Welcome (Back) to the Hellmouth

In 1997 a smartass blonde high school student discovered she was the chosen one. To her dismay that meant a life of running stakes through the hearts of the undead. Ten years later Buffy the Vampire Slayer continues to influence pop culture and the tough, female power characters of Lost and Veronica Mars all owe a debt of gratitude to Josh Whedon’s characters.

Though the show was cancelled in 2003 after seven seasons, Buffy is proving as immortal as those she battled. Originating as a feature film then morphing into a TV show, season eight of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is returning again, this time in comic form – available this Tuesday. Whedon himself will be writing the first five issues and will keep watch over the whole run. My friend Nikki Stafford, who convinced me to watch the show despite the ridiculous name, has a great piece in this weekend’s Star talking about the impact of the show and what has kept it in the mind of fans and the creators of other shows. She knows of what she speaks and looks exactly like the picture on the left (as far as you know).

I’m interested enough to check out an issue, and I haven’t picked up a comic book in years. Not a graphic novel, nothing. I’ve been more of a fan of comic strips and even as a kid I was more likely to read Richie Rich than any superhero issue, caped or otherwise. What’s been interesting over the past few years is the amount of comic books that have appeared in both film and TV. The Matrix, X-Men, Hulk, Spider-Man, Sin City, Heroes and 300 – the list is considerable. Because of it I feel like I have a considerable grounding in the style and ethos of comics and even find myself opining on what the best interpretations of comics on film have been. I’ve also come to appreciate the unique artistic visions presented by comics and the on-screen adaptations so perhaps this might be the reason to give comics another try after all these years.

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