Name: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 1
Rating: 3.864285714285714 (140 reviews)
ISBN: 9781593078225

Joss Whedon

The Long Way Home

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 1

Tim Pendry

Unengaging graphic sequel - apparently the first 'episodes' in a notional Season 8 - to the TV Series, 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'. It misses the point - the Buffy series was fantasy, sure, but it was also about the psychological development of, and the tensions within, its Scooby Gang. 'Season 8' (at least based on reading this first volume) is filled with stereotypes and seems a forced attempt to drive the 'girl power' message of the last minutes of the final show of Season 7 to ridiculous lengths. Much of this comic is just silly, portentous and disconnected. It also gives us a clue as to why Joss Whedon literally lost the plot with Firefly, less so with Serenity, when he tried to paint on a much bigger canvas. The point was that Buffy was not such a big canvas in time and space when you got down to it. It was a small town living under the shadow of many dimensions and, as HP Lovecraft and Stephen King have both shown us, a relatively tight 'real' universe can often be more effective at making us believe in cosmic horrors than a world of limitless fantasy ... perhaps Whedon should leave big fantasy to the top graphic design 'auteurs' like Alan Moore and Mike Mignola who can create characters and situations that are limitless from the start. The novel is also ridiculously expensive for what it is. There is something irritating about a marketing mentality that hooks kids on a product and then prises £11.99 of their pocket money for something so unstimulating. It feels like exploitation. Perhaps it gets much better in Volume 2 (and afterwards) but I am not going to bother to find out. I don't believe in completism for its own sake. If Whedon cannot continue the story on the small screen in episodic form, then I, for one, will be happy to close the mythos with the Scooby Gang (minus Anya) standing by their commandeered school bus, looking down into the gaping hole that was Sunnydale and the (presumed) vapourised grave of the redeemed Spike. And so it goes ....

Vicky  Nuñez 

Rating: 4.5

I never watched Buffy when I was younger. And not because of lack of interest, but because I was not allowed to watch the show. I remember begging to grow up faster & for the show not to stop airing when I did. But eventually Buffy ended & I forgot about it.

So when I heard about the graphic novel I was instantly excited to read it because it would be my chance to discover the amazingness of the fandom. 

Firstly, in my opinion, you do NOT need to have watched the series to understand this. Yes, it's tehcnically season 8, but it's not necessary. If you know what a Slayer(demon killer, ALWAYS a woman) & a watcher(slayer's guide) is, then you are set.

The Long Way Home is the perfect combination of writing with mind-blowing graphics. Buffy is a strong girl & her sarcastic remarks & badassness makes her instantly our idol(if you are a girl) & coveting material(if you are a guy).

I spent half the time laughing my head off & the other half in awe of the drawings. The Long Way Home is not another marketing strategy to keep fans interested, it has soul and submerges you into the world and refuses to let go of you.

If you were fan of Buffy back in the day & never read it because you thought it would ruin your memories of the show, read it because it will give you new memories of the characters.

And if you, like me, never saw the series, read it too because it will make you wish you did. 

Buffy had never been more alive than in the pages of this graphic novels.

Buffy the vampire slayer.

Rating: 4.5

No Future For You, the fantastic sequel to The Long Way Home does not disapppoint. It's another return to the brilliant characters brought to life by Joss Whedon. The wittiness of the storyline & hilarity keeps you entertained. While the fast-paced action filled with magic is not bad either. 

No Future For You is the return to Faith, a character to the series who is also a Slayer & has a frenemies relatioship with Buffy. Faith is a strong character that struggles with her past & bad decisions she made during her younger years. And we also see a darker side of Buffy when she struggles with her belief of Faith's recovery from the dark side.

No Future For You is a great story because we see not only external struggle for the characters, but internal as well. They are so many stories going on, Buffy's, Faith's, Dawns' & all interwoven into a magnificient story.

No Future For You should not be let pass, but read immediately, just like all of Buffy's comic.

Jordie Bellaire

Nothing will ever be the same after the attack on Xander. But with the Mistress Drusilla and Spike closer to opening the Hellmouth, Buffy is out of time to save her friend—and everyone else in Sunnydale!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #6

Deniz Erkaradağ

** spoiler alert **
           That was a strong issue. Especially the part where the spider lady makes Buffy confront herself.

Go back to the beginning as the critically acclaimed pop culture phenomenon Buffy The Vampire Slayer is reimagined under the guidance of series creator Joss Whedon. This is the Buffy Summers you know, who wants what every average teenager wants: friends at her new school, decent grades, and to escape her imposed destiny as the next in a long line of vampire slayers tasked with defeating the forces of evil. But her world looks a lot more like the one outside your window, as Jordie Bellaire (Redlands) and Russ Manning Award-Winner Dan Mora (Saban’s Go Go Power Rangers) bring Buffy into a new era with new challenges, new friends...and a few enemies you might already recognize. But the more things change, the more they stay the same, as the Gang faces brand new Big Bads, and the threat lurking beneath the perfectly manicured exterior of Sunnydale High confirms what every teenager has always known: high school truly is hell! WELCOME BACK TO THE HELLMOUTH, FOR THE FIRST TIME!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #1

I love it. This was the Buffy that I was longing for. I love the story, I love the characters and I love the artwork. 


Buffy's portraying is vulnerable...


...yet strong.


Finally, a library and Giles was what I need!

I can't wait to read the second issue.

☽ jess ☾

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars

Maybe I’m getting used to the art a little. I don’t know it’s still not for me but it wasn’t as jarring as issue 5. Again I enjoyed the story. My love of Buffy knows no limits

Go back to the beginning as the critically acclaimed pop culture phenomenon Buffy The Vampire Slayer is reimagined under the guidance of series creator Joss Whedon! This is the Buffy Summers you know, who wants what every average teenager wants: friends at her new school, decent grades, and to escape her imposed destiny as the next in a long line of vampire slayers tasked with defeating the forces of evil...only this time around, her world looks a lot more like the one outside your window. Eisner Award winner Jordie Bellaire (Redlands) and Russ Manning Award winner Dan Mora (Go Go Power Rangers, Hexed), along with series creator Joss Whedon (Marvel’s The Avengers), bring Buffy into a new era with new challenges, new friends, and a few enemies you might already recognize. But the more things change, the more they stay the same as the Gang faces brand-new Big Bads, and the threat lurking beneath the perfectly manicured exterior of Sunnydale High confirms what every teenager has always known: high school truly is hell.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer |

Aleena Korell

5 stars because it felt the same as it did watching Buffy for the first time <3

Jessica Williamson

3.75 stars

Faith will always be one of those Buffyverse characters that you have a love/hate relationship with. She was exceptional in this volume. There were so many things about her character that was just straight up old school Faith, and I enjoyed it so much. Again, Xander was the bright spot for me.

Buffy so far has just been kind of meh. Which honestly I felt that way about Buffy throughout most of the later seasons. I mean, I GET IT. She was brought back from the dead and it effed with her mind. I don't blame her in the slightest, it just, this version of Buffy isn't my favorite. I know that she'll never be the girl she once was, but I'd like a little more OG buffy back.

I'm liking Dawn's story arch here as well. 

This was pretty decent all around and I plan to continue with the series just as soon as I find the time to cram it in my schedule.

3.75

I didn't expect this to be the same as watching the show. How could it be? But it definitely lived up to my expectations. 

The artwork was good, characters looked like their actor counterparts enough that I knew who was who. And I enjoyed the new characters as well. 

Out of everyone, Xander transitioned best from screen to page. Not just his looks, but his personality. There's some definite season 7 Xander vibes here and I quite enjoyed that. 

Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I'm excited to continue with the series!

Kelly Casey

This was so disappointing. I'm not a big comic reader so that could have been part of the problem, but I really didn't like this. It took one of my favorite shows of all time and made it horrible. The art style was a bit weird to me. The writing seemed like it was trying too hard. There wasn't any good character interaction, and the witty comebacks often fell short. The romances were different. And everything I loved about the show was missing from this. So disappointing.

Diptyalina Barman

3.5 / 5 stars. Loved the 90s vibes 🦋💕🧛🏻‍♀️

Buffy Summers—the Slayer, the Chosen One meant to save the world from the literal evil forces of hell—must choose between saving her friend Xander before he completes his transformation into a vampire, and stopping the forces of Drusilla & Spike from opening the Hellmouth! Buffy Summers—the Slayer, the Chosen One meant to save the world from the literal evil forces of hell—must save her friend Xander before he dies… …and returns as a vampire. As Giles and Willow each take drastic measures to find a cure, Buffy must face the hardest choice of her already not-so-easy life: save her friend or stop her new enemies, Drusilla (AKA The Mistress) and Spike from opening the Hellmouth. But where does the mysterious vampire with a soul named Angel fit into this mess? And what secret is he hiding that will forever change the war between the Slayer and the Mistress? Eisner Award-nominated writer Jordie Bellaire (Redlands) and artist David López (Captain Marvel) present the next chapter of the fearless pop culture reimagining that generated headlines worldwide. Collects Buffy the Vampire Slayer #5-8.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Sophie Elaina 

I really like the direction the story is going in. I was a little confused in the beginning, the transition between volume one and two isn’t the best so it takes a minute to figure out what’s going on.

The art in this volume was actually a little jarring at times, especially the way the artist drew Willow’s face. It just wasn’t as smooth or detailed as in the first volume and was quite inconsistent. However as a whole I have to say it was a very enjoyable read and I’m excited to see what the creators do next.

Renee Delcourt

I had so much fun reading this. It was really cool seeing a new imagining of some of the characters I love. I think the art was beautiful and the color palette was super fun. Over all I think that this is a nostalgic read that I enjoyed and will look forward to the next volume.

The first book was such a high high for me that I thought that I was just going to love everything in this new graphic novel series.... Yeaaaaah this was just not it for me. This volume had so much that happened "off screen". Things that should have had more context had no follow through. There was moments I was left confused of what was going on or jarred out of the story because the cut scene happened abruptly. I wish there had been more development.

Overall I will read the next volume, but this volume was the epitome of second book syndrome.

Tying into Hellmouth, the first-ever Buffy & Angel comic book event, Buffy must confront Drusilla as the evil Mistress’ plans lay waste to Sunnydale. WELCOME TO HELLMOUTH - THE FIRST EVER BUFFY & ANGEL COMIC BOOK EVENT! Drusilla has opened the Hellmouth! With no time to waste, Buffy must do what any good Slayer would do - namely running directly into the heart of the problem. But where does that leave the rest of Sunnydale? Xander, Willow, Cordelia, and the rest of the gang must find a way to battle demons both inside and out, without their Chosen One to help them. Is this the end of the Scooby Gang? Eisner Award-nominated writer Jordie Bellaire (Redlands) and artist David López (Captain Marvel) present the next chapter of the fearless pop culture reimagining that generated headlines worldwide, directly tying into the landmark Hellmouth comic book event. Collects Buffy the Vampire Slayer #9-12.

I felt slightly disjointed from the plot line and confused to be honest. I really think that I'm reading this hoping for some "Wow" plot buuuut I'm just not getting it from this series. Unfortunately I don't think this series is it for me and it makes me so sad. I loved the first graphic novel so much but I may be holding it at too high an expectation.

Loredana

these comics are modern version of buffy and her adventures.

As a big fan of Buffy when I saw that a comic was a made, and it was a kind of modern rewriting I could only read it, I am sucker for those kind of things. And I was not disappointed ! The art is great, I like the color range used and the drawings are great, we clearly recognize the characters, even their little flaws are greatly done on paper. The stories are really buffyverse, it is some things that we could find in episodes of the original series. Characters are quite to their original selves to me, maybe not Willow, her clothe style is really different from the series but it's not out of place either. See all those character in an environment I am familiar with, like with internet, cell phones was really great.

Heather Harrington

*3.5

I was a little skeptical about this reboot of the comics just because I'm such a big Buffy fan, but it was pretty good. I'm so not used to seeing these characters in such a different way, but I'm interested to see how the rest of the series plays out.

I can't believe I'm actually reading a graphic novel. Or, an entire series of them, to be honest. That said, I loved the TV show and was told I absolutely must read season 8. It's going to take some getting used to, but we'll see what happens...

Zoë

This series is if Buffy the Vampire Slayer happened in 2018... I didn’t know that until I started reading and I kinda dig it. The characters themselves are a mix of who they were in high school and who they ended up being in the later seasons. There are a few bigger changes that keep things fresh. It feels familiar but not enough to feel like it’s the exact same story as the first few seasons. 

The biggest changes are:
Dru is queen of the bad. She’s the dominant in her and Spikes relationship. 
Willow is a full gay with a girlfriend!! 
Anya owns/works at the magic store a lot earlier than she does in the show. She’s also not a demon
Joyce has a live in boyfriend. 
Robin is in this but he’s aged down to appear as a student. 
Giles resembles season 7 Giles more than season 1 Giles which makes me :(
Cordelia seems genuinely kind??

so yeah a bunch of changes but I like them so far! I cant wait to see where this series goes seeing this is the only one out. I’ll see you next year with volume 2!

I’ll never complain about new and original Buffy content

picking up speed when buffy’s not around

Buffy and the Scooby Gang (the name was Xander’s idea, he’s workshopping it, it probably won’t stick) delve deeper into the heart of Sunnydale’s underbelly—and make a shocking discovery about the true nature of the Hellmouth. Meanwhile, Drusilla – AKA THE MISTRESS – sets her sights on Cordelia, as Cordy and Spike find accidental common ground.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #3

Makena Whitaker

The reimagining of Joss Whedon's groundbreaking series continues as Drusilla, the self-proclaimed Mistress and her pet, Spike, make their debut with their sights set on Buffy! Meanwhile, Giles is determined to teach Buffy about her destiny, responsibility, blah blah...can someone tell him to chill? How bad can it get?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 1 The Long Way Home

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