The final episode of Angel, ‘Not Fade Away,’ aired in May of 2004. The “Buffy” comics continued to run in continuity with the show until September of 2018, at which point the book was closed on the beloved Buffyverse. In comparison, the new universe of the Slayer hasn’t been around for a long time at all, having started with the relaunched comics only half a year ago. But there are now two collected trade paperbacks, and a third quickly on the way. So we thought it was time to check in on the new tale of the Slayer and her Scoobies, and to see how everything is going.
The Sunnydale Scoobies
The “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer” comic contemplates the question: “What if Buffy, but 2019?” This has manifested in mainly subtle ways. The biggest difference is that Willow is now out as gay in high school, and has a girlfriend named Rose. (The fact that Willow Rosenberg is dating a Rose is never mentioned; you’d think Xander would have some bad jokes about it). Next to that, the only majorly modern change is the prevalence of screens everywhere you look. The Sunnydale kids have cellphones and laptops now. This makes scenes from the show, like Xander and Willow reciting movie quotes to each other while walking around a cemetery, seem charmingly dated.
Some of the differences are a little more subtly motivated by changing times. The original cast is startlingly white. The first person of color to align themselves in a major way with the gang was Kendra, and she was quickly killed off. This dissatisfaction with diversity may be part of the reason why Robin Wood has been introduced to the comic. Robin became the principal of Sunnydale High School in the show’s Season Seven, but here has become a classmate of Buffy’s while they are all still students. So far beyond being a love interest for Buffy, Robin hasn’t had a big impact on the story. But fans know that Robin has a bitter history with the vampire Spike, so that’s sure to make trouble sooner rather than later.
Speaking of the vampires, the comic wisely decides to dispense with the season one villain, the Master. Although brilliantly played by Mark Metcalf in gloriously cheesy makeup, the Master was always more interesting in theory than practice. The comic has decided to give a level up to Drusilla, now called the Mistress. Instead of a childish psychic waif, she is a twisted arch-villain with big master plans. Her biggest evil moment so far? She used Xander’s teenage insecurities to turn him into a vampire…
A transformation that was short lived. Buffy journey to a magical cave and battled a monster to cure Xander. The adventure itself was fine, but the transformation has consequences. Xander, always the mortal member of the gang on the original show, is now a quasi-vampiric being, who has a psychic connection to the evil things lurking in Sunnydale. That development has been interesting, but also acts as a symbol for how this series will be different. Characters will make different choices, and consequences will ripple out, leaving the cast looking very different from their original incarnations.
Angel’s Angels
Down in the city of angels, the vampire with a soul is doing his usual brooding thing. What fascinates me about this series though, is the pacing. The CW superhero shows work hard to establish the plucky ensemble who will back up the hero by the end of episode one. “Buffy” threw a ton of characters into the cast right away- we’ve got Buffy, Xander, Willow, Giles, Willow’s girlfriend Rose, Robin, plus Buffy’s mom, Jenny Calendar, and Cordelia. At the end of the first arc of Angel, the hero basically walks alone.
That’s not to say there are no familiar faces. Winifred Burkle shows up, and the rest of Team Angel is hinted at, but for this first story, Angel is operating as a solo act. Doing so has let the series find its own voice, and the horror feels thoroughly modern. This is in part because “Angel’s” first villain is a demon using social media to torment its victims, but the series also uses comics to imply levels of disturbing violence that pushes past what we allowed on early 2000s TV.
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Besides the modern tone and content, the “Angel” comic plays its character and situation completely straight. Angel broods, and flashes back to atrocities he now regrets. His only relationships are with children he rescued, who have grown into adults, while he has remained ageless. If you found Angel’s original attitude to be tedious, well, he still dithers and wrings his hands in social situations, before leaping like Batman into harm’s way. If you, like me, thought Angel reached impressive highs, the comic stands with some of the excellent early episodes of the show. And the promise of slowly assembling the ensemble assures that the comic won’t slip into routine.
The Chosen Ones
So am I recommending these new “Buffy” and “Angel” comics? Am I ranting, raving, barely able to stay in my seat, rushing to the store to buy copies, to turn you all into believers? I am not. But I am digging them. And unfortunately, the thing making me hesitate has very little to do with the creators of the books, and everything to do with the state of the comic book industry.
“Buffy” writer Jordie Bellaire has a great sense of fun. Her take on “Buffy” has been playful, and drawing from a deep affection for the characters. Her partner in art, Dan Mora, is his own kind of slayer, because he is just killing it. I imagine it’s a struggle to maintain a coherent style while drawing characters who are real life people, but Mora makes it look easy. He’s definitely one of the top artists to be watching in comics in 2020, and the “Buffy” books are lucky to have him.
But the comic series seems a little loose, a little meandering. Each issue is tightly focused, but its hard to get a grasp for what the bigger picture is. You would assume that Robin Wood and Spike are going to have to throw down, but that’s mostly because of knowledge of the show, not because the comic has done an excellent job at building up their enmity. Additionally, “Buffy” comics always struggle with ‘special effects.’ The show was limited by money and technology, and that created a strong aesthetic. On the page, there’s no limit to the outlandish creatures and powers, and sometimes that makes “Buffy” seem like more high fantasy than it should.
“Angel’s” creative team is similarly strong. Bryan Edward Hill is taking all his best ideas for a “Hellblazer” comic, and holding nothing back. Artist Gleb Melnikov is totally in sync, and the two of them are a horror tour-de-force. “Angel” is less reverent than “Buffy,” but that makes it a good contrast. You go to Sunnydale for funtimes and fanservice, and you go to L.A. for thrills and subversion.
That sounds good right? So what’s the issue? The publication strategy is making me nervous. Both Buffy and Angel benefited from good long TV runs. We got to see Buffy go from being a yearning teen, to a human disaster, to a strong but troubled twenty-something. Angel and his team took their battle with evil from the streets to alternate dimensions and then faced off with their demons in a boardroom. How much commitment does Boom Studios have to making these new comic series last? The writers definitely seem to be thinking in the long term. And if they run for 300 issues, they can match the scope of the originals. But comic series get canceled with very little warning. Are these series going to last 10 more issues before being rebooted again?
I hope that’s not the case. Anything messy or weird about these early issues will right itself as they form their distinct voices. There’s still a lot of love for the characters, and a lot they can say. I don’t want Buffy to go down like so many horror icons, the subject of reboots and sequels that all pointedly ignore each other. She should be the subject of a heartfelt, lovingly told story. And that’s what this creative team is more than capable of producing. The future can be bright for “Buffy,” if the powers behind the page have the courage of their convictions.
