Type of bind: Comic
Label: Dark Horse Comics
Manufacturer: Dark Horse Comics
Printing Date: 2007
Publishing house: Dark Horse Comics
Sale Popularity Level: 541225
Studio: Dark Horse Comics
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With Buffy incapacitated, Amy the witch has taken the opportunity to-get this-lay siege with an army of the undead. Willow takes her on in a witches' battle royal as hundreds of Slayers defend their Scottish citadel, but without the kiss of true love, Buffy will be out of commission indefinitely-with an unwelcome familiar face, and an image you won't soon forget. Buffy creator Joss Whedon brings Buffy back to Dark Horse in this direct follow-up to Season Seven of the smash-hit TV series. Joss Whedon writes Season 8!
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Rated by buyers -
My only complaint is that the comic books are so short, but they end on wonderful cliffhangers that keep you wanting more, just like the tv series. The storyline for "season 8" starts off with a bang and I'm really anxious to find out what happens next.
I must say, this particular book is well worth the purchase just for the sexy pic of Angel, Buffy and Spike alone!
Rated by buyers -
I'm so impressed with this series so far, and I loved this issue. The last page was a shocker. Love it. What more can I say?
Rated by buyers -
Wonder no longer! As a huge fan of Buffy/Angel/Firefly/Joss, I was anxiously determined to adapt to this new format for Season 8...and, after a few issues, adapted I have. And I guarantee that you will, too - anxiety free. Let me tell you how you won't regret it:
1. It's Joss! He IS these characters. Even just scanning the word and thought bubbles, you can HEAR them all quipping and whining and fighting just like in the good ol' days. It's super fun to try to figure out who the "surprise" character is on the subsequent page from the little bit of enticing dialog revealed before you make that fateful page turn...such is Joss's talent for words that you'll instinctively know who it is before you see the art. You might as well be hearing their voices off-camera on the show, pre dramatic entrance.
2. While some of the body-language slash facial-expression "acting" by the artists doesn't quite match what the actor-actors (on tv) might have chosen, it is incredibly well done and seems to be getting better with each new issue.
3. The comic medium is actually used to deliver new stuff...especially special effects that would've been waaay too "special" on tv. (Dawn's giant situation, for example...but other stuff, too. Especially in this issue.) Plus, you know that some of the harshness of real-world reality, like annoying network notes and the unavailability of actors, etc, just won't be responsible for derailing stories here.
[As an aside, I have to believe that some of the giddiness of this freedom is responsible for the much-hyped Buffy/Spike/Angel fantasy panel which, to me, seems completely bogus, out of character, and gratuitous for the comic-book-guy-stereotype. Some version of this for Xander - totally! But not so much for Buffy.]
4. Joss does an incredible job of smoothing the tv-to-comic transition. As another reviewer (Beranbo) eloquently describes, Joss blatantly chooses "surprises" that almost over-resonate with connections to the tv show. And, in retrospect, you look at the surprises and you're like, "duh-of course! Why didn't I see that coming?" But no matter how well you know your Joss shows, you STILL don't see `em coming. Unlike the other reviewer, even though I occasionally saw through the device-iness - I not only bought into it but completely LOVED it.
Most importantly, the combo platter of Joss's script, the art, your imagination, and your love for the show will allow you to FEEL the characters and their stories and be swept away into their world...which is the whole point!
Rated by buyers -
Granted, with Joss Whedon doing the writing the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight" comic book is an absolute must have for fans of the late, loudly lamented cult classic television series. You might have no interest in variant covers and you might wait for the inevitable collection of issues in trade paperbacks rather than finding your local comic book store to get each issue as soon as it is hot off the presses, but if you have all seven seasons of "BtVS" on DVD (or your own personal collection of videotapes) then you have to check out what Joss is up to here because it has the virtue of constituting canon. Now the question is: how good is "Season 8" going to be?
Our Story So Far: Of the almost two thousand Slayers running around in the world about five hundred of them are working as squads under the control of Buffy and her new "Watcher," Xander. The gang is working out of a castle in Scotland investigating a strange symbol that is being carved into human bodies. But things escalate when somebody (who do not yet know who) sics Amy on Buffy. The witch and former rat has Buffy living a nightmare from which only the kiss of true love can awaken her. Oh, and Dawn is a giant.
Written by Whedon with pencils by Georges Jeanty and inks by Andy Owens, issue #3 of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight" is the third part of "The Long Way Home." As the start of this issue Buffy's nightmare continues, with Ethan Rayne showing up to play Virgil to the Slayer's Dante on a tour of her collective slayer memory, which includes an image of Buffy with Spike and Angel that you have never seen before and will never forget (What is this comic book rated?). Back in the real world Willow has finally showed up and is going toe to toe with Amy. We do not get back to the plotline where the military thinks of the Slayers as being terrorists, which I find rather intriguing, so I assume that is a set up for something down the road. However, by the end of this issue all of the pieces appear to be on the board for the end game and I am willing to round up on issue #3.
So far all three issues have ended with a bug (gasp!) reveal on the final splash page, and what bothered me is that the reveal of Amy in issue #1 reminded me of the reveal of Darla in "To Shanshu in L.A.," the season one finale of "Angel," while Willow's appearance on the last page of issue #2 explicitly repeats the sudden appearance of Giles at the end of "Two to Go" from season six of "BtVS." I find myself wondering if Whedon is trying to mix familiar bits with all of this new stuff to make the transition to this new format palatable. I mean, we know what the man is capable of and I am certainly hoping that he is able to work into this "season" his story idea for bringing back Tara (a good pair of shoes holds not temptation for me). However, I think it is safe to say that Joss is laying the foundation for his brave new world in this very first story-arc and you should plan on being here for the long haul.
Reading Joss Whedon's "BtVS" comic book might take a bit of getting used to and it dawned on me yesterday that the pacing is much more like what he is doing in one of the other comic books he is writing, "Astonishing X-Men" ("Runaways" is now the third), than what we learned to love with the television series. It turns out "The Long Way Home" is going to be a four-part story, which will conclude in the subsequent issues. But given that the real villain is not disclosed until the final splash page of issue #3 it seems there is a lot to get covered subsequent month. Initially my big question was whether each issue of this comic book constitutes an entire episode or just an act in an "episode," and at this point I think it is clearly the latter case. So when I think that Joss has a lot of 'splaning to do regarding who shows up on the final page I know at the same time that I am going to have to see how this whole thing plays out before I make a final judgment on how well things are going with this very first "episode." Suffice it to say that my hopes outweigh my fears in this regard.
Rated by buyers -
These comics just keep getting better. This one starts off immediately after Issue #2, and the action never stops. This, I'm sure, is the issue that will woo over any Buffy fans that have been doubting the greatness of these Whedon-penned comics.
So many questions come up after reading the very first few issues, so I was counting on some answers in this one. We get to find out the following...
+ Who is Amy's boyfriend?
+ Who is the "My love" guy in Issue #2? Is it the same guy as the floaty-leather-jacket guy?
+ Is Renee alive after being stabbed last issue?
+ What's up with Willow and Kennedy?
Also, we get an appearance from a very popular baddie--none other than Ethan Rayne. Not to mention the unforgettable image of Spike/Angel that Scott Allie promised us in the letters section of the last issue. All that, plus scenes with Giles, Andrew, and the re-union of Xander, Buffy, and Willow.
The art, as usual, is amazing. However, one scene bugged me. There's a scene with only Willow's face, where she says "She looks tired" (referring to Buffy). In that scene, it looks like Willow either almost fell asleep herself or got her hands on a whole lotta drugs. But other than that one little flaw, everything is done well. Particularly Jeanty's interpretation of Ethan Rayne. Spot on. And, while I didn't think Giles looked like himself in Issue #2, this issue shows a VAST improvement. Very Gilesy.
And what can be said about Whedon's writing and plotting that hasn't already been said? Everything is tight, all is perfect. The cliffhanger at the end makes me want the subsequent issue right away! How in the world will I be able to wait until June 6th for Issue #4?
*Note: All Buffy/Angel products rank a 10/10 CLASSIC compared to other products. This is rated against OTHER Buffy/Angel products, not all products*
9/10
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