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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8 #5-6
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Staffel 8 Höllenschlund-Edition: Bd. 3
Und weiter geht es mit der Jägerin, Buffy Summers und ihrer Gang, als Deluxe-Neuauflage! Harmony war die perfekte Highschool-Tussi: Plüsch, Shoppen, Jungs und der Traum von der High Society, das war ihr Leben an Buffys Schule in Sunnydale. Dann war sie tot … also untot. Und als Vampirin „lebt“ Harmony ihren Traum in vollen Zügen: Plüsch, Shoppen, Jungs, sogar ihre eigene TV-Show … und Blut!
Diese Jägerin ist deluxe!
Diese Jägerin ist deluxe!
288 pages, Hardcover
First published December 12, 2012
8 people are currently reading
873 people want to read
About the author
Jane Espenson
61 books123 followersJane Espenson is an American television writer and producer who has worked on both situation comedies and serial dramas. She had a five-year stint as a writer and producer on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and shared a Hugo Award for her writing on Conversations with Dead People. Between 2009-2010 she served on Caprica, as co-executive and executive producer for the series. In 2010 she wrote an episode of HBO's A Game of Thrones, and joined the writing staff for Series 4 of Torchwood, which will air on Starz in the US and the BBC in the UK in 2011. She will be co-writing the pilot episode for the US remake of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
May 7, 2023
Another fantastic volume! I am so glad I found this graphic novel series! It’s a perfect “season 8” of the show! I’ll be moving on to the fourth (and final) volume soon!
June 19, 2013
I've shelved this as a naffic-grovel but it isn't really; it's a collection of comics. Which is one reason why I am not all that keen; it's too episodic - not structured much like a novel at all. Bits of it stand out as really good, other bits fade quickly from memory. The best bits seem to have been written by Jane Espenson, who, whilst not being a legend, like Joss Whedon, has contributed to numerous SF/fantasy/supernatural TV shows as a writer and for me stands out as the best Buffy writer there was who wasn't called Joss. She seems to have remembered what everybody else (including Joss) has forgotten in the transfer away from TV to comic; Buffy was a show about a family with fairly normal problems...plus demons and demon fighters and bad guys who were funny. The epic scale open to people who can draw anything they want instead of having to film it is actually a distraction. Guns are getting more prevalent; they were a rarity in the TV show and always used with care aforethought. Here we have a pitched battle with tanks, torpedoes and AK47s. Hardly feels like Buffy at all.
Another problem I have with the transfer to comics is that it is quite difficult to tell which character is which sometimes. Xander is pretty distinctive with his eye patch but the ever increasing number of Slayers get harder and harder to differentiate which makes what relationship based story-lines there are harder to follow. And is it really about Buffy anymore? Seems like she is barely even first among equals here.
That said, I will see out Season 8 and complete my set of these four Library Editions, which are gorgeous, with their larger format, hard covers and bonus material in the back, before deciding whether to bail and read Dollhouse instead...although the magic bomb at the end of Season 2 of that still bugs me...
Another problem I have with the transfer to comics is that it is quite difficult to tell which character is which sometimes. Xander is pretty distinctive with his eye patch but the ever increasing number of Slayers get harder and harder to differentiate which makes what relationship based story-lines there are harder to follow. And is it really about Buffy anymore? Seems like she is barely even first among equals here.
That said, I will see out Season 8 and complete my set of these four Library Editions, which are gorgeous, with their larger format, hard covers and bonus material in the back, before deciding whether to bail and read Dollhouse instead...although the magic bomb at the end of Season 2 of that still bugs me...
March 23, 2022
The first half of Season 8 is pretty solid, but this collection marks the start of the second half of the story spiraling out of control. The five standalone issues are all just okay, and then the Retreat arc leaves something to be desired. It’s great to see Oz again, and there’s a few good character moments, but I can’t buy into the crazy plot lines here like I did with the first half of the season. Some really weird elements were introduced in this one, like people hating slayers but loving vampires, and I could have possibly believed those developments, but it feels like they weren’t natural to the flow of the narrative. And if memory serves right, Season 8 only gets crazier from here... This volume is an entertaining read — and it’s interesting, if also weird and all over the place — but it’s a step down from the previous collections. 4/5 stars
December 31, 2017
Oh, dear. Well, this stretch of Buffy Season 8 has taken a big downward turn for me.
To begin with, it's starting to feel too much like the "throw in everything including the kitchen sink" approach; i.e. just because you can include every character and plot reference that's ever appeared on the show, doesn't mean you should. And then there is the entire convolution of the slayer mythos and logic – if you thought you sort of had a vague understanding of it by the close of Buffy's TV run, by the end of Issue 30, you'll have no idea what the hell any of it supposedly means anymore.
As a practicing Tibetan Buddhist, I didn't love the extreme mischaracterization – to the point of utter fictionalizing, except without changing names – of, well, pretty much everything about it. The writers seemingly went out of their way to mention Bön, the indigenous religion of Tibet that mostly got subsumed when Buddhism entered the picture in the 10th century but left its signature across much of Tibetan Buddhism's character going into the future. So they could have easily made up something about an ancient evil offshoot of it, inventing the subsequently-appearing demons out of whole cloth instead of appropriating totally benevolent concepts and turning them into Big Bads. But worst of all, they totally misrepresented the most fundamental teachings of Buddhist meditation, presenting it as actual sage wisdom. They did just enough research to borrow scary-sounding names and imagery, made up a bunch of woo to go with it, and presented it as real-world Tibetan Buddhism. Hello! This is people's actual religion here!
And finally, interspersing the Harmony storyline (and the vampire cat plushies) in with the really heavy main plot was distracting and emotionally imbalanced. It would have been better had they all been grouped together (probably at the beginning). In a similar vein, the representation of the general resources and state of readiness of the slayers is totally at internal odds with itself; it's not overly convincing to portray them as being helpless and understaffed while simultaneously giving them control of a military submarine. So much is in conflict through these 10 issues, both logically as well as tonally.
Sad to see Season 8 get so scattered, overstuffed, and messy after such a promising start.
To begin with, it's starting to feel too much like the "throw in everything including the kitchen sink" approach; i.e. just because you can include every character and plot reference that's ever appeared on the show, doesn't mean you should. And then there is the entire convolution of the slayer mythos and logic – if you thought you sort of had a vague understanding of it by the close of Buffy's TV run, by the end of Issue 30, you'll have no idea what the hell any of it supposedly means anymore.
As a practicing Tibetan Buddhist, I didn't love the extreme mischaracterization – to the point of utter fictionalizing, except without changing names – of, well, pretty much everything about it. The writers seemingly went out of their way to mention Bön, the indigenous religion of Tibet that mostly got subsumed when Buddhism entered the picture in the 10th century but left its signature across much of Tibetan Buddhism's character going into the future. So they could have easily made up something about an ancient evil offshoot of it, inventing the subsequently-appearing demons out of whole cloth instead of appropriating totally benevolent concepts and turning them into Big Bads. But worst of all, they totally misrepresented the most fundamental teachings of Buddhist meditation, presenting it as actual sage wisdom. They did just enough research to borrow scary-sounding names and imagery, made up a bunch of woo to go with it, and presented it as real-world Tibetan Buddhism. Hello! This is people's actual religion here!
And finally, interspersing the Harmony storyline (and the vampire cat plushies) in with the really heavy main plot was distracting and emotionally imbalanced. It would have been better had they all been grouped together (probably at the beginning). In a similar vein, the representation of the general resources and state of readiness of the slayers is totally at internal odds with itself; it's not overly convincing to portray them as being helpless and understaffed while simultaneously giving them control of a military submarine. So much is in conflict through these 10 issues, both logically as well as tonally.
Sad to see Season 8 get so scattered, overstuffed, and messy after such a promising start.
April 22, 2018
At times it feels like this is just rehashing the same emotional stakes from seasons past (for example, Dawn and Buffy sister distance issues), and the villain seems comical and not really invested in combatting Buffy at this point, so I’m not sure what the stakes really are. That said, still really nice to explore postTV Buffy stories.
April 22, 2018
The lifelong wait is over, . I waited every season for him to come back and after all this time!! He's back!! My second love, after Spike!!
August 2, 2014
Season 8 still manages to not be quite as pleasing as the show, but this time I think it was a combination of storytelling devices and plot points that just combined to leave it stuck at the 3 star mark.
To start with, the first half of this volume is all standalone stories, and some of them are slightly ridiculous. Harmony gets a reality television show... It rubs me the wrong way immediately when vampires are suddenly in the public consciousness, and being paraded as the 'good guys'. I can get on board with the Slayers being presented as evil in the previous volume. I could even get on board with vampires being public knowledge, if it is handled in the right way. But I don't think it is here. The comics seem to shrug it off as part of their light-hearted handling of Harmony's character, but that doesn't feel like the same atmosphere that the show had. Sure, it poked fun at Sunnydale residents being mildly aware, or perhaps not being aware enough, of what goes on in their town. But when it came down to it, it was fairly serious, and vampires weren't seen as the good guys.
Following on from that is a story about a killer cuddly toy. I can't decide whether it's so ridiculous that it is cute, or if it is just ridiculous.
Then we have standalone stories featuring Buffy & Andrew, and Giles & Faith, and while individually these are okay, as part of 5 standalone stories that are barely connected to the main arc, they get a little bit tedious. Maybe this is just a problem with serialised comics - knowing that it is serialised, I am happy to read a big story quickly, but then the standalone issues irk me. If I were just reading the comics as a series of standalones (like the original run of Buffy comics) these would just be seen as cute little miniature Buffy-tales. But as it is, I'm judging it within the context of Season 8, and that is where they fall flat.
Living Doll, however, is quite a nice conclusion to the Dawn storyline, even if her thricewise didn't look particularly terrifying at all.
Retreat is the major storyline here,and I'm not sure how I feel about this one either. It is nice to see the return of Oz, and I actually like what they have done with his character since leaving the show. I feel like it fits him. Generally most of this issue was nice and enjoyable, mostly because I felt like it was believable. The ending was slightly odd, though, and it wasn't until I read the bonus material of Georges Jeanty's sketch notes that I realised what it was meant to represent.
Let's ignore the fact that there was more silly business with Harmony in the end. Those stories really do not need to exist, and I will continue in my headcanon believing that the world is not aware of the existence of vampires.
I am interested to (re)read the final volume of Season 8, because so far I have enjoyed it a lot more than I did the first time around (and the problems with this issue I think WERE more storytelling medium issues, rather than actual plot issues).
{read 01/08/14-02/08/14}
To start with, the first half of this volume is all standalone stories, and some of them are slightly ridiculous. Harmony gets a reality television show... It rubs me the wrong way immediately when vampires are suddenly in the public consciousness, and being paraded as the 'good guys'. I can get on board with the Slayers being presented as evil in the previous volume. I could even get on board with vampires being public knowledge, if it is handled in the right way. But I don't think it is here. The comics seem to shrug it off as part of their light-hearted handling of Harmony's character, but that doesn't feel like the same atmosphere that the show had. Sure, it poked fun at Sunnydale residents being mildly aware, or perhaps not being aware enough, of what goes on in their town. But when it came down to it, it was fairly serious, and vampires weren't seen as the good guys.
Following on from that is a story about a killer cuddly toy. I can't decide whether it's so ridiculous that it is cute, or if it is just ridiculous.
Then we have standalone stories featuring Buffy & Andrew, and Giles & Faith, and while individually these are okay, as part of 5 standalone stories that are barely connected to the main arc, they get a little bit tedious. Maybe this is just a problem with serialised comics - knowing that it is serialised, I am happy to read a big story quickly, but then the standalone issues irk me. If I were just reading the comics as a series of standalones (like the original run of Buffy comics) these would just be seen as cute little miniature Buffy-tales. But as it is, I'm judging it within the context of Season 8, and that is where they fall flat.
Living Doll, however, is quite a nice conclusion to the Dawn storyline, even if her thricewise didn't look particularly terrifying at all.
Retreat is the major storyline here,and I'm not sure how I feel about this one either. It is nice to see the return of Oz, and I actually like what they have done with his character since leaving the show. I feel like it fits him. Generally most of this issue was nice and enjoyable, mostly because I felt like it was believable. The ending was slightly odd, though, and it wasn't until I read the bonus material of Georges Jeanty's sketch notes that I realised what it was meant to represent.
Let's ignore the fact that there was more silly business with Harmony in the end. Those stories really do not need to exist, and I will continue in my headcanon believing that the world is not aware of the existence of vampires.
I am interested to (re)read the final volume of Season 8, because so far I have enjoyed it a lot more than I did the first time around (and the problems with this issue I think WERE more storytelling medium issues, rather than actual plot issues).
{read 01/08/14-02/08/14}
November 19, 2015
Okay. Unpopular fannish opinions again.
I'd stopped reading the Buffy Season 8 comics some time ago, when the quality took a rather dramatic nose dive. But, resolved to finish it out, I've dived back in.
But ye gods, this was awful. The Jane Espensen bits are okay. But on the whole, this is an utter turkey. Story elements appear from nowhere, get halfheartedly examined, then ditched. Character motivations are not even remotely explained. Characters appear randomly from nowhere, then disappear again. What little story there is is dragged out painfully.
Honestly I'm shocked it's rated so highly.
And the art! Ye gods the artwork. I frequently needed a line of dialogue to appear to let me know who was supposed to be who. Oz? Really? That was Oz? I thought it was Andrew? Or was that Riley? Maybe it's supposed to be Spike? And when Buffy rescues... somebody? And thankfully a few panels later that somebody is referred to as Riley, so it's like, okay, that was supposed to be Riley.
I get that doing likenesses of actors in comics is hard. But these portrayals are so random, and the likenesses so bad, that I frequently couldn't follow the story because I didn't know if that was Buffy that was just picked up, or some other random blonde slayer.
Awful. Just awful. I proudly join the 4 other curmudgeons who rated this 1 star.
I'd stopped reading the Buffy Season 8 comics some time ago, when the quality took a rather dramatic nose dive. But, resolved to finish it out, I've dived back in.
But ye gods, this was awful. The Jane Espensen bits are okay. But on the whole, this is an utter turkey. Story elements appear from nowhere, get halfheartedly examined, then ditched. Character motivations are not even remotely explained. Characters appear randomly from nowhere, then disappear again. What little story there is is dragged out painfully.
Honestly I'm shocked it's rated so highly.
And the art! Ye gods the artwork. I frequently needed a line of dialogue to appear to let me know who was supposed to be who. Oz? Really? That was Oz? I thought it was Andrew? Or was that Riley? Maybe it's supposed to be Spike? And when Buffy rescues... somebody? And thankfully a few panels later that somebody is referred to as Riley, so it's like, okay, that was supposed to be Riley.
I get that doing likenesses of actors in comics is hard. But these portrayals are so random, and the likenesses so bad, that I frequently couldn't follow the story because I didn't know if that was Buffy that was just picked up, or some other random blonde slayer.
Awful. Just awful. I proudly join the 4 other curmudgeons who rated this 1 star.
September 1, 2016
You can't help but love it, but this plot is seriously holey and filled with a lot of nonsense that seems like it was made up on the spot and quickly forgotten.
People come on and off the scene for no good reason, character motivations are tenuous at best and completely off-the-wall at worst, and there are so many different things happening with different characters that nothing has any impact.
The deal with magic makes no sense. The army battle makes no sense. The villains' motivations make no sense (though Amy's never did, even in the show.) It's all just weak.
Bonus star for vampire Hello Kitty plushies.
People come on and off the scene for no good reason, character motivations are tenuous at best and completely off-the-wall at worst, and there are so many different things happening with different characters that nothing has any impact.
The deal with magic makes no sense. The army battle makes no sense. The villains' motivations make no sense (though Amy's never did, even in the show.) It's all just weak.
Bonus star for vampire Hello Kitty plushies.
June 11, 2018
Unbelievably bad. The magic metaphor keeps getting more incoherent, the Xander/Dawn thing is creepy as hell, and they absolutely wasted the Willow-Oz reunion. Will have to try hard to work up the motivation to finish season 8.
September 16, 2019
You're sloshing your dumpling.
May 6, 2017
I breezed through Volumes 3 and 4 quickly last night, so points for the overall Buffy v. Twilight story arc for keeping me up at night. I expressed the basic plot points to my husband and honestly if you tell a fellow Buffy fan what's going on in the comics, there's a good chance they're going to say either "Buh?" or make a snorting noise, because it sounds goofy as hell.
Volumes 1 and 2 indicate that Buffy funds her Slayer army of fierce warrior women by robbing European banks, which is no longer touched upon and there are no consequences whatsoever. TV Buffy's ideals and morals don't mesh with Season 8 comic Buffy, but I guess if there's no Watcher's Council and no govt aid, how else is she going to fund the armories and all the Slayer group breakfasts? I guess Joss really wanted dramatic European and Asian backdrops and there's NO way you can do that without crime. Means to an end, I guess.
Anyway! I was glad to see Oz again, and I like that Willow has conflicting-weird-jealous feelings regarding the fact that he's got a family and lives peacefully in Tibet. One big issue throughout the show and the comics is bisexual erasure. Every character is either gay or they're not. There are no transgender folks, gender fluid, asexual, aromatic, nope nada peeps. I know that imagination doesn't run out, so if you can imagine that Buffy's sister, Dawn, was changed into a giant, a centaur, and a wee doll because of a curse from a demonic college boyfriend, then I bet you could also imagine that a few characters are bisexual. One minor romantic subplot that ends quickly in Volumes 1 and 2 is Buffy's brief tryst with another slayer, Satsu. Satsu awakens Buffy from a magical coma with true love's kiss, and that ought to have some weight to it, right? Eh, not so much. They have sex twice, then it's business as usual with everyone telling Satsu, "You're gay and Buffy's not. Stop this." Um...K. Is that how sexuality works in the Whedon universe? Going back to Willow, she explains she's jealous because Oz has a family and he's "normal" and acts like he betrayed her for leaving. There's nothing wrong with acknowledging that there's one last lingering mushy feeling for Oz, even though she's devoted to Kennedy, the bratty Slayer everyone loved to despise on the TV show. And I think it's lovely that Willow discovered who she loves romantically and sexually, but everything doesn't have to be gay/not gay. It's so silly!
Every once in a while, you will get confused as to whether you're looking at Andrew, Oz, or sometimes even Giles, but good grief these library edition covers with the hyper realistic likenesses are fabulous! Returning back to romantic pairings and mixing in some art style, I think the real reason I'm uncomfortable with the eventual pairing of Xander and Dawn is 1) they're relationship felt very older brother/kid sister or cool uncle/annoying niece throughout the show and the comics, plus the art style doesn't help because Michelle Trachtenberg has a beautifully youthful face so her Dawn comic representation looks even younger despite a small age difference between Xander and Dawn (what is it, 5 years difference?). So the age difference isn't a bad thing and the pairing isn't super out of the question, but it does feel like a pairing of convenience. Dawn has made nice with her demon ex, Xander's previous love interest was killed by a vampire (typical), and Buffy's about to get sexy with Angel again, so they HAVE to be with each other! I guess?
This was fun.
Volumes 1 and 2 indicate that Buffy funds her Slayer army of fierce warrior women by robbing European banks, which is no longer touched upon and there are no consequences whatsoever. TV Buffy's ideals and morals don't mesh with Season 8 comic Buffy, but I guess if there's no Watcher's Council and no govt aid, how else is she going to fund the armories and all the Slayer group breakfasts? I guess Joss really wanted dramatic European and Asian backdrops and there's NO way you can do that without crime. Means to an end, I guess.
Anyway! I was glad to see Oz again, and I like that Willow has conflicting-weird-jealous feelings regarding the fact that he's got a family and lives peacefully in Tibet. One big issue throughout the show and the comics is bisexual erasure. Every character is either gay or they're not. There are no transgender folks, gender fluid, asexual, aromatic, nope nada peeps. I know that imagination doesn't run out, so if you can imagine that Buffy's sister, Dawn, was changed into a giant, a centaur, and a wee doll because of a curse from a demonic college boyfriend, then I bet you could also imagine that a few characters are bisexual. One minor romantic subplot that ends quickly in Volumes 1 and 2 is Buffy's brief tryst with another slayer, Satsu. Satsu awakens Buffy from a magical coma with true love's kiss, and that ought to have some weight to it, right? Eh, not so much. They have sex twice, then it's business as usual with everyone telling Satsu, "You're gay and Buffy's not. Stop this." Um...K. Is that how sexuality works in the Whedon universe? Going back to Willow, she explains she's jealous because Oz has a family and he's "normal" and acts like he betrayed her for leaving. There's nothing wrong with acknowledging that there's one last lingering mushy feeling for Oz, even though she's devoted to Kennedy, the bratty Slayer everyone loved to despise on the TV show. And I think it's lovely that Willow discovered who she loves romantically and sexually, but everything doesn't have to be gay/not gay. It's so silly!
Every once in a while, you will get confused as to whether you're looking at Andrew, Oz, or sometimes even Giles, but good grief these library edition covers with the hyper realistic likenesses are fabulous! Returning back to romantic pairings and mixing in some art style, I think the real reason I'm uncomfortable with the eventual pairing of Xander and Dawn is 1) they're relationship felt very older brother/kid sister or cool uncle/annoying niece throughout the show and the comics, plus the art style doesn't help because Michelle Trachtenberg has a beautifully youthful face so her Dawn comic representation looks even younger despite a small age difference between Xander and Dawn (what is it, 5 years difference?). So the age difference isn't a bad thing and the pairing isn't super out of the question, but it does feel like a pairing of convenience. Dawn has made nice with her demon ex, Xander's previous love interest was killed by a vampire (typical), and Buffy's about to get sexy with Angel again, so they HAVE to be with each other! I guess?
This was fun.
May 19, 2020
Harmonic divergence
Harmony’s reintroduction to the Buffyverse is all sorts of perfect (and accurate for the time it was written) having acclaimed writer Jane Espenson on board Harmony’s dialogue is perfect and really in the tone of the show. This is another example of writers that know these characters so well bringing them across to the comics with ease.
Swell
Another mini story which sees Kennedy teaming up with Satsu to defeat an army of cutesy vampire bear plushies (cause, comics). It also sees Kennedy telling Satsu that Buffy isn’t gay and that she needs to move. The story is a bit silly but the reveal that Twilight is behind the attack furthers adds the element of danger Twilight is bringing. Harmony also continues to shape the outside narrative the public has regarding slayers. I absolutely do think were vampires ever revealed to be real there would be countless people defending them and their actions!
Predators & Prey
This is a neat story that sees Buffy teaming up with Andrew(!) to hunt down rogue slayer Simone. Simone is a interesting take on what people would do with power etc. I like she’s framed as someone that doesn’t want to play by the rules ala Faith but instead of being a Faith clone she’s moreso dangerous because she’s coming from a place of arrogance/ anger as opposed to Faith’s more tragic backstory. Drew Z Greenberg being a writer for the show really adds to the characters reading like they’d sound on the show.
Safe
Another Faith/ Giles team up is always welcomed! This story sees Faith and Giles stumble across a new slayer heading to a town for slayers that ‘don’t want to be chosen’ but is it too good to be true? Is there a reason the vampires stay out of this town? Needless to say it’s an enjoyable issue which reinforces the tandem of Faith/ Giles.
Living doll
This is a Dawn specific issue which now sees her turned in to a living doll! Andrew is sent under cover to check out Kenny the Thricewise, which goes as well as you’d imagine.
Retreat
Oz! Oz is back! I loved seeing Oz interact with the Scoobies this long after his last appearance in the show. Seeing him talk with Willow was a particular highlight. This story sees Buffy and Willow relinquishing their powers back to the earth in order to stay safe from Twilight, whom has upped their attacks significantly. It’s an epic in scale and a tight story that ends with a bit of a cliffhanger.
Harmony bites/ Harmony comes to the nation/Harm magazine feature
These were neat little additions which fleshed out what Harmony has been up too since the show ended. Harmony and Clem being friends? Sold!
Vampy cat play friend
A fun extra tale to round a good collection!
Harmony’s reintroduction to the Buffyverse is all sorts of perfect (and accurate for the time it was written) having acclaimed writer Jane Espenson on board Harmony’s dialogue is perfect and really in the tone of the show. This is another example of writers that know these characters so well bringing them across to the comics with ease.
Swell
Another mini story which sees Kennedy teaming up with Satsu to defeat an army of cutesy vampire bear plushies (cause, comics). It also sees Kennedy telling Satsu that Buffy isn’t gay and that she needs to move. The story is a bit silly but the reveal that Twilight is behind the attack furthers adds the element of danger Twilight is bringing. Harmony also continues to shape the outside narrative the public has regarding slayers. I absolutely do think were vampires ever revealed to be real there would be countless people defending them and their actions!
Predators & Prey
This is a neat story that sees Buffy teaming up with Andrew(!) to hunt down rogue slayer Simone. Simone is a interesting take on what people would do with power etc. I like she’s framed as someone that doesn’t want to play by the rules ala Faith but instead of being a Faith clone she’s moreso dangerous because she’s coming from a place of arrogance/ anger as opposed to Faith’s more tragic backstory. Drew Z Greenberg being a writer for the show really adds to the characters reading like they’d sound on the show.
Safe
Another Faith/ Giles team up is always welcomed! This story sees Faith and Giles stumble across a new slayer heading to a town for slayers that ‘don’t want to be chosen’ but is it too good to be true? Is there a reason the vampires stay out of this town? Needless to say it’s an enjoyable issue which reinforces the tandem of Faith/ Giles.
Living doll
This is a Dawn specific issue which now sees her turned in to a living doll! Andrew is sent under cover to check out Kenny the Thricewise, which goes as well as you’d imagine.
Retreat
Oz! Oz is back! I loved seeing Oz interact with the Scoobies this long after his last appearance in the show. Seeing him talk with Willow was a particular highlight. This story sees Buffy and Willow relinquishing their powers back to the earth in order to stay safe from Twilight, whom has upped their attacks significantly. It’s an epic in scale and a tight story that ends with a bit of a cliffhanger.
Harmony bites/ Harmony comes to the nation/Harm magazine feature
These were neat little additions which fleshed out what Harmony has been up too since the show ended. Harmony and Clem being friends? Sold!
Vampy cat play friend
A fun extra tale to round a good collection!
April 29, 2023
Why?
This is the question I’m asking myself after every season 8 story arc.
Why is Harmony given a completely isolated story arc that doesn’t interact with any of the other characters or the main plot?
Why is Willow on a quest? Is it to get the bottom of her addiction to power? Is it to gather more power or become more magically effective? And why do we keep throwing Tara at every Willow storyline? The authors playing the heartstrings is getting old.
Whose idea was it to shove Dawn and Xander into a romance? Was it the same person that decided to get Conner and Cordelia together? 🤮
What was the point of reintroducing Oz if there is zero catharsis?
How did Riley even get back into the mix? He’s casually reintroduced and then does literally nothing meaningful.
What is Buffy’s side romance with Satsu supposed to be conveying? Considering the sheer number of storylines why did we waste so many pages and ink on something that never went anywhere?
The only interesting, well-paced storyline so far has been Buffy time traveling to meet future Willow.
My frustration is that the graphic novel format is already limited in terms of storytelling. We can’t have multiple intersecting arcs that make sense because there isn’t enough literal space to develop the stories. These mostly read like the authors ran out of time and money.
Still gonna keep reading because why not?
This is the question I’m asking myself after every season 8 story arc.
Why is Harmony given a completely isolated story arc that doesn’t interact with any of the other characters or the main plot?
Why is Willow on a quest? Is it to get the bottom of her addiction to power? Is it to gather more power or become more magically effective? And why do we keep throwing Tara at every Willow storyline? The authors playing the heartstrings is getting old.
Whose idea was it to shove Dawn and Xander into a romance? Was it the same person that decided to get Conner and Cordelia together? 🤮
What was the point of reintroducing Oz if there is zero catharsis?
How did Riley even get back into the mix? He’s casually reintroduced and then does literally nothing meaningful.
What is Buffy’s side romance with Satsu supposed to be conveying? Considering the sheer number of storylines why did we waste so many pages and ink on something that never went anywhere?
The only interesting, well-paced storyline so far has been Buffy time traveling to meet future Willow.
My frustration is that the graphic novel format is already limited in terms of storytelling. We can’t have multiple intersecting arcs that make sense because there isn’t enough literal space to develop the stories. These mostly read like the authors ran out of time and money.
Still gonna keep reading because why not?
July 10, 2023
I’ve been rewatching Buffy lately as a comfort watch so reminded myself to finish the season 8 comics I have.
Illustrations as always a great and have stunning realistic art to match each volume.
The story fell a bit flat in this particular one and wasn’t as funny as the other ones have been which for any fans of the show is the charm amongst the action. My biggest omg moment was Xander and Dawn smooching and being caught by Buffy! I do not approve of that particular ship 😩
Still it’s always fun to see what the Scooby gang are up to, especially with this one going proper old school with bringing Oz back into the story.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Illustrations as always a great and have stunning realistic art to match each volume.
The story fell a bit flat in this particular one and wasn’t as funny as the other ones have been which for any fans of the show is the charm amongst the action. My biggest omg moment was Xander and Dawn smooching and being caught by Buffy! I do not approve of that particular ship 😩
Still it’s always fun to see what the Scooby gang are up to, especially with this one going proper old school with bringing Oz back into the story.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
January 7, 2018
I've very much enjoyed Buffy season 8, like a lot. I am currently reading the last Volume as we speak, I still find this one weak. Not as weak as Tokyo, god that was troublesome, but weak. There's a whole section that I literally had to flip a few pages ahead just to make sure something going to happen. I have heard Season 9 is shorter and I'm thankful for this. Season 8, just seemed to be dragging on. Well until the jaw-dropping end! That was so good I bought the next volume on the spot. Still love Buffy and thankful for these ad-on's.
November 24, 2022
Reading this a chapter, book, issue, episode at a time and writing it up, makes for kind of a different experience. It kind of gives a moment to consider. But I'm not sure it adds all that much. That said this was a pretty good story arc, a pretty good book - but I'm not sure it makes completely sense. Clearly not everything has been revealed just yet. But it was fun and readable though perhaps not with a lot of deep truths. 3.5 of 5.
June 12, 2017
This was a hard volume to rate. On the one hand--Jane Espenson! Cute, inventive stand-alone stories! On the other hand, a five-part war story (guns, tanks, lack of magic)--bleah! So, as much as it pains me, gotta split the difference and give it a 3-star for the Buffy universe. Still enough pleasure to be a 5-star in any other universe.
December 26, 2017
I didn't enjoy this volume QUITE as much as the previous two. Even though there was mostly awesomeness, there were a few bits that felt strange and unnecessary and sort of seemed to have been made up in haste. I didn't understand some of the turns the story took, some things just kind of felt like fillers. Having said that, still a solid and entertaining addition to the Buffyverse.
April 22, 2018
I can’t say I didn’t enjoy myself reading these but I also can’t say I liked it. So much was going on and so much of it ridiculous. ‘‘Twas fun to revisit some of my favorite characters but this just got weird. And not fun Buffy weird, just weird.
April 14, 2018
Both the art and the story kind of got a bit weak in this one. Still fun, but not as good.
December 24, 2018
Can't make it 5 stars when they're making such dubious romantic choices...
December 1, 2021
This volume was a bit like everything was just being staled.....
January 23, 2022
This arch was slower than the previous 2, working to set up the end of the "season." I like the incorporation of former characters, and the on-going character growth / development.
January 26, 2023
Too many one-off stories and the only over-arcing story is a bit over-the-top for me.
February 25, 2023
giving this 4 stars solely for harmony. all the buffy plots are... a mess lol
idk im not vibin' with this season but that's what i heard overall about it so i'll push through
idk im not vibin' with this season but that's what i heard overall about it so i'll push through
July 3, 2025
We've reached the 'all is lost' arc and I'm ready for the finale!
August 6, 2025
So happy to own these library edition volumes - the art looks so good blown up like this! Some plot holes and what the heck moments (Xander and Dawn) brought it down a bit for me, but overall excited to see how this season ends in next volume.
July 17, 2024
The Harmony comics were delightful!
March 4, 2017
Maybe it's the nature of reading graphic novels but I feel like the stories blow by real fast. I guess they are just better read issue by issue instead of all at once in a compendium.
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