a selection of reviews from our database
|
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Ring of Fire (tpb) Book Released: 2000 Writer: Doug Petrie
Reviewed by Sara Kowalczyk |
 |
Think you can only watch Buffy fight the bad guys on DVD? Think again! Doug Petrie, writer from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS) series teams up with artist Ryan Sook to deliver a great story in his first-ever graphic novel, “Ring of Fire.”
Angel has returned to his killer ways. He murders Jenny Calendar, Giles’ girlfriend, then joins forces with Spike and Dru, two no-good, vicious vampires. Together they plan to resurrect Kelgor, a demon samurai, to wreak havoc not just on Sunnydale but on the entire world.
“Doug Petrie dishes out a new perspective on a familiar cast of characters.” |
Angel and Dru keep Buffy busy while Spike follows Xander, Willow, and Oz into Kelgor’s tomb. Willow tries to conjure a protection spell to prevent anyone from lighting the ring of fire. Unfortunately she’s too late. Spike lights the ring and Kelgor’s corpse is summoned back to life.
Buffy and her friends discover that Kelgor may not be the only one they have to slay. Next to Kelgor’s tomb are seven graves for seven samurai. If the vampires dig them up and cast a certain spell, the power of the demonic samurai will be theirs.
Buffy and the gang try to crash the bloodsuckers’ party; ultimately, Kelgor is too powerful for them. Buffy decides to play it safe and get her friends out of there. Everyone makes it out alive — everyone except for Giles. No one knows where he is (he goes off to recite an incantation to resurrect Jenny, but she will not allow him to bring her back from the dead).
After grabbing some heavy artillery, Buffy and her pals meet up with Angel, Spike, and Dru at the Sunnydale Town Fair. While Kendra and Dru face off, Buffy aims her bowstaff at Kelgor, but Angel interrupts her shot. He’s determined to take on the slayer. At the same moment, Giles returns to assist Willow in channeling her witch powers. With Willow’s magic, Buffy hits her target. Sunnydale is once again rescued from evil.
I really liked “Ring of Fire” and not just because it’s set during one of my favorite seasons of BtVS (Season Two). I’m very impressed with the artist, Ryan Sook. I thought he did an amazing job. He totally nailed the facial features of the TV stars. I mean it! Buffy Summers really looks like Sarah Michelle Gellar. I also liked his stylized Japanese work on the chapters, especially the first chapter, “The Rising.” The layout is cool too. I love the page that has Angel watching Giles through the leaves of a tree. There’s no dialog on it, just beautiful art. It looks like a still from the show.
I think Doug Petrie does an awesome job of recreating the dialog between the characters. On the show, Buffy and her friends speak to each other in a way that’s kind of hard to describe without playing an actual clip from the series. However, I swear, Petrie completely matches the individual personalities of the actors on the show to the characters in the book. For example, Xander is famous for his wisecracks and sarcasm, and Petrie has him use both in the book.
I did some research on the BtVS comics and discovered that I’m not the only fan to have problems with them. One thing that bothers me about “Ring of Fire” is that it doesn’t follow the same order as the show. For instance, Willow is identified as being a witch. But any BtVS fan will tell you that Willow doesn’t use any sort of witchcraft until the very end of “Becoming: Part 2,” during the finale of Season Two, and even then her witch status is debatable.
Also, it’s a little strange to follow a different story line when you know the BtVS episodes by heart. In the end, I admit I enjoyed Petrie’s original direction. I think he dishes out a new perspective on a familiar cast of characters.
As you can tell I am a huge BtVS fan. But I think there’s
more to it than just watching the undead turn to dust. Joss Whedon’s
quote, “The very first mission statement of the show [is] the joy of
female power: having it, using it, sharing it” epitomizes how I feel.
When you think about it, a 5’3 teenager beating the crap out of every
demon, monster, or beast that tries to stand in her way is pretty
cool. Buffy’s a girl who’s not afraid to break a nail. And she totally
knows how to annihilate her enemies while keeping her hair in place.
She may look small and sweet but Buffy packs a punch. Bad guys beware!