Note: One of the one-shots in the Courtney Crumrin book below, Courtney Crumrin and the Fire Thief’s Tale, is one of the prizes that my Blogathon sponsors can win.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Vol. 1, “The Long Way Home (Dark Horse) [collects BtVS Season 8 #1-5]
w. Joss Whedon; a. Georges Jeanty
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Vol. 2, “No Future for You” (Dark Horse) [collects BtVS Season 8 #6-10]
w. Brian Vaughan; a. Georges Jeanty
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Vol. 3, “Wolves at the Gates” (Dark Horse) [collects BtVS Season 8 #11-15]
w. Drew Goddard; a. Georges Jeanty
| Writing |  | New reader? |  |
| Art |  | Non-comics reader? | |
I really wanted to like this series, a “Season 8” follow up to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Certainly Whedon (who also “executive produced” the second two volumes), Vaughan, and Goddard have good writing chops, and there are some truly great moments, lines, and scenes here.
But the temptation in a series like this — a temptation Whedon gives in to — is to “do what you couldn’t do on TV” in terms of big special effects. The problem is, that distracts from what Buffy’s always been about — teen angst and friendship. With Buffy overseeing a world army of Slayers, and the ability to show Big Magic in a Big Way, the story loses itself.
Jeanty is a good artist, but not great. He does a decent job of trying to make the characters look like their actors, but the many-female cast sometime overwhelms him, leading to difficulties in picking out who’s who.
Recommended for Buffyphiles and Whedon fans, but only the big ones. I’d rather remember the series as-is rather than tack these tales onto the memories.
Courtney Crumrin’s Monstrous Holiday (Oni) [collects CC and the Fire Thief’s Tale and CC and the Prince of Nowhere]
w/a. Ted Naifeh
| Writing |  | New reader? | |
| Art | | Non-comics reader? | |
The fourth volume detailing tales of Courtney, a very unusual girl dealing with having been sent away to her mystic Uncle Aloysius’ care. In this book, Uncle has taken Courtney to Romania and Germany where she deals with romance, both others’ and her own, and with werewolves and vampires as well.
Naifeh’s tales are simple on the surface, and his moody art reminiscent of Mike Mignola (I’d love to see a collaboration between the two). But there’s complexity behind the scenes. Courtney gets into trouble because Uncle’s too busy with his own machinations to watch her properly. She acts out of a strong moral sense that’s usually right — but which often has unexpected (and often unpleasant) ramifications. Uncle, too, continues to show hidden sides of himself, especially in how much he’s come to care for his charge. We’re watching Courtney grow up over time, and that process is rarely painless or not fraught with danger, nor is it here. What she will grow up to be remains a troubling question …
Very good stuff — kids can read it, but adults will parse many layers here as well. Highly recommended.
Listening to: Horner, James, & the London Symphony, “Bishop’s Countdown” (Aliens – Original Motion Picture Sound Track))