Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus, Volume 1

By Brian Miller
September 19, 2007

Thanks in part to the release of the Serenity Collector's Edition DVD, I found myself on a bit of a Joss Whedon binge... and I guess that's one of the major reasons why I decided to take a look at Dark Horse's Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus, Volume 1 this month. Now, I know there are some who would throw various kinds of rotting vegetables at me for this next bit, but I've never actually seen an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It's on my list of things to do, I just haven't gotten around to it yet. Regardless, there's a note on the title page that reads: "These stories take place before Buffy the Vampire Slayer's first season." Rock on, I figured. I'm golden.

Volume 1 serves as a "Buffy: Year One", of sorts, chronicling Buffy's early adventures as the chosen 'Slayer'. Some of the notable tales include Buffy's origin, a faithful adaptation of Joss Whedon's original feature screenplay, Dawn & Hoopy the Bear, and an account of the teenage slayer's brief stay in a mental institution. While this collection may appeal to fans of the series, it didn't really do much for a newcomer like myself. That's not to say, however, that the book is without its charms. Let's go through the book, play by play, shall we?

All's Fair
Writer: Christopher Golden
Artist: Eric Powell

"All's Fair" kicks off Volume 1 - a brief one shot about Spike and Dru causing terror at the 1933 World's Fair. In the middle of their spree, they come across a scientist who is attempting to get funding for his machine that grants the ability to cross dimensions. All hell breaks loose and insanity ensues. Overall, this story is a waste of time, and doesn't really appear to be doing anything for anybody. The story isn't very intriguing, the dialogue is wretched, and, considering I found myself confused about what was going on more than once, calling the art mediocre is a compliment. Yeah, by the time the Cthulu type creature starts flying out of the scientist's machine, you'll be skipping pages on this one too. Better yet, just skip this one entirely.

Buffy: The Origin
Writers: Dan Brereton & Christopher Golden
Artist: Joe Bennett

"The Origin" is an adaptation of Joss Whedon's original screenplay for the 1992 film, adjusting it to fit the series' canon. It's considered to be a more faithful version of the original story: valley girl freshman cheerleader, Buffy Summers, is approached by the 'Watcher', Merrick, and told that she has been chosen as her generation's vampire slayer and must... you know... slay vampires. From there, she teams up with slacker Oliver Pike to take down the evil vampire lord, Lothos, burning down the school gymnasium in the process. While this story is relatively solid and has some good intentions, the pacing is so fast that it's hard to really get a grip on what's going on... or care about any of the characters. The story, on the other hand, is one of the better ones of the collection and much better than the film.

Viva Las Buffy!
Writers: Scott Lobdell & Fabian Nicieza
Artist: Cliff Richards

After burning down the gymnasium in the previous chapter, Buffy and Pike run away to Las Vegas in "Viva Las Buffy!" There, they find themselves fighting more dead things at a vampire-run casino. The ordeal forces Pike to make a decision about the future of his relationship with Buffy for both of their safeties. We also see the first appearance of the mysterious Angel, the vampire with a soul. This story could have been more solid, if it wasn't so bogged down in expositional dialogue and if Angel's storyline actually... you know... made sense. Aside from Pike's amusing narration, I can't help but give this story another "Who Cares?" stamp.

Dawn & Hoopy the Bear
Writer & Artist: Paul Lee

"Dawn & Hoopy the Bear" is probably the most amusing story in the entire collection. A demon arranges to have Buffy destroyed by sending her a possessed teddy bear that feeds on her desires. Unfortunately, the bear is mistakenly delivered to Buffy's younger sister Dawn. The bear comes to life when no one is watching, doing whatever Dawn wishes for the most... leading to all sorts of trouble. This bit is clearly only for entertainment value, and succeeds on that end. The art is fine, the story is solid, and there ain't much more to say.

Slayer, Interrupted
Writers: Scott Lobdell & Fabian Nicieza
Artist: Cliff Richards

In the final story, "Slayer, Interrupted", Buffy arrives home from Las Vegas only to be admitted into a mental institution shortly thereafter. Here, she is convinced that the 'Slayer' is only a figment of her imagination, and actually manages to find some peace and quiet for the first time in awhile. As one would assume, there is of course a demon at work behind her treatment and Buffy is forced to make a choice: rest comfortably, believing that she is just a normal (though insane) teenager, or finally accept her destiny as the 'Slayer'. Aside from some cheesy one-liners in the final battle scene, this is one of the better written stories of the collection. It's the first time in the book that we see a real arc for Buffy, and believe in her as a character. This story was great stuff. It ends the book on a nice note, and leads into the first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer beautifully.

Like I said earlier, this book is really for the die hard Buffy fan, and I can't imagine it doing much for those of us who haven't checked out the show. The book is not without its charms and fun moments, but as far as I'm concerned, it's just not worth your money. It hasn't discouraged me from checking out the TV show, but I don't expect to be picking up Omnibus, Volume 2 any time soon.

Publisher: Dark Horse
Writers: Christopher Golden, Dan Brereton, Scott Lobdell, Fabian Nicieza, and Paul Lee
Artists: Eric Powell, Joe Bennett, Cliff Richards, and Paul Lee