By Andi Watson, Joe Bennett & Rick Ketchum with J. L. van Meter & Luke Ross (Dark Horse/Titan Books)
ISBN: 978-1-84023-078-9
Fully established as a media sensation, Buffy the Vampire Slayer debuted in her own monthly comicbook in 1998, with sharp, thrilling tales that perfectly complimented the sensational, groundbreaking and so, so cool TV show.
After debuting with an original graphic novel (see Buffy the Vampire Slayer: the Dust Waltz) the character quickly became a major draw for publisher Dark Horse – whose many other licensed comicbook successes included Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Aliens and Predator – and her monthly exploits were frequently supplemented by short stories in the company’s showcase anthology Dark Horse Presents and other venues.
This premier compilation (I’m once more featuring the British Titan Books edition and – if you’re asking – the stories are all set during TV Season 2) collects the first three issues of the regular Dark Horse comicbook crafted by Andi Watson, Joe Bennett & Rick Ketchum.
Included as a bonus is the short story which was the Slayer’s very first comicbook appearance, taken from Dark Horse Presents Annual 1998, written by J.L. van Meter, with art by Luke Ross & Ketcham.
In case you’ve only just returned From Beyond the Veil: Buffy Summers was a clueless Valley Girl and hip teen cheerleader until she turned overnight into a monster-killer: latest winner of a mystic, genetic lottery which transformed mortal maids into human killing machines: Slayers.
Moving to the small California hamlet of Sunnydale, obliviously located on the edge of a mystic portal dubbed The Hellmouth, she, a close band of new friends and her cult-appointed magical mentor Rupert Giles battled devils, demons and every species of terror inexorably drawn to the area and who/what/which considered humanity a snack…
The action begins with ‘Wu-Tang Fang’ as, after another tedious school day Willow, Xander and Buffy blow off steam at local club The Bronze.
When a pack of Vampires attacks them on the way home, the Slayer easily deals with the ill-conceived assault but is afterwards confronted and threatened by a mysterious oriental figure in a cloak and straw hat.
It disappears without incident but Xander, fed up with being saved by a girl and following an all night kung fu movie marathon, enrols next day at a martial arts Dojo.
As he painfully finds his new sensei is a bullying brute, Buffy and Giles are discovering a string of martial artists killed by vampires. The standard searches of the Library’s lore-books turn up a name: San Sui of the Xiang River – an ancient wandering warrior who challenged fighters to duels and drank their blood when they lost…
However, after Xander’s teacher meets an horrific end courtesy of the mysterious stranger, San Sui is unprepared for Buffy, who takes out all the extra training she’s been forced to endure on his smug, undead ass…
The next issue covered the annual arcane imbecility of ‘Halloween’ in Sunnydale – a night when vamps generally stayed in due to the hordes of happy people wandering about. This time, however, a pack of smart young dead things decide to stock up on tasty human titbits for their enforced vacation…
One of them is scholarly stalwart Willow who was snatched after storming out of an argument with her folks. Since, like most of the older high-schoolers, Buffy is stuck with chaperoning little kids on the night, nobody notices her BFF is missing until almost too late…
Of course the Slayer does her thing and rescues her gal-pal in time, but after a spectacular vamp-eviscerating battle, Buffy’s concern for Willow causes her to miss one demon who manages to flee with severe – but not death-threatening – injuries. That would prove a costly oversight in months to come as Selke slowly regained her power and fed her burning hatred…
From issue #3 ‘Cold Turkey’ continued the holiday horrors with Buffy lumbered by her mother with producing the daunting Thanksgiving blow-out. Stuck with necessarily late-night shopping in-between school and Slayer-ing, she and Giles are obsessing over the missing fourth Halloween human-hoarder.
Selke is hiding out and recuperating via the most degrading and disgusting means, but when she spots her hated enemy picking up turkey and trimmings at the soul-destroying All-Nite-O-Mart, the damaged devil decides to surprise the Slayer and speed her recovery with a hot meal.
Not her best idea ever, but even after a blistering cemetery confrontation the irrepressible Queen of the Damned again escapes with most of her scurvy skin intact…
The devastating and dramatic danses macabre conclude here with the aforementioned added bonus ‘MacGuffins’ from Dark Horse Presents Annual 1998: a gleeful mirthquake wherein Buffy receives a brace of mischievous, uncontrollable gremlins in the post.
This time however the trollish terrors are not a malign menace but a Watcher-sponsored test – one Giles would learn to regret once the hilariously grudge-bearing Slayer finally got her hands on the slippery little supernatural sods…
With photos and original covers by Arthur Adams, Chris Bachalo, Tim Townsend & Joe Bennett, this fast and furious, pictorially powerful compilation is sharply scripted and proceeds at a breakneck rollercoaster pace, to perfectly capture the brittle, intoxicating spirit of the TV series.
The Remaining Sunlight is an easily accessible romp even if you’re not familiar with the vast backstory: a creepy chronicle and tumultuous thriller as easily enjoyed by the most callow neophyte as by any dedicated devotee.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer ™ & © 1999 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.