Awful? Nah. Good? No way.

What Is It?: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Issue #30: Retreat part V (written by Jane Espenson; art by Georges Jeanty).

Timing: BtVS, Season Eight. Right after "Retreat part IV."

Warning: Since this review is super late, no spoilers are going to be blocked. If you took as long to read it as I did to review it, go get the comic instead of reading this!

REVIEW: Sigh.

Well, it's not as bad as #29. Not nearly. It doesn't fix any of the stuff that is fundamentally wrong with the story, but it pushes the characters forward in a slightly more interesting way than I expected after the utter travesty that was the last issue. I had to sit on this book for a long time to really get a sense of my reaction, because I didn't want to go in with my #29 anger fresh in my head, and I also didn't want to keep you guys waiting too long. So here we go...

THE GOOD

+ The threat of the goddesses was actually handled rather nicely. As random and odd as their appearance was, the scene when the Scoobs realize that the goddesses aren't on their side was pretty chilling. I didn't really get why the goddesses didn't just stomp their temple for maximum killage, but that I can suspend my disbelief for.

+ Riley. We find out that he's been on Buffy's side all along and that Twilight might have known it. I hope his time spent undercover is elaborated on a lot in future issues, because all he gave Buffy was "You need a miracle." This, I'm excited to see. And in Buffy: Season Eight, anything that excites me is a rarity and a blessing.

+ Another thing that excites me... Buffy flying. Yup. It happens at the end of this issue. It seems to be the one thing that Scott Allie said they were building toward this season that actually seems as if they were building toward it. It's a great moment, and I'm thrilled to see where that is going. It has the potential to continue the terrible, shark jumping trend of making everything so damn large scale, but it also has the potential to inject new life into a story that, at this point, seems kind of tired.

+ Fun stuff between Twilight, Warren, and Amy.

THE BAD

+ Still with the guns and the not caring. It was sort of touched on when Buffy asks everyone to give even their wounded enemies shelter, but how how how can you have Xander, Dawn, Buffy, and these characters shooting humans and not show any sort of emotional reaction? What is going on?

+ While it might be necessary, the mass murder of the slayers here--as well as their loss of power and Buffy's gain of super power--seems like a really obvious way of putting things back to the status quo of Buffy strong, everyone else weak. Is it important for the story? Probably. Does it cheapen Chosen? Unfortunately.

Art: Jeanty's busy panels continue to suffer. It's impossible to tell any of the males, aside from Xander for obvious, eye-patchy reasons, apart. You have to skim through the book to see who is wearing what color shirt in order to see who is who. The first time we see Andrew and Giles, it looks as if two new characters with mushy heads have been introduced into the fold. The close-ups of the faces for the non-war moments, however, are the best they've been in a while. Jeanty's really handling the Buffy/Xander/Dawn love triangle well through his art, even though I have no idea how the whole new found Buffy/Xander connection makes sense, story-wise. An improvement over what Jeanty's been doing, but I wish he were as consistent as he used to be.

Covers: Jeanty's cover is... eh. I have no real opinion about it. It's the same way most of his covers have been recently. Terrible compared to what he's done before, but, on it's own, just boring. Adam Hughes is on A cover duties, and his coer is the better of the two, but also really weird. Buffy has "realistic face, cartoony body" syndrome, and the rest of the cover is blocked by snow. It's not bad, but not particularly good either. Seems to be going around a lot in this issue.

Characters We Know: Buffy, Xander, Dawn, Willow, Giles, Andrew, Oz, Kennedy, Amy, Warren, Twilight, Riley, Faith, Satsu, Leah, Rowena.

Rating: 5/10

The Closest "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Has Ever Come to Jumping the Shark

What Is It?: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Issue #29: Retreat part IV (written by Jane Espenson; art by Georges Jeanty).

Timing: BtVS, Season Eight. Right after "Retreat part III."

Warning: The bigger spoilers will be written in black text. Simply highlight to read. As this is a review, there will be some minor "spoilers" sprinkled throughout the text that don't warrant being hidden. If you have not read the issue and don't want to know anything about the plot, don't read this. Spoilers for previous issues will obviously not be covered.

REVIEW: This was my first reaction to the issue, the day it came out:

"Okay.

I'm sorry. I love Joss Whedon. Out of every writer I've ever worshipped, his work has just GOTTEN to me. It's great. They played Dr. Horrible today in my New Media class, and I basically cheered. And my favorite Whedon work? The Buffyverse. It's close to my heart, and, in my opinion, one of the best stories ever told.

I've had my issues with Season Eight since #17, that's for sure. It's see-sawed from bad to really great, but it's been consistently (at least) good for a while now.

But after reading this issue, I don't know what to think. It felt like Buffy as done by Michael Bay if Bay had a slightly better ear for dialogue. It was a mess of action, melodrama, and people who resemble the characters I've come to love fighting and killing faceless humans. What was the big end to the whole getting rid of magic thing? Not showing the world that the slayers were demons. It was to start using guns and torpedoes against an army. What was the RESULT of the whole getting rid of magic thing? Colorful goddesses coming out of the ground. What? Super cartoony, and utterly non-Buffyesque. In tone, characterization, and even down to the ever changing, maybe non-existent theme, this is not the Buffy I've grown to love for seven seasons and a whole bunch of wonderful comics.

I don't know what to think. It's the same team. Is Whedon spread too thin? Maybe. Dollhouse is great. Maybe that is taking up all of his time. But what about Espenson? Her last two issues were very good, and the one before that was also decent. And "Briar Rose" was phenomenal. What is going on? I'm just left scratching my head. Are the flaws inherent in the plot? Is the story just too big?

Whatever it is, my suspension of belief was completely blown, and it's breaking my heart."

I decided that, before I posted my review, I'd let myself cool off. I read it again. I felt no better about it. Then, one night, I turned on "Surprise," one of my favorite Buffy episodes. From the dream sequence in the beginning, to the cliffhanger ending, the whole thing has a very foreboding, Gothic tone that really defined the early series for me. But here's the thing. All the way to the end of the televised series, I was never really let down. Sure, Season Six and Seven had some clunkers, but they also had incredibly strong moments that made up for the problems. These seasons were still good Buffy stories, and they were great television. And Season Eight started that way too. #1-16, excluding #5, were great Buffy stories. The season was on its way to becoming the best season since the epic fifth year. But then, things started getting messy. The plot started making no sense. Scott Allie kept having to explain things that were happening off stage, shaking his head at readers for not realizing that these things--which are essential to the plot--didn't matter for "the story." We were expected to believe that humans no only accepted vampires, but knew that vampires were killers... and that this was basically a unanimous view amongst humanity. Okay. Very strange, very un-Josslike, but sure. I trust the man, so I'll rock with it.

And then Jane Espenson started cleaning house a bit. The first installment of her game-changing arc felt way too rushed, but did set things in motion. The idea of slowly getting rid of magic was suspect, but then again, the arc had just started. The next issue was better, and the next issue--last month's #28--was actually really great. Things started to seem real again. I started to allow myself to reinvest in these characters.

So I don't know what the heck happened this month, but this is not Buffy. This isn't the same series that "Surprise" was a part of. Not even close. It's sloppily written, silly, and doesn't even take itself seriously. The scenes where the slayers and friends are handing out guns should be grave and solemn, because that is the one thing that they never wanted to do. But the scenes are played for comedy. They're long, expositiony, and outright boring. The emotion isn't there in those scenes, or any other scenes in the issue. Willow has a random breakdown, after the calm she achieved in last month's issue, and it reads like a soap-opera gone the way of comics. I really, really don't get it.

The rest of the issue is basically a war comic. None of the human life seems to matter to any of the characters or the creative team, because it isn't even a plot point that they're killing humans. All we see is guns and torpedoes firing, no reaction, just a lot of ohshittery when the slayers realize they're losing, and then yayness when they get a bit of a break. When Angel killed a human in his series, it was a major thing... but in this issue, this choppy, speedy, sloppy narrative doesn't miss a beat. It doesn't matter in the book, and that is just weird to realize that Buffy the Vampire Slayer has become this.

Can Joss Whedon save it? Yeah, obviously, he's Joss Whedon. But it's going to take a lot. Angel: Aftermath was bad, and that was a somewhat standalone arc by a writer who won't be returning. This is a key piece in the puzzle of Buffy: Season Eight and it's written by Jane Espenson. What the...?

By far the worst issue of Season Eight and the lowest point of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a whole. Boring, badly written, and damn near insulting. I don't care about what's happening to the characters because it doesn't feel like them. It's not just a bad Buffy story... it's a bad comic.

Art: Busy, busy panels. I really can't fault Jeanty in this one like I have in the past for opting to not include a lot of details, because there is so much going on in any given panel. Some emotion from the characters in the art might have made the book a slightly better read, but in this instance, Jeanty isn't really at fault. It's the story. The art isn't great, but it's passable.

Covers: The main cover, by Y: The Last Man cover artist Massimo Carnevale, is really cool. It features Twilight flying over a stretch of mountains, and it's the best cover image we've gotten of this season's Big Bad. It would have helped if Twilight was featured in this issue, but it's still a very cool cover. Jeanty's, not so much. While it attempts a #9 like effect, both in cartooniness and the pop-culture reference, the cover is just ugly. The faces are sloppy, and everyone is nearly unrecognizable besides Buffy, Xander, and Rowena. I guess the girl on the far right could be Satsu, but there is no definition to her face. The girls on either side of Xander might be Faith and Kennedy, but which is which? They both look like interchangeable, angry brunettes. Thankfully, Jeanty's cover for next month's #30 is better than this, because this is just ugly.

Characters We Know: Xander, Dawn, Oz, Giles, Faith, Andrew, Satsu, Buffy, Willow, Kennedy.

Rating: 1/10

The Storyteller Reclaims His Comfy Chair

What Is It?: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Issue #28: Retreat part III (written by Jane Espenson; art by Georges Jeanty).

Timing: BtVS, Season Eight. Right after "Retreat part II."

Warning: The bigger spoilers will be written in black text. Simply highlight to read. As this is a review, there will be some minor "spoilers" sprinkled throughout the text that don't warrant being hidden. If you have not read the issue and don't want to know anything about the plot, don't read this. Spoilers for previous issues will obviously not be covered.

REVIEW: If you liked "Storyteller," you'll like this. To discover who is Twilight's mole, Andrew picks up his trusty video camera and follows his friends around, accidentally catching some of the most tender and revealing moments we've seen all season.

As far as the Funny goes, this issue always walks up to the cusp of hilarious, peeks over, then turns back. It's not as wildly funny as storyteller, and maybe that's appropriate given the fact that this is the middle issue of a very dire arc. There are standout lines like "The next time I catch up with Xander, he's taking the time to just sit with his friend Buffy and yak" as Xander and Buffy yack next to a gigantic yak. He has two conversations with Giles in the issue that I thought would be crazy funny because the two have such chemistry, but it just stayed pretty funny. What might have been the issue is the needless exposition where Bay, Oz's new wife, explains what has been going on with the slayers. They're getting rid of their magic by pushing it back into the Earth via hard work, and that is so interesting, but it's explained by Bay as soon as the story gets rolling, then showed to us directly after it's explained, and then once again explained when Willow and Oz get to chatting. No big, because the pages that follow contain some huge pay-offs, but how much better would the issue be if the story got rolling right away?

Oh. But one moment that was truly hilarious was Andrew illustrating his past with Dark Willow. And a super tiny Jonathan.

I try not to do spoilers here, but with an issue that pretty much thrives on paying off what came before, it's kind of hard not to. I won't get into specifics, but Buffy/Faith have a conversation that easily shows where they're at, how they're different, and sort of what they can do for each other. Xander and Buffy have a talk that touches on the disconnected feeling Buffy has been suffering from since her resurrection in Season Six. It's a sweet moment, and really (SPOILER:) sets Buffy/Xander shippers up for heartbreak at the end of the issue. And as big as these conversations might seem, the one-two-three punch that follows is even better.

Punch #1- Willow and Oz talk. This is the emotional core of the issue, and it gets to a more sophisticated place than the series has been at for quite a long time. Oz gets Willow to confess her very adult fears to Oz, who responds in a way that only Oz can. Willow gets a bit teary, and since we're all so invested in these characters, I suspect she won't be the only one.

Punch #2- As soon as Oz leaves the room, enter Buffy. She's ready to talk to Willow about something that's been eating at her for a while. Those left puzzled by the resolution (or lack thereof) of the Time of Your Life arc might rejoice in this conversation. Espenson is starting to piece together the puzzle pieces that Whedon, Vaughan, Goddard, and more have set up. It's been a long time coming.

Finally, punch #3- Remember in #12 when everyone walked in on Buffy doing something? Well, this time Buffy does the walking in, and she walks in on something I've been wanting/expecting for a long time. May I just say.... YES! Great, great character choice to have (SPOILER:) Xander and Dawn hook-up. It's been going that way for a long time, longer than Buffy: Season Eight has been around, and I'm damn glad.

So you've been hit with the 1-2-3 punch. What would you do if I tell you that Jane Espenson follows it up with a pretty big cliffhanger? Well, don't get too excited, because in this crazy emotional issue, the cliffhanger didn't feel exactly organic, and if THE DOG had been used instead of the cat (read the issue, you'll get it), Andrew's previous joke would have been paid off. A missed opportunity, yeah, but it's still a pretty exciting ending.

Battle is on the horizon...

Art: Georges Jeanty. Loved his earlier stuff, hated his recent stuff. The art in this issue is a definite improvement, and Jeanty is re-learning to spend the appropriate amount of time on facial expressions and likenesses. For the first time ever, Oz and Andrew don't look alike. Buffy looks like Buffy, Willow looks like Willow, Giles looks like Giles. It's sort of annoying that this is happening during the 28th issue of the series, but the art is back on track.

Covers: Beautiful cover by Jo Chen. Buffy and Willow are meditating (some folks over at Whedonesque are saying that Jo got the pose wrong, but that is a complete non-issue for me) while Giles watches in the background, scratching his chin. I'm sad that this is going to be the last Jo Chen cover we see this year, but at least she went out nicely. Willow's chest looks like she's more Christina Hendricks than Alyson Hannigan, but that's the only flaw I can find. Jeanty's cover is once again way worse than his interior art. Buffy looks like she's sleeping with her eyes open while standing while raking while wearing crazy Tibetan clothes. Willow's head looks like it has a huge indent in it. It looks like a crescent moon. Is that Faith or Kennedy behind Buffy? Awful cover, and it's a shame seeing as how his interior art improved so much.

Characters We Know: Andrew, Giles, Leah, Willow, Oz, Rowena, Kennedy, Satsu, Buffy, Faith, Dawn, and Xander.

Rating: I haven't been able to give this high a grade to Season Eight since last November, but here it is.... 9/10

Spotlight Shifts to Oz and Twilight

TO READ MY REVIEW FOR ANGEL #24: CLICK HERE

What Is It?: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Issue #27: Retreat part II (written by Jane Espenson; art by Georges Jeanty).

Timing: BtVS, Season Eight. Right after "Retreat part I."

Warning: The bigger spoilers will be written in black text. Simply highlight to read. As this is a review, there will be some minor "spoilers" sprinkled throughout the text that don't warrant being hidden. If you have not read the issue and don't want to know anything about the plot, don't read this. Spoilers for previous issues will obviously not be covered.

REVIEW: Okay, here we go. For the first time in a while, I can say that the writing is where is should be. I definitely enjoyed #24-26 a lot, mostly because they were better than what came before. But the series has definitely been missing something for a while. I don't think the writing has been Buffy quality since #19, and there hasn't been a stretch of great issues since #6-15... but I think things are about to change. For the first time in too long, I was left yearning for more after the last page. The epicness is back, the funny is back... and Oz is back.

Oz is a changed man, but he's still recognizable as the character we've been invested in for a long time. His dialogue rocks, which really makes this issue good, as a lot of it is a monologue by Oz, as he updates Buffy, Willow, Xander, Giles, and Dawn on his life. And, like his wolfy situation, it's changed. A lot. One of the most interesting things in the issue is seeing Willow deal with the fact that (SPOILERS:) Oz is in love with another woman named Bay and has a kid. It's not the angsty stuff you'd expect, but a really mature and subtle sadness that Willow experiences. I really like the way that was handled. Also handled nicely is Oz's backstory. The issue could have easily been cramped with the backstory, but instead it lets the story naturally unfold, gives the characters the space to react appropriately, and also shows what's going on with the bad guys. While #26 was a cool read, the pacing was way too fast, leaving a lot of the interactions (the Andrew/Warren confrontation; the battle of the Slayers vs. the demons) feeling rushed, too short. This, however, is just right.

Espenson also does really well with the Twilight stuff. We spend more time on him here than we have since #11, and we get a look at the interplay between him, Riley, Amy, and Warren. Some pretty juicy stuff is revealed about the dynamics of the group. Riley's behavior will definitely bring up some interesting theories, and Twilight's comment that he (SPOILERS:) "...know(s) Buffy too well to believe she'll be silent when she dies..." The best scenes are definitely the ones with the villains, but I can safely say that there wasn't a scene in the book that I didn't like.

I'm glad to say that I can't wait until Buffy #28.

Art: Now this takes away some points. Check out my old reviews for the Buffy comics. I loved Jeanty's style. His art from #1-4, 6-9, and 11-15 was amazing. Some of my favorite comic art. But ever since his pages in #20, something has been different. His lines haven't been as sharp. His Buffy, Willow, and Xander started to look very loose, and at times lazy. It would be jarring to have a different artist take over at this point, but it's nearly as jarring to open the book and realize that the dude who has been nailing these characters (har har) since #1 is now the same dude botching their likenesses. And it's utterly strange, because Jeanty's landscapes are beautiful. But he just seems to have given up on drawing people. Sure, there are panels that rock, such as the Oz "Run" flashback panel. But then... Twilight smacks a bowl out of Amy's hand, and the moment should be threatening, explosive... but it's not. Oz looks like Andrew in nearly every panel that doesn't solely focus on Oz. Oz's hair color keeps going back and forth from red to reddish brown to Andrew's straight brown. And Jeanty is probably only going to get once chance to draw Tara, and it's a shame that he made her look like that. I get that these are incredibly busy panels, but still... if you're going to shaft something, shaft the backgrounds. And that's hard for me to say, because Jeanty's strongest art at this point comes from his backgrounds. But I come here for the characters, and since the writing has gotten back up to where it should be, the art should deliver in a way we've come to expect from Jeanty. And this does not.

Covers: Jo Chen's cover is good, definitely. It's not my favorite of her works, but it's really peaceful, really cool. I love the Xander/Dawn relationship, and from the cover, as well as their interaction in the issue... I do think it's going somewhere. But lovey-predictions aside, the cover is nice. Not epic like the last one, but it suits the issue. Jeanty's cover is sort of a traditional horror cover with a werewolf attacking Oz. It's a lot of red and black, and I do like it. It's way, way better than his interiors, and also better than most of his other recent covers. If he can bring this caliber of art to the inside, I'll be a happy camper.

Characters We Know: Amy, Twilight, Riley, Warren, Willow, Buffy, Oz, Giles, Dawn, Xander, Tara (flashback), Faith, Andrew.

Rating: 8/10

Lily From "How I Met Your Mother" Reunited With The Sarcastic Amish Dude From "Sex Drive"

What Is It?: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Issue #26: Retreat part I (written by Jane Espenson).

Timing: BtVS, Season Eight. Short while after "Safe."

Warning: The bigger spoilers will be written in black text. Simply highlight to read. As this is a review, there will be some minor "spoilers" sprinkled throughout the text that don't warrant being hidden. If you have not read the issue and don't want to know anything about the plot, don't read this. Spoilers for previous issues will obviously not be covered.

REVIEW: The first time I read this issue, I was let down. It had a lot to live up to. Joss Whedon announced Oz's return almost two years ago at SDCC 07, and the anticipation has been gaining momentum ever since. Also, after a disjointed arc of one-shots, this was said to be the issue that would launch Season Eight toward the big shiny climax of Meltzer and Whedon's respective arcs. Stakes would be raised, everyone would be united, and the plot would go into hyperdrive. Also, from #1, to #6, to #12, to #16, all the first issues of each arc have been consistently fantastic. The arcs don't always live up to what the first chapters start, but it was almost a given that this would be a fantastic issue.

But, upon first read, I just thought it was okay. There weren't any jarring moments or awkward paneling like in Espenson's "Harmonic Divergence," which is something that I feared, but what didn't sit well with me was how over-the-top the issue was. I've never been a fan of God-Mod Willow, and having her a) immediately know that demons and friends alike were making their way towards Scotland, b) find out how the demons found them by teleporting a demon away and then apparently talking to Warren (I'm sure more will be revealed about that later), and C) having the power to glamour (or transmogrify, it's debatable) herself and Buffy to look like a seagull carrying a floppy fish. Take that, throw in the ever controversial submarine, add demons with tanks and a catapult that uses impact bombs, and sprinkle it with gigantic goatmen, and you've got the most bizarre issue of Season Eight so far. The magic stuff is slightly grounded by the fact that a Wiccan slayer gets her braid fried from magical strain and that Giles is questioning Willow's use of Magicks, but it is all still a bit too much for me. It really overwhelmed me, and made me even more worried about the fate of Season Eight than I have been for the last few months.

And then, I decided to take a deep breath and re-read. I mean, it's Jane Espenson. She wrote the best episode of Dollhouse so far, as well as some great Buffy episodes... she knows what she's doing. I had to give the issue another chance, now that I knew what to expect. The second read definitely didn't make those problems disappear, but I was able to look past the outer exterior of wonky stuff and really see what was going on with the characters. I think there had to be this outburst of crazy magic stuff, because the issue ends with Buffy saying that she's going to stop Willow's overuse of magic. It probably won't go over well, but all that is to be determined. What I'm getting at is that I enjoyed reading the issue a lot more the second time around. It still bugs me to no end that the writers are putting more stock in seeing how much they can play around with a budgetless Buffy than they are in keeping the story grounded and believable, but there are definitely some great character moments here. A lot of funny stuff, too, which is to be expected from Espenson.

One of the best moments of the issue is the surprise reunion of (SPOILERS:) Andrew and Warren. It's way to quick, but it's both funny and tense. Of course, Andrew is quick to fall into Warren's, "I want to be your friend" again trap, but I think it was smart not to let it go too far. Andrew's redemption was flimsy until recently, and throwing it all away would be a waste, but it would also be a waste not to explore his connection to Warren, which is still fresh. What I didn't like about the moment was how it ended. Warren's manipulation of Andrew is cut short by a rush of goatmen that the slayers are fighting, and Warren must have escaped... but shouldn't that have been shown? It just cuts from the fight to Andrew and his slayers, bruised and battered, heading towards Buffy. We've been waiting a long time for this moment, and we don't even get to see Andrew watch Warren escape? Don't even get to see Andrew's reaction? Sloppy choice.

Something cool about the moment, though, was Andrew hitting one of the goatmen with a bone and saying, "I bet you won't find this too humerus." Only he could get away with a line like that, and I love it. Another hilarious bit was Willow, Xander, Dawn, and Kennedy standing outside Buffy's room, now knowing that they have to knock every time they want to go in her room. It's little moments like this that really connect the different arcs and make it feel like a cohesive season. A lot of stuff like the fate of General Voll, the fact that no one (except Giles, now) knows what happened to Buffy in the "Time of Your Life" arc, and the entire "Predators vs. Prey" arc make this season feel very random. References to events like the Buffy/Satsu thing and Buffy's confession to Giles that she killed future Willow help to bring the season together.

What follows is the big magical battle, the Buffy/Giles conversation (not as volatile as I imagined... pretty much just sweet, but it works), and the submarine stuff. Some cool character moments and good dialogue (not Whedon, Goddard, or Vaughan good, but good) make the battle scene easier to swallow, and the Buffy/Giles stuff is great. There is one moment during the battle that really jumps out at me as strange. When Willow whisks one of the demons away, Faith freaks out. "No, no, no," she says, "I'm done with this kind of crap." But... huh? Why is she so angry? When does she care about using magick in a battle? I really don't think Faith would mind what Willow was doing with a demon enough to complain about it, mid-battle. Any thoughts as to why she freaked out, commenters?

The issue ends strong with, no surprise here, the Oz appearance. It leaves the big stuff for next issue, but leaves us on the edge of our seat with one big Oz reveally panel. Good ending to a good issue that had both moments of greatness and moments of blah.

Art: Really hit and miss. A lot more hit than Jeanty's been doing recently, and it wouldn't be that bad at all if we didn't know for a fact Jeanty could do better. Compare an average panel from this to an average panel from any of the first fifteen issues, and you'll see what I mean. There are utterly fantastic panels, like the first Warren panel, the Oz reveal, and a two panel sequence of Buffy's face (the "Which everyone?" one). Then, there are pages as sketchy as the one where Buffy and Willow enter the new headquarters. Wide-shots used to be Jeanty's thing, but now they're utterly lacking. Overall, way better than Jeanty's worst, but no where near his huge potential.

Covers: Jo Chen's cover is easily her best, Georges Jeanty's cover is easily his worst. Jo Chen creates perfect likenesses in this iconic image of good and evil characters. It's as good as her TPB covers, and actually sort of looks like one. Oz, Willow, Buffy, Andrew, and Twilight are perfect, and Warren is simply terrifying. What's astonishing is that he actually has the bone structure of Warren Meyers, so even when the character would look passable as a random skinless dude, Jo Chen goes all out with her likenesses. Jeanty's cover is just weak. The colors are oddly cheery, none of the likenesses really stand out, Faith and Kennedy look like each other, Dawn... take a look for yourself, and it just seems like a really awkward attempt at an iconic image of way too many people. It's like trying to mix the concept of Jo Chen's TPB #1 cover with Urru's #17 spread. Just doesn't work.

Characters We Know: Buffy, Willow, Xander, Kennedy, Dawn, Satsu, Faith, Giles, Andrew, Warren, Amy (? Was that her?), Jonathan (Andrew's mind), Oz.

Rating: 7/10

"Vampire, You Are Everything I Loathe. But I Have Learned From You."

What Is It?: Tales of the Vampires, the trade paperback. This collects the entire "Tales of the Vampires" mini-series.

Timing: The main story (entitled "Tales of the Vampires) that ties each of the little tales together, takes place before BtVS. It shows (SPOILER:) Giles' grandmother training to be a Watcher. A few of the stories are ambiguous as to when they take place, but a few are not. "The Problem With Vampires" leads into "School Hard (Season Two of BtVS)", "Antique" takes place between Season 7 and Season 8 of BtVS, and "Numb" takes place DURING "Amends (Season Three of BtVS)."

REVIEW: Where "Tales of the Slayers" was entertaining, "Tales of the Vampires" is, to say the least, a spectacular collection of stories tied together by a first-rate tale which gives insight into the mythology of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." It's the best Buffyverse comic that I've read (other than Season Eight and Spike: Asylum, of course), and that's saying a lot. This collection simply has so much to offer. There's stories with drama, stories with depth, stories that explore and expand the mythology, and a few simply funny tales. It's clear to see that this was penned by people who loved writing for the show (Whedon, Espenson, Goddard) and others who loved watching the show (anyone with eyes/ears, basically).

While "Tales of the Vampires" can be described as a collection of short graphic stories about vampires, it also tells a cohesive story about one vampire named Roche telling tales of the undead to a group of young watchers. As the stories unfold, it is simply a pleasure to see the young watcher named Edna realize what Roche's true reason for telling these tales is. The Roche/Edna plot that unfolds over the length of this book is written by Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy and Angel.

Some of the most interesting stories in this edition are about vampires we've never met before, but what fans will surely be most interested in is the stories about characters who have already been established in the Buffyverse. There are plenty of those. Spike and Drusilla's love story in "The Problem With Vampires" is touching, classic, and leads right up to their first appearance in the show. "Antique" is the first we hear of Buffy since the end of the series (this is pre-season eight) and it has her battling with Dracula for Xander's freedom. The closing story is one about Angel called "Numb" which takes place during the Season Three episode "Amends." It expands on the dreams that are tormenting Angel about his past, and has some of the most beautiful comic art I've ever seen. It really fits with the snowy mood of the episode.

The writing, as I mentioned above, is top-notch. The art, different for each story, is almost always great--except for, perhaps, the depiction of Buffy, Xander, and Dracula in "Antique." A bit to blagh for me. But all else is well. If you're interested in vampires, Buffy, comics, or are currently reading "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight", then this is the book for you.

Art: **All mentioned above**

Characters We Know: Buffy, Xander, Angel, Spike, Drusilla, Dracula, and Jenny Calendar.

Rating: 9/10