Jo Chen's cover for this issue, featuring the return of Willow.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight #3 (“The Long Way Home,” Part III) begins with Buffy still trying to find her way out of the spell Amy Madison cast upon her, and someone Buffy didn’t want to see again is trying to help her.  Meanwhile, Amy’s siege of the Slayer’s castle with an army of the undead continues.

Willow Rosenberg is back, and she takes on Amy in a magic battle royal.  Dawn Summers (Buffy’s li’l sis) is still a giant, and Buffy still needs the kiss of a true love to break Amy’s spell.  But is Amy’s attack on the castle everything it would appear to be?

THE LOWDOWN:  In spite of Willow and Amy’s fight, Joss Whedon slows this issue down a bit.  There’s lots of conversation, witty banter, and some mythology.  Even the art by Georges Jeanty and Andy Owens is a low key affair.  In a way, this semi-pause is good for this penultimate chapter of “The Long Way Home,” a perfect off-speed pitch to set up the grand finale.

FOR READERS OF:  Buffy fans, don’t stop now.

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