Created by Joss Whedon
Jordie Bellaire, writer
David Lopez, illustrator
Raul Angulo, colors
Ed Dukeshire, letters
Recap
Only the Slayer is strong enough to fight the vampires and demons attacking Sunnydale and the heroes. Trouble is, Buffy has been out of town for a while. Xander, the half-vampire, has been struggling to fill the void. Meanwhile, Rose and Willow have had relationship issues, distracting them from the fight. Mr. Giles continues to freak out, this time toward Robin Wood, who was previously visited by Kendra who called him “the Watcher” – or her teacher. Robin has a strong reaction to this designation being that he’s only 16 years old! Finally, the group’s friend Cordellia didn’t show up at school and has been on social media for over 12 hours!
There are quite a few plates spinning in this story but it is amazingly coherent and interesting. The constants in this story are the young people growing into their talents and preferences. What I mean is, the demons, vampires, Hellmouth, and Slayers drive the plot, but all exist in service of the young people. For example, Robin and Xander are learning to be Watchers and Slayers. Rose and Willow are learning how to have a long-term relationship. Even Mr. Giles, the old fogy, is learning how to let young people have the space to learn.
The art is gorgeous! I loved a panel showing Rose as she walks from campus while indulging in a bit of self-analysis. The panels show her in the forefront with scenery out of focus and in the background creating depth and layering. The coloring is vibrant and upbeat throughout. The facial expressions are detailed and fit perfectly with the story narrative.
I highly recommend this story for fans of Buffy, which does not have any new information about when Buffy will return but states that her missing might be connected to Hellmouth. The mysterious reference to the cataclysmic event impacting Sunnydale piques my interest and has me pulling for this group of young people as they fight the forces of darkness that seems to have them over-matched. Overall = 9/10
