The man himself joins the Buffy comics to write his own. And it’s good.
Creative Staff:
Story: James Marsters
Penciller: Derlis Santacruz
Inker: Andy Owens
Colorist: Dan Jackson
Letters: Richard Starkings and Jimmy Betancourt
Cover Artist: Steve Morris
What They Say:
Taking a break from Sunnydale, Spike comes to a small California town, low on funds and food, and runs into his past—hidden under the floorboards of an old store—as well as a patience-trying, shambling monster, stolen children, and some trouble with his footwear…And of course there’s always a girl. How can a good guy catch a break when he’s constantly trying to hide the vampire inside?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Spike’s been one of my favorite characters in Buffy for a really long time. Possibly for the longest time. His jokes, like Xander’s, never felt forced because his English quip just made them work. Buffy’s and Willow’s jokes, especially in the third and fourth seasons, really felt strained and like there should just be a joke here and Xander already told one so give it to another character. With Spike in the mix, everything became fine and dandy.
This time round, he’s taking a break from his best Slayer Buffy and hauling his ass over to Greenville. This comic happens sometime in season seven in between episode two and episode eight, probably, and Spike’s just got his soul back.
The return of Spike’s soul is an interesting plot point in and of itself because it marks a huge, and tangible, change in Spike’s character. Not only is he the very thing he hated (Angel, a vampire with a soul), but he’s also turned himself against the one he loves for that very girl. It ain’t gestures that gets Spike the girl, it’s every little moment leading up to that gesture. And every moment leading up to that are Spike being awful.
In season six, when Buffy confides in Spike as a casual partner, it’s Spike’s bad side that draws her to him. He’s the forbidden fruit because he’s the very thing she should be killing. If anything, she should at least not have sex with him but she does anyway. The start of this arc of bad boy who’ll kill and steal anything he wants to vampire with a soul begins in episode 19 of season six, the famous bathroom scene. For once in Spike’s unlife, he experiences regret at something he’s done without the aid of a chip of a soul to make him feel that way. And he’s confused.
Everything from those episodes leads him to Greenville, a small California town that he maybe went to subconsciously. Long ago, he hid $100,000 under a shop, but he doesn’t remember immediately.
The impetus of everything isn’t the shop, but a pair of boots. He trips and his boots break at the sole. But without money and now with a soul, he can’t just steal. He’d feel BAD about it and it’s not something Buffy’d be glad about.
So he slums it in the sewers, wallowing in his own sorrow. At nights, he comes out and saves people’s lives by happenstance. First a girl named Dylan (like Bob) and next a young child. The demon who steals the kid provides a good contrast to Spike. He’s what Spike could have been if he fell down the deep end because the demon wants exactly what Spike wants: acceptance.
In Summary:
This comic is short, but sweet, and provides with just enough content without overstaying its welcome. I think even 20 pages more would be too much for the story it has here. It’s Spike’s entire arc from in-the-middle baddie to full on goodie and it feels really nice to be able to experience that change first hand. Having it written by James Marsters himself only sweetens the deal. It’s completely foreign to non-Buffy fans, though.
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: B+
Age Rating: 14+
Released By: Dark Horse
Release Date: July 16, 2014
MSRP: $14.99
Scott Allie said it was later when Spike had got it together so somewhere between eps 2-8 doesn’t work. He is mad and living in the basement until he leaves to live with Xander in Him, ep6. The trigger is then a whole thing by the next episode. He gets abducted too and the chip goes faulty. His whereabouts through all that in S7 is pretty set and we are up to ep17 before the trigger is deactivated. Plus, he has his coat back by then too, retrieved in ep15, and that is in the previews so it should be after Get It Done anyway.??
At first I thought a brief break after LMPTM could make sense, him wanting to take a time out, and SA had said that it took place over little more than 24hrs. But in the previews Spike says to the girl he went there for a ‘fresh start’ and here you talk about him going out at nights so it seems it is really set in a longer period where Spike is trying to go it alone fully. A day away in reaction to what happened with Wood seemed OK but Spike leaving like this doesn’t fit the season. Buffy and Spike relying on each other’s support is a key aspect of both their arcs across season 7 and Buffy even specifically asks Spike to stay only a couple of episodes earlier. Plus, after LMPTM, the fight with the First and training the potentials that he was involved with kicks in, and he went on that mission with Andrew, so any time over a day or two just wouldn’t work I don’t think.??
The text seems to contradict what they said so it clearly wasn’t written for S7 and JM has been talking about it for years as Spike going it alone souled. It is just unnecessary to have tried to force it in. When he is actually going it alone briefly in AtS after Harm’s Way would fit better and make more sense post Buffy. Although there is still the problem of him randomly going off to make a ‘fresh start’ elsewhere. Just an undetermined time post AtS would be preferable to something that clearly doesn’t fit in.
Im a big fan of Buffy and Spike and Ill not support this. I think Marsters did a lot msitakes in it, for it fans dont want to read. First the timeline..its all wrong if it was after Spike took his soul he was crazy. Spike just get better in middle season 7 when Buffy help him,and after he moved on with Xander. Second the love interest: WRONG, this is wrong in all levels. Spike took his soul back for Buffy for what happened in the bathroom, so the line “she was a good girl,I was wrong..” that was like that is the past just move on.Spike is not like that and this is seriusly disturbing. James wrote this like Spike didnt care about what happened with Buffy in sunnydale, and SPIKe was very truly in love with Buffy at that time. So this Dylan character for me hasnt sense and made me (and the most of fans) mad. Personally I believe this comics is just to promotion for his wife (he used Spike character to promotion his wife,thats a shame and very unprofesional) James had a lot to explore about the character and he decided ignore the best part of season 6 and 7. Spike felt guilty for the bathroom incident? he wanted see buffy again? how he came back to sunnydale again? he didnt reply anything and add more mistakes..like the jacket (Spike hasnt the jacket until he came back to sunnydale because Buffy has it). Marsters spend fantastic art in a silly story. The lines are pathetic, we have to be honest here “my soul suck” really??? is that what he has to say? I think they could do something amazing and they just didnt, this dont fit with season 7 ,this dont fit with Spike character at all, and this just dont fit with BTVS