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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8 #7-8
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 Volume 4
Season 8’s Big Bad is revealed in Buffy and Twilight’s second major encounter. Buffy realizes she is in a fight to save all of humanity. The Slayer reunites with Angel and Spike, searching for the one thing that can save the world, while the Slayer army crumbles and one in their ranks is lost. Collects Season 8 #31–#40 and the Riley one-shot in one value package.
* A New York Times bestseller!
* A great introduction to Buffy in comics!
* A New York Times bestseller!
* A great introduction to Buffy in comics!
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 20, 2013
6 people are currently reading
863 people want to read
About the author
Joss Whedon
484 books4,334 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 91 reviews
May 23, 2023
Definitely glad I read this series! Perfect continuation of the tv series! Four stars all the way!
July 18, 2013
There's an afterword by Joss Whedon where-in he suggests that Season 8 and the transfer to comics from TV was not an unqualified success. I agree and I think primarily for the same reasons - loss of focus on a small group of characters and loss of the whole fighting on the back alleys of the seedy side of town atmosphere. Well, I pretty much said that in my review of Vol. 3 of these gorgeous editions - and - dare I say it - Buffy has always had flaws and mistakes. I don't think it's possible to make 144 episodes of anything without getting some things wrong.
I'd like to read the whole set back to back and see how the whole series arc goes, but it ends in a more coherent fashion, like the final act of a film, than I remember the earlier stages doing. I was horribly disappointed to find out who Twilight was - I could never stand Angel as a character - such a hang-dog, pompous, woe-is-me arse - and a cradle snatching pervert to boot, so a final act that revolves around him shagging the heroine and causing cosmic-scale trouble was both scream inducing and, I thought, somewhat familiar. Spike also turns up - now he was a pile of self-sacrificial dust last I saw him. I suppose he got resurrected somewhere else in the Buffycomicverse? I kinda wish he'd stayed dead. Riley shows up, too! He's really boring. Why don't I like any of Buffy's boyfriends? It's not like I'm jealous - you can keep Buffy - I'd take Willow. Or at least I would have when she was a geeky straight intellectual instead of a lesbian witch...and if I'd been an appropriate age, instead of risking being a cradle snatcher like those vampires...and how come nobody notices how pro-wimmin, gays and lesbians are OK with me, I'm all about empowerment Joss Whedon has evil Willow be Dark, with black hair, black veins and black eyes and goody-goody Willow be white-haired and surrounded by super bright white light, etc?
Bring all this incoherent rambling to a close, back where we started, my favourite part of season 8 was the Buffy goes to the future bit - and I notice that that limited the number of characters. Something has gone very wrong when Whedon can kill off Giles and all I feel is mild surprise.
I'd like to read the whole set back to back and see how the whole series arc goes, but it ends in a more coherent fashion, like the final act of a film, than I remember the earlier stages doing. I was horribly disappointed to find out who Twilight was - I could never stand Angel as a character - such a hang-dog, pompous, woe-is-me arse - and a cradle snatching pervert to boot, so a final act that revolves around him shagging the heroine and causing cosmic-scale trouble was both scream inducing and, I thought, somewhat familiar. Spike also turns up - now he was a pile of self-sacrificial dust last I saw him. I suppose he got resurrected somewhere else in the Buffycomicverse? I kinda wish he'd stayed dead. Riley shows up, too! He's really boring. Why don't I like any of Buffy's boyfriends? It's not like I'm jealous - you can keep Buffy - I'd take Willow. Or at least I would have when she was a geeky straight intellectual instead of a lesbian witch...and if I'd been an appropriate age, instead of risking being a cradle snatcher like those vampires...and how come nobody notices how pro-wimmin, gays and lesbians are OK with me, I'm all about empowerment Joss Whedon has evil Willow be Dark, with black hair, black veins and black eyes and goody-goody Willow be white-haired and surrounded by super bright white light, etc?
Bring all this incoherent rambling to a close, back where we started, my favourite part of season 8 was the Buffy goes to the future bit - and I notice that that limited the number of characters. Something has gone very wrong when Whedon can kill off Giles and all I feel is mild surprise.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2013
Wow. That wax terrible. Buffy as really bad superhero fiction, the worst kind of nonsensical destiny BS, pointless deaths, bizarre story elements, boring sex and love scenes, none of the wit that made the show or early graphic novels so enjoyable. Just awful. Makes me wish I'd read none of the comics, and makes me retroactively appreciate seasons six and seven for what few things they did right.
March 25, 2022
This volume started off good, and then ended even better, but everything in between was a mess. It felt directionless, like the writers were making it up as they went — but from what’s been said, the major twists were supposedly planned from the beginning? The plot is also just... really confusing. I’m glad Whedon and co acknowledge the lack of sense everything makes, but that doesn’t make it much better. That said, you really can tell this story was trying it’s best; it has heart. The dialogue is great and there’s a few memorable moments. The final issue is also stellar. It all just... got too ambitious and lost control of itself. The fact that Whedon realized this and changed Season 9 to be smaller scale is such a blessing (even though Season 9 is a whole other story...). 4/5 stars
January 1, 2018
Although better than the previews two arcs (compiled in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8, Volume 3), this wrap-up to Season 8 still overwhelmed with its over-the-topness (multiple, end-of-the-world battles with countless demons), a couple of really out-of-character conversations and characterizations (whereas consistently authentic Buffyverse dialogue and behavior was actually one of the biggest highlights of Season 8), and a sex scene that was so out of this world that I couldn't be sure whether or not the camp it devolved into was supposed to be humorous (it was just cringeworthy), especially when I strongly disagreed with it serving as the arc's plucky comic relief. And if there were any remaining guest stars from the entire TV run that did not make their way into the story thus far, they were pretty likely to show up by the end.
But my biggest complaint was, again, the enormous retconning, and convoluting via overcrowding, of the entire slayer mythos. Some plot elements were just so obtuse that I didn't ever figure out what was going on; foreshadowing to Season 9 would have been one thing, but I'm not talking about that. Rather, entire events were replayed or explained and reached closure, yet I was left confounded as to what any of it meant. Of course, many of those answers may indeed come in Season 9, but if so, there was just too much of it here, and rather than letting us, the readers, know that there were still answers to be revealed, the presentation was such that it pointed us more toward thinking that something just zipped right over our heads (and actually, it may very well have!). And yes, do be forewarned: there are many, many dangly bits left hanging off of various cliffs, but fortunately, at this late date, you can jump right into Season 9, which I am hoping will be an improvement.
On the positive side, it's still unmistakably Buffy, and for us dyed-in-the-wool fans, that means a lot. The characters are all not just recognizable, but fully embody (most of the time) everything we know and love about each of them. The structure of the narrative (if not the plot) is first rate even by literary fiction standards – and the art? Simply amazeballs, with Georges Jeanty's dedication to accurate likenesses in full force.
Season 8 has been, for me, a shaky and sometimes kind of alarming transmutation from TV to comics, but of course I'm going to stay with it, because like I said, it's Buffy.
But my biggest complaint was, again, the enormous retconning, and convoluting via overcrowding, of the entire slayer mythos. Some plot elements were just so obtuse that I didn't ever figure out what was going on; foreshadowing to Season 9 would have been one thing, but I'm not talking about that. Rather, entire events were replayed or explained and reached closure, yet I was left confounded as to what any of it meant. Of course, many of those answers may indeed come in Season 9, but if so, there was just too much of it here, and rather than letting us, the readers, know that there were still answers to be revealed, the presentation was such that it pointed us more toward thinking that something just zipped right over our heads (and actually, it may very well have!). And yes, do be forewarned: there are many, many dangly bits left hanging off of various cliffs, but fortunately, at this late date, you can jump right into Season 9, which I am hoping will be an improvement.
On the positive side, it's still unmistakably Buffy, and for us dyed-in-the-wool fans, that means a lot. The characters are all not just recognizable, but fully embody (most of the time) everything we know and love about each of them. The structure of the narrative (if not the plot) is first rate even by literary fiction standards – and the art? Simply amazeballs, with Georges Jeanty's dedication to accurate likenesses in full force.
Season 8 has been, for me, a shaky and sometimes kind of alarming transmutation from TV to comics, but of course I'm going to stay with it, because like I said, it's Buffy.
August 4, 2014
I debated (again) whether to give this 3 or 4 stars. Parts of it deserved 4. Parts deserved 3. Parts deserved 2.
The volume picks off exactly where Volume 3 left off (if we forget the silly Harmony storyline exists) - Buffy discovering she can fly. The discovery of her superpowers is interesting and adds an interesting element to the story and the premise of the series. Her discovery of where they are coming from also feeds in nicely to the moral questioning running through Season 8, giving a nice sense of continuity.
And then we get to the reveal of Twilight,and what happens afterwards. And I am so torn, because parts of the story work so well and parts of it are ridiculous, but they were all jumbled up together. I love the idea that Buffy and Angel have been chosen by the universe, and that it has been destined all along for them to do this. I love a good long game. However... I hate their magic sex. It seemed weird and unnecessary and a way for Joss&co to feature steamy scenes that wouldn't have been allowed in the show. But then, I loved the concept of this magical eden world. I loved Buffy and Angel in unison, and I even loved Buffy having to debate saving her friends (although it was no real debate, let's be honest.)
And so the final arc comes. And it felt a little bit messy. I don't fully understand the concept of the seed and magic and why the universe created a new universe. But I can more or less roll along with it.
The conclusion itself is incrrdibly satisfying, for me. Especially after reading Joss's afterword, explaining how they learnt from Season 8, and so Season 9 will go back to basics a bit. I'm quite excited to see where they go.
And on a 'why, book editors, why?' note, I wish they had placed Riley's one shot somewhere else. Before the Last Gleaming arc maybe? It was fairly dull as it was, but it felt like the final issue shod have been the finale, with a nice ending and potential lead in to Season 9. Tonally it was weird to have an uninteresting Riley flashback after that.
The volume picks off exactly where Volume 3 left off (if we forget the silly Harmony storyline exists) - Buffy discovering she can fly. The discovery of her superpowers is interesting and adds an interesting element to the story and the premise of the series. Her discovery of where they are coming from also feeds in nicely to the moral questioning running through Season 8, giving a nice sense of continuity.
And then we get to the reveal of Twilight,and what happens afterwards. And I am so torn, because parts of the story work so well and parts of it are ridiculous, but they were all jumbled up together. I love the idea that Buffy and Angel have been chosen by the universe, and that it has been destined all along for them to do this. I love a good long game. However... I hate their magic sex. It seemed weird and unnecessary and a way for Joss&co to feature steamy scenes that wouldn't have been allowed in the show. But then, I loved the concept of this magical eden world. I loved Buffy and Angel in unison, and I even loved Buffy having to debate saving her friends (although it was no real debate, let's be honest.)
And so the final arc comes. And it felt a little bit messy. I don't fully understand the concept of the seed and magic and why the universe created a new universe. But I can more or less roll along with it.
The conclusion itself is incrrdibly satisfying, for me. Especially after reading Joss's afterword, explaining how they learnt from Season 8, and so Season 9 will go back to basics a bit. I'm quite excited to see where they go.
And on a 'why, book editors, why?' note, I wish they had placed Riley's one shot somewhere else. Before the Last Gleaming arc maybe? It was fairly dull as it was, but it felt like the final issue shod have been the finale, with a nice ending and potential lead in to Season 9. Tonally it was weird to have an uninteresting Riley flashback after that.
November 24, 2024
Qué manera de demostrar que la verdadera razón por la que uno amaba tanto el show era por la impronta que le pusieron los actores a los personajes.
TODOS estaban out of character. De repente a Buffy no le importa matar civiles, ni los sentimientos de la gente y hasta tiene un mini crush en Xander wtf. Y los superpoderes le quitan todo el propósito a la serie, sin contar que Buffy se caracterizaba por ser just like every other girl y acá se cree única y diferente.
Joss Whedon es la persona más asquerosa del universo. Se aprovechó de que no estaba trabajando con los actores y sexualizó a los personajes femeninos de la manera más obvia. DISGUSTING. No solo Buffy tuvo una experiencia lésbica que no aportó nada a la trama simplemente para fetichizar las relaciones sexuales wlw, sino que puso a Willow teniendo relaciones con una diosa serpiente en varias ocasiones. Simplemente para sexualizar a sus personajes. Y no me hagan hablar de lo terrible que es que haya emparejado a Dawn y a Xander. Él la conoció con 11 años, la vio crecer, pasar por la pubertad. Está completamente mal, ¿qué carajo es ese ship?
Me quejaría de Angel pero ya no me queda energía en el cuerpo.
Lo único bueno que sí supieron aprovechar fue traer de vuelta a un montón de personajes que valía la pena utilizar. Oz, Drácula, Faith... Muy lindo verlos.
Y lo que me hace darle dos estrellas: SPIKE EL HOMBRE QUE SOS. Todo estaba perdido hasta que apareció él. Buffy no se entendía a sí misma y de la nada volvió a ser ella cuando apareció.
Y como terminó todo... Te amo Spike!!!!
Joss Whedon jamás me podría hacer odiarte.
TODOS estaban out of character. De repente a Buffy no le importa matar civiles, ni los sentimientos de la gente y hasta tiene un mini crush en Xander wtf. Y los superpoderes le quitan todo el propósito a la serie, sin contar que Buffy se caracterizaba por ser just like every other girl y acá se cree única y diferente.
Joss Whedon es la persona más asquerosa del universo. Se aprovechó de que no estaba trabajando con los actores y sexualizó a los personajes femeninos de la manera más obvia. DISGUSTING. No solo Buffy tuvo una experiencia lésbica que no aportó nada a la trama simplemente para fetichizar las relaciones sexuales wlw, sino que puso a Willow teniendo relaciones con una diosa serpiente en varias ocasiones. Simplemente para sexualizar a sus personajes. Y no me hagan hablar de lo terrible que es que haya emparejado a Dawn y a Xander. Él la conoció con 11 años, la vio crecer, pasar por la pubertad. Está completamente mal, ¿qué carajo es ese ship?
Me quejaría de Angel pero ya no me queda energía en el cuerpo.
Lo único bueno que sí supieron aprovechar fue traer de vuelta a un montón de personajes que valía la pena utilizar. Oz, Drácula, Faith... Muy lindo verlos.
Y lo que me hace darle dos estrellas: SPIKE EL HOMBRE QUE SOS. Todo estaba perdido hasta que apareció él. Buffy no se entendía a sí misma y de la nada volvió a ser ella cuando apareció.
Y como terminó todo... Te amo Spike!!!!
Joss Whedon jamás me podría hacer odiarte.
March 27, 2025
After reading all the 40 episodes, I must admit, Whedon himself said it better in the Afterword:
„I was so excited to finally have an unlimited budget that I wanted to make the book an epic, but i realized along the way that the things I loved the best were the things you loved the best: the peeps. The down-to-earth, recognizable people…. No matter how interesting the world stage or mystical dimensions can be, Buffy's best when she's walking that alley, dusting vamps, and nursing a pouty heart.”
Yes, 100% yes: give me back the smaller scale and the dear old characters with their emotions and dialogues! Let them walk the cemetery and don’t make them fly anymore.
So thanks to this season for being there, and I now have higher hopes for the next one. But still, it’s Buffy, and it has Spike in it, so it’s 4 stars from me 🙃
„I was so excited to finally have an unlimited budget that I wanted to make the book an epic, but i realized along the way that the things I loved the best were the things you loved the best: the peeps. The down-to-earth, recognizable people…. No matter how interesting the world stage or mystical dimensions can be, Buffy's best when she's walking that alley, dusting vamps, and nursing a pouty heart.”
Yes, 100% yes: give me back the smaller scale and the dear old characters with their emotions and dialogues! Let them walk the cemetery and don’t make them fly anymore.
So thanks to this season for being there, and I now have higher hopes for the next one. But still, it’s Buffy, and it has Spike in it, so it’s 4 stars from me 🙃
May 3, 2018
This was the end of a very strange season of Buffy. It felt very disconnected from the rest of the series. Whedon says that he was happy to have an endless budget (hence Mecha Dawn, and giant goddesses), but I didn't enjoy how far away from the tv show it went. At the end of this volume, Whedon agrees that Buffy is better in everyday situations and will return to that for season 9. Happy to hear that!
August 12, 2021
A bit convoluted but still fun
May 12, 2014
Here's what I really liked about season 8: Things have consequences, and this season tried to deal with them. You can't just do something like you did at the end of the TV series and expect everything to be hunky-dory, because they decidedly would not be. Season 8 explored that, and it was great.
It also was convoluted and bizarre and what on earth did I just read. They created a universe... with... no. Just no. That was gross.
It also was convoluted and bizarre and what on earth did I just read. They created a universe... with... no. Just no. That was gross.
May 14, 2013
not the conclusion i was looking for when i started reading this season, i should have just stuck with the show's ending if this was how it was going to go. weird story line i barely followed, it was confusing and pointless, could have done without the nonsensical death, and a bit depressing with how everyone ends up
September 11, 2014
Near the end of the book, there is a scene with Dawn saying something along the lines of, "I have no idea what's going on." I felt the same way through most of Season 8. Overall, the graphic novel keeps with spirit of the TV series, but the lack of clarity took away from my enjoyment.
September 16, 2019
Xander. Thats's exactly where she needs me...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 22, 2018
I’m a bit ambivalent about this final volume of season 8, I think, because the afterword makes me worry about Joss’ seemingly narrow vision that luck occasionally helps become meaningful work. In the afterword, Joss describes how the crew figured out what does and doesn’t work in the series as it translates to a comic, and how things need to be the way they were in the show (human drama with supernatural filigree). Getting bullied out of “epic” storytelling, out of big scenarios, out of wacky preposterous unpredictable situations, it seems immature to let the story get tied in. Joss & co. did sometimes hit the beats of the characters and their voices, and in the scale of this scenario they lost sight of what was valuable within established idiosyncrasies more often than they grasped it. What’s needed is (ironically, what the whole tail end is vouching for thematically) ‘balance.’ Joss’ faux-feminism & his general ‘out of touch with the world’ problems have always and probably will always plague BTVS writing. But here’s hoping more luck and intervention (divine and other, usually attributed to the folks he is obligated to collaborate with) will keep a magic-less S9 safe from Joss’ severe ‘visionary’ shortcomings. Plus side, I find myself interested in FRAY now, and I know I’ve got lots more BTVS to wade thru when I feel ready to.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2020
Turbulence
Picking up where the last volume ends we see that as a side effect of the power from the goddesses they bought up Buffy can no fly... the comics are continuing to hammer home that the show and the comics are very different and they want to establish that Buffy isn’t the Buffy we knew before. For the purpose of this story it works but it does feel slightly random.
Twilight
This is the arc which the comics sort of lost me. Giving Buffy super powers is one thing. Having her have mystical sex in the sky for the overall story to resolve itself in two pages? Nope. The reveal of Twilght was expected but still works. Everything afterwards resembles hot garbage. Real low point for the comics.
Last gleaming
After the lacklustre arc just gone this one had a lot of wrongs to right. It mostly does that. Buffy and Twilight are still very over powered and the world is still full of demons. Buffy has to make a very tough decision that impacts the world as we know it and it leaves the Scoobies broken.
Commitment through distance, virtue though sin
A Riley issue! This is a neat issue that tells the story of how Riley came to be in season 8. It’s some great characterisation for Riley and Sam and a good read overall.
Picking up where the last volume ends we see that as a side effect of the power from the goddesses they bought up Buffy can no fly... the comics are continuing to hammer home that the show and the comics are very different and they want to establish that Buffy isn’t the Buffy we knew before. For the purpose of this story it works but it does feel slightly random.
Twilight
This is the arc which the comics sort of lost me. Giving Buffy super powers is one thing. Having her have mystical sex in the sky for the overall story to resolve itself in two pages? Nope. The reveal of Twilght was expected but still works. Everything afterwards resembles hot garbage. Real low point for the comics.
Last gleaming
After the lacklustre arc just gone this one had a lot of wrongs to right. It mostly does that. Buffy and Twilight are still very over powered and the world is still full of demons. Buffy has to make a very tough decision that impacts the world as we know it and it leaves the Scoobies broken.
Commitment through distance, virtue though sin
A Riley issue! This is a neat issue that tells the story of how Riley came to be in season 8. It’s some great characterisation for Riley and Sam and a good read overall.
May 16, 2024
Look how stunning this cover is! This was illustrated brilliantly, capturing the quirkiness and humour that we expect from the characters from the Buffy universe. Was the plotline a bit absurd? Yes. Did it make me roll my eyes? Yes. Did I shake my head in disbelief at a death and read on anyway? Yes. Whilst it wasn't my favourite by any means for the Buffy now has superhero powers plot, or the unnecessary big character death, the look of the graphic novel couldn't be faulted. It was interesting reading the afterword explaining how the writers could write anything they wanted as drawing it and making it work practically on a tv show are completely different. How freeing that must have been wheras the show would sometimes hold them back due to budget. I just felt they took it too far, Buffy works for the grungy dusting Vampires in a dark alleyway. Why change it? I'll forgive it overall for the look and for the funny moments throughout. I won't even mention the character death. I'm pretending it didn't happen.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 6, 2017
I'm totally into this volume based on Spike.
Spike, Spike, Spike.
Spike, s'more.
Spike and his alien bug crew in their weird copper ball spaceship (okay, I guess I need to read Spike: After the Fall so I know what that's about).
The main reason I avoided Season 8 altogether was because I knew that and honestly I'm still not okay with it. It happens in this volume, so brace yourself for a wah-fest. With that in mind though, there's no going back for the main forever-and-always couple. At least, there definitely shouldn't be.
Spike, Spike, Spike.
Spike, s'more.
Spike and his alien bug crew in their weird copper ball spaceship (okay, I guess I need to read Spike: After the Fall so I know what that's about).
The main reason I avoided Season 8 altogether was because I knew that and honestly I'm still not okay with it. It happens in this volume, so brace yourself for a wah-fest. With that in mind though, there's no going back for the main forever-and-always couple. At least, there definitely shouldn't be.
January 10, 2018
First new book of 2018, and what a book it was. Unfortunately, there were some details of the Buffy comics, specifically Season 8, that I was already familiar with, having been unaware there were comics, and reading a bit too much on wikia articles. So while some punches didn't land as hard as they should have, I think overall it was a great season, especially given it was the first one of the comics. And I'm especially looking forward to seeing where things may go in Season 9! (Although I promise not to read ahead on wikia articles anymore, unless it's by accident)
October 20, 2023
Holy shit this was terrible 😄
The show writers essentially had to de-evolve most of the cast to tell this absurd, onanistic story.
Nearly every trope revived, nearly every character dredged up, every hopeful outcome jammed together in a blatant, derogatory meat-grinder of heart-string yanking.
There were some cute little bits. A few interspersed probable outcomes, teasers and carrots that may bear fruit in season 9.
Mostly it was hedonistic, stupid and gag-worthy.
I’m still going to read season 9 cause I love Buffy.
The show writers essentially had to de-evolve most of the cast to tell this absurd, onanistic story.
Nearly every trope revived, nearly every character dredged up, every hopeful outcome jammed together in a blatant, derogatory meat-grinder of heart-string yanking.
There were some cute little bits. A few interspersed probable outcomes, teasers and carrots that may bear fruit in season 9.
Mostly it was hedonistic, stupid and gag-worthy.
I’m still going to read season 9 cause I love Buffy.
July 29, 2025
Although it states I tread volume one back in 2019 I did end up reading most of it again before carrying on with the rest of season eight of BTVS. I bumped all of the star ratings to a four because there was always a moment that hit the right note for me even when there were some ideas that didn’t quite work for me. Basically one minute I would be downgrading my rating, and the next I would be blown away b the text and having to reappraise my score.
July 22, 2021
So no one is really dead, huh? You’d think with the huge army of new characters that were introduced we wouldn’t have EVERY. SINGLE. PERSON. brought back from the dead, but no. No. Because we have clearly sinned and must be punished. Sigh. I’m going to finish the series because I have to, but yikes. Yikes.
April 2, 2018
Always interesting territory with the Buffy series and it has a series finale like the others that you like or don’t and I didn’t like it. I wanted more of why Angel turned badish again and I didn’t get it
June 12, 2022
The end to season 8 is filled with mythology and on point with the essence of the show. I feel like over all, this season truly feels like a continuation of the show. It's been nice reliving this season, and can't wait to get into season 9!
November 24, 2022
Confused. And falls over of its own weight. And ends in a way that doesn't have me really wanting more. Which is kind of disappointing. There's just too much here and it doesn't make its best use of the characters.
August 27, 2025
Superhero Buffy has to deal with the consequences of her and Angel’s actions in this final volume of Season 8 and the whirlwind was hard to follow at times, but appreciated the different pace of the story.
July 16, 2017
Awesome finale!!
April 23, 2018
This series isn't as exciting as it used to be once upon a time but 5 stars for every scene that had Spike in it. Overall though meh, its enjoyable at times and not so much at other times.
May 6, 2018
Part of this I loved, most of it I hated, but did Giles really die??? Like actually die, not just magically die? Whyyyyy? Is he coming back?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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