Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus Volume 1 is a collection of Dark Horse comics' Buffy series. The interesting thing is that the collection is in chronological order rather than publication order. It's like it's Season 0 of the television series. The book opens with a Spike and Drusilla story and moves into the original screenplay for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie. The book ends with Buffy ready to take on the mantle of the Slayer after leaving a mental institution.
I'm just going to do a quick run down of the stories in the book:
"All's Fair" by Christopher Golden, Eric Powell (pencils), Drew Geraci and Keith Barnett (inks). This is the Spike and Dru story, and probably the weakest of the bunch. This is where the chronological nature of the book does a little harm because it's not the best story to draw people in. Even the big Spike fans. It takes place at the World's Fair in 1933 so it gets first place.
"Buffy: The Origin" by Dan Brereton, Christopher Golden, Joe Bennet (pencils) and Rick Ketcham (inks). Based on the original screenplay by Joss Whedon for Buffy the Vampire Slayer the movie this does more than take the lead character and draw her like Sara Michelle Geller. It removes so much of the campiness and makes it such a better story. Buffy becomes more like the character that I remember from the series.
"Viva Las Buffy!" by Scott Lobdell, Fabian Nicieza, Cliff Richards (pencils) and Will Conrad (inks). Buffy! In Vegas! This was kind of an amusing story. What does a brand new Slayer do without a Watcher? Run from her responsibilities it seems. This one has an appearance of Angel watching over her as she becomes used to the being the Slayer and answers the question of Pike.
"Dawn and Hoopy the Bear" by Paul Lee. OK, I admit it. I liked this story better than I thought I would. It was cute, it was funny, it was Buffy. It's tough because it's all about Dawn, who really didn't exist, only remembered as if she had, so I'm not sure how she'd have a whole incident to herself but the story is enough to give it a pass.
"Slayer, Interrupted" by Scott Lobdell, Fabian Nicieza, Cliff Richards (pencils) and Will Conrad (inks). My favourite in the collection. Taken from one of my favourite episodes in the whole series. Buffy goes to the mental institution. In the show it was mentioned that she'd been in one before getting to Sunnydale and this is the story of what happened to her while she was there. It tells how the girl that was dropped into the role of the Slayer really took it on and became what she was meant to be. A subplot of how Giles became her Watcher is also included and presents some interesting ideas on what it really meant to him.
The whole book I'm giving a 4 out of 5. I really liked this one with just a couple of exceptions.
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