REVIEW: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #28

Buffy’s Back!

Classic vampire-slaying icon Buffy has been back for some time, it seems; I’m being thrown in at the twenty-eighth issue by my editor. I recall buying a Buffy book for my friend at a convention years ago when I started college, but I’m unsure if this is still the same ongoing series from back then or a newer incarnation. Either way, it looks like the team behind Buffy’s bloodthirsty adventures have been busy as we enter into our favorite teenage slayer’s life at a point in time where she must face off against an ancient god who hungers for memories instead of human blood. The book opens on Buffy’s former younger sister Faith, recovering after being flung from one universe to another.

From the get-go, it’s unveiled that Faith’s first visitor is a representative of a foul organization that intends to strip the girl of her free will and emotions in order to create the perfectly obedient slayer for the organization’s bidding. The story takes an exciting twist when the dark threat they’ve warned Faith about intervenes and offers to restore her memories and even raise her to godhood should she choose to join his cause. Granted, Faith is on the verge of losing her humanity from the very people who are claiming to help her; maybe it wouldn’t be out of the question for her to join the dark side.

Multiverse Misconceptions

The story from this point on becomes confusing and muddled as they introduce the concept of the multiverse in the Buffy series and begin talking about raising an army made up of multiple Buffys. It’s at this point my brain checked out of the story wishing they’d return focus to Faith and her decision presented to her by the vampire god on the verge of conquering reality. While there’s a small action scene where Faith rejoins the main cast, I’m still confused about what’s going on with these multiverse shenanigans. Are we following the original Buffy from the TV series or some new incarnation made just for the comic? This confusion is only compounded when they talk about their alternate selves doing seemingly better than they are. We are presented with this group of slayers who even have a little gargoyle who seems to be a childish scout wearing retro space pajamas.

Cover Worth Collecting

The main cover by Frany is the best part of this book as it sums up everything Buffy is about in one image. The slayer is looking cute and collected in her pink blazer and blouse, standing over a map with an ornate dagger impaled into an old desk. The occult trinkets scattered about the background give you a sense of history that this teenage girl is seemingly more than she lets on, and her confident gaze just sells her vampire slayer status. This is one of those rare covers attached to a rather unremarkable issue that just captures everything a character is about in a single image. The colors and composition blend nicely in a soft painterly tone that makes me want this as a poster, and I’m not even a huge fan of Buffy.

“A cover that Buffy collectors shouldn’t miss attached to a somewhat competent chapter of the ongoing story; seriously, they should sell this as a poster.”

Final Score 2.5/5