It’s hardly an understatement to say that Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of those genre shows that fans remember with huge fondness, so credit must go to Buffy mastermind Joss Whedon for finding a novel way to extend the story, seeing as further TV seasons are pretty much out of the question. But as novel as it is to use a comic book series to continue the story of a cancelled TV show, the release here of a motion comic is even more original.
A motion comic, if you were wondering, is essentially what it says on the tin: the original comics’ artwork, with some parts animated and plenty of dramatic zooming and tracking between panels. The dialogue is all performed, with added sound effects and music essentially making it half-way between a comic and a TV series.
It’s very effectively done and likely to serve as a model for similar products in the future. The bridging between two different mediums could easily have not worked, yet the motion comic feels appropriately dramatic and pacy, and for this it must be applauded.
Some important caveats must be got out of the way, though: only 19 of the 40 issues that comprise Season 8 have been animated here, so the over-arching plot concerning the mysterious Twilight does seem to stop suddenly, and it is unclear at this point whether the remaining 21 issues will follow. However, since the season seems to focus on smaller mini-arcs there’s still plenty to enjoy here: one-shot issue ‘The Chain’ is probably the best single thing on the disc.
Secondly, none of the original actors from the TV series reprise their roles, and while their replacements are all at least competent (Whitney Thompson does a surprisingly good job as Faith), this can lead to some confusion about what exactly is going on: it’s surprisingly easy to miss important revelations through not being able to tell who a character is meant to be.
As for the important question as to whether Season 8 really feels like Buffy, that’s a little more complicated. There’s no denying that the wit and quality of the storytelling is present, as one would expect, given that Whedon and fellow Buffy/Angel scribe Drew Goddard are both involved. However, it’s difficult to get away from the fact that, no matter how well it’s made, a comic (animated or not) is never really going to compete with seven largely excellent seasons of live action TV.
Having said that, this may actually not be too bad a thing. Several plot developments in Season 8 will most likely not please fans (thus making it actually more like seemingly every other season of Buffy), but those who are particularly concerned with the concept of ‘canon’ will find it easier to ignore the events of Season 8.
Another reason for the disconnect between comic and TV series is that, without giving anything away, the fact that comics don’t have budgetary constraints is not always for the best: just because you can do anything you want doesn’t mean you should. One last small complaint is that the bleeped-out swearing feels unnecessary and somewhat out of keeping with the tone of the TV series, which was always praised for its imaginative use of language.
Still, this release packs in more inventiveness than most TV programmes, and it’s definitely worth a spin if you have any fondness for the series.
Released on DVD on Monday 3rd October 2011 by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.