Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 10, Vol. 4: Old Demons

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 10

by Christos Gage, Rebekah Isaacs (Artist), Joss Whedon (Executive Producer)

Buffy needs backup. More backup. With an ultimate Big Bad, Archaeus, connected to so many from the Slayer’s past, she’s calling in reinforcements—and saying to hell with the awkward consequences: there is a job to be done. But as the Scoobies get closer to Archaeus, the extent of his power and his plans, and their connection to the new rules of magic, are revealed. Buffy is faced with figuring out how to keep her alive friends alive, and her undead friends…undead. And Angel returns!

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

136 pages, Paperback

First published February 23, 2016

About the author

Chris N. Gage is a writer for comic books and television.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying this season of Buffy. It's giving me everything I want so I'm waiting for everything to go to hell. It's very predictable. They try so hard to write what we don't expect, but I expect them to tease you, give you want you want and then blow it all to hell.

Giles gets a day to be an adult again and it's good to see him back, but he's back to being a kid. There are plenty of fights.

My favorite about this is seeing Spike and Buffy having a relationship. I'm so loving it. I'm sure it can't last past the end of this season. Xander and Anya at the end made for an interesting development. I am looking forward to more.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gage and Isaacs are knocking it out of the park with the best season of the comic yet. Angel returns for three issues and it is glorious. So much humor and angst between Spike, Angel and Buffy. Then Giles gets to grow up for a day and, of course, being a grown up wasn't quite as rosy as he remembered. The last issue gets quite serious, dealing with an incubus / rapist. It's dealt with very well, but was an odd juxtaposition with Megan Levens overly cartoony fill-in art.

I kind of don't want this season to ever end. This creative team continuously lives up to the writing of the TV show and that's a rare thing.

[Artemy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, I could not be more pleased with the way BTVS S10 is shaping up. Definitely the best comic season so far, and I would at least put it above season 7 of the TV show. Yeah, I think it's finally on par with TV.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Old Demons (16-18). This short arc is mainly notable for its reunion between Old Friends, when Angel visits with the gang. And that reunion is presented well, for Angel's interactions with Buffy, Spike, and Xander alike. Oh, there's some big fight too, against some Big Bad, and it's fine enough, but it's the character work that shines [7/10].

Freaky Giles Day (19). Giles grows up for a day. Gage (and Brendon!) could have just made this a bit of silliness, but instead it turns out to be a gut-wrenching and powerful story about father figures, love, and trust. [8/10].

Triggers (20). An incubus to fight. This is another story that could have gone wrong, but instead it turns out to be not just an intense look at triggers but also a great delve into the relationships of Buffy and Spike, Xander and ... Anya. [7+/10]

Overall, a strong volume of Buffy Season 10, balancing a bit of plot with a lot of character.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story: Angel decides to stop by and help Spike and Buffy take down the big bad demon. However, he now has to learn of the loving relationship between the two. Oh fun! Then we also have a story where Giles gets to be a grown man again for a day while Buffy and Dawn deal with their father. Last but not least the final issue deals with an important subject...rape.

Art: Overall still good. Much better than the start of this series. I really enjoy the designs here, everyone looks like their tv counterpart. There's also some great comedic moments thank to the faces and such here.

Enjoyment: Overall solid art mixed with good storytelling. I really enjoy all the tougher subjects this series tries to tackle. The Rape one could be tricky but works well. I also loved Spike and Angel final confrontation in this book. Christos Gage has this down packed now for dialogue and pacing.

What didn't work: The big bad villain was pretty lame TBH.

Overall, pretty good. I'd even say great at points. Not perfect but this season is keeping me engaged. A 4 out of 5.

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably the weakest of Season 10. There's a crossover with Angel that ultimately isn't very lively, and there are a couple throwaway villains (including one poised to be the big bad) that aren't particularly memorable. There's a lot of relationship stuff, and it's good to see everyone at least acknowledging how screwed up some of their interactions have been in the past (that was the best part about Angel's presence). Giles gets a grown-up day that doesn't go well, and Xander learns something about the ghost that's been haunting him. None of it is bad, but it's not as outstanding as the rest of the series has been. It's a bridge collection that moves the story along, sometimes in surprising ways. Definitely not the highlight of the season, though.

[Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

Nice to see Angel back with the gang for a bit. Also glad they were able to fix their issues with him. Archaeus looks really freaky. Interesting to see Hank Summers again. Don't like him very much. Hope Buffy and Spike's relationship lasts this time.

Can't wait to read Pieces on the Ground!!!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think there's much new to say about these. I read them because I'm a diehard Buffy fan and want more time with the characters. Christos Gage does a nice approximation of Joss Whedon's style, and this latest "season" has been decent.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first 3 issues were super boring. The battle with that particular big bad seems to drag on and on. Then, when we finally get to an interesting storyline, Megan Levens's terrible art ruins it. I'm sorry, but I need Buffy to look like Buffy. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fantastic installment in the #BtVS comics! I can't believe how even and authentic and high quality season ten is. I especially liked how they dealt with sexual assault and triggers in this issue.

[Molly]

pew pew magic

shing magic axe

I'm going insane.

[kory. · Rating 4 out of 5]

#1 buffy the vampire slayer: new rules ★★★★☆
#2 buffy the vampire slayer: i wish ★★★☆☆
#3 buffy the vampire slayer: love dares you ★★★★☆
#4 buffy the vampire slayer: old demons ★★★★☆
#5 buffy the vampire slayer: in pieces on the ground ★★★☆☆
#6 buffy the vampire slayer: own it ★★★★☆

any kind of emotional, sweet moment between buffy and giles fucks me up. also, i appreciate all the working through past issues between buffy and spike, that things aren’t just ignored or swept under the rug. yay for actually communicating and working through issues!

[Lani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoying the direction the Scoobies are going. Love them living in the same building, love the direction of the multiple big bads pointing toward a big finale, and love Buffy & Spike's sweet romance (though we're short on details/convo between them), and especially love Buffy & Spike & Angel being awkward and snarky all together.

[Macha · Rating 3 out of 5]

sort of centered around sexuality & relationships, i guess. but why does it read like an after-school special? it's disappointing, especially since up to this point season ten has been a treat.

[Nicole Field · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here we have a penultimate fight with Archaeus, as well as apparently a long awaited crossover with Angel coming over from the season 10 Angel & Faith comics.

When I was reading season 9, over in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Guarded, I observed the way that it was bringing in more of the adult kind of themes that we had seen in the Angel TV series. In season 10, however, we've moved into both that and also there is this fantastic amount of introspection and just fantastic life advice. I'll be coming back through this season for that again if nothing else.

The first three comics in this collection revolve around Angel finding out that Spike and Buffy are a thing and then fighting the demon lord Archeaus until he goes into a retreat. Seeing how powerful Willow is in these moments is amazing, having her both be a fighter with her magic and a researcher is such a wonderful thing.

But the thing I liked most from Willow here was her conversations with Angel, where she reflected on her own relationships with an immortal and observed the way that humans are different in that they are always changing. Pointing out that Angel, an immortal, has not really changed at all since he got his soul 100 years back.

Then we get to the aftermath of the fight, with two concurrently running stories. Giles is reverted to being an adult for a day in the first one, only to find that he had really put everything else in his adult life onto the backburner to be a Watcher. He's not needed for that this time, and so realises he needs to make different choices as he grows up this time.

Spike is meanwhile working on a case with Dowling (who also comes to find out that Spike and Buffy are finally an item) and the sexual assault case perfectly reflects ongoing issues that Buffy tends to have with flashbacks of Spike attacking her in season 6. With another beautiful moment of clarity, she says to him that she needs to deal with it in her own way without him making it about himself.

Which, he pretty graciously accepts. Maybe some immortals can change after all.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved seeing the trio reunited but I feel like some things were out of character for Angel. The whole Cinderella thing for Giles seemed way out of reach to actually happen and the explanations for who these demons are is still not fully explained.

[Pervinca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angel making a comeback, things might get interesting.... Getting better and better!
Love to se Buffy in a relationship. Wonder what's up with Anya.

[Margaret Robbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this volume, and I think it goes deeper than some of the previous ones in terms of thematic content. Buffy and her friends have to fight a new Big Bad, the demon Archaeus, whose name literally denotes that he is old. The most dangerous thing about Archaeus is that he has a hold in Druscilla, Spike, and Angel alike. The Scoobies and friends have to fight old demons, both literally and figuratively. Angel's back in town to help, and he and Spike have to put their differences aside for the good of the cause. Also, Giles and the younger Scoobies alike have to deal with the good and bad consequences of getting older. Xander and Buffy both learn to better cope with their romantic relationship issues that reflect on getting hurt in the past. They truly are making the leap from adolescence to young adulthood, and as someone who is on the later end of my young adulthood journey, I can relate to some of what they are going through. Since I teach younger adolescents, I can't help but chuckle at middle school aged Giles's young boy struggles. The whole gang is growing up, in more ways than one, and it's entertaining to me to see how their interactions change with one another as a result.

[Elusive · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Old Demons', taking down Archaeus is going to require more manpower and Angel is here to help out. There's more to be done along the way - finding him and learning the extent of his power. Will they be able to stop him this time?

I enjoyed Buffy and her loyal team's battle with Archaeus. Tense and thrilling from beginning to end, the action-packed scenes showed every character's strength and how well they worked together. Angel joining them was a welcome addition as there was only so much that Willow's magic could do. Archaeus didn't disappoint as he was a strong and smart opponent who knew how to manipulate to his advantage. That complemented his evil and creepy look.

I wasn't a fan of the brief love triangle rivalry though. The whole Buffy-Spike-Angel thing has got to go for good, seriously. It's not old at this point; it's ancient, covered in dust and belongs six feet under. Buffy's best on her own, kicking butt because that's where she always shines. Seeing her constantly having to reassure Spike that she was okay despite what he'd put her through before was tiring. Too many panels were wasted on the same old content.

Once again, the writer captured the sense of humour of the series and the personality of the characters. The storyline in which Willow aged Giles into an adult (temporarily) was quite insightful and well-thought-out. It revealed his doubts and worries which contrasted with how self-assured and composed he always seemed to be. Besides that, the revelation about the ghost of Anya was surprising and interesting. I wonder who she really is and who's pulling her strings.

I was expecting this volume to focus on the alliance of the Mistress, the Sculptor and the Soul Glutton and how they would target Buffy but it was put on the backburner. Anyhow, this would hopefully be delved into soon since there's no doubt that troubling times lie ahead and as always, Buffy will be caught right in the middle of them.

Overall, 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Old Demons' featured excellent fight scenes and unexpected revelations that will definitely have me reaching out for the next volume.

[ThisWanderingMind · Rating 4 out of 5]

Old Demons 4/5
Christos Gage continues to very much impress me with his writing of season 10. Old demons (collecting issues 16-18) picks up right where the previous volume leaves off. After Spike’s warning, Angel joins the scoobies in their mission to take on the demon Archaeus.
Aside from the obvious reasoning behind the title, it takes on a bit of a metaphorical meaning too. Alongside the action and adventure, Gage dives pretty deep into the dynamics and minds of the characters, with many of them coming to terms with events of the past. There’s a really powerful piece of dialogue that Angel says to Willow at the end which I think sadly holds a lot of truth in the Buffyverse. In the words of Buffy herself “Let's face it, none of us are ever going to have normal, happy relationships.”

Issue #19 Freaky Giles day
4/5
When Willow finds a spell to allow Giles to age for the day he jumps at the chance, meanwhile when Buffy and Dawn’s dad turns up in town, Buffy is not quite so enthusiastic about her day ahead.
After reading the title and the first pages, I wasn’t sure what to expect out of this one. If anything I figured it was going to be a bit of a lighthearted filler story. I was pleasantly surprised to see a continuation of Gage’s deep and meaningful character exploration. Whilst there is a hint at the Father figures theme in ‘Old demons’, this story went on to explore it further. That ending was both beautiful and utterly heartbreaking at the same time.

Issue #20- Triggers 3/5
When Detective Dowling seeks the help of Spike and Buffy in investigating a supernatural rape crime concerning an incubus, Buffy must face some more past demons of her own. Meanwhile Xander, Giles and Anya take on another supernatural case.
In the final story of this volume, Christos Gage and Nicolas Brendon team up once again to write yet another soul searching character story with a cliff hanger ending that left me eager to read on.
I definitely prefer Rebekah Isaacs pencil work to Megan Levens's cartoony art. That being said as long as I can recognize the characters I don’t mind the occasional switch up.

[Sammi · Rating 4 out of 5]

genuinely am loving the spuffy of it all; their relationship feels like it's going through every hurtle they need to have their foundation be even stronger - angel finding out, dealing with the pre-soul attempted SA. wasn't sure the latter could be done tastefully, but i didn't hate it shockingly.

the team up with angel was fun, mostly. i enjoyed seeing how buffy and angel are truly just not as in sync as her and spike (sorry it's just funny!!!). and it was interesting to see archaeus use their complicated dynamics against them. deeply smart villain.

but i also really didn't like how that specific issue arc ended with angel fake giving his approval (also having buffy kiss him on the cheek - sorry you guys made me look at 12 pages of them banging and i barely get any real domesticity from the spike/buffy relationship and i gotta have this bread crumb for the bangels... nope!!) and then telling willow he doesn't think it'll last. i don't think angel was necessarily right about spike and who he is because i don't think he really /knows/ spike all that well. spike has loved (2) women in his time and what he said about his "pattern" made 0 sense. i do wish they would stop making angel have opinions on buffy's life because guess what, that bitch left her a decade ago and i'm over it! (this review brought to you by the fact that i actually don't hate angel, i very much enjoy ATS and the angel/faith series is good, i just can't stand his patronizing ass when it comes to buffy, mind your BUSINESS!)

[Duncan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to give it more stars since it is a bit better than a lot of the comix I've been reading lately (cough, cough, Superman) but it really is a little bit of let down from the previous volumes in Season 10. It's still pretty good Buffy comix action but not much change in this one. Giles the kid gets to be a big boy for a day and they didn't really do much w/that concept other than him getting laid and getting a beer - it seems they could've made a great deal of hay out of that. Nothing seems to proceed w/the Anya haunting Xander storyline other than we find out it's not really Anya as does Xander but inexplicably does nothing about it. I guess he really is a lonely dude. Probably the greatest sin, if you will, is the Big Bad is not really too Big or Bad or interesting for that matter. I kinda have my suspicions that w/Drusilla hanging out w/Angel and Faith that more exciting stuff is happening on that Season 10 hang. Hopefully my fave local comix store has Angel and Faith Season 10 tpbs or I could soon be running out of fairly good comix reading. I got Season 11 and the small Season 12 books waiting for me but after that Boom Studios has taken over and I read about the first 5 issues of the new Buffy and things got crappy fast, story wise and especially art wise. Too bad for me. Now, onto more comix reading!

[Petra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Die Gang hat gegen den Dämon Archaeus zwar einen Sieg errungen, besiegt ist er aber noch nicht. Da nicht nur Spike sondern auch Angel eine besondere Beziehung zu Archaeus haben, wird dieser hinzugezogen. Dass beide Vampire auch zu Buffy eine besondere Beziehung haben, macht die Suche nach und den nächsten Kampf gegen Archaeus aber nicht leichter.

Den alten Dämonen erst zu finden, und dann auch noch möglichst für immer zu besiegen, ist ziemlich spannend, und Fans von Serie und Reihe werden ihren Spaß daran haben, dass Angel wieder auf die Gang trifft, vor allem zwischen ihm und Spike zischt es nur so.

Der Band beinhaltet zwei weitere Geschichten. In einer davon erhält Giles die Möglichkeit sein altes Selbst zu erhalten, zumindest für eine gewisse Zeit, und in der anderen werden durch die Machenschaften eines Inkubus in Buffy und Spike ungute Erinnerungen wach.

Am Ende gibt es einen Cliffhanger, es heißt also, direkt weiterlesen. Wie gehabt gibt es auch hier wieder Covergalerie und Sketchbook, eine wirklich gelungene Ergänzung zu den Geschichten.

Band 4 der zehnten Staffel treibt das Geschehen weiter gut voran und wartet mit zwei zusätzlichen Geschichten auf, die gut dazupassen.

[Andrea Ambroso · Rating 4 out of 5]

E così in questo volume la storia di Archaeus prosegue e si aggiunge come guest star Angel che deve fare i conti con cosa si è lasciato dietro dopo la sua trasformazione in Twilight e l'uccisione di Giles. Forse la parte più interessante anche di più rispetto alla lotta contro il Big Bad è vedere ancora una volta Angel cercare di fare ammenda per quello che ha fatto e vederlo relazionarsi con gli altri personaggi (Buffy, Buffy & Spike, Xander, Giles).
Note di merito agli episodi stand alone in questo volume: finalmente una gioia per Giles anche se temporanea; indagando un tema abbastanza scomodo come la violenza sulle donne in "Triggers" tiriamo le fila di quello successo nella stagione 6 a Buffy e mai superato, e abbiamo nuove informazioni su cosa sia e se sia veramente Anya lo spirito che vede Xander.
Tutto molto bilanciato! Niente da dire! Un lavoro egregio come al solito.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angel-awkwardness and reconciliation, snarks and handshakes between old frenemies, addressing the scene in Seeing Red from Buffy's perspective and the effects it left on her for what is the first real time, Spike and Buffy communicating and working through their problems, illustrating how it helps to be aware of the demons around you in order to properly protect yourself from them, precious father-daughter bonding between Giles and Buffy, the pressure of getting to try (and possibly fail) again, and a plot twist that solved my issue with a case of stop bringing dead characters back and let them have their peace. Lots of good things in this one.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spike and Buffy are now together for good but Angel comes back to help fight the all-possessing Archaeus, who controls / influences the Darla/Angel/Dru/Spike vampiric family. This causes some tension.
There's a story about Willow turning Giles into his adult self again, old enough to be legal to sleep with Olivia and then aging to be his normal self, but this makes his magic less powerful as he is not as adept and has less youthful vigour.
There's a story about Spike and Buffy going on a case with Officer Dowling to fight an Incubus. This brings back bad rape memories for them both.

[Will McClain · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the writing is not as great as Season 9 (which set a high bar for the comics), they are covering fertile territory and it still feels relevant and engaging to the series' arc. Buffy's relationship with Spike is revisiting its troubled past, as a visit from Angel also brings back some emotions. The five issues in this arc are aptly titled in this volume, especially considering Giles is still dealing with his cosmic do-over and Xander's being haunted by Anya's ghost--or is it Anya?

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always knew that Angel left Buffy to start his spin off. Any in story reason always falls flat. Its true that she maybe would have broken up with him if didn't stop acting like a dad but saying Buffy needed a normal life is crazy, she was never going to get that.

As for this story I've liked them mostly since Nick started being one of the writers but I think I am not just not a comic book woman.

[Lindsay Heller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another volume of Scooby gang snark and some butt kicking. It was nice to see Angel back in all his broody ways. The villain of this whole arc, the demon Archaeus, put on a formidable, though brief, display. There were also volumes that focused on Giles aging up for a day, after he was aged down before. And then Xander is seeing the ghost of Anya, thought it may not be Anya.

[Sparrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doesn't really feel like a Buffy book anymore. Just like any other mystery solving team book. Giles' story was fun, probably better than the other stories. And Anya's ghost was intriguing. Though I wasn't a fan of the art. I will continue nonetheless into the Buffyverse that is now aware of the supernatural.