Buffy The Last Vampire Slayer #1: Never Alone, Love

RECAP

Thess is all grown up, having taken up the mantle as the new Slayer!
But with new responsibilities comes new enemies, and a mysterious clan will do anything to get to her, even if it means using her friends as bait.

CREATIVE TEAM & COMIC INFO

Author: Casey Gilly
Artist: Oriol Roig
Colorist: Gloria Martinelli
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Genre: Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi

REVIEW

A new slayer emerges in an alternate universe where Buffy has been the last vampire slayer for so long: Thessaly, the daughter of Willow and Tara. Buffy, in her 60s, has taken on the role of Watcher to train Thessaly but still has trouble letting go of the slayer’s life and instincts. Meanwhile, Thssaly is trying to balance her life as a slayer, holding down a day job, and pursuing a romantic interest. That is on top of the fact that Buffy and Spike leave Thessaly behind for a week while having a temporary Watcher: Anya, a longtime friend of Buffy.

Cover Art

The main cover art was created by Ario Anindito (Star Wars: The High Republic, Atlantis Attacks). It depicts Buffy in her late age holding up a crossbow in tactical gear while Spike and Thessaly are in the background with their own weapons, facing away from some red-eyed vampires ready to strike behind them. The style captures the essence of the story of Buffy training a new slayer but still has that need to take charge when it comes to crushing demons.

There are a total of 4 variant covers for this issue. One of them was created by Suspiria Vilchez (Hunt for the Skinwalker, Star Trek). It is a medium close-up image of Buffy with white hair, pounding her stake-clasped fist into her open-palm hand as though she’s saying she’s ready to take on some baddies with enlarged vampire teeth overshadowing her in the back. This cover demonstrates how even in her older age, Buffy can still kick some ass.

Writing

This issue was written by Casey Gilly (My Little Pony: Generations, Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft – Orphan of Agony Isle). Overall, the story holds up well, with the story mostly progressing in a way that makes sense and is easy to follow. But there are some areas in the story that was either weak or were lacking details that were needed for the story. The issue opens up with Thessaly doing what appears to be a YouTube video about her slaying routine, with the help of props and Spike standing in as the demons she attacks. However, this scene didn’t exactly make any sense other than serving as a setup for the plot since it is rarely really mentioned that she has a YouTube channel or why she recorded it in the first place other than to show fans of the Slayer. Overall, it seems to miss what it was trying to accomplish outside of being used as a plot device.

There were some other writing issues as well, such as how the reader doesn’t really get a clear sense of why Buffy and Spike leave for San Francisco, leaving Thessaly behind. It’s clear that they’re going on a trip away with just the two of them, but why is uncertain. The reader also gets introduced to Thessaly’s temporary Watcher, but they do not actually get to know her name or who she is exactly until much later in the issue (almost at the end), when Thessaly calls her by her name, Anya. Not having her name or a proper introduction at the beginning of the issue really leaves the reader confused as to who the person is and gets distracting.

Artwork

The art for this issue was done by Oriol Roig as the illustrator, Gloria Martinelli on colors (All New Firefly, Magic: The Hidden Planeswalker), and Ed Dukeshire on letters (Irredeemable, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers). The artwork here was done well, with colors having a nice selection of complimentary colors and the use of lighting, and the layouts were consistent enough to allow the reader to follow along for the most part. There were some rougher areas though. For example, Anya and Thessaly look so similar next to each other that it was hard to make out who was who when they appeared together initially. There were also moments in the story where it wasn’t clear how much time may have passed from scene to scene or if it was in another location.

That said, there was a beautiful page that absolutely captures the nature of Buffy and Spike’s relationship so well that it has to be recognized and commemorated. After Spike asks Buffy if she wants to talk about her Slayer life struggles, she walks away, indicating that she’s going to take a shower alone. After a moment of frustration, Buffy slams her fist against the glass door, then sits down on the floor against the wall of the bathroom in a yellowish hue, while Spike sits on the other side of the wall in blue-purple lighting, reassuring her that she’s never alone. The juxtaposition of these two characters and the contrast of the colors is a beautiful way of showing this moment that represents their strength as a couple. This is the best page in the issue by far for this reason.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The first issue of the series takes a little bit of a stumble, especially for newer readers who may be reading about this world for the first time. But the story and art have a lot of promise that can lead one to check out the next issue to see what happens.