And so it came to be that – after a series of made-for-TV spin-offs failed to make it past the drawing board – Buffy’s creator turned his pen once again to the Scooby Gang, this time in comic book form. Unbeknownst to our heroine, the American government have labelled Buffy’s new gang as a terrorist threat, in a plotline that apes the under-appreciated Initiative of season four, with strong suggestions that special agent Riley Finn might mince onto the page at any moment and start dispensing his usual brand of white bread wisdom. Pencil duties have been assigned to Georges Jeanty, who presents a colourful take on Buffy and the gang in their new Scottish setting. Highlights include a double-page spread dedicated to Buffy’s sister, Dawn, who’s trademark teenaged angst and issues ‘have gotten a little bigger’; geeky best friend, Xander, in his new role as sexy Sergeant Harris, the Nick Fury-referencing Watcher; and an ubercool aerial shot of the crater formed from Buffy’s hometown being swallowed by the Hellmouth in the series finale. Though the epic nature of the comic book plot may shift some fans out of their comfort zone, Whedon’s way with words and the fluidity of the dialogue – phonetic accents not withstanding (the boyishly handsome Rowena’s ‘dat vent vell’ is worse than season five’s Dracula) – feels like home. Despite the impressive theatrics of the military presence and the gnarly giant-sized demons, it’s when Buffy and Xander get together to snack on sandwiches and snipe that Whedon shines; ‘I think it’s a frown turned upside down. And then turned upside down again’ and ‘I think it’s a beautiful sunset’, comment the couple from the confines of what looks to be a library, in a scene which would have been very much at home during the early season of the television show. Welcome back, Buffy. You have been missed.
