Regular readers of the site will know that I am not a fan of Joss Whedon's Buffy and Angel television shows (though I thoroughly enjoyed the movie). Still, from time to time, I've sampled some of Dark Horse's various Buffy comics, and some of them were quite entertaining. So I figured I'd give this new anthology series a gander. The good news is that this first issue boasts some strong storytelling, both visually and conceptually. The scripts are strong, and the plots are novel. The bad news... Whedon and Goddard don't really concern themselves with accessibility when it comes to readers who aren't up on all things Buffy.
Years ago, children at a "special" school are guided on a rather unusual field trip to a dungeon, where they're expected to learn something new from a most unexpected -- and predatory -- guest lecturer. Elsewhere and elsewhen, the vampire known as Spike narrowly escapes destruction, but his lover is taken captive. And today, a young woman named Stacy who dreams of a life of magic has her wish granted, but it's not in a way she ever expected.
What one usually finds in anthologies is uneven artwork. One can expect some strong efforts and some that are rougher. Fortunately, this anthology doesn't follow that trend. In terms of artwork, the book is solid all around. Sanchez's work on the first story strikes me as a cross between the styles of Kelley (Batman/Dracula) Jones and Leinil Francis (Superman: Birthright) Yu. Paul Lee's style is well suited to the supernatural quality of the characters and the dark acts at the heart of the second story. The visual standout in this issue, though, is Cameron Stewart's impressive portrayal of a bright young woman. Stewart's brighter style nevertheless works quite well given the eerie subject matter. He captures Stacy's innocence, sense of wonder and intelligence quite well, and that's what makes the dark shift in tone later in the piece so effective.
Whedon and Goddard both manage to humanize the monsters from which this series derives its title. The vampires are cast into the roles of hero and victim in the second story, and Whedon instills a genuine voice in one of the bloodsuckers by giving the character some common ground with the audience -- a movie. The opening segment really isn't a story but serves as a defacto framing sequence that does a good job of establishing mood.
The question here is, 'Is it realistic for the creators to expect that this book might draw the attention of readers who aren't intimately familiar with the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer?' I'd have to answer in the negative; after all, I was interested. The writers seem to simply assume that the reader has all of the pertinent information about the rules of this supernatural world and the characters. I recognize Spike from the second story, but the female vampire character is never even named (neither is Spike, for that matter). I get the feeling I'm meant to know who she is, but I don't. Whedon also seems to take it for granted that the readers will know what the kids in the opening sequence are training for, and I get the impression the prisoner is a previously established character as well. The writers need to either let the uninitiated reader in on the loop here or get away from the Buffy continuity references, direct or otherwise.
