One Final Incredible Adventure: Reviewing ‘The Vampire Slayer’ #16

The content of a story’s journey is more important than its length. The Vampire Slayer has been quite the journey and with the latest issue that journey has ended, in the most fitting way for this series.

Since the beginning, the series has presented a version of Buffy familiar and different at the same time. One of the best choices made was setting this in a world that shared major DNA with the television series. All the different came from changes to origins, relationships, orientations, how and when characters came to be, and a modernization of the story.

Drusilla’s plan almost comes to fruition, to use the slayers to open a portal to Hell. They fight back, and things go wrong for a bit, but baby crab rises and saves the one that raised them and loves them: Xander. All the action and villain stuff are great, but it’s the delicious shell that covers the even more delicious chocolate within. That chocolate is the overall amazing character work that Sarah Gailey has been putting in since the first issue.

Buffy, as a series, was about monsters and such but was truly about high school/life and the issues we deal with. Many of the monsters of the week represented some emotion, trauma, or situation that is common for adolescence and life. While there weren’t really monsters of the week in this run, the overall sentiment still stands.

Gailey masterfully dealt with traumas, toxic relationships, loneliness/depression, loss of purpose, temptation, new love, betrayal and so much more in these 16 issues. Every single one felt like it was longer and bigger than it was. That’s because they are a fantastic writer, and I will happily read anything they write. I read and reviewed Eat The Rich before this series, and this fall I’ll be reading and reviewing their jump to Marvel with White Widow.

As progressive as the TV series was seen to be, this comic blows that out of the water. By moving everything even further ahead. Not only do we get Tara and Willow by the end, but Xander and Spike are a thing and there are even some little hints before it’s over about Buffy and Faith. It’s not just relationships either. They tackle so much to do with how these characters would feel and give weight and delicate care to these serious feelings.

Kath Lobo and Roberta Ingranata continue to provide the same gorgeous artwork they did in the previous issue to close out the series. Lea Caballero brings some ink assists to Lobo’s work.

Both artists have distinctive styles that are easy to tell apart yet are compatible in a way that makes them flow. There is a smoothness and a roughness that sets them apart but it’s a change that fits with the story. Shared artist stories work best in this capacity, imo, because it’s not jarring and creates a flowing collaboration. Wildly varying artwork doesn’t necessarily sink a book or make for a bad collaboration, but the jump can often be jarring (except for when it’s perfectly planned).

Every character and setting feels like it has depth and weight when they want it to. When needed they are easily able to pull back and change the focus and wipe the details/depth to hone that focus. They dance between the light and the dark to bring us this world that straddles that line of light and dark. Just enough fun whimsical energy exists to make sure we’re not consumed by the darkness.

Colors are a complement to artwork, and often a bridge. Valentina Pinto and Ricardo Giardina, who assists, have been helping color this book all along. Flowing through the various artist styles that have created these issues. Slipping through heavier, rougher, lighter, and smoother tones at the drop of a hat. Bringing in toned-down palettes or more vibrant powerful ones as necessary.

A keen eye for creating natural realistic feeling light has helped greatly. These spaces feel more real because of that. Depth and weight help ground space but creating accurate lighting is the final step for our brains to go “Okay, I feel that” as we gaze at various settings. The darkness feels like actual darkness in most of this issue, just like artificial light feels just the way it should in other spots. It’s their work alongside the other artists that make sure this remains an immersive experience and a world that we want to keep visiting.

Another figure that helps keep this book feeling the same and great is Ed Dukeshire, the go-to figure for lettering in so many Buffy/BOOM! Books. While the other art creates the overall visual experience, it’s the lettering that brings story and visuals together in a perfect marriage. Creating voices and personalities on the page in a way that we can consume and ‘hear’ as we move forward. Distinct bits and pieces that allow the character’s words or various captions to feel right.

Not only that but the more varied things a letterer does with their work, the more fun a story becomes. Things like the way that vampires’ bubbles change as they speak in vampire mode or colors added to dialogue or even SFX that pops up. Here we even have the little boxes with the countdown that are so present and, in the moment, and unique in appearance. Stark red with white and black mixed in makes things feel even more dire than they already do.

I’ll miss this title and this world every single month. Yet, I’m happy we got to go on this journey, even if it has ended.

The Vampire Slayer #16 is now available from BOOM! Studios.