Customer Reviews

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus, Vol. 1

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I did not collect the first "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" comic book series mainly because I did not cotton to the artwork. I picked up the first issue but that was it, although I did pick up some of the associated minis-series. So I got "The Origin" when it first came out because I liked the idea of redoing the movie script to better incorporate it into the mythos created by the television series, as well as "Willow & Tara Wilderness," Joss Whedon's "Fray," and "Tales of the Vampires." More recently I bought the "False Memories" trade paperback collection because it sounded like it might be similar to a "BtVS" novel that I tried writing once upon a time. But with Joss Whedon writing and serving as "executive producer" for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8" (and now gearing up for "Season 6" of "Angel"), Dark Horse decided to reprint a definitive collection of the first "BtVS" comic series and its assorted spin-offs.

Initially I was sitting on the fence with regards to even checking out the series, but then I discovered that this omnibus series is organized chronologically following the timeline of the television series. In other words, the stories in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus, Volume 1" take place before the show's first season. That, I decided, meant Volume 1 was at least worth a look and then I can see what I have missed:

"All's Fair" ("Spike & Dru" #3), script by Christopher Golden, pencils by Eric Powell, and inks by Drew Geraci & Keith Barnett. This is a Spike & Dru story where the love vamps are checking out the Chicago World's Fair of 1933, where a scientist has tapped into energy from a demon dimension. Meanwhile, there are people who want to make Spike pay for killing his first Slayer during the Boxer Rebellion. Those story lines are interesting on their own, but putting them together does not up the ante. There is a neat scene where Spike and Dru simultaneously put the bite on a pair of young lovers kissing, but sharing pages ends up hurting the two main plot lines (4 Stakes).

"Buffy: The Origin," adapted from Whedon's original screenplay by Dan Brereton & Golden, pencils by Joe Bennett, and inks by Rick Ketcham. What if the original movie version of "BtVS" had been filmed the way Joss wrote it and not turned into a camp comedy by the director? This three-part comic book story gives fans an idea of what might have been. Beyond making Buffy look like Sarah Michelle Gellar, it is cutting all that campiness that makes this worth reading and upgrading the supporting cast: for example, Merrick looks like a cross between Donald Sutherland and Richard Riehle, the actors who played the character in the movie and TV series respectively. Not great, but I like it way more than the movie (4.5 Stakes).

"Viva Las Buffy!" (#51-54), script by Scott Lobdell & Fabian Nicieza, pencils by Cliff Richards, and inks by Will Conrad. What I like about this one is that beyond the whole idea of a road trip to Las Vegas (the number of times Buffy got out of Sunnydale on the TV series can just about be counted on one hand), is that it explains what happened to Pike: they run away to live and work in Vegas, but he becomes convinced that having a Slayer for a girlfriend is way too dangerous. I also like that it deals with how Giles came to be Buffy's second Watcher, although having Angel be in the story bothered me a bit until I remembered that according to "Becoming" he was hanging around keeping an eye on Buffy back then. But it was the insistence on working Dawn into these early outings that became too much for me. The neat thing this time around are the special siblings where only one is a vampire, which makes for an unusual scene, but overall this one tries to do too much with limited success (4 Stakes).

"Dawn & Hoppy the Bear," everything by Paul Lee. A demon goes after Buffy by giving her a "make-a-wish teddy bear." The only problem is that Buffy is off in Las Vegas (see previous story), so the delivery goes to Dawn instead. On the one hand, since Dawn was not really there at this point in history I have no idea as to what "really" happened that would justify this revised memory. But on the other hand, this is a cute little story (3.5 Stakes).

"Slayer, Interrupted" (#55-59) script by Lodbell & Nicieza, pencils by Richards, and inks by Conrad. While Buffy was off in Las Vegas, Dawn finds her sister's diary. When her parents read about how he has been fighting vampires and demons, they have her committed to a mental institution. Buffy actually likes not having to be the Slayer, but of course those running the place have a different agenda, making their patients brides of the demon Rakagore. Meanwhile, Giles has to face the consequences of having used Black Magic. The attempt to have early Giles jive more with later Giles does not really work because early Giles is so not the Ripper we meet in these issues. At the end of this the Summers move to Sunnydale, Giles is officially installed as her Watcher (there is a formal ceremony apparently), and the rest is history (4.5 Stakes).

There is also a Cover Gallery, because for some reason a lot of these reprint magazines like to either ignore the covers that went with these stories or shove them in the back of the book. This book does both. In the end I round up on this collection because of the nice job they do with Take 2 of Buffy's "Origin," although the second time reading these stories I better appreciate the attempt to work out what they referred to at Dark Horse as "Buffy: Year One." I just think having Dawn around for these early stories was a mistake because her presence does not fit my understanding of how her retroactive existence works. But that might just be my hang-up and most "BtVS" fans will not mind such things. Now I will have to see if Volume 2 manages to maintain this initial level.

Unless you're a completist with oodles and oodles of cash, this is the way to go if you want to collect the older Buffy comics. Before this, they have been collected (for the most part) into smaller trade paperbacks, each of which cost almost as much as this volume. Now, before I get into my review, let me explain the omnibus series, as I've seen a lot of people misunderstanding when talking about it on message boards: This is not the only omnibus. There are to be seven of them all together, and this is only the first one.

Now that that's out of the way...

The comics collected here range from great ("Viva Las Buffy"/"Dawn and Hoopy the Bear") to okay ("Slayer, Interrupted"/"The Origin") not so great ("Spike and Dru: All's Fair"). However, for what this book lacks, it makes up for it by it's diversity; it's fascinating to see how different artists and writers alike tackle this utterly unique world, how each person puts their own spin of what has already been developed or hinted at. Before I even read this volume, what I did was flip through, just taking in the art. There shading, the coloring, the style; everything is all so different that even if sometimes the stories won't keep you interested, the art will.

Well, that's assuming you can get past "All's Fair." I understand why it was put first in this issue, as--chronologically--it does really happen first, though it isn't usually a good idea to put the most tedious story first in a book like this.

All in all, a great buy if ever a great buy there was. Though not all of the writers or artists are as good as the others, this collection gets--for sheer practicality--an...

8/10

The Slayer Omnibus collects previously published comic book stories that are set before Season 1 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Its an enjoyable read, especially for any Buffy fan. We get some insight into Giles/Ripper, learn a little about Buffy's "lost days" in Las Vegas with her then boy toy and witness Angel's stalkage of the slayer. And then there's Dawn's story with Hoopy the Bear - gotta love it!

This is so much better than the Season 8 comics, I can't wait to see the next volumes. It's actually got more plot and more said and more substance. It's interesting with better storylines, filling in the blanks we always wanted filled in. I loved seeing Angel (and Whistler!), Wesley, Giles, and whoa, Giles' Dad! Even the artwork was infinitely better, it wasn't like the other ones where it was all about the skin. This was more sophisticated and just...awesome. Spike's story was kind of boring, as was the Vegas part, but after that, everything picked up and it was stuff we actually cared about. This is a must-read for Buffy-fans, it's stuff that was mentioned in passing in the show but never elaborated on, until this. I'm so glad I found it!

This collection of stories from before Buffy Summers ever heard of the hellmouth was a lot of fun to read (and look at), sometimes funny, sometimes thought-provoking, sometimes both, and answered more than a few questions about the Slayer's past. (Didn't we all wonder what happened to Pike? I know I did.) It surprised and, ridiculous as it sounds, delighted me, and after I finished it I felt...satisfied. Very satisfied. Gratified, even. And also happy.

The first story starts long before Buffy is even born, but stars the pre-chipped, pre-ensouled Spike and his lovely, crazy vampire lady love Drusilla. They're trying to see the shape of things-to-come and to enjoy themselves (in their own way) at the 1933 World's Fair, but as usual, someone doesn't seem to want them to have their fun. The title page for this story is particularly striking, in my opinion. I would love to have a larger version of it.

In "The Origin" we get a version of the original movie that is supposedly a lot closer to Joss' original screenplay. I loved it. My only complaint is that I wish it had been longer. This version was funny, like the movie, but a whole lot less stupid, a whole lot more interesting, and just plain better. And Buffy's dress for the dance was much more stylish.

Then we find out what happened to--or rather, with--Pike, when he and Buffy go to Las Vegas in "Viva Las Buffy!" and they meet...well, a whole bunch of vampires. Pike narrates the story, and it's pretty interesting to get to see Buffy from the point of view of someone who cares about her, but isn't really part of the world of vampires and demons. This story was also good, and definitely had some items of interest. Plus, some of that thought-provokingness that I mentioned before. Pike doesn't understand that a lot of Buffy's strength ends up coming from the people who care about her, and who she cares about. Neither does she at this point. Neither, also at this point, does Rupert Giles, who's hoping to become a Watcher and work with the Slayer.

There's a short, cute, and kind of cuddly story called "Dawn and the Hoopy Bear"--but watch out for the claws. Despite the silly name and the fact that it centers on Dawn--no Buffy in sight--a character that was controversial but intriguing to include in these stories early on in the timeline, this story was definitely enjoyable.

Then we get "Slayer, Interrupted" where we find out about the circumstances surrounding Buffy's time in a mental hospital, which we got on a short glimpse of during the series. This one has more of that thought-provokingness, as Buffy tries to figure out what it means to be the Slayer. Of course, she ends up learning about herself in the process, while, across the pond, Giles is learning about himself. In fact, Giles gets the last (hilarious) line in this collection.

This book didn't hold up for 3 days of reviewing! The binding was pooring constructed and separated into 3 pieces. My daughter was terribly dissapointed.

While not considerd to be "official" Buffy stories by some fans, I found these to be a fun continuation of the Buffy world. It's like seeing an old friend again in these stories and while some are better than others I found this to enjoyable overall. Some of the stories are written by Buffy's TV writers so these have the feel of the show. Looking at comics is not the same as looking at actors, but it's still fun.

With a faithful adaptation of Joss Whedon's ORIGINAL screenplay for Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the movie), a story about the immediate after effects where Buffy runs away to Las Vegas, as well as giving us the story about her sojourn in the mental institution, we're finally given a good glimpse into what forces shaped the Buffy we grew to know and love in the first season of the series. Of course, we're also treated to a cute story featuring Dawn (because although she wasn't *really* there at the time, Buffy REMEMBERED her as being there), and we see Spike and Dru at the world's fair in 1933. All in all, a great collection of stories; a bit pricey, perhaps, but well worth the time to read - and practically a must-have for any serious B:tVS fan.

My girlfriend and friends just recently began inducting me into the Cult of Buffy, and I've been making my way through the TV show slowly. But as I can't seem to restrict my fandom to just one medium, I've also been getting into the Buffy comic books from Dark Horse. The Buffy Omnibus series will eventually reprint all of Dark Horse's Pre-Season 8 Buffy comics in thick, relatively cheap paperbacks. The stories, it should be noted, are collected in chronological order, not in the order that they were published.

This first volume collects all of the pre-TV show exploits the comic produced, and while there aren't many, the ones they give us are pretty good. After a so-so Spike and Drusilla short story, the volume begins in earnest with The Origin. The original Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie, starring Kristy Swanson, was really very much a butchery of the script that Joss Whedon wrote. In this story, Christopher Golden took the original, pre-butchered script and massaged it into a strong storyline that brings Buffy's first adventure more in line with the version of the character we watched on television. Next up is Viva Las Buffy, which takes place right as the movie ends. Buffy and her boyfriend, Pike, run off to Las Vegas together, only to discover that the lifestyle of the slayer will follow her anywhere. There's a short story featuring Dawn (which was apparently pretty controversial, considering the characters origins... the controversy wasn't in the story itself, but in the fact that the story existed), and the book closes with Slayer, Interrupted, in which Buffy comes home only to find herself tossed in a mental ward. Las Buffy and Slayer, Interrupted also both feature a subplot with Rupert Giles, the man destined to become Buffy's Watcher, on his quest to do so.

Although I've been told many of the Buffy comics varied wildly in quality, these first few comics (again, chronologically - they were actually produced pretty near the end of the run) are actually pretty good. It's nice to have a more solid origin story for Buffy, and nice to see more of the circumstances that ultimately led her to Sunnydale. While this is by no means required reading, even for die-hard fans of the show, for folks looking for a little extra to satiate their Buffy cravings, this is a pretty good book.

Big buffy fan? or just starting with buffy? then this book is for you. The art is amazing, same with the dialogue. It's a true collectors item.