BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: RING OF FIRE
March 24th 2009 01:21
Category: Graphic Novels/Comics
Based on the television series created by: Joss Whedon
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Production Team: Doug Petrie – story, Ryan Sook – art, Tim Goodyear – inking assist, Dave Stewart – cover & colours & Clem Robins – letters.
Cost: AU $14.95/$US 9.95
You know I never ever thought I would become enamoured of a television show like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, especially after having seen the original movie and thinking to myself that it had some potential but I couldn’t see it becoming a major hit on the small screen. My feelings when I first heard about this TV show was that it might last a season, if that, just goes to show how wrong someone can be. Bit like one of my uncles watching the Beatles on the idiot box for the first time when they were initially starting out and saying – they’ll never be anything. Granted things have moved on and there is no more Buffy action on the television, other than re runs of the old series that have passed or of the various spin offs – Angle etc. In fact where Buffy still seems to be going strong is in the comic book scene. As with Star Wars Dark Horse have picked up this particular franchise and run with it, bringing the Slayer, her friends, her foes and the ‘quaint’ California township of Sunnydale to the world of the printed page.
For those of you who are not au fait with the Slayer and her adventurers I’ll give you a brief rundown on the whole shtick. Ok so in every single generation there is born one girl, and it is always a girl, who has the strength and ability to fight the vampires who prey upon the average Joe, that girl is known as the Slayer and it is her destiny to slay vampires. Usually the Slayer is often trained by a watcher, a member of an ancient order whose main role is to watch who is the Slayer in any given generation and train her in various combat and survival techniques. That’s the rundown on the Slayer, now Sunnydale looks and feels like any white picket fenced California town complete with jocks, cheerleaders and the other assorted facets of such community. What a lot of people in the town don’t realise is that their community sits atop the Hellmouth, a literal gateway into the infernal realms and not some kind of really bizarre real estate phenomena.
Now the Hellmouth is a mystic magnet that draws all manner of nasty entities ranging from vampires to zombies to demons and witches. All these various supernatural creatures can sense the power of the Hellmouth and are either consciously or unconsciously drawn to its locale. Naturally if there is a Slayer present in the local area, it’s her duty to take out any potential menaces to the surrounding community, not just vampires and their lackeys. It’s a tough life and one that really works havoc on your wardrobe and social calendar. When he created this character Joss Whedon had taken a rather subversive stance with the whole horror genre, he had wondered what would happen if the blonde bimbo who often ends up getting ripped to shreds by the werewolf, bitten by the vampire, runs screaming from the zombies instead turns out to be the heroine. This role reversal became the whole basis behind the Buffy the Vampire Slayer storyline.
So what’s Ring of Fire all about? Certainly it’s not Buffy having to deal with a bunch of undead Good Old Boys at a Johnny Cash concert, although there are some men in black involved in this story but not the famous singer. Events unfold with a Japanese vessel sailing amidst storm tossed waters on the sea off the California coastline, the vessel in question is the Kobayashi, Trekkies will recognise this name, everyone else will just assume it’s a name fitted for a ship operating out of the Islands of the Rising Sun. Aboard the floundering freighter is a cargo of dread import, although the crew are unaware of its specific nature, they just believe it’s something that they can sell in the US for a hefty sum. Unfortunately there are those who want this item for the carnage and chaos that it will cause and they are willing to use any means necessary to gain this particular item, the samurai armour of the Demon Kelgor.
Known to have caused much woe and carnage in the lands of Japan in the early sixteenth century Kelgor was eventually defeated, his body for reasons of plot contrivance was buried in Sunnydale whilst his samurai armour was left behind in Japan. Should the two ever be reunited then all hell will break loose and Kelgor will once again bring woe and lamentations to all and sundry. What this Oriental juggernaut of mayhem has not counted on is Buffy and Kendra, two Slayers – yes I know earlier on I said that there is only ever one per generation but there are circumstances when this can change, watch the series to find out.
Actually as much as it is all about the horror, the screaming, the carnage and chaos Buffy in both its print and television incarnations is also very much about the coming of age and family themes as well. Giles, the immaculate and oh so British watcher come school librarian is very much a father figure to the young Buffy whilst her team mates in the Scooby gang – Xander, Oz, and Willow are very much like a family as well as being friends, even Kendra is something of a sister as the two both know what their fate is and can empathise with each other. Strangely it is these bonds which makes Buffy something stronger in her fights with all manner of supernatural entities, it makes her go just that extra bit. It also makes for the character to be a little bit more believable in that she is not some stand alone heroine who never at once suffers all the woes, trials and tribulations of an ordinary life. It gives her that human touch.
All in all Ring of Fire is a worthy addition to the Buffy corpus and well worth taking the time out to read. If its your first exposure to the antics of the Slayer and her wacky friends then I also endorse the idea of trying to get hold of the television series, its frequently for sale or can be rented in local video stores.
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Production Team: Doug Petrie – story, Ryan Sook – art, Tim Goodyear – inking assist, Dave Stewart – cover & colours & Clem Robins – letters.
Cost: AU $14.95/$US 9.95
You know I never ever thought I would become enamoured of a television show like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, especially after having seen the original movie and thinking to myself that it had some potential but I couldn’t see it becoming a major hit on the small screen. My feelings when I first heard about this TV show was that it might last a season, if that, just goes to show how wrong someone can be. Bit like one of my uncles watching the Beatles on the idiot box for the first time when they were initially starting out and saying – they’ll never be anything. Granted things have moved on and there is no more Buffy action on the television, other than re runs of the old series that have passed or of the various spin offs – Angle etc. In fact where Buffy still seems to be going strong is in the comic book scene. As with Star Wars Dark Horse have picked up this particular franchise and run with it, bringing the Slayer, her friends, her foes and the ‘quaint’ California township of Sunnydale to the world of the printed page.
So what’s Ring of Fire all about? Certainly it’s not Buffy having to deal with a bunch of undead Good Old Boys at a Johnny Cash concert, although there are some men in black involved in this story but not the famous singer. Events unfold with a Japanese vessel sailing amidst storm tossed waters on the sea off the California coastline, the vessel in question is the Kobayashi, Trekkies will recognise this name, everyone else will just assume it’s a name fitted for a ship operating out of the Islands of the Rising Sun. Aboard the floundering freighter is a cargo of dread import, although the crew are unaware of its specific nature, they just believe it’s something that they can sell in the US for a hefty sum. Unfortunately there are those who want this item for the carnage and chaos that it will cause and they are willing to use any means necessary to gain this particular item, the samurai armour of the Demon Kelgor.
Known to have caused much woe and carnage in the lands of Japan in the early sixteenth century Kelgor was eventually defeated, his body for reasons of plot contrivance was buried in Sunnydale whilst his samurai armour was left behind in Japan. Should the two ever be reunited then all hell will break loose and Kelgor will once again bring woe and lamentations to all and sundry. What this Oriental juggernaut of mayhem has not counted on is Buffy and Kendra, two Slayers – yes I know earlier on I said that there is only ever one per generation but there are circumstances when this can change, watch the series to find out.
Actually as much as it is all about the horror, the screaming, the carnage and chaos Buffy in both its print and television incarnations is also very much about the coming of age and family themes as well. Giles, the immaculate and oh so British watcher come school librarian is very much a father figure to the young Buffy whilst her team mates in the Scooby gang – Xander, Oz, and Willow are very much like a family as well as being friends, even Kendra is something of a sister as the two both know what their fate is and can empathise with each other. Strangely it is these bonds which makes Buffy something stronger in her fights with all manner of supernatural entities, it makes her go just that extra bit. It also makes for the character to be a little bit more believable in that she is not some stand alone heroine who never at once suffers all the woes, trials and tribulations of an ordinary life. It gives her that human touch.
All in all Ring of Fire is a worthy addition to the Buffy corpus and well worth taking the time out to read. If its your first exposure to the antics of the Slayer and her wacky friends then I also endorse the idea of trying to get hold of the television series, its frequently for sale or can be rented in local video stores.
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