Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 8 volume 8

Earlier this summer, Dark Horse comics released Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 volume 8: Last Gleaming. This collection with an incredibly long title collects issues 36 through 40 of the epic comic series. In this volume, the final part of the Twilight saga (not that Twilight saga) comes to a conclusion as Buffy faces the ultimate betrayal.

For those who followed my blog a few years back, you know that I came into the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Angel television series late into the game. I got them all on DVD and watched them, as they aired back-and-forth, from beginning to end. And I loved them! But, too, I was saddened when they came to an end.


When Joss Whedon and Georges Jeanty came together to work on season 8 as a comic book (with the help of a lot of creative friends along the way including Jane Espenson, Brad Meltzer and more), I was very excited. I had read the first seven volumes of this via the trades and now, finally, was able to read this last installment.

The story came to an epic conclusion with a few surprises to boot (like who in fact was guarding the Seed and where it was all along). It was good to see Angel and Spike return to the fold, and it was sad to see some beloved characters have their final moments. But that's par for the course in the Buffyverse, and that's something I like about Joss Whedon's work - he isn't afraid to do what has to be done as a writer to tell his story (you Firefly fans know what I'm talking about).

If you're a Buffy fan, you should check out the entire run of Season 8. What's more exciting, for me, is the book gives a nice hint of what is to come. Yes, Season 9 will be coming to a book store near you soon. It it promises to bring things back to the Buffy roots again.