It’s a lot of new beginnings for our favorite Vampire Slayer, as BOOM! Studios takes us back to the beginning of Buffy’s story, but with a twist – it’s now set in the 21st Century!
Buffy the Vampire Slayer 1
Written by Jordie Bellaire
Art by Dan Mora
I thought this book was going to be a tough sell. I love the BUFFY TV series, it’s one of my favorite shows of all time. While I never did manage (or maybe it was bother) to keep up with the Dark Horse comics that followed the show’s continuity, the series has always been special to me.
With Boom! Studios taking over the license, the publisher is giving Buffy Summers and all her friends a fresh start and a fresh coat of paint – and it might be just the thing BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER needs to be introduced to a new audience. Updating the lore so the story begins in 2019 instead of 1997 could have been a weird experience, but writer Jordie Bellaire deftly keeps the book feeling like something done by Joss Whedon.
Buffy’s introduction to her best friends in Sunnydale, Xander and Willow, came from a vampire attack at a fast food fish joint where Buffy works. The absurdity of it all was not lost on anyone.
Even better was our introduction to Giles, Buffy’s Watcher and the librarian at Sunnydale High School. Even when you update and modernize characters, some things can stay the same. A stuffy Giles is the perfect thing to ensure that longtime fans of the series can feel more comfortable with everything that’s coming.
If you can manage to get past some of the changes to the show’s lore (Anya showing up already?!? Drusilla visiting Anya’s shop?!? Wait, is Willow already out as a lesbian?!?), the debut issue is a great read and a worthy successor to the previous continuity. I hope it has the chance to spread its wings and expand on the new (old) world it’s dropping us into.