Petrie, Doug
AVERAGE REVIEW SCORE:
4 out of 5
(1 book)
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Ring Of Fire
(Art by Ryan Sook and Tim Goodyear)
Set amid Season 2, this book sees Angelus seizing an ancient set of samurai armour in the hopes of resurrecting the demon warrior which once wore it. Buffy and her friends are distracted from their efforts to counter Angelus' plan by the fact that Giles' behaviour has become erratic following the murder of his beloved Jenny at Angelus' hands.
This book has two elements to it that make it stand out from most of the other Buffy graphic novels I've read; firstly it actually dares to tackle a significant plot with genuine emotional stakes for the main characters and secondly the art is really good.
Among the interesting plot elements to this book is the concept of a demon so powerful that Drusilla actually chooses to ditch both Angelus and Spike to take up with him. More than anything else that served to sell the threat posed by Kelgor and added the dynamic of a three-way conflict in which Spike and Angelus also have to now try to kill the demon. On top of that is the way this book deals with Giles' emotional fallout from the murder of his lover, giving him the chance to actually go to some pretty dark places (literally and metaphorically) before he finds his way back to being a Watcher.
Sook's artwork is, as mentioned, also a stand-out for me and did a great job of selling the atmosphere of the book whilst also having believable representations of the familiar characters. Tonally, the art here reminded me a lot of that of Mike Mignola, which fitted very well with the Buffy franchise.
4 out of 5
Read more...
Buffy (here)