Buffy has her own comic series at Dark Horse Comics, and Angel has his at IDW Publishing. But, fans of the two TV shows know that there is another character who had a major impact in this universe and on both shows. Spike is now getting a chance to shine in a new ongoing monthly comic at IDW.
Overall, the story they are starting in this issue is good, and the concept of centering on Las Vegas is a nice idea, as there are plenty of things there to draw upon for story ideas. Spike striking out on his own is something that fans have wanted to see for some time. Not that he is not good in the group, but I feel that there are more stories to be told that can only be done properly in this setting.
I like the aspect of this series using some of the lesser known characters, and I think it will be good, and give them a chance to grow. However, I see a problem in this first issue. The writers did a good job reminding readers of Spike’s history, and I liked the mention not only of the “movie” from when L.A. went to hell, but also a new creation of a “Twilight” parody. For those who are also reading Buffy Season 8, you will note a couple of nice inside jokes.
There was a brief mention of who Betta George is, and hopefully in the future they can expand on that a bit in coming issues. The one problem I had with this issue was that there was no explanation of who Beck is. Again, they will have the opportunity to give us her background in future issues, but to have a character in this first issue that will be important, and not give any information about her is a mistake. Yes, they did briefly touch on her abilities, but it was really not enough.
It would appear that Drusilla will be an important character in this first story arc. It will definitely be interesting to see how she and Spike interact after all these years.
This new series does have promise, and despite the one fault I found, this issue was very enjoyable. I think if they make a couple of minor changes, and go in the positive story direction they seem to have started in with this first issue, it will be a worthy addition to the Whedonverse comics.
