Chaos Bleeds (comic)

For the video game, see Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds

The subject of this article is non-canonical.
While created as part of licensed material, it has not been confirmed as part of the "real" Buffyverse continuity.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds is a comic book one-shot tie-in and prequel to the video game of the same name.

Plot

On the outskirts of Sunnydale, near a Western-themed restaurant named the "Golden Spur", a dimensional rift opens up, spilling out members of the Gorches. Smelling humans inside, they enter to get "a drink."

Meanwhile, at the Summers residence, Buffy, Willow, and Xander are visited by a battered and bruised Spike. Buffy cracks a joke about Spike "getting caught cheating at kitten poker again," and Spike explains that he had been at the Golden Spur and attacked by vampires "out of a Spaghetti Western", while Willow and Xander try to imagine Spike being at the Golden Spur.

Spike goes on to explain that he was overwhelmed and escaped to gather "the cavalry"; realizing this means them, Buffy and the others depart.
Meanwhile, in an alleyway, Sid the Dummy arrives out of another dimensional rift...

Arriving at the Golden Spur, Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Spike quickly begin to discuss who they may be dealing with. Buffy theorizes that it may be Lyle Gorch; Xander remarks that, since his brother was killed by the Bezoar and his wife was killed by Cordelia, he was hoping that there were no more of them.

Inside, the Gorches have been wreaking havoc, all the while struggling to understand a radio. When the Scooby Gang bursts in, they discover that they are led by none other than Tector Gorch himself; what is even more confusing is that Tector does not even recognize Buffy!

Simply assuming that Tector's apparent resurrection had given him amnesia, Buffy begins the fight, and the others on both sides quickly join in. The fight is cut short due to the rising sun, and the Gorches escape, though not before Buffy suffers a nasty blow to the head and Spike is both shot by multiple revolvers and badly stabbed in the abdomen.

At the Magic Box, after tending to Spike's wounds, Giles explains the backstory of the Gorches to Spike, then goes on to say that all members of the Gorches they faced at the Golden Spur are dead, according to the Watchers Council's records. Giles theorizes that they are dealing with versions of the Gorches from either the past or an alternate reality. Buffy decides to patrol and search for the Gorches while the sun is still up, while Willow, Xander, and Spike go to their respective homes to rest and Giles does further research to find a way to repair the dimensional breach.

Returning home, Willow climbs into bed with Tara, and is both shocked and horrified to discover that she is now (apparently) a vampire. Narrowly avoiding being attacked, Willow blasts the vampire Tara out the window, and then the real Tara bursts in; Willow embraces her in relief.

Meanwhile, back at the Magic Box, Giles has fallen asleep. Sid appears, and quietly takes the spell book that Giles has been looking for down and opens it to the needed spot, and quickly hides in the closet just as Willow and Tara enter the shop.
They explain what happened, and Giles jokes about not being able to introduce the vampire Tara to the vampire Willow; this confirms Giles's theories about the dimensional breach. Willow points out the spell book Sid left open, and Giles merely assumes that he fell asleep just as he found it.

At dusk, Buffy arrives at Spike's crypt and awakens him; she has searched everywhere, including the remains of Sunnydale High, and has been unable to find the Gorches. However, Xander has found them at the Sunnydale Motor Inn.

Buffy and Spike join Xander, who has been staking the inn out, just as the Gorches exit. The trio quickly confront the Gorches, and the fight continues.

Meanwhile, Willow, Tara, and Giles perform the ritual to repair the breach, while Sid watches unnoticed from the shadows, quietly begging them to finish before "it" notices that he's gone. Nearing the end of the ritual, the vampire Tara breaks into the Magic Box and pleads for Willow not to finish, explaining that her world's Willow is dead and she merely wanted to see some form of her again. Though shocked, Willow successfully completes the ritual, and the Gorches and the vampire Tara are sucked back into their world.

However, this is only a taste of what's coming; on the other side, numerous villains from Buffy's past (Adam, Darla, and the Master among them) are just waiting to escape...

Background information

Creators

Writers:
- Christopher Golden & Tom Sniegoski
Artists:
- Cliff Richards (pencils)
- Will Conrad (inks)
- Michelle Madsen (colours & letters)
- J. Scott Campbell (cover art)
- Keith Wood (photo cover)
Editor: Scott Allie
Assistant Editor: Matt Dryer
Publisher: Mike Richardson
Based on the television show created by Joss Whedon

Timing

The comic states that "This story takes place during Buffy the Vampire Slayer's fifth season and corresponds with events which occur in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds video game."

Trivia

Despite the appearance of a vampiric Tara in this issue, Willow still seems surprised to see her during the video game that follows this story.
When Spike enters the Summers residence, Buffy asks if he has been caught cheating at Kitten Poker again. Kitten Poker does not appear until season 6 in "Life Serial".
The vampiric Tara somehow manages to enter Willow's home uninvited.
Darla and Warren are among the villains who appear on the other side at the end of the issue, but they are not dead at this point in time (Darla is still alive during Angel season two/Buffy season five, while Warren doesn't die until season six). Although it is possible that these are alternate versions of them, like the Gorch brothers in the issue and Kakistos in the game.

Characters

Canonical characters include Buffy Summers, Xander Harris, Willow Rosenberg, Spike, and Rupert Giles.
The story also features alternate counterparts of Tara Maclay, Sid the Dummy, brothers Lyle and Tector Gorch, as well as their mother and two sisters.

Collections

Omnibus: Volume 7
Buffy Classic 43: Chaos Bleeds