I was mostly pleased with the first volume of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus. Today we look at Volume 2. How does it hold up? Well, to tell you the truth it’s a little disappointing, with too much Spike and not enough of Buffy (it is called the “Buffy” Omnibus right?). Die-hard Buffy fans may want to check this out, but the rest of you might want to wait for the next volume in the series.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus Volume Two
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus Volume 1 dealt with the origins of our intrepid vampire slayer and her adventures pre-Sunnydale. Volume Two continues that trend with a collection of tales dealing with Buffy’s time before Sunndyale through the end of Season Two. Some of the stories are good, some are merely okay, and one is a simple, and dismal, regurgitation of a Season Two story. And what’s with all this Spike? In a 320 page volume Spike and Dru, sans Buffy, take up 56 pages of story. That’s a wee bit too much Spike, even for me.
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In “A Stake to the Heart” Buffy and Dawn deal with the divorce of their parents and Angel’s attempt to give unseen help creates only more sorrow and grief for the Summers women. Of all the full-length stories in this collection this is the best of the bunch.
In “Dust Waltz” Buffy takes on two ancient vampire sisters who hold a ritual of dancing, battle, and death in an attempt to open the Helmouth. The story, the first Buffy comic tale to be published, introduces Giles niece but also makes some troubling statements about “Old Ones’ which are contradicted by Angel Season Seven.
”Ring of Fire” takes place during Angel’s turn as Angelus in Buffy Season Two. As Giles deals with the death of Jenny Calendar, Angelus, Spike and Dru steal samurai demon armor in an attempt to raise a demon named Kelgor to deal with Buffy and the Scooby Gang. Kendra also makes an appearance. Far too much like the Judge storyline from “Surprise” and “Innocence” (which chronologically take place right before this adventure).
And then there are the two Spike and Dru stories. The first, “Queen of Hearts,” finds Spike and Dru getting into trouble on a St. Louis riverboat on their way to Sunnydale, the first time. The second, “Paint the Town Red,” takes place after the end of Buffy Season Two as Spike and Dru’s relationship begins to crumble in Turkey after the events of “Becoming Part 2.’ Neither is that memorable, other than the fact that “Paint the Town Red” was co-authored by James Marsters.
The shorter stories include “Angels We Have Seen on High” – a cartoony adventure where Angel saves Dawn’s life at a carnival, and “MacGUFFINS” where Buffy is put through a test by Giles involving two troublesome imps, Both are more humorous takes on Buffy and her universe. Light fluff, but kinda’ fun.
A bit of a step-backward from Volume One, this latest addition starts out well with “Angels We Have Seen on High” and “A Stake Through the Heart,” but except for the humorous addition of “MacGUFFINS” the rest of the collection comes off as average and unremarkable. There’s just enough here for me to recommend it to true die-hard fans of the Buffyverse, but casual fans would be better off skipping this one and hoping the future volumes have a little more Buffy, and a lot more fun.