#17 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus: Vol 5 by Various Authors
In March 2007, the Buffy Season Eight Comics were first released, finally answering the question that all Buffy fans wanted to know, 
what happened next? The series has released twenty-three solid issues, the most recent one just hitting the shelves today. So far each has sold quite well. Dark Horse, in a smart decision, decided to benefit from these sales by binding up their old Buffy comics in 300+ page Omnibuses. As a Buffy fan and collector, I have bought the first five omnibuses and have noticed certain trends. When the comics attempt to build on the mythology of the show by filling in gaps in the story (for example, showing what happened to Oz while he was away from Sunnydale in season four) the comics are usually quite successful. When the comics try to imitate the style of the show by putting the Scooby Gang into monster of the week situations, the comics can lack depth, as they posses no character development or consequences to the greater storyline. At their worst, they can come off like campy parodies of the show itself. The fifth volume of the Buffy Omnibus is a good example of these successes and failures
For reviews of each storyline, look under the cut:
Haunted (Story by Jane Espenson, Pencils by Cliff Richards). Haunted fills in the gaps between season three and four. The series is focused around the mayor, who, after being blown up, discovers that his wandering spirit can still do plenty of mischief. Meanwhile, Buffy suffers from nightly dream visits from the rouge slayer Faith, who is currently in a coma. Haunted is a solid story with uneven, but mostly good artwork. My favorite part of it would have to be the little snippets that focus on the forming of the initiative at UC Sunnydale. Four out of five stars
Take Back the Night (Story by Tom Fassenbender and Jim Pascoe, Pencils by Cliff Richards). This is a short comic where Buffy takes down a bug demon. There are some nice action scenes here. The storyline, especially with its attempts to use the bug demon’s impregnation of it’s victims as a rape metaphor, does not fly. Two out of five stars.
Killing Time (Script by Doug Petrie, Pencils by Cliff Richards). This is a short where Buffy has to slay a demon that has the power to stop time, forever. The artwork is pretty good again. The storyline on the other hand is just average, which is disappointing coming from a fantastic Buffy writer who brought us great episodes such as Bad Girls and Fool for Love. Three out of five stars.
The Blood of Carthage (Script by Christopher Golden, Pencils by Cliff Richards, Chynna Clugston, Paul Lee, and Brian Horton). The Blood of Carthage is the longest series in this book and it’s the one with the most problems. It starts out as a story about a Sunnydale urban legend that turns out to be more than legend, but things get bigger very quickly. Unfortunately things get too big. This 100+ page comic has almost every season four Buffy character, despite the fact that some, like Anya, don’t really play much of a role. We also have several characters from Christopher Golden’s Buffy writing, who, with the exception of Lucy Hanover, feel randomly inserted. This is topped off with a whole group of new bad guys and multiple flashbacks from Willow and Xander’s childhood and Spike’s past. There is just too much going on here! The author tries to stuff in plenty of character moments to give it depth, but they end up feeling out of place. For example, Buffy faces college with cynicism, feeling little use for it due to her “job” as a slayer, an emotional storyline that would have more resonance in say… season two. Also, the artwork is very uneven. The biggest example would have to be Anya, who really doesn’t look like Anya. These faults weigh heavy on the comic, distracting the reader from it’s moments of well written dialogue, and what could have been a good storyline if it was simplified. Two out of five stars.
The Heart of a Slayer (Script by Chris Boal, Pencils by Cliff Richards). Here is an interesting story about a slayer from the past being transported to the future. The comic starts out very exciting, with scenes of the past-slayer transporting from time frame to time frame, chasing a dangerous enemy and eventually ending up in modern day Sunnydale. Here Buffy has as conformation with the demon in an ally behind the Bronze. She throws everything at him but he keeps on getting up. As a last effort she pulls out… a gun? Since when does Buffy have a gun? Granted, it’s a stake gun, but since when does Buffy carry one and use it like she totes it around every day. This little minor detail continued to bother me throughout the comic (as she pulls it out again and again), which brought my enjoyment down a lot. Beyond that, the comic was good, and I was quite happy to see that Cliff Richards really nailed Riley, art wise. Three and a half out of five stars
Cemetery of Lost Love (script by Tom Fassenbender and Jim Pascoe, pencils by Cliff Richards). Buffy is constantly taking down evil preying on the helpless, so she doesn’t think twice when she dusts a male vamp. That is until she learns that his “victim” was actually his girlfriend who was looking forward to spending eternity with him. Cemetery of Lost Love is a solid story, with solid characters and artwork. Four out of five stars.
Oz (script by Christopher Golden, pencils by Logan Lubera). As you can tell from the title, this arc is all about Oz (one of my favorite characters). Filling in the events between Wild at Heart and Full Moon Rising, it shows Oz’s trip to Tibet and how he learned to be more in touch with his werewolf nature. This series is the best in the book, and can stand up even to the Season Eight comic books. The story was fulfilling and surprising, filled with great development for Oz. Also, unlike The Blood of Carthage, the use of flashbacks was quite successful in this arc. Five out of five stars
In conclusion, the fifth volume of the Buffy Omnibus has its strong and weak moments, but in the end they pretty much balance each other out. I would recommend picking up this volume if you’re a hardcore Buffy fan or collector (like me), but unless other fans are really curious, it’s probably just best to stick with the season eight comics.
Rating: three out of five stars
Length: 368 pages
Source: gift
TBR Pile: 151 books
Similar Books: Obviously, the Buffy Season 8 Comic books, the Previous Buffy Omnibus, and Tales of the Slayer
xposted to temporaryworlds and bookish
what happened next? The series has released twenty-three solid issues, the most recent one just hitting the shelves today. So far each has sold quite well. Dark Horse, in a smart decision, decided to benefit from these sales by binding up their old Buffy comics in 300+ page Omnibuses. As a Buffy fan and collector, I have bought the first five omnibuses and have noticed certain trends. When the comics attempt to build on the mythology of the show by filling in gaps in the story (for example, showing what happened to Oz while he was away from Sunnydale in season four) the comics are usually quite successful. When the comics try to imitate the style of the show by putting the Scooby Gang into monster of the week situations, the comics can lack depth, as they posses no character development or consequences to the greater storyline. At their worst, they can come off like campy parodies of the show itself. The fifth volume of the Buffy Omnibus is a good example of these successes and failures
For reviews of each storyline, look under the cut:
Haunted (Story by Jane Espenson, Pencils by Cliff Richards). Haunted fills in the gaps between season three and four. The series is focused around the mayor, who, after being blown up, discovers that his wandering spirit can still do plenty of mischief. Meanwhile, Buffy suffers from nightly dream visits from the rouge slayer Faith, who is currently in a coma. Haunted is a solid story with uneven, but mostly good artwork. My favorite part of it would have to be the little snippets that focus on the forming of the initiative at UC Sunnydale. Four out of five stars
Take Back the Night (Story by Tom Fassenbender and Jim Pascoe, Pencils by Cliff Richards). This is a short comic where Buffy takes down a bug demon. There are some nice action scenes here. The storyline, especially with its attempts to use the bug demon’s impregnation of it’s victims as a rape metaphor, does not fly. Two out of five stars.
Killing Time (Script by Doug Petrie, Pencils by Cliff Richards). This is a short where Buffy has to slay a demon that has the power to stop time, forever. The artwork is pretty good again. The storyline on the other hand is just average, which is disappointing coming from a fantastic Buffy writer who brought us great episodes such as Bad Girls and Fool for Love. Three out of five stars.
The Blood of Carthage (Script by Christopher Golden, Pencils by Cliff Richards, Chynna Clugston, Paul Lee, and Brian Horton). The Blood of Carthage is the longest series in this book and it’s the one with the most problems. It starts out as a story about a Sunnydale urban legend that turns out to be more than legend, but things get bigger very quickly. Unfortunately things get too big. This 100+ page comic has almost every season four Buffy character, despite the fact that some, like Anya, don’t really play much of a role. We also have several characters from Christopher Golden’s Buffy writing, who, with the exception of Lucy Hanover, feel randomly inserted. This is topped off with a whole group of new bad guys and multiple flashbacks from Willow and Xander’s childhood and Spike’s past. There is just too much going on here! The author tries to stuff in plenty of character moments to give it depth, but they end up feeling out of place. For example, Buffy faces college with cynicism, feeling little use for it due to her “job” as a slayer, an emotional storyline that would have more resonance in say… season two. Also, the artwork is very uneven. The biggest example would have to be Anya, who really doesn’t look like Anya. These faults weigh heavy on the comic, distracting the reader from it’s moments of well written dialogue, and what could have been a good storyline if it was simplified. Two out of five stars.
The Heart of a Slayer (Script by Chris Boal, Pencils by Cliff Richards). Here is an interesting story about a slayer from the past being transported to the future. The comic starts out very exciting, with scenes of the past-slayer transporting from time frame to time frame, chasing a dangerous enemy and eventually ending up in modern day Sunnydale. Here Buffy has as conformation with the demon in an ally behind the Bronze. She throws everything at him but he keeps on getting up. As a last effort she pulls out… a gun? Since when does Buffy have a gun? Granted, it’s a stake gun, but since when does Buffy carry one and use it like she totes it around every day. This little minor detail continued to bother me throughout the comic (as she pulls it out again and again), which brought my enjoyment down a lot. Beyond that, the comic was good, and I was quite happy to see that Cliff Richards really nailed Riley, art wise. Three and a half out of five stars
Cemetery of Lost Love (script by Tom Fassenbender and Jim Pascoe, pencils by Cliff Richards). Buffy is constantly taking down evil preying on the helpless, so she doesn’t think twice when she dusts a male vamp. That is until she learns that his “victim” was actually his girlfriend who was looking forward to spending eternity with him. Cemetery of Lost Love is a solid story, with solid characters and artwork. Four out of five stars.
Oz (script by Christopher Golden, pencils by Logan Lubera). As you can tell from the title, this arc is all about Oz (one of my favorite characters). Filling in the events between Wild at Heart and Full Moon Rising, it shows Oz’s trip to Tibet and how he learned to be more in touch with his werewolf nature. This series is the best in the book, and can stand up even to the Season Eight comic books. The story was fulfilling and surprising, filled with great development for Oz. Also, unlike The Blood of Carthage, the use of flashbacks was quite successful in this arc. Five out of five stars
In conclusion, the fifth volume of the Buffy Omnibus has its strong and weak moments, but in the end they pretty much balance each other out. I would recommend picking up this volume if you’re a hardcore Buffy fan or collector (like me), but unless other fans are really curious, it’s probably just best to stick with the season eight comics.
Rating: three out of five stars
Length: 368 pages
Source: gift
TBR Pile: 151 books
Similar Books: Obviously, the Buffy Season 8 Comic books, the Previous Buffy Omnibus, and Tales of the Slayer
xposted to temporaryworlds and bookish