Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Origin (Paperback)

Here, then, is a chance to see how it was supposed to have started and although there aren't that many differences, a quick comparison between this version and the movie script certainly reveals the original adaptation to be the stronger.

Buffy is still blonde, beautiful and with little between the ears when she is confronted by the mysterious Merrick and told that her destiny is to slay the forces of darkness but this Buffy is not quite as naive and self-centred.

She teams up with loner Pike to stop the vampire king Lothos from spreading destruction across the world, an action-packed struggle as Buffy kicks some major vampire butt and learns more than a little about herself and what she wants out of life in the process.

It is in the characterisation of the major characters that this work triumphs: Whedon's subtle plotting and convincing dialogue, enjoyably adapted for the comic book page, bring the main players to life in a short space of time so that some events which differ drastically from the movie make you weep for what Buffy's big screen outing could have been.

Couple this off with some action-packed and expressive artwork, printed on high quality glossy paper, that throws you into the thick of the bone-shattering fights and battles and you have a work that should be an essential part of any Buffy fan's collection. --Joanne Wells

Synopsis
This is the story of Buffy Summers's introduction to the world of vampires, taking the reader back to the time when Buffy really was just an innocent average high school student. But the forces of darkness are massing, eager to destroy Buffy before she can become the chosen one, the slayer.