Buffy the Vampire Slayer Vol. 2, the review: the reboot continues

The second volume of the comic series by Buffy the vampire slayer of BOOM has arrived in all the Anima e cuore comics! Studios, published in Italy by Saldapress. As you have learned from the review of the first volume, this comic series completes a reboot of the so-called Buffyverse, completely eliminating what has been narrated in the past in seven television seasons and in the comics produced by Dark Horse Comics.

All the story, in fact, is completely rewritten from scratch and translated to the present day, while maintaining the best known characters, such as Buffy herself, her Scooby Gang and the most iconic opponents.

In the previous volume Buffy the Vampire Slayer ...

Buffy Summers wants to be a normal teenager. She wants new friends, decent grades and escape the prophecy that requires her to be a Slayer, the latest exponent of a long series of vampire killers who has the task of saving ordinary humans from demons, night creatures, vampires and monsters on the run from Hell.

In this reboot set to the present day, Buffy has just met Robin a new friend, Willow has come out and dating Rose, a beautiful girl, while Xander, always for a change, always has a thousand doubts as to where he is in the world.

Under the strict supervision of Librarian and Observer Giles, Buffy has faced new secrets, new challenges and two of Buffy's fans' most terrible and loved opponents: Spike and Drusilla. These, to take revenge for the hunter's continuous intrusions, have put in place a plan to hit her where it hurts most, putting the life and soul of one of her closest friends, Xander, at risk.

Buffy the vampire slayer, volume two

In the second volume of Buffy the vampire slayer, the narrative becomes a bit more fragmented than the previous one, with the introduction of practically nothing of the new characters, such as professor Jenny Calendar that fans of the tv series will remember with affection, and with the total disappearance of the other characters, like the beautiful Cordelia, briefly presented in the first volume.

Also, the script has some jumps in the plot , also rather substantial, that you are covered for taking for granted some of the events which it mentions, but between the pages of the comic have never been told. This is a story a little superficial and the characters a little’ dishes , especially for those who have never seen the tv series and can not solve the problem going to fish from their own memories.

The story itself, however, net of the problems mentioned above is not bad and could be interesting also for fans of old date, although some developments about some key characters, which are taken from the tv series, although modified, and we won't mention to avoid spoilers, they were probably in advance too , making them less interesting.

From the artistic point of view

If the first volume of Buffy the vampire slayer had us pleasantly surprised for the high artistic value of the plates and color, the same we can say for this second publication.

To the drawings, the excellent Dan Mora has left the place of David Lopez , the comic-Spanish who has also worked for DC and Marvel, and Sas Milledge , authors who, although they have produced works appreciated, do not seem at ease with the theme of Buffy the vampire slayer , so much so that the protagonists deviate very far from the counterparties acting, unlike the first volume. Drusilla does not remember even remotely the beautiful Juliet Landau , as well as the professes to be a Calendar does not show even a semblance of similarity to Robia LaMorte , the actress who played the character in the tv series.

fortunately, there are also this time a whole series of illustrations of the covers variant , made by various artists, among which stand out the gifts to the Seekers of the past, and which featured not just the beauty of the design of this work.

Conclusion

in The light of what stated so far, we regret to say that this second volume of the reboot comics, Buffy the vampire slayer was a half disappointment. If the first exit we had left a little perplexed with regards to the story, but we had hit it for the artistic quality of which was off, the volume the subject of this review is to show the side, both from the narrative point of view and from the artistic.

Unfortunately, for those who like myself was an avid fan of Buffy the vampire slayer since the first season of 1997, is comparing this reboot to the comics and the original series is inevitable and we have no hesitation in saying that the comics comes out with broken bones, despite all the winks thrown to the fans by now hoary.

A plot with obvious holes, the characters sketched and thrown into the fray without even a presentation, too much growth accelerated some of the characters of which have not yet made a good knowledge and dialogues not too inspired to make a new player, completely unaware of what has already been narrated from 1997 to present concerning Buffy the vampire slayer and all the characters and situations that made up the Buffyverse , can remain bewildered by what she finds herself to read and not be able to get excited in front of Willow, Xander and all the others.

A fund artistic not particularly incisive, finally, makes this the second volume of the reboot comics, Buffy the vampire slayer, a work that is likely to disappoint several readers with consequent abandonment of the series. We hope that the third volume, increases in the fortunes of this game as a series promising.