by Alan Rapp on June 28, 2018
in Comics
The end begins. Joss Whedon returns to write the final season arc of Buffy the Vampire Slayer with Christos Gage that kicks off with Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Twelve #1. There’s fun, there’s fightin’, and there are feels.
The gang has grown a little older and (maybe) a little wiser in the year since we saw them last. Xander and Dawn are living together in the suburbs with a baby girl whose name with give longtime Buffy fans all the feels. Spike and Buffy have split but are still on good terms, Willow is leading a women’s power movement which includes Wiccans and Slayers, Giles has been restored to his proper age, and all seems relatively quiet… except for the legendary final battle just around the corner and a vampire from the future that plans on making sure he comes out on top.
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by Alan Rapp on March 10, 2018
in Comics
We may never have gotten the Giles television show Joss Whedon wanted, but the Watcher now earns his own four-issue mini-series written by Whedon and Erika Alexander. To catch up those who don’t know, after being killed by Angel, Giles was resurrected but as a teenager. After helping the Scooby Gang, Giles has now been sent in undercover at an inner-city Los Angeles high school (partly to hide him from the anti-magic government and partly to allow the teenage Watcher to investigate odd occurrences in the high school).
Chronologically taking place somewhere near the end of Season 11, there’s more than a little deja vu here as Giles uncovers odd things happening in the high school basement and also falls for a female student named Roux who turns out to be a good vampire, a fact which doesn’t stop him from flirting with her.
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by Alan Rapp on November 1, 2017
in Comics
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eleven comes to a close with Buffy and Willow‘s powers restored but at odds with the villainous Press Secretary who has used the law to usurp the magical powers of various witches and creatures including a very large dragon whose magic she just drained. Don’t worry though, the dragon will make a memorable final appearance before all is said and done.
The theme of the season has certainly been topical, given the government’s attacks against those it sees as different and dangerous. The choice to end the comic, and the season, by resetting everything back to “normal” is certainly worthy of discussion.
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by Alan Rapp on September 7, 2017
in Comics
On the run and seeking proof about what the United States Government is really up to concerning internment of magical creatures, Buffy and the Scoobies break into a secret facility where they discover all manner of odd experiments created from a mix of science and magic including a cyborg octopus. Realizing government scientists are draining magic and imbuing their own creations with them, the Scoobies seek out more answers… by kidnapping the Vice President of the United States.
While this issue doesn’t reveal the person behind the strange government experiments it does feature plenty of action and put a ticking clock on our heroes to fight the good fight. With satellites ready to go into orbit to drain the magical powers of everyone within the borders of the United States (as a start), it’s time for action.
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by Alan Rapp on June 2, 2017
in Comics
Sent by Illyria through time into the vampire’s past, Angel and Fred find themselves on a ship bound for the new world where its crew is being picked off by Angelus and Darla. As with the first opening arc, this isn’t a walk down memory lane where Fred and Angel are observers to events, instead the pair are active in the timestream and able to make changes to the past.
While Angel is able to avoid being seeing by either Darla or his less soul-filled self, Fred isn’t so lucky. Seeking out the rumored magical item on the ship, Fred is able to find it but both vampires also find her. So how does Angel save his friend without directly confronting himself and possibly making large changes to the timeline (as you’d think Darla and Angelus would remembering running into an Angel with a soul)?
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