However, what aout those who did not watch the Buffy series? For some reason I managed to never actually see the show at all. I know the basics: a cute girl with hot friends kills vampires. Willow's a lesbian and Buffy's hometown of Sunnydale got destroyed. That's about it really. So how does the book stand up for someone who isn't already a fan? Lets find out!

It's pretty obvious from the offset that a lot has changed in this world. There had previously always been only one Slayer, but now there are 1,800 spread out all over the world. Buffy is essentially their leader and trainer after having been the catalyst for a huge change in the world. I'm not sure why the world needs so many Slayers, but it's safe to assume that t means that some major ass-kicking is going to go down soon so I'm totally sold on the concept. In issue 1, Buffy leads a small SWAT team into some sort of church that has been attacked by demons. Inside, she comes across a mystery in the form of a strange symbol that one of the church/cult members had carved into his own chest. Uncovering the secret behind this symbol will help the team figure out exactly what is going on.

Meanwhile, there are some other things gong on that I'm sure would make more sense to those of you who watched the tv show. Some guy named Xander runs a huge technologically advanced group that helps Buffy out, while the feds make a discovery in the remains of Sunnydale. Also, Dawn's a giant and Willow is gone. This all makes me wish that there had been a story synopsis on page 1 to help us newbies catch up on things. However, the show was so popular that it's reasonable to cater to it's fans who might be reading a comic for the very first time as opposed to the other way around.

The government blames Buffy for the destruction of Sunnydale and wants her dead. There is a scene where Buffy's Slayers are compared to terrorist cells, and that simple comparison brought the book to a new level. Another mention of how people kill in the name of religion strengthens that element. We are dealing with vampires and demons and magic, but this is the real world, which can be even more scary than whatever Buffy might come across. This, along with a few Star Wars and comic book references to make geeks like me feel at home go a long way to draw the non-Buffy fans into the story. We've established that Buffy fans should be reading this, but even if you don't know anything about the Buffy universe, comic readers do know about terrorists and shady government military factions. Lets get real here though...comic fans...its a massive team of hot chicks fighting demons...you KNOW you want to read this book!

Speaking of hot chicks, the most important element of the art would have to be the rendering of the cast. While in the first few pages of issue one artist Georges Jeanty didn't quite have Buffy's look down, about midway through he began to develop her features to look more like Buffy actress Sarah Michelle Gellar. There's some great renderings of her eyes and facial expressions as well. It's not often that I will stop reading a comic to look at the pictures, but Jeanty's renderings are often so engaging, especially in the quiet scenes, that I felt compelled to linger for awhile before turning the page. Also, while it may have taken a few pages to capture the main character's look, he nails the surprise guest stars perfectly. His art is clean and not overbearing, which is important since you are drawing to appeal to non-comic readers. The demons look cool and the story flows well. Jeanty gives it a nice cross-mix of superheroic adventure with real world anatomy and physicality. A lesser artist could have either taken the book into the more comfortable territory of bulging biceps and barely there clothing, or made too much of an attempt to look indie. Buffy is perfectly balanced between the two. Kudos!

For me the most important aspect of this is the story. What threat are the Slayers training for? How will they fight that threat AND the US military? What does that weird symbol mean and what will it's ramifications be when the secret is revealed? What role will Buffy's tv friends play in her future? These are all questions that will keep me tuned in once a month for the latest issue/episode. Whedon has a knack for mixing paranormal action with personal drama while keeping the dialogue natural. He also knows when to lighten the mood with a well placed one liner. His excellent work on Astonishing X-Men has earned him the devotion of a legion of comic fans in addition to the fans of his tv series and movies. In other words, this book should be selling like crazy. Issue's 1 and 2 are in comic shops and on newstands now, and issue 3 will be released on May 2. I reccomend this book to comic fans who like some horror and magic with their superhero action, and I STRONGLY reccomend this to any and all fans of the Buffy tv show. You definitely need to pick this up!