‘Buffy’ flashback: Season 10, Issues 11-20 (2015) (Comic book reviews)
I gave some leeway to the start of “Buffy” Season 10, allowing writer Christos Gage to get up to speed. But the middle batch continues to be uneven, showing that he’s not quite as good as Andrew Chambliss (“Buffy” Season 9) and that he himself has taken a step back from “Angel & Faith” Season 9.
‘Buffy’ flashback: Season 10, Issues 1-10 (2014) (Comic book reviews)
After their strong run on “Angel & Faith” Season 9, writer Christos Gage and artist Rebekah Isaacs switch over to “Buffy” for the 30-issue Season 10. Off the bat, the quality of their work drops, as this season seems less planned out. The notion of the rules of magic being rewritten in the “Vampyr” book
‘Buffy’ flashback: All 8 short stories from ‘Tales of the Slayer, Vol. 4’ (2004), ranked (Book review)
The fourth and final “Tales of the Slayer” collection (November 2004) is also the only one centered around a theme: specifically, the Cruciamentum – as seen in “Helpless” (3.12) — wherein the Slayer is weakened by drugs and forced to defeat a vampire via only her wits and fighting skills. Remarkably, these aren’t just eight
‘Angel & Faith’ flashback: Season 9, Issues 21-25 (2013) (Comic book reviews)
“Angel & Faith” Season 9 comes to an epic conclusion that’s not quite as great as the end of “Buffy” Season 9, but still pretty darn good, especially with the way it charts a new course for Giles. In the end, the best thing about Season 9 in the Buffyverse is that it was split
‘Buffy’ flashback: ‘Wicked Willow III: Broken Sunrise’ (2004) (Book review)
I thought the alternate-reality “Wicked Willow” trilogy was starting to get good with its second book, “Shattered Twilight,” but it comes crashing down again with “Broken Sunrise” (September 2004). In my reviews, I’ve somewhat facetiously said author Yvonne Navarro is exploring what would happen if Willow was evil for a longer time period, and unfortunately, that
‘Angel & Faith’ flashback: Season 9, Issues 11-20 (2012-13) (Comic book reviews)
The second batch of 10 issues in “Angel & Faith” Season 9 starts with a slight midseason dip in quality. It’s nice to catch up with Connor and Gunn, but distracting for readers of the IDW “Angel” comics who know a different continuity. The last five issues of this batch are gold, though: first the
The strangely enduring legacy of Luke Perry’s Pike in the ‘Buffy’ saga
‘Buffy’ commentary: Luke Perry’s Pike was only on screen for one project (the movie), but his character continued in the comics and novels.
‘Buffy’ flashback: ‘Wicked Willow II: Shattered Twilight’ (2004) (Book review)
“Wicked Willow II: Shattered Twilight” (July 2004), the middle chapter of Yvonne Navarro’s trilogy, doesn’t have a lot of plot to it, but – part purposefully, part accidentally, perhaps – it’s a good meditation on how we define good and evil and why factions fight each other. As with the first entry, “The Darkening,” Willow
‘Angel & Faith’ flashback: Season 9, Issues 1-10 (2011-12) (Comic book reviews)
As with “Buffy” Season 9, “Angel & Faith” Season 9 gets off to a great start from the pen of a rookie Buffyverse writer. Christos Gage, who will go on to be the most ubiquitous of the canonical Dark Horse comics scribes, has a good grasp of the relationship between Angel and Faith. He invents
‘Buffy’ flashback: ‘Wicked Willow I: The Darkening’ (2004) (Book review)
Yvonne Navarro expands on the Dark Willow period of Season 6 in her “Wicked Willow” trilogy by asking “What if Willow had been evil for a longer time period?” Evil Willow is a short-lived but iconic villain in Buffyverse lore, and this alternate-reality trilogy is a way to spend more time with her, since in