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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8 #3-4
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8, Library Edition: Vol. 2
The Slayer legion is organized and encountering mega-obstacles, while Twilight’s threatening reach continues to expand. Buffy and her Slayers travel to Tokyo to face a new kind of vampire with powers they’ve only witnessed in Dracula . . . Then, Willow and Buffy head to New York to investigate the secrets behind Buffy’s scythe; ever full of the unexpected, Buffy is transported to a dystopian future where her first chance meeting is with Fray, future Slayer! Collects Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #11–#20 and the Willow one-shot.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published September 12, 2012
26 people are currently reading
906 people want to read
About the author
Joss Whedon
484 books4,333 followersJoss Whedon (born Joseph Hill Whedon) is an American screenwriter, executive producer, film and television director, comic book writer, occasional composer, and actor, and the founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures.
He is best known as the creator and showrunner of the television series 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003)', 'Angel (1999–2004)', 'Firefly (2002)' and its film follow-up 'Serenity (2005)', and 'Dollhouse (2009–2010)', as well as the web-series' 'Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008)'. Whedon co-wrote and produced the horror film 'The Cabin in the Woods (2012)', and wrote and directed the film adaptation of Marvel's 'The Avengers (2012)', the third highest-grossing film of all time.
Many of Whedon's projects have cult status and his work is notable for portraying strong female characters and a belief in equality.
credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joss_Whedon
He is best known as the creator and showrunner of the television series 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003)', 'Angel (1999–2004)', 'Firefly (2002)' and its film follow-up 'Serenity (2005)', and 'Dollhouse (2009–2010)', as well as the web-series' 'Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008)'. Whedon co-wrote and produced the horror film 'The Cabin in the Woods (2012)', and wrote and directed the film adaptation of Marvel's 'The Avengers (2012)', the third highest-grossing film of all time.
Many of Whedon's projects have cult status and his work is notable for portraying strong female characters and a belief in equality.
credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joss_Whedon
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
February 4, 2018
I miss Buffy dialogue. It's so good to see or hear it again. The characters are true to their voice. I love the art mostly. There really aren't many vampires in this one. A lot happens with the characters here and some of it I like and some things like going to the future - ho hum.
Buffy, so it seems is Bi and she has a fling with a slayer. Willow - ok, Buffy - really. Strange. Is there really no human male Buffy could date - really. Makes me sad. Oh well, maybe only a strong slayer could keep up with her. Who knows.
Weird things are going on with Willow. I can't figure where this is going. I love Willow and Kennedy - they are such a great match. I wish the show was still going. I miss it. At least the story continues here in these pages.
Buffy, so it seems is Bi and she has a fling with a slayer. Willow - ok, Buffy - really. Strange. Is there really no human male Buffy could date - really. Makes me sad. Oh well, maybe only a strong slayer could keep up with her. Who knows.
Weird things are going on with Willow. I can't figure where this is going. I love Willow and Kennedy - they are such a great match. I wish the show was still going. I miss it. At least the story continues here in these pages.
March 7, 2023
Excellent second (of 4) volume! Perfect Buffy style story! Can’t wait to read volume 3!
April 3, 2015
I wonder if Willow will find out that Buffy killed her future dark self. Future arc was really weird. Hope Dawn will turn back into a human. Poor Xander.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 11, 2023
3.5 stars ~ [6.47/10]
I first read this back in 2016 but I either dnf'd it or finished it and then wiped it from my brain. Whatever it was it resulted in me not continuing with season 8 or any of the subsequent seasons, but I've recently had my interest piqued again. The first few volumes were really clear in my memory (I'm pretty sure I read them a few times) so I decided to just jump back into this collection to refresh my brain before continuing on.
It's a mixed bag though. So far, there's definitely a lot about season 8 that feels like the writers just wanted to tell the stories that were hindered by the medium of a tv show and everything that comes with that. Like big budget set pieces, series-breaking world building that can be retconned, returning characters where the actors probably wouldn't have come back for small cameos, self-indulgent nerd bro shit (like Mecha Dawn and bi-curious Buffy.) It is all very throw it at the wall and see what sticks. And, some of it does stick, whilst a lot of it feels very strange. I can understand why some people do not consider the comics canon, even though they are.
I enjoyed Wolves at the Gate for the interesting location change as well as the possibilities of the scythe and the return of Dracula - I didn't like it so much for the ongoing character arcs (e.g. Xander and Renee and what happens to Renee or the mishandling of Buffy/Satsu.)
I really enjoyed Time of Your Life for the mystery and I'm very intrigued about what a certain character is up to, I also really liked the Buffy/Fray dynamic but I didn't love the idea of time-travel being introduced to this world as a viable part of the magic system.
I like the undercurrent of the Twilight mystery and I'm looking forward to getting more of that in later volumes.
I loved After These Messages...We'll Be Right Back! because although it was a dream and will have zero impact on the storyline going forward, I adored the nod to the BtVS animated series that never was and the fact that the dream part of the story felt very like the show we know and love - it's probably the most successful iteration of this show in comic form that I've read up to this point.
I'm excited to continue but not excited about trying to get my hands on print versions (or even e versions) of these comics, I only owned the first two library editions so I may have to get creative.
I first read this back in 2016 but I either dnf'd it or finished it and then wiped it from my brain. Whatever it was it resulted in me not continuing with season 8 or any of the subsequent seasons, but I've recently had my interest piqued again. The first few volumes were really clear in my memory (I'm pretty sure I read them a few times) so I decided to just jump back into this collection to refresh my brain before continuing on.
It's a mixed bag though. So far, there's definitely a lot about season 8 that feels like the writers just wanted to tell the stories that were hindered by the medium of a tv show and everything that comes with that. Like big budget set pieces, series-breaking world building that can be retconned, returning characters where the actors probably wouldn't have come back for small cameos, self-indulgent nerd bro shit (like Mecha Dawn and bi-curious Buffy.) It is all very throw it at the wall and see what sticks. And, some of it does stick, whilst a lot of it feels very strange. I can understand why some people do not consider the comics canon, even though they are.
I enjoyed Wolves at the Gate for the interesting location change as well as the possibilities of the scythe and the return of Dracula - I didn't like it so much for the ongoing character arcs (e.g. Xander and Renee and what happens to Renee or the mishandling of Buffy/Satsu.)
I really enjoyed Time of Your Life for the mystery and I'm very intrigued about what a certain character is up to, I also really liked the Buffy/Fray dynamic but I didn't love the idea of time-travel being introduced to this world as a viable part of the magic system.
I like the undercurrent of the Twilight mystery and I'm looking forward to getting more of that in later volumes.
I loved After These Messages...We'll Be Right Back! because although it was a dream and will have zero impact on the storyline going forward, I adored the nod to the BtVS animated series that never was and the fact that the dream part of the story felt very like the show we know and love - it's probably the most successful iteration of this show in comic form that I've read up to this point.
I'm excited to continue but not excited about trying to get my hands on print versions (or even e versions) of these comics, I only owned the first two library editions so I may have to get creative.
June 22, 2025
solid 3.75
July 14, 2012
I haven't read the library edition version-I ordered all of the comics separately and read them, but I am sure that this book that compiles the whole season is amazing. As a true Buffy fan, you can't miss what happens after season 7 ends (where the television series stops.) I may not have loved every decision that Joss and the crew made during this very experimental season of Buffy, but I truly was intrigued and captivated by the many twists and turns, and I had to find out what would happen next even if it was breaking my heart! I think that the writers took a lot of liberties in the comic book that they never would have done with the t.v. series, which amounts to a lot more risky decisions and choices....some of which panned out well and others that didn't work so well. There's quite the debate over that. For instance, there are more fantasy elements in the comics than the t.v. series because there is more room in a comic book series to basically do whatever you want, but at the same time, I felt that it kinda betrayed the spirit of the show a little bit and got away from the core of Buffy and her friends doing what they do best-slaying vampires! In the end, it came back around, and the last few "episodes" were very good, amazing! But there were some episodes that left me going "what???" as some characters did things that you wouldn't expect and seemed out of character for them. Anyways, I don't want this review to be a spoiler-go out and read it yourself. The drawings are very beautiful, and while I am not normally a comic book reader, I got entranced by them after getting used to the medium of comics (it did actually take me a few comics to get used to it.) If you're a Buffy fan, this is a definite worthwhile and enjoyable read, and if you're not, how can you not love Buffy???
July 31, 2014
I am kind of torn between 3 or 4 stars for this collection. It's hard to rate things like this, because it's made up of several individual pieces, but even put together they are still only a part of the whole of Season 8. But there are 5 star occurrences here (the high school flashback) and there are some only-just 3 star stories (the initial time travel issue...)
After a fairly promising start to Season 8, I think it begins to lose its footing just a little bit here. There are some redeeming points, but let's begin with the negative points.
The first arc, Wolves At The Gate, doesn't sit quite right with me. Xander's post-show backstory with Dracula seems weirdly shoehorned in, and not something I could ever see happening. Following on from that is an arc that introduces... time travelling. And technically Buffy has time travelled before on the show, in her spiritual quests with the First Slayer. But this time we are out-and-out creating a portal so that Buffy goes a couple of hundred years into the future. And yes, once again, the comic books lack of limitations proves to be (for me at least) more of a hindrance than a help. I didn't need out-and-out sci-fi, I was perfectly happy with the mystery-with-occaisonal-sci-fi-tech tone that the show held (and the first 10 issues of Season 8 maintained).
The other thing that got me, most noticeably about the first 2 issues of Time Of Your Life, was the lack of explanations; very vague things happened, and I felt very much like I had just been dropped in the middle of the action. It's like the writers were trying to race through the plot, so they would explain some plot points of circumstances or justifications in just a brief throwaway line. And maybe I need to re-read the season for a third time to fully piece everything back together, because it felt like a very white-knuckle ride with lots of things being thrown at me.
On the good side, however, I did enjoy the conclusion to Time Of Your Life. Once I had adjusted to the future, and it began to focus on the characters again, I found it really engaging in a way that almost rivaled the show. Because here is something that the show did very well - not just providing entertaining story, but incredibly true to life characters on top of that. And I think that is what I have been missing from the comics so far (maybe partly due to the fact that reading words on a page will NEVER be the same as watching real people portraying the characters). But in the latter half of Time Of Your Life, it was focused around the characters and their decisions - and I found the final confrontation between Buffy and the 'Mad Woman' kind of touching.
So this question of morals is something that has been brought up a few times within the comics - including when Buffy meets Twilight. Is she doing the right thing? Are they really making the world a better place? And even though there are never really any answers given, it's interesting to ponder.
The death featured in this volume also gave me a twisted sense of satisfaction. As if it's saying 'yes, this is still the same show that fearlessly killed off several major characters.' However, it is slightly worrying that one of the few new characters actually introduced in the comic met an end so suddenly, but to be honest I am not complaining too much about that. I genuinely think that the pace of the comics lends itself much more to plot than to character development. So with that in mind, I would rather have interesting plots based around characters we ALREADY know, than have to try and 'get to know' new characters when we are given little to work with.
(On the downside, though, the characters seem to get over the death quite quickly... )
So finally, let's talk about THAT ISSUE. "After These Messages... We'll Be Right Back!" and this issue probably is my favourite issue of the entire season so far, because it seemed to encapsulate what the series was. We go back to high school, and not only is it amazing to just get to enjoy a bit of high school again (Willow being geeky, Cordelia being bitchy, Giles being uptight), it also provides a perfect bit of nostalgia and mourning from Buffy. The scene where Joyce talks to Buffy about her 'bright future', I almost got a lump in my throat. Plus, the whole thing was a pretty awesome way to finally get use from the unsuccessful animated show.
So overall, this is a bit of a mixed bag. I think the character interaction in Time Of Your Life, and the whole presence of After These Messages.. is what brings the overall collection up to a 4 from a 3.
{Read 31/07/14}
After a fairly promising start to Season 8, I think it begins to lose its footing just a little bit here. There are some redeeming points, but let's begin with the negative points.
The first arc, Wolves At The Gate, doesn't sit quite right with me. Xander's post-show backstory with Dracula seems weirdly shoehorned in, and not something I could ever see happening. Following on from that is an arc that introduces... time travelling. And technically Buffy has time travelled before on the show, in her spiritual quests with the First Slayer. But this time we are out-and-out creating a portal so that Buffy goes a couple of hundred years into the future. And yes, once again, the comic books lack of limitations proves to be (for me at least) more of a hindrance than a help. I didn't need out-and-out sci-fi, I was perfectly happy with the mystery-with-occaisonal-sci-fi-tech tone that the show held (and the first 10 issues of Season 8 maintained).
The other thing that got me, most noticeably about the first 2 issues of Time Of Your Life, was the lack of explanations; very vague things happened, and I felt very much like I had just been dropped in the middle of the action. It's like the writers were trying to race through the plot, so they would explain some plot points of circumstances or justifications in just a brief throwaway line. And maybe I need to re-read the season for a third time to fully piece everything back together, because it felt like a very white-knuckle ride with lots of things being thrown at me.
On the good side, however, I did enjoy the conclusion to Time Of Your Life. Once I had adjusted to the future, and it began to focus on the characters again, I found it really engaging in a way that almost rivaled the show. Because here is something that the show did very well - not just providing entertaining story, but incredibly true to life characters on top of that. And I think that is what I have been missing from the comics so far (maybe partly due to the fact that reading words on a page will NEVER be the same as watching real people portraying the characters). But in the latter half of Time Of Your Life, it was focused around the characters and their decisions - and I found the final confrontation between Buffy and the 'Mad Woman' kind of touching.
So this question of morals is something that has been brought up a few times within the comics - including when Buffy meets Twilight. Is she doing the right thing? Are they really making the world a better place? And even though there are never really any answers given, it's interesting to ponder.
The death featured in this volume also gave me a twisted sense of satisfaction. As if it's saying 'yes, this is still the same show that fearlessly killed off several major characters.' However, it is slightly worrying that one of the few new characters actually introduced in the comic met an end so suddenly, but to be honest I am not complaining too much about that. I genuinely think that the pace of the comics lends itself much more to plot than to character development. So with that in mind, I would rather have interesting plots based around characters we ALREADY know, than have to try and 'get to know' new characters when we are given little to work with.
(On the downside, though, the characters seem to get over the death quite quickly... )
So finally, let's talk about THAT ISSUE. "After These Messages... We'll Be Right Back!" and this issue probably is my favourite issue of the entire season so far, because it seemed to encapsulate what the series was. We go back to high school, and not only is it amazing to just get to enjoy a bit of high school again (Willow being geeky, Cordelia being bitchy, Giles being uptight), it also provides a perfect bit of nostalgia and mourning from Buffy. The scene where Joyce talks to Buffy about her 'bright future', I almost got a lump in my throat. Plus, the whole thing was a pretty awesome way to finally get use from the unsuccessful animated show.
So overall, this is a bit of a mixed bag. I think the character interaction in Time Of Your Life, and the whole presence of After These Messages.. is what brings the overall collection up to a 4 from a 3.
{Read 31/07/14}
December 19, 2023
Who thought it's a good idea to let Erin (Mel's sister) and Buffy look so damn similar? Am I the only one who got super confused and thought that in the first scene it's Buffy with Mel hunting the vampires?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2017
Continuing Joss Whedon's canonical Season 8 of his cult hit and critically-acclaimed TV series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", Issues #1-10 (compiled in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8, Volume 1, to which I gave 4 enthusiastic stars) caught us up on all the happenings since the last we heard of our heroes on TV, and introduced Twilight, the latest "big bad". But I did not find the issues collected here in Volume 2 (#11-20) as compelling or as well-structured as I'd hoped. While I'm sure all the new narrative threads will come to bear eventually, here it just feels like a lot of things simultaneously flying out in multiple directions, with very little mention of Twilight himself, but a lot of new, confusing questions unanswered. The result feels a bit scattered and disjointed, with some interesting developments, but an overall weakening of general coherence.
Addendum added after second reading, 22 December 2017: I'm going back and re-reading the entirety of Season 8, after realizing how intense and interlockingly entwined all the aforementioned narrative threads really are. I still (perhaps even more now) don't overly appreciate the entire Dawn subplot(s) across the entire season, and here specifically in Volume 2, I'm not feeling overly warm and fuzzy toward the "After These Messages… We'll Be Right Back!" artistic experiment either, visually cute though it was. However, I do now have much more respect and fondness for the brief Dracula arc, and have also come to see the brilliance and profundity of tackling the implications of the written-long-ago Fray, which is clearly going to have major repercussions for seasons to come. Accepting that full appreciation of Season 8 is turning out to require more than a single reading, I hereby up my rating to…
3.75 stars.
Addendum added after second reading, 22 December 2017: I'm going back and re-reading the entirety of Season 8, after realizing how intense and interlockingly entwined all the aforementioned narrative threads really are. I still (perhaps even more now) don't overly appreciate the entire Dawn subplot(s) across the entire season, and here specifically in Volume 2, I'm not feeling overly warm and fuzzy toward the "After These Messages… We'll Be Right Back!" artistic experiment either, visually cute though it was. However, I do now have much more respect and fondness for the brief Dracula arc, and have also come to see the brilliance and profundity of tackling the implications of the written-long-ago Fray, which is clearly going to have major repercussions for seasons to come. Accepting that full appreciation of Season 8 is turning out to require more than a single reading, I hereby up my rating to…
3.75 stars.
January 21, 2016
Halfway through, and I am not really enjoying season eight so far. The story has a strong feeling of WTF-ness to it, I am really not sure what is going on and what is the main agenda even, the characters feel all over the place and not really themselves, and the storytelling so far is very poor and disjointed, leaving me lost and dissatisfied more than anything. I also get more and more annoyed with the artwork, all the characters look lifeless and motionless and kind of wrong.
That being said, I am still interested in where this is going, and I am definitely not going to quit the series entirely. I really want to get to season ten, as I hear Christos Gage's run is pretty fantastic.
That being said, I am still interested in where this is going, and I am definitely not going to quit the series entirely. I really want to get to season ten, as I hear Christos Gage's run is pretty fantastic.
August 11, 2021
Reread 2021: still great
This was amazing. The library editions of Buffy are some of my favorite graphic novels. The larger size really brings to life the art and story. The issue break art is always super special. Such talented artists and writers work on this and I love it. It wasn't perfect and I want more of an overall arc but the Wolves at the Gate issues were amazing.
This was amazing. The library editions of Buffy are some of my favorite graphic novels. The larger size really brings to life the art and story. The issue break art is always super special. Such talented artists and writers work on this and I love it. It wasn't perfect and I want more of an overall arc but the Wolves at the Gate issues were amazing.
October 13, 2014
Eh. The first volume of Season 8 was really enjoyable, but unfortunately I thought the rest of the series was wacky, and not in a good way. I prefer Georges Jaunty's pencils over Karl Moline in this volume.
July 20, 2015
How good are these comics?!? They even managed to make Dracula into a really cool character and I hated him in the series. Can't wait for my local comicshop to get the third volum of this season!
Am I a Buffy fanboy?? Yes I am!
Am I a Buffy fanboy?? Yes I am!
June 15, 2016
Buffy forever. The contents of this volume are particularly enticing as Buffy and her new crew of slayers take on Tokyo. Also, it is insane that you can buy this huge, full-color beautifully bound volume of comics for under $30.
January 9, 2018
I just love the many ways the comics are progressing the characters and furthering the story, and I'm certainly interested in the rest of this season, and the ones to come.
May 25, 2018
Good. Could be gayer.
November 6, 2018
LOVED the Fray crossover!!
January 27, 2018
I'm still not entirely sure the world needs more of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, especially as the show probably should have ended with Season 5. That being said, its hard to ignore the level of craft in these comics, with plots and dialogue that truly feel like they could have been used on the TV show. The weakest issues here are probably the crossover with Fray, Whedon's future slayer, which feels like fan service and nothing more.
December 20, 2015
Really enjoyed the second volume of Buffy S8! It kind of went off in different directions before bringing us back to the main plot line, but I guess that's what you get when you switch a tv show into comic form.
It hasn't gotten very dark yet, which is nice in some ways, but I am looking forward to seeing what betrayals will ensue and how they will impact our characters (because you can tell they are coming).
I love that they are having writers from the show write the scripts, because it really reads just like an episode of the show would. Because of this, the characters really do come to life (the great art doesn't hurt either).
I particularly liked the mini arc that used the cartoon style from the animated series that never came to fruition. It was fun to go back to her high school days to a time when the storylines were less complicated and before the show's formula changed. Back to when we were dealing with more of a "monster of the week with a big bad through the season" formula.
Anyway, I will definitely continue to make my way through these volumes. So glad the show lives on through these comics!
It hasn't gotten very dark yet, which is nice in some ways, but I am looking forward to seeing what betrayals will ensue and how they will impact our characters (because you can tell they are coming).
I love that they are having writers from the show write the scripts, because it really reads just like an episode of the show would. Because of this, the characters really do come to life (the great art doesn't hurt either).
I particularly liked the mini arc that used the cartoon style from the animated series that never came to fruition. It was fun to go back to her high school days to a time when the storylines were less complicated and before the show's formula changed. Back to when we were dealing with more of a "monster of the week with a big bad through the season" formula.
Anyway, I will definitely continue to make my way through these volumes. So glad the show lives on through these comics!
November 8, 2014
I finished everything except the little notes at the end (which i'm savin for tomorrow), so I'm counting this as finishing.. since I did finish all the story in volume 2. I really liked this. I think in some ways I liked volume 1 more, but that might just be because Faith's story was in it, idk! I liked almost all of what happened in this volume and almost all of the art. And again, I thought the voices of the characters were very consistent. below will have some spoilers
i am too tired to write much more but basically yes, v good.
Overall, I really love these comics. I'm not sure how someone who dislikes comics or isn't used to them would feel about them, but as someone who both loves BtVS and enjoys comics, extending the series this way is perfection imo.
i am too tired to write much more but basically yes, v good.
Overall, I really love these comics. I'm not sure how someone who dislikes comics or isn't used to them would feel about them, but as someone who both loves BtVS and enjoys comics, extending the series this way is perfection imo.
May 1, 2016
I didn't enjoy this one as much overall. I bumped up to 4 stars because I did love the Tokyo vampire story... Mainly due to Dracula! I love what the show did with Dracula and the continuation of his relationship with Xander.
I did not like the other arc that had Buffy transported to a future dystopia. I always hate that story anyway, and yeah it was pointless in the end since she obviously got back home. Duh.
The Twilight thing still rumbles on in the background, and still no idea what's gong on with Dawn...
The Willow one-shot was OK.. I feel like it ended before it got really interesting though.
The art varies but is generally very good. The one I have trouble with is Buffy who sometimes is hard to distinguish from other blonde slayers, or Fray's blonde ponytailed sister. There was also a Big Reveal of some guy from Buffy's which was lost on me because I couldn't work out who it was meant to be... I think it's most likely Riley from the army green tank top! (Could easily be Angel but the outfit didn't match lol)
I did not like the other arc that had Buffy transported to a future dystopia. I always hate that story anyway, and yeah it was pointless in the end since she obviously got back home. Duh.
The Twilight thing still rumbles on in the background, and still no idea what's gong on with Dawn...
The Willow one-shot was OK.. I feel like it ended before it got really interesting though.
The art varies but is generally very good. The one I have trouble with is Buffy who sometimes is hard to distinguish from other blonde slayers, or Fray's blonde ponytailed sister. There was also a Big Reveal of some guy from Buffy's which was lost on me because I couldn't work out who it was meant to be... I think it's most likely Riley from the army green tank top! (Could easily be Angel but the outfit didn't match lol)
May 25, 2013
I loved Buffy. The comic book continuation does not disappoint. The show translates to comic book pages beautifully - the characters continue to speak in their trademark Buffy language, there are new characters that fit into the Buffyverse seamlessly, Andrew Wells has a bigger role (!!!). One of my favorite things about Buffy - it's inclusion of queer characters and having storylines about things OTHER than their sexuality continues to prevail.
The one thing I didn't like about this volume was about halfway through, the artist changed, and I just felt like this artist drew the girls sexier than I would've liked. I mean, Buffy is not female objectification. I was a little iffy on the Fray plotline too, but the comics are so worth reading, if you're into Buffy.
December 28, 2015
2.5 • in a nutshell, season 8 was a clusterfuck. The story went all over the place and the artwork, though mostly gorgeous, could be confusing. At many points I could not tell who was who (Andrew? Riley? Oz?) I get that Whedon & Co were happy to explore storylines and locations they would otherwise be unable to do on the show due to budget restraints but waaaay too much changed in the Buffyverse from the end of S07 to the start of the comics. I am glad all of this was acknowledged in the afterword because I legit thought I was just dumb or being too harsh. I've already started season 9 and it's already way better in terms of story, character development, and artwork.
February 6, 2015
I absolutely loved this volume! It included the return of Dracula, a future Slayer, and a comic based on the cartoon pilot video. It also featured Buffy having lesbian encounter! I loved everyone's reactions to said encounter. I also loved the relationship between Xander and Dracula. I was happy to see an issue that expanded upon the short pilot for the Buffy cartoon. I hope we get more issues like it in future volumes.
October 5, 2012
I gave this four stars for a few reasons; good reasons being that the dialogue is so very Whedon, and the artwork is amazing. However, I found it difficult to see where Whedon was taking the Buffy characters;I was shocked and not entirely pleased with some of the new turns taken, especially by Buffy. I won't spoil anything for future readers, and it is worth the time if you loved the show. Just beware the bizarre.
December 26, 2012
Yeah - I finally caught up with all those Buffy comics I bought years ago and never read. It was so nice of Joss to publish these in 2 volumes. I'm thinking of selling my comics and using the money to buy these bound volumes instead. The storylines here were a little jumpy, but some of the artwork was AMAZING.
SPOILER ALERT:
I don't like the Buffy/Willow outcome, but it wouldn't be Joss without some kind of bodycount (sorry Renee).
SPOILER ALERT:
I don't like the Buffy/Willow outcome, but it wouldn't be Joss without some kind of bodycount (sorry Renee).
August 11, 2013
I'm a big fan of Joss Whedon, and although I came to Buffy late, it seemed a natural extension to read the graphic Season 8. I wasn't disappointed. The story was good, and it certainly allows a lot more creativity than the small screen permits. The artwork ranges from good to fantastic. The format of the library editions really showcases the art. I'd like to see other graphic novels try this format.
April 11, 2014
It feels strange to be reading this rather than watching it. That said, all your favorite characters are here. The dialogue retains that certain Buffy flavor. Quite a lot of this would have been unachievable on a TV budget anyway. Not sure why I should take these storylines any more seriously than the average Buffy GN simply because they're labeled "Season 8" but it's certainly enjoyable stuff.
July 26, 2014
*contains SPOILERS* I really loved this one. I was going to give it a 4 but there's an amazing comic style section where they go back to sunnydale via a dream Buffy has where she's back in school with the Scooby gang and Cordelia, Giles, angel, Joyce, even Snyder are all back. It made me very happy! As for the regular storylines there's a whole gigantic dawn/Godzilla Japan moment that's rather excellent and lots of great fight scenes. Love!
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