Thursday, February 28, 2008

Thursday Book Report: The Long Way Home

(In which my geekiness flashes for everyone to see.)



Oh my. Do you know how long I have waited for this? I was searching my library's online database (how I love thee, iPac!) for new vampire fiction when I came across Joss Whedon's graphic novel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Long Way Home. I nearly fell out of my chair seeing that my library had this in stock - it was in my request list in a split second - and I was not disappointed.

Andrew and I are Buffy fiends - we started watching the show when we lived in Japan, and then when we moved back to the US it was our only thing to do on Tuesday nights. The dialogue, the angst, the kick-assed-ness - even the musicality (and not just for the wonderful Once More With Feeling - we love the original TV soundtrack, too). We loved it so that most people assume that we named our daughter after Willow in the show (it isn't true, but that is a story for another day).
This book was designed to start where Season 7 left off - with Sunnydale being obliterated. There are many Slayers now, spread out around the world in squads, doing their best to keep the world safe. Unfortunately, some uninformed uniformed types think they are terrorists and are doing their worst - in the guise of a recurring enemy - to bring the Scoobies down. The stories are wonderful - and the language is just as I remembered it. The drawings are breathtaking - the ones of Willow I think are the best of all - especially the one of her in her black backless shirt with her back to the viewer. Oh my. And the drawing of the glimpse into Buffy's dreamworld where she imagines a threesome with her and two former vampire flames...

This is the first volume in a series covering Season 8; despite the fact that the show is no longer on TV, these graphic novels are designed to be that season that never happened. I really hope that they prove so popular that they continue with a Season 9, Season 10. And if my local library doesn't add the second volume in toute de suite, I think I will be making a purchase of my own... the second volume concerns Faith - need I say more?

Yeah... it's an artistic close up and not a slip of the finger...

4 comments:

Bezzie said...

Since you're flashing your geek flag, I'll flash mine--I've got the first four comics of Season 8 under my mattress like porn. I'm such a closet geek! But my husband's just as much into Buffy as I am...so I don't know why I hide it!

Shan said...

OMG OMG!! I just bought The Long Way Home a month or so ago....loved it! "That was a really slow year!" I love the dancing cherubs and toy railroads all around that scene.

Word verification: geexr

Beth said...

*Very* often when you post book reviews, I think - "I should read that, sounds like just my thing." But THIS. OMG OMG OMG. How is it possible I didn't know it was out? Must buy this!!

Lee said...

Suna sent me here. I don't have Long Way Home, but the only one of the comics for Season 8 I'm missing is #8. I'm also pre-ordered through #14, which is as far ahead as TFaW can go right now. Thankfully, she puts up with my Buffy addiction.

Geek Quiz:
Fill in the blanks:
"Let me guess. Dawn's in trouble. _________."
"It's not like looking for a needle in a haystack. It's like ___________."