comics
In 2003, the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” TV series was canceled after its lackluster seventh season. Now creator Joss Whedon has returned to his cult occult property by telling the continuing adventures of Buffy Summers and her “Scooby Gang” in comic form. Whedon has increasingly turned to the comic industry in recent years, having scored big at Marvel with “Astonishing X-Men” and now “Runaways.” And you can see why the genre appeals to him—there are no special effects budgets, demanding diva stars or interfering network heads. He just writes what he dreams, the artist draws it and the audience eats it up.
 Canceled, not dead: Buffy keeps slaying in comic book form thanks to creator Joss Whedon. |
He’s letting his ample imagination run wild in Season 8. Annoying kid sister Dawn has grown into a towering giant after sleeping with a vengeful warlock; a magic spell induces a horde of attacking zombies to break into a courtly dance number straight out of Pride & Prejudice; Buffy has a lusty dream that features a threeway between her and her vampiric paramours, Angel and Spike. He never could’ve gotten away with any of this in Hollywood.
The downside to giving Whedon carte blanche is that he’s diving pretty deep into the Buffyverse, using obscure characters that even devoted “Buffy” fans might not remember. It took me three issues to figure out where I’d seen the female antagonist before (it’s Amy, the witch-turned-rat from the high school seasons), and creepy Ethan Rayne only appeared on the show a couple times. And if you disliked the way the show ended (and really, who didn’t?), you’ll be disappointed that this picks right up from there, with Buffy leading her army of Slayers, a one-eyed Xander (as the new Watcher) and Giles slumming about in England.
But, hey—it’s Buffy. Done by Joss Whedon. With his creativity, wit, and unexpectedly complex characters out in full force. It’s hard to top that, and the first arc has been loads of fun already. After that wraps, Whedon will take a break so that the amazingly talented Brian K. Vaughan (who’s being brought on to help save “Lost”) can pen a Faith-centric arc. And that kicks as much ass as a certain blonde Sunnydale grad I know and love.
