Dark Horse Comics: 2 Decent moments in four-color Buffy from ormondsacker

And I'm not talking, here, about Season 8, or the Tales of the Slayers/Vampires, or even the various prestige miniserieses and one-shots that have turned up*. I'm talking about Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the teen-targeted, bad-authored monthly series that made the suicidal decision to try to keep up with TV canon as it happened. If you just have to get an idea of the resulting incoherent mess, thumb through the Buffy Omnibus, Vol. 3, at your local graphic-novel-seller guy. Or, you know, here are two bits that didn't entirely suck. You're welcome.

Plot hook that didn't suck: "False Memories" (BtVS #38). It's Season 5, and between Glory bouts, an incredulous Buffy finds herself up against her most unexpected foe yet... the Order of Aurelius, who are here to resurrect the Master. As an understandably peevish minion lays it out: 'Look, he was trapped, but our wise Master was able to empower a Vessel. You killed the Vessel, but there was an infallible prophecy the Master would kill you and escape. Then you killed him instead, but his magically-preserved skeleton would have let us ressurrect him. Then you smashed the skeleton, but we could have eventually focused his essence through his Anointed One. Then the Anointed One was killed by some random idiot off the street, but NOW, Slayer, your DOOM is at HAND!'

Characterization/Art that didn't suck: "The Blood of Carthage" (BtVS #21). In a late-80's flashback, 8-year-old chibi-Willow is gently warned off the Harris boy by her mother. Not that Sheila thinks he's a bad kid, he's just an insecure, attention-seeking, acter-out who's maneuvering Willow into the inevitably self-esteem-eroding role of passively adoring sidekick/enabler to fan his own male ego, and you have so much more potential than that, sweetie. Meanwhile, 8-year-old chibi-Xander, self-accompanied by the Indiana Jones theme, makes it all the way down the hill on his bike! Will, did you see?! All the way!

*I.e. Amber Benson's little story of Willow, Tara, and Dawn versus Jack in the Green; James Marsters's dang-that's-anti-canonical Spike-dumps-Dru in Istanbul adventure from early Season 3; and Jane Espenson's Johnathon!

Published by :ormondsacker 2008-02-07 07:28:44.0