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Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Vol. 1: High School Is Hell

(Buffy The Vampire Slayer Vol. 1)

Jordie Bellaire,

Joss Whedon (Creator)

Dan Mora (Illustrations)

4.02 · Rating details · 846 ratings · 162 reviews

Go back to the beginning as the critically acclaimed pop culture phenomenon Buffy The Vampire Slayer is reimagined under the guidance of series creator Joss Whedon!

This is the Buffy Summers you know, who wants what every average teenager wants: friends at her new school, decent grades, and to escape her imposed destiny as the next in a long line of vampire slayers ta ...more

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Paperback, 128 pages

Published May 28th 2019 by BOOM! Studios (first published May 7th 2019)

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· 846 ratings · 162 reviews

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Apr 18, 2019 Artemy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: boom, comics, 5-stars, best-of-2019, buffy-verse

So, everybody who's read my review of Buffy Season 12 knows how skeptical I felt about this Boom Studios reboot of Buffy comics. As a die-hard fan of Dark Horse continuation of the show I felt kind of betrayed by this move. Well, the truth is that Dark Horse Buffy comics were stagnating for a while now, and the final volume of Season 12 was nothing short of atrocious with how it handled the wrap-up of its many long-running storylines. So it comes as a huge relief and a surprise that this new and r So, everybody who's read my review of Buffy Season 12 knows how skeptical I felt about this Boom Studios reboot of Buffy comics. As a die-hard fan of Dark Horse continuation of the show I felt kind of betrayed by this move. Well, the truth is that Dark Horse Buffy comics were stagnating for a while now, and the final volume of Season 12 was nothing short of atrocious with how it handled the wrap-up of its many long-running storylines. So it comes as a huge relief and a surprise that this new and revitalised series from Boom is actually bloody fantastic!

First off, this series is not a continuation of anything. It takes the core of the Buffy TV show, i.e. the characters and their basic relationship structure, and just plays it all out from the very beginning, only set in our modern day of smartphones and internet. If you've never seen the Buffy TV show you'd probably be fine with just reading this comic, though the familiarity with the show still would be nice to help you appreciate the different paths Jordie Bellaire is taking with these characters. And yes, the comic absolutely is different from the show is so many ways, and that's actually half the fun of reading it — seeing how the same characters turned out a bit differently this time around, and guessing how the story might play out in the future. Every change made to the characters is welcome and justified. Cordelia is now not a typical 90's mean girl but is nice and smart, yet without losing her sarcastic edge. Willow is openly a lesbian from the beginning, and is in a steady relationship with a girl (not Tara yet, though — I wonder if she'll appear in this series? She must, right?). Joyce is alive and well and is happily dating a dude who seems cool. Spike and Drusilla are around from the start as primary antagonists, mercifully skipping all of that Master nonsense from Season 1 of the show. And it's like that with almost every character — they are familiar, but different. And the broad strokes of the story itself are similar, but it's definitely going in a different direction. And in my opinion that was a brilliant decision, because now the book is welcoming new readers as well as offering new and interesting thing to long-time fans of the franchise, and now that I think about it, rebooting the series the way Boom did was the only correct way to go with it.

Jordie Bellaire's writing is great. She captures the voices of every character perfectly, her dialogue is delightfully Whedon-esque, and she seems to have a solid grasp on the story. We'll have to see how she handles it in the long run, but for now I am confident in her abilities. The final twist of the volume may end up being controversial among fans, but I absolutely loved it — way to change one of the most established elements of the show into something that has so much exciting new potential.

Dan Mora's artwork is also gorgeous as usual. He has the look of the characters nailed down, everybody looks like themselves without a hint of uncanny valley like we've seen a lot of times from Georges Jeanty over at Dark Horse. I'm sure Mora won't make it far into the run before jumping ship (that's just what happens in modern comics), but I'll treasure his work while we still have him on the book. I also love what he does with character wardrobes — crazy 90's fashion and changing looks was a delightful little aspect of the TV show, and I love that this attention to detail is also making its way into this new iteration of the comics.

Overall, the new Buffy comic ended up being a huge success. Not only did it make me not miss the Dark Horse series, it rekindled my love and excitement for the Buffyverse in a way I absolutely wasn't expecting, and now I almost feel glad that the franchise changed hands the way it did. I think a lot of Buffy fans and newcomers to the series will love this book, provided that you keep an open mind about it. ...more

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Sep 01, 2019 Chad rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019

I was not at all happy when I heard Boom was returning Buffy to high school. I thought it would be like the fluff Dark Horse comics before Joss Whedon took over and started extending the TV series which I greatly liked. But you could tell in seasons 11 and 12 Dark Horse had run out of ideas and had kind of given up on Buffy. Whedon along with the writers from the show had ended their involvement and the wheels had fallen off.

So Boom blew up the Buffyverse and started over, reimaginin ...more

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Sep 16, 2019 Krista Regester rated it it was amazing

This slays y’all.

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May 26, 2019 SuperSillySerra rated it liked it

This new series is killing it!

Not a big Buffy fan to start off with but that is why I was interested in the series. To see if maybe someone who didn't really know Buffy, could get to know Buffy through this! So far so good! I wont lie, the first issue was a little gimmicky; Buffy calling herself feisty was a little hard to read over. But besides that, its good. The art does a great job of keeping everyone from the show looking the same. Its a little more modern with technology but it ...more

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Aug 31, 2019 ♡ Dakota ♡ (Sarcasm is my middle name) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: horror, read-and-that-i-enjoyed, people-with-magical-powers, fantasy, urban-fantasy, graphic-novels-comics-mangas, series

★★★★★ — 5 Stars!

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Jun 22, 2019 Veronika rated it it was amazing

Shelves: my-preciouses-i-own, absolutely-loved, 2019

This was marvellous!

I am so happy that I could see my favourite characters in the nowadays setting. Buffy with her typical sarcasm, strong will and the need to belong somewhere, while using smartphone. The gang binge watching movies, Xander playing videogames, Cordelia caring about the environment. And there were also good old vampires, monsters, Giles being his old grumpy self, Buffy's mum and high school library.

I felt so much nostalgia, I was bursting with joy while reading this.

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May 09, 2019 Roy rated it liked it

I had watched a bit of Buffy as a kid but wasnt a fanboy as such. I felt like this was directed at the massive fans more so your general fan.

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Nov 13, 2019 Mitticus rated it really liked it

Shelves: graphic-novel, vampiros, fantasia-urbana, 2019-readings, teen-protagonist, vamp-hunter, highschool-scene, comics, media-tie-in, reboot

"Into every generation , a Slayer is born; a chosen one. They alone wield the strengh and skill to fight the vampires, demons and the forces of darkness; to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their number.
They are the Slayer."

Buffy Summers is a normal teenager 16 years old girl, who goes to school, lives with her mother and her boyfriend, wants to have friends, and ... is the Slayer.

In January 2019, with the approval of Joss Whedon, this relaunch of the Buffy series from its very beggining was made by Jordie ...more

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Jun 03, 2019 Chris Lemmerman rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2019-comics-and-manga-read

It's Buffy, but not as you know her - reimagined for the 2010s, everyone you know and love is here, but not quite as you expect to find them. And yet, somehow, they're still them.

Rebooting such a beloved franchise should have anyone running for the hills at the prospect, but Jordie Bellaire (colourist turned writer, apparently) handles this will easy flair. Buffy is still Buffy, even if she's a little more confident in herself. Willow is still Willow, even if she knows herself far more than the ...more

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May 13, 2019 unknown rated it really liked it

This Buffy reboot–which keeps the characters but mixes around their backstories and updates the timeframe–is better than it has any right to be.

Experienced Scoobies will enjoy picking out the differences in the timelines (Willow would obviously be more in touch with her sexual identity in 2019; Xander would totally be an incel) but it works well on its own merits too... I think? Hard to say as I have been watching and reading about these characters for 22 years.

This first volume chews through ...more

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Aug 18, 2019 Emily rated it liked it

I am a HUGE BTVS fan. I watched it as it aired, from the pilot through the finale, and I rewatch every few years. When I heard about this comic, I was really excited. After reading it, I am not sure how I feel about this. I was really excited to see how they were going to modernizing Buffy, but I didn't like some of the changes to the characters, and a lot of it was just...odd. However, I'm curious to see what will happen next, so I'll definitely continue the series. But I have concerns.

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May 15, 2019 Drew rated it it was amazing

Absolutely delighted by this. A 2019 update of Buffy, written by a woman (thank the gods)? Yes and yes. Loving the way that the present is integrated seamlessly, and the ways in which it makes the characters all the more relatable. I'm excited to see where this goes, and how it continues to diverge from the original series -- I'm as hooked as I was the first time I watched the show.

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Sep 06, 2019 Lauren Stoolfire rated it it was amazing

Shelves: urban-fantasy, lgbtq, graphic-novels, young-adult, vampires, fantasy, paranormal

I gave up following the comic book continuation of the tv series ages ago, but present day set take on the series with all new twists and turns seemed like it had a lot of potential. I was still hesitant about it since Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of my favorite shows. As it turns out though I had nothing to worry about because this was freaking delightful. The changes and throwbacks to the original were so well done. Plus, the art is fantastic. I can't wait to continue this graphic novel ser ...more

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Jul 09, 2019 Ksenia rated it really liked it

I came to this reboot skeptical - but I had just finished a rewatch of the Buffy tv show and was having trouble sourcing the continuing comic book series and decided having some extra Buffy was better than nothing. This reboot is fantastic, really satisfying to see how our characters slot into an updated timeline and how to re-introduce them to each other without being too naff or relying too much on the original material. This series is fresh as heck and I can't wait for more.

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Sep 18, 2019 ✭ emilee ✭ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: paperback

unbelievably cool and honestly made me love the series even more than i have for the last 15+ years of my life. i love this series so much and i'm so thankful for it in my life. that being said, i can't wait to read more from this and i already love what it's got going for it!!!!

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Aug 13, 2019 Shelli rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: not necessarily only current Buffy fans

Shelves: fiction, i-saw-the-film, comics-and-graphic-novels, places-cultures-usa-gen-or-other, horror, series, humor, shorts-collections-anthologies, checkouts-hoopla, women-girls-feministing

This new Buffy the Vampire Slayer series is a fresh take on the original show: set in the modern day with cell phones and social media and all that; with all new story arcs; and assorted variations on characters – some minor, some huge (wait until you meet Cordelia!). This volume collects the first four issues, which isn’t really enough to make a judgment on the series as a whole. There are some promising plot possibilities teased, but to be honest, in this short of time, I was still just noting and gawki This new Buffy the Vampire Slayer series is a fresh take on the original show: set in the modern day with cell phones and social media and all that; with all new story arcs; and assorted variations on characters – some minor, some huge (wait until you meet Cordelia!). This volume collects the first four issues, which isn’t really enough to make a judgment on the series as a whole. There are some promising plot possibilities teased, but to be honest, in this short of time, I was still just noting and gawking at the various changes in characters and the newly-imagined relationships between them.

My biggest complaint is that the set up seemed too brief; I feel like I was expected to be very emotionally invested in these new iterations of the characters simply because they were, more or less, the characters I was so attached to in their prior incarnation. If I had been someone who never had any exposure to Buffy prior to this series, that sudden intimacy would feel very unearned.

The characters are all drawn as likenesses of their previous actors, and those renditions are pretty uneven. Buffy, Willow, Cordelia, and Spike are jaw-droppingly accurate, but Anya and Drusilla each had an entire scene and I had absolutely no idea who they were supposed to be. Xander, Joyce, and Jenny also look nothing like their actors; Giles usually does. (We haven’t seen but a peek at Angel so far.) Because of the VAST difference between characters, it can really take me out of the story.

The rest of the art is really great, and can be incredibly evocative as well. The library is beautiful, dark, and lovingly detailed. The Magic Shop has its own particular vibe, and it’s dark and creepy. A real stand-out is Buffy’s nightmare sequence: it’s unique and imaginative, and frankly, bloody scary as well. The art alone (poor renditions of some of the characters notwithstanding) would keep me coming back to this series.

The other main ingredient we expect in the Whedonverse – witty dialogue – is still finding its footing, but is very much there.

I will definitely be continuing with this series. ...more

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Jun 30, 2019 Taschima rated it really liked it

I am begrudgingly accepting that MAYBE this new set of Buffy comics are not as bad as I thought they might be.

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Apr 19, 2019 TJ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: graphic-novels

I'm really enjoying this so far! While this isn't what I would have personally wanted for the Buffyverse comics, I'm taking it for what it is. The art is fantastic, and it's neat seeing the characters in modern day and how that's changed them. There's a good twist at the end of issue 1, and issue 4 ends on a cliffhanger for better or worse. I'm very intrigued to see where this leads! 5/5 stars.

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Sep 02, 2019 Shannon Appelcline rated it liked it

Shelves: comics, comics-licensed

So Boom! has rebooted Buffy, and I mean fully. This not only ignores the Season 8-12 comics from Dark Horse, but it in fact ignores the original TV show too. So call this Buffy v3.

So how is it? I'd say the jury is still out. Bellaire spends a lot of time reintroducing classic characters and putting them into new configurations. Willow is gay from the jump. Cordelia is actually nice. Spike & Drusilla are the original Big Bads. Robin Wood is a hot student!!?? With the exception of ...more

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Sep 01, 2019 zoo wee mama rated it really liked it

This series is if Buffy the Vampire Slayer happened in 2018... I didn’t know that until I started reading and I kinda dig it. The characters themselves are a mix of who they were in high school and who they ended up being in the later seasons. There are a few bigger changes that keep things fresh. It feels familiar but not enough to feel like it’s the exact same story as the first few seasons.

The biggest changes are:
Dru is queen of the bad. She’s the dominant in her and Spikes relationshi ...more

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Jun 06, 2019 Christian rated it liked it

Shelves: horror, reboots, media-tie-in

Boom studios recently acquired the rights to all Whedon tv shows, and they made the somewhat odd decision to reboot them, making this Ultimate Buffy. The good news is that it resembles Ultimate Spider-man the most of all the Ultimate titles. Unfortunately though, this is Ultimate Buffy in both the good and bad ways that suggests.

This version of Buffy arrives in Sunnydale with her mother and mother's boyfriend and quickly meets the tv characters, but with some modern twists. Willow is out of the closet Boom studios recently acquired the rights to all Whedon tv shows, and they made the somewhat odd decision to reboot them, making this Ultimate Buffy. The good news is that it resembles Ultimate Spider-man the most of all the Ultimate titles. Unfortunately though, this is Ultimate Buffy in both the good and bad ways that suggests.

This version of Buffy arrives in Sunnydale with her mother and mother's boyfriend and quickly meets the tv characters, but with some modern twists. Willow is out of the closet and dating a girl, Xander is a blogger who writes mainly about how sad and excluded he feels, and Anya runs the Magic Box. Giles and Jenny are Giles and Jenny, and Angel is mostly absent. The villains are ostensibly Spike and Dru, but bare little resemblance to Spike and Dru. Drusilla is commanding and devious, and Spike mostly wants to please her. Also, Robin Wood is in it for some reason. The characterization of the main characters is pretty good, and the art is mostly good (with some unfortunate moments which probably come from the schedule of monthly comics).

It has two major problems that keep me from liking it as much as I could. As with many comics, the pacing is off. It often feels too swiftly paced with the story kind of barreling along without giving enough time for character development. It also has little ability to imitate the passage of time, as it clearly is supposed to happen over the course of about a month, but rarely reads like more than a couple days. The bigger problem though was the plot of the book itself, Like Ultimate Spider-man, this is where it all starts to fall apart. The villains are just kind of there and I never really care about them or what they are doing. That is, until the end of issue #4 when the writer made a really daring choice and the whole thing came together and justified its own existence.

(view spoiler)

If you're going to reboot beloved properties you may as well do more than just retell it but with iphones (which is what all the marketing for this made it look like). So far I am pleasantly surprised by how the writer of this has attempted to do that. I'm cautiously looking forward to the next volume. ...more

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Jul 03, 2019 Katie Florida rated it really liked it

Very fun! True enough to the show to be nostalgic, but new storylines keep even super fans hooked!

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Sep 05, 2019 James DeSantis rated it really liked it

Buffy gets rebooted in time for the remake that's supposed to come out in the next couple of years. WhohoooOOOOOooo!

Actually, I'm just about done with Buffy's comic series that was a continuation of the TV show. While it wasn't always great (Fuck you 2nd half of season 8) it did have some great moments (season 10-11). This is a complete reboot. The first issue even feels a lot like the TV shows first few episodes, but quicker paced, but hitting same notes. Notable changes like makin ...more

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Aug 05, 2019 Aubrey rated it it was amazing

You know, once a story is told and told well, I tend to err on the side of...why tell it again? Not another reboot, please. Even the Buffy addict that I am, I wanted it just left alone, as the classic I feel it is.

Yet here I find myself, having finished this first volume and ... I fucking loved it! The idea is a more 'modern' take on Buffy, which leads to new directions in storytelling and character development. It's still the same characters but the scene is set a bit differently, and it just ...more

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Sep 29, 2019 Robert rated it it was ok

Shelves: comics-graphics, 2019-20-season

Reboot? Update? Cash-grab? All of the above? In any case a disappointing mash up of familiar and alternative with nothing new to say. It might get better in another volume if there is one?

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Jun 04, 2019 Kris - My Novelesque Life rated it really liked it

Shelves: graphic-novel, young-adult, library-book-borrowed, fiction, based-on-tv-show, paranormal

RATING: 4.5 STARS

I am a huge fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the television series, since it first aired. I have watched the complete season when it first aired, and then when it was released on DVD. I have watched the complete series a few times now, and the first season a few more than that. I watched Angel because I had Buffy withdrawals, and I collect any books and collectables that I can find and afford. However, I don't attend any events, buy expensive collectables or know Buf ...more

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Jun 04, 2019 Isabelle (the Book Dutchesses) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: diverse-read, ya, series, 2019-release, fantasy, read-in-english, own-read, graphic-novel-comic, kickass-heroine, supernatural

This new Buffy comic was only just released and I'm happy I preordered it! I didn't grow up with Buffy but watched the first season last year, and I do really plan on watching the rest. The new comic has the feeling of the show and most of the characters you know and love, but it's also fresh and more up to date. There are some minor detail changes, Willow has a girlfriend now. But in my opinion it's still the Buffy you know and love.

If you're new to the world of Buffy I think this f ...more

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May 23, 2019 Mike Jozic rated it liked it

Shelves: graphic-novels, science-fiction-fantasy, action-adventure, horror, thriller-suspense

I really like the idea behind this relaunch and I am genuinely curious to see where it goes, hoever, the pacing leaves something to be desired which is unusual for me to say since I am not a fan of the deconstructionist style of storytelling that drags stories on for several issues beyond their best before date.

Here, though, things do feel a little rushed. Characters just sort of fall into a place and rhythm that doesn't quite feel as earned as I would like. The plot also moves and s ...more

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Apr 20, 2019 Margaret Robbins rated it really liked it

I read this book in individual issues as they came out, as I'm trying to do more of that rather than buy the books. I think it better supports the comics industry. Overall, I am enjoying the series so far. I was skeptical at first, as I loved the original movie, TV series, and comics so much and was hesitant to have the story changed for me. Plus, as a late 90s teen myself, part of why the series was meaningful to me was the portrayal of 90s music and culture. But I decided to go into the series ...more

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Jul 20, 2019 Samantha rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, comics-graphic-novels, vampires-witches-fairies

ok, so this is the updated comic reboot of buffy, not to be confused with the upcoming updated tv reboot of buffy.

basically 20th century fox (?) obtained the license and boom studios is a comic book franchise under them, so now boom has the license. joss whedon was apparently an advisor.

so there are three main chunks of the comics - I mean, you can divide them different ways. if you divide by who has the license, it's IDW, dark horse, and now boom! studios. I divide them by - adjunct comics pr ...more

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