Is there still enough juice within this property for one more proper squeeze?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Dark Horse:

Buffy can’t ever just be a vampire Slayer, can she? Always, the world seems to want more, and as the lives of her loved ones are threatened, Buffy shows why she is the Chosen One. Whatever is thrust upon her, she can handle it! Er . . . sometimes with a little help from her friends.

When we’re pushed against the wall and everything is literally crumbling down around us, we find out who our true friends are.  That right there is a key component of this season and the overall series as a pile of events lead us to this action packed cliffhanger.

Andrew Chambliss takes on the script and for the most part his job this outing is about steering this vessel to proper harbor.  In a lot of ways the events have already been set in motion and now we’re witnessing the fallout, that may make his job sound easy but trust me it’s that complicated.  The scribe had to find ways to keep this tale fresh, consistent and thoroughly entertaining even in moments that honestly could have cheapened the whole affair.  In short: he succeeds and the Slayer is in excellent hands.

When someone tires to illustrate a property that’s already been born in a visual sense it can be hard to find a balance that doesn’t tarnish the original look. Georges Jeanty attempts and as a whole he nails it, as chaotic but controlled renditions recreate familiar faces while emboldening this current iteration.  There were a couple off moments here and there where a lack of subtle detail made some scenes feel bare but for the most part these were few and far between.

As a total package this series had some high and low points but Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #25 is exactly the finale it deserves.  It’s a culmination of this volume that leaves me grinning ear to ear as I find myself with no choice but to write: bring on Season 10!

4/5