BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #32 Review

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #32 is published by BOOM! Studios, written by Jeremy Lambert, illustrated by Marianna Ignazzi, coloured by Raul Angulo and lettered by Ed Dukeshire. Main cover art is by Frany.

The issue is available now in print and on digital where all good comics are sold. Grab your digital copy from Comixology right here.

Synopsis

Will Buffy and the Scoobies survive the final battle against Silas at Sunnydale High?
With team members out of commission, the Slayers devise a final plan to take care of Silas once and for all in this third chapter of We Are The Slayer. But what side will Ethan be on? And what role does Cordelia have to play? And most importantly, will Buffy’s master plan from across the Multiverse succeed!?

Review

The age of the multiverse is truly upon us.

After a steady buildup over much of the past twelve months, this week sees a huge payoff for dedicated readers of BOOM! Studios take on the so-called Buffyverse. Writer Jeremy Lambert, who has been steering the ship throughout this latest arc, deftly backs our Scooby Gang in to a corner before edging them out of it with Avengers: Endgame style flair.

There’s no other way to describe it than as the perfect penultimate episode. Reading issue #32 was like watching Buffy, Willow and the gang preparing to take on Mayor Wilkin’s the night before graduation from Sunnydale High. All of the tense, nail biting buildup fans would expect from the TV series is beautifully woven in to the fabric of Lambert’s story and Marianna Ignazzi’s wonderful illustration.

The “We Are Slayer” storyline had given Lambert and the whole creative team a chance to really play with the world of Buffy and her peers. Like every great episode of the series, Buffy has had obstacles of the week, all the while the big bad, Silas, has been lurking in the background. Issue-by-issue the threat posed by Silas has ramped up to where we find ourselves at the end of issue #32, ready for the season finale.

What Buffy has been able to do so well it not to use its new storytelling elements as gimmicks. There aren’t simply multiple versions of characters for the sake of it. There are individual character motivations that cross multiple Earth’s that draw each of our slayers in to the mix. As last issue made abundantly clear, “We Are Slayer” will have incredible repercussions for Faith in particular.

I don’t want to say too much more and spoil all the action. But when the various plot threads and Earths collide ready for next issue’s (presumably) final battle, it feels like a moment that will forever be cemented in the legend of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The visual team of Ignazzi, colourist by Raul Angulo and letterer by Ed Dukeshire all bring their a-game. Bringing a burgeoning multiverse to life has to be a daunting challenge. Considering the endless possibilities for multiple versions of the same character, Ignazzi is able to render each appearance with unique yet recognisable qualities. Whilst Angulo’s colours add an amazing depth and vibrancy to the overall look.

Verdict

The Buffy-multiverse comes together in dramatic fashion in an issue which feels like the penultimate episode of an incredibly exciting season of the former-TV series.

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