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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Ring of Fire (tpb)
Book Released: 2000
Posted 09 Oct 2007
Writer: Doug Petrie
Artist: Ryan Sook
Letters: Clem Robin
Colors: Dave Stewart
Publisher: Dark Horse
4.00 out of 5 Stars
Reviewed by Sara Kowalczyk
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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.”
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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!
—CCdC—
Cover image used without explicit permission in accordance with the "Fair Use" provision of US copyright law.
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