Since the release of th
e comic continuation of Buffy The Vampire Slayer in 2007, speculation of a TV or film continuation has been rife, be it in the form of spin-offs such as Buffy: The Animated Series or the recently announced Buffy The Vampire Slayer film, without the involvement of original creator Joss Whedon or the original cast. However, until now, nothing outside of the comic medium has surfaced. This changes with the release of Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Motion Comic.
Since motion comics first became popular, opinion has been generally negative of their ability to tell a linear story without losing aspects of character or plot. Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic received a very mixed response, with some disappointed at the fact that the entire cast was voiced by one actor, and others praising the animation involved. However, the Buffy Motion Comic lacks many of the faults highlighted within others, and proves to be an entertaining watch without degrading the characters established within 7 televised seasons.
Spanning 19 episodes, with an expectation that the entire 40-comic long Buffy : Season 8 will be converted, FOX have a lot of ground to cover. Upon watching this first episode, it seems the plan is to stick as close to the plot of Season 8 as possible - very little dialogue is altered, with lines added only to flesh the comics out into an audible form. A long time fan, I must admit I was hooked from the second I heard the theme song begin to play - it was a joy to watch an episode of Buffy kick off with Nerf Herder's classic. To see the comics given a whole new dimension brought life to much of the action within - indeed, for those not fond of comic books of graphic novels, the motion comics are a feasible alternative for an avid fan. The animation is hard to fault - without doubt, I have never seen as much animation in a motion comic as is present within the first episode of Buffy, and it exists without feeling forced or unnecessary. Lasting just over 10 minutes long, it seems the intention is for each arc to span an episode, quite possibly the format we will see on the DVD, supposedly released some time this Fall.
However, it would be a lie if I was to say it didn't have its faults. Perhaps the largest is the manner in which it has been released. The motion comic is currently available only within the US and Canada, not to be released Worldwide until after the US receive the DVD. This strikes me as a huge mistake on behalf of FOX, depriving a massive fanbase of one of the most interesting Buffy-related productions since the comics. If this will be remedied before the DVD release or not remains to be seen.
My other major gripe is the voice acting. Unfortunately, while the music is classic Buffy, the voice acting definitely isn't. Retaining none of the original cast, which was to be expected, it seems FOX made little effort to choose voice actors who sounded anything like their predecessors. While Xander is still recognizable, Buffy sounds dreadful in parts, her voice to high and defying the voice patterns set by Sarah Michelle Gellar for the character. This renders certain scenes slightly alien, with the emotions suggested by the voice acting not quite right for how SMG might have portrayed it. Though distracting, it was only to be expected that the voice acting wouldn't be perfect, and the animation and quality of the original comics it bearable. Who knows, perhaps the voices improve over the course of the series.
I personally really enjoyed the first episode, and can only hope it retains the quality present within #1. Though the voice acting isn't up to standard, other aspects of the episode make up for this slight downside, and you still feel Joss Whedon's influence as a result. In my opinion, the motion comic's place within the Whedonverse is well deserved.
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