Buffy Stakes It To The Vampires With “A Stake To The Heart”
Written: Oct 15 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Intense illustrations, prequel to the television series, overseen by Joss Whedon.
Cons: Limited four issue run, adult themes.
The Bottom Line: If you are a Buffy fan, this series from Dark Horse is well worth checking out.
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| Freak369's Full Review: |
I didn’t start watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer series until it was into it’s third or fourth season; after seeing the movie and not being all that impressed with it, I didn’t think that the series would interest me. When UPN started running two episodes back to back at six in the morning I got hooked on it and started checking out the different comic books that were spun off from the movie and show. I was really confused with the series; there were mini stories that ran with the main line - most four to six issues. “A Stake To The Heart” is one of many that cover the life of Buffy before the television show starts; it serves to fill in some of the gaps that were present with the show but in some ways it did nothing but confuse me more. In this four issue mini series from the “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” Dark Horse Comics series you are told about Buffy, Dawn and Joyce leaving the big city to move to Sunnydale. Their father swears that he will always be a part of their life and that “things will work out” in the end. When I watched the show I thought that it was a huge surprise that Buffy had a sister but I could be wrong about that - I haven’t seen each and every episode so I am going from what I have seen as well as what I’ve read in the comics.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: A Stake To The Heart
The first thing to know about this is that Joss Whedon, the creator and writer of the movie and show, had a hand in creating this but he did not write the story. This four issue series was written by Fabian Nicieza [Conan, Blackburne Covenant ]. The issues are broken up into acts instead of chapters so you will have to get all four of them to understand what exactly is going on. It also helps if you have some general background about the characters that appeared in the show; Angel, Joyce, Willow and others play key parts in the series but in this run, most of the emphasis is about Buffy’s family life and her struggle with Angel. You do get to see Willow, Xander and Giles here and there but most of it is to set the scene for later issues and other mini series. Each of the four comics in this series have photographs from the cast of characters from the show [when you buy the individual issues, the bound format lacks this feature]; to me this was a huge mistake because it led a lot of people to believe that what they would get inside would be photo recaps from the show, not illustrations.
Some of the things that Buffy has to deal with are commonplace - like having a younger sister that always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Dawn, later revealed as ‘the key’, comes across Buffy’s diary that details her feeling for Angel, killing vampires and monsters and other things - things that land her in a mental hospital for a short stay until she downplays her role as a slayer. In this series things seem to either happen all at once and overwhelm you or they seem to drag on. You get hit with Buffy’s parents getting separated, Angel’s releasing four malignancy spirits and the three female leads leaving Los Angeles for Sunnydale pretty much all at once. While the actual move takes place in act four, the news is dropped earlier in act two and three. The story is pretty strong and clings to the whole Buffy story line but there are some things that don’t run parallel to what you see in the television series.
Most of the time I stick with alternative comics like Lenore, Bear, Kindergoth, Outlook Grim and Grim Cookie but I couldn’t pass up getting this mini series. If you are going to start looking for this you might be better off getting the bound version; this has all four acts in a bound book version. I started out with the individual copies of the comics but had a hard time finding issue two and three in this series so I opted to buy the book when my local comic store had it on sale. I later found the individual issues I was missing - the only perk to this is that you get the individual color glossy photos. If you are looking to get this series [either the individual comics or the bound version], make sure you are getting the “Stake To The Heart” series; there are a number of mini series in the Buffy Dark Horse line so it does get confusing when you are ordering them online.
The artwork is rather muted and drab in most frames; a lot of dark colors, gray tones and close ups. As far as the comparisons to the television characters, some of them are dead on accurate and others only have faint traces of them. One of the most intense images is in Act Four / Trepidation on page 19, Buffy is having a flashback / dream and you see her falling into this amazing whirlwind of blue and white - but it isn’t until you stop to look at the outside rim of it and see that there are faces in it. There is a close up of Buffy’s face when she is having a struggle with the desire to be normal and the realization that she will never, ever be ‘normal’. The look on her face is so profound that it really strikes home the entire feel of the story - she realizes that she will never be a normal teenager, not even if she walks away from being a slayer - she will never be able to erase what she has done or the memories of those she has killed.
The “Stake To The Heart” series comes before one of my favorite - “Tales of The Vampires”. This was something that Joss and a few of the artists and writers from this series worked on and it is a definite must see for those who are into Buffy or vampires. It is a little on the graphic side but it is still an excellent comic. In regards to “Stake To The Heart”, this isn’t a comic for kids. It has adult themes, violence, bloodshed, death, murder and suicide in it. There are some slightly sexual situations but no graphic nudity. Dark Horse doesn’t have this listed as an adult comic because there is no direct nudity or full on sexual situations but I really feel that they should have this labeled for the 16+ year old crowd. I am not a prude or something that tries to shelter my kids - if they wanted to read this I’d let them but to be honest, they would rather read something campy or alternative than something that clings to something that’s been done in a movie or on a television series.
The artwork, as I said, is pretty bland - but most of that is done on purpose. Since you are dealing with something that is non-interactive you have to try and use everything possible to set the tone so the reader will get the most from it. If they had loud colors or lots of bright red hues for the blood it would make things feel uneven when they are trying to push the death and doom feel. With the art skills of Cliff Richards [Angel, Dungeon Siege], Brian Horton [Aliens, Devil’s Footprints], Clem Robins [Badlands, Hellboy], Will Conrad [Serenity, Scorpion King] and Michelle Madson [Tales of The Vampire, Star Wars Empire], there is one hell of a talented team at work in this mini series. The text is easy to follow when you are reading it and they really do get the most possible out of the pages that they have to work with. If you are going to get the entire series these names will pop up from time to time; the artists collaborated on a few other mini series and they all seemed to work well together as a team.
The Bottom Line
I am really glad that I picked this up when I had the chance. There are a few other mini series in the Buffy theme that I plan on getting but chances are I won’t be ordering them from Dark Horse. There are a lot of small comic stores in my area that get these in from time to time when people are looking to unload a collection. I got the bound version in mint condition for $8.00 - that is less than what I would have had to pay if I got them when they were released or if I ordered them as a set online. There isn’t a lot of outside advertising in the comics, you get a small “Slay The Critics” section in the back for reader feedback and some adverts for Buffy / Chaos Bleeds video game but most of what you see in the way of advertising runs in line with the Buffy / fantasy line. Out of all four comics in this series, Act 4 [issue number 63] has to be my favorite - it’s so dark and depressing that it really sums up all fears Buffy is feeling and her own inner turmoil. If you are a Buffy fan or read any of the comics that are made about her character, this mini series is one to hunt down for your own collection!
As always, thanks for the read!
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2005 Freak369
Other comic reviews ...
Dexter’s Laboratory
Rob Zombie’s Spookshow International
Kindergoth
Recommended:
Yes
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