Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer:  While Buffy, Morgan, Kendra, and Willow attempted to recruit Scoobies from alternate worlds to their cause, Faith came to a very painful realization about her connection to Silas. If four Slayers aren’t equal to the task, will shoring up their ranks be enough to defeat their Biggest Bad yet?

With only two more issues to go before we close the chapter on this reboot, things are definitely approaching the climax. Operation Slayerverse is in full-swing, and the plan coming to fruition is a bit of a fist-pump moment. Seeing the different iterations of Buffys and other Slayers from other alternate universes pop up is definitely an uplifting moment, and it finally feels like some actual payoff for all the hints that have been dropped about since the conclusion of the “Hellmouth” arc.

Jeremy Lambert achieves a less-bombastic-than-the-Avengers-but-still-pretty-damn-epic feel in this issue. In some ways, this issue has “Chosen” vibes, as so much of the plan relies on Willow’s contribution to it. Lambert pulls in a lot of disparate threads and unifies them on a single front, and that’s the focus that I wish had been present to guide the last couple of years or so of the franchise. The tightness that Lambert has brought in lately feels much needed, compared to some of the flab of the previous year.

Marianna Ignazzi remains on art duties, and I’m thankful for a steady look as we draw to a close. Ignazzi’s work remains loose as before, but her Faith is a particularly close likeness in this issue. The variation in looks given to reflect the Slayers of the multiverse is a nice touch, too, and not just in superficial styling but also body types. Raúl Angulo’s colorwork really does work well with Ignazzi’s linework here, giving a lot of dimension and at times, even structure to the panels. It’s a very organic union that I’m a fan of. Ed Dukeshire’s lettering does a great job of helping the reader keep track of who’s saying what, and he breaks out quite a few of his tricks in this issue to keep everything straight (e.g., different fonts, different shapes of speech bubbles, colors, etc.). That clarity is paramount in a fast-reading issue like this, and I can’t stop singing his praises for that.

Overall, Operation Slayerverse is a go and while there are still some new elements teased in this issue, it feels like the end is near.     
 

Creative Team: Jeremy Lambert (writer), Marianna Ignazzi (artist), Raúl Angulo (colorist), Ed Dukeshire (letterer)
Publisher: BOOM! Studio
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