Buffy the Vampire Slayer #1 Review

Writer: Jordie Bellaire
Artist: Dan Mora
Colorist: Raúl Angulo
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Creator: Joss Whedon
Publisher: Boom! Studios

Buffy the Vampire Slayer continues to captivate audiences well beyond the original movie and TV show. There have been variations of Buffy comics over the years and I’ve kept up with a few here and there and enjoyed them. But I didn’t realize that I was really missing a true Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic book series, one that is truly based on Joss Whedon’s vision, until it was announced that Boom! Studios was giving us one.

If you enjoyed the Buffy TV show, you’re sure to find this first issue very entertaining. Jordie Bellaire amazingly added every little thing that I loved about the TV show in this issue while also completely making it their own.

One of the things I enjoyed was the fact that this issue had a cold open. Another thing that I enjoyed seeing again was the cheesiness and great action that I remember loving so much about the TV show. Jordie Bellaire interestly added both of these things to this first issue by writing a fantastic cold open that has some cheesiness and some badass action.

She continues to add so many small things that are extremely brilliant. The dialogue is a fine example of this really intelligent and entertaining writing of hers. The manner in which Buffy, Willow, and Xander speak to each other is entertaining by itself, and is also at times hilarious. The characters are written with fantastic chemistry just as we all as fans expect them to have.

Something that I realized while reading this issue is how packed it is with content. With about 25 pages of the actual story, it felt like I had spent so much time with these characters and this story. Bellaire impressively fit a lot into this debut issue and it never did feel too full.

Dan Mora’s artwork is one of the best things about this new series because of its unique take on a pretty classic story. The issue is illustrated with a dark and evil tone that gives the story a little more edge than I’m used to from Buffy media. There is some gore and some amazingly illustrated violence that really establish this new Buffy series as one that is sure to gain more readers. This ominous tone is also due to Raúl Angulo’s colors as he neatly makes some of these scenes incredibly dark without ever distorting the story or action.

Boom! Studios has hit a homerun by rebooting a Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic book series and executing it perfectly. This first issue is thrilling and humorous and is guaranteed to make some old Buffy fans happy while also collecting some new ones.