Welcome to another installment of Buffyversity! Today is a little different as we have another title to add to the Buffyverse line of books. Spike takes over his own title separate from both Buffy AND Angel. Welcome to Buffyversity: Spike #1!
Written by Victor Gischler
Illustrated by Paul LeeHaving fought to regain his soul after falling in love with the Slayer Buffy, the once-terrifying vampire villain Spike has been a bit less fearsome (to humans, at least). On his own adventure, Spike is forced to examine the man he once was, the man he is now, and the man he still hopes to become.
As master of a steampunk ship filled with loyal, oversized alien cockroaches, Spike embarks on a journey to the dark side of the moon, setting into motion an adventure filled with demons, witches, and others who brew new evil in the world without magic!
- Spike visits the dark side!
Spike has an interesting place in the Buffyverse. Somewhere in the third season of Buffy, he became a sympathetic anti-hero, and when he tried to be evil it just didn’t’ work anymore (not to be confused with Angel, who’s a brooding hero), mostly because he was bored and there was a bloody chip in his head. But that’s neither here nor there. Now he’s grown into a leader in his own right, being in charge of a whole spaceship filled with bug-aliens who obey his every whim.
If that’s the case, why is he so bummed? Well, to be honest, it’s pretty obvious. Spike’s archetype fits very neatly into the same archetype that Wolverine inhabits: the bad boy who doesn’t really end up getting the girl. And that will make anyone broody.
Oddly, this story doesn’t seem to have much place within the rest of the Buffy canon, as, well, when Buffy is taking on Wolfram & Hart and Angel and Faith are deep in the thick of it on Quor’toth, he’s on The Moon sunbathing and fighting alien demons who want to throw him out of the nearest airlock.
To his credit, Victor Gischler has a talent for writing vampires, from taking the reins to the “X-Men” relaunch, adding vampires to the mix, including turning Jubilee into one of the undead; he is one of the most underrated writers in the game. His implicit understanding of the bloodsuckers of the night and the Buffy universe let him balance the drama with the comedy, and I truly think he made the best of what he had available to him. However, a sci-fi mashup is not something that does not mesh with the rest of the universe at hand. At least at first glance. Will these space pirates on the surface of the moon have more to do with the season-long narrative other than “let’s have an adventure on The Moon!” Right now it has more than simply a striking resemblance to an episode of Doctor Who, but there’s no Martha Jones to save the day this time.
However, Spike’s little bug aliens are some of the most engaging insectoid aliens used in print since Miek from “Planet Hulk” and Broo from “Wolverine and the X-Men.” They’re quirky, they’re funny, and they’re just flat out fun. If there’s anyone that makes this book worth reading, it’s their idiosyncrasies, interacting with each other while all but worshipping Spike, who, while he’s one of the richest characters in the canon, doesn’t have much to do until the very end of the book.
Finally, with regards to the writing of the story, if Gischler found a way to use the space story for comedic effect and clever nerd references, it’s the Star Wars reference about midway through the book (Empire Strikes Back, if we’re being precise). Gischler and Paul Lee, the artist of this mini, crafted it really well and it works on multiple levels.
Speaking of the art: Paul Lee is a great addition to the team. He has a classic, iconic style where he could be at home in nearly anything he’s assigned. He works really well with the Spike-narrative, interpreting the looks of James Marsters’ infamous vampire with a soul with panache and skill. Perhaps unintentionally, he made his Spike have certain square jawed heroes as if to say “I can draw icons with the best of them” while resembling the source material really well. Much like Georges Jeanty and Rebekah Isaacs, he’s a great fit for the series and I can’t wait to see more from him. And you should too.
Unfortunately, I don’t have much in the way of analysis in the possible ways this might affect the other two books, yet. This book was undoubtedly setup for the future and we will likely see more in the issues to come. Let’s wait until issue #2 to see if there’s anything “important” to the story as a whole.
