Time of Your Life, Part Two is the seventeenth issue of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight comic book series. It was written by Joss Whedon and illustrated by Karl Moline. Joss Whedon is the executive producer.
Synopsis[]
After a shaky introduction, Buffy and Fray must join forces in order to discover the purpose of their meeting, and its impact on the world at large.[1]
Summary[]
Prior to encountering Buffy, Fray and her sister Erin follow a B-42 harboring numerous vampires. Fray captures one in mid-air amongst the skyscrapers. She demands from him the whereabouts of her vampire twin brother and archenemy, Harth. The vampire claims that Harth has allied himself with a mysterious, powerful woman with dark powers, known as the Mad Woman. Fray informs her sister that she read in the Watchers Diaries of the woman in question; however she is unable to put her finger on whom exactly.
At a docking site, Harth and the mysterious figure, who clouds herself in the shadow, supervise a number of vampires transporting helpless victims in and out of trucks. The woman explains to Harth that her menacing plans will ripple to the present. Meanwhile, back in the present, Willow comforts a wounded Kennedy. When asked as to why Willow has tamed the beast and not killed it, she explains that she believes that it and Buffy switched places in time.
At the castle, Xander bursts into the command central where it wreaths in green flames. Rowena reports to him that most of the Slayers have escaped through the tunnels; however, the West Tower has collapsed. Suddenly, “medieval Cobra-faced foot soldiers” appear and shoot an arrow in Xander’s shoulder. Dawn arrives on the scene and attacks the soldiers with her hooves. She then picks up the wounded Xander and carries him out of the castle.
In the future, Fray arrives on a rooftop and battles a beast. The beast exchanges places with Buffy, igniting the fight between both Slayers. Buffy finally manages to calm Fray down. She wonders how many Slayers there are in Fray’s time, to which Melaka replies: “One. Half.” She explains that she is the only Slayer in a long time and that her brother Harth carries the prophecies and the collective Slayer memories that should’ve been imbued in Fray. The future Slayer takes Buffy to her employer, Gunther, a fish-like mutant who resides in an aquarium apartment, where they question him about who the mysterious woman is.
At the docks with Harth, the woman he has aligned himself with is revealed to be Dark Willow.
Continuity[]
- Fray uses the apartment and books she discovered in Tales.
- Harth tells Willow he has the Slayer memories of fighting her and being hurt because she was connected to a loved one. This is a reference to Buffy and Willow’s confront in "Two to Go".
- Buffy says she’s all the time going off high buildings lately, as she had recently fallen from one in Wolves at the Gate, Part Four.
Appearances[]
Individuals[]
- Erin Fray
- Harth Fray
- Melaka Fray
- Gates (demon)
- Gates (Watcher) (Only mentioned)
- Gunther
- Alexander Harris
- Kennedy
- Willow Rosenberg
- Rowena
- Dawn Summers
- Buffy Summers
- Twilight (Only mentioned)
- Violet
- Unidentified Haddyn demon
Organizations and titles[]
Species[]
Events[]
- Battle of Starbucks (Only mentioned)
Locations[]
- Scotland
- New York City, USA
Weapons and objects[]
Death count[]
- Four unidentified vampires, killed in the car explosion (in future).
- One unidentified vampire, staked by Melaka Fray (in future).
- At least seven Slayers, killed in a tower collapse.
Behind the scenes[]
Production[]
- Georges Jeanty variant cover is a homage to the manga Akira, more specifically to the volume 4 cover of the series.
- The statue in Haddyn which the vampires’ van collapses into is a reference to writer and magician Alan Moore, as editor Scott Allie pointed out in this issue’s “Slay the Critics”. Moore had been previously referenced in No Future for You, Part One as “the great bearded wizard of Northampton”.
- Before the reveal of the “madwoman” as Willow, the story pointed out to Drusilla: with her clothing, dark hair, way of speaking, having fought Buffy before, with a connection with someone she loved, lived for centuries, etc. This mislead was confirmed by Scott Allie: “Yes — we were trying to trick you into thinking it was Dru, without cheating. I hope it worked.”[2]
Distribution[]
Exclusive print promoting "Time of Your Life" arc
- An exclusive print by Karl Moline, Andy Owens, and Michelle Madsen promoting "Time of Your Life" arc was available to direct market retailers, in which a fourth of the scene was available as incentive for each issue.
- Time of Your Life, Part Two was the thirteenth best selling comic issue in its publishing month, with 79,307 sales in August 2008 at comic specialty stores.[3]
Collections[]
Pop culture references[]
- Kennedy wears a shirt with an illustration of Marzipan, the fictional character from Homestar Runner.
International titles[]
- French: Autre Temps, Autre Tueuse, Partie 2 (Other Time, Other Slayer, Part 2)
- German: Jagdzeiten, Teil Zwei (Hunting Times, Part Two)
- Italian: Un Mondo Migliore, Parte 2 (A Better World, Part 2)
- Russian: Время вашей жизни, Часть 2 (Time of Your life, Part 2)
- Spanish: Lo Mejor de Tu Vida, Parte II (The Best of Your Life, Part II)
- Turkish: Zamanın Oyunu, Kısım İki (Game of Time, Part Two)
Other[]
- This issue was adapted into a Season Eight Motion Comic episode.
Gallery[]
Cover artwork[]
Preview[]
Quotes[]
| Dark Willow: “Ripples, child. Everything is ripples.” |
| Xander: “Soldiers die, Rowena. They do it all the time.” |
| Buffy: “You are talking crazy-person talk. Put your words in word places, please.” |
| Buffy: “We both have scythes. We both have awesome kung-fu moves. Turn-offs include smokers, insensitive men, and vampires. You with me?” |
References[]
- ↑ "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8: #17 Time of Your Life". Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
- ↑ "Ask Scott Allie - August '08". SlayAlive Forum, August 06, 2008. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
- ↑ "Top 300 Comics Actual--August 2008" ICv2, September 15, 2008. Retrieved February 20, 2018.