This article contains spoilers for The Vampire Slayer #1.
Despite the series’ name, Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics prove Willow would be a better Slayer than Buffy – at least, as far as Giles is concerned. Boom! Studios’ comics have embraced the “Slayerverse,” Buffy’s version of the multiverse; it’s allowing the comic book publisher to explore countless different timelines, and the latest is one of the most enjoyable to date. It’s a vision of a world where Buffy is no longer the Slayer, but rather where that mantle has been passed on to another.
According to Boom! Studios, the story takes place in a timeline where Buffy has still gone through most of the tragedies she suffered as a Slayer. Giles has used something called “chaos magic” to try to help her heal from this trauma, but it’s erased all knowledge she is the Slayer – and it seems to have resulted in the powers of the Slayers being passed on to her best friend Willow.
The Vampire Slayer #1 – by Sarah Gailey, Michael Shelfer, Valentina Pinto and Riccardo Giardina – suggests Willow is actually a better Slayer than Buffy. The key lies in the fact Willow is not merely a Slayer. She possesses all a Slayer’s instinctive skills, superhuman strength, speed, and stamina. But she also wields tremendous magical power, meaning she can turn to magic when she’s faced with threats beyond the abilities of a mere Slayer. The power of the Slayer appears to have given Willow a much-needed confidence boost, proven when she decides to take on a monstrous crab-creature that’s tearing across Sunnydale. Shelfer’s art is absolutely stunning, conveying a real sense of power and confidence around Buffy, and Pinto and Giardina’s color complements it perfectly.
In truth, Willow would be Giles’ ideal Slayer. Buffy, after all, is a rebellious teenager who longs for a life of her own, forcing Giles to deal with a Slayer who longs for a career and a love life. She’s never been a fan of research, with Giles forced to study up for her and give her briefings on what he feels Buffy needs to know. In contrast, Willow is a born scholar, and even in the main Buffy The Vampire Slayer TV timeline she had an intimate knowledge of his library. Although The Vampire Slayer‘s version of Willow is more assertive, she’d still be more likely to take advice from her Watcher than Buffy.
No doubt The Vampire Slayer will ultimately go on to reveal just why Willow wasn’t the natural-born Slayer, though. It’s possible Willow’s magic and the Slayer’s clash, in which case the result could well be spectacular and destructive – forcing Buffy to reclaim her role as the true Vampire Slayer. It’s going to be exciting to see how this plays out in future Buffy The Vampire Slayer stories.
Look for The Vampire Slayer #1 out now from Boom! Studios.
