Buffy #18 Review

by Nick Devonald on October 06, 2020

Writer: Jordie Bellaire & Jeremy Lambert
Artist: Ramon Bachs
Colours: Raúl Angulo
Letters: Ed Dukeshire

Buffy #18 is mostly focused on the return of Willow to the main Buffy comic. This is one of those quirks of comic publishing where the ongoing Willow miniseries hasn’t finished yet she’s reappeared in the main storyline. Readers just need to overlook the fact that we don’t yet know how Willow will conclude and just accept that she’s back in Buffy. The largest part of this issue explores how Willow fits back into the Scoobies following her absence, and adjusting to Xander being the latest big bad. Using Willow’s reintegration into the Scoobies is a great way to look at all the different relationships between the different characters. Buffy and Kendra have put their differences aside. Kendra and Rose are officially together, as are Buffy and Robin. It really is a stroke of genius to look at all of these different relationships through Willows eyes.

While it might be a bit of a slower issue in terms of the ongoing storyline it’s nice to take a minute to process where the characters are, and of course one of the highlights of Buffy is the relationships between all of the lead characters, not just fighting the next bad guy, and this is something that Jordie Bellaire & Jeremy Lambert not only understand but take the time out to work on. Of course there are still developments with Xander and his ongoing plans. Having Xander as the big bad was a fantastic decision, and rather than having this be resolved quickly it’s nice to spend some time with him in the background, plotting and committing atrocities. The conclusion to this issue promises that the next issue will not only be action packed but filled with answers for the reader.

Ramon Bachs does a great job with the art. Each of his characters are instantly recognisable, and as this issue focuses more on the characters and is less action filled it’s good to see him bring them to life, their expressions and feelings easily understandable to the reader. Plus he does a great job with Xander when he has his vamp face on. Raúl Angulo’s colours have been consistently good across the series and he’s helped to anchor the style even as the artists have changed on a regular basic.

A much slower, character focused issue, which gives readers a nice breather before the upcoming confrontation. Willows return is a clever way to examine the characters different relationships and she’s been sorely missed from the series. The next issue promises to be an exciting one, with this issue being all about the build-up for the next one.

Our Score:

8/10

A Look Inside