Buffy the final cut comic. “The Guide to Buffyverse” – A guide to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer universe

When Spike got to LA, his first wish was, of course, to go to Buffy wherever she was. But the Angel stopped him. He said that she was somewhere in Europe and that everything was fine with her. But he doesn't know where exactly to look for it... This lengthy answer is very similar to this vampire, who never judged anything with certainty, and was patient like an ancient philosopher... Spike did not try to achieve more, but tried to leave. With great efforts, the Angel convinced him to stay, and the state in which Spike was (in the form of an intangible spirit) did not promise him much.

The question is, was Angel right when he said that Buffy was "all right"? Or was he just repeating what she told him?

In the series finale, Buffy survives and rescues Xander, Dawn, Lillow, Giles, and several of the girls on her team. But... Dozens of people died. Aniya, Tara, the girls who fought with her. Xander was left disabled without a leg and an eye. Yes, the demons in Sunnydale were indeed destroyed and the attack of the original source was repelled, but, move a few kilometers to LA - and everything remained the same there as it was. The city is infested with demons and vampires, who literally absorb the brave team of the Angel with their number.

Did she win? And what is the reward for this victory, if she really was won? .. Buffy lost her loved ones, loved ones, lost friends, in the end, she even lost Spike, who remained in the fiery crater of Sunnydale. And now she is in Europe. Most likely one. Buffy gave her unique power as a slayer to all the girls in the world so that they would be as strong as her. So she's not a Slayer anymore? But just a girl who went through this bloody path, just a lonely and wounded person ...

Spike stayed with Angel in LA, to get his body back, since he is still on earth, and fight for his soul in the hope of gaining a reward - the forgiveness of sins ...

I do not think that Buffy would continue the war with the forces of darkness on the new continent. She was tired, and wanted to get away from this war much earlier, at the end of season 5, when she threw herself from the tower into the abyss. It seems to me that now she would begin to choose and look, like her two familiar vampires, where is good and where is bad, and where to find peace ... Buffy's soul has always had two halves - dark and light. The dark one came from the nature of the slayer - the killer, in essence. Light was her human life, her feelings, her love. Where will she go now, and will she be able to lose half of herself, her essence as a slayer, if she chooses the path ordinary life? Spike told her that, despite all the resistance, she was being shadowed to the world to the world of darkness, just like his ...

Flowers are blooming somewhere else, somewhere else there is paradise… How far are these places from us? And is it still possible to get to them? .. I think they will try to do it, two vampires with a soul and a slayer ...

The show's writers don't end Buffy's story here. It continues in the comics (or the so-called season 8), where the slayer again confronts the world of darkness, still participating in the eternal battle of good against evil. But the nature of the Buffy character itself disappears, giving way to just a Superman girl without a face. They may not agree with me, and say that Buffy would have continued her story that way. May be…

Both series - Buffy and Angel - had an ambiguous end. The scriptwriters left a lot of ground for reflection and their own conclusions, which are being conducted by fans for more than a year after the end of filming - and this is a very big merit for any movie story.

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In the wake of the success of the 2012 film adaptation of The Avengers, Joss Whedon has temporarily become the benchmark for Marvel Studios and hilarious superhero movies. His activities and talent have become the subject of discussion in various nooks and crannies of the Internet and television.

For me personally, as a longtime fan of Whedon's work in all its manifestations, the wave of success was understandable. The Avengers turned out to be the movie that everyone hoped for, but few really expected such a result. And although Joss is now often associated with the Avengers, in this article I am not going to focus further on either Disney or Marvel.

Before the Avengers, before the Dollhouse, before Firefly, Joss created Buffy Summers. It is about the BuffyVerse universe that I want to tell you in more detail, since this is far from the most popular (in the context of comics) fandom in our country.

“ Buffy the Vampire Slayer” - a 1992 film.

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The history of the creation of Buffy as a character goes back to the 80s. It was then that Joss Whedon got the idea to turn the well-known horror concept on its head. What if a blonde, driven into a dark alley, attacked by a vampire, would have killed him, and not become another weak victim? The answer to this question was the essence of the original script of the film “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”.

In 1992, the feature film Buffy the Vampire Slayer was released, written by Joss Whedon. The original overall style, which Joss would later embody in the cult series, was changed in this film from a dark, scary picture with elements of comedy to a banal comedic horror. Despite good box office performance ($16.6 million against a $7 million production budget), the film received mostly negative and neutral feedback from the critics.

The actors are not to be blamed for the mediocrity of the film. Christy Swanson, the leading lady, played as the script and director dictated, and there is nothing surprising in the fact that her image differs from the later series; Luke Perry again played the useless handsome man (at that time he was already filming in Beverly Hills, 90210), and from the performance of actors like Rudger Howr, Donald Sutherland and Hilary Swank, it is simply silly to demand more, given the genre and audience of the film.

Most of all, the vampires and their visual embodiment failed in the film. Here are a couple of comparisons between the movie and the series (let's not blame everything on the budget, it's not about quality, but about design).

An example of a Vampire from the TV series

An example of a Vampire from the movie

Buffy and the Master (Season 1 main villain)

Lotus is the main villain of the film

Buffy and the Lotus (film)

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You can’t call the film a failure or unnecessarily flawed for 1992, but it is definitely boring by modern standards and certainly does not cause any nostalgia and desire to re-watch it. By the way, the events of this film have nothing to do with the main franchise, but more on that below.

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer"television series 1997-2003

5 years later. The rights holders sought out Joss and persuaded him to try again, now in a series format with more creative freedom. Thus, in 1997, Whedon, in collaboration with 20th Century FOX, was able to launch the series of the same name, and this time everything was successful.

A few words about the “pilot” that was not aired. The plot of the pilot episode is similar to the 1st episode of the series re-shot and shown to the public, but in the new version, in addition to changes in editing and a couple of scenes, there was 1 key change in the casting. Riff Regan was replaced by Alyson Hannigan (American Pie, How I Met Your Mother) as Willow Rosenberg. Officially, Whedon said more than once that Riff did not have suitable chemistry in the game with other actors, and she read the script very dryly, not capturing the strong but kind character hiding behind the facade of Willow's shyness and self-doubt. If you watch the pilot and the series, you simply cannot argue with that. Be that as it may, the casting of A. Hannigan is one of the best decisions of Whedon and his team.

The Chosen One

“In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness.

She is the Slayer.”

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“In every generation, a Chosen One is born. Alone, she must confront vampires, demons and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer." It is with these words that the original introduction of the series begins. By itself, “chosenness” is a hackneyed and understandable concept, but the meaning of these words for the BtVS plot is absolutely ambiguous.

For 7 seasons, Joss Whedon makes the viewer understand why Buffy is special and why she was given the title role, because there were hundreds of slayers before her and many will be after her. Friends make her special. No matter how comical it may sound, without friends she would be “a simple chosen one”, but together they form something new and indestructible. No matter how lonely she considers herself, she can always rely on her team, which includes werewolves, and witches, and vampires, and ordinary people. This truth is not easy for everyone, and over and over again they prove to each other that, despite mistakes and doubts, their friendship always helps them out.

Actually the series is about friendship, relationships, growing up and the emotions we experience in the process. By the way, the emotional component is feature Whedon's work, in his stories he always prescribes, first of all, the relationship between people and only then their struggle with evil and circumstances.

“The Scooby Gang”, - that's exactly what the guys call themselves, - over the years spent in the mystical town of Sunnydale, they have matured quite a lot and have changed their setting, views, and some even sexual orientation more than once.

The backbone of the team has always been 4 people: Buffy Summers, her friends Willow Rosenberg and Xander Harris, as well as Rupert Giles - Buffy's mentor, a member of the Order of Observers who have been helping slayers since time immemorial. Later, other actors who registered for a long time joined the cast.

Oz is a self-critical musician who is Willow's love interest, at some point becoming a werewolf after biting his nephew. Oz appeared in seasons 2-4 and also returned for 1 episode in season 5.

Cordelia Chase is a spoiled Sunnydale golden youth who was reformed by the circumstances of seasons 1-3 of BtVS, then moved to Angel for several seasons.

Angel is one of the most bloodthirsty vampires in history, re-educated by the gypsy's curse.

Spike is another vampire. Former competitor/colleague of Angel. With this guy, everything is so complicated that I won’t even begin. First appeared in season 2, since then he has not left the franchise, and even played in Angel.

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Hell Is for Children

Setting is an important part of any series, and BtVS is no exception.

The first 3 seasons are set in a school. To the original concept, Joss added a simple metaphor: “School is like hell for kids.” These seasons form a kind of conditional first act, ending not only with the graduation of the main characters, but also with the real physical destruction of the school, thereby showing the viewer that everything has changed.

The next 4 seasons are less fixated on any one setting, except perhaps at the home of the Summers. However, each subsequent season made more important changes in the lives of the heroes, which is not surprising, because such is adult life.

Season 5 is arguably the wildest in the context of the entire franchise, here are a couple of highlights worth mentioning:

Yes, it's Dracula. Yes, the same one. Season 5 kicked off with a battle between him and Buffy, but due to the vampire's unique gypsy magic, he still got away with it, later becoming a guest character in the comics and a reliable ally of Buffy's team.

Don Summers ( younger sister Buffy) was introduced to the series in the same first episode of Season 5 via a retcon (i.e., retroactively) as a result of a spell by ancient monks who shaped a magical interdimensional key into the shape of a person, rewrote reality and sent the girl to the Slayer family for protection.

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By the way, Joss has repeatedly said that season 5 could be the last in mind, but fortunately for the fans, this did not happen.

Separately, it is worth noting that after the 5th season, BtVS moved to the UPN channel (previously the channel was The WB), as a result of which the last 2 seasons began to show more explicit violence (not HBO of course, but there were moments) and scenes of lesbian love, previously shown, as a metaphorical holding of a pen or in the form of male sighs of amazement.

As a result of such manipulations, the series became more adult, although it lost some of the teenage romance of the first 5 seasons. By the way, the stories of seasons 6 and 7 are much heavier and more complex than earlier in the series, not to mention a completely different level of drama. At the same time, one cannot say that BtVS has become worse or better, it has become different and simply evolved, which not all series succeed in.

Success Secrets

For 7 years, each season has brought something new not only to the Buffyverse, but to mysticism and fantasy in general on television. Truly interesting series became after the episode "Passion" (passion) Season 2, in which Joss first used his signature move, illustrated in the following illustration:

Yes, Joss loves to kill characters. He sees this as a powerful plot move, done not for the success of the series, but for the emotional growth of other characters (and, as a result, the success of the series). I believe that with most comics/series/books and stories in general, this is true. Indeed, in most stories (and not only modern ones) everything is tied to the death of characters, or their survival. It makes our life sharper and more real. Drama rules the world. Don't believe me? Ask him:

Jokes aside, the way Joss (and his talented crew) kill and emotionally change characters in Buffy is a piece of amazing storytelling. If the role of the main characters, whether it be a villain or a hero, can be predicted in places, since the story itself leads to this in every season, then the sad fate of many minor characters sometimes it just leaves the viewer with his jaw on the floor, or even in tears and shock (true story, watch season 6).

Now, nevertheless, it is necessary to say about the other side of this wonderful series - about humor. The humor of BtVS is something special for the late 90s/early 00s. I'm talking about a lot of pop culture references and comments, of course, from Buffy's "My spider-sense is tingling" line in season 1 to geeky nerd-villain team battles that even Kevin Smith and his films would blow your nose. However, it was the “geekiness” aspect that later spoiled the continuation of the series in the comics a little, but I will move on to the comics a bit later.

The atmosphere of the 90s, which only those who remember it all will understand.

Jokes in Buffy are of a completely different nature. Awkward flat comments in dangerous situations, rare but well-aimed jokes about sex, witty English-style comments, and just sitcom rather than horror situations - BtVS has it all in abundance. At first it may seem that humor is responsible certain characters, but it soon becomes clear that this is only an appearance and there are no “clowns” here, and everything is pretty well balanced.

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A distinctive feature of the series is also the completeness of the seasons. While other series have created "incredibly intriguing" (in fact, corny annoying) cliffhangers, BtvS has gone the other way.

Each season of BtVS ended with a logical conclusion to the chapter, thus creating an absolutely peaceful feeling of pleasure at the end of the season. And with each season, this format of endings got better and better, eventually turning even an open ending into the most ideal ending to the series of all possible options. At that time, this mattered more, because the comic-continuation did not come out right away.

However, sometimes it's not even about general concepts and techniques, but rather an unprecedented approach to the series. Here are a couple of examples with comments on the photo episodes:

s04e10 "Hush". The episode is about the "Gentlemen", silent demons in suits that rip out hearts. Before their appearance in the next city, demons deprive all people of speech. Thus, we get a funny episode in terms of communication, at the same time scaring the characters and the audience to the point of speechlessness. Well, the gentlemen have the same make-up ...

s05e16 "The Body". The entire episode is filmed without music, thus providing an unparalleled sense of realism, which comes in handy considering that this episode is the first time Buffy has to deal with loss. loved one due to natural causes, not the mystical part of your life. The series is incredibly heavy and sad, especially for those who themselves have lost their loved ones.

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Once more with feeling

The most difficult and popular episode s06e07 deserves a separate story. Once more with feeling”.

The episode was made in the format of a musical. Joss himself was responsible for the script and direction, for whom this was the first experience in writing music and filming a musical. All choreography and vocal parts were performed by original actors series, although a couple of people were able to knock out a minimum of singing.

According to the plot, the demon "Sweet" arrives in Sunnydale, using songs as a way to fish out other people's secrets. The whole city sings songs, including the main characters. The most piquant and unspeakable comes out of the mouths of Buffy and her friends, destroying relationships with completely different music.

Joss combined rock opera, 1950s sitcom themes, swing music, and even some Disney songs in this episode, creating an incredible soundtrack that conveys the emotions and thoughts of the characters and develops into a single whole at the end of the episode. By the way, this episode was repeatedly shown in small cinemas, allowing the audience to sing along (oh, it's a pity that I was not there). This episode ends with a major revelation that practically crushes the team's friendship for the rest of the season.

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girl power!

And now about feminism! *epic music*

Joss Whedon loves and respects a lot strong women, and in general is a noble feminist, and therefore, in his stories, women are more often more strong characters or at least not inferior to the male sex. Sexual minorities, especially lesbians, Joss also does not bypass.

It was this that initially attracted Buffy, and still does. Due to the one-sidedness of many media, it seems that this series is created exclusively for girls and girls. This is wrong. Let at first it looks like soap operas like Charmed, Smallville, Supernatural and other serials of the mid-90s - early 2000s, which quickly become boring (although you often continue to watch them anyway), - it quickly grew into something more.

Joss was ahead of his time in many ways, shooting a similar series in the 90s, an indicator of this is that the active wave of pro-feminist aggression and the LGBT movement in the same comics, movies, TV shows and generally pop culture bypassed Joss's work. He tritely saw in gender diversification and feminism the original creative potential, but he didn’t cut it off the shoulder and bring it to the point of absurdity, but did it smoothly, experimenting with the characters, their self-identification and views. To be honest, there were many other very provocative topics of a sexual nature in BtVS, especially sensitive for women, but we can talk about this for quite some time, but the article is still not about that.

In general, if you are not a very far-sighted and / or progressive person, then this franchise is unlikely for you, especially the comic sequel, because the heroes have been living in San Francisco for 2 seasons in comics. Well, you get what I mean.

Angel

It's time to tell you a little about another series that complements the BtVs universe. Spin-off (offshoot) BtVS “ Angel” , which is ironic in the sense of the title, tells the story of a vampire who was cursed by the gypsies, and as punishment for the murder they returned his soul, so now he walks the world forever sad and tries not to sin (for 250 years or so). The character was a permanent member of the cast "Buffy" until the end of season 3 (later - sporadically), after which he moved to Los Angeles in his own series, where he headed the detective agency.

Speaking about the backbone of BuffyVerse (i.e. series), it is worth noting that in “Angel” the most interesting thing is that the characters around him are much more interesting than Angel himself, although David Boreanaz plays in the solo album much more cheerfully than in BtVS. The composition of the "Angel" at different times included the characters (and as a result, the actors) from "Buffy", both as guests and on an ongoing basis.

The series is not bad, but without a preliminary or parallel viewing of Btvs, it will hardly be of interest to anyone, although there are very interesting characters, and to understand the comic sequel, it is better to watch it. By the way, the character Spike migrated to “Angel” after the end of “Buffy”, and Willow appeared in one of the episodes of the final season.

Cemetery of ideas

If everything worked out for Angel with his own series, then for other ideas of Joss and his team, the result was less optimistic.

At different stages of the production of BtVS, several ideas for spin-off projects arose. I will talk about a couple of them, implemented to one degree or another.

The project, tentatively named Faith the Vampire Slayer, was a potential spin-off of Faith, another slayer. As planned, Faith was supposed to travel around the world in search of herself, which gave the audience a completely different adventure format. main reason The refusal, based on available sources, seemed to be Eliza Dushku's unwillingness to participate in the project, primarily due to the secondary nature of the project (we are talking about the primacy of Buffy as the leader of the franchise). The work for the series was later used in one of the story arcs of Season 8 of the comic.

Faith LeHane played by Eliza Dushku

Rupert Giles played by Anthony Head.

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The most long-suffering project was The Ripper, which tells of Buffy's watcher Rupert Giles, nicknamed "the Ripper" in his youth, hence the title. The story began back in 2001, when Joss hit on the idea of ​​making a separate series after Rupert's temporary exit from BtVS. The same actor Anthony Head was supposed to play him. Joss wrote the 2-hour pilot episode fairly quickly, and his fellow writers jotted down ideas for the trailer. series. However, something went wrong, and by 2005 there was already a TV movie in mind, and by 2007 a conversation with the BBC channel about a 90-minute film was confirmed, but a year later, Joss announced that he was extremely busy in the new project (it was about series Dollhouse). After the cancellation of A Doll's House, Joss was mired in copyright talks with the BBC, which is funny considering the BBC originally just wanted a project from Joss and Anthony, and whether the Ripper was the main character or not didn't matter. In general, nothing got off the ground, and in 2012, the script for the TV show The Ripper began to be revised to please the comic continuation of the Angel & Faith franchise. In particular, Rupert's 2 immortal young aunts are taken from the original script. Curiously, they were originally supposed to be played by Anthony Head's daughters.

Rest television projects do not deserve special discussion, but about the cartoon, which we did not see, I will say a few words.

Animated series action Buffy the Animated Series should have taken place in the middle of season 1. A script was written for 13 episodes.

One of the key writers was Jeff Loeb, who later explained in an interview that the problems were only due to the fact that none of the television networks wanted to take on the broadcast of the cartoon because it was too old for children's channels, and in prime time, many would not approached. Joss then claimed that he felt like he was sitting on a gold mine with a bag of money, but no one wants to take it. At the same time, Whedon clearly stated that he wanted Animaniacs or Batman: The Animated Series for the animated series, and therefore did not want to deviate from the original concept. After a last attempt at a four-minute video in 2004, Joss buried the idea, which he officially announced already in 2005. Some of the cartoon's developments were used in the Season 8 issue of the comics in the story After These Messages ... We'll Be Right Back!.

As you can see, the good under the roof of Joss Whedon never disappears.

Nothing is eternal

So the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended after season 7 in 2004. A year later, in 2005, ended and Angel.

It is noteworthy that in both series there were episodic roles actors from "Firefly", which is not surprising (Joss loves his friends).

You can go into lengthy discussions about individual filler episodes or criticize the slightly stretched start of the series, but the fact that BtVS ended at its highest point, after such a long growth of characters and their stories, cannot be denied.

ending "Buffy" was ideal: open to new ideas, but without the urgent need to continue the story. ending "Angela" on the contrary, it turned out to be unresolved, with the main characters at the epicenter of the next apocalypse. And if the continuation "Buffy" in comics is very straightforward and unambiguous, then "Angel" found himself in a more peculiar situation, from which he did not immediately get out. But more on that below.

Comicsbuffyverse

So now for the comics. The publisher of Buffy comics has always been Dark Horse Comics. Comics about Angel were also originally published in Dark Horse, then from 2007 to 2011 they were published under the logo of the publisher IDW, and since 2011 they returned to Dark Horse again.

I list the comics in the most logical order based on when they were published. I’ll make a reservation right away - at the end of the article there will be a list of what is included in the Buffyverse canon (and what you should definitely read), so don’t worry if something seems confusing while reading.

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (Dark Horse) 1998-2004

Publishing house Dark Horse Comics launched comics based on the Buffy series in 1998. As part of the first volume, 63 issues and several mini-series were released, which were published, as a rule, not in chronological order(they occupied different periods of time between seasons or between episodes of the series). Only a mini-series of 3 issues can be attributed to the canon in this volume “ The Origin”, in which several writers, working from Whedon's original screenplay (for the 1992 film), recreated the original film with changes to fit the series' mythology. The rest of the stories are non-canon, as Joss himself was not scripting Dark Horse at the time, although the stories were approved by Fox and/or Whedon himself. These "non-canon" comics, like all similar franchises, belong to the so-called Extended Universe.

Of course, not all issues in this series are good or worth reading, but like the series star Trek or star Wars, the attitude to the canon is a personal matter of the reader.

At various times they worked on a comic Christopher Golden, Fabian Nicieza & Scott Lobdell, Eric Powell, Cliff Richards, Jane Espenson, Andi Watson, Joe Bennett, Ryan Sook and other authors.

Later, the entire series, including special issues and limited editions, was published in omnibus format by the same publisher in the form of 7 volumes (some special issues were not published in collections). It is in this form that I recommend reading these comics.

By the way, this particular series was partially published in the early 2000s under the wing of IDK (Comics Publishing House) in Russia.

“ Angel” (Dark Horse) 1999-2002

While Angel was in Dark Horse, a number of mini-series and maxi-series were released:

Angel: The Hollower (1999) (3 releases)

Angel (2000-2001) (17 releases)

Angel mini-series (2002) (4 releases)

Mostly written by Christopher Golden & Thomas E. Sniegoski. Similar to the non-canon BtVS, the series was published in an omnibus, albeit in the form of 1 large volume.

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8” (Dark Horse) 2007-2011

The eighth season is the official continuation of the series. All the characters are back together and the action takes place about a year after the end of season 7. Most of Season 8 was not written personally by Whedon, but under his strict guidance, but in some places this is even good.

Authors of season 8:

1. Jane Espenson, Drew Goddard, Doug Petrie, Drew Z. Greenberg and Steven S. DeKnight are writers who have worked on the series previously with Joss;
2. Jeph Loeb, known for his work on DC and Marvel (and beyond);
3. Brian K. Vaughan, one of the well-deserved favorites of the public, whose works include: Runaways, Ex machina, Y the Last Man, Pride of Bagdad, Saga and etc.;
4. Brad Meltzer, among his few works in comics, it is worth noting the authorship in the series Justice League of America and Identity Crisis.

The comic and alternate covers were drawn by Georges Genty, with occasional help from Paul Lee, Cliff Richards and Carl Molina. The main covers were drawn by Jo Chen with varying degrees of success.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #1 (Variant Cover)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #37 (Variant Cover)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #32 (Variant Cover)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #35 (Variant Cover)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #40 (Variant Cover)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #7

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #10

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #26 (Variant Cover)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #3

Willow one-shot Goddesses and Monsters

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Season 8 has 40 issues and 3 special issues. The entire series has been published in TPB formats (8 volumes) and deluxe editions Dark Horse Library Edition Hardcover(4 volumes).

Season 8 received generally positive reviews from both fans and critics, as most negative reviews arose from a change of medium. Not everyone had the same easy transition from TV to comics. However, Joss assured fans more than once that this is the only logical continuation of the series in terms of presentation of material, since production costs are minimal, and there is practically no scope for a flight of fancy. Also worth noting is the criticism of Buffy's explicit "space sex" scene at the end of Season 8, despite Buffy's lesbian experience earlier in the season.

Within the framework of the 8th season, the authors could not ignore the then fashion for vampire themes, in particular for the franchise “The Twilight”. So, for example, the main antagonist of the season is called Twilight, and the alternate cover of #36 parodies the poster of the movie “The Twilight Saga: New Moon”, thus hinting at plagiarism. But the gentlemen from Dark Horse considered that this was not enough, reflecting their attitude to the popularization of “vampire love” in one of the final battles with Twilight through the mouth of Buffy herself.

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Personally, I note that the first half of season 8 is much stronger than the second. The Eisner Award 2008 received by the series in the nomination “Best New episode". In the end, sad to say, Whedon ruined the season a bit due to being busy in other projects, in particular in the production of the film. Avengers For Marvel studios. Freedom to use any visual ideas ruined the final script, and the season turned out to be a bit long and controversial. Although the consequences are the most interesting and significant, and it is from the ending that the whole plot for the 9th season of the series follows. In general, the idea of ​​the final turned out to be more powerful than the implementation.

“Angel: After the Fall” (IDW) 2007-2011

After the TV series “ Angel” ended with an unresolved ending (albeit romantic in its own way), someone simply had to finish what they started. In 2007, IDW, which had licensed the Angel franchise two years earlier, released an official sequel to the series, written by Whedon himself and co-written by Brian Lynch. The comic started airing the same year as BtVS season 8, but 8 months later.

Initially the series Angel: After the fall” was planned as a limited edition of 12 issues, but stretched to a maxi-series of 17 issues. The series was drawn by Franco Urru, Nick Range and Steven Mooney.

After the fall is a canon sequel to the series. Moreover, it ends as an independent work. I'm talking about the first 17 numbers.

Then the expected began: the series was made permanent, without changing the numbering, but only omitting the words “After the Fall”. Starting from the 18th issue and until its very end with the number 44, the author's teams were constantly changing. The series has become like the first volume of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" from Dark Horse. The situation was exacerbated by the transfer of the license back to Dark Horse in 2011. Knowing that they would have to return the rights, IDW carefully wrapped up the current series without causing permanent consequences for the protagonist and his friends.

From 2007 to 2011, IDW also published a number of mini-series about Angel and the minor characters surrounding him, 2 of which are included in the canon: “ spike: After the fall” (attached to " Angel: After the fall” ) And “ spike”. The latter was originally planned as a permanent series, but came out as a mini-series (8 issues) and served as a kind of prologue to the appearance of Spike in season 8 of Buffy. As part of the After the Fall line, a number of specials and mini-series " Angel: Only human”, “ spike: The Devil you know”, “ Illyria: Haunted” , the reading of which complements the main series in the range from 18 to 44 numbers.

Angel: After the Fall was published in a huge IDW edition of 17 issues of the canon main story. Further issues of the ongoing and mini-series were published only in the standard edition in hardcover and paperback (there is also a reprint of After the Fall in 4 trades and a slipcase). The last 3 volumes were released in 1 thick hardcover subtitled The End.

I'll go back a little, breaking my promise to keep the chronology.

As I wrote above, IDW acquired the license in 2005, immediately starting to massively release various mini-series, rarely related to each other chronologically. Everything published by IDW from 2005 to 2010. and was not included in the After The Fall line, it is not included in the canon, although some mini-series are worthy of the attention of fans. The action of a number of mini-series and specials is tied to the series and structurally resembles what Dark Horse did earlier in the 90s. I see no reason to list all the mini-series, I will only add that they were published in 2 omnibuses in the same format as Dark Horse.

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9” And "Angel and Faith" (Dark Horse) 2011-2013

After a short break, Dark Horse released season 9 of Buffy. An interval of a couple of weeks, a companion series was released “ Angel & Faith”. "Buffy" Written by Andrew Chambliss with support from Whedon. Scott Ellie also helps them in a couple of numbers, Chief Editor Dark Horse, as well as Drew Greenberg and Jane Espenson. Georges Genty draws again, sometimes replaced by Carl Molin and Clif Richards.

Buffy is set in San Francisco, where Buffy and company are recovering from the devastating events of Season 8. Season 9 brought back to Buffy the old spirit of the first 5 seasons, after which everything became more complex and confusing. This was partly because the Dark Horse publishing team acknowledged the error and listened to the opinions of critics and fans, in particular that season 8 lacked the spirit of the so-called Scooby Gang. Despite the equally significant events of season 9, it retains a more coherent structure and is reminiscent of the characters' early adventures. A bit of fantasy is added to the series again, and the relationships of the characters again become closer and more personal. The only uncharacteristic moment of the season is its ending. Prior to this, each season of Buffy ended as a logical conclusion to the chapter, without a sharp glow with the inscription to be continued, which has become a classic of the format, but only prerequisites for future development.

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The series is as good as Buffy, and the new characters are interesting and varied. According to many readers, Angel & Faith came out even better than the main series. Angel, Faith, and their friends are essentially patching up the aftermath of season 8, with Angel making it his goal to resurrect one of the heroes he previously killed in an attempt to make amends for at least one of his many mistakes. The comic itself is very different from Buffy, primarily in scale, thereby even more reminiscent of the main series of the good old days.

In addition to the main series, within the framework of season 9, 2 mini-series of 5 issues each were released, which are also worth reading: “ Willow: Wonderland” And " spike: A Dark place”. The first tells about the backstage adventures of Willow in season 9, and the second about Spike in the offseason. Also published 2 small stories for the anthology Dark Horse Presents, later included in volumes 2 and 5 of “Season 9” and 1 special issue included in volume 1 of “Angel & Faith”.

All this goodness was published in paperback (5 volumes of each series + 2 volumes with limited editions), and later in 6 Library editions (3 BtVS and 3 Angel & Faith, limited editions included in the second volumes).

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 10” And "Angel and Faith" volume 2 (Dark Horse) 2014-2016

The writing team for season 9 reunited in the summer of 2013 before the end of the episode to plan for season 10.

The 10th season of the title episode was given to the authors of the last volume "Angel & Faith" Christos Gage, co-written with Nicholas Brandon (playing Xander since season 1); art by Rebecca Isaacs, Carl Molin and other artists from season 9, as well as Megan Levens.

Just like last season, Buffy and her friends face the consequences of their past decisions and try to elude responsibility to the world's magic. In the course of the season, they make quite a few mistakes, which they immediately try to correct in the final.

In my opinion, this season was initially a little spoiled by the co-writing of Nicholas Brandon, who brought too many flat "geek" jokes to the script. There was a feeling that the script was not written by Nicholas, but by his character Xander. Further, Isaacs' drawing is much weaker than Jeanty's drawing as a whole, and therefore the characters in many scenes simply lack warmth and expression. Nevertheless, the very idea of ​​the season to change the new rules of the magical world, despite the absurdity, initially opens up interesting perspectives for the reader, developing old characters in the future, just as intriguingly as the authors did at the beginning of season 8, returning old characters from the series to the pages comics.

New volume “ Angel and Faith” written by Victor Gishler, who previously wrote the Spike mini-series, and art by Will Conrad.

It is ironic that, according to critics, and many fans, Angel & Faith again came out better than the main series. It is worth noting that this is largely due to the fact that with each subsequent season, despite small crossovers between the characters, the characters of Faith and Angel become original, as in the series, correcting their role as minor guests in season 8.

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Season 11 of BtVS starts in October 2016.

“ FRAY ” ( Dark Horse ) 2001-2003

The series deserves special attention. “ Fray”, about the future slayer Melaka Frey. The series was published from 2001 to 2003. and has 8 issues. This character later had a crossover as part of Season 8 of Bafia. She was also given the chapter of the anthology “ Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales of the Slayers. Precisely within the Fray" the slayer's ax was first introduced, gaining a wider impact on the universe since the end of season 7. Fray is unequivocally canon in the Buffyverse.

"Tales" Dark Horse )

In 2011, a hardcover collection was published: “ Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales” . This is the most complete collection individual stories previously appeared in anthologies and specials. It included:

1.Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales of the Slayers” TPB.

Previously published in graphic novel format, an anthology that tells 8 short episodes from the life of slayers of different generations in chronological order. This format clearly demonstrates the evolution of the history of slayers, starting with the first "chosen one" and ending with the aforementioned Melaka Frey - the slayer of the future. The entire anthology is devoted to the theme of the nature of loneliness in the life of slayers.

2.Broken Bottle of Djinn” one-shot.

Told in an anthology style Tales of the Slayers a special issue that does not play a big role in the overall story.

3. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales of the Vampires” #1-5.

Mini-series, each issue of which tells about the life of a certain Buffyverse vampire(s). The center of the story is an ancient vampire telling stories to a group of Watchers.

4. “Buffy: Tales of the Vampires one-shot”; “Tales of the Vampires: Carpe Noctem” parts 1-2; “MySpace Dark Horse Presents” No. 31, 32.

Stories running parallel to Season 8 “Buffy and directly related to it.

All stories in this collection are canon, with the exception of “ Broken Bottle of Djinn“, which, however, does not contradict him.

CanonBuffyVerse

In general, the canon is a complex topic in any of its manifestations. However, the following can be unambiguously considered canon:

- All 144 episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer;

All 110 episodes of Angel;

Comic mini-series The Origin;

- “The Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight” and all additional editions included in it;

- “The Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine” and “Angel and Faith” and other comics of the cycle;

- “The Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Ten” and “Angel and Faith Volume 2”;

The Angel: After the Fall (#1-17);

The Spike: After the Fall (mini-series);

The Spike (mini-series);

The Fray (mini-series);

The Tales of the Slayers (comic book anthology);

The Tales of the Vampires (mini-series).

There are disputes about the canonicity of some of the limited editions about Angel and Spike of the publisher IDW, but this is all the reasoning and desires of the fans. Regarding other content, it is the reader's opinion what is considered canon and what is not. , many interesting nuances.

She is the Slayer

Finally, I will summarize that Buffy Summers and her friends are excellent and extraordinary characters, who were invented and raised by one of the best screenwriters of the 2000s. Buffy's world is full of drama, horror, romance, love, humor, death, life, sex, friendship and truly incredible adventures.

If everything related to BtVS has passed you by, then I recommend giving Buffyverse a chance, but as I wrote above, the series accelerated gradually, so your interest in it may also meet a similar fate.

22
Feb
2008

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 Episodes 1-9 Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Format: JPG (scanned page)
Year: 2007
Genre: Comic
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Russian language
Number of pages: 23-27

Description: Based on the television series by Joss Whedon. This story takes place after the Buffy season 7 finale.

Add. information:
Screenplay: Joss Whedon
Pencil: Georges Genty
Ink: Andy Owens
Colors: Dave Stewart
Fonts: Richard Starkings & Comicraft's Jimmy

08
july
2012

President Lincoln. Vampire Hunter / Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (Seth Graham Smith)

ISBN: 978-5-271-44037-3
Format: FB2, OCR without errors
Author: Seth Graham-Smith
Release year: 2012
Publisher: Corpus, Astrel
Genre: Horror and Mystery
Russian language
Number of pages: 384
Description: Biographers of Abraham Lincoln saw, as it turns out, only the outer outline of events. They were not aware of either the true aspirations of the great president, or the real causes of the Civil War between the South and the North, or the extent of the underground struggle, which, secretly from the whole world, was waged by "honest Abe". But the author of this book, by an unexpected whim of fate, became the owner of unique documents narrating about...

27
july
2017

Cycle of Demolition (episodes 1-11 of 16) [Updated distribution] (Alexander Zinenko)

Author: Alexander E. Zinenko
Year of issue: 2016-2017
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Publisher: Samizdat
Russian language
Number of pages: 73 so far
Description: Man has always been tormented by an irresistible desire to discover new worlds: whether it be uncharted lands, deep space or endless expanse of fantasy. He was looking for a place where he could finally feel comfort and unlimited freedom. But all these searches were nothing more than an attempt to fill the catastrophic gap left in our heads by the world already found long ago. Most people don't remember...

30
oct
2014

Detective from Wet Dogs 1. Vampire Liner (Belyanin Andrey, Black Galina)

Format: audiobook, MP3, 112kbps
Author: Belyanin Andrey, Chernaya Galina
Release year: 2011
Genre: Humorous fantasy
Publisher: MediaKniga
Artist: Vladimir Samoilov
Duration: 13:04:32
Description: A small railway station, a quiet town, a remote province... What interesting things can await a young graduate of the capital's police academy here? Boredom, dullness and routine. No matter how! Promising sergeant Irji Bradzinsky finds himself in a whirlpool dangerous adventures. And in a world inhabited by witches, gargoyles, ghouls, demons and vampires, this is doubly dangerous! But Bradzinsky himself is not simple either. T...

02
mar
2010

Magazine Wheel of Life (archive) 2009: No. 2,4,5,7,8,9,10, 33/1; 2010: Nos. 1-2,3,4.

Year of release: 2009 - 2010
Genre: Psychology/Personal growth/Society
Publisher: "Wheel of Life"
Russian language
Number of pages: 100-110 pages per issue
Description: Magazine "Wheel of Life" is the first and only applied magazine in Ukraine for individual development (personal, spiritual, professional). A magazine about the methods of forming desired events for a person who thinks and strives for his true and real self, who is interested in living in the 21st century, in our changing world.
Add. Information: Thematic sections of the magazine: Life is the Mission of Zh...

07
mar
2008

Wizards Rules(1-9)

Genre: Fantasy
Author: Terry Goodkind
Publisher: AST
Country: USA
Release year: 1994
Description: The first, translated into Russian, 9 books of the Wizard's Rules series tell about how difficult the life of a forest guide from Westland, one of three worlds, protected from each other by the Great Magic Barrier. Everything turns upside down when in the forest he meets a girl from a foreign country who is being watched by someone. Here events begin to wrap up, mystery after mystery appears, amazing things happen and Richard realizes that he needs to travel far from his country, ...

19
july
2011

9 months #8

Format: DjVu, Scanned pages
Release year: 2006
Genre: Magazine for parents
Publisher: LLC "9 months"
Russian language
Number of pages: 105
Description: The magazine "9 months" is dedicated and addressed to pregnant women and young mothers. However, not only them. Undoubtedly, it should be read to future and “newly made” dads, grandparents, and in general to everyone who is not indifferent to the process of the birth and birth of a new life. The 9 Months magazine is a popular science magazine about pregnancy and childbirth, as well as preparation for pregnancy, the postpartum period, health and m...

09
Apr
2010

Hunt № 8,9 (August, September)

Format: PDF, eBook (originally computer)
Release year: 2009
Genre: Hunting magazine
Publisher: CJSC Arsenal-inform Agency
Russian language
Number of pages: 68
Description: The name of this magazine has been known to lovers of nature and hunting for more than one year. The journal acquaints readers with topical issues of protection and enhancement of our national treasure- the animal world of Russia, the conservation of its nature. The key role here today belongs to hunters - people organized in unions and clubs, responsible hunting users who invest not only their souls, but also serious resources in the conservation of nature ...

15
july
2011

Format: PDF, Scanned pages
Release year: 2011
Genre: Popular science magazine
Publisher: "Interesnaya Mekhanika"
Russian language
Number of pages: 51 (double)
Description: "Interesting mechanics" - new magazine about innovative technologies, the latest developments in science, technology, computers, which in the near future may enter our lives. This and much more you will find in this magazine.
Add. Information: To view the log, it is recommended to use Adobe program Acrobat Reader, which is capable of opening *.pdf files. Enjoy watching! ContentsScreenshots

12
oct
2012

Kino Park №8-9 (August-September)

Release year: 2012
Genre: Film Magazine
Publisher: Media Park
Russian language
Number of pages: 105
Official site: http://www.tv-park.ru
Description: Kino Park is a full-color magazine for those who love cinema. Kino Park publishes information about premieres, recent events, gossip of the cinema world, personal life actors, video market news, theater and film posters.

19
sep
2012

Total DVD #8-9 (August-September)

Format: PDF (scanned pages)
Release year: 2012
Genre: Film Magazine
Publisher:
Russian language
Number of pages: 164
Official site: http://www.totaldvd.ru
Description: Total DVD is the leading film magazine in Russia, introducing readers to the latest film distribution, film industry news and interesting stories from film sets. This is the only magazine in the CIS where film critics evaluate not only the film itself, but also the technical characteristics of all DVD and Blu-ray releases of the month, helping readers to decide on a purchase.

25
sep
2012

Skin Shots №8-9 (August-September) ENG

Format: PDF (scanned pages)
Release year: 2012
Genre: Tattoo
Publisher: Jazz Fashion Publishing Limited
English language
Number of pages: 212
Official site: http://www.skinshots.co.uk
Description: A magazine for those who love tattoos. Fashion trends, styles and trends in the development of body painting.