by Joss Whedon, Others, Others (Artist), Joe Bennett (Artist), Eric Powell (Artist)
Published: Darkhorse Comics July 2007
ISBN-13: 9781593077846
Plot Summary: Buffy Summers is the Vampire Slayer. She ruined her old school and now she and her mom move to Sunnydale. Named ironically as Sunnydale is crawling with "vamps." Buffy arrives at Sunnydale High and takes a different path than the Buffy created by Joss Whedon for his movie. In this Volume, Buffy meets Giles, librarian/ Watcher, Willow, and Xander. They are eventually the "Scoobies." This group forms her alliance at beating all things "evil-y." In addition there is a lurking and handsome vampire hanging around which we learn later has a soul for some reason, and the chemistry between Angel and Buffy is dynamic to say the least. Giles works to convince Buffy that she needs to take up her role as Slayer and protect Sunnydale.
Critical Analysis: Whedon creates a witty and powerful heroine in Buffy. Whedon is one of my favorites because of his construction of a dark plot employing smart writing and irony, along with the macabre, as well as using powerful confident females as his lead. Buffy holds the world's safety in her hands and she is only a high school girl. Whedon also introduces Xander also possessing the wit, but he is no match for Buffy's strength and she remains the heroine and he is merely a sidekick. The gender roles are often not what people expect in a Whedon book where men are dependent on females to save them.
Annotation: Just arriving from her old city, Buffy moves into Sunnydale and no sooner is she here that she meets Giles and he does the best he can to convince here to fulfilling her role as the only slayer. Excitement immediately begins but with the help of Willow and Xander, Buffy settles in just fine.
Author Information: Whedon was born on June 23, 1964 in New York, NY. His full name is: Joseph Hill Whedon. Whedon has some quirky trademarks know by his fans. IMBD mentions some: "Trade Mark:
Plans storylines far in advance for all his television series, allowing for remarkable long-term continuity.
Frequent use of nouns as adjectives, by adding the suffix "-y"
Features tough, strong female characters
Kills off characters who are among his most popular, to keep his audiences surprised.
Supernatural and science fiction themes
Often gives his characters names that are later revealed to be their last names and/or based on an unusual abbreviation for their full name. For example: only after the character Oz had already left "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997) did the show reveal that "Oz" was an abbreviation of his full name, Daniel Osbourne; on "Angel," they did not clarify that Doyle was actually the character's last name for many episodes; "Xander," the name of a main Buffy character, is a much less usual nickname for "Alexander" than the much more common "Alex;" and likewise for the name "Topher," the name of a main "Dollhouse" (2009) character, which is a much less usual nickname for "Christopher" than the much more common "Chris." (IMBD, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0923736/bio).
Genre: YA Graphic Novel
Curriculum Ties: none
Booktalking Ideas:
1.) Joss Whedon uses a great deal of irony, did you notice example such as Buffy's name. She is Buffy Summers, a very Southern California bubbly name for a girl that kills vampires. Also, she lives in Sunnydale, a place that is sunny but also holds an unusually large population of demons, vampires, etc.
2.) Joss Whedon writes strong females and supportive but somewhat vulnerable males, how does that differ than what we usually see? And why does it work so well for Buffy?
Challenge Issues: None
Grade Level/ Interest age: 14 and up/ 9th grade and up
Selection Reasons: As previously mentioned, Joss Whedon's writing is a favorite of mine. He is creative, witty, daring, and the fact that there is usually a strong woman is empowering for young women. The camaraderie amongst the Scoobies is a great example for teens and also the way they all support one another.
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