SlayerLit

Reviewed by Miss Mona

First off, I really enjoyed this, but - where was the rest of it? Was there a sequel, and was this, in itself, a sequel? The Remaining Sunlight and Bad Blood are mentioned in the introduction, neither of which I am familiar with. This means that the history between Buffy and Selke (the resident Big Bad in this story) was completely unknown to me.

This story takes place in season three, although the precise timeline is a bit unclear if you try and work it out. Angel is part of the gang again and has been restored to full strength, but Spike and Dru make an appearance and are still very much a couple, so it's clearly pre-"Lovers' Walk".

Selke, an old and embittered vampire adversary of Buffy's (in the comic canon, obviously) returns to Sunnydale, hell-bent on revenge. She is accompanied by some loon of a plastic surgeon-cum-scientist, known as 'Doc'. He is human, and desperate for eternal life (all very "Lie To Me") in exchange for helping Selke. He has restored her youth and beauty, and has concocted a potion that renders Selke - and a chosen band of blood-suckers - far more powerful than your usual garden-variety vampire. But the effects do not last long, and the vamps (including Selke herself) must eventually return to the lab nest so that they can be re-dosed. The main thrust of the story involves Doc's attempts to perform a ritual which will unleash Buffy's evil doppelganger.

This comic has many threads, split into short stories, with Buffy and Selke as the unifying forces. Alas, they never meet, and Buffy remains unaware of Selke's presence in Sunnydale even at the end at the story, despite Angel's underground detective work. Spike and Dru show up and - surprise surprise - they are very familiar with the latest Big Bad, and are watching closely from the sidelines, intent on joining in the fun when all goes to hell in Sunnydale.

What was interesting is one side-story in which Buffy saves an unsuspecting civilian from some nasty vampire clutches, Owen-style, which results in the Guy in Question, Todd, developing an enormous crush on our favourite Slayer. Although the crush itself is extremely over the top and unrealistic, involving Todd buying Buffy a car and baking her cakes for example, the excess of this sub-plot is tempered by Buffy's ultimate failure to save him, which makes for a sobering scene.

There is another amusing subplot concerning Cordelia's attempt to lead SHS to triumph in the Quiz-Bowl finals by stealing a magical brooch from Giles. The item is supposed to work as a mystical aide- memoire, but Cordy is almost driven insane when she cannot stop herself from taking in information, including the ingredients and nutritional contents on the backs of cereal boxes It's all very funny, but somehow not very Cordelia-esque. It's certainly the kind of thing I can imagine *Xander* doing, but Cordy? And seeing dialogue like "I'm so bored of being labeled 'the shallow one.' This is a great opportunity for an image change." in a bubble over Cordelia's head just made me go: "HUH?"

As I mentioned at the beginning, I am confused by the placement of this comic, particularly as it ends abruptly, with Doc's successful 'creation' of Buffy's evil double. Where does this continue? I also struggled a little with Selke's storyline; I didn't really understand the theory behind the anabolic steroid blood, how it was being made, what the risks and side-effects of its consumption were, and what her selection process was for her eventual army.

One final 'huh?': If anyone has the comic to hand (or remembers it in detail), can someone please explain to me why the doctor's lab assistant at the beginning cannot stop sobbing as she's injecting Selke? I was completely baffled by this series of panels.

*** 3 out of 5 stars

Mona Benjamin is a film production coordinator who has worked on such movies as CASINO ROYALE, KING ARTHUR and SENSE AND SENSIBILITY.