The Chain (Buffy comic)
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| The Chain | |
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| Publisher | Dark Horse Comics |
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| Schedule | Monthly |
| Publication date | July 25, 2007 |
| Number of issues | Buffy the Vampire Slayer season eight #5 |
| Main character(s) | Buffy decoy |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Joss Whedon |
| Artist(s) | Paul Lee |
| Inker(s) | Andy Owens |
| Colorist(s) | Dave Stewart |
| Creator(s) | Joss Whedon |
"The Chain" is the fifth issue of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight series of comic books, a continuation of the television series of the same name. It is written by creator Joss Whedon.[1] It is dedicated to the late Janie Kleinman, a network executive Whedon worked with and admired.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Plot
"The Chain" focuses on one of the Slayers used by Buffy Summers as a decoy to fool her enemies.[1] The comic is a stand-alone issue, and features no appearances from Buffy herself, although season seven characters Andrew Wells, Rupert Giles, Vi, and Rona play small roles. The story is told through parallel narratives, showing the Slayer's calling, assignment as a Buffy decoy, and death.
The story itself is largely narrated by the Buffy decoy. An unnamed Potential Slayer, she is activated during the events of "Chosen". She is violently thrown on her back by the calling but then saves the lives of her schoolmates with her newfound powers. After seeing a commercial on local television starring Andrew and Vi, the girl finds the Slayer organization and "the chain" to which all Slayers are connected. While fighting vampires with a squad of Slayers, the narrator intervenes to save a fellow Slayer and is bitten by a vampire. Squad leader Rona identifies the Slayer as a candidate to serve as a Buffy decoy in an underground society of demons, monsters, and faeries. The girl is ultimately killed by the demon she was sent to deter, Yamanh, who is proud to have slain Buffy Summers. Following her demise, other Slayers drop in to dispose of Yamanh and his followers, who are engaged in battle with the underground clans of faeries, slugs, raven-like demons, and "leafblower" mystical creatures that the decoy had united against Yamanh. The narrator's final thoughts suggest she is happy to have saved the world and been part of "the chain", even if her own name will never be known.
[edit] Production
Editor Scott Allie describes "The Chain" as an important story: "Joss put a lot into this one. If it were an episode of the show, he would have directed it."[3]
Paul Lee penciled the issue, proceeding Georges Jeanty, who returns the following issue. In one panel, Lee depicted past Slayers such as the First Slayer, the Righteous Slayer, Naayéé'neizgháni the Navajo Slayer, Nikki Wood, Elizabeth "Edward" Weston, Anni Sonnenblume, and the Chinese Slayer. In the same panel, season one villain "the Master" appears in the background.
[edit] Reception
In a Harvard Independent review, "The Chain" received particular praise in a review which was particularly critical of the Season Eight series as a whole. Reviewer Truc Doan notes that "the one-issue story of a nameless slayer's death after she takes on the responsibility of being Buffy’s decoy, was Whedon’s writing and comic format at its best, creating webs of complex and intellectually stimulating meaning out of a few pages of little dialogue and a few snapshot images", elaborating to say ""The Chain" takes the personal and places it in a multi-structural universal, one where the metaphor is not only one of feminism but of war, of social duty, and of internal values pitched against an unmoving external reality as well. It’s the story of an ordinary girl, one you may have passed on the street without thinking twice about, and how she grew up, how she established an identity, accepted the responsibility that came with power, and saved the world along the way. That is what Buffy the Vampire Slayer is about."[4]
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[edit] Canonical issues
This series has been described as 'canon' by both Whedon and various commentators. As the creator of Buffy, Joss Whedon's association with Buffyverse story is often linked to how canonical the various stories are. Since Whedon is writing this story, it will be seen as a continuation of the official continuity established by Buffy and Angel.
This may mean it contradicts information given in the previously released non-canonical Queen of the Slayers, and it could potentially contradict the upcoming novel, Dark Congress.
[edit] Timing
- Intended to be set after Buffy's seventh season. The timing is uncertain. It is possibly set sometime after "The Long Way Home", part 1 as Buffy refers to her decoy as alive, although Rona intimates that her existence is somewhat secretive and therefore the fact that she is dead may not have ever reached Buffy.
- Stories that take place around the same time in the Buffyverse:
| Buffy the Vampire Slayer SEASON EIGHT chronology |
|---|
| B7.22 "Chosen" (May 2003) |
| A5.22 "Not Fade Away" (May 2004) |
| A6.0 Spike: After the Fall |
| A6.1-12 Angel: After the Fall |
| B8.01-4 "The Long Way Home" |
| B8.05 "The Chain" |
| B8.06-09 "No Future for You" |
| B8.10 "Anywhere but Here" |
| B8.11 "A Beautiful Sunset" |
| B8.12-15 "Wolves at the Gate" |
| B8.16-19 "Time of Your Life" |
| Buffy Season Eight takes place at least half a year after "Not Fade Away." Angel: After The Fall also takes place sometime after "Not Fade Away." This places Buffy Season Eight at its earliest in November 2004. Specific timing of After the Fall remains unspecified. |
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Dark Horse Comics > Profile > Buffy the Vampire Slayer #5", Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved on 2007-06-10.
- ^ Whedon, Joss (February 2008), “Slay The Critics”, Buffy The Vampire Slayer #11
- ^ Allie, Scott (June 2007), “Slay The Critics”, Buffy The Vampire Slayer #4
- ^ Buffy the TV Slayer, Harvard Indepdent. Doan, Truc.
[edit] See also
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