Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 Volume 1: Freefall

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9

by Joss Whedon, Andrew Chambliss, Sierra Hahn (Editor)

Season 8 ended with a bang that cut the world off from magic culminating in another set of world-ending problems. Buffy has left her best friend, Willow, powerless, and brought an end to a millennia-long tradition of superpowered girls. By day, Buffy is a twenty-something waitress with no real direction, and even though magic is gone, she ís still a vampire Slayer by night. Bigger problem? Vampires are becoming an epidemic . . . of zompires! Collects Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #1 - #5.

* Written by series creator Joss Whedon and Andrew Chambliss of ABC's One Upon a Time!

Buffy Season 9 begins!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Vampires, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction

136 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 4, 2012

About the author

Joss 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

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had some good moments. I did like the party Buffy threw and some lines in there. She has real roommates for now. I guess Buffy still has some youth left in her.

Questions: I don’t understand Spike and these Bug aliens and how he got involved? The whole showdown with Buffy and the police was, oh really, this again?

They ended the last season in a down and depressed place, but at least they are trying to correct their mistake in this one, but it might take all season to do so. There is a new bad that Buffy takes care off.

It’s an enjoyable outing and I’m not really overly excited about it. There are some fine moments, but nothing really inspired.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buffy desperately wants a normal life which she thinks she can now have with the end of magic.
Unfortunately, she fails to think of the consequences and they kind of bite her in the butt.

I was surprised at how chill Willow was throughout the story. I was expecting her to be angry and unwilling to speak to Buffy.
I did like that she was still there for her friend although it made me feel better when there were a few bitter quips here and there.

Xander and Dawn were just kinda...there. When Buffy got into trouble they were like *monotone* ‘Oh no. Buffy’s in trouble again. Guess we’ll just keep watching it on the news’.
I get that they're also wanting a normal life but come on, that’s your sister and best friend. At least show SOME concern!

Spike kept popping up. And actually supported Buffy.
I liked the side plot with him trying to find out who was after Buffy and when he met Eldre Koh.

The 5th issue ended quite interestingly. I know what’s going on but I’m excited to go through the journey.
I just hope the story deals with the emotional aspect and it wasn’t just for shock value.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buffy starts to deal with the fallout of destroying the world's magic as she tries to live a normal life. Buffy gets arrested and blames for all these bodies the police have found of former vampires. On par with Season 8 of the series.

[Wren (fablesandwren) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m sorry can we just TAKE A MOMENT FOR THE LAST WINDOW? HOW DID PEOPLE WAIT FOR THE NEXT VOLUME WITH THAT KIND OF AN ENDING?



Oh. My. Word.

Buffy is not ready for that. No one is ready for—

WAIT WHO IS THE –



I CAN NOT I ABSOLUTELY CAN NOT.

Ugh. Grr. Let me bring myself in.

We see The First again.



The world is without magic and everyone blames Buffy because, well, she kind of made it that way. And now vampires are more animalistic than human looking and acting.

And then someone betrayed her?



Oh and there’s someone who can kill vampires without like dusting them? I’m not sure, but something huge is about to happen and I am ready for it.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I accidentally just devoured this. I literally picked it up from the library and the next thing I knew I was picking up volume two. Buffy, I've missed you and you're real world problems. Season Eight was a fantastical blast but we're getting back to the basics now. SO. PHENOMENAL.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Season eight of Buffy got a little too full of themselves (No budget! Let's throw everything in that's too expensive to film!) but still ended with an interesting hook: magic has been destroyed. And that's where we pick up here. Willow has no magic to draw on, vampires are turning feral, and demons are cut off from their home dimensions. (The last one leads to the best scene in the book.) The main drive of the story is watching Buffy try to build a normal life and fail completely. Great cliffhanger at the end, too. The volume closes with a short comic about Spike's time with his insectoid alien friends, which is completely brilliant.

[Lana *Best left alone with books and snacks* · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Because this is my time! This is the blossoming of Buffy! The... Bluffoming."
"I wouldn't bother patenting that phrase..."

Come on, this is so Buffy circa season 1. I love it. It has the fun side of first seasons with a just a dash of darkness of season 4. More please.

Over and out

[Cyna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Um no. This is still terrible. You're telling me that after leading a Slayer army, being a general and commander, the best job Buffy can get is in a coffee shop? Even with vampires out in the open, even with magick gone, and vampires falling out of the public's good graces - which, btw, was REALLY STUPID in the first place - Buffy can't even get on with the military or be some sort of vampire-killing consultant? No, just a coffee shop. This is so OOC annoying, badly-written regression - by season seven, Buffy had matured past this stupid teenage shit. Why am I even reading this crap?

The only good things in any of this are Spike and his bugs. Spike and his bugs need a solo. Fuck season nine.

[Cath · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 stars.
Pretty good!

[Bubbles Hunty Honest & Direct Opinions · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review for issue 1: This was amazing. Reminded me so much of what I loved about the t.V. Show

Awesome start to a new season.

Review for issue 2: just like episode one of this season it reminded me of the tv show. Which is great because I love the tv. Even the "bad" episodes of Buffy I still find a way to love (except episode one of season four. That was just a terrible episode IMO) if you're a Buffy fan you should totally check these out.

Where comic season eight went more comic book extreme this season is starting off with everything great from the tv show. This story ends with a cliff hanger though, have to read the next one ASAP.

Review for issue 3: This arc is getting better with each issue. Loved it.

Review for issue 4: I loved all four issues of this opening arc. Looking forward to where this season will go with different arcs.

Review for issue 5: Reading these is just like watching the tv show again.

This issue had so many surprises and little twists to set up the next book I can't wait.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great comics show what the medium can do. They tell stories in ways that incorporate the best parts of film and prose and visual art and transcend all of the above when they get it right.

This is not a great comic. The best I can say for it is that it's better than season eight. The writing relies on the art to tell us who is who, and on our previous experience with the characters to fill in the gaps. Unfortunately, this artist's renderings of some characters leave me wondering who they are. New characters look interchangeable. It's very distracting. The writing has some of the snap of the TV show, but lacks something. Heart, maybe. I just don't feel the connection with the characters. The storyline has potential, but I wouldn't have bothered reading it if I couldn't get a library copy.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally dipping my toes back in to the Buffy comics after being burned by the end of Season Eight. And I didn't hate it! Wooo. (If I'm being honest, the only reason I finally caved is because I heard the thing I really hated has been reversed.)

[Virginia Cavanillas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good. I love the old Buffy vibe. I read this one in Spanish, Caída libre is the tittle. And now into season 9, volume 2! (The ending was like whaaaat?, so I need to know what comes next)



One of my favorite moments:

[Taschima · Rating 4 out of 5]

"..I'm Buffy. Followed by the words chosen, and one."

The Buffster is back, and she is... as normal as ever.

The whole Scoobie gang is super normal. Xander and Dawn are giving it the old college try (ew still), Willow is back to being a computer wiz that pays the bills, Andrew went all bad ass and started an organization with the help of the trained slayers, Spike is being a bug leader, and Buffy... works in a coffee shop/bookstore, or something. We are back to the basics where the biggest bad of any given night was a pissed off vampire, and it feels weird yet nice to have the slate clean. It feels like the story could go anywhere, and now that Magic has been expelled from the world, thanks to the Buff, every other demon is out for blood!

I both love and abhor the new status quo, mainly because Buffy seems very directionless. She was this bad ass and now she is back to being a slayer, which is a nice change of pace from "everything can and WILL happen" season 8. I am so happy Spike is back in the Buffy world I can't even. Xander and Dawn are being all couple-y and "we are trying real hard to be normal!" I hope they break up, do not like them together. Willow is a little too "okay" with being without magic, I think something is up with her. And Buffy is trying really hard to be a part of the normal world, but it seems the normal world wants nothing to do with her. New breed of vamps are out to get her, a new big bad is rolling into town, and even the cops are after the big bad Slayer. It is a whole new world, this is Buffy 2.0, the adult edition.

Things I want to happen: The band REALLY getting back together. I hate how everybody is down on Buffy, and even worse how she is down on herself, about destroying the seed the having Magic leave the world. I mean, she was in a very tough spot, and a lot of people were going to DIE. She did the best she could, and now she is living with virtual strangers instead of being like Willow's roommate. How did she even meet these roomies? Who knows, but maybe they are evil and have horrible motives (one can only hope).

Spike + Buffy forever (I mean come on, I hated the minute Angel showed up in Season 8-- isn't he supposed to be all in love with Cordelia now or something? Wishi-washi Angel).

Xander and Dawn need to break up.

Willow needs to stop being so passive, it is weird and I don't buy it. Where is your dark side girl? I bet you are looking for all ways to bring magic back, I just know it.

Giles, RIP. Ghost Giles? Nah, the kids are all grown up. But Anya needs to come back. She is on my top 3 list of faves.

[A Voracious Reader (a.k.a. Carol) · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Book source ~ Library

From Goodreads:
Season 8 ended with a bang that cut the world off from magic—culminating in another set of world-ending problems. Buffy has left her best friend, Willow, powerless, and brought an end to a millennia-long tradition of superpowered girls. By day, Buffy is a twenty-something waitress with no real direction, and even though magic is gone, she’s still a vampire Slayer by night. Bigger problem? Vampires are becoming an epidemic . . . of zompires!

First, the artwork…love it! Most of the characters look the way I expect them to and I love the new peeps. There was one guy I wasn’t sure who it was, but then I realized it was Riley. He definitely didn’t look right. Other than that, I loved it.

Now, the story…I was quite disappointed with Season 8, but being a fan I knew I had to continue on. I have to say this new season is starting off with promise. After the destruction of the seed, things are very grim for the magical community, but Buffy still needs to slay vampires. Unfortunately, she needs a job in order to pay bills, so she works in a coffee shop. She sorta has the normal mundane life she once wanted with a job and an apartment with roommates, but things are never what they seem. Zompires? Eldre Koh? Severin? Spike? The groundwork is laid and it looks like things are going to be very interesting. I hope they continue to be so and that ending? Holy shit! What will Buffy do now?!

[Macha]

it's San Francisco. magic is gone from the world, and Buffy is thinking of giving just being a girl a try (no slayer, no chosen, no one). results so far: mixed, what with the party hangover, her face on the wanted posters, the way too much slayage even yet, and the evil student loan demon. but the new roommates are cool, the coffeehouse gig at least has coffee, and her and Willow are trying to deal where there's blame. Spike is also trying to keep his distance, so she can try some normal life. meanwhile, there's an interesting new demon in town, Xander's spending a lot of time on the couch, and Willow has a new haircut and a new girlfriend. turns out there's quite a lot going on in ordinary life, apart from the usual of being kneedeep in zompire bodies and having confusing post-slayer dreams. Joss is in excellent form. and Jane's got a lovely and hilarious mini at the back in which King Spike goes on a sailing trip with the beetles in the dirigible. and hey, Buffy's there to greet him when he gets back, like it's no big, so bonus.

[Josephine · Rating 4 out of 5]

wait... what?

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buffy season 9 comes back a lot stronger than the last two volumes of season 8.

SO the magic in the world is gone. There's no more. That's not all though. With the Seed crushed and destroyed we're having our favorite Slayer kind of on her own. Willow mad at her for not having magic anymore. Vampires have turned feral and now more like zombies than vampires. We might even have a new warrior on Buffy's side of things by the end here, and the return of Spike.

Good: Really enjoyable moments with Buffy and the crew, especially Willow and Spike. I also enjoyed the twist on who's the villain, classic buffy moment. The pacing and storyline here are leaps and bounds better than last season's ending.

Bad: The art is still just okay. Muddy and hard to tell who is who sometimes. I also think the ending kind of plain.

Overall it's a solid fun first volume of the season. More down to earth. I'm thinking overall this season will be better.

[Vee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars ~ [6.66/10]

I don't want to speak too soon but, possible return to form? There was an obvious effort to reign it in here with more intimate settings, more focus on character relationships and where relationships are at as a consequence of the ending of season 8. However, most Buffy seasons usually start with a soft launch so time will tell how season 9 pans out for me. I do have a good feeling about it though and I'm excited to follow the reading order with the Angel & Faith story too.

[TJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rereading these comics for a book club. Season 9 has never been my favorite, but I do think it benefits from a binge. Volume to volume though, it’s hard to linger in a story where Buffy is so isolated. I feel like the villain(s) could have been more interesting, and the new characters just don’t catch on. But I appreciate the smaller scope and some of the gags. 4/5 stars.

[Chance Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Season 9 premiere arc, Freefall, works a lot like the Dracula episode at the beginning of Seaseon 5 on TV: it's fun, but only gives us small hints as to what the focus of the season will be.

I hated Season 8. It felt like some evil demon had come into the world and decided to destroy Buffy (the show) and everything it stood for. They got carried away with doing fanciful things that would never happen on the show due to budget concerns, and the plot was absolutely ludicrous. The end of season 8 provided an interesting set-up for a new season, so here we are.

Enough about season 8. This is a review for Season 9. The world's lack of magic has done a few things to Buffy and co.: it's brought Buffy back to square one, patrolling for vampires solo instead of with an army of super-slayer girls. (She's also forced to read the Vampyr book given to her in Season 1, now that Giles isn't around to do her reading for her.) It's forced poor demons into menial labor jobs. And it's caused Willow to get a TERRIBLE haircut. Man, it's awful. Predictably, they decide that they need to restore magic to the world, and Willow's the one to do it. Let's hope she doesn't turn evil again along the way. Before they get to that point, there is one humorous plot twist, an interesting character that doesn't last long enough, and a big reveal who I'm not sure if she's a new character or someone I'm supposed to recognize but don't because of the transition from live action to artwork.

The art is good. Freefall looks better than the follow-up story "Slayer, Interrupted," which is kind of rough, but you can still recognize who's who. I'm not a comic-book person, just a Buffy fan. What this volume is really about is that Buffy is without her support network. Willow's mad at her, Dawn & Xander are wrapped up in their (icky) relationship. So, it's time for Buffy (the character) to grow up, and become independent. I hope this journey stays somewhat grounded in reality and doesn't become completely absurd along the way.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Same great writing and wit as season 8. The characters looked less like their tv counterparts in this one than season 8, except for the cover art pieces, those were much more life like. Willow got a snazzy new haircut though and she's handling the world sans magic surprisingly well. Must've been all those lessons in meditating from Giles (Season 8 Spoiler C'mon, someone in Buffy STAYING dead?? Let's not start with Giles. ). Lots of returning characters, Xander is very him but Dawn is all grown up which definitely has a different dynamic to her and Buffy's relationship (which is not even a subplot but worth saying). Spike continues his hero role and is featured in a good little short story at the back of the book, written by the humorous and talented Jane Espenson. I think Buffy was acting a bit childish at first and some whining about wanting to be normal but she got her shit together when it counted. We'll see about the next issue, especially after the bombshell at the end of this one... (no spoilers or even hints of spoilers here!)

And new characters! Some I liked more than others. Buffy's new roomies were meh. We have some cop interaction here too and that pushed the plot into thrill speeds. Sev is a mixed bag, but his background really highlights some of the fallout from the magic going poof and the fallout ramifications are kinda the core to this whole issue. Finally, Eldre Koh. Badass demony dude. Can't wait to hear more about him. And he makes for a good straight man to Spike's sarcasm too.

Overall, great start to season 9.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every new Season of Buffy manages to find a new spin on the formula and Season 9 is certainly no exception. The post TV show world of Buffy dabbles with big world-changing concepts rather than strong character-based big bads because, in a way, the different form of storytelling makes it an intuitive option. But the formula of everything being shaken up and Buffy being confused/not coping remains the same and this time we've got an older more battle scarred Buffy who seems less jokey and more grit. And the world in general has a has a little more grit with magic being removed and vampires turning into zombies; though Whedon's first issue has plenty of room for humour, dealing with the aftermath of Buffy getting wrecked at a party. It's a little somber, less big and grandiose than the previous season and we're all better for the variation.

The first mini-storyline itself is predictably fast paced, well told and well structured and whilst it doesn't necessarily fizz and crackle dialogue wise as Buffy sometimes does, it's still a blast to read and well thought through.

It is, of course, fantastic to be back with the Buffster again.

[Michael Larson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that Whedon is treating this comic series as an actual TV show season- just as the seasons of 'Buffy' were distinct from each other on TV, season 9 here is very clearly doing something quite different from season 8.

After the cosmic chaos at the end of season 8, we're left with a very different world for the Slayers. Instead of secret castle control rooms and epic battles against all sorts of monsters, everyone's now forced to find a place in the real world. Sure, there's still plenty of mysterious magical goings-on, the almost-too-quirky dialogue is still there, and Buffy remains Buffy, but I like that things aren't just returned to status quo.

When 'Buffy' ended on TV, the finale didn't feel like the final goodbye for these characters, and I am glad to see that the comic is continuing their stories in new and unexpected directions.

[Thrishni Subramoney · Rating 4 out of 5]

It amazed me how even in panels and ink, Buffy's voice comes across as authentically as it did when Sarah Michelle Gellar spoke the words.

So in my trademark fashion I started at the start of season 9 and will now work my way back to season 8. Only because this first volume of s9 was interesting enough for my brain to demand a back story because of all the unanswered questions.

Such as: heeey, how come everyone knows about vampires? And there is no magic anymore? And what in sweet heck is Dawn doing with Xander?

In a plotline very reminiscent of S6, Buffy finds herself having to cope with the painful every day stuff like rent and bills while also saving a world... which is now quite nuts because she went and destroyed all the magic... ? I need to read Season 8.

[kory. · Rating 4 out of 5]

#1 buffy the vampire slayer: freefall ★★★★☆
#2 buffy the vampire slayer: on your own ★★★☆☆
#3 buffy the vampire slayer: guarded ★★☆☆☆
#4 buffy the vampire slayer: welcome to the team ★★★☆☆
#5 buffy the vampire slayer: the core ★★★☆☆

loving the spike moments and when he’s got buffy’s back. also loving willow’s haircut. but i miss giles.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm back on the Buffy bus! This was pretty good-3.5 stars. I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue after the way season 8 ended, but I think season 9 is going to be good. I just love it that they continued the series in comic book form after the TV series was canceled. It's been great to have new stories about my favorite monster fighter.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the art is just... wrong. But I do love the Buffy-speak dialogue -y. I'm not sure I love this story arc, particularly because the Twilight/seed arc of Season 8 felt waaaay off track, but I'm hopeful, as always.

Also: #22 for the year, 2014, just under the wire. I hit my reading goal. Huzzah!

[Fugo Feedback · Rating 4 out of 5]

Después del descuajeringamandíbulas final de la 8va temporada, uno pensaría que una 9na sería una idea rebuscada, retorcida y algo fuera de lugar. Error, la serie sigue manteniendo el mismo alto nivel de siempre.
Eso sí, no sé porqué Xander se jacta de haber inventado el término "Zompiro". Si es tan fan de los comics como dice, debería saber que a Morbius se le ocurrió antes.

[Tegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, so I will forever be a Bangel shipper. I can see the appeal of Spuffy in this volume though, and it's weird! Anyways...I'm glad to finally be continuing the story! After the end of season 8 I was in shock and I still can't believe what happened did. I'm very curious to see where this goes. That ending!