“Buffy the Vampire Slayer Volume 2: No Future For You” by Joss Whedon, Brian K. Vaughan, and George Jeanty (Dark Horse, 2008)

Buffy and Joss Whedon fans were delighted to discover that there would be a graphic novel version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, continuing on from the end of the show.  But fans also know there are two true slayers currently alive in the Buffyverse, and in No Future For You, with help from writer Brian K. Vaughan (of Y: The Last Man) we get the story on what the other slayer has been up to.

Watcher’s Council extraordinaire Rupert Giles needs the help of Faith, the other slayer who has always seen Buffy as the perfect blond who can do no wrong, while she is a convicted murderer, and has had to fight for everything in her life.  But Giles has a mission for her now: to infiltrate the mansion of a rich family in England and take out a girl who is using all her power and resources to kill slayers and anyone with slayer abilities.  Faith will have to go through a rigorous training process in being a proper English noble.  She will also have her faith tested in being a good person, as she finds she has a lot in common with this girl who wants to put an end to Buffy.

Meanwhile back in the castle where Buffy is, Dawn still has her “giant” problem, Xander is making with the hilarities, while Willow continues to be an awesome witch with a scary amount of power, and there is the strange sigil that continues to have deep and sinister ties.  The graphic novel story continues to be an entertaining tale as good as the original TV series.

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Originally written on July 26th, 2008 ©Alex C. Telander.

“Serenity: Those Left Behind” by Joss Whedon (Dark Horse, 2007)

With the incredible DVDs sales and cult success of Firefly, as well as the popular movie Serenity, fans are always looking for something more, which is why they should pick up the beautiful new hardcover edition of Serenity: Those Left Behind.  Originally released as a three-issue comic series to link up the end of the Firefly series with the Serenity movie, Those Left Behind features amazing artwork that makes it feel like you’re watching the show again.

This edition begins with a great introduction by Nathon Fillion (who played Captain Malcolm Reynolds) as he relives his childhood of reading comic books, how important they were to him, and what it was like to want to be a superhero; and how on the day that Joss Whedon cast him as Mal, he knew his dream had been achieved.  Each of the covers from the original comics are shown at the beginning of each issue, making up the entire crew, as it is explained how Inara and Shepherd eventually chose to leave the ship, as well as another grand adventure involving the whole crew.

In this edition also is a true gem: a pre-production memo that Whedon wrote for the making of Serenity titled “A History of the Universe, Circa 2516 A.D.”  Here we see Whedon’s ideas for where the characters came from, their histories, and what led up to them all being on the same ship.  The history of the universe is also explained, with the creation of the Alliance and the rebels who fought for freedom.  Also included is some original concept artwork for the movie.

Serenity: Those Left Behind is a wonderful graphic novel that goes much further than the story told in the original three-issue comic series, with incredible artwork, and gives fans and readers a sliver of hope that maybe, one day, there may be more to be told about Serenity and her special crew.

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Originally written on December 6th, 2007 ©Alex C. Telander.

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer Volume 1: Long Way Home” by Joss Whedon, et. al. (Dark Horse, 2007)

For Buffy fans who felt that when the show ended there was still more to be said about the Buffyverse, writer and creator Joss Whedon thankfully has turned to something else he does just as well as TV: comic books.  With the first trade of what is officially being called “Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight” now out, it is clear that there is still much to be told by Whedon about Buffy and her friends.

Little time has passed since the town of Sunnydale was turned into a giant crater.  While there was originally one Chosen One, there is now a veritable army of “slayerettes” in training to be as good as the real thing.  There are also two doppelgangers of Buffy, one in Rome and one literally underground in a different world, each intended to distract any enemies from the real Buffy.  But at the same time there’s a secret government group – not the Initiative – which feels that the world isn’t safe when there’s such a powerful slayer on the loose, and with some help from some of Buffy’s old enemies, they intend to put an end to her once and for all.  There’s also a strange symbol that keeps showing up, indicating something much larger and more sinister going on.

Long Way Home features some beautiful artwork, giving life to characters that many fans thought were done with; the trade also has full pages of the alternate covers from the first five issues.  It’s the introduction to what looks to be a long series in the continuing story of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

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Originally written on December 6th, 2007 ©Alex C. Telander.