FORMAT: TRADE PAPERBACK • RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 24TH
Boom Studios’ Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics may have rebooted continuity, but the central premise is still the same: Buffy Summers is the latest in a long line of teenage heroines destined to slay the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. And in Boom’s Chosen Ones collection, we get to meet a trio of Buffy’s forebears.
Those who know their Buffy comics will remember that Dark Horse previously released the Tales of the Slayers anthology that likewise dived into the Slayer lineage. As this is an all-new universe, though, and the concept of historical Slayers is so flexible, Chosen Ones still feels fresh and introduces us to three new Slayers who are very different from Buffy.
Things kick off with ‘The Mission’, from writer Mairghread Scott and artist Ornella Savarese, supplying the Buffyverse with what could be its first Native American Slayer. It’s easily the best of the book, with strong visuals and a weighty story that mirrors the evils of vampires with the actions of the Spanish who colonised America.
The second tale, ‘The Eating of Men’, by writer/illustrator Celia Lowenthal, about the beginnings of a Slayer in Renaissance Italy, is another strong one, sporting some feminist themes, while the third and final entry, ‘Behind the Mask’ is a fun if slight jaunt through a ball with a socialite Slayer in 19th century Paris.
It’s always fascinating to dive into the history of the Buffyverse, and Chosen Ones is no exception. Follow-up issues or even a spin-off for Hutash the Native Slayer wouldn’t go amiss. If you’re someone who’s wary of the completely different continuity, this collection might be your best route into what Boom’s Buffy line has to offer.
