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Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Vol. 1: High School Is Hell
(Buffy the Vampire Slayer #1-4)
by
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 tasked w ...more
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 tasked w ...more
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Paperback, 128 pages
Published
May 28th 2019
by BOOM! Studios
(first published May 7th 2019)
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Shelli
Not until after all of the next 4 issues are published.
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Vol. 1: High School Is Hell

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
...more

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, reimagining it for tod ...more
So Boom blew up the Buffyverse and started over, reimagining it for tod ...more

I ran across this book at the library last week, and of course I checked it out. I didn't really need an updated version of Buffy, as 1997-2004 doesn't seem all that long ago to me, but I did thoroughly enjoy it. It has mostly the same characters (Willow, Giles, Xander, Joyce, Cordelia, Spike et al.), only a bit different, and some new ones. Willow is already an out lesbian, and Cordelia is nice as well as popular. It looks like a fun series, and I'll look for future volumes as they become avail
...more

7.71/10
I loved all of the references to the show, you can tell it comes from a place of love, and it's exciting to revisit those characters with a fresh spin on their stories.
...more
I loved all of the references to the show, you can tell it comes from a place of love, and it's exciting to revisit those characters with a fresh spin on their stories.
...more

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. ...more
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. ...more

★★★★★ — 5 Stars!

I really wanted to love this. I consider Buffy to be one of my all-time favorite TV series, so I was interested in a modern reboot and what it would do. There are some things that really work in it, and others that really don't.
I love the art, for the most part. While I love the cringey 90s fashion of the show, it was nice to see the characters styled differently. I loved seeing all of the cover variants at the back. For the most part, the characters look like the actors that portrayed them, but ...more
I love the art, for the most part. While I love the cringey 90s fashion of the show, it was nice to see the characters styled differently. I loved seeing all of the cover variants at the back. For the most part, the characters look like the actors that portrayed them, but ...more

"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 ...more

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 its not someth ...more
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 its not someth ...more

Dec 23, 2020
Alexander Peterhans
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
as-single-issues
The tone is there, most of the characters approximate their TV version's likenesses (except Anya and Drusilla, for some reason.. oh and Joyce, but that bothers me less, for some other reason).
It feels a bit short for a volume/arc, nothing gets the chance to breathe. ...more
It feels a bit short for a volume/arc, nothing gets the chance to breathe. ...more

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
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

Jun 07, 2019
Holly (The Grimdragon)
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
graphic-comics,
the-infinite-library
There will never be another show like Buffy. Ever. I honestly cannot put into coherent words what this show means to me!
It makes me laugh and cry in equal measure. I vividly recall when it first aired and how smitten I was immediately! I was all - FINALLY! MY PEOPLE!!! It was the first thing I had ever seen that shared a similar sense of humor as myself. It also showed me that I could be a kind, passionate individual and still be a total badass! That I didn't have to fit any one mold as a woman. ...more
It makes me laugh and cry in equal measure. I vividly recall when it first aired and how smitten I was immediately! I was all - FINALLY! MY PEOPLE!!! It was the first thing I had ever seen that shared a similar sense of humor as myself. It also showed me that I could be a kind, passionate individual and still be a total badass! That I didn't have to fit any one mold as a woman. ...more

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
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

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.
...more

"Being strong is a challenge but being
vulnerable...feels impossible."
High School is Hell is the first volume in a new Buffy graphic novel series. I was a little uncertain about how I was going to feel about it, but this is a great update to BTVS, and I thought it worked really well. The only thing I wasn't wild about was nice Cordelia, but we'll see how that goes. I feel like they still stayed true to the heart of BTVS, but just made it fit into 2019 a little bit better. I'm looking forward to ...more
vulnerable...feels impossible."
High School is Hell is the first volume in a new Buffy graphic novel series. I was a little uncertain about how I was going to feel about it, but this is a great update to BTVS, and I thought it worked really well. The only thing I wasn't wild about was nice Cordelia, but we'll see how that goes. I feel like they still stayed true to the heart of BTVS, but just made it fit into 2019 a little bit better. I'm looking forward to ...more

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.
...more

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!!!!
...more

I can't do buffy as a comic
...more

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

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.
...more

This Graphic Novel Completely slays!
I loved BTVS and haven't watched it in a long time. I forgot how much I missed these characters.
The artwork is beautiful and the writing is funny and clever.
Highly reccomend. I will be buying more in this series, and probably rewatching Buffy soon!! ...more
I loved BTVS and haven't watched it in a long time. I forgot how much I missed these characters.
The artwork is beautiful and the writing is funny and clever.
Highly reccomend. I will be buying more in this series, and probably rewatching Buffy soon!! ...more

Aug 13, 2019
Shelli
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
not necessarily only current Buffy fans
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
...more

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 Cordelia, the ch ...more
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 Cordelia, the ch ...more

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 making Willow ga ...more
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 making Willow ga ...more
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Jordie Bellaire is an American comic book colorist and writter who lives in Ireland and works for DC, Marvel, Valiant, and Image comic book publishers. She has colored Pretty Deadly, The Manhattan Projects, Moon Knight, The Vision, Magneto, Nowhere Men, Hawkeye, Batman, among other titles. As a writer, her most famous works are Redlands and the reboot of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
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Bellaire is credit ...more
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