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The subject of this article is of alternative canonicity. While created as part of licensed material, it is not part of the original Buffyverse, but its own developed story. |
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Welcome Back to the Hellmouth, Part Two is the second issue of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2019) comic book series. Written by Jordie Bellaire and illustrated by Dan Mora, it was published on February 27, 2019 by Boom! Studios.
Synopsis[]
The reimagining of Joss Whedon's groundbreaking series continues as Drusilla, the self-proclaimed Mistress and her pet, Spike, make their debut with their sights set on Buffy! Meanwhile, Giles is determined to teach Buffy about her destiny, responsibility, blah blah… can someone tell him to chill? How bad can it get? Welcome back to the Hellmouth![1]
Summary[]
Buffy walks through the hallways of school and is come upon by decaying, otherworldly forms of Xander, Willow, and Giles. She wakes up screaming, relieved slightly it was only a dream.
Downstairs, Joyce and her boyfriend Eric are having breakfast; Buffy comes downstairs and they discuss her nightmare. Eric attempts to converse with Buffy, who shows no interest in Eric's attempt at step-parenting and leaves to school. Joyce chalks her attitude up to normal teenage angst and tells Eric that even though they have been together for a year, her and Buffy have only lived with him in Sunnydale for a month, so Buffy needs more time to warm up to him.
Later that morning, Buffy is in the school library with Giles. He indicates the jewelry is of ancient Assyrian origin, and was made to protect mortals from weapons. They again end up squabbling about Buffy's supposedly lack of focus or interest in her destiny, but are interrupted by a very polite, courteous student, Cordelia. She introduces herself to Buffy and has come to the library carrying balloons to hang up her campaign poster for Student Body President.
Cordelia leaves the library and visits with Willow and her girlfriend Rose by the lockers. They discuss the campaign for Student Body President, as Willow is running against Cordelia once again. Cordelia wishes Willow luck with the campaign and gives her a hug before retreating to her group of friends. Willow compares herself to Cordelia, and Rose assures her there's no need to compare, she is all the things Cordelia is and then some.
In the running track, the coach is impressed with Buffy's agility and is surprised that she isn't tired from running. Buffy feigns a leg cramp and takes a break, while Xander has to do another lap around the track. Buffy takes a seat next to Robin Wood, who is revealed to be the captain of the track team. They exchange some words as Robin praises her running abilities. Buffy signs his cast and they smile at each other.
It is now sunset outside Sunnydale High and Cordelia is walking to her car when the balloons she was carrying float off into the woods beyond the school. She follows, worried about what the balloons would do to the environment. A stranger hands her one of the balloons. They introduce themselves to each other and it is revealed the mysterious blonde stranger is Spike. Cordelia and Spike talk a bit and Cordelia takes the balloons back to her car as Spike watches from the shadows.
Back at the occult shop, Drusilla has tied up Anya and is interrogating her about an artifact she is searching for. Drusilla destroys some of the items in the shop as a way to force Anya to give her what she wants, but Anya refuses. Eventually Drusilla comes upon a large vessel with strange pictograms on it and smashes it. Anya is visibly worried about what she just did. It is revealed Drusilla released a large bat creature who vows death to all vampires.
Xander, Buffy, and Willow have a text conversation; Buffy and Willow stood Xander up — Buffy bailed due to ongoing Slayer stuff and Willow bailed to spend time with Rose. Xander starts typing a message telling them both how he feels but he ends up deleting it and responding with something more passive. He looks sad and alone in his bed. He concludes his blog entry: "When am I finally going to get what I want?"
Continuity[]
- In Welcome Back to the Hellmouth, Part Three, Harmony will tell Cordelia about "creepy dreams where everything is swallowed up in a big fire pit," a description that fits Buffy's nightmare in this issue.
- It's revealed that Joyce has been dating Eric for a year before moving to Sunnydale; her original counterpart had her first relationship after divorcing Buffy's father only at the end of her first year in town ("Ted").
- Buffy and Giles fight about her supposed irresponsibility and dependence in identifying the source of the jewelry set. At night, he'll apologize for being too strict with her as well as assure to help more in research (Part Three).
- Cordelia debuts in the series as a widely friendly and admired girl, in contrast with her original counterpart who was a bully in high school ("Welcome to the Hellmouth").
- It's revealed that Anya is not only a witch, but an immortal demon, as her original counterpart was as a vengeance demon.
- Robin approaches Buffy for the first time. In the original series, they also initially flirt, but he reveals his interest on helping her in the fight against evil, being the son of a Slayer himself ("First Date").
- Buffy, Willow, and Xander debut the name Scooby Gang, used as the title for their chat group. It also first appeared as such in "New School Nightmare" alternative canon story. In the original series, it was only first used in episode "What's My Line? Part One."
Appearances[]
Individuals[]
- Camazotz
- Cordelia Chase
- Drusilla
- Eric
- Rupert Giles
- Alexander Harris
- Anyanka
- Harmony Kendall (Only mentioned)
- Rose Martinez
- Willow Rosenberg
- Spike
- Buffy Summers
- Joyce Summers
- Robin Wood
- Unidentified PE teacher
- Unidentified vampire (Only mentioned)
Organizations and titles[]
Species[]
Locations[]
- Assyria (Only mentioned)
- Sunnydale, USA
Objects[]
- Stake (Only mentioned)
- Unidentified magic jewelry set (Only mentioned)
Death count[]
- None.
Behind the scenes[]
Production[]
- Celia Lowenthal's "Chosen One" variant cover introduces the Slayer Silvia Placida Ramberti, whose story is featured in the graphic novel Chosen Ones.
- Ryan Inzana's variant cover homages Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "Graduation Day, Part Two." The illustration also features Buffy wearing a shirt of metal band Slayer.
- The back of the issue features a quote by Xander in the episode "Teacher's Pet."
Distribution[]
- Welcome Back to the Hellmouth, Part Two was the 71st best selling comic issue in its publishing month, with 24,880 sales in February 2019 at comic specialty stores.[2]
Collections[]
Pop culture references[]
- Buffy says "fire, bad," the catchphrase of Frankenstein's Monster in Saturday Night Live skits "Tarzan, Tonto and Frankenstein" (1987–1991).
- Joyce says Buffy is full of "teenage spirit," which Buffy recognizes as a reference to the song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (1991).
- Xander has a poster of the film Jaws (1975) on his bedroom wall.
Gallery[]
Covers[]
Cover artwork[]
Preview[]
References[]
- ↑ "Buffy the Vampire Slayer #2". Boom! Studios. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
- ↑ "Top 500 Comics--February 2019". ICv2, March 18, 2019.