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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The 25th Anniversary #1 is an anthology one-shot published by BOOM! Studios. True to its name, the anthology contains a number of stories centered on the titular Slayer and her friends, with a number of creators delivering the same mix of humor and horror which made the television series a staple of pop culture. It also teases a number of future series, which continues BOOM!’s expansion of the Buffy franchise following series like Buffy: The Last Vampire Slayer.
The one-shot contains five stories in total. First is the epilogue of “We Are The Slayer”, the current story arc in the ongoing Buffy series; it’s written by Jeremy Lambert, illustrated by Claudia Balboni, and colored by Raul Angulo. “Wonderous and Surprising Magic” focuses on Willow Rosenberg and his girlfriend Tara is written by Lilah Sturges, illustrated by Claire Roe and colored by Roman Titov.
“Is This What I Wanted” stars Xander Harris and is written by Danny Lore, illustrated by Marianna Ignazzi and colored by Mattia Iacono. “Mirrors Don’t Lie” takes place in Spike’s early years of vampirism and is written by Casey Gilly, illustrated by Bayleigh Underwood and colored by Heather Breckel. Finally, “Trust The Process” is written by Sarah Gailey, illustrated by Carlos Olivares, and colored by Valentina Pinto. The entire issue is lettered by Ed Dukeshire.
“Trust The Process” is the most intriguing of the stories, as it centers on Buffy unloading her insecurities to a psychiatrist (while also keeping the vampire-slaying part of her life in code.) One of the things that made Buffy stand out as a television show was that it wasn’t afraid to tackle the emotional highs and lows that Buffy’s “Chosen One” status put upon her.
“Trust The Process” touches upon that, with Gailey’s script slowly unfurling the emotions that Buffy is going through. Olivares also gives an insight into said emotion with how he draws Buffy’s eyes; they’re large, expressive and on the verge of tears. Paired with Pinto’s color art, it makes for a dark and emotional story – and a hint at what’s to come for The Vampire Slayer, which Gailey serves as the writer of.
The other standouts are “Wonderous and Surprising Magic” and “Is This What I Wanted”. Both Willow and Xander have been important parts of Buffy’s life, so it’s only right that they get a story focused on their respective exploits. Willow and Tara go on a date (with Buffy running point on keeping the vampires away), and Lore and Ignazzi manage to make Xander less insufferable. The story that doesn’t hit as much is the epilogue of “We Are The Slayer” – though that’s not because of the creators involved but because it serves as the end of a story arc and you’d have to have read the previous issues.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The 25th Anniversary #1 serves as a celebration of all things Slayer, and lays the seeds for Buffy’s future. With a new ongoing series incoming and a wealth of characters to dig into, readers can look forward to seeing more of Buffy and her friends down the road.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The 25th Anniversary #1 is available wherever comics are sold.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The 25th Anniversary #1
TL;DR
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The 25th Anniversary #1 serves as a celebration of all things Slayer, and lays the seeds for Buffy’s future. With a new ongoing series incoming and a wealth of characters to dig into, readers can look forward to seeing more of Buffy and her friends down the road.
Born and raised in Texas, Collier “CJ” Jennings was introduced to geekdom at an early age by his father, who showed him Ultraman and Star Trek: The Next Generation. On his thirteenth birthday, he received a copy of Giant Size X-Men #1 and dove head first into the realm of pop culture, never looking back. His hobbies include: writing screenplays and essays, watching movies and television, card games/RPG’s, and cooking. He currently resides in Seattle.