In case you haven’t yet caught it, Dark Horse Comics has released a four-page preview of the final issue of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer season 8! (Definitely spoiler-intensive, do not read it unless you’re caught up. Dark Horse has even more spoilery panels posted here.)
The final issue, #40, has been pushed back to January 19th, which also happens to be Buffy’s birthday! The vampire slayer turns 30* in 2011, hence the move to the 19th.
*Fun Fact! We have a Tor.com staffer also turning that age just a couple days before Buffy, but they’ve only dispatched one vampire that we know of, and when we say “vampire” we mostly mean “plate of cookies left over from the Towers of Midnight release.”
Say goodbye to season 8 as Buffy says goodbye to her twenties (And a few other things, but again, spoilers.) at a select number of Buffy Birthday Parties across the United States! Locations below.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
4:00 p.m.—7:00 p.m.
Oxford Comics Games & More
2855 Piedmont Road NE
(404) 233-8682
Special Guest: Georges Jeanty, artist, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8
PORTLAND, OREGON
5:30 p.m.—7:45 p.m.
Multnomah County Library
Central Library, US Bank Room
801 SW 10th Ave.
(503) 988-5123
Special Guests: Scott Allie and Sierra Hahn, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 editors
*Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 comics will be available for sale at the event from Cosmic Monkey Comics
MISSOULA, MONTANA
4:00 p.m.—6:00 p.m.
Muse Comics & Games
2100 Stephens Ave., Suite 107
(406) 543-9944
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
4:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.
Midtown Comics Downtown
64 Fulton St.
(800) 411-3341 / (212) 302-8192
HURST, TEXAS
4:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
Lone Star Comics #6
931 Melbourne Rd.
(817) 595-4375
PLANO, TEXAS
5:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
Lone Star Comics #8
3100 Independence Parkway #318
(972) 985-1593
Please enjoy this preview of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer #40, written by Joss Whedon and Scott Allie, drawn by Georges Jeanty.
Having read all issues of “season 8” so far I have to comment that it’s really pretty “meh” overall. I kept waiting for it to get better, In the end I will finish it mainly as I have invested time & $$.
I guess my biggest complaint is the story tried to go “too global” and really lost it’s way. I can see what they were shooting for – no longer constrained by a TV budget, they moved the action to Europe & then all over the world and expanded the cast by about 50 slayers and tons of demons on monsters and some rated R content that frankly seemed very gratuitous.
To me, it lost the charm of the series and the camaraderie of the original cast as they were rarely in one place at the same time in the comics. Also, the artwork seemed inconsistent for secondary characters. Xander tended to look very generic from issue to issue, also Dawn, Faith & Giles, Angel. It seemed Willow & Buffy where the ones they really made sure looked “right”.
The big “reveal” around issue 35 was just too much to swallow. I guess after 7 seasons of “big bads” and boss demons they simply couldn’t figure out what kind of threat could really be well, a threat to the combined forces of Buffy, Willow, Angel and Spike so (IMHO) they jumped the shark with the really bizarre ending.
I hope they can tie it all up.
Spot on, Stephen. I think my own issue with it all is that stuff I wanted to see a lot more of, or needed more explanation about, got totally compressed. I thought the first half of the series was pretty strong, though.
I’m glad they’re pushing the release back, as I wanted to reread the season before the final issue. (I love me a good epilogue.)