Comics

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.

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.

Booster Gold returned to his own title one month ago agreeing to take on the responsibility of fixing errors in the time continuum.  Issue #2 takes our intrepid hero on his first mission into the past to take on Sinestro and fix an error in time that caused Guy Gardner, not Hal Jordan, to become Earth’s first Green Lantern.

The All New Booster Gold #2
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Booster Gold accepted his role as Rip Hunter‘s timecop in issue #1 (read that review).  In issue #2 Booster gets his first taste of action as he is sent back in time to stop a meeting which will have disastrous effects for the Green Lanterns and the entire universe.

 

Booster begins his work as Rip Hunter’s appointed “time monkey” to stop an anomaly in the time stream that changed history and made Guy Gardner, not Hal Jordan, Earth’s first Green Lantern and allows Sinestro to form his Sinestro Corps and conquer the known universe.

Booster travels back in the past to stop Sinestro, still the universe’s most feared Green Lantern, from meeting Guy Gardner the day before Abin Sur crash lands on Earth.  Unable to over-power Sinestro, Booster plays to his vanity and saves the day.  Later that night he shares a drink with Guy in a bar and gives him advice to talk with his dying father.  Guy is convinced and travels across the country, which, in a fun paradoxical twist, causes Guy to be farther away from the crash site than Hal Jordan the next day.

The issue ends with the revelation of the villain who has been toying with time, in his new persona as Supernova, who travels back to the old west and hires Jonah Hex to take out Booster.

Not a bad second issue for Geoff Johns and his team.  It’s fun to see Sinestro as a Green Lantern and the younger, and much calmer, Guy Gardner as well.  Booster’s victory is well earned, and suggesting that, if not for Booster Gold, Hal Jordan would never have been Green Lantern is a nice addition to DC’s wacky continuity.

The hit comic book series Buffy Season Eight continues with a new writer (Brain K. Vaughan), the beginning of a new story arc, and the first appearance of everyone’s favorite bad slayer – Faith!  Given a new assignment by Giles, Faith prepares for the hardest job she’s ever undertaken – trying to fit in with British aristocracy, and a job she’s all too qualified for – the murder of a human being. 

We review issue #6, part 1 of “No Future for You,” in the Full Diagnosis.  Enjoy!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #6
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“Five by Five.”

BtVS Season 8 #6

Buffy the Vampire Slaver Season 8 has been a smash for Dark Horse, but with such a wide range of characters many have yet to show their faces.  “No Future For You” begins the second story arc for Season Eight and focuses on our favorite bad slayer, Faith.

Living in Cleveland at a “second-rate Hellmouth” Faith has grown tired of the biz.  But when Giles informs her about a special assignment which, if she accepts, could mean an early retirement to location of her choice, she agrees – even if it means murder.

Giles tells her of a renegade and bloodthirsty slayer of British aristocracy known as Lady Genevieve who could usher in the end of the world.  Faith accepts, even if it does mean Giles must go all Henry Higgins on her to prepare her for the new world she will be facing.  Writer Brian K. Vaughan does a good job of capturing an older and wiser Faith whose outlook is still quite different than Buffy’s or any of the new slayers.  Mixing in some My Fair Lady along the way helps with necessary humor to help balance against the cold-blooded murder for which she is being trained.

Whedon’s departure as main writer fits in nicely with a new character like Faith taking center stage.  The look of Faith is a little inconsistent, sometimes spot on and sometimes not, but the character comes across well and fans of the series and of Faith herself should enjoy this one.

 

Based on Joss Whedon’s concept for a Faith TV-movie, the story seems well thought-out and should allow Vaughan the opportunity to play on Faith’s bloody past and its consequences.  The story also features a funny scene between Buffy and Zander in the training room where Zander makes two Kurt Russel eye-patch references.  I’ve always liked the character of Faith and will be interested to see how this arc plays out and if and how it fits in to the wider story arc of Season Eight.