The Long Way Home (Buffy comic)
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"The Long Way Home" is the first arc from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight series of comic books based upon the television series of the same name, and is written by creator Joss Whedon.[1] It is scheduled to run four issues. The first issue was released on March 14, 2007.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Plot details
[edit] Part 1
Buffy is leading a squad of Slayers--including three named Leah, Rowena, and Satsu--in a raid on a large, dilapidated church protected by a forcefield. She reveals that there are at least 1800 Slayers now active, 500 of whom are working with the Scooby Gang spread over ten squads, and that there are two Slayers posing as decoys of herself lest she become an easy target; one literally underground and another in Rome publicly partying and dating the Immortal. Working with Xander, who is running things at Slayer headquarters in Scotland (Buffy refers to him as a Watcher despite his objections) with a team of computer workers, including one named Renee, Buffy and her squad find three monstrous demons surrounded by a trio of dead bodies.
After slaying the demons, one of whom Buffy impales through the head with a crucifix, the Slayers investigate the bodies. Each one has an odd symbol cut into their chest, and Buffy finds automatic weapons, which leads her to believe that the victims came looking for a fight. Buffy tells Xander to send a copy of the symbol to Giles, when another Slayer finds the machine that generated the force field, also presumably belonging to the victims. We get a glimpse of someone--just boots and cape revealed--floating above the church watching the Slayers.
In Sunnydale, General Voll of the United States Army surveys the crater left after the collapse of the Hellmouth, calling the Slayers a threat to the United States government and likening their squads to terrorist cells. A government expedition is being led sixty feet under the Hellmouth, but is cut short when one of the exploratory members is attacked by an unseen foe.
Back in Scotland, Buffy and Xander try to puzzle out the meaning of the occult symbol; Xander calls it a "guy with a monocle frowning," while Buffy opts for "a beautiful sunset." Xander mentions to Buffy that she must talk to Dawn, so reluctantly she visits her sister, who is now giant-size and living in the basement of the headquarters. Buffy believes that her size was caused by Dawn losing her virginity to her ex-boyfriend Kenny, who was a Thricewise (the meaning of the terminology is unspecified). However, Dawn won't divulge anything to Buffy, instead preferring to talk to Willow when Willow returns.
After a brief, bitter feud, during which Buffy mentions that Dawn should be at Berkeley, Buffy goes outside to reflect. She reveals that she and Dawn haven't gotten along since the Hellmouth was closed and all of the potential Slayers were activated, and that she misses her mom, her home, the gang, churros, and sex.
At a government facility, General Voll is shown an unrevealed creature captured from the Hellmouth (the "boyfriend" of the explorer's attacker), whom he meets with disgust. General Voll is then informed of the attacker, whose first words to the explorer were reportedly, "I'm gonna help you kill her." In return for her help, she requests access to all of the government's magical hardware and a weapons lab for her "boyfriend." If they succeed in taking down Buffy, she wants release and full immunity for the both of them, as well as plentiful amounts of cheese. General Voll queries about the subject's identity, and she is revealed to be Amy Madison.
[edit] Part 2
Giles is training a hoard of Slayers in an unspecified location, and is disappointed in their performances; he tells them that they have a technique and a power that may even be capable of defeating Buffy, but that they're all fighting alone, failing to look out for the rest of the team. In Scotland, Buffy is having the same problem with her Slayers, who are practicing with swords. To demonstrate the problems with their abilities, she asks Leah, Satsu, and Rowena to "kick my ass," yet she easily defeats them.
In Southern Italy, Andrew is outside with a group of Slayers, where he is supposed to be teaching them about fighting strategies and techniques. However, he's gotten lost in a ramble about Lando Calrissian, and how he would sooner believe that the Ewoks were capable of defeating the Empire than that a leader would wear Calrissian's outfit. He only gets back to teaching when one Slayer asks him why they use "medieval junk" as weapons instead of guns. Andrew repeats the mandate that Buffy has used for years, that a Slayer never uses a gun. He then goes on to talk about the do's and dont's of headbutting.
Back in Scotland, Dawn takes a bath in the lake while Xander talks to her about her problems with Buffy. Dawn admits that she feels like Buffy hates her, and expresses jealousy over the fact that Buffy now has 500 "new and improved Slayer sisters." Xander then tenatively asks Dawn if she perhaps made herself giant-sized on purpose. Dawn subsequently splashes him with a sizable wave of water, prompting Xander to complain that he only has two of his military outfits.
In the United States of America, General Voll and his assistant discuss Amy's plan to dispatch Buffy, referring to Amy as "their op." Voll complains that they can't just use a nuclear weapon to destroy Buffy's base of operations, to which his assistant replies that if they were to do so, they would get noticed and most likely indicted and hanged. Voll questions his assistant's committment, saying that, "There is no problem so big or complicated that it can't be blown up." They then discuss that if Amy fails, they will send in her boyfriend to do the job. After this, Voll goes to take a nap, and once he's in his private quarters, it is revealed that he has the same symbol cut into his chest as the victims Buffy discovered in the church earlier.
Meanwhile, Xander talks to Buffy about his discussion with Dawn, including his suggestion that Dawn purposely made herself larger, which Buffy finds too literal an answer. Buffy then asks Xander to come to bed with her. He says that they both know that it's a bad idea, but she promises to be gentle. They move into Buffy's room, where Buffy passionately starts kissing Xander before his head pops off. After frantically saying she's afraid of the dark, she is sucked through the castle wall, falling to the ground. She wishes not to fall, and a gigantic demon impales her feet and hands with its claws, creating an image similar to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Buffy mentions that she knows the demon, before the demon burns her alive with its fire breath.
It is revealed that this is all a dream, and that Amy is standing in Buffy's room above the sleeping Buffy, preparing to drive a dagger into her chest. Xander and four Slayers soon burst in to find her there, and Amy immediately stabs Buffy before Xander shoots her in the shoulder with his crossbow. Xander picks up the dagger, which has been split apart by a mystical protection spell they had previously placed over Buffy. Amy points out that Buffy is still sleeping, and says that the curse she placed on her can only be lifted by the kiss of true love.
Renee and another Slayer, keeping watch on the rooftop of the castle, have a brief discussion about whether or not Renee loves Xander, the other saying that Renee's sudden interest in a number of Xander's hobbies, including comic books, James Bond movies, and drywalling, speaks of love. Before Renee can reply, they hear a clawing sound and see a legion of kilted zombies climbing up the castle walls.
Xander is still talking with Amy when one of the Slayers runs in to tell him of the zombies, who were summoned by Amy. Xander then commands three of the present Slayers to go into the battlefield, and when queried about Amy says that she's bound inside the castle due to their security. He then tells the Slayers to keep a guard on Amy and to get their witches working on the "true love" spell. Amy clarifies that the person who wakes Buffy from her slumber does not have to be someone whom Buffy loves, just someone that truly loves Buffy, then taunts Xander by asking if he'd like to try.
As the Slayers wage a war against the zombies (at least two are dead or severely wounded, including Renee, stabbed with their own swords), Buffy continues her dream, internally pleading for it to stop, saying that it hurts too much. That's when a figure in a duster and a red shirt, whose face remains unseen, appears to her, offering his hand and telling her that he has much that he needs to show her, calling her "my love."
As Satsu informs an overwhelmed Xander that they're losing the battle against the zombies, Amy sits on the windowsill in Buffy's room surveying the carnage. She boasts aloud that not one person there can take her down. Willow appears, floating outside the window, and says, "As a friend of mine once said...I'd like to test that theory."
[edit] Press Releases
The following plot details have been revealed by Dark Horse Comics in press solicitations:
- Part 1: Since the destruction of the Hellmouth, the Slayers — newly legion — have gotten organized and are kicking some serious undead butt. But not everything's fun and firearms, as an old enemy reappears and Dawn experiences some serious growing pains . . . Buffy leads five hundred Slayers separated into ten squads, all of which are viewed by the U.S. government as terrorist cells in the wake of Sunnydale's destruction. Xander leads "central command" which is in Scotland.
- Part 2: The destruction of Buffy's hometown, plus covert and powerful slayer "cells" around the world, add up to a new label for the Scoobies: Terrorist threat. Speaking of Sunnydale, the crater formerly known as, has opened to reveal the witch Amy, and boy is she pissed. Now: Giles, smoochies, a knife to the heart, and a big sleep. Season Eight continues.
- Part 3: With Buffy incapacitated, Amy the witch has taken the opportunity to—get this—lay siege with an army of the undead. Willow takes her on in a witches' battle royal as hundreds of Slayers defend their Scottish citadel, but without the kiss of true love, Buffy will be out of commission indefinitely—with an unwelcome familiar face, and an image you won't soon forget.
- Part 4: Buffy’s back in action, thanks to a kiss of true love, but Willow’s another story entirely — their capture of Amy the witch opened up a magical trap door, and now the Wiccan is in the belly of the beast. To make matters worse, she’s at the mercy of someone truly bent on revenge, and he’s been waiting for this for a long time. The conclusion to Season Eight’s first arc.
[edit] Trivia
- The shirt that Buffy is wearing in Part 1 has the Serenity logo on it. Serenity was also created by Joss Whedon.
- The panel that shows Xander with his arms folded behind him is a clear reference to Nick Fury, a fictional colonel in the Marvel Comics universe and formerly in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D., who wears an eye patch identical to Xander's. The room is modeled to look like the helicarrier that Fury was in command of for many years, and Xander even requests that he be called by either his given name or 'Sergeant Fury'.
- The shirt that Buffy is wearing as she trains her Slayers in Part 2 has Hong Kong Phooey on it.
[edit] Continuity
- The Long Way Home is the first arc of Buffy the Vampire Slayer season eight series of comics, and will be followed by a presently-untitled second arc written by Brian K. Vaughan about the character Faith which will be set in England.
[edit] Timing
- Intended to be set after BtVS's seventh season. The story takes place "at least a year and a half" after the events of "Chosen",[3] placing it at its earliest in the latter half of 2004 and after the events of "Not Fade Away"
- Stories that take place around the same time in the Buffyverse:
| Buffy the Vampire Slayer SEASON EIGHT chronology |
|---|
| B7.22 Chosen (May 2003) |
| A5.22 Not Fade Away (May 2004) |
| B8.01-4 The Long Way Home |
| B8.06-10 Faith arc |
| B8.11-14 Tokyo arc |
| Buffy season eight takes place at least half a year after "Not Fade Away." This places it at its earliest in November 2004. |
[edit] Canonical Issues
This series has been described as 'canon' by both Whedon and various commentators. As the creator of Buffy, Joss Whedon's association with Buffyverse story is often linked to how canonical the various stories are. Since Whedon is writing this arc, it will be seen as a continuation of the official continuity established by Buffy and Angel.
This may mean it contradicts information given in the previously released non-canonical Queen of the Slayers, and it could potentially contradict the upcoming novel, Dark Congress.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Rickey A. Purdin. "Buffy Season 8", Wizard Entertainment, 2006-12-20. Retrieved on February 15, 2007.
- ^ "Dark Horse Comics > Preview > Buffy the Vampire Slayer #1", Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved on February 15, 2007.
- ^ Edward Gross. "Joss Whedon - Season Eight: Part 2", GeekMonthly.com, 2007-02-07. Retrieved on February 15, 2007.
