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Spike: A Dark Place (2013)

by Victor Gischler(Favorite Author)

3.7 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1616551097 (ISBN13: 9781616551094)

languge

English

genre

Paranormal Fantasy

publisher

Dark Horse

review 1: Review for Season 9 of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, Angel & Faith, and Spike.Last year, I read the craziness that was Buffy: The Vampire Slayer Season Eight. The story got a wee bit out of control and got a bit too epic. The story also suffered from wanting to follow about fifteen characters. Luckily, Joss Whedon learned from his mistakes.My favorite change to Season Nine was that several characters received their own books. Buffy had five books, Angel and Faith had five books, and Spike and Willow each had one book too. Breaking up the Buffy-verse make each book tighter and more focused. Season Eight felt a bit scattered with random standalone stories that came out of nowhere. With different characters having their own books, I felt more guaranteed that my Buffy comic was g... moreoing to have Buffy in it.In addition to appreciating breaking up the characters, I loved that Buffy: The Vampire Slayer Season Nine (and the other series) returned to basics. The story focused on how the aftermath of the showdown in the final arc of Season Nine affected Buffy and her Scoobies. Season Nine didn't take us around the world or into different dimensions but that was okay, because the Scooby gang was doing what it does best: fighting vampires and dealing with age-relevant crises. Unlike in Season Eight in which I felt like I was missing important details, because I had forgotten plot lines from the Buffy television show and never finished watching Angel, Season Nine felt more manageable. In Season Nine, I recognized all of the characters immediately, and I understood why events were happening (for the most part). Also, I found these plots to be more relate-able. Buffy and the gang were not only dealing with vampires but also being adults and managing grown-up life stressors. I will admit that I was a bit disappointed that the creative team wimped out on a particular storyline that could have been really fascinating. Besides this one issue though, I did enjoy all of the stories. I know I keep focusing on the Buffy comic; however, my praise goes out to all of the Season Nine books. I am much more of a Buffy fan than an Angel fan, so I did enjoy Buffy more than Angel & Faith. Spike was good as well; however, his tale was only a standalone book. I didn't feel like I got too much out of it besides a fun ride.Overall, I enjoyed Season Nine much more than Season Eight. The writing was tighter and stronger. The characters returned to their inner-Scoobies. I liked seeing my beloved characters stretched and pulled in new ways and meeting new and fun characters (like a new slayer!).
review 2: Like Willow: Wonderland, this was a mini-series I passed on while reading Season 9 of Buffy, opting instead for the trade. This was an odd story -- more science fiction than most of the Buffy oeuvre. The art is decent, though the bugs all look exactly the same, when the story tries to differentiate between them. I don't think Gischler quite captures Spike's voice; it's hard to "hear" James Marsters in the lines. And the story doesn't really contribute anything to the overall Buffy storyline, except sending Spike off for a little (inconsequential) adventure of his own. The only reason I'm giving it three stars is that Spike himself is a pretty interesting character, even in this story. Sketchbook and variant covers included. less

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