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The Long Way Home (Buffy comic)
Encyclopedia
"The Long Way Home" is the first arc from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight
series of comic books, a direct continuation of the television series of the same name. It is written by creator Joss Whedon
. It ran for four issues. The first issue was released on March 14, 2007, and the final issue of the arc was released on June 6, 2007. A collected edition of the arc was released on November 14, 2007.
is leading a squad of Slayers--including three named Leah, Rowena, and Satsu--in a raid on a large, dilapidated church protected by a forcefield. She reveals that there are at least 1800 Slayers now active, 500 of whom are working with the Scooby Gang spread over ten squads. There are two Slayers posing as decoys of herself lest she become an easy target; one literally underground and another in Rome
publicly partying and dating the Immortal. Working with Xander
, who is running things at Slayer headquarters in Scotland
(Buffy refers to him as a Watcher despite his objections) with a team of computer workers, psychics and mystics, including a Slayer named Renee, Buffy and her squad find three monstrous demons. There are also three dead humans.
The demons are killed in battle. The humans have odd symbols carved in their chest and there are nearby automatic weapons. Buffy tells Xander to send a copy of the symbol to Giles
, when another Slayer finds the machine that generated the force field, also presumably belonging to the victims. There is a shadowed spy nearby.
In Sunnydale
, General Voll of the United States Army
surveys the crater left after the collapse of the Hellmouth, calling the Slayers a threat to the United States government
and likening their squads to terrorist cells. A government expedition
is being led sixty feet under the Hellmouth, but is cut short when one of the exploratory members encounters something.
Buffy takes a break from studying the symbol to talk to Dawn. She is now giant-size; the others believe it was because her ex-boyfriend is a 'Thricewise' but Dawn remains quiet on the topic. The two have been feuding since the destruction of Sunnydale. It is revealed the government is working with Amy Madison
who wants to destroy the Slayers. Amy has an ally that Voll has captured.
is outside with a group of Slayers. He tries to go with a lecture on combat techniques but is distracted with talk of Lando Calrissian
.
Xander wonders if Dawn has made herself giant sized to gain attention from her sister; Dawn splashes Xander in return. Elsewhere, General Voll and his assistant discuss possible plans to destroy Buffy and her Slayers, from Amy Madison
to a nuclear bomb. It's revealed Voll has the same symbol as the victims Buffy found earlier.
Buffy has a sexual dream concerning Xander, which segues into a demon crucifying her. Amy Madison
tries to kill Buffy, but fails and is trapped inside the castle by magic. However, she succeeds in cursing her with a sleeping spell that can only be lifted by the kiss
of true love
; later established to be simply one who loves Buffy.
Renee and another Slayer discuss the attraction the former is developing for Xander. Then kilted zombies attack, summoned by Amy. As the Slayers fight the zombies, both sides taking casualties, Buffy is visited in her dreams by a mysterious figure. Willow Rosenberg
appears to force Amy to stop the zombies.
, a former friend of Giles and chaos-worshipping sorcerer. He reveals that they are trapped within Buffy's dreamspace, the conglomeration of all of a person's possible dreams. Ethan urges Buffy to escape so she can help the battle raging outside. He gives hints about 'Twilight'.
Amy Madison is defeated, but Buffy is still locked in a coma. Only a kiss from someone who loves her can free her. Willow commands all surrounding her to close their eyes. They do and someone kisses Buffy. She awakens with the cry of "Cinnamon Buns!".
Giles contacts a demon of the same breed as those killed in Part 1, asking for information about the symbol found on the bodies. The demon insists that the symbol is meaningless to his kind. Xander warns Andrew and comforts Renee.
Despite being subdued, Amy's magics transport Buffy and Willow to an Army base; it is revealed Amy has allied herself with Warren Mears
.
Buffy has made it back to Scotland. Her mystical allies will only be able to transport two back to the Army base. Buffy chooses Satsu and borrows her cinnamon lip gloss.
When the portal is opened, Voll has already set up a high powered energy cannon to blast anyone on the other side of the wormhole. Fortunately for Buffy, Xander had already taken the necessary precautions by rigging a large mirror to reflect the energy blast back through the portal, destroying the cannon and leaving Voll's squad badly damaged and uncoordinated. Buffy and Satsu then appear through the opening. Slayer Scythe in hand and Satsu at her side, Buffy takes on the entire squad, mortally wounding many. This gives her the perfect leverage for the location of her friend, as Willow will be able to heal them.
Willow is being lobotomized but mysterious elemental beings somehow manifest. They warn her that she cannot come back if she dies at Warren's hands. They inspire her to fight back. She goes 'dark' and frees herself. She slowly heals her own injuries. Willow also channels magical energy into Buffy. This and an illusion of Catherine Madison (Amy's body-stealing mother) allows Buffy group to win, at least temporarily.
Buffy learns they are two miles south of Sunnydale. She discovers Voll has slain Ethan Rayne and is a follower of the concept of 'Twilight', the recurring symbol supposedly means the end of the Slayer line. General Voll believes the Slayers will take power because their demonic-origins have will corrupt them.
returns to the series four years after writing the television series' finale. Throughout the issues, he slips references to past episodes in the dialogue. Willow's comment "I'd like to test that theory" was first uttered by Giles in season six
. Amy's reference that Willow attempted to end the world occurred in "Grave
." When Willow's hair turns black, Dawn questions her if she's evil again ("Villains
.") Whedon also adds pop-culture references: Xander and Renee discuss about Nick Fury
, the fictional Marvel Comics
character, who wears an eye patch similar to Xander's.
Like Whedon, Georges Jeanty
references past episodes as well as pop-culture in the artwork. In part 3, Buffy's inner psyche feature images of past characters and events. Such instances include The Master, her mother Joyce Summers
, Angel, Faith
, Caleb, Buffy's doodled notebook ("The Prom
,") Joyce's corpse ("The Body
,") and Buffy, Willow, Xander's high school graduation ("Graduation Day.") One image also features Joss Whedon himself. Finally, when Andrew is playing strip poker
with the Slayers, one of the girls is reading Fray
, the actual graphic miniseries by Joss Whedon comic about a future Slayer. Ironically Buffy later time travels to the future and meets Fray.
Elizabeth Anne Allen
, who portrayed Amy in the television series commented favourably on the story, describing it as "awesome" and commenting that "[Season Six/Seven] was fun.... but I really would have loved to play Amy in Season 8. She is much darker."
Season Eight contradicts and supersedes information given in the paperback novels set after Season Seven, such as Queen of the Slayers
and Dark Congress
, which are described as being set in an unofficial "parallel" continuity.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight is a comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics. The series serves as a canonical continuation of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and follows the events of that show's final televised season. It is produced by Joss Whedon, who wrote the...
series of comic books, a direct continuation of the television series of the same name. It is written by creator Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
. It ran for four issues. The first issue was released on March 14, 2007, and the final issue of the arc was released on June 6, 2007. A collected edition of the arc was released on November 14, 2007.
Part I (Issue #1)
BuffyBuffy Summers
Buffy Summers is a fictional character from Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer before going on to appear in the television series and subsequent comic book of the same name...
is leading a squad of Slayers--including three named Leah, Rowena, and Satsu--in a raid on a large, dilapidated church protected by a forcefield. She reveals that there are at least 1800 Slayers now active, 500 of whom are working with the Scooby Gang spread over ten squads. There are two Slayers posing as decoys of herself lest she become an easy target; one literally underground and another in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
publicly partying and dating the Immortal. Working with Xander
Xander Harris
Alexander LaVelle "Xander" Harris is a fictional character in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as in numerous items in the series Expanded Universe, such as comic books, tie-in novels and video games...
, who is running things at Slayer headquarters in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
(Buffy refers to him as a Watcher despite his objections) with a team of computer workers, psychics and mystics, including a Slayer named Renee, Buffy and her squad find three monstrous demons. There are also three dead humans.
The demons are killed in battle. The humans have odd symbols carved in their chest and there are nearby automatic weapons. Buffy tells Xander to send a copy of the symbol to Giles
Rupert Giles
Rupert Giles is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The character is portrayed by Anthony Stewart Head. He serves as Buffy Summers' mentor and surrogate father figure...
, when another Slayer finds the machine that generated the force field, also presumably belonging to the victims. There is a shadowed spy nearby.
In Sunnydale
Sunnydale
Sunnydale, California is the fictional setting for the U.S. television drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Series creator Joss Whedon conceived the town as a representation of a generic California city, as well as a narrative parody of the all-too-serene towns typical in traditional horror...
, General Voll of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
surveys the crater left after the collapse of the Hellmouth, calling the Slayers a threat to the United States government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
and likening their squads to terrorist cells. A government expedition
Exploration
Exploration is the act of searching or traveling around a terrain for the purpose of discovery of resources or information. Exploration occurs in all non-sessile animal species, including humans...
is being led sixty feet under the Hellmouth, but is cut short when one of the exploratory members encounters something.
Buffy takes a break from studying the symbol to talk to Dawn. She is now giant-size; the others believe it was because her ex-boyfriend is a 'Thricewise' but Dawn remains quiet on the topic. The two have been feuding since the destruction of Sunnydale. It is revealed the government is working with Amy Madison
Amy Madison
Amy Madison is a fictional character, a witch played by Elizabeth Anne Allen in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and by Shay Astar in the Season 8 motion comics. She made appearances in every season of Buffy except Seasons Five .Amy is a witch...
who wants to destroy the Slayers. Amy has an ally that Voll has captured.
Part II (Issue #2)
Giles and Buffy, in different locations, are both disappointed in the fighting techniques of the Slayers they are training. They encourage the groups to use teamwork. Buffy compliments the Slayer Satsu on her skills and hair. In Southern Italy, AndrewAndrew Wells
Andrew Wells is a fictional character in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, played by Tom Lenk. The character also appears in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, the canonical continuation of the series....
is outside with a group of Slayers. He tries to go with a lecture on combat techniques but is distracted with talk of Lando Calrissian
Lando Calrissian
Lando Calrissian is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. He is portrayed by Billy Dee Williams in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi...
.
Xander wonders if Dawn has made herself giant sized to gain attention from her sister; Dawn splashes Xander in return. Elsewhere, General Voll and his assistant discuss possible plans to destroy Buffy and her Slayers, from Amy Madison
Amy Madison
Amy Madison is a fictional character, a witch played by Elizabeth Anne Allen in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and by Shay Astar in the Season 8 motion comics. She made appearances in every season of Buffy except Seasons Five .Amy is a witch...
to a nuclear bomb. It's revealed Voll has the same symbol as the victims Buffy found earlier.
Buffy has a sexual dream concerning Xander, which segues into a demon crucifying her. Amy Madison
Amy Madison
Amy Madison is a fictional character, a witch played by Elizabeth Anne Allen in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and by Shay Astar in the Season 8 motion comics. She made appearances in every season of Buffy except Seasons Five .Amy is a witch...
tries to kill Buffy, but fails and is trapped inside the castle by magic. However, she succeeds in cursing her with a sleeping spell that can only be lifted by the kiss
Kiss
A kiss is the act of pressing one's lips against the lips or other body parts of another person or of an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, affection, respect, greeting, friendship, and good...
of true love
Love
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
; later established to be simply one who loves Buffy.
Renee and another Slayer discuss the attraction the former is developing for Xander. Then kilted zombies attack, summoned by Amy. As the Slayers fight the zombies, both sides taking casualties, Buffy is visited in her dreams by a mysterious figure. Willow Rosenberg
Willow Rosenberg
Willow Rosenberg is a fictional character created for the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . She was developed by Joss Whedon and portrayed throughout the TV series by Alyson Hannigan...
appears to force Amy to stop the zombies.
Part III (Issue #3)
The figure in the duster and red shirt is revealed to be Ethan RayneEthan Rayne
Ethan Rayne is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television program Buffy the Vampire Slayer, portrayed by Robin Sachs.-Character history:...
, a former friend of Giles and chaos-worshipping sorcerer. He reveals that they are trapped within Buffy's dreamspace, the conglomeration of all of a person's possible dreams. Ethan urges Buffy to escape so she can help the battle raging outside. He gives hints about 'Twilight'.
Amy Madison is defeated, but Buffy is still locked in a coma. Only a kiss from someone who loves her can free her. Willow commands all surrounding her to close their eyes. They do and someone kisses Buffy. She awakens with the cry of "Cinnamon Buns!".
Giles contacts a demon of the same breed as those killed in Part 1, asking for information about the symbol found on the bodies. The demon insists that the symbol is meaningless to his kind. Xander warns Andrew and comforts Renee.
Despite being subdued, Amy's magics transport Buffy and Willow to an Army base; it is revealed Amy has allied herself with Warren Mears
Warren Mears
Warren Mears is a fictional character portrayed by Adam Busch in the American television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as its canonical comic book series continuation.-Television:...
.
Part IV (Issue #4)
As he prepares to torture and mutilate Willow, Warren tells how Amy found and rescued him from death, she is now his 'skin'.Buffy has made it back to Scotland. Her mystical allies will only be able to transport two back to the Army base. Buffy chooses Satsu and borrows her cinnamon lip gloss.
When the portal is opened, Voll has already set up a high powered energy cannon to blast anyone on the other side of the wormhole. Fortunately for Buffy, Xander had already taken the necessary precautions by rigging a large mirror to reflect the energy blast back through the portal, destroying the cannon and leaving Voll's squad badly damaged and uncoordinated. Buffy and Satsu then appear through the opening. Slayer Scythe in hand and Satsu at her side, Buffy takes on the entire squad, mortally wounding many. This gives her the perfect leverage for the location of her friend, as Willow will be able to heal them.
Willow is being lobotomized but mysterious elemental beings somehow manifest. They warn her that she cannot come back if she dies at Warren's hands. They inspire her to fight back. She goes 'dark' and frees herself. She slowly heals her own injuries. Willow also channels magical energy into Buffy. This and an illusion of Catherine Madison (Amy's body-stealing mother) allows Buffy group to win, at least temporarily.
Buffy learns they are two miles south of Sunnydale. She discovers Voll has slain Ethan Rayne and is a follower of the concept of 'Twilight', the recurring symbol supposedly means the end of the Slayer line. General Voll believes the Slayers will take power because their demonic-origins have will corrupt them.
Production
Joss WhedonJoss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
returns to the series four years after writing the television series' finale. Throughout the issues, he slips references to past episodes in the dialogue. Willow's comment "I'd like to test that theory" was first uttered by Giles in season six
Two to Go (Buffy episode)
"Two to Go" is the 21st episode of season 6 of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The name of the episode is a reference to the previous one, which ends with Willow saying "One down" after killing Warren...
. Amy's reference that Willow attempted to end the world occurred in "Grave
Grave (Buffy episode)
"Grave" is the sixth season finale of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This episode is the second highest rated Buffy episode ever to air in the U.K., Sky One aired the episode which reached 1.22 million viewers on its original airing....
." When Willow's hair turns black, Dawn questions her if she's evil again ("Villains
Villains (Buffy episode)
"Villains" is the 20th episode of season 6 of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.- Plot summary :An ambulance arrives at the Summers' house to treat the wounded Buffy. Upstairs, the distraught Willow calls upon Osiris to bring the murdered Tara back to life, but the god cannot, because...
.") Whedon also adds pop-culture references: Xander and Renee discuss about Nick Fury
Nick Fury
Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 , a World War II combat series that portrayed the...
, the fictional Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
character, who wears an eye patch similar to Xander's.
Like Whedon, Georges Jeanty
Georges Jeanty
Georges Jeanty is an American comic book penciler best known for his work on The American Way, an eight-issue American comic book limited series produced under DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint, and the Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics.-Early...
references past episodes as well as pop-culture in the artwork. In part 3, Buffy's inner psyche feature images of past characters and events. Such instances include The Master, her mother Joyce Summers
Joyce Summers
Joyce Summers is a fictional character in the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . Played by Kristine Sutherland, Joyce is the mother of the main character, Buffy Summers . Joyce appears regularly from the first episode until the character's death in the fifth season episode "The...
, Angel, Faith
Faith Lehane
Faith is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Played by actress Eliza Dushku in the TV series and by Whitney Thompson in the motion comic series, Faith was introduced in the third season of Buffy and was a focus of that season's...
, Caleb, Buffy's doodled notebook ("The Prom
The Prom (Buffy episode)
"The Prom" is episode 20 in season three of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.-Plot synopsis:Buffy wakes up in Angel's bed at the mansion after the two fell asleep after patrol. Buffy talks a bit about bringing some of her stuff over so every once in a while she could spend the night and...
,") Joyce's corpse ("The Body
The Body (Buffy episode)
"The Body" is the sixteenth episode of the fifth season of the fantasy television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer . It was written and directed by series creator Joss Whedon and originally aired on the WB network in the United States on February 27, 2001...
,") and Buffy, Willow, Xander's high school graduation ("Graduation Day.") One image also features Joss Whedon himself. Finally, when Andrew is playing strip poker
Strip poker
Strip poker is a party game and a variation of the traditional poker where players remove clothing when they lose a round. Any form of poker can be adapted to a strip form; however, it is usually played with simple variants with few betting rounds, like five card draw...
with the Slayers, one of the girls is reading Fray
Fray
Fray is an eight-issue comic book limited series, a futuristic spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Written by Buffy creator Joss Whedon, the series follows a Slayer named Melaka Fray, a chosen one in a time where vampires are returning to the slums of New York City, and the...
, the actual graphic miniseries by Joss Whedon comic about a future Slayer. Ironically Buffy later time travels to the future and meets Fray.
Reception
The resurrection of the series was both a critical and commercial success. Entertainment Weekly was quoted praising that "creator Whedon effectively sucks devotees back into his Hellmouth."Elizabeth Anne Allen
Elizabeth Anne Allen
Elizabeth Anne Allen is an American actress. Allen is best known for her recurring role as the witch Amy Madison on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer....
, who portrayed Amy in the television series commented favourably on the story, describing it as "awesome" and commenting that "[Season Six/Seven] was fun.... but I really would have loved to play Amy in Season 8. She is much darker."
Timing
- Intended to be set after BtVS's seventh season. The story takes place "at least a year and a half" after the events of "ChosenChosen (Buffy episode)"Chosen" is the series finale of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It serves as the 22nd episode of the seventh season, and the 144th episode overall. The episode was written and directed by series creator Joss Whedon and originally aired on UPN on May 20, 2003...
", placing it at its earliest in the latter half of 2004 and after the events of "Not Fade AwayNot Fade Away (Angel episode)"Not Fade Away" is the 22nd and final episode of season 5, and the series finale of the television show Angel. Written by series creator Joss Whedon and directed and co-written by Jeffrey Bell, it was originally broadcast on May 19, 2004 on the WB network...
".
Canonical issues
This series has been described as 'canon' by both Whedon and various commentators. As the creator of Buffy, Joss Whedon's association with Buffyverse story is often linked to how canonical the various stories are. Since Whedon is writing this arc, it will be seen as a continuation of the official continuity established by Buffy and Angel.Season Eight contradicts and supersedes information given in the paperback novels set after Season Seven, such as Queen of the Slayers
Queen of the Slayers
Queen of the Slayers is an original novel based on the American television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.-Plot summary:Following the Hellmouth's closure, hundreds of potential slayers have been awakened. Buffy Summers hoped that overturning the Slayer's self-sacrifice would result in her earning...
and Dark Congress
Dark Congress (Buffy novel)
Dark Congress is an original novel based on the American television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and is written by Christopher Golden.-Plot summary:Golden has revealed some things about the plotline in an interview with Slayerlit:...
, which are described as being set in an unofficial "parallel" continuity.