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No Buffy or Angel but a Whole Lot of Dark Willow in "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" #7 Spoilers

Published Wed, 07 Aug 2019 11:30:16 -0500

This is the solicitation for Buffy The Vampire Slayer #7, out today.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #7 CVR A MAIN ASPINALL
(W) Jordie Bellaire (A) David Lopez, Sas Milledge (CA) Marc Aspinall
With time and options running out quickly, Buffy must turn to the new face in Sunnydale, someone she doesn't fully trust – ANGEL! If you're expecting sparks to fly, you're probably guessing wrong… but fists and stakes just might!In Shops: Aug 07, 2019
SRP: $3.99

It's a lie. Buffy does not appear in this comic. Neither does Angel. I'm not sure how they could have got it this wrong. Instead, however, this is a Willow focussed issue, with a bit of Xander Harris and a little Giles. But a whole lot of Willow, all of her.

Last week we told you how Angel #3 hinted that "a madwoman becomes a sorceress" in the future. Some thought it might be Fred. Some thought it might be Willow.

Well, today's Buffy The Vampire Slayer #7 may not explicitly answer the question but it does give us the First Appearance of one of the most popular characters in the Whedonverse – Dark Willow.

Now if that name makes you think of Dark Phoenix, well… that was always the point and one of the reasons Joss Whedon was hired to withe the mutant books. In the original television series, Dark Willow emerged as a result of Willow dabbling in more powerful, black magicks following the death of her lover, Tara. But as we're learning, the new Buffy the Vampire Slayer is creating new versions…and origins… for key characters in the Whedonverse. Dark Willow is no exception and her first appearance in the new comic series is the result of a decidedly more heroic sacrifice rather than deep, unresolved grief.

The beginning of the issue just lets us know something is wrong with Willow after giving half her soul to Xander to help him control his new vampire side in Buffy The Vampire Slayer #6…but it's soon clear there's something much more important going on with Willow.

Let me rephrase – there's something important going on with both Willows.

Willow meets Dark Willow in a scene sure to remind some readers of The Dark Phoenix Saga and we learn that reality may not be all that it seems.

And even in victory, Willow only "defeats" Dark Willow through violent, bloody murder…which raises its own questions about who is truly the evil one.

And, no doubt, the fact that Willow still sports a black streak of hair after the battle is a sign that this won't be the last time we see Dark Willow in the series. And with the big Hellmouth event story on the way, it's no big leap to guess that the first appearance of Dark Willow in this issue – and Gunn in Angel #3 – mean big things are coming for the Boom Studios Buffyverse…and fans should be checking out both series for the full picture.

Even if this particular issue doesn't feature whoever they promised…

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