Previously on The Vampire Slayer: Well, Buffy finally learned the truth: that she was the Slayer until her powers and purpose were siphoned into Willow in an ill-advised bid to help her. While Buffy is still pissed (and powerless), she’s determined to save Willow from herself, and in the process, well, the world, too.
I was raised Unitarian by a father who strongly believed that the best way for children to be exposed to religion was through learning about a variety of faiths to examine what resonates most. I have a wide knowledge of world religions; however, when the opportunity to review Plough Publishing’s latest graphic novel, By Water, passed through my inbox, the name Felix Manz piqued my interest as a total unknown in my past education. I knew about Martin Luther and how he spurred the first major division in Christianity, but I had no real knowledge of how the numerous other Christian sects developed or even what the major differences might be! By Water presents one of the earliest breaks in the Protestant sects in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1525 when a devoted young man who felt that non-violence, shared community, and adult baptism were keys to true Christian faith stood against the religious majority.
Dipping into the Kickstarter pile again, I ran across another comic I’ve been meaning to read: The Adept, an intriguing martial arts story with a female lead.
Set five years into the future we last saw in Buffy the Last Vampire Slayer, Thessaly (Willow and Tara’s daughter) has now assumed the mantle of the Slayer. Buffy and Spike (irony of ironies) are her Watchers and guardians. Without giving too much away, the central plot has to do with the possible reemergence of a fan-favorite character, and it involves skipping across the pond back to the United States.
Man, I did not see this issue coming at all, and that’s okay because it goes in a direction that I didn’t expect. Not to get too in the weeds here, but Specs #4 closes out a compact and, at times, trippy tale in a great way. The relationship between Kenny and Ted remains the focus of the issue, and they each learn the truth about themselves and what they wish most for.
Being a teenager has its own special trials and tribulations, but for Jesi/Which-Where, finding your identity has taken on a whole new meaning.
Are you looking for a good, old-fashioned superhero story? One with relatable heroes and realistic settings? How about sidekicks and scary villains? One with heart, family, and tragedy? If so, the new series, Torrent, from Image Comics is for you.
After an introspective issue that delved into Willow’s ever-spiraling psyche, this issue seems to pick up the pace again, setting the scene for what will probably be an epic showdown between the Scoobies and Willow. With Willow draining the magic of a limitless pool of Slayer trauma, things seem pretty bad. Bad enough that Buffy has finally stepped back up to the plate to lead the gang. Because if there was ever a Slayer known for her unconventional thinking, it’s Buffy.
Autobiographies can be tough to read when not scripted by a gifted storyteller. While the comics community has witnessed many great interview books and compilations in recent years, autobiographies have been a different story… until now.
When we last saw Jerri Bartman, she was finding out that her new job came with some caveats: In addition to the humiliating task of going from television journalist on the rise to the host of the late-night Monster Movie show as the new Count Crowley, she also had to shoulder her predecessor's other responsibility - hunting very real and very dangerous monsters.