Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Long Way Home, Part 1

By: Merin
Date: Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season 8
Issue #1 - The Long Way Home, Part 1
Writer: Joss Whedon ; Penciler: Georges Jeanty ; Inker: Andy Owens
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One Sentence Synopsis: The Slayer returns and the story picks up after the end of the tv season 7.
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The Meat: We open on Buffy and a commando team of young slayers dropping from a helicopter onto a church.

Pause
    for those who don't know the wonder and greatness that is the Buffyverse here is a quick primer

- Buffy Summers as a teenage girl had her world turned upside down when she encountered her first vampire and learned that she was the 'chosen one.'  She was the Slayer, the one girl in all the world granted the strength to fight the vampires and the demons.  With her Watcher Rupert Giles, her new friends witchy computer-geek Willow Rosenberg and plain geeky but good-hearted Xander Harris, and her 'originally-mystical-energy-but-now-turned-into-a-teen-age girl' sister Dawn, Buffy fought to defend her hometown of Sunnydale, and the world, from the Hellmouth, a dimensional vortex to a hell dimension full of nasties just itching to break loose.

- At the end of Season 7 Buffy and her 'Scooby Gang' were protecting 'potential slayers' from the First Evil.  In a last ditch effort, Buffy and Willow used magic and a mystical slayer weapon to activate all the potentials and went into the Hellmouth itself, saving the world (again) but blowing up the entire town of Sunnydale in the process.

Unpause

Using some kind of hi-tech rifle, Buffy breaks through a force field protecting the church and they land inside.  Then they check in with Xander, who is sporting a fetching eye-patch, while he plays Sgt. Fury giving commands to SHIELD (not Colonel Fury - Xander prefers the Howling Commando days.)  Xander gives the go-ahead to the assault team and Buffy leads her crew into combat against three big demons.

After the creative use of a giant crucifix, all the monsters are defeated.  They find a couple dead humans, apparently the ones who had put up the force field to contain the demons, with strange markings on their bodies.  Outside the church, high up in the sky looking down, we get a glimpse of someone floating in the air - well, their boots at least.  Hero or villain?

Next we switch to General Voll, flying by helicopter to inspect the excavations beings done at the crater where Sunnydale once was.  There are no mystical energy readings, apparently, but something or things is / are moving around down below. . .

Cut back to Slayer central, where Buffy enjoys a sandwich while Xander tries (and fails humorously) to come up with a meaning to the markings Buffy found on those bodies.  We get some banter (and I get all nostalgic for Sarah Michelle Gellar and Nicholas Brendon and really great tv) where we learn Xander does not like being referred to as a Watcher.  He then bullies (with truthful, heartfelt words) Buffy to go check on Dawn.

Dawn really has grown since we last saw her.  To about 30 feet tall!  Explanation given is she was dating a thricewise (no, I've no clue either - wikipedia's got nothing.)  In any case she's stuck until Willow gets back.  Dawn and Buffy continue their verbal sparring, a la sibling rivalry at its best.  It is here we learn that they are in Scotland and that Dawn was (is?) attending Berkeley.  Or at least living there, but I'd bet from the reference she's in college - and this moves the series ahead maybe a year plus some months from the Series Finale.

Buffy climbs to the ramparts (they're staying in a castle, woot!) and has a personal moment of reflection.  A solitary mental soliloquy.  Mostly she misses many things, largely sex, and is still trying to be the brave little trooper in front of her team.

The issue ends at some kind of medical facility where 'survivors' of Sunnydale have been brought.  General Voll is being shown them, and his disgust of magic is not well hidden.  It would seem our good officer is in charge of a group commissioned with the task of killing Buffy Summers!  (Get in line, Voll - besides, I bet she has 9 lives, or 7 left at least)  They have a new ally / weapon . . . the big last page reveal.  The cheese request gave it away for me . .  TA DA, Amy is alive!
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Favorite Lines: (this is Whedon, there is no just one!) "Great Muppety Odin, I miss that sex." ; "One's (a Buffy double) in Rome, partying very publicly -- and supposedly dating some guy called 'The Immortal.'  That part was Andrew's idea.  He did research on the guy, said it would be hilarious for some reason."

Favorite Exchanges: (I cannot pick just one!) "'Cept I feel a little weird about using a crucifix to kill someone." "Yeh dinno much about religion, do yeh?" ; "I could swat you like a flea." "Your butt looks big in those giant pants."

Favorite Moment: Xander taking charge in the ops room!

Favorite Surprise: So much goodness, but I'll settle for turning the page and seeing giant-sized Dawnie!

Favorite Image: Buffy looking off across the horizon while missing her mom.
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Overall grade: A+
- While there was scant action after the first few pages, it was about the most exciting thing I've read in awhile.  Now, I am biased - I think Whedon is a genius, and I love the Buffy tv series - but I haven't bought more than a couple of the other Buffy comics, none of the novels, and I've read other Whedon comics (Angel, Frey, Astonishing X-Men) without being this excited and this pleased.  Well, ok, maybe Astonishing X-Men #1 got close.  But the book was excellent.  I love Jeanty and Owens art, it is just great.  The pacing between Whedon and Jeanty for the story and panels is exactly how I like my comics.  There's economy of story here that Bendis STILL has to stumble over in his writing career. There's plenty of 'geek moments' for fans, but I think the comic stands well on its own and new-comers to Buffy will probably get a lot out of it.  I really like where Joss is taking the characters and am dying for more!
Highly recommended!