‘Buffy’/‘Angel’ flashback: Wizard special issues (1999-2000) (Comic book reviews)

In the early years of Dark Horse’s main “Buffy” and “Angel” series, the comic magazine Wizard sponsored two bonus issues – “Buffy” No. ½ (July 1999), titled “Stinger,” and “Buffy/Angel” No. ½ (November 2000), titled “City of Despair.” Because these were “special” issues, they cost more (and I fell for it, naturally), but they can be found cheaply now. Both are good 16-page yarns, and are worth picking up.

Christopher Golden is on his dialog game in “Stinger,” which seems to be set during Season 2, after Willow has begun dating Oz. Everyone’s quips sparkle, particularly those of Xander, who – after defending Willow — has been challenged to fight a football jock named Joe. The titular demon that feeds on people who cause fear is picking off Sunnydale’s bullies, though.

Willow: “It feeds on mean people? … It’s probably tracking Joe right now.”

Xander (not missing a beat): “So, who wants to hit the Bronze?”

A thematic companion piece to “Reptile Boy” (2.5) and “The Zeppo” (3.13), “Stinger” finds Xander initially fearing his scheduled fight with the bully, but in the end he naturally proves himself to be a valuable member of the team in the battle against the demon.

“BTVS Classic” regulars Hector Gomez (pencils) and Sandu Florea (inks) do their usual strong work, and we get some nice pages showcasing Gomez’s sketches in the back of the comic.

4 stars

Written by Tom Fassbender and Jim Pascoe, “City of Despair” moves the action up to the back half of “Buffy” Season 4 / “Angel” Season 1, when Buffy and Riley are dating and Buffy and Angel are feuding. So it’s after the Redemption of Faith quadrilogy – “This Year’s Girl” (B4.15), “Who Are You” (B4.16), “Five By Five” (A1.18) and “Sanctuary” (A1.19).

Very much like in “The Ring” (A1.16), which Angel references, Buffy and Angel end up in an underground demon-fighting ring against their will. The difference is that they are in an astral plane, something Golden and Nancy Holder introduced into the Buffyverse in the “Gatekeeper Trilogy.”

“City of Despair” doesn’t crackle as much as “Stinger,” but it is a more emotional story, as Buffy and Angel must set aside their feud in order to escape the astral plane and return to their mortal bodies. It’s fun to see the parallel images of the Scooby Gang and Team Angel worrying over their comatose champions, along with Giles and Wesley comparing notes via telephone, even if such scenes weren’t novelties anymore by this point.

And it’s nice to see an appearance by Joyce – underused in Season 4 — who wishes her daughter would come home for dinner more often. In the end, Buffy is ready to tell her mom about Riley, so this a rare comic with a lot of continuity tie-ins to the TV show.

Old “Buffy” hands Cliff Richards (pencils) and Andy Owens (inks) provide the art, and the back of the issue features Richards’ sketches and commentary from editor Scott Allie.

3.5 stars

Click here for an index of all of John’s “Buffy” and “Angel” reviews.

My rating: