Buffy The Vampire Slayer Staff Review
Most of us have heard of Buffy the Vampire Slayer regardless of whether or not we have seen it. It helped change the genre of TV in terms of dialogue as well as what could be done with a TV series in general. It launched the careers of certain actors in the show who now appear in hits like "How I Met Your Mother". It also spawned a spin-off series based on one of the main characters which helped launch the career of David Boreanaz. When the show ended, as with most shows that are well thought out, it tied up certain major plotlines going on that season while teasing the viewer with the ideas of things to come. For those of you who don't know, the show's creator Joss Whedon is a large comic book fan, and near the end of the shows seven season run, began to dip his very talented hands into that genre. About two years ago Joss and a few of the other people who worked with him on the show got together and started brain storming on the possibility of continuing the show in another format.
What we got was Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 the comic book. The first issue picks about a year after the events of the series finale. Our girl Buffy with friend Xander are now living in a castle in Scotland with all the other slayers they helped "awaken" during the finals moments of the big battle. Willow is nowhere to be seen and Dawn, Buffy's sister, is having some problems of her own which need to be seen rather than explained.
As with the show, the comic book carries the same sense of humor, action, drama, romance and tragedy that we've all come to love. The cover art for each issue, by Georges Jeanty, is expertly drawn with gorgeous detail. The main pages, drawn by Karl Moline, look a little cartoony and take a bit away from the overall tension that served the show so well. But this does little to really keep the story from shining though.
Now within recent years a lot of comic publishers have gotten into the "motion comic" field. This is essentially a digital print of the comic found online which has voiceovers that read the dialogue aloud to us. Naturally the Buffy Season 8 comic found its way into this medium as well. Unfortunately this doesn't really add anything to the comic itself. All it really does is give the publishers a new way to get their product to people who don't normally read comics. The voice acting is distracting, and all your really seeing is the comic scroll along at a slow pace. It would be better to see the series animated, or even just back on TV in a live-action setting.
So for those of you who might think about checking out the Buffy Season 8 motion comic, do yourself a favor; find a local comic shop and go pick up the actual issue. You'll be helping the fellows who run these fine establishments stay in business and who knows; you may make a new friend in the process.
Fans can also download Buffy The Vampire Slayer Action Comic on the
iTunes store.
--Chris Rebholz
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