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Buffy: Tales
Tales of the Slayers
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the latest in a long tradition of young women who've been trained to give their lives in the war against vampires. We've gotten glimpses of these other women over the years on T.V., in comics, and in books. Now for the first time, the writers from the television series, including the show's creator, Joss Whedon, and one of its stars, Amber "Tara" Benson, present the tales of these girls, with the help of comics' greatest artists. Gene Colan, co-creator of Marvel's Blade and Tomb of Dracula, returns to Dark Horse for the story of a young girl in 1970s New York, battling vampires. Tim Sale, artist of recent epics Batman: The Long Halloween and Superman for All Seasons teams with Joss Whedon for a grim tale of a medieval slayer. American comics legend P. Craig Russell (Dr. Strange, The Ring of the Nibelung) and international rising star Mira Friedmann (Actus Tragicus) also join the stellar lineup.
96 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2001
9 people are currently reading
2068 people want to read
About the author
Joss Whedon
482 books4,351 followersJoss Whedon (born Joseph Hill Whedon) is an American screenwriter, executive producer, film and television director, comic book writer, occasional composer, and actor, and the founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures.
He is best known as the creator and showrunner of the television series 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003)', 'Angel (1999–2004)', 'Firefly (2002)' and its film follow-up 'Serenity (2005)', and 'Dollhouse (2009–2010)', as well as the web-series' 'Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008)'. Whedon co-wrote and produced the horror film 'The Cabin in the Woods (2012)', and wrote and directed the film adaptation of Marvel's 'The Avengers (2012)', the third highest-grossing film of all time.
Many of Whedon's projects have cult status and his work is notable for portraying strong female characters and a belief in equality.
credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joss_Whedon
He is best known as the creator and showrunner of the television series 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003)', 'Angel (1999–2004)', 'Firefly (2002)' and its film follow-up 'Serenity (2005)', and 'Dollhouse (2009–2010)', as well as the web-series' 'Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008)'. Whedon co-wrote and produced the horror film 'The Cabin in the Woods (2012)', and wrote and directed the film adaptation of Marvel's 'The Avengers (2012)', the third highest-grossing film of all time.
Many of Whedon's projects have cult status and his work is notable for portraying strong female characters and a belief in equality.
credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joss_Whedon
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews
April 17, 2022
2,5 stars
Shorts snippets of slayers throught differents eras, since Sineya until Fray. Rejected, betrayed, struggling, dying. Differents authors and style of art. Some good , others just ok.
1 "Prologue"( by Joss Whedon , art: Leinil Francis Yu) Sineya
2 "Righteous" (by Joss Whedon illustrated by Tim Sale), circa 1600
3 "The Innocent" (by Amber Benson and illustrated by Ted Naifeh) French revolution. Good one .
4 "Presumption" (by Jane Espenson illustrated by P. Craig Russell) 1813 Slayer Elizabeth Weston, I think the best of the lot. 3.5 stars.
5 "The Glittering World" (by David Fury illustrated by Steve Lieber) Is a western with a Navajo slayer. ft a surprise character at the end
6 "Sonnenblume" (by Rebecca Rand Kirshner illustrated by Mira Friedmann) 1938 Germany. Anni is a member of Hitlerjugend and is witness of worst things than vamps.
7 "Nikki Goes Down!" (by Douglas Petrie and illustrated by Gene Colan), Nicki Wood in New York. 1970s. Her lover is a cop.
8 "Tales" (by Joss Whedon and illustrated by Karl Moline) Melaka is a disvantage in the future with no watcher nor references, but soon it0s about to change.
Persiste las idea de que los creadores quisieron limitarla porque la temian.
Y, por otra parte que una slayer recibe consuelo de que no esta sola porque forma parte de otra linea de mujeres antes y despues, lo que encuentro francamente absurdo.
Shorts snippets of slayers throught differents eras, since Sineya until Fray. Rejected, betrayed, struggling, dying. Differents authors and style of art. Some good , others just ok.
1 "Prologue"( by Joss Whedon , art: Leinil Francis Yu) Sineya
2 "Righteous" (by Joss Whedon illustrated by Tim Sale), circa 1600
3 "The Innocent" (by Amber Benson and illustrated by Ted Naifeh) French revolution. Good one .
4 "Presumption" (by Jane Espenson illustrated by P. Craig Russell) 1813 Slayer Elizabeth Weston, I think the best of the lot. 3.5 stars.
5 "The Glittering World" (by David Fury illustrated by Steve Lieber) Is a western with a Navajo slayer. ft a surprise character at the end
6 "Sonnenblume" (by Rebecca Rand Kirshner illustrated by Mira Friedmann) 1938 Germany. Anni is a member of Hitlerjugend and is witness of worst things than vamps.
7 "Nikki Goes Down!" (by Douglas Petrie and illustrated by Gene Colan), Nicki Wood in New York. 1970s. Her lover is a cop.
8 "Tales" (by Joss Whedon and illustrated by Karl Moline) Melaka is a disvantage in the future with no watcher nor references, but soon it0s about to change.
Persiste las idea de que los creadores quisieron limitarla porque la temian.
Y, por otra parte que una slayer recibe consuelo de que no esta sola porque forma parte de otra linea de mujeres antes y despues, lo que encuentro francamente absurdo.
January 2, 2016
Really enjoyed this.
July 29, 2020
An excellent collection of short stories about vampire slayers, and drawn by some of my favorite artists too! I can't wait to read Tales of the Vampires next!!
July 25, 2018
I really enjoyed this!!
First of all, I've loved Tim Sale's art ever since I read Spider-Man Blue <3 So that immediately caught my eye. Second, this volume has lots of different authors and illustrators, so it was really interesting to see what everyone had to give to the Buffy myth.
I think I liked all of the stories, although I do believe there were inconsistencies with the very first one . My favorite, however, was the one that gave a twist to my beloved Pride and Prejudice.
All in all, this is a must to a Buffy fan and to ANYONE wanting to read about kickass women and vampires!
First of all, I've loved Tim Sale's art ever since I read Spider-Man Blue <3 So that immediately caught my eye. Second, this volume has lots of different authors and illustrators, so it was really interesting to see what everyone had to give to the Buffy myth.
I think I liked all of the stories, although I do believe there were inconsistencies with the very first one . My favorite, however, was the one that gave a twist to my beloved Pride and Prejudice.
All in all, this is a must to a Buffy fan and to ANYONE wanting to read about kickass women and vampires!
August 28, 2018
All I can say about this is - I wish it were longer!
There's something fascinating about the slayers before and after Buffy - I always loved the episodes that dealt with the history of the chosen one, so this graphic novel was perfect. But each slayer's story was so short, that it just left you wanting more.
The artwork was a bit hit and miss - but on the whole good and I liked that each story had a different style.
Definitely makes me want to track down other Buffy comics!
There's something fascinating about the slayers before and after Buffy - I always loved the episodes that dealt with the history of the chosen one, so this graphic novel was perfect. But each slayer's story was so short, that it just left you wanting more.
The artwork was a bit hit and miss - but on the whole good and I liked that each story had a different style.
Definitely makes me want to track down other Buffy comics!
June 11, 2025
Most stories here are very cool! Good anthology.
April 5, 2025
I really enjoyed revisiting these. How could I forget one was about Nikki?
I do wish it hadn't been so Euro-centric, but other than that, these were pretty good. Some were a bit slim on page time but all the stories were interesting, and I liked the different art styles throughout.
Slayers have never had it easy, have they? My favorites were the first one, though sometimes the poem didn't quite flow right in a couple of places, but there were plenty of times throughout history where the monsters wouldn't be the slayer's only threat. I liked the twist on the French ball one. . The Nazi Germany slayer really couldn't have made a different decision; not all monsters are demons, after all.
I do wish it hadn't been so Euro-centric, but other than that, these were pretty good. Some were a bit slim on page time but all the stories were interesting, and I liked the different art styles throughout.
Slayers have never had it easy, have they? My favorites were the first one, though sometimes the poem didn't quite flow right in a couple of places, but there were plenty of times throughout history where the monsters wouldn't be the slayer's only threat. I liked the twist on the French ball one. . The Nazi Germany slayer really couldn't have made a different decision; not all monsters are demons, after all.
January 22, 2011
I really like this graphic novel brought to the table by Joss Whedon. I read it in about 20 mins and I wish there were more. There's only one thing I'm confused about. If Fray is a slayer from the future, why is she the only one? It doesn't make sense, since Willow cast a spell years and years before Fray that would release all potential slayers into active slayers. Well, maybe this will get answered when I start reading the Fray series and delve deeper into the Buffy series. Great reading either way!
December 23, 2020
A perfect set of quick stories about a variety of Slayers, past and present, in a variety of settings and told through a variety of genres and art styles. It's incredible how even a few pages can set up a strong emotional punch or surprise twist, and I enjoyed each one of these stories, though particularly loved 'Righteous', the story of a Slayer saving a town and subsequently falling prey to a witch-hunt, Presumption, which managed to subvert all expectations, and Sonnenblume, set in Nazi Germany.
March 29, 2019
I loved it, but I love this world. The stories are all told in different styles that emulate the time they take place which was fantastic! My favorite was the one that sounded like it would be told aloud and passed down that way. I got a kick out of the shift of the western tale near the end. It had me giggling. Highly recommend this if you like the Buffy the Vampire Slayer show.
September 1, 2019
I'm probably not the target audience for this, because I never cared much about the past slayers, but Tales is a pretty decent collection of stories. They're short, but they still reveal something essential about the slayer in question or something about the human condition and nature of evil.
July 31, 2009
Fun, some excellent artwork, but not worth $15. I feel like in the age of the Internet comics meme, a collection of 5-page stories should have more than ~10 of them. I would love to see the Nazi Germany story expanded. That was one the few that actually touched on some mundane evil.
January 21, 2016
A few of the tales were really good while the others were ok. I liked that there were different illustrators for each slayer!
Read
December 31, 2017book of morsels. if you're a lover of Buffy, you'll be a lover of this. also, amber benson <3 <3 <3
July 29, 2023
I finished this in one sitting. It was awesome to have some short stories going back into the history of slayers that came before buffy. I really enjoyed this one.
October 25, 2024
Fun book for Buffy fans featuring slayers both familiar and original. I particularly liked the stories "Righteous" and "Presumption." "The Glittering World" had a cool twist to it. The only one I didn't really like was the Nazi Germany set "Sonnenblume." The artwork just didn't work for me.
April 6, 2025
Enjoyable anthology, all the stories and art were pretty good.
May 4, 2018
Interesting. It's like an anthology with different stories and very different artists doing the art.
The stories take the reader to a journey through time and space to learn about the Chosen Ones that came before Buffy. There's a prehistoric girl, a medieval slayer, also a girl living during the French revolution, among all the stories. I really like this idea.
The art is... well, it depends. Some of it it's interesting, some of it it's downright bad... Or better, I so don't like it. I'm referring to the Sonnenblume story. I really like the plot but the art is horrible. I don't like those kind of drawings. On the contrary, the art in Nikki Goes Down is quite interesting.
As anthologies goes, this was quite good. It made me miss Buffy even more. I should do a re-watch of the entire series. Or I could just read some more comics... Uhm, maybe the TV series is better since I don't get along that well with US comics.
The stories take the reader to a journey through time and space to learn about the Chosen Ones that came before Buffy. There's a prehistoric girl, a medieval slayer, also a girl living during the French revolution, among all the stories. I really like this idea.
The art is... well, it depends. Some of it it's interesting, some of it it's downright bad... Or better, I so don't like it. I'm referring to the Sonnenblume story. I really like the plot but the art is horrible. I don't like those kind of drawings. On the contrary, the art in Nikki Goes Down is quite interesting.
As anthologies goes, this was quite good. It made me miss Buffy even more. I should do a re-watch of the entire series. Or I could just read some more comics... Uhm, maybe the TV series is better since I don't get along that well with US comics.
July 19, 2018
My goodness, I didn't know short stories, let alone short graphic novels, could tug at my heartstrings for having so few words! The struggles of the slayers before...being exiled, burned at the stake, manipulated and accidentally becoming an actual killer, pretending to be men...so much pain and struggle of just being a woman, let alone a slayer!
Then there were the other stories linked to the show...the founding of Sunnydale by Mayor Wilkins, built fresh off the blood of the Navajo slayer...Nikki Wood before Spike takes her out...and the future slayer with the scythe and what looks like New York in the Fifth Element...I loved all of the stories in this novel! The lore behind Buffy is so rich and beautiful. I love it all!
Then there were the other stories linked to the show...the founding of Sunnydale by Mayor Wilkins, built fresh off the blood of the Navajo slayer...Nikki Wood before Spike takes her out...and the future slayer with the scythe and what looks like New York in the Fifth Element...I loved all of the stories in this novel! The lore behind Buffy is so rich and beautiful. I love it all!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2018
This was a really fun comic book! I enjoyed looking back on the lives of all the Slayers. Those ladies definitely knew how to kick butt! There are multiple artists who illustrate each story so they have their own flavor. That makes each tale rather unique!
The twists and turns each one took kept me interested and entertained. While reading this comic you automatically know that the Slayer is gonna get screwed, you just don't know how until the very last panel when everything comes together. I love it!
Most of the recalled memories are pretty sad. The two comics titles Righteous and The Innocent made my heart hurt. While Presumption and Nikki Goes Down! are just awesome. I'm so glad I picked this up. This was definitely worth the read!
The twists and turns each one took kept me interested and entertained. While reading this comic you automatically know that the Slayer is gonna get screwed, you just don't know how until the very last panel when everything comes together. I love it!
Most of the recalled memories are pretty sad. The two comics titles Righteous and The Innocent made my heart hurt. While Presumption and Nikki Goes Down! are just awesome. I'm so glad I picked this up. This was definitely worth the read!
August 26, 2020
I love this book. We get glimpses into the lives and work of slayers trough the ages, different times, cultures and it is brilliant. (I don't know why people talk about rebooting Buffy as a tv series when this is possible - Tales of the slayer is perfect for netflix or the like - each short series could feature a slayer throughout history and her battle with her personal big bad.)
July 10, 2016
Interesting.
December 11, 2024
Seven stories of Slayers from the past and one of the future Slayer, Fray.
Here we see Slayers from their earliest days, through the Medieval period, revolutionary France, Georgian England, the Old West, Nazi Germany, 70s Harlem and on into the future.
At their core, all of these stories are about powerful young women with the thankless task of protecting a world in which they'll always be an outsider. And, honestly, that's a powerful tonal core for this book to have. Much more than it is about vampire slaying, this is a book about the challenges facing young women in a male-dominated society.
For me the highlight was 'Righteous', which sees a devout young woman reluctantly accept the mantle of Slayer, save her entire town and then face the injustice of being accused of witchcraft. For such a short story, it's emotionally engaging and is beautifully illustrated by the great Tim Sale.
Also worthy of special mention is 'Sonnenblume', in which the Slayer in 1938 Germany struggles with whether vampires and demons are the only monsters she should be dedicating herself to fighting.
Overall, a really engaging collection of stories that doesn't need the crutch of familiar characters from the TV series to keep it up.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
Here we see Slayers from their earliest days, through the Medieval period, revolutionary France, Georgian England, the Old West, Nazi Germany, 70s Harlem and on into the future.
At their core, all of these stories are about powerful young women with the thankless task of protecting a world in which they'll always be an outsider. And, honestly, that's a powerful tonal core for this book to have. Much more than it is about vampire slaying, this is a book about the challenges facing young women in a male-dominated society.
For me the highlight was 'Righteous', which sees a devout young woman reluctantly accept the mantle of Slayer, save her entire town and then face the injustice of being accused of witchcraft. For such a short story, it's emotionally engaging and is beautifully illustrated by the great Tim Sale.
Also worthy of special mention is 'Sonnenblume', in which the Slayer in 1938 Germany struggles with whether vampires and demons are the only monsters she should be dedicating herself to fighting.
Overall, a really engaging collection of stories that doesn't need the crutch of familiar characters from the TV series to keep it up.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
January 25, 2024
4/5 ⭐️
Another quick, enjoyable Buffyverse read.
I really, really enjoyed a couple of these stories! I wish there were full on series of Righteous and Presumption. Plus really cool cameo by Fray… im going to have to reread that soon!
All in all, i really enjoyed this. I actually this this may have been a reread from back in the day - but luckily I have terribly memory so it was like the first time!
Another quick, enjoyable Buffyverse read.
I really, really enjoyed a couple of these stories! I wish there were full on series of Righteous and Presumption. Plus really cool cameo by Fray… im going to have to reread that soon!
All in all, i really enjoyed this. I actually this this may have been a reread from back in the day - but luckily I have terribly memory so it was like the first time!
May 19, 2018
A nice collection of very short stories of various slayers through the ages (with a few familiar faces). Well done crafting the tone of the prose to better suit each time period, and the different art styles are also wonderful.
If you are a Buffy fan, then you'll enjoy this collection. But if not, it won't make much sense.
If you are a Buffy fan, then you'll enjoy this collection. But if not, it won't make much sense.
May 9, 2017
Some nice short stories about previous slayers. I particularly liked the French Revolution, and the Jane Austen one. It was interesting to see how previous slayers were treated in different time periods. A very good, if short read.
December 4, 2018
This is not one of my favorite anthologies. It's very light and not too much happens. I prefer the tales of the vampires anthology. The characters we see from the show don't get too much to do.
That said I love any buffy comic - its still fun. But definitely not cream of the crop.
That said I love any buffy comic - its still fun. But definitely not cream of the crop.
December 10, 2019
I love all things Buffy and reading all of the tye ins that tell her story and the stories of all the slayers makes my heart happy. So reading the diverse stories keep the Buffy verse very much alive and active.
July 27, 2020
3.5 Stars.
I love Buffy and the universe.
This was for sure an interesting look into the backstory of the other slayers. It took 20 minutes to read, and was well worth it. Would honesly read about any one of the slayers mentioned.
I love Buffy and the universe.
This was for sure an interesting look into the backstory of the other slayers. It took 20 minutes to read, and was well worth it. Would honesly read about any one of the slayers mentioned.
August 22, 2021
Short stories about vampire slayers. There some really good tales that surprise you a LOT. If you are a fan it's a must read. If you are following up Buffy as long as I have some of the stories are just more or less stuff you have seen so hence why 3 stars
Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews