It’s that time again! And for the three of you who share my excitement, I’m sure you’re just as giddy as I am. The rest of you can just come back tomorrow and seek comfort in the sad fact that the most stimulating part of my pop cultural life is officially on hiatus until August 1st.
The first arc of Buffy: Season Eight, The Long Way Home, concluded with the release of its fourth issue today. We last saw our heroes separated once again: Buffy and Xander in Scotland with mega-Dawn (seen at your left), Giles and Andrew in different parts of the world training cells of newbie Slayers and poor Willow abducted by evil post-rat Amy and a surprisingly still alive/still skinless Warren. Not so much a series of recaps like in the last three issues, the finale moved rapidly with two scenes coming to blows in one large battle and some much deserved exposition.
More than in the previous installments, Whedon’s signature puns, surrealism, gut-burning intensity and unexpected twists are all present. After over three months, it still feels like we’ve only gotten one episode’s worth of Buffy. But it’s been one of the best episodes ever. In a world where cult TV has to ignore its scattered genealogy to entice new viewers, it’s refreshing to see that Buffy still caters only to the fans – regardless of the venue.