Buffy #1: I have been anxiously anticipating this book.
Anxiously. Let me put it in perspective for you: I was sitting at work today, thinking about how much I wanted Buffy #1, which would be in my hands in what was logically just a few short hours, but which stretched out before me in impossible, leaping eternities nonetheless. While I was sitting there thinking (seeing me actually
work at work is pretty rare, I'll admit), I hit up Wikipedia and started reading random stuff about Buffy and Angel, then I came on the Hype to talk about Buffy in the season 8 thread over in the Misc. Comics section, then I looked up some more random stuff on Wiki and TV.com, then I went on Amazon and
impulse-bought both the Buffy "Chosen" Collection and the entire Angel series in one fell swoop. Yes, I spent a cool $270 because I couldn't wait for a $3 comic. I don't regret it, of course; the DVDs just give me something new to look forward to after the Buffy comic. Oh, and I also spent about $100 last week buying trades of various Buffy comics from the previous Dark Horse run.
So I've established that Buffy #1 is likely the most indirectly expensive comic I've yet purchased, but having read it, I can now say that it was totally worth it. Reading those previous Buffy comics actually gave me a perfect foil for appreciating Buffy #1. The former, while engaging enough, always felt like adaptations of Buffy. Minor details would be off here and there, the mood wouldn't quite be right, and it'd all add up to something
approaching the TV show's goodness but not quite reaching it. Buffy (season 8) #1, on the other hand,
is Buffy. The gun-toting paratrooper bit at the beginning was a bit odd, I thought, but as soon as I read the dialog on said paratrooper page, everything slipped right back into the familiar rhythm of a Buffy episode, with an improvement here and there, no less. For example, in a lot of ways, I can see narration boxes' being the best thing that could happen to Buffy. While it's still too early to judge the Buffy comics on any meaningful level, the atmosphere and wit of the earlier seasons is there in spades already. Also, thanks to the big gap between the end of the TV series and the beginning of this comic series (over a year, according to Whedon), it's exciting just to see where all of the characters are now, and the reveals in this issue are pretty great. Xander totally embraces the patched look and does his best Nick Fury impression, Dawn looks like she might finally contribute something interesting instead of boring subplots for once, and the big cliffhanger ending is quite intriguing (even if it was spoiled a bit by future issues' solicits). The ostensible Big Bad as of this issue promises interesting future developments and a definitely worthy challenge, too. Also, there are a number of newbies who show up in this issue that look promising--most notably Leah, the Scottish Slayer, and Renee, the cute and apparently geeky computer chick at Slayer HQ. I find myself wanting to know more about them almost as much as I want to see where the rest of the Scoobies wound up.
The art is by Georges Jeanty, and the art in this issue is great even by his standards. The last thing I saw Jeanty on was The American Way, which was great; his work here is even better. One could argue that his actor likenesses aren't particularly accurate (Cliff Richards' were much more accurate in the previous Buffy series), but I actually appreciate that quite a bit. I've always thought that rendering comic book characters to be identical to actors or celebrities was tacky (yes, I'm looking at you, Ultimate Nick L. Jackson
) and Jeanty manages to keep the characters distinct while fully bringing them into the comic book realm. As with the writing, the art--especially its divergence from photorealistic actor portrayals--makes the comic feel truly like a new season of Buffy, if that makes any sense. Strip away the familiar performances and faces and you find that the cores of the characters are still there, with their identities and voices intact--Buffy's still a petite blonde who can kick an incongruous amount of ass for the size of her frame, Xander's still the normal dude who's adapted himself into a witness for all the weird crap that goes on, Dawn's still a petulant ball of angst, etc.--and that, like the writing, made me feel like this was the Buffy I'd known all the time, rather than adaptation of the "real" Buffy from TV.
So, if it wasn't clear by now: I loved this issue. It struck exactly the right chord, bringing the familiarity of Buffy, her cast of characters, and her world back while simultaneously introducing loads of new concepts and characters that promise interesting developments to come. Coupled with the creative pool that Whedon has revealed is lined up to handle the rest of the season, that leaves the future of the series looking quite bright indeed. I can only hope that Jeanty either continues drawing the series or is succeeded by someone equally talented.
