The Buffy Comic Project: "Old Friend"

Buffy the Vampire Slayer # 19

Dark Horse (Volume 1, 1998-2003)

Creators: Andi Watson (writer), Cliff Richards (penciller), Joe Pimentel (inker)

Setting: Season Three

T.V. Character Appearances: Buffy, Willow, Cordelia, Oz, Xander, Giles, Angel, Spike, Drusilla, Principal Skinner

Major Original Characters: EvilBuffy (doppelganger), DeformedBuffy (failed doppelganger), Selke (vampire), Dr. Flitter (mad scientist)

Summary: In the sewers, Buffy and EvilBuffy face off, womano-a-womano. EvilBuffy seems to be winning, but then DeformedBuffy leaps into the fray, knocking herself and EvilBuffy into a fast-moving stream of sewer water where they both disappear. Meanwhile, while getting ready for the big Mardi Gras parade, the Scoobies converse and realize that that they have not been hanging around with the real Buffy. Angel arrives with notes taken from Dr. Flitter's lab, and Giles is able to determine that the blood Selke and her minions has been ingesting has been somehow poisoned and is likely to cause mutations. By the time Buffy makes it out of the sewers, the parade is underway. Buffy and the Scoobies (dressed like clowns for their float) destroy several vampires, but then Selke attacks. The poisoned blood has caused her to mutate into a circa ten foot tall monster, but after Buffy smacks her in the head with a club a couple of times, Selke collapses and is staked. Buffy and the Scoobies go home to clean up and rest, not realizing that Spike and Dru have captured Dr. Flitter and have plans for Sunnydale.

Review: The big conclusion to the 9-part Selke storyline is rather underwhelming. Buffy defeats her evil doppelganger and Selke in pretty standard fight scenes, with nothing new or exciting to make the battles particularly memorable. Selke mutating into a giant monster was an unexpected twist, but I'm not convinced it was a cool one. The bottom line is that all along, Selke never had anything going for her--she was a standard vampire with a grudge against Buffy. As Dark Willow was wont to say, bored now. I will say that the best part of the issue is the final panel, as we realize Spike & Dru are back in town. I'm not sure if we're supposed to assume that they were behind the poisoned blood or not, but that's the only explanation I can think of. In any event, this is the final issue for writer Andi Watson, with t.v. show writer Doug Petrie and novel writer Christopher Golden taking the reins from this point further. I'm looking forward to the switch--Watson was okay, but not special.

Notes

* An interesting letter column this time around, as the editor solicited several opinions on the question of what it means that Willow, a Jewish woman, still wields crosses when faced with vampires. Is personal faith an element of the crosses working? Is it purely a superstitious fear that certain vampires have? Would a Star of David work just as well?

* This issue has an advertisement for two sculpted figurines--one of Buffy, one of Angel. The Angel one looks halfway decent, but am I alone in thinking that the one of Buffy just doesn't look anything at all like Sarah Michelle Gellar? I actually thinks it looks a lot more like Julie Benz (who played Darla, and auditioned for the role of Buffy). For $ 129 + $ 20 S&H, I wouldn't want people walking by to say "Who's that supposed to be?"

* The advertisement below is kind of funny. It purports to be an ad for a comic book featuring Jonathan, but if you read the fine print it says it'll be shipped "As soon as hell freezes over." The joke is that these are fake comics featured in the episode Superstar, where Jonathan is a hero in an alternate reality. The ironic thing, of course, is that about a year later Dark Horse decided to publish an actual Jonathan one-shot written by Jane Espenson.

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