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\nBy Christopher Golden<\/b>, Tom Sniegoski<\/b>, Doug Petrie<\/b>, Jamie S. Rich<\/b>, Tom Fassbender<\/b>, Jim Pascoe<\/b>, Christian Zanier<\/b>, Cliff Richards<\/b> Ryan Sook<\/b> & others (Dark Horse Books)
\nISBN: 978-1-84023-315-5<\/p>\n
\nBy Christopher Golden<\/b>, Tom Sniegoski<\/b>, Doug Petrie<\/b>, Jamie S. Rich<\/b>, Tom Fassbender<\/b>, Jim Pascoe<\/b>, Christian Zanier<\/b>, Cliff Richards<\/b> Ryan Sook<\/b> & others (Dark Horse Books)
\nISBN: 978-1-84023-315-5<\/p>\n
Having conquered television, Buffy the Vampire Slayer began a similar crusade with the far harder-to-please comicbook audiences. Launched in 1998 and offering smart, sassy tales to accompany the funny, action-packed and mega-cool onscreen entertainment, the saga began in an original graphic novel (Buffy the Vampire Slayer: the Dust Waltz<\/b>) before debuting as a monthly series.<\/p>\n
She quickly became a major draw for publisher Dark Horse – whose line of licensed comicbook successes included Star Wars<\/b>, Indiana Jones<\/b>, Aliens<\/b> and Predator<\/b> – and her exploits were regularly supplemented by short stories in company showcase anthology Dark Horse Presents<\/b> and other venues.<\/p>\n
This commodious UK Titan Books compilation features stories spanning 1999 and 2000 – set during Seasons 3 and 4 of the TV show – including issues #12, 16 and 20 of the regular title, a couple of yarns from Buffy the Vampire Slayer Annual 1999<\/b> and Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Lovers’ Walk<\/b> plus the Dark Horse\/Wizard co- published Buffy\/Angel #\u00c2\u00bd<\/b>: a period which saw Buffy’s noble vampire lover Angel set up shop in his own spin-off series \u00e2\u20ac\u201cboth small screen and printed\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n
What You Need to Know<\/b>: Buffy Summers<\/i> was a hapless Californian cheerleader Valley Girl until the night she inexplicably turned into a hyper-strong, impossibly durable monster-killer. Accosted by a creepy old coot from a secret society of Watchers<\/i> she discovered that she had become a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Slayer\u00e2\u20ac\u009d – the most recent recipient of an ancient geas which transformed selected mortal maids into living slaughter-machines of all things undead, arcane or uncanny.<\/p>\n
After little trouble in Los Angeles she moved with her mom to the deceptively quiet hamlet of Sunnydale<\/i>, but Buffy quickly and painfully discovered that her new hometown was situated on the edge of an eldritch gateway known to all the unhallowed as The Hellmouth<\/i>\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n
Enrolling at Sunnydale High<\/i>, Buffy made some friends and, tutored by new Watcher Rupert Giles<\/i>, conducted a never-ending war on devils, demons and every shade of predatory supernatural species inexorably drawn to the area\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n
The stories re-presented here span Buffy’s horrific Graduation Day and eventual transition to the local college (complete with a new boyfriend – federal\/military spook-buster Riley Finn<\/i>) but open with a few High School escapades such as ‘Food Chain Part 1’<\/i> (by Christopher Golden, Christian Zanier & Andy Owens from Buffy<\/b> #12 where it was originally seen under the title ‘A Nice Girl Like You’<\/i>) as new student Sandy<\/i> inexplicably gets involved with bad boy Brad Caulfield<\/i> and his gang.<\/p>\n
No one in the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Scooby-Gang\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Willow<\/i>, Xander<\/i>, Cordelia<\/i> and werewolf Oz<\/i>) can understand what she sees in the local louts\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 until Buffy uncovers Sandy’s true nature and her nasty habit of feeding on the energy of young folk\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n
Golden, Tom Sniegoski, Cliff Richards & Joe Pimentel then detail ‘The Latest Craze’<\/i> (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Annual 1999<\/b>) wherein an avaricious old enemy introduces demonically addictive toy \u00e2\u20ac\u0153pets\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to the impressionable Sunnydale kids. However, the wickedly adorable \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Hooligans\u00e2\u20ac\u009d are not only moonlight kleptomaniacs but have a sinister agenda all their own\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n
From the same source, by Doug Petrie, Ryan Sook & Tim Goodyear comes ‘Bad Dog’<\/i> wherein the Slayer, whilst hunting for Oz on one of his bad (i.e. full moon) nights, encounters a nasty young sorcerer determined to turn himself into a god at Willow’s expense, after which ‘Food Chain Part 2<\/i>‘ (Buffy<\/b> #16 by Golden, Zanier, Marvin Mariano, Draxhall Jump, Curtis P. Arnold, Jason Minor & Owens) reveals how Brad is still connected to the demonic Sandy’s monstrous master and killing in his name\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n
Set in the aftermath of the pivotal Graduation Day episode, ‘Double Cross’<\/i> (#20, by Petrie, Minor & Arnold) follows Angel as he heads for his new mission in LA and stay-at-home Buffy when\u00c2\u00a0 a demon who feeds on lost hope targets both monster-hunters simultaneously, eager to destroy them both at their lowest ebb\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n
A bright change of pace follows as trainee witch Willow and new partner Tara<\/i> go hunting for a rare magical flower and stay in a haunted Bed-&-Breakfast. ‘Punish Me with Kisses’<\/i> (Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Lovers’ Walk<\/b> by Jamie S. Rich & China Clugston-Major) sees the young lovers futilely trying to placate and exorcise a married couple who had been quarrelling for most of the century since their deaths\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n
The special also provided ‘One Small Promise’<\/i> by Tom Fassbender & Jim Pascoe, with art by Richards & P. Craig Russell, in which Buffy and Riley have a thoroughly entertaining spat which a band of roving vampires mistakenly assume might put them off their staking game\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n
Wrapping things up is ‘City of Despair’<\/i> from Buffy\/Angel #\u00c2\u00bd<\/b> (Fassbender, Pascoe, Richards & Owens) wherein Angel and Buffy – although separated by hundreds of miles – are united in an extra-dimensional arena after their souls are stolen to take part in a demon’s gladiatorial game\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n
This is one more splendidly accessible assemblage of arcane action and furious phantasm fighting, even for those unfamiliar with the extensive back history: another self-contained chronicle of creepy carnage and witty wonderments as easily enjoyed by the newest neophyte as any confirmed connoisseur.
\nBuffy the Vampire Slayer \u00e2\u201e\u00a2 & \u00c2\u00a9 2001 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Christopher Golden, Tom Sniegoski, Doug Petrie, Jamie S. Rich, Tom Fassbender, Jim Pascoe, Christian Zanier, Cliff Richards Ryan Sook & others (Dark Horse Books) ISBN: 978-1-84023-315-5 Having conquered television, Buffy the Vampire Slayer began a similar crusade with the far harder-to-please comicbook audiences. Launched in 1998 and offering smart, sassy tales to accompany the … <\/p>\n