As you sit in the warm electronic glow of your computer screen you may find yourself asking, "Why, exactly, a Buffy Post Mortem? And, for that matter, why now?

Well, I'll get to that in a minute.

One of the strongest recurring themes to be found in Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of change. And while there are many other elements that attract people to the show, I believe it was Joss' unrelenting desire to effect real change on these characters that not only held the show together for seven years, but kept viewers coming back week after week just to see what would happen to their favourite Slayer, Witch and irrepressible Zeppo. The show was a weekly testament - in metaphor - to the growing pains one experiences throughout life. People really connected with the show and its characters because of this.

It is a tribute to the writers of the series that they managed to pull it off at all, really. The idea of a cheerleader who 'slays' vampires by night can tend to strain ones suspension of disbelief, but they made it happen, and did so with a degree of charm and grace - not to mention an exceptionally high body count for a one-hour prime-time drama. Their characters grew and developed beyond their design specifications, if you will, and they expanded the boundaries of what was 'doable' on a weekly television series with episodes like, Hush, The Body and Once More With Feeling. It was a show that defied genre.

Therefore, I was not the least bit surprised when I first heard about the Buffy comic book - it was a perfect fit when you think about it - but I did not give it much hope for lasting beyond a couple of years. It is not wholly uncommon for a licensed property to fall completely apart under its own immense studio-monitored weight. Pressures to maintain likenesses, rigid restrictions on plot developments and the inability to affect or interact with the licensed parent property have led many a series to disaster.

I will admit, however, to being taken slightly aback when I realised that what they achieved with character and genre in the television show was being competently recreated in the comic book. Sure it has had its ups and downs, but on the whole, like the television show, the writing and visual presentation of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic book was top-notch – a true reflection of what the shows writers and Joss were after.

Now, I'd be lying if I didn't say there were some restrictions earlier on - the burden of which fell upon the earliest creative teams - but Joss and company eventually came around to Dark Horse's way of thinking. They realised the kind of quality in storytelling that could be achieved with this medium and decided to run with it instead of trifle with it. The way a character looked in comic book form no longer had to rigidly follow an actor's likeness. Instead of keeping the comic book world and the world of the television show separate, they sort of merged the two. To be perfectly honest, with the hiring of Christopher Golden for the Blood of Carthage storyline, they even tangled up the Buffy novel universe into the mix as well.

Writers from the show would moonlight on comic stories, sometimes expanding on their episodes as Jane Espenson did with her Jonathan special, or the Haunted mini-series. Other times, they were just happy to be playing in a corner of the Buffyverse they wouldn't normally get to visit on the show. Even the actors got in on the fun from time-to-time. Amber Benson helped pen two mini-series featuring her character, Tara, and James Marsters co-wrote a Spike and Dru one-shot.

And for anyone who still isn't sold on how collaborative the two Buffy series' have become, that big ol' axe Buffy used at the end of season seven made its first appearance in the pages of Fray, the story of a future Slayer two centuries removed from the current Chosen One.

But, like the saying goes, all good things must come to an end and this past year and a bit has seen some really big changes to the status quo for the Buffyverse.

As I'm sure everyone and their Polgara Demon knows, Season seven was the last for the weekly television series, and November of 2003 also saw the conclusion of the sixty-plus issue run of the comic book series, essentially bringing an end to the misadventures of the Scoobies.

Still, with all endings come new beginnings and Buffy editor Scott Allie has said that he hopes the characters will live on through the comic books in what would be a series of special projects to be released by Dark Horse and featuring writers from the television series coupled with the best the comic book art community has to offer - our first taste of this being the Tales of the Vampires mini that premiered last December and ran for five fantastic issues.

Which brings us to the purpose of this so-called Post Mortem, this celebration of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in all its incarnations.

As a Whedon fan myself, I just wanted to pay tribute to the last seven-ish years of one of the more unusual and captivating shows on television and its comic book counterpart. To wave a fond farewell to the past by throwing one last, big shindig, chatting with the creators and plumbing the depths of their minds for clever anecdotes and trivia.

Kicking things off for us is the last series writer, Fabian Nicieza, and Buffy uber-editor, Scott Allie. Both have come by to pay their respects and share some memories from their time on the book, so check out that action if you can. Also, coming up in future installments will be:

1. Buffy series writer, Jane Espenson

2. Tales of the Vampires artists Alex Sanchez and Derek Fridolfs

3. Buffy Animated designer, Eric Wight

4. Tales of the Vampires artist, Jeff Parker

5. Fray artist, Karl Moline

A whole lotta Buffy-related fun.

Grrr...Argh...

mike jozic

September 14, 2004