Perfect for the fan who can't bear the idea that they're missing a moment in the Buffyverse, The Death of Buffy nicely fills in the events between the end of season five and the start of season six.
That gives it clear strengths, and, unfortunately, clearer weaknesses. It's at its best when it delves into the way the Slayer's death affected those closer to her - great artwork from Richards really brings the Scoobies to life, and the writing is spot-on in capturing their personalities. It's nice to see the supporting characters come to the fore for once.
On the down side, the lack of Buffy leaves a bit of a hole at the centre of the story, and the way the book sets itself up to join-the-dots between seasons five and six leaves the writers with no room to maneouver into a compelling story. The gravitational force of TV series continuity constantly drags the plot off target every time it threatens to get interesting.
There are more problems with the second story in this collection, Withdrawal. A coda to the Creatures of Habit illustrated novel, it doesn't make much sense on its own. Worse, because it's set halfway through season six, there's a huge, disorienting, jump in time for the reader, not to mention spoiler problems a-plenty.
Great if you want to know about every single Sunnydale second, but most readers will find it rather bitty and unsatisfying. A special mention must go to the luscious cover by Brian Horton and Paul Lee - so much nicer than the photo-based covers the Buffy graphic novels have had up until now
