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"Welcome to the Team, Part One" was the sixteenth issue of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine comic book series.
Synopsis
In the streets of San Francisco, zompires attacked a man and forced it to drink their blood to infect him. Buffy interrupted them though, but she was bested by the zompires in a fight. Luckily, Dowling and Billy were there to help stake two, while the third, their leader, got away. Billy wanted to give chase, but Buffy reminded him that his grandmother only allowed him to stay if she skyped her at every sunrise to let her know he was okay. Dowling expressed concern that Buffy had gotten hurt, but Buffy shrugged it off, although she did note that the leader had been exceptionally strong. While Billy and Dowling made plans to research this notion, Buffy commented that they had become a team.
Elsewhere, Dawn was throwing up in her bathroom. Xander came in and asked what was wrong. Dawn wasn't sure, but she liked that he took care of her.
Back at Buffy's apartment, Anaheed was snooping through boxes of Buffy's stuff, when Buffy and Billy came in. It turned out Anaheed was just looking for a dress. Buffy used the opportunity to pay rent ahead for the next six months and then she and Anaheed went to watch TV, while Billy hit the books.
Later, Buffy stopped by Dawn and Xander's to see how her sister was feeling. She brought peanut butter, which Dawn was allergic to, but somehow Buffy had forgotten. While Dawn had to throw up again Xander had a look at Buffy's injuries. Buffy explained that her accelerated healing was not working too well because she had been injured with a mystical blade. Then Dowling called, signalling Buffy that he had found a nest. Xander teased that it may be a love nest instead of a vampire nest, but Dawn bluntly stated that Buffy would not be interested in someone like Dowling because he was not a vampire, but then she too began teasing Buffy that she had been texting him. Buffy protested that it would be wrong because he was (practically) a Scooby too, but Dawn reminded her that that had never been an issue. As Buffy left, they both confirmed that they liked the guy.
A little while later, Buffy met up with Dowling just after dark. She told him that Xander and Dawn thought they were dating, to which he said he was glad she did, because they weren't (yet), but then he asked her out on a date (sort of). Then Billy caught up with them. He had brought a lasso drenched in holy water as a special weapon to capture the lead zompire. Buffy thought it was a good idea, but she wanted to wield it herself.
Inside they battled a horde of zompires, including the strong leader. While Billy and Downling slayed the weaker minions, Buffy focused on the leader. In spite of the rope, the leader managed to fight Buffy off. Then Buffy realized she knew this person before she had been a zompire. While she was saying that, she was suddenly teleported elsewhere. The leader jumped onto Dowling and bit him in his neck.
Meanwhile, Buffy found herself on a rooftop overlooking Los Angeles. The one responsible for this spoke to her telling her that she represented a Council, not the watcher's, but something more important, asking Buffy to join, because her actions had caused irrevocable changes for the worse in the world. Buffy wondered how it was possible that this person teleported her, given there was no magic. The person revealed that such were the powers she had inside her. That person was Illyria.
Continuity
The story was set after "Billy the Vampire Slayer, Part Two" but before " The Core" and "What You Want, Not What You Need, Part One".
- When Dowling noted her arm was hurt, Buffy quipped that she held her arm like it was just tore off and it looked nothing like it. This was a reference to when her mind was put in a Buffybot and her arm was actually torn off by a zompire in "On Your Own, Part Two".
- Anaheed accidently pulled out Buffy's childhood stuffed animal Mr. Gordo, revealing she had still managed to keep it after "The Freshman".
- Dawn claimed she was allergic to peanuts, something neither Buffy or Xander seemed to remember. Oddly, Dawn had made a peanut butter quesadilla in "Wrecked".
- Buffy and Xander continued to conveniently forget aspects of Dawn, such as her birthday in "Freefall, Part Three". It also coincided to when Willow had seen Xander, Buffy, and Dawn discussing through a portal which was actually the scene when they were discussing Dowling. Foreshadowing of Dawn having issues was in "Wonderland, Part Two" where she had explicitly seen her faceless in a vision.
- Dawn indicated in a conversation with Buffy either Angel, Spike, or both had attempted to contact her since they had last seen her but Buffy did not respond. This was because she had parted on bad terms with the two vampires (Angel in "Last Gleaming, Part Five" and Spike in "Apart (of Me), Part Three"), so would naturally feel no need to talk to them.
- Buffy's potential romance with Dowling was revealed. Hints of this had earlier shown through Spike's observation that Dowling may be attracted to her in "On Your Own, Part One".
- This issue was the first time Illyria had ever crossed over in the entirety of the Buffy franchise. Coincidentally, it was also the first time Buffy and Illyria had ever meet formally.
Appearances
Individuals
- Buffy Summers
- Robert Dowling
- Billy Lane
- Xander Harris
- Dawn Summers
- Anaheed
- Illyria
- Sky (Only mentioned)
- Tumble (Only mentioned)
- Andrew (only mentioned)
- Kennedy (Only mentioned)
- Angel (indirectly mentioned)
- Spike (indirectly mentioned)
Organizations and Titles
- Illyria's mystical council
- Slayer
Species
Events
Locations
- San Francisco
- Los Angeles
- Vahla ha'nesh (Only mentioned)
Weapons and Objects
- Stake
- Mr. Gordo
- Rope
- Holy Water (only mentioned)
- Vampyr (only mentioned)
Body Count
- Many humans, sired by Tessa Freer.
- Four zompires, dusted by Billy.
- Four zompires, dusted by Dowling.
Behind the Scenes
Collections
Pop Culture References
- Dawn and Xander had several minifigures from popular media franchises: a Dalek (from Doctor Who), Captain America and others less well visible.
- Buffy called a particular zompire "Little Miss stay-out-of-sunshine", a reference to the film, Little Miss Sunshine.
- Buffy was seen watching the reality TV show The Bachelor.
Quotes
| Dowling: "You're holding your arm like someone just tore it off." |
| Buffy: "Trust me. I've held my arm like someone just tore it off, and it looks nothing like this." |
| Dawn: "You think? 'Cause I kind of like it." |
| Xander: "Really? 'Cause if you don't flush, I'm about to switch my eye patch to my good eye." |
| Xander: "So you're back for good? No trips into space ... sidebar--jealous-- no more being a robot .... sidebar--still jealous-- no more working for Kennedy ... final sidebar--not so jealous." |
| Buffy: "Wait. Why wouldn't I be interested in a guy like Dowling?" |
| Dawn: "He's not your type. Alive. Under a century. Gainfully employed. And you're actually returning his texts." |
| Illyria: "We know. You've irrevocably changed this world. And because of you, things are far worse than we ever thought possible. But like you ... (Illyria easily freezes Buffy) ... I still have power in me." |
| Buffy: " ... Can't move ..." |
| Illyria: "So you can either join us or perish." |
| Buffy: "Is there a third option?" |