Type of bind: Comic
Label: Dark Horse
Manufacturer: Dark Horse
Printing Date: 2007
Publishing house: Dark Horse
Sale Popularity Level: 304630
Studio: Dark Horse
Other books you might be interested in perusing:
Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
Buffy's new position as leader and figurehead of the world's five hundred most powerful women has made her a bigger target than ever before. 'The Chain' tells the story of one of the decoy 'Buffy' Slayers, a tale personally important to series creator Joss Whedon. Guest artist Paul Lee (Conan, Tales of the Vampires) pencils the very first standalone issue of Season Eight. Buffy creator Joss Whedon brings Buffy back to Dark Horse in this direct follow-up to season seven of the smash-hit TV series. This series secured spot #8 in Entertainment Weekly's 'The Twenty Big Events of 2007.' 'I should probably say that it's the awesomest thing ever. I'm having so much fun.' -Joss on Season Eight 'Series creator Whedon effectively sucks devotees back into his Hellmouth.' -Entertainment Weekly Season 8 written by Joss Whedon. Only available in comics!
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
-
I had to read it twice but I just loved it. It reminded me of the stand alone episodes of the series, only this time it was about a total unknown character.
Rated by buyers 
-
I was totally lost on this tale. I know it had something to do with the slayer who was taking Buffy's place. But I didn't get the storyline.
Not as good as the other arc. Can't wait for number six which will begin the Faith story.
Rated by buyers -
Warning! Spoilers are alive and well in this review!
This is an interesting one-off comic in that it is set in the Buffyverse and concerns a slayer, but apart from Giles features no regular characters from the original show. The comic concerns an unnamed young girl who turns out to be one of the potentials who became a full-fledged slayer during the events of the TV series finale. Because she bears a resemblance to Buffy Summers, she is recruited to act as a decoy in a mission that results in her death. She is part of a group, just one in the chain that Giles describes as linking all the slayers (and by extension, all women, and by further extension, all human beings).
The story is primarily interesting for the way in which only gradually do we come to understand the very first image in the comic, a triumphant demon holding over his head the dead body of "Buffy Summers." We come to understand as the story unfolds that the body was of the girl who narrates the story.
As a stand alone it was reasonably interesting but apart from refocusing attention, albeit briefly, on the demon Yamanh, who we met briefly earlier in an earlier issue of the BUFFY comic. I'm glad that this dealt with one of the other slayers, but it is actually more of an appetizer for the subsequent sequence in the story: a Faith arc written by Brian Vaughan. The relationship between Vaughan and Joss Whedon is a fascinating one. Vaughan, one of the leading comic writers yesterday thanks to his work on series like Y: THE LAST MAN and EX MACHINA, as well as the wonderful stand alone THE PRIDE OF BAGHDAD, is perhaps best known as the creator of the exceptionally fine Marvel series THE RUNAWAYS. If you read THE RUNAWAYS, it is clear that BUFFY was a major influence on that comic. After producing three absolutely splendid volumes that any BUFFY fan would absolutely adore, Vaughan decided to move onto other projects. Marvel wanted to keep the series alive and interestingly turned to Joss Whedon to take over. So now Vaughan is working on BUFFY. They are obviously kindred spirits.
I recommend this, but I will hasten to add that this is not likely to be one of the more memorable entries to the series. It is, however, an interesting change of pace and it demonstrates that Whedon and Co. are more than willing to mix things up some. So while not quite as gripping as the very first four issues that make up THE LONG WAY HOME, it is a worthy entry to the overall series.
Rated by buyers -
One bit of revisionism appearing in the very first issue of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8" was that the Buffy who was running around in Rome partying and dating the Immortal (which we knew from fifth season "Angel" episode "The Girl in Question"), was a decoy. There was also reference to another decoy who had been killed. In issue #5, which follows the very first story arc "The Long Way Home," we have "The Chain," a stand along story about the slayer who died pretending to be Buffy Summers. This explains the striking cover painting by Jo Chen showing "Buffy" about to pull off her face.
Scripted by Joss Whedon with pencils by Paul Lee (who did "Dawn and Hoopy the Bear" back in "Buffy" #55) and inks by Andy Owens, "The Chain" begins with Yamah of Hoht, a demon, displaying the corpse of the faux Buffy, who might be dead but can still appreciate the irony that she never even met the real Buffy Summers. Then we keep jumping time lines, from the faux Buffy talking to a faerie, to a young girl at a private school becoming a Slayer, to Giles explaining the chain, to a commercial Andrew obviously put together for a local TV station all about the support group for girls who suddenly cannot control their strength and having disturbing dreams of being another girl in another time. These time lines stay entwined throughout the story as we see how this young woman came to meet her fate. Early on she says: "Here's how it works. You don't get a choice." But, of course, there is more to it than that.
There is a point where our heroine users her Slayer powers for the very first time and one of the people she saves says, "Who the hell ARE you?" The obvious question, given the situation, would focus on "what" rather than "who," as in "what happened?" or "what are you?" But Whedon's ultimate point here is about the "who" and so things are slanted in that direction. I appreciate the payoff in this one, but am less than satisfied with the set up regarding Yamah and his troops. I suspect Whedon was going for something like the apocalypse in the background in the "BtVS" episode of "The Zeppo," but what is happening in "The Chain" is much more prominent and what we see is a bit more confusing than it is interesting. Plus I have to say that I find it hard to believe Buffy would never meet the girls who would be risking their lives by posing as her. Reconsidering the issue from the vantage point of the end, I am surprised this one is not more effective.
Still, we should be able to look forward to similar stories in the future in "Season Eight," especially given what we have seen with Whedon with "Tales of the Slayers" and "Tales of the Vampires." One of the freedoms Whedon has with this comic book is that he can do solo stories and not feel obligated to have every character in every issue, any more than he has to write every issue of this comic. That is why the subsequent story arc, "No Future for You," is written by Brian K. Vaughan with Georges Jeunry back doing the art (both Lee and Jeunty did alternative covers for this particular issue, but Chen's is the best of the bunch and I feel no compunction to buy multiple copies of the same comic book just to have all of the covers).
Rated by buyers -
WARNING: THIS COMIC IS NOT LONGER THAN ISSUES 1-4 AS ADVERTISED. THERE ARE ONLY TWENTY-TWO PAGES OF CONTENT, BUT TWICE AS MANY COMMERCIALS
This is the very first standalone issue of Season Eight, and--when you think about it--the only "episode" of the entire series in which Buffy Summers does not appear. A different slayer takes stage, a slayer that Buffy mentioned in the very first issue of this season; the slayer posing as Buffy who is "underground... literally."
This issue has been hyped as the equivalent of "The Body" and "Hush" of the comic series. While I think it's good, I'm going to have to say no to that assessment. The story is very interesting and well told for the most part, but the actual method of storytelling almost seems too experimental, making this the most daring, but also the most rough issue of Season Eight so far. I'll have to split this up into the positives and negatives.
On the minus-y side of things, there are panels that are very much put to waste. Not many, but the few that are could be used to slow this very fast-paced story down a notch. The very first panel of page three shows Mike Billenger (a random kid) saying (quite as randomly) "Who the hell are you?" Later on, it explains why Mike said this, but Mike has yet to be introduced by page three. So basically, when he comes on the scene, the readers are saying "No, who the hell are YOU?" It interrupts the flow of the story and is basically useless, as the same panel is used in context later on in the issue. I understand why this was done, but I don't think the effect was overall worth the interruption of the story. Throughout the issue, the story flaps back and forth, which isn't a bad thing, but Joss did this a lot in Issue #4. I'm looking forward to a coherent story with maybe two or three things going on at once, told in order. And the fairy's joke on page three... Right over my head.
Now, to the positives. I have to start this off saying that I did LIKE the issue. The above paragraph is just a few minor complaints, but overall the issue isn't bad at all. The fairy itself (sorry, herself) was great, and the slayer--lets call her "Underground Buffy", UB for short--is an attractive character, much like Buffy and her pals in the earlier days, which gets me a bit nostalgic. And nostalgia always adds a pleasant buzz to the effect, doesn't it? The best page in the issue is the commercial with Andrew and Vi (we're going to be calling her Violet now, as in comics she'd have to be VI, and that would just look like a six). Andrew and Violet are both drawn perfectly, and are some of the best likenesses we've seen this entire series. Jeanty could learn something from the way Paul Lee draws Andrew, especially in the hair area. But I digress... The page is damn funny. And it also answers the questions about how all these slayers are being found. Other great tidbits are the sixth page in which UB is shown remembering all the past questions (this should put to rest any questions about the canonical status of "Tales of the Slayers".... it's canon, beeatch), as well as the wrap-up in the end. Joss is great at writing inner dialogue, and it shows here.
But what everyone's going to be talking about is this: Who's better, Paul Lee (artist for this issue) or Georges Jeanty (artist for the majority of the series, including the other four released issues and the upcoming 6-9)? Paul Lee's demons are better. Jeanty's Giles (not in Issue #2, but he improved in Issue #3) is better. Paul Lee's faces are more real looking, but too thin. Jeanty's faces are too chubby, but more fun. Lee's Andrew is leagues better. Jeanty's depiction of the world in quirkier, funner. Lee's is more realistic. I'm torn.
But as for this issue overall, it's not the best I've read, but it makes a good addition to the series.
8/10
Find other books like this one:
