Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 11, Vol. 2: One Girl in All the World

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 11

by Christos Gage, Rebekah Isaacs (Artist), Georges Jeanty (Artist)

As residents, it didn’t take long for Buffy, Willow, and Spike to find that there was something more behind the internment of the magical population in the government’s “Safe Zone” in the Grand Canyon. So when release becomes possible, Buffy and Willow grasp the opportunity despite the incredible risks they will be taking: relinquishing their magic and becoming “normal” humans, and . . . leaving Spike behind. The pair reunite with Dawn, Xander, Riley and Sam Finn, and the Slayer Faith. When Buffy reveals to the crew that the true purpose of the camp is to bring about the elimination of all supernatural powers worldwide, the Scoobies begin their mission. They will manufacture a great escape from the camp and follow the obscure trail of the Big Bad to its end. Extraordinarily, the trail seems to lead higher and higher in the ranks of the US government . . .

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

160 pages, Paperback

First published February 20, 2018

About the author

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

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

The previous volume was a better story, but this gives a good conclusion to what was set up. It feels rushed and it seems they could have drawn this out for another volume, but they wrapped it up neatly and quickly. They figure everything out super fast. I guess 2 volumes was enough for them, but 3 might have worked better. Giles is not in this one as he is in his own story arc at this time. We also don't see as much of Xander and Dawn as usual.

Willow throws around some big magic again in this one. I think she is possibly my favorite character. At this point we have lost many of the little characters that showed up in this series and it's down to our core scooby gang.

I thought this was a good storyline over-all and I'm glad I have stuck with this series. There is only 1 volume in Season 12 and that is the finale. It's all about done for the slayer, until the TV series shows up and brings a new gang together. The Buffy verse is a fun world to be apart of.

[Artemy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer wraps up its shortest season yet with One Girl in All the World. It's an okay finale to an okay season, but I feel like it was too preachy at times, and the last couple of issues were really not that good. Willow has become a character who is basically a walking, talking Deus Ex Machina on demand, which undermines the stakes and makes the entire season feel somewhat uneventful. Faith is still criminally underused, but this time she at least showed up and kicked some ass. Other characters, like Spike, Dawn and Giles, are only a little more than useless extras.

Oh, and the big bad reveal? That was some dumb shit, guys. Seriously.

This season started well, but ended with a big rushed cop out — it's not that surprising, considering it was only 12 issues against 40-50 in previous seasons. It was nowhere near as bad as the low points of Season 8, but definitely not on par with the excellence of seasons 9 and 10. Well, could've been worse, I suppose. We'll see what the upcoming Giles mini-series will bring, and I really hope that season 12, if it will even happen, will be better thought out.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Volume 1 was fantastic but this was just OK. It devolved into just finding where the big bad is at and fighting it. It's all very rushed. Maybe they originally planned on more issues like previous seasons?
The big bad wasn't even a shocking reveal since they'd probably only been in one panel of the book before that. In fact, the big bad's plan was pretty stupid. I'm going to suck up all the world's magic for myself. Seems a bit simplistic and unrealistic. The art's good though and it's still at the level of a solid episode of the TV show.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Read as single issues]
With the world's supernatural community threatened by a shady government agency, Buffy and Spike must rage against beaurocracy itself before the true Big Bad is finally revealed in the second half of Season 11.

Like the first volume, I'm very impressed with how fresh and new this series feels. It's a bit skewed in favour of Buffy, Spike, and Willow, but considering a) they're the ones most affected by this storyline and b) there's only twelve issues, it makes sense for this to happen.

The ultimate conclusion is very cathartic, as things come full circle to the storm dragon's attack on San Francisco, and there are some awesome punch-the-air moments especially in the final two issues. I was surprised that Christos Gage managed to write such a complete yet far-reaching story in twelve issues, but this is a solid conclusion.

Rebekah Isaacs pencils four of the six issues here, with regular fill-in Megan Levens taking one issue and Georges Jeanty the other. They're all similar (though Isaacs is the clear star), and are able to give a cohesive style to the series.

Here's hoping the inevitable Season 12 brings back this entire team - I'm very curious to see what they can come up with next.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a solid ending but didn't blow me away. Gage does a great job with the dialogue but the pacing drags a bit here and the ending wrapped up too nicely in the end.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, yeah, the big boss reveal is kind of lame, and Willow is kind of a walking, talking deus ex machina, and the story is kind of preachy, but whatevs, I really liked it anyway. Xander's part in things is hilarious (as usual), Faith's in town and is awesome, and the Spike and Buffy parts are so sweet it's...I was about to say "sickening," but I'm just gonna go with "adorable" instead. And I loved the one-page comics at the end--the one where Buffy and Willow discuss business while Xander and Spike watch the cats on the pet sitter's webcam made me laugh probably way harder than it should have.

I think it comes down to...I like a little serious in my Buffy. But I also really, really love the light touches and them just being friends and stuff, and I felt like there was a lot of that here.

Plus, Buff's new accidental hairdo? BOSS.

[TJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ending was a little anticlimactic, but overall this was a solid season! The first half was stronger though, IMO! Still, worth reading! I hope this creative team continues to go strong! 4/5 Stars!

EDIT— Rereading in 2025 is surreal. Still so timely, scarily so. This season feels the most modern, as if it could be happening today with its themes and references. I’m sad we didn’t get more maxiseries like this, but also this felt like a great ending for the Buffy comics, as it parallels the ending of the show so perfectly. Season 12 I think of as an epilogue. 5/5 stars.

[b · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bit of an anticlimactic big bad closer, but not in a bad way. Lots of the territory felt obvious, or it was too clear at times to guess what was coming, but that’s not the end of the world, and the group chemistry was perfect, and Buffy’s performance in the final battle was SO COOL. A nice short season, but masterfully pulled off.

[Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 🌟

Glad to see that Buffy and Willow were able to leave the camp. Also glad that they were able to go back and free Spike and the other supernatural creatures in the camp. Sad about the animal experimentation. Happy they were able to stop the cyborg witch. Hope the dragon will be okay.

Can't wait to read Buffy season 12!!!!

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second half of Season 11 finds the government tightening the noose around all supernatural beings as they are stuck in an internment camp.

Willow and Spike are set to report but the Slayer "army" shows up early leading to a confrontation with Buffy and the Scoobies. While Spike decides to go, Buffy forgoes her exception and joins them.

Once inside, the trio work to expose the government cover up.

But when the government announces a method to drain magic from people, the stakes are raised even higher. This leads to a momentous decision for Buffy and Willow, one they undertake in order to be able to find out the truth.

Returning characters from the past help enliven the storyline as it moves towards its powerful climax. The villains are revealed and all hell breaks loose (almost literally).

While Season 11 was far shorter than other past comic book seasons for the Buffy series, in this case shorter is better as the storytelling was tighter and focused.

All in all, a finely plotted story that lives up to the banner of all that came before.

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

4.5

Book source ~ Library

Buffy, Willow, and Spike are still in the “Safe Zone” (i.e. internment camp) out in the Grand Canyon. They know the gov’t is up to something nefarious, but they need to escape to figure out what. When all of the magical creatures are given the option to become “normal” most take it just to get out of the terrible living situation. But there are those who can’t live without their magic (and those who choose not to), so Buffy and Willow give up their magic to get outside. After that, it’s all about Hannibal Smithing. You know, loving when a plan comes together. Because they do have a plan, right? Right?

The thing about Buffy and her Scoobies is, they usually have a workable plan. So you have to kinda go on faith (not that Faith) that what they come up with will work. I wasn’t so sure about this one. I was kept in the dark the entire time as to what the plan might be so I worried it was going to go all FUBAR. Luckily, it mostly didn’t. Ok, that’s also typical of their plans. In any case, well done! Also, I love the artwork. Gorgeous!

[kory. · Rating 4 out of 5]

#1 buffy the vampire slayer: the spread of their evil ★★☆☆☆
#2 buffy the vampire slayer: one girl in the world ★★★★☆

much better than the first half. love all the faith/buffy and buffy/spike. missed giles, though.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good, but I’m glad the “safe zone” plot was resolved in this volume. I do enjoy Christos Gage’s work on the Buffy comics, and I look forward to the next arc.

[A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ophelia Reyes, Secretary of the Supernatural, announces that they now are able to drain magicals of their magic. All unmagiced individuals will be allowed to go free. Many magicals object to this; non-humanoid and vampires would all be wiped out and are outraged. Buffy, Willow, and Spike withdraw to discuss their escape plan, the new information about the magic collection machine, and this new announcement. Willow comforts a bunch of baby Wiccas, encouraging them to think about the offer and implying that she is also considering it. When everyone leaves, Calliope stays behind and kisses Willow. Willow tells her to settle down, saying that, when they're each unpowered, Calliope might not need Willow anymore. Calliope implies that her feelings go behind just needing Willow's instruction.
At a press conference, we meet Ms. Wise, the Press Secretary, announcing the first batch of unpowered magicals. Riley and Sam talk to Buffy about being unpowered, but she is very upset with them. Calliope, now unpowered, and Willow say goodbye. Chaos breaks out inside the Safe Zone as people bicker about whether or not to accept the change. Willow, Buffy, and Spike talk about being unpowered. Buffy cannot accept the idea of not being powered and Willow asks her what would be her identity as a non-Slayer. Who are they without their unique skills and powers? Are they just a computer nerd and a cheerleader?
Willow and Buffy get unpowered - a physiologically painless process with enormous interior repercussions. Spike and Buffy part and Spike tells her he loves her, but asks her not to say it back until they are reunited. Buffy is unable to wield the Scythe as easily as she used to. The two move in with Xander and Dawn and are being constantly watched by drones. While out on a run, Buffy comes upon a man harassing a young Wicca. She steps up to defend her and the man calls Buffy out on being powerless. They fight and Buffy holds her owns, but takes quite a few blows. She pummels the guy into unconsciousness and then, realizing hat she did, weeps. Dawn tends to Buffy's wounds and they realize that unpowered-Buffy won't heal like powered-Buffy did.
Willow runs into Calliope, who is now seeing someone else. They promise to make a coffee date.
Riley and Sam show up to whisk Dawn and Xander out of the country. The upper Brass are clearly up to something and they want to move them out soon. Buffy and Willow turn them down and "the Plan" begins. Riley sends off a text and a mysterious shadow drops down onto the drones outside and destroys them. Enter Faith.
Riley, Sam, Buffy, Willow, and Faith drive to the Safety Zone base. Sam and Riley say they are bringing it citizen consultants. Now unpowered, Buffy and Willow pass through the scans easily and Faith is written off as a loaner from the Slayers' Guard. Once everyone is dropped off, Riley and Sam cause a distraction by driving through the gate and Willow, Faith, and Buffy climb the fences to get to the building where the drainer is. They're intercepted by Jordan and company. Faith gallantly charges in to take them all on. Willow and Buffy get to the door, but it is guarded by two Slayers. Buffy, even unpowered, takes them on while Willow locks herself in the room with the drainer and gets her powers back. She repowers Buffy and the tide turns. The Slayer army is defeated. The women turn their attention to the building which is powering the force field surrounding the Safety Zone. Willow takes it out with one powerful spell and the magicals all escape in a swarm. Spike joins the women and everyone heads back to the hotel room where Xander and Dawn are bunked up.
On the news, the Scoobies watch an accusation that vampires, lead by Vicki, attacked a town and killed 2,000 residents. They travel to Austin to confront her and Vicki tells them they the vampires were herded to a town filled with bodies. Buffy tells them about the government's plan to launch satellites, which will drain magic from everyone nationally and maybe internationally. "Without Magic, the undead ... are just plain dead." Vicki agrees to help the Scoobies. Buffy asks her to lead the vampires East as bats, mist, bees, whatever, revealing herself to the security cameras once a day while the Scoobies go to the source.
The Scoobies break into a structure on Land's End, San Francisco called The Pandora Project. They run into a part-living, part-mechanical, part-magical octopus and, with further exploration, realize the project isn't like the Initiative, which tries to make demon/human hybrids, but rather more insidious. Project Pandora is attempting to put magic into specific items: animals, wood, metal. Magic is just being drained and used as they want. They run into a human construct, who we later learn is Rudy Diaz. Rudy volunteered for this project after an IED took his arms and legs, but he was made into this monster. He begs to be released and Spike obliges. The Scoobies return to Dawn and Xander's room to research what Willow found. They believe the Vice-President is the one leading this crusade against magicals with Joanna Wise, the press secretary, and Ophelia Reyes, the secretary of the supernatural, helping. They decide to kidnap the VP and cast a spell on Xander to look like the VP. Then, they'll cast a spell of truth-telling on the VP to find out what's happening. This goes well, until Xander/VP has to hold a press conference and soon begins to talk himself into trouble. The Scoobies find the VP isn't the one in charge, but are unable to get him to tell them who is, because of a silencing spell. They switch Xander and the VP back and retreat to discuss.
Buffy pushes to get Spike and Dawn out of the country. If the magic-draining satellites are launched, they will be killed. They refuse and the group agrees to work together.
They attack the Paradise Project and storm their way inside. They come across Ophelia Reyes and are prepared to fight her, assuming she's the one who has been in charge, until they are all blasted aside by Joanna Wise. It turns out Wise can use magic, but is very weak and, through enhancements, has worked to make her body a receptacle for magic. She's prepared to collect all of the world's magic and be the most powerful creature there is. Everyone teams up to battle her, until Wise releases the Zhaohuan dragon who originally attacked San Francisco. Willow goes off to fight the dragon, but not before re-imbuing Buffy with the power of all the Slayers. Faith falls back and, extra-powered, Buffy attacks Wise. They battle with Buffy pushing Wise back. Willow struggles to keep the dragon away from the city and, as Buffy continues to slam Wise, Wise blasts Buffy aside and, using a drainer, drains the dragon of all its magic, becoming enhanced. Spike is grievously injured, trying to distract Wise and Faith drags him off. Willow rejoins the battle until, at Buffy's urging, she flies off to repower the dragon. The dragon promptly eats Wise, reabsorbing its own magic and leaves the dimension.
Buffy repowers Faith and everyone returns home. Willow agrees to continue teaching baby Wicca, but there's no sign of Calliope. She opens the door to Jordan and company who have come to Buffy to beg for their powers again. Buffy says that, when she originally gave out the power, she was tired of being The Chosen One and wanted to shed that burden. Now, she is sharing the power, but is remaining The Chosen One. If Jordan and company abuse their power, Buffy will take them down. Now repowered, they leave.
On the roof, everyone gathers for burgers and chats. As Spike and Buffy sit to watch the moon rise, Buffy tells Spike that she didn't forget and that she loves him, too.

[Pervinca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This escalated so much! I didn't know how they were going to solve it. Part of me wished this season was a little bit longer, since having a fixed evil person is an "easy" way to finish the arc. I wanted to see more on how the world was going to move on after that. At the same time, having a shorter season made the pace of the story much more intense, and it was so cool! I couldn't stop reading.
Glad to see Buffy still going strong with Spike 💞

[David Cowpar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought the first half was good!

The government has rounded up magical beings and are building a machine to drain their supernatural powers.

Humans and demons are given the opportunity to relinquish themselves of their powers in order to leave the safe zone (which is within the Grand Canyon).

Buffy and Willow take the deal and lose their powers.
This leads to one of the most painful moments of Buffy history. Buffy sees a man picking on a woman. She intervened but he knows she was a Slayer and now isn’t. They fight and she holds her own, but then gets beaten up and later cries behind a tree while government drones watch. It’s like when she turned 18 and the council temporarily took her powers, but even more heartbreaking.

Then Buffy and Willow (with Faith’s help, and Riley and Sam for a bit) break into the Grand Canyon facility and steal back their powers. They release the prisoners.

A village is wiped out by camps near the camp. But it was a government set up and ploy to use their device to steal magic from anyone who has it. This would mean Spike, Angel and Dawn’s certain death.

Buffy and co. Investigate and find a high ranking US government official behind it all. She gives all the surrendered power to herself and draws on the dragon again.


Then Buffy takes back the powers of all the Slayers on earth. She has 1,000 Slayer’s power in her, including Faith’s, and can defeat the bad guys.

One girl in all the world again!!

She later restores Faith’s power and then the Slayers that worked in the Grand Canyon facility, and were crap to Buffy, come knocking for their power back. Buffy gives it to them after they promise to use it right and it seems like Buffy will be the lead slayer again, watching out for all the others.

[Jinni Pike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely one of my favorite collections of Buffy comics in the continuation. I didn’t realize this season was only 12 issues until after I finished reading it. I liked the shorter, more concise season as the previous seasons have at times meandered too much but I think this story arc would have best been served by 15-16 issues. 12 felt too short and the ending was truncated too much. Rebekah Isaacs has secured herself as my favorite Buffy artist. She does a great job of capturing the actors expressions while still maintaining her own style so I was very glad to see her doing most of the art in this collection. And the single issues in the middle done by George Jeanty and Megan Levens blend nicely with Isaacs work. They felt of a whole. I definitely would have liked more Dawn and Xander and can’t wait to read the Giles collection to see what he was up to but this season was some solid story telling. Highlights: a happy Buffy/Spike arch after all the melodrama of Season 10 and a nice meaty cameo by Faith! And I love the new variant covers with deleted scenes!

[CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay they're still letting that George whoever do art for an issue or two which just doesn't make sense cause Rebekah Isaacs is soooooo good! But there are a few incredibly moving scenes in this volume, so much so that they make up for the art I don't like in one of the five issues and a finally revealed villain who's not that interesting. Namely, when Buffy, having given up her superpowers to escape an internment camp for people with magic, has a run-in with a guy who's harassing a woman. She moves in to protect the woman, fights this huge beefy guy (sans slayer powers) -- at first you think she's lost the fight, and then she's winning and losing control and beating the shit out of the guy, and breaking down in the park afterwards about what she might have done. Then Faith arrives out of the blue to help Buffy ("What up. Everyone down with the revolution?") just when Buffy needs her most. 😢 Plus, Spike and Buffy are just too cute together. (B: "I didn't forget, y'know." S: "Mmm, forget what?" B: "I love you too.") ❤🧛‍♂️

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buffy embraces being the Chosen One in a way only Buffy can.

Spike and Buffy somehow work. Really. The highest-functioning relationship she's had so far. It reminds me a tad of the early days of Angel and Buffy, before the Big Bad got bigger and badder. Except this is Spike, and he's got all his bloody jokes and sarcasm. He's fun. I'm glad the comics are keeping him with the Scoobies.

I think the loose ends were tied together a little too quickly at the end. It works, but it did feel a little too easy. Mind you, Spike and Buffy got some nasty third-degree burns, but other than that...a little too easy considering there was a machine that could drain an entire nation's magic. But, I still liked it. Buffy did what Buffy does best: she's a better hero than the world deserves, and she makes it a better, sassier, place.

[Rowan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly enjoyable, but I felt it bogged down in the middle. "Is this just going to be another monster of the week joints?" I asked but no one was there, so I was like, talking to myself, embarrassing. But then it picked up and absorbed me as it should do. But where can they go from here? Is there anything left to be explored in this 'verse? I hope so... I will read Volume 3 when it comes out just to see. Enjoyable but not the best volume of the best season in the graphic novelization of the BTVS ever. Sort of a B-.

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the Buffyverse for something like 20 years now and the graphic novel series continues to delight. The revelations about the government conspiracy make sense; there's the sense of similarity with the Marvel universe - how do things progress with magic and non-humans fully out in the open; it was refreshing to see Buffy and Willow openly discuss and accept not wanting to be 'normal'; yay for Buffy and Spike continuing to work out "much to everyone's surprise."

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. It was ok. Saw Faith, who is underused. I’d like to see a bit more from Willow, I don’t think they are doing much more than pointing her at things and telling her to blast them. She’s really the best character from the tv series imo, and I’d like to see more complexity here. Ending felt confusing, rushed, messy, then bow-wrapped. Eh. Always good to be back in the Buffyverse, but they could do better.

[Mandy Klehr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This season was really short and felt sort of like a closure season. Maybe that was a way for Gage to step aside as lead writer of the series and allow Whedon to return for the 12th season that will start this year. It sounds like the 12th will be even shorter than this last "season," but super excited to have Joss Whedon writing again.

[Taliesin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first volume was an amazing set up, but the second didn't quite wrap up the story in an interesting way. It felt rushed, and the reveal of the "final boss" wasn't really impressive. This volume was a bit disappointing in comparison.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like it when the Scooby Gang works well together and supports and affirms each other as they did in this story line. I appreciated the quiet moment at the end between Buffy and Spike. We mostly only see Buffy's life on high-stress, and it's important to sometimes show us the down-time as well.

[Al Capwned · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting a better finale for this season. It's probably the best one in the comics, so it deserved a better ending.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

An internment camp, a magic-sucking machine, and a dragon. Wow!

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buffy saves the world again. More dragon.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume is the conclusion of the arc started in the previous volume (read the review here! I GET VERY EXCITED). I mentioned in my previous review that the Buffy comics still remain relevant in the 2017 Trump era of America, and for 2018 it's STILL. INCREDIBLY. RELEVANT. So relevant, it's almost scary.

In this volume, Buffy, Spike, and Willow have been sent to a detention camp ("safe zone") for magical folk in an effort to protect non-magical folk. In an effort to help Spike, who is suffering from the low amount of blood rations, Buffy decides to take the problematic role of being a "peacekeeper" within the camp, keeping her fellow detainees from in-fighting and rioting, so she can be afforded special privileges.

And of course there's an actual Big Bad behind the "conceptual" Big Bad (which was society's fear of those who are different), because a superhero comic needs an actual representation to fight, not abstract constructs. So we get the hunt, the reveal, and the epic battle that is familiar from all other previous Buffy seasons. Buffy and Spike's relationship is, in a twist of irony, the only solid constant in this arc. Both have really grown as characters, and despite their complicated history they've managed to make something quite admirable between the two of them.

All in all, I would have been super satisfied if they had to end the comics at this season, because bravo, it was amazing. But I hear there's one more final volume. I hope the ending is just as good as this arc!

[Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one really got hurt by the length. I understand shortening these seasons, and I don't think this need 40 issues or even 34 issues, but I think it needed one more arc at least. I think 18 issues or even 24 could have really helped this.

The last volume ends with Buffy learning that the US government planned to forcibly remove magic from magical creatures, i.e. genocide. This one starts with Buffy agreeing to be depowered so she can figure out what's going on outside the camps, but Buffy went to the camp willingly. I understand that probably wouldn't be able to leave voluntarily, but it would be nice if the comic said that. Then she only stays depowered for 1 issue, and it's a good issue! But it should have been an arc. After repowering and rescuing Spike, she then decides and manages to take down the secret big bad in the government in 2 issues. The basic ideas here are still good but it rushes through them all so fast. It's too bad because it easily could have been the best Buffy comics season, but it was also unfortunately the shortest Buffy season.

Still, it's a good ending to both the season and the series. Open ended and hopeful. Buffy has accepted her position as the chosen one as something she's happy to have, she has her friends, her and Spike are together, and the American government is back to not actively trying to kill her.

I'll read season 12, but its one of the rare ones I've read and I remember it as being terrible and undoing a lot of this, so I suspect this is probably a better ending.