The Long Way Home (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 1)
The Long Way Home (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 1)
Since the destruction of the Hellmouth, the Slayers - newly legion - have gotten organized and are kicking some serious undead butt. But not everything’s fun and firearms, as an old enemy reappears and Dawn experiences some serious growing pains. Meanwhile, one of the “Buffy” decoy slayers is going through major pain of her own. Buffy creator Joss Whedon brings Buffy back to Dark Horse in this direct follow-up to season seven of the smash-hit TV series. The bestselling and critically acclaimed issues #1-5 are collected here for the first time, as are their covers by Jo Chen and Georges Jeanty.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars For Those of You Who Haven’t Watched Buffy
The basis for my review will be a grade on writing and pacing, which Joss did an excellent job with in this comic trade. I haven’t watched Buffy, and yes it was dumb of me to pick up season 8 when I haven’t had a lick of Buffy at all. So I am here encouraging other people to not repeat my mistake. You should come into this comic with some solid knowledge of the Buffy universe, otherwise you’ll be lost like me. I did however enjoy Whedon’s witty banter from panel to panel, and watching the story unfold was more entertaining than I expected it to be. The good thing about this experience, is that now I wish to be exposed to more Buffy in the future. My mistake was not entirely fruitless, but I encourage everyone out there to not repeat that mistake.
4 Stars Back from the Dead (Again)
Joss Whedon brings Buffy Summers back to life (again) with Season 8 of the cult TV hit-exclusively in the comics aisle. Following the destruction of Sunnydale, Buffy-now in command of literally hundreds of Slayers-continues the war against the forces of darkness. But an investigation into a mysterious cult, combined with the return of old enemies, raises the stakes higher than before. With artist Georges Jeanty at his side, Whedon continues Buffy’s adventures with the same flare of the show, but he’s now doing a lot more with a lot less. Included is the usual cover gallery.
This comic is unrated: Graphic Violence.
5 Stars Fresh yet Familiar
This continuation of Buffy the Vampire Slayer had a lot of expectations, and given the high standards it had to meet to appease the fans I believe that it did a pretty good job. While the beginning of this volume was slow in order to introduce the strikingly new settings and the development of characters between the end of the series and the beginning of this one, the story really picks up in Part 4. This is understandable, as with any series it takes a little time to get it on its feet, and I didn’t feel that time was really wasted in doing so. The characters are easily identifiable and in comparison to their television counterparts, which is another plus. I enjoyed this and I plan on reading the next volume.
5 Stars Thank god For Joss Whedon
Who is soon to be directing an episode of GLEE people!!! I LOVED BUFFY and omg I love Glee. Speaking of Buffy This season 8 is great, whether you just love Buffy or you like comics you need to check this stuff out. A lot of the writers from the show, including Joss, are involved and you get to catch up on Willow and kennedy, Dawn, Xander, Giles and Faith, and everyone you loved and hated from the show (A few who are DEAD!). I love these Paperback collections cuz I can’t keep up with the monthly comics, although I do have a few. And price wise you pay about the same. So check it out and find out why Dawn is like 5 stories high! Why Giles and Faith are off in Europe (more of that in book 2), which Slayer Xander is dating now! And of course find out all about Buffy, her thousands of counterparts, and the army that is hot on their trail!!!
A MUST READ!!!
4 Stars Good, but Not Great
Okay, so, if you’re here, you’re obviously a big fan of the television show that ran on The WB and UPN from 1997-2003.
If you’re here thinking that this will fill the void of the long-missed show, you’re going to be disappointed. If you’re here hoping for even a small continuation of your beloved show and don’t have that high of expectations, then you will be pleased.
The first arc is not the best, but not the worst either. Its setting is much greater than that of Sunnydale, and not every main character is featured in this arc: Giles is gone; he’s off training with Faith. Spike and Angel are gone; they’re fighting their own good fight in hell in their own comic book series, “Angel: After the Fall.”
Buffy, Xander, and Willow are holding up operations in Scotland, along with Dawn, Andrew, and a MASSIVE amount of Slayers from all over the globe.
The main villain of the series isn’t discovered until the very end of the arc, but there are two minor villains that you will remember from the series.
This continuation of the series is highly recommended, but mainly because it’s the only thing left for us Buffy devotees. Pick this up and enjoy it for what it is: more adventures with your favorite Scoobies.
Filed under: Top Graphic Novels