We continue the introductions to Sunnydale’s characters and we get to know how this reinvented world differs from the original. So far, it’s a refreshing reboot that’s got me interested to see what comes next!
Note: This recap may contain spoilers!
It seems like the common theme among Buffy, Willow, and Xander is self-doubt. While we focused more on Buffy as a whole, the trusty trio are definitely going through some high school woes. Couple this with the threats of the supernatural looming in the shadows and it’s going to be an interesting journey.
Buffy keeps having nightmares about her inability to save her friends. Zombified versions of Willow, Xander, and Giles taunt her and blame her for their eventual plight. No matter how hard she tries, she cannot save them. And whatever choices she makes, it seems like she will always end up in the same place – Hell. Quite a lot weighing on a young mind. Not to mention, she’s got the usual teenage angst to deal with, plus the whole situation with Joyce’s live-in boyfriend. I’m wondering how much Eric will play into the storyline. Dating Joyce for a year, living with them for the past month, he seems to be in a place that could play a pivotal role in Buffy’s development. We’ll have to wait and see on that one.
More pressing at the moment is for Buffy to figure out where the vampire got the protection artifact from. While Buffy’s continual mindset is to just go out and kill things, Giles it trying valiantly to give her a more rounded knowledge base. She needs to understand the history and mythology surrounding the creatures she’s fighting and the protective elements she’s coming up against. It’s a constant struggle between care-free teenage life and the burden of maturity that Buffy must carry as the Slayer.
We get to meet some old faces in new circumstances in this issue. First up, Cordelia Chase, who is just as vibrant as we all remember her. She’s a popular girl who puts herself out there as a potential friend to Buffy, even if the latter doesn’t need or want that connection at present. And Cordelia also seems to have the envy of the school, especially Willow, who is continually measuring herself against Cordelia and feeling like she falls short. Their yearly rivalry, running for class president, never seems to go in Willow’s favor, so it’s understandable that she might feel like she’s not good enough. I liked that we got to meet Willow’s girlfriend, Rose, and that she is the cheerleader for Willow’s self-esteem. I hope we get to see more of Rose in the future.
We also get to meet Robin, who I’m pretty sure is Robin Wood. This go-around, he’s a student at Sunnydale High, who Buffy briefly gets to meet and chat with during track practice. He broke his arm falling off a roof, he says, and is quite the personable individual. I’m hoping we do get to play this out to learn around Nikki and the situation that befell her in this universe. The other players are now present in town, so it’s just a matter of time before they all meet each other.
And those other players would be my favorite vampire Spike and his beloved Drusilla. I welcome any situation where Spike can be involved, but what intrigued me more was the version of Dru we’re getting. She seems to be in possession of her full mental capacity and that potentially makes her extremely dangerous to those who might go up against her. Though, her torture session with Anya didn’t play out exactly as planned. Destroying items in her shop seemed like a good way for making Anya spill the information Dru wanted, but destroying the cursed urn and releasing the Destroyer of Vampires was a bad move. Now they’ve got to deal with that situation. Oh, the complications that arise when torture goes awry.
So, I’m hooked on the discovery of known characters in new situation. This reboot is a refreshing look at the Buffy mythology and I can’t wait to see how all the pieces come together.
Rating: 4 / 5 Stars
