Buffy #27 Review

Writer: Jeremy Lambert
Artist: Carmelo Zagaria
Colours: Raúl Angulo
Letters: Ed Dukeshire

There has been a lot happening in the world of Buffy recently, and this issue slows everything down a little and takes stock of where our characters are at. Jeremy Lambert has a rather large cast of characters to play with now, and they’re each going off in different directions. Buffy is finding her dreams haunted, in that special Slayer way, and is feeling overwhelmed and lost. Giles has been fired, hasn’t broke the news to anyone yet, and has a heart to heart with a psychiatrist in this issue, which includes a surprising reveal. Faith and Wesley are now working with the Mayor and Dorothy from the watchers council. Willow is teaming up with Ethan to practice portals, in preparation for this seasons big bad. There’s a LOT going on and it’s good that Lambert takes the time to slow things down a little, not just to remind readers what’s going on with our heroes, but also to take time to develop all of the upcoming storylines. There are a couple of moments though where things have happened off screen and the only clue readers have are odd lines of dialogue here and there filling us in.

The challenge when telling a story like this, with such a huge cast of characters, and the limited space that a comic has is that it all gets a little too big. Characters end up side-lined so that the plot can carry on being pushed forward. While Lambert manages to avoid that here it’s difficult to see how he’ll maintain that on an ongoing basis. With the various divisions between the teams, each set of characters on their own mission and with their own goals, it’s challenging to tell their stories if you can only spare a few pages for each story. And while Lambert shows he is more than capable in this issue, it also feels a slow issue. If he was to continue telling it like this it runs the danger of telling an age to tell.

That said there are some exciting developments going on at the moment. The Mayor and the Watchers council, working together? That can only end in disaster and betrayal, but the real question is by who? And poor Faith and Wes have been whisked along, totally oblivious and naïve to the dangers they face. The multiverse and it’s big bad. Three slayers, alive and kicking. And even with all of that going on Lambert somehow manages to find time to fit Joyce into the issue, who’s been sadly lacking from the series as a whole.

Carmelo Zagaria is the latest artist to join the Buffy team, continuing the trend of a different artist every week. The constant switching can be a little jarring, but luckily Zagaria’s art is excellent and a good fit for Buffy’s world. The characters are instantly recognisable and look like their TV counterparts. Buffy’s dreams have a real haunted, dream like aspect to them. Zagaria manages to capture the iconic vampire look. The magic looks incredible, something that couldn’t fit into a TV budget.

A much needed slower issue, it’ll be interesting to see how Jeremy Lambert manages to continue spinning all these different plates, while giving the characters time to shine and develop, and push the plate forward. He’s got a real challenge ahead, but so far seems more than capable of continuing that. Carmelo Zagaria’s art looks great as well, a nice fit for the world of Buffy.