Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer:  With allies, both from this universe and the multiverse converging on Sunnydale High, Operation Slayerverse is a go.

With BOOM!’s present Buffy the Vampire Slayer series slated to end with Issue #34 (with, seemingly, an epilogue in the 25th Anniversary Special slated for release in March 2022), we’re definitely in the homestretch here with the stakes feeling about as high and personal as they can possibly get. While the gang does achieve some minor victories along the way, a devastating loss may turn the tides.

Jeremy Lambert packs a whole lotta action into these 22 pages, with various points of the plan coming into focus to highlight each of the main heroes. It’s a tight dance that keeps the tension going. While I’m still disappointed at the rather lackluster Big Bad and the convoluted Watchers’ Council plan involving Faith, I don’t think it’s fair to place all that squarely on just one writer. I’ve been reviewing this series since the early days, and the beginning of Lambert’s tenure as sole writer on the series was a marked turning point for the better after a long stretch of meandering plot bits.

Art duties are taken over by Valentina Pinti in this issue. Pinti’s Buffy likeness is pretty good though their strength is in the more dynamic scenes. While I appreciate Pinti’s ability to capture the frenetic pace of the action sequences, there appear to be several glaring continuity errors in terms of the outfits that are worn by the various characters from their appearances in the previous issue. While this could probably be explained away by saying that these are new hero moments for other Slayers, I don’t think that explanation is sufficient to explain why Willow and Buffy seemingly had time for a wardrobe change during the fight of their life. It could be that artists were working on these issues simultaneously, so there was a lack of cohesion in the looks, or *shrug* maybe it’s more significant than that. Raúl Angulo’s colorwork provides a nice tether of visual familiarity while Ed Dukeshire’s lettering keeps the soundscape interesting, with lots of sound effects to really punch of the action.

Overall, a daring plan that hinges on a few key players with no real contingency… sounds about right. With possibly the key player down, the final issue is sure to be tense.     
 

Creative Team: Jeremy Lambert (writer), Valentina Pinti (artist), Raúl Angulo (colorist), Ed Dukeshire (letterer)
Publisher: BOOM! Studio
Click here to purchase.