Before Xander’s eye patch, before Dark Willow, and even before Dawn, there were the first high school days of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. If your first and favorite memories of the Slayer are the snarky barbs from Cordelia and the Scooby Gang meeting up in the library, have I got a book for you.
Buffy: The High School Years – Freaks & Geeks brings us all happily back to Sunnydale High School and nights on patrol, thanks to fan-favorite author Faith Erin Hicks. Paired with the gorgeous, almost manga-style illustrations of Yishan Li, it’s easy to be transported back to the first season of the show.
In Freaks & Geeks, Buffy is still adjusting to life in Sunnydale with her new friends. Part of her misses her pre-Slayer life, when things were simpler and she was practically carefree. Buffy never shirks on her duties, though, and every single night, the same arrangement, she goes out to fight the fight. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.) On these first nights of patrol, she’s accompanied by her Watcher, Giles, and occasionally Willow and Xander.
One night, she encounters a group of vampires on a mission: Defeat the Slayer to earn the respect of their fellow bloodsuckers. They weren’t popular when they were alive, so they’re desperate to win the approval of the other vampires. Part of their strategy is to make Buffy question her own friends and place in life to knock her off-balance. Will Buffy’s new friendships withstand the test?
Buffy: The High School Years – Freaks & Geeks feels so much like an episode of the first season that I want to find my DVD set to watch it all over again. Faith Erin Hicks captures the tone and feeling of those first years of Buffy so well that I wish this was ongoing series.
The graphic novel isn’t too scary nor too dark, making it a great introduction to Buffy the Vampire Slayer for your own tweens and teens.
The graphic novel is now available from Dark Horse Comics. The second book in the graphic novel series, Glutton for Punishment, is set for release in November.
GeekMom received a promotional copy for review purposes.
All images © Dark Horse Comics
Save
Save
