Welcome to the Team, Part Two is the seventeenth 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 January 9, 2013, by Dark Horse Comics.
Synopsis[]
Ripped from the middle of a zompire battle, Buffy finds herself face to face with Illyria and a mystical council in LA. She's been unwillingly recruited to take down a former enemy while her friends in San Francisco are left in a Buffy-less lurch with dire consequences...
- TV's Illyria joins the cast of Season 9!
- Executive produced by Joss Whedon![1]
Summary[]
After Buffy vanished from the fight and Dowling is being bitten by the extraordinarily strong zompire, Billy has to fight harder to save his friend. At that moment, a team from the S.F.P.D. Vampire Task Force arrives and stakes the remaining zompires. While officers tend to Dowling's wounds, Dowling tells Billy to go find Buffy.
Meanwhile, Buffy is in Los Angeles, talking to Illyria. Buffy recognizes the Old One from Angel's and Spike's descriptions, and she notes Illyria got her powers back. Illyria uses these powers to bring Buffy to inside the planetarium, where she meets a group of magical beings, among them D'Hoffryn. The Council explains that, with so little magical energy left, they have to band to protect it. They show Buffy there is someone who threatens them all: Severin.
In San Francisco, Dawn is coughing in bed, which wakes up Xander. In a fit of rage, he throws her cough syrup at the wall. He then apologizes and goes to sleep on the couch. Just as he is falling asleep, Billy calls informing him on Dowling's situation. Later at the hospital, Billy tells Xander and Dawn about Buffy's disappearance, and Xander angrily questions him. Billy leaves saying he will find Buffy, and Dawn speaks out against Xander's constant anger. Xander explains he has difficulty adjusting to normal life.
Meanwhile, a matchstick demon speaks to Buffy of her encounter with Severin, who stole all her magic. Illyria says she understands how she felt: human. Buffy comments she heard it was an improvement on the Old One. Illyria, however, says that trying to be Fred is not working out for anyone since the real Fred is dead. The Council insists on the threat of Siphon, and Buffy explains she believes he is working with Simone. Buffy says that, while she had no issue with him taking out demons, she believes he is collecting this energy for a reason, and she will help the Council find out what it is.
In San Francisco, Billy talks to Devon on the phone. He says he felt responsible for the night's events, but Devon cheers him up. Then Devon gives Billy the idea to check the site of Buffy's disappearance for clues.
Illyria explains that, because of the Siphon's power, she can not bend time around him and, therefore, they need to go to him. Illyria will accompany Buffy, but she has also recruited Eldre Koh to their side. Although the alliance will be uneasy, Buffy and Koh go along with it.
In the hospital, a doctor comes to tell Xander and Dawn that Dowling has made it through surgery and will be okay. While Xander is asking if they can talk to Dowling, Dawn suddenly feels weak and passes out. The doctor notices she is not breathing.
Buffy, Illyria, and Koh surround Severin's new lair. They attack from three sides and, when they converge, they find the Siphon is not where they were told he would be. He appears behind them, holding the body of the demon from whom he had learned about their attack, and his hands glowing with power.
Continuity[]
- Illyria states she regained her powers after parting ways from Angel and Spike, but she does not share any details. In the dubious-canon miniseries Illyria: Haunted, Illyria departs from Angel Investigations and regains her powers in the Deeper Well.
- Dawn's health worsens due to the end of magic, as Illyria will explain to the Scoobies in Welcome to the Team, Part Four.
- Believing she is about to reunite with Spike, Buffy says things might be awkward between them due to their departure in Apart (of Me), Part Three. They will only reunite in The Core, Part Five.
- Buffy has a tense reunion with Koh due to their confront in their last encounter, in Guarded, Part Three.
- Koh trusts Illyria will help him find who imprisoned him. In United, Part Three, Illyria will reveal to Koh she is responsible for framing him for his family's death.
Appearances[]
Individuals[]
- Anaheed
- Angel (Only mentioned)
- Brahma
- Winifred Burkle (Only mentioned)
- D'Hoffryn
- Devon
- Simone Doffler (Only mentioned)
- Robert Dowling
- Tessa Freer
- Alexander Harris
- Illyria
- Eldre Koh
- Billy Lane
- Severin
- Spike (Only mentioned)
- Buffy Summers
- Dawn Summers
- Balloon demon
- Leaf blower demon
- Magic Council witch
- Magic Council wizard
- Tree witch
- Unidentified doctor (Welcome to the Team)
Organizations and titles[]
Species[]
- Demon
- Lower being
- Matchstick demon
- Nitobe
- Vengeance demon (Only mentioned)
- Zen demon
- Human
- Old One
- Vampire (Only mentioned)
- Zompire
Events[]
- End of magic
- Primordium Age (Only mentioned)
Locations[]
Objects[]
Death count[]
- Two zompires, staked by Billy Lane.
- Tessa Freer, staked a San Francisco cop.
- Ten zompires, staked by San Francisco cops.
- The matchstick demon, energy drained by Severin.
Behind the scenes[]
Production[]
- The Magic Council meet at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.
Distribution[]
- Welcome to the Team, Part Two was the 88th best selling comic issue in its publishing month, with 23,219 sales in January 2013 at comic specialty stores.[2]
Collections[]
Pop culture references[]
- Billy wears a hoodie written "Bazinga!", a catchphrase from the TV series The Big Bang Theory.
- Dawn and Xander's apartment has maquettes of a Dalek from Doctor Who and of Godzilla.
- Dawn mentions using a medication of the brand NyQuil.
- Xander refers to his rage as transforming into the Hulk.
- Devon has on his wall a poster of the TV series Glee.
- Devon tells Billy to solve puzzles like The Hardy Boys.
- Buffy refers to Illyria as the blue character Smurfette.
Gallery[]
Covers[]
Cover artwork[]
Quotes[]
Dawn: "Is it because you miss the way things used to be?" |
Xander: "What? The fighting for our lives, the fighting for our lives, or the fighting for our lives?" |
References[]
- ↑ "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #17 (Phil Noto cover)." Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved on March 12, 2024.
- ↑ "Top 300 Comics Actual--January 2013." ICv2, February 12, 2013.