Return to Sunnydale with Buffy and the Scoobies in this second volume of Boom’s re-published Legacy material. Selke, the vampire introduced in issue 2, is back and forming a master plan while Buffy deals with her normal “monster-of-the-week” problems. While it is not essential to have read Legacy Book One going in, this volume builds off of characters introduced in said volume.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an adaptation of the TV show of the same name, which pits Buffy and her friends (nicknamed the Scooby Gang) against various vampires, monsters, and demons. Much like Supernatural, Buffy normally has a Big Bad and overarching season plot while the characters face-off against different (weaker) foes every week. The workings of Selke bookending the other events in the issues replicates this series formula in book format.
Joining returning writers Christopher Golden and Andi Watson is show writer Doug Petrie, and their three writing styles seem to really gel. While I still have some story focus problems (i.e. an entire issue on Xander and the toxic masculinity), as a Buffy fan I think the characters sound consistently true to themselves. The volume benefits from Doug Petrie as he really nails not only character voices, but the overall pacing and feel of an episode of the show. They continue to deal with issues teens face: over-sexualization of women, parental expectations, and even addiction with the hooligans. This volume differs from the first, however, as the use of Selke allows for there to be a Big Bad through line even during some of the weaker issues.
Gone is any of the over-sexualization I felt in volume one, with a more consistent art style by Cliff Richards and Joe Bennett. However, guest artist Ryan Sook’s art for the story Bad Dog stood out as it had similar linework to Moonshine or The Dark Knight Returns. The use of blue, purple, and red in this story strengthens that comparison and makes for a stark contrast to Richards and Bennett’s more detailed faces and different colors. The art in the remainder of the book feels tonally the same, with the switch between artists harder to notice.
I’d recommend this volume to any library which has a strong Buffy following. If you decided to skip out on volume one, I would not start by purchasing book two even though it is stronger than its predecessor. Again, the publisher did not provide an age rating but I would go with older teens and nostalgic adults.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Legacy Edition Book Two
By Andi Watson, Christopher Golden, Doug Petrie
Art by Cliff Richards, Hector Gomez
BOOM! Studios, 2020
ISBN: 9781684155330
Related media:Â TV to Comic
NFNT Age Recommendation: Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16)
