Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Haunted # 1 [COMICS]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Haunted (Dark Horse) (Limited Series, 2001)

Creators: Jane Espenson (story), Cliff Richards (pencils), Julio Ferreira (inks), Jeromy Cox (colors), Clem Robins (letters)

Setting:  After Season Three

T.V./Movie Character Appearances:  The Mayor (ghost), Buffy, Cordelia, Xander, Faith, Giles, Willow, Hogan Martin

Major Original Characters:  None


Summary

It's two weeks after the end of Season Three, and the graduates of Sunnydale High are still recovering from the apocalyptic battle that destroyed their school.  But although the Mayor's new body was destroyed, his spirit lingers on--and he realises he can inhabit and animate corpses!  Meanwhile, Buffy has nightmares in which Faith (comatose in the real world) kills her.  She worries it's some kind of prophecy.  Later, Cordelia says her farewell to the group, ostensibly taking a private fancy car to Los Angeles (for her movie career) but secretly taking a bus because it's all she can afford.  That night, Buffy comforts Hogan Martin, a traumatised classmate.  But the Mayor realises he can even take over the bodies of vampires, and he has a surprise planned for Buffy!

Review

I thought this was a fantastic issue and a great start to the limited series.  The setting is a great choice, as the weeks right after Graduation Day have never been explored.  Seeing the Scoobies deal with the fallout was really interesting, as was Cordelia's (optimistic) leaving for Los Angeles.  The artwork is really strong.  And having The Mayor as the issue's narrator was a stroke of brilliance--I'll never get enough of that guy.

Notes

* I had to look up who Hogan Martin was--he was a member of the Sunnydale High basketball team and appeared in the background of a couple of episodes.