 There's a line between writing for a living and writing because you're a writer that's about the size of the Grand Canyon. To be fair, these things are only ever this obvious when you have a comparison. Unfortunately for Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Haunted, it comes just after I've read The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Allan Moore, and therefore is the literary equivalent of sitting on a train after spending two and a half hours at a Kiss show.
But that's not all; my interest in Buffy as a character died completely when I discovered Charmed, which looks better, is better written and has vastly superior characters and three genuinely knockout girls, as opposed to just one who got lucky.
With that out in the open . . . what about the book? Well, there's no faulting the artwork - some of it is actually quite superb. Then again, there's no faulting the story either - it comes on, it tells its tale and (shock, horror) has a beginning a middle and an end.
Haunted picks up straight form the end of the season three finale. The ghost of Sunnydale's former mayor has gone caustic on her, she can't get shot of her nightmares and to top it all, she has a poltergeist stalker. Tough life, huh? Casual fans may even be pulled into the book by the first and only appearance of Faith in a comic book.
Haunted will work for a lot of people because ultimately a lot of people have very low expectations, but I'll tell you what's wrong with it. The Who's Roger Daltrey recently said of the Pop Stars TV shows that "You can't manufacture chemistry." Bang on. I know everything in life can't be a 1977 Kiss show, but it would be nice if people would occasionally aim for something similar instead of just aiming to get through the day. At the end of that particular day, Jane Espenson is writing because its her job. Allan Moore writes because its his calling. Well, them's the breaks kids. Buffy is dead, Long live the Charmed ones. Did you get all that. Were you listening? :: Sion Smith |
