Welcome to the Team, Part Three is the eighteenth issue of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine comic book series. Written by Andrew Chambliss and illustrated by Georges Jeanty, it was originally published on February 13, 2013, by Dark Horse Comics.
Synopsis[]
The remnants of magic left on earth are in danger... The Siphon is back, and he's more charged than ever before as he takes out one magical being after another, absorbing their power. Pulled into this battle to save the world — again — Buffy is partnered with Koh and Illyria to put a stop Severin.
- Illyria partners with Buffy![1]
Summary[]
Buffy, Illyria, and Koh ready themselves to fight, but, when Severin makes his first move, he shows tremendous power.
Meanwhile, Xander is at the hospital beside Dawn. She is asleep when the doctor comes to tell Xander they cannot find anything wrong with her. Xander is angry at himself for believing Dawn would be okay if they avoided the slaying life.
Severin strikes the three warriors with one blast. He is about to drain Illyria when she awakes and teleports away. Severin attacks Buffy instead, but Koh come to her side. While fighting, Severin reveals the only reason he is saving up on power is to save the girl he accidentally killed. Koh attacks him from the back, and Illyria teleports Koh and Buffy out of the building. Buffy says they need to meet the Council because she knows what Severin is planning.
Meanwhile, Billy investigates the warehouse where Buffy disappeared. Anaheed joins him by surprise, and Billy tries to talk her out of helping. He says Anaheed has no Slayer powers and reveals he fells he let Buffy and Dowling down.
Buffy, Illyria, and Koh reunite with the Council. Buffy reveals Severin used to Council to lure Illyria out, targeting the Old One because he hopes he can use her time traveling powers to save his girlfriend. They argue about the possible ramifications of his actions, when Severin suddenly bursts in. The Council wants to put up a fight, but Illyria suggests she goes willingly.
At the hospital, Andrew tries to use his limited magical assets to diagnose Dawn, but he too cannot find anything wrong with her. Andrew can say her ailment is definitely mystical, and he argues Dawn needs a new body to survive, suggesting his recent Buffybot. Xander agrees and, disguised as doctors, they wheels Dawn out.
Billy reviews security footage from the night Buffy disappeared when a group of zompires ambushes them. However, Anaheed stuck around and saves him, revealing she is in fact a Slayer herself.
While some members of the Council hold the Siphon off with what little magic they have left, Illyria, Buffy, and Koh review their plan, in which Illyria will act as bait. While Severin starts to absorb her power, Illyria is to teleport Buffy and Koh next to her so they can defeat Severin, but she teleports them to the wrong place. Just as Illyria realizes her plan has failed, Severin starts to drain her of her power.
Continuity[]
- Xander considers Dawn had an aneurysm due to her mother, who died from an aneurysm ("The Body").
- Xander says he though walking away from Buffy meant Dawn would be okay, as the General suggested him in Last Gleaming, Part Three.
- Buffy says Severin almost sucked her dry when she was the Buffybot, which happened in Freefall, Part Four.
- Buffy recognizes Severin's intention of saving his girlfriend because he told her how he had killed Clare in Freefall, Part Three.
- Andrew recalls exchanging Buffy's mind with a Buffybot, as revealed in Apart (of Me), Part One.
Appearances[]
Individuals[]
- Anaheed
- Brahma
- Buffybot (II) (Only mentioned)
- Clare (Only mentioned)
- D'Hoffryn
- Robert Dowling (Only in video)
- Alexander Harris
- Illyria
- Eldre Koh
- Billy Lane
- Severin
- Buffy Summers
- Dawn Summers
- Joyce Summers (Only mentioned)
- Andrew Wells
- Balloon demon
- Leaf blower demon
- Magic Council witch
- Magic Council wizard
- Tree witch
- Unidentified doctor (Welcome to the Team)
Organizations and titles[]
Species[]
- Demon
- Bug crew (Only mentioned)
- Lower being
- Matchstick demon (Only corpse)
- Nitobe
- Zen demon
- Human
- Old One
- Robot (Only mentioned)
- Zompire
Events[]
Locations[]
Objects[]
- Darento crystal (Only mentioned)
- Disc of Nalem (Only mentioned)
- Holy water (Only in video)
- Stake (Only in video)
- Qu'shal spear (Only mentioned)
Death count[]
- Two zompires, staked by Billy Lane.
- Three zompires, staked by Anaheed.
Behind the scenes[]
Distribution[]
- Welcome to the Team, Part Three was the 94th best selling comic issue in its publishing month, with 22,530 sales in February 2013 at comic specialty stores.[2]
Collections[]
Pop culture references[]
- Severin refers to Illyria's teleportation powers and acting like Houdini, the magician known for his escape acts.
- Buffy says Severin is about to go "Chernobyl," referring to the 1986 nuclear disaster in the city.
- Buffy calls Koh "Koh-meo" as pun with the name Romeo, the lover from the tragedy Romeo and Juliet.
- Xander calls the doctor who is unable to diagnose Dawn as "Dr. Do-Very-Little," a reference to the character Dr. Dolittle.
- Andrew suggests Hugh Laurie, star of the medical drama House, M.D., could diagnose Dawn.
- Andrew is inspired by the film Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home in his plan to escape the hospital and use the disguises of doctors Kirk and McCoy.
- Andrew makes up the name Tarellian plague based on the race from the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Gallery[]
Covers[]
Cover artwork[]
Quotes[]
| Illyria: "I do not fear losing my power. I have faced that before. What it's like to feel small and insignificant. To experience pain and loss. To be human. I can handle it. But the Siphon... he cannot handle the power inside me." |
References[]
- ↑ "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #18 (Phil Noto cover)." Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved on March 13, 2024.
- ↑ "Top 300 Comics Actual--February 2013." ICv2, March 11, 2013.