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The Long Way Home (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Vol. 1) Posters
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Rating:  -
When the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV show ended after seven seasons, there was talk about an animated series, big screen films, etc..., but the Slayer saga has continued in perhaps the one area that could truly do it justice...the comic books. Dark Horse has revived the Buffy comic, which originally ran for some sixty plus issues but with a remarkable twist. The new series is a direct sequel to the TV show and even carries the label, "Season 8" to prove it. Furthermore, the first story arc, contained in this trade paperback, was written by series creator Joss Whedon. Whedeon took a risk with this venture. By calling it Season Eight he's got a large audience to appeal to, perhaps many who had not even read the previous Buffy comic.
The series begins approximately a year after the events in the final TV episode "Chosen" and the destruction of the Hellmouth, and Sunnydale. Buffy is leading a team of young slayers against a demon stronghold. Buffy has now developed a worldwide network of Slayer teams with Xander running the command post in Scotland. Former Trio member Andrew is in charge of a Slayer team in Italy. At the start Willow is missing and Buffy's sister, Dawn, has grown into a giant, evidently a result of losing her virginity to a "thricewise" named Kenny.
Buffy has a new and perhaps her most deadly foe yet...the American Government. The Government views the Slayers as a terrorist group, citing the destruction of Sunnydale but in reality, they fear the Slayer's power and their ideology. What will the Slayers do if all the demons and vampires are destroyed? The military even has their own Thunderbolt Ross in the form of General Voll who begrudgingly realizes he'll need the aid of magic to capture Buffy. To this end, he allies himself with a near-crazed magician they've captured, Willow's former friend turned rat-turned enemy...Amy Madison. She sets a trap to not only capture Buffy, but to also lure Willow out of the woodwork. But there's an even more sinister old foe back to cause trouble.
I was really leery of this series having been a fan of the TV show. One thing that has happened, and it kind of happened in the final season anyway, is that the show lost a bit of its intimacy. The cast, with all the additional Slayers and other supporting characters has become very large and as such we get somewhat less of the main characters. Whedon dispelled some of my fears by infusing this book with his trademark snappy banter, particularly between Xander and Buffy. There is also that ongoing sibling rivalry carried over from the TV show between Dawn and Buffy. Dawn relates more to Willow as a mother figure than her own sister, causing Buffy to question her own relationship with Dawn. The first series has everything Buffy fans grew to love about the series...great action, lots of humor and sharp dialog, and menacing villains.
Artistically, I'm not ready to put Georges Jeanty on a par with long-time Buffy Artist Cliff Richards, but his art was very good and captured the characters look quite well and the painted covers by Jo Chen are phenomenal. The real question going forth will be how well the series does without Whedon writing the series as he only wrote the first five issues.
REVIEWED BY TIM JANSON
Rating: -
This was long awaited for many Buffy fans, who (like myself) would have loved for the show to continue as long as possible. Joss Whedon and his team of writers are just as cleaver as ever, and all of the characters stay true to their original selves. It was great, and I can't wait for the next one.
Rating:  -
I'm not a comic book reader. Never have been and likely, I never will be. If this describes you, then likely you're not ready for the Buffy comic. This isn't a book or a show, it's a little of both while being entirely its own entity. Instead of having something described to you, like in a book, or being shown a thing, like in the television series, you get a snapshot and some poppy dialogue. This isn't a bad thing, it's a comic thing, but if comics are a new territory for you, as they were for me, it's nice to know ahead of time.
The comic works. I've read it a couple of times already and I find myself picking it up and flipping back to a favorite part every few days without even consciously considering it. For fans of the show it's a must-have, though anyone not well versed in the series will be quite lost. The characters voices are right on, the art is amazing, and the story just seems to fit. I should also note here that all of the regular comic covers are included in the back of the book (not the special 1 in 4 covers however) for you collectors. Great stuff.
Rating: -
Nobody loves his fans more than Joss Whedon. This is a man who once said he'd rather make something that 100 people NEED to see then something 1000 people WANT to see and the man works tirelessly and continuously to bring us the very best in sci-fi/horror/fantasy entertainment. So yeah, I'm a fan. "Buffy: Season 8" shoved off in spite of worthless television politics and Sarah Michelle Gellar's refusal to play the character (until her bank account bottoms out, anyway) by switching mediums entirely and making the official leap to the printed page. The transistion has been exemplary.
"The Long Way Home" picks up some time after the end of the 7th season. Buffy Summers is leading an army of awakened slayers in surgical strikes against demons worldwide. Instantly, the reader is greeted with a feeling of complete comfort in the old "Buffyverse"; the dialogue is so spot on you will hear the original actor's voices in your head as you read. Sly references to past events abound: Xander, still sporting his eyepatch, fancys himself a Nick Fury-type commander and fills the pages with geeky references, Dawn is suffering some very literal growing pains, Andrew makes us question his sexuality and continues pontificating at length about "Star Wars", etc; hardcore fans will not be let down. Villains with scores to settle return, including at least one you seriously never expected to see again. Each returning character is given the coolest possible introduction to the comic medium and if it possible to cheer while reading a book, you will.
The art is more than a little bit endearing, stylish, and cool. And the covers! Good God, the covers! Each month I spend what seems like minutes on end admiring the jaw-dropping artwork that greets me before I can even turn a single page. I will boldly declare the cover art of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8" to be the best of any comic I've ever seen. Long may it continue.
The story is something much more epic than anyting that could realistically be portrayed on a television budget. The settings are varied and as cool as they come, the battles are large in scale, and the cast is expanded leading the series to become more of an ensemble than ever. Misleads (usually romantic) that make you gasp are dangled in front of your eyes and then expertly diverted in a way that will make you smile about being had. Well done, Mr. Whedon. The creatures are no longer limited to men in costumes and low-budget CG, the demons are large in size, and others are just odd, such as an underground colony of slug monsters and fairies. This adds yet more depth and possiblities to the story.
Issues #1-4 chronicle the actual "Long Way Home" arc, while #5 is an excellent self-contained story about a slayer chosen to serve as one of Buffy's several doubles. It is arguably the strongest issue in spite of the fact that Buffy isn't even in it and the supporting cast only make token appearances. It's a real testament to Joss Wheson's great storytelling skills. And did I forget to mention the excellent humor that peppers each issue? Well, I guess that goes without saying, doesn't it?
Even if you have never read a comic in your life, this is a great time to begin. "Buffy: Season 8" is off to a fantastic start and if you missed
the boat, thank God for trade paperbacks. If you are already a comic fan then you know what the potential here is and you can rest assured that the hype is warranted. Next stop: "Angel: Season 6".
Rating: -
I came to the Buffy bandwagon a little late, I'll admit - I didn't start watching the show with any sort of regularity until after it had gotten cancelled, but it didn't take me long to realize that what was there on my television screen was genius. And so, after getting the boxed set and watching the whole series through, I was amazed at Joss Whedon's vision, and at the family of characters he'd created.
Thank God for Joss Whedon's devotion to his fans - deciding to continue Buffy as a comic series was a brilliant idea. "The Long Way Home," the first volume collecting the Buffy Season 8 Series, is a fine continuation of the TV show, and die-hard Buffy fans will be thrilled.
Picking up about a year after the end of the TV show, we find Buffy and her crew - Xander and Dawn (who was mysteriously turned into a giant) - as well as an army-in training of newly-minted slayers, holed up in a castle in Scotland, while Giles is out in the world doing recon. However, things heat up after a military organization with magical ties, and a pair of old enemies, show up to try and remove the chief slayer from existence. And "Twilight" is coming...
First, the good: Whedon's writing is as snappy as ever, with the quips and the wacky grammar coming fast and furious - as do the wild pop culture references. Fans will feel a weird sweep of nostalgia reading it - this is almost like watching the show itself. Georges Jeanty's artwork is also very good.
Now, the bad: Unfortunately, as good as Joss's dialogue is, I have to admit that there are places where the pacing of the comics don't quite work - you'll find yourself not quite sure just what the heck is going on in at least three points in the book, and some of the motivations are a little muddy. This, however, is a quibble, not enough to outright disregard this book.
A word to the wise, however - this book is certainly only meant for hardcore Buffy fans; you'll have to be familiar with the series entire to be able to get into it. Enjoy!
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