortionist exercises required to leave towers of geek stuff undisturbed, for example). His commentary is good and he has a knack for the clever turn of the phrase.
My only real issue with the book is that, often, it seems to go a bit too far. We’re warned in the forward that much of what we read has been exaggerated for comedic effect, which is fine. Sometimes, though, it goes a bit too far as be believable. You can’t really pinpoint any particular comment, any particular story where he crosses the line, it’s more like the entire buildup finally leads you to the point where you have to think, “really?” And once you’re thinking too hard about it, it isn’t quite as funny anymore. The same goes for Johnny’s commentary, which is frequently clever, but on occasion just extends into the realm of venomous.
It’s not a bad book, and it’s a pleasant enough light read. If he can learn when to hold some weapons in reserve, he’ll be much stronger in the future.
Book 7: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight Vol. 1: 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.