Buffy Season Nine Comic Book Review – Issue #2 (Spoilers)

Written by Andrew Chambliss

Art by Georges Jeannty & Dexter Vines

Article by Fister Roboto of lefthandhorror.com

Okay, if you remember my initial reaction to issue #1, then you’ll recall I was just short of livid. Worst.debut.ever. Issue #2 has done a complete 180 here. This was the kind of writing I expected last issue. I don’t feel better that the writing responsibilities fell to Andrew Chambless vs. Whedon, but I’ll take the killer issue regardless.

The issue opens with the police finding a John Doe with no obvious signs of death. He’s also found in an alley with a dozen other corpses.

Remember the demonic student loan collections division? The issue picks up where it left off with Buffy agreeing to make a payment so the poor demon doesn’t have to go back with empty hands. It turns out the magic altering events of season eight left even the demons trying to make ends meet with odd jobs. The scene ends with Spike telling Buffy to remember that “There’s still someone out there coming for you.” In the next scene we see a scarred, cloaked figure enter Buffy’s bedroom. He finds Mr. Pointy, recognizes he’s dealing with a Slayer, then flashes a supernatural weapon before he splits.

Back at the morgue the detectives are confused as to why their recent body counts are full of people who are missing persons from the 50’s and 60’s, yet they haven’t aged a single day since they first vanished.

Buffy’s out patrolling and dusts a few vamps in a back alley. Unfortunately, the police are tripling their efforts and find Buffy in mid-stake as well. They take her in for questioning, since she is a link in this missing persons case. They show her a host of vampires that have showed up as dead bodies, but not vampire any longer. Buffy explains that this can’t happen since all vamps go out with a distinct “poof.” Buffy gets a moment alone and promptly escapes. When she returns home she finds her face on the evening news and pegged as a full-fledged fugitive. I’m liking how Buffy has to deal with real world problems like she never has before. I also love that her party girl ways and douche bag roomies are nowhere to be found this time around.

Buffy takes her fight right back to the streets where she saves a guy from a vamp, only to realize this familiar face claims to be a Slayer as well. She quickly reprimands him for running into an alley as she realizes she has done the same thing. A vampire gets the drop on her and attacks. The other Slayer attacks with his hands forced against the vamp’s head. The vamp drops to the ground no longer a vamp. The other Slayer possesses the power to turn the demons back to human form. Buffy asks if he is trying to put her out of a job, and that she is totally cool with it. The issue ends.

I’m glad to see this issue return back to the Buffy writing that I was expecting. Cheers to Chambliss for pulling it off. Maybe Joss has a full plate right now with the Avengers, etc, and I’ll try to forget issue #1 since he has left me satisfied so many times. I recommend this issue highly. Enjoy!