Everyone's favorite Slayer, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, is back as she originally appeared in 1997 in the brand new throwback one-shot from BOOM! Studios, Buffy '97. After the original 1992 movie received a lukewarm response, showrunner and creator Joss Whedon decided to revamp the story for television with a darker tone just five years later. The first episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, titled "Welcome to the Hellmouth," officially debuted on television screens starting March 10th, 1997.
To help celebrate the show's 25th anniversary, BOOM! is taking the Slayer back to her '90s roots in a special oversized one-shot comic. In it, Buffy and Willow find themselves interlocked in a demon's scheme to feed on teen insecurities, which simultaneously gets them interlocked into the confines of a '90s fashion magazine. Elsewhere, Spike and Giles find themselves on a bowling trip where "Blondiebear" helps "Ripper" out in an attempt to woo a special someone. The nicknames will make more sense after reading the issue itself.
A special preview of the issue was recently shared by BOOM! Studios on its official website. The preview includes the first few pages of the one-shot, as well as a few variant covers, all of which can be seen below. These variant covers made for this special Buffy the Vampire Slayer issue were designed by Megan Hutchinson-Cates, Yoshi Yoshitani, Nick Brokenshire, and Paulina Ganucheau, while Qistina Khalidah was tasked with designing the main cover art. Buffy '97 is written by Jeremy Lambert, pencilled by Marianna Ignazzi, colored by Mattia Iacono, and lettered by Ed Dukeshire. The issue is out now in all local comic book shops, digital stores, and BOOM! Studios' personal web store. Check out a preview and cover images below:
As seen above, Buffy '97 fully embraces the '90s throwback vibe, even including character cards that look as if they were pulled straight out of a '90s sitcom. Everyone involved on the creative team has taken full advantage of the era, as the visuals accompany a vibrant aesthetic that was typical of the early '90s time period. All the while, the writing plays up the era's stereotypical standard of beauty, using it to provide some commentary with a classic Buffy-esque edge to it. In short, expect the usual signature snark and fangs for some action that audiences fell in love with in 1997, accompanied by a human message that readers can carry into real life.
Buffy '97 continues to expand the ever-growing Slayerverse that BOOM! Studios has kickstarted and diehard fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer shouldn't dare to miss out on this new one-shot comic, available now!
Source: BOOM! Studios