SEASON 10: LET'S KETCHUP // Issues 1 + 2

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 10 "New Rules"

I feel if you are coming to this site you are probably aware of where Buffy has gone since Season 7 ended on TV in 2003.

Season 8 - started in 2007 and ended in 2011. Season 8 brought Buffy's vampire slaying campaign global. She had an army of slayers. Vampires were more socially acceptable - thanks Harmony. Thanks True Blood too? Slayers were then seen as a global threat. A ton of old characters came back: Ethan Rayne, Amy (that witch), Harmony, Warren, Andrew, Riley, Oz, Faith, Spike, and Angel. In my opinion, Season 8 was fun to read, at times - a chore. It went on a bit long. There seemed to be a lack of relatable stories being spun - I mean Buffy is at its' best when the story being told connects on some deeper level to the reader. Needless to say - I thought season 8 was kinda fun, kinda weird, meandering, and the art: spotty.

Season 9 - Buffy has rid the world of magic at the end of season 8. She was trying to save the day in the end. Buffster relocates to San Francisco. Dawn and Xander get domestic. Willow is magic-less. The Slayer Army loses their power. There's no Giles. Buffy feels adrift. Buffy has some Real World issues. She gets pregnant...or so you think? Everyone is angry with her, because now that there is no magic - everyone's life is fucked in the Buffyverse. Season 9 is a much better read. The stories hit home. You feel for the characters. A gay boy vampire slayer is introduced. I don't have a big opinion on him - speaking as a gay guy. The art is much better and cinematic this season. Also - they just reign it in. And tell Buffy stories like they used to.

SEASON 10 - SHIT FEELS EVEN MORE FAMILIARRRRR. Thanks to Christos Gage and Rebecca Isaacs - Buffy speaks and you hear SMG. Willow speaks - you hear Alyson Hannigan. Et cetera. Also, Buffy speaks in her old quippy ways - like she's Spiderman/Peter Parker. Also, the art! Rebecca Isaacs' style is much more suited to the style of the TV show. It feels more "WB", if you will. Season 8 & 9 tried to get too comic booky and give Buffy a more outrageous feel. The show was low budget. It was on a syndicated network. It wasn't James Cameron's ALIENS, you know? You can read this comic and actually feel like you're watching the show.

Here Buffy is fighting off Zompires. Since magic disappeared, Zombie/Vampire hybrids appeared. Is this to tie into the trend of Walking Dead? Probably. But whatever. Vampires now have more abilities and are even trying to slay off Zompires. Basically Buffy is recounting what the status quo is now in voiceover. The Scooby Gang is back, with some new additions. Gay boy vampire slayer Billy has joined the ranks. Xander feels super-complicated because he feels guilty about betraying Buffy and thinks losing Dawn is next on the agenda. Then Anya comes back!!! I am not sure if it's an actual spirit or if it's like a Six Feet Under (HBO) trick of speaking to dead characters that are really apart of your subconscious? I shouldn't get stoned reading this, huh?

Anyways, the best part is the reunion between Buffy and a kid named Giles while in battle. I actually choked up reading this one. The expressions that Isaacs gives Buffy and Lil' Giles are heartbreaking. Soon enough, Faith shows up. Eliza Dushku in full force. Gage & Isaacs really retain the "Fonz-iness" of Faith, which I respect.

Issue 2: The gang finishes off their battle with the Zompires. Mega 90s styled Vicki the Vampire tries to form an alliance with Buffy, but B's not so into that. The Scooby Gang reconnect with Lil' Giles. By reconnecting, they really just overburden this child character with their problems and Giles HAS HAD IT. The Gang still want to believe Giles is their father figure - but Giles admits that he isn't what he used to be and they all have to get used to it. I liked that point in the story. It makes me think of how at some point, children realize their parents have changed with age. Anyways, I like that choice that Gage made.

Also, Buffy deals with Dowling, her sorta love interest from Season 9. He's a regular guy - he's a part of the SFPD. Buffy explains to him that her dating regular guys just doesn't work out. Her life is too complicado for them and the guys (por ejemplo Riley) just break. Spike continues his flirtation. So there's some of that "Will they? Won't they?" tension happening. The issue ends with Dawn and Xander visiting Dracula. I suppose it's to find out how he's rewriting the rules of Vampyr, now that magic is being reestablished. Hence, "NEW RULES."

Overall, I really like what is happening. I was getting used to the tone of the Joss Whedon (or whoever) & Georges Jeanty team working on the comic book. So this feels a lil' jarring, but it is welcome. The art is fun. Very animated series feeling. I am really liking the writing thus far. So how about this? Much like Pizza and Chinese Food, it's all kinda good. But I think this seems really promising, if not fun and I want to see how this develops.

Till Next Time. Kevin.