World Famous Comics: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Ring of Fire
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Ring of Fire
By: Doug Petrie, Ryan Sook Publisher: Dark Horse Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Dark Horse Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 80 Publication Date: September 12, 2000 Reading Level: Young Adult Release Date: September 12, 2000
Product Description: It is 1997, the darkest period in Buffy Summers' young life -- a time when the man she loves becomes a monster she must destroy. Buffy's lover, Angel, has again lost his soul and re-emerged as the murderous Angelus, a vampire feared throughout Europe for decades. Thirsting for power and for the blood of the Slayer (that's Buffy!), Angelus steals a suit of ancient Japanese armor in order to summon up the demon that once inhabited it -- a demon who can bring Angelus ultimate power and eliminate the Slayer once and for all!
Reluctance Quickly Faded To Enjoyment "Ring of Fire" is a graphic novel, written by Doug Petrie who has written notable episodes for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", such as the fan-favorite "Fool for Love." This story takes place in Season Two of Buffy, right after "Passion."
I was surprised by "Ring of Fire." When I began to read it, I was under the false assumption that Christopher Golden (a writer for the comics and books, who hasn't convinced me of his talent yet) had written it. I was immediately blown away by how the dialogue captured the personalities of each character as well as the tone of the show perfectly. Wondering how Christopher Golden had suddenly become such a good writer, I flipped to the index and saw that he, of course, hadn't written it. Doug Petrie, a writer for the actual television series, had. Well, let me say this: If this is his first venture into comics, he is a natural. The pacing is perfect, and the writing truly brings me back to what I feel was the best period of the show: The Angelus arc.
The story is a simple "stop demon from killing people" kind of thing, but the dialogue and the twists in the plot, such as the introduction of Kendra into the mix, are what sustains the story. However, speaking of Kendra, I couldn't help but note how jarringly out of character she is. She's speaking like Faith, which is very non-Kendra-esque. No matter; it doesn't take away from my enjoyment of the story. Petrie manages to insert this tale into a tight spot in the Second Season that craftily manages to develop the characters without contradicting anything that happened subsequent to the events of the story. This graphic novel is actually better than a few of the actual television episodes that followed "Passion" (ex. "Go Fish", "Killed By Death"), as it dealed with certain aspects that weren't explicitly addressed on the television show.
"Ryan Sook." The name of this artist when said to a fan of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" either causes sneering or smiling. After seeing his art in the "Spike and Dru" one-shots, I found myself more among the sneering crowd. His depiction of the characters was crude and often made their faces hideous, though I did note that he had a knack for complex backgrounds. However, his art in "Ring of Fire" wasn't nearly as bad as in the aforementioned one-shots. He often got dead-on likenesses of all the major characters. There were a few major slip-ups (he can't draw vamped out faces at all), but for the most part the art ranged from satisfactory to good. His art never got in the way of the storytelling, but actually complimented it this time around.
*NOTE: Hold out on buying this. It's much more practical just to pick up Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus, Vol. 2, which reprints this as well as six other Buffy comic stories in one volume*
9/10
What more could you ask for? Maybe I should just list the elements that BTVS fans love that Ring of Fire contains. We have:
1. Spike and Angelus ready to rip each other's throats out fighting over Dru
2.Giles being pushed too far and going into Ripper mode
3. Jenny Calandar's spirit
4. Spike making a Sex Pistols reference
5. a temporary alliance between two characters who hate each other's guts
6. Kenda showing up, kicking [behind], and taking names
This is probably one of the top, if not THE top, Buffy graphic novels out there. It takes place during those golden months in late Season 2 when Angel was bad and moved into the mansion with Dru and a jealous, wheelchair-bound (or is he?) Spike.
The illustration by Sook is the best-- he captures Buffy's face, all huge sad eyes haunted by the knowledge she's inadvertantly turned her soulmate into her worst enemy, perfectly. There at least one VERY bone-chilling drawing of Angelus in a graveyard, momenarily caught by some poor b-stard of security guard's flashlight, with very bad timing.
Also, Doug Petrie wrote the text, and it shows. This could have been a actual episode story arc (only now it can never be as it involves the second season trio of Spike, Dru, and Angelus). There's a bonus of several pages of sketches and conceptions by the illustrator at the end, including many of the best drawings of a brokenhearted Buffy and even a mosh-pit Spike. If you're a BTVS fan, and want to invest in a graphic novel, this is the one to go for...the most inventive, best-written, truest to the series and the second season yet, and stunningly inked.
If you're an adult Buffy fan but maybe feel slightly geeky starting in on the graphic novels (I was worried the clerk might look at it and ask, 'uh aren't you a little old for this?'), just buy this one and you'll be both delighted and proud of yourself that you did.
Things are about to get VERY interesting....
Night in Lacquered Armor This story is set in the second season, shortly after Angel returns to being Angelus. We find Buffy and Giles each trying to deal with their separate losses and still focus on the task fate has set them. This time Angelus has managed to steal a set of Samurai armor once worn by Kelgor, a powerful demon lord. If the armor can be returned to Kelgor's corpse, the demon will resurrect and raise an army of the dead. Yet another apocalypse for the Scooby gang to stop.
Naturally, Kelgor's body is entombed in Sunnydale, and it is no surprise that Angelus, along with Spike and Dru, is intent on finding it. I've never been quite sure why Angelus always wants to end the world (or rid it of humans), but you certainly can count on him trying. I'm glad he is Angel's demon, and not mine. Kelgor, once wakened, turns out to have an agenda all his own. Kendra also appears in this story, showing a bit more attitude than she did on the TV series. It is a shame that Whedon did away with her so quickly. But then there would have been no Faith.
This is one of the few BTVS trade paperbacks that actually is an original story. Doug Petrie, a rare contributor to the comic series is the writer. Ryan Sook, also know for his work on 'Spike and Dru' is the artist. Sook's style is quite interesting, but nothing like the high sex appeal work for which Cliff Richards and Hector Gomez are noted. He is a little bit more comic-like and impressionistic, and may take a little getting used to, but his artwork complements rather than competes with the story.
There is something disjointed about the way the story unfolds. I do not know whether to blame the writer or artist, but events don't quite follow one from the other. Graphic stories seem to have a higher tolerance for this sort of thing than the other Buffy media, but it interferes with what is otherwise an interesting tale. As these stories go, 'Ring of Fire' is a bit short, and good use could have been made of an additional 10 or so pages. As such, it falls short of the drama of 'The Dust Waltz,' the other original trade paperback. But if it lacks quintessential inspiration, it has many features of interest. The reader will find Kendra's appearance and the extended play given Spike and Dru worthwhile.
The aftermath of Ms. Calendar's death. . .well done Some people may not like Ryan Sook's style of drawing but I think it really fits the story and manages to capture various aspects of the characters. This trade has everyone -- Angelus, Dru, Spike, Kendra, the ghost of Ms. Calendar. . .I really really don't want to give away any of the story, but it really is quite good at dealing with Giles' reactions and feelings. Also, Petrie really understands what is cool about BTVS -- there's a part where Joyce offers the Scoobies some lemonade when they're in the middle of interrogating someone in the basement, how cool is that? This really is a must buy.
Superbly enhanced with the impressive artwork Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Ring Of Fire takes place at a time when Angel, the vampire with a soul, had reverted to his murderous ways because when he and Buffy consummated their love and he felt true happiness, the gypsy curse kicked in to thrust him back into pure vampiric evil. The first to die was Watcher Rupert Giles' friend, Jenny Calendar. Now the corpse of a demonic samurai has come across the sea to Sunnydale, promising ultimate power to whoever revives it. An apocalypse is again brewing over the Hellmouth, but this time Angel and Buffy are on opposite sides! Doug Petrie's riveting story of love and monsters that has won a massive following for his television series has brought those same writing skills to the graphic novel format, superbly enhanced with the impressive artwork of Ryan Sook. Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Ring Of Fire is a "must" for the legions of Buffy and Angel fans!
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