Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine #2 review

Comic Book Wednesday

Issue #22

Written on Wednesday night - the eve of NYCC.

Prepping for New York Comic Con is rough. I’m not sure when the rest of the reviews will be up, but I had to get this one in, because I’ve been dying to read this issue since the first one came out.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Nine #2

Freefall - Part Two

Written by Andrew Chambliss

Pencils by Georges Jeanty

Dark Horse Comics

After one Jossy issue, Andrew Chambliss of Dollhouse and The Vampire Diaries fame takes the writerly reigns. The transition is seamless, ‘cause this dude can write – in every sense of the word. He continues the story in an incredibly interesting way, the voices are spot on and utterly Whedonesque, and it reads well as a comic. I think, after the enjoyable but rocky Season Eight, the BtVS team has figured out how to stay as true to the tone of the television series as possible in this medium.

A lot happens in this issue. There is a quick bit with the Student Loan Demon that is funny as hell, but on a somewhat larger scale the scene is indicative of what’s going on in the larger story. This demon was cut off from his home, much like Willow was cut off from magic, and has resorted to taking on a day (well, night) job to pay his way in this unfamiliar dimension. Another point is made that Buffy and Spike—really, slayers and vampires—have magic, yes, but their powers come from within… so they are in a strange place where they get to keep their “special” quality in a world that’s lost it’s soul. This seems to be building some nice tension (between Buffy and Willow and really between Buffy and herself, because she ponders about how a normal life would be if slayers had lost their powers and if vampires ceased to exist. That thought leads to a wonderful moment between Buffy and Spike:

SPIKE: For starters, I’d be dead. And you wouldn’t be nearly as much fun.

BUFFY: Fun is overrated. But I’d probably miss you.

SPIKE: Bloody hell you would.

Also, there’s something building between Xander and Dawn. Something normal-people-like, which I so missed last season. Spike is investigating something for Buffy. There’s an investigation going on. Buffy is (already) a fugitive. Annnnd there’s a new character in town… and he’s got some pretty nifty powers that seem to pose an answer to Buffy’s “I want to be normal” crisis. But, of course, things are going to get complicated, because this is, after all, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Steve Morris's sketch for the cover

And that feels good to say. Season Nine is very much Buffy the Vampire Slayer. More than any comic with than name has ever been. So big, big kudos to the team for getting this series and the characters right. It’s damn awesome.

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Until next time, see ya when I see ya!