To get the blog thing going, I thought I would start with a review of a recent Buffy comic that I read. Unlike all things Joss Whedon that I usually enjoy, this wasn't up there with all the great stuff. I read it few weeks ago and the almost same review, and maybe some other opinions can be found here.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Viva Las Buffy

published by Dark Horse Comic in july 2003
Writers: Scott Lobdell & Fabian Nicieza
Penciller: Cliff Richards
Inker: Will Conrad
Colorists: Dave McCaig & Liza Gonzales
Letterer: Clem Robins
Cover art: Paul Lee & Brian Horton

Ok, come on. I really didn't like this story. It was about Buffy before she came to Sunnydale, but in the world where Dawn exists. And Pike is there. The problem is that in the movie Pike was cool and in this he just whines and gets in the way. I really liked Pike in the movie, and maybe also because of this I really didn't like the story.

Also I don't think the story fits with the tv-series storyline. I mean, in the beginning of 1st season of Buffy, Angel wasn't really the one to fight and protect Buffy. Even in the end of the season he let Buffy face the master by herself. So it's really not believable that he's fighting very actively to protect her before this.

Also, Buffy was a lot more insecure in the beginning and it would be funny that just few months before she's totally confident fighting vampires. And Buffy has been all about that slayer can have it all: the job and personal life, so it's not really believable that she breaks up with Pike because of her duty as a slayer. Especially since she had "retired" when she came to Sunnydale.

And then come on: who really lets a 15-year-old to work in a casino? And what's with Giles and the watchers's council? I was under the impression that he didn't know Gwendolyn Post or Wesley personally. He thoroughly checked Wesley's background when he came to Sunnydale. If he had known him, he wouldn't had had to.

Besides the insipid and utterly stupid plot the writers were trying poorly to imitate the language of the tv series. The art wasn't too bad, but nothing extraordinary either. So I think that this was basically ripping off the fame of Buffy. Doesn't really make me crave for more Buffy that is not written by Mutant Enemy writers.