One Year Later is the first issue of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Twelve comic book miniseries. It was written by Christos Gage with Joss Whedon and illustrated by Georges Jeanty. It was originally published on June 20, 2018, by Dark Horse Comics.
Synopsis[]
It's one year later, and the lives of Buffy and the Scoobies haven't been too eventful for a while — at least as far as fighting demons and the forces of darkness are concerned. But that's all about to change when Dawn and Xander's housewarming party is interrupted by some familiar faces bringing news of familiar foes from the future. Can you say Harth… and Fray?
- The return of Fray!
- The Reckoning will be the culmination of all the Buffy seasons![1]
Summary[]
In the 23rd century, a sorcerer uses magic to cause pain on Harth Fray while telling him about the legend of the Reckoning; two centuries before, the last Slayer and her allies faced an apocalyptic army of demons, but both demons and the Slayer were gone at the end. The sorcerer knows Harth has the Slayer memories of his twin sister, Melaka, and questions him about what really happened in the event. Harth explains there were many Slayers, but they all lost their powers except Buffy, who recently visited their era. The sorcerer has identified the trail Buffy left when she returned to her time, and he intends to follow her with the Scepter of the Veils and use his knowledge of the future to make himself all-powerful. Suddenly, the sorcerer's followers reveal themselves as lurks Harth had sired. As they attack the sorcerer, Harth takes the scepter and boasts his plan of ending two Slayers.
In the present, Buffy cradles Dawn and Xander's baby daughter, Joyce, having arrived early for their housewarming party. Xander asks if she is okay seeing Spike, and she assures they aren't mad at each other after their mutual breakup. Later, during the party, Giles explains the spell that restored his true age is permanent. Willow talks about her empowerment center for Slayers; she worries the government will see them as a threat, but Riley has assured her he won't let that happen.
Even later, Angel and Illyria surprise the Scoobies at the door. He announces they have a crisis; Wolfram & Hart is coordinating an attack on Willow's center, involving demons and powerful humans who see her movement as a threat. Angel adds that they are getting intel from a vampire from the future, who Buffy recognizes as Harth. The group decides to act quickly. While Dawn begrudgingly stays behind with Joyce, Buffy goes to the weapons cabinet.
In the Wolfram & Hart Silicon Valley branch, various demons gather around Harth while he plans the attack on Willow's center based on his recollections. Armed and prepared, Buffy, Spike, Angel, Giles, Illyria, Xander, and Willow attack at full force. A demon tries to call for reinforcements, but Faith has taken care of the security. In the battle, Buffy argues Harth made it possible to change history by coming to their era. Harth declares he remembers it all from her perspective; his presence was already part of history and he was ready.
At that moment, Richard Wilkins breaks into the building in Olvikan form, having pulled himself together due to his Old One constitution. Angry at him for making her a murderer, Faith charges at the Mayor, but he easily throws her to the side with his tail. As more demons come in, the Scoobies realize the intel they got on Harth's attack was planted. Surrounded, they get together, and Willow, Giles, and Illyria magically protect the group while they run away. Angel directs them to a reinforced room, where Xander sends a text message on his cell phone. The Mayor breaks into the room, and Dawn opens a portal for them to escape back home in time. At the demons' frustration of not defeating the Scoobies, Harth insists it is all according to his memories, and this is when it starts to get fun.
Back in Dawn and Xander's, the Scoobies are frustrated at their apparent inability to act without following what already happened in Harth's memories. Buffy mentions the library she saw in the future with knowledge from the Watchers, which Giles might decipher. After Illyria describes the risks of her unpredictable time travel, Willow says she can help guide them to the right era, and Dawn points out she can join them with her Key powers to open the portal to the future. They promptly use their magic, and the Scoobies cross the portal to Haddyn. On the other side, Melaka and Erin threaten Buffy with their ray guns for trying to wipe out their world.
Continuity[]
- A same flashback from Ready, Steady... appears with the last Slayer facing the last demons.
- A flashback includes one of the fights between Buffy and Melaka from the Time of Your Life, Part One–Part Four arc.
- Harth explains that, by the 23rd century, hardly anyone remembers lurks can assume a human visage, themselves included, which explains why he was the only vampire with human face throughout the whole Fray series.
- The Watcher publication refers to Buffy's quote in The Long Way Home, Part One, slightly modified from the original: "The thing about changing the world… Once you do it, the world's all different."
- The story takes place a year after the events from One Girl in All the World.
- It's determined that the events from Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight take place four years before, therefore matching a season by year of the Scooby Gang. As Buffy declares herself as 30 years old, this means there was an hiatus of one year between Angel season 5 and The Long Way Home, Part One.
- Buffy and Spike have broken up; they'd began their relationship two years earlier, in Love Dares You, Part Two.
- Spike quotes to Buffy his own words from "No Place Like Home."
- Giles has his adult form again, as he briefly had in Freaky Giles Day, which had been a consequence from his resurrection in What You Want, Not What You Need, Part Two.
- Willow mentions her worry on the government seeing Slayer as a threat again, as they did with the Slayer Organization in (The Long Way Home, Part One).
- Willow recalls Buffy having her vocational test in "What's My Line? Part One" suggesting her law enforcement.
- Andrew is apparently still in Italy, as he left in In Time of Crisis.
- Buffy jokes about not knowing Andrew, a reference to the long-running gag of nobody remembering his name, seen in "Gone," "Never Leave Me," "Two to Go," Turbulence, and Own It, Part Five.
- Angel tries to not look smug with the news on Buffy and Spike break up, as he told Willow in Old Demons, Part Three: "It's not like it'll ever last."
- Buffy recalls Richard Wilkins being blow up in "Graduation Day, Part Two."
- Faith blames Wilkins for making her a killer, as he assigned her an assassination mission in "Graduation Day, Part One."
- Buffy describes reading the Watchers Diaries from the future (Time of Your Life, Part Three).
- Angel recalls his last time travel with Illyria, likely in reference to the events of Angel Season Eleven.
- Melaka and Erin threaten Buffy at first sight and mention their last fight in Time of Your Life, Part Four.
Appearances[]
Individuals[]
- Angel
- Barbatos
- Winifred Burkle (Only mentioned)
- Riley Finn (Only mentioned)
- Erin Fray
- Harth Fray
- Melaka Fray
- Rupert Giles
- Alexander Harris
- Joyce Harris
- Illyria
- Faith Lehane
- Ocypete
- Olvikan
- Willow Rosenberg
- Spike
- Buffy Summers
- Dawn Summers
- Joyce Summers (Only in a picture)
- Tauron
- Andrew Wells (Only mentioned)
- Richard Wilkins
- Unidentified sorcerer
Organizations and titles[]
- Key
- San Francisco Police Department (Only mentioned)
- Slayer
- Slayer Organization (Only mentioned)
- Sorcerer
- United States Government (Only mentioned)
- Warlock
- Watcher
- Witch
- Wolfram & Hart (Only mentioned)
Species[]
Events[]
- Apocalypse (Only mentioned)
- Graduation Day battle (Only mentioned)
- Reckoning (Only in flashbacks)
Locations[]
- England (Only mentioned)
- United States
- Haddyn
- Fray's library (Only mentioned)
- New York City (Only mentioned)
- San Francisco
- Sunnydale (Only mentioned)
- Wolfram & Hart Silicon Valley branch
- Haddyn
Objects[]
- Mister Gordo
- mʔ
- Ray gun
- Scepter of the Veils
- Tales of the Slayers
- Vampy Cat
- Watchers Diaries (Only mentioned)
Death count[]
- Unidentified sorcerer, speared then bitten by several lurks.
- Unidentified lurk, staked by Angel.
- Unidentified demon, beheaded by Faith.
- Unidentified lurk, beheaded by Spike.
- Unknown number of demons and lurks, killed in battle by the Scooby Gang.
Behind the scenes[]
Distribution[]
- One Year Later was the 160th best selling comic issue in its publishing month, with 12,225 sales in June 2018 at comic specialty stores.[2]
Collections[]
Pop culture references[]
- Xander and Dawn's home has a poster of the fictional character Hellboy on the wall.
- Richard Wilkins mimics a scene from the horror film The Shinning (1980).
- A billboard in Haddyn advertises for Coca-Cola in Japanese.
Gallery[]
Covers[]
Cover artwork[]
Preview[]
References[]
- ↑ "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 12: The Reckoning #1." Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved on April 14, 2018.
- ↑ "Top 500 Comics--June 2018." ICv2, July 9, 2018.