BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SEASON EIGHT #1

DARK HORSE COMICS
WRITER: Joss Whedon
PENCILS: Georges Jeanty
INKS: Andy Owens
COLORS: Dave Stewart
COVER: Jo Chen
36 pp., Color, $2.99

When the TV series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” ended in May 2003, its seventh season, that was not the end of the adventures of Buffy Anne Summers.  Buffy is a “ Slayer,” a fighter of vampires, demons, and the general forces of darkness.  Buffy creator Joss Whedon and artist Georges Jeanty continue the adventures of the character with the debut of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight #1 (“The  Long Way Home,” Part One), published by Dark Horse Comics.

From a command post in Scotland, Buffy and Xander Harris have organized a little more than a quarter of the newly-activated Slayers into 10 separate combat squads, and Buffy leads this legion of Slayers against the forces of darkness.  Meanwhile, a mysterious American military unit has gathered to destroy the Slayers, choosing to view them as terrorists.  Led by General Voll of the United States Army, these military officials actually fear the Slayers’ power and resources, especially as it isn’t in the service of American interests (see the Global War on Terror™).  Meanwhile, an old Buffy friend has offered her services to help bring down Buffy.

THE LOWDOWN:  I was never much of a Buffy fan, having watched the show a few times during the first two seasons, and rarely much afterwards.  But I tore through this first issue.  Joss Whedon, as evidenced in Marvel’s Astonishing X-Men, simply writes fun, unpretentious adventure comics, mixing action scenes and character scenes without missing a beat.

The art is by the team of George Jeanty (pencils), Andy Owens (inks), and Dave Stewart (colors).  In his relatively short career, Jeanty has mastered using the medium of the comic book to tell stories, and he translates Whedon’s script to comic book art without loosing Whedon’s storytelling style or that unique Whedon pop flavor.

FOR READERS OF:  Satisfying escapist fantasy that appeals to snobs and fans of sci-fi and fantasy, so I guess that means it’s for everyone.

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