Horror

Fatale #14

/ / Comics

Fatale #14After a series of one-offs featuring other characters, Fatale #14 catches up with Josephine during WWII where her curiosity about her unique condition leads her into Romania and, despite the warning of a woman she trusts completely, to seek out Hitler’s mystic priests known as the Thule Society.

Captured by the group, Josephine is to be sacrificed during the Convergence, but thanks to the timely arrival of a solider entranced by a map which drove his other comrades mad, the femme fatale manages to get out of Romania alive. With the punch of some sly humor and action, the comic gives us a glimpse at the series of events which led to the happiest period of her life, but not blissfully happy as the series of events inside the mountain had left unforgettable knowledge that monsters do indeed walk the Earth and they have a keen interest in her above all others.

I’ve enjoyed the one-offs, but I’m glad to see the comic pick up thread of Josephine’s story once again. Worth a look.

[Image, $3.50]

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine #21

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine #21With Willow‘s return and Xander preparing to betray his friends to save Dawn, Season Nine moves closer to the finale as “The Core” begins with Buffy, Willow, and Xander heading to the only place on Earth that might have enough magical energy to save Dawn’s life – The Deeper Well.

Angel fans should recognize the name of Ilyria‘s resting place where her sarcophagus was housed, along with those of countless other Old Ones, from “A Hole in the World” (you remember, the heart-wrenching episode where Fred dies – damn you Joss Whedon!). I like the comic bringing back the setting to kick start what looks to be the season’s final arc, and provide another instance of the characters making a bold short-term decision without really thinking out the lasting implications if something goes wrong (you know, Buffy logic).

Buffy and her friends will discover the Deeper Well has not been left unguarded as the powerful entities remaining in our dimension want to protect the power of the Old Ones from falling into the wrong hands (not that something like that will stop the Scoobies from their dangerous plan). Worth a look.

[Dark Horse, $2.99]

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine #20

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine #20Friendship is at the crux of the latest issue of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine as one of the Scoobies returns and another will make a choice that may leave his relationship with the Slayer forever damaged. Willow returns with a little newfound magic power (which I’m guessing she got in that recent mini-series I couldn’t be bothered enough to read).

Willow’s return and the return of her bestie’s magic mojo gives Buffy hope that they might be able to save Dawn from the magic (or lack of) which is killing her. Still blaming Buffy for Dawn’s condition, Xander is offered a second alternative to help his girlfriend. Despite dismissing the the offer, he eventually caves and agrees to help Severin and Simone get what they need to stop Twilight from ever happening (which, when you think of how monumentally Season Eight went of the rails, may not be that much of a betrayal).

I’m not sure I like Xander as Judas, especially betraying Buffy to a coldblooded killer like Simone, but I’m willing to wait and let this play out. Worth a look.

[Dark Horse, $2.99]

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Fatale #13

/ / Comics

Fatale #13Writer Ed Brubaker and artist Sean Phillips provide a single-issue tale of another Fatale. Set in the Old West, we’re introduced to “Black” Bonnie Smith, a woman with the (eerily familiar) power to bend men to her will and a bloody past that includes the slaughter of an Indian village and dying twice before meeting a pair of men who would change her life.

Killed and then kidnapped by a Native American named Milkfred and a elderly snake oil salesman, both who are immune to her spell, Bonnie is saved from a (eerily familiar) cult who have been hunting her for days. For the first time in years Bonnie has more questions than answers and continues travelling with the unlikely pair to a lighthouse on the prairie to grab the group’s bible which may just have the answers they all seek.

Once again Brubaker and Phillips craft tale with familiar characters in new settings. I’d like a little more revelation about the cults as we see them over time, but the various protagonists continue to entertain. Worth a look.

[Image, $3.50]

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine #19

/ / Comics

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine #19The main storyline is put pretty much on hold as Buffy and Koh catch up with the de-powered Illyria who has been completely drained of her powers by Severin. As to the time-shattereing plans of Severin, we’ll have to wait at least another month as the focus shifts back to the B-story and he strange illness which is slowly killing Dawn.

Even without her powers, Illyria quickly diagnoses the problem. The magic used to keep The Key in human form is failing and the mystical energy is slowly leaving Dawn’s body. Which means yet another person close to her may have been irrelevantly harmed by Buffy deciding to destroy The Seed and end magic in this reality.

The issue ends with Buffy taking responsibility for her action which still isn’t enough for Xander who is watching the woman he loves slowly fade away because Buffy and Angel couldn’t keep it in their pants. Despite the dustup, the pair put their issues aside and work together to help save Buffy’s little sister. Worth a look.

[Dark Horse, $2.99]

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