Twilight (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Encyclopedia
"Twilight" is the seventh story arc of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight
series of comic books, based upon the television series of the same name, and is written by novelist and comic book writer Brad Meltzer
. The story follows Buffy
's warfare with recurring villain Twilight, and features Buffy taking on Twilight mano y mano following her development of powers similar to his. Part II, notably, reveals the identity of Twilight after months of speculation; this revelation was leaked early due to cover solicitations, leading to much early controversy and speculation, as well as damage control from showrunner Joss Whedon
and Dark Horse Comics
editor Scott Allie
.
tests the extent of her new superpowers when she is confronted by Twilight, who reveals himself to be her ex-boyfriend Angel. Their battle continues in mid-air for some time. He explains that the Twilight identity was the only way to limit the extent of the anti-Slayer factions' damage, and that the masked identity gave Buffy somewhere to focus her energies. Overcome by a strange glow, Angel begins to explain to Buffy that they are part of a cosmic destiny. Buffy succumbs to her passion and she and Angel begin to have sex, at first mid-air and later through space, eventually arriving in a paradise-like dimension which Angel announced is "Twilight".
Giles
explains to Willow
, Xander
, Dawn
et al. a myth about the Slayer that, in short, ultimately means that Buffy and Angel are destiny's vehicles in bringing the old universe to a close and beginning a new one. Demons, afterbirth of the new dimension, begin to flood the old world. Andrew
uses a combination Captain America
and Iron Man
armor to defend himself; he and Warren
squabble, with Andrew taking a serious blow from a demon. Despite the prospect of eternal happiness with Angel in the paradise dimension, Buffy questions the new reality after observing the situation her friends are in. She decides to return to earth to assist her friends fight the unleashed demons, with Angel opting to assist her. Even with Buffy and Angel's superpowers the demons are hard to overcome. At the close of the arc, a spherical yellow ship arrives, from which Spike emerges promising a solution to the crisis.
' Superman
, as Buffy and Xander attempt to test the extent of Buffy's powers, testing them against the popular Superman phrase, "faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound". In Part II, Andrew attacks Twilight with a suit of armour incorporating many facets of popular DC and Marvel Comics
superheroes.
Early in the series, Joss Whedon was unaware of the coincidence of naming Season Eights villain Twilight, which shares its name with the series of supernatural romance novels written by Stephenie Meyer
. In Part II, while fighting Buffy, she comments on the choice of name, remarking she's "lived that whole thing", and that "her vampire" was much better. This is a comment on the perceived indebtedness of Meyer's Twilight, which is primarily a romance between a teenage girl and a good-natured vampire, to Whedon's Buffy.
. Prior to the release, Season Eight artist Georges Jeanty
had mocked up a spoof cover depicting the revelation that Twilight was US President
Barack Obama
. Due to the April solicitations releasing covers by Jo Chen
and Georges Jeanty which clearly show Twilight to be Angel, and of actor David Boreanaz
' likeness, Scott Allie was interviewed by Comic Book Resources. Allie stated that he had known of Twilight's true identity "from the get-go" and had struggled to keep it a secret all this time; four years ago, Whedon wrote out a "Buffy Manifesto" which included the identity of Twilight which was circulated under strictest confidence to Dark Horse editorial and the various comic and TV writers who would be contributing to the series.
Allie also spoke to Chris Ryall, editor of IDW Publishing, to assure and "make clear" to him that that their parallel narratives would "jibe", so as to prevent "some big conflict with IDW continuity". Allie also stresses that for readers, the big reveal should not be who Twilight is, but rather why Angel is Twilight and how Buffy will react to this, commenting:
The reveal led to the trending of the #twilightisangel hashtag on the popular microblogging
site Twitter
. Subsequently, Dark Horse Comics posted on their Twitter, "Readers, we mean not to offend you. Knowing what you do will not spoil the great ending of Joss's Season 8. Trust us." IDW editor Chris Ryall posted a related teaser poster for the upcoming Spike ongoing, a spin-off from the Angel series which will focus on the heroic vampire Spike. The image, drawn by artist Franco Urru, is in the format of a comic book cover headed "Spike", and depicts Spike burning Twilight's mask with the tagline "He definitely isn't Twilight." Brian Lynch, writer of IDW Publishing
's own canonical Angel: After the Fall
and an upcoming Spike series came up with the idea on the night of the announcement. Franco drew it to completion the very next day, and it posted to Chris Ryall's blog shortly after.
took offence with Allie's comments, which he interpreted as Allie and Whedon "taking credit" for his work on the ongoing series. Willingham stated "I am not coordinating, nor have I ever coordinated stories with Scott Allie, Joss Whedon, nor anyone else at Dark Horse Comics ... as long as I am writing the Angel series for IDW, I will not be coordinating stories with any Dark Horse comic, period." Previously, Urru and Lynch's 17-issue After the Fall series for IDW had been considered canonical due to Whedon's involvement. Whedon later clarified by stating that the Dark Horse Buffy storyline took place, by internal chronology, after the resolution of the still-ongoing IDW Angel storyline.
Later, to make it up to IDW, Whedon and Allie granted permission to use Willow (IDW only has rights to Angel characters) in Lynch's ongoing series, Spike. However, Whedon requested oversight of the character's actions within the Spike series. Consequently, this leads to a bridging between the continuities of the Dark Horse Buffy series and the IDW Angel and Spike series (of ambiguous continuity) because the first arc of the Spike series acts as a prequel to the Twilight and Last Gleaming arcs of Season Eight.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight is a comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics. The series serves as a canonical continuation of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and follows the events of that show's final televised season. It is produced by Joss Whedon, who wrote the...
series of comic books, based upon the television series of the same name, and is written by novelist and comic book writer Brad Meltzer
Brad Meltzer
Brad Meltzer is a bestselling American political thriller novelist, non-fiction writer, TV show creator and award-winning comic book author.-Early life:...
. The story follows Buffy
Buffy Summers
Buffy Summers is a fictional character from Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer before going on to appear in the television series and subsequent comic book of the same name...
's warfare with recurring villain Twilight, and features Buffy taking on Twilight mano y mano following her development of powers similar to his. Part II, notably, reveals the identity of Twilight after months of speculation; this revelation was leaked early due to cover solicitations, leading to much early controversy and speculation, as well as damage control from showrunner Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
and Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
editor Scott Allie
Scott Allie
Scott Allie is an American comics writer and editor, currently the Senior Managing Editor for Dark Horse Comics.-Career:Scott Allie is the author of The Devil's Footprints and the editor of the Hellboy, Conan, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Serenity comics, as well as the founding editor of Dark...
.
Plot
BuffyBuffy Summers
Buffy Summers is a fictional character from Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer before going on to appear in the television series and subsequent comic book of the same name...
tests the extent of her new superpowers when she is confronted by Twilight, who reveals himself to be her ex-boyfriend Angel. Their battle continues in mid-air for some time. He explains that the Twilight identity was the only way to limit the extent of the anti-Slayer factions' damage, and that the masked identity gave Buffy somewhere to focus her energies. Overcome by a strange glow, Angel begins to explain to Buffy that they are part of a cosmic destiny. Buffy succumbs to her passion and she and Angel begin to have sex, at first mid-air and later through space, eventually arriving in a paradise-like dimension which Angel announced is "Twilight".
Giles
Rupert Giles
Rupert Giles is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The character is portrayed by Anthony Stewart Head. He serves as Buffy Summers' mentor and surrogate father figure...
explains to Willow
Willow Rosenberg
Willow Rosenberg is a fictional character created for the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . She was developed by Joss Whedon and portrayed throughout the TV series by Alyson Hannigan...
, Xander
Xander Harris
Alexander LaVelle "Xander" Harris is a fictional character in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as in numerous items in the series Expanded Universe, such as comic books, tie-in novels and video games...
, Dawn
Dawn Summers
Dawn Summers is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon and introduced by Marti Noxon and David Fury on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, portrayed by Michelle Trachtenberg. She made her debut in the premiere episode of the show's fifth season, and subsequently appeared in every...
et al. a myth about the Slayer that, in short, ultimately means that Buffy and Angel are destiny's vehicles in bringing the old universe to a close and beginning a new one. Demons, afterbirth of the new dimension, begin to flood the old world. Andrew
Andrew Wells
Andrew Wells is a fictional character in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, played by Tom Lenk. The character also appears in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, the canonical continuation of the series....
uses a combination Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
and Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
armor to defend himself; he and Warren
Warren Mears
Warren Mears is a fictional character portrayed by Adam Busch in the American television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as its canonical comic book series continuation.-Television:...
squabble, with Andrew taking a serious blow from a demon. Despite the prospect of eternal happiness with Angel in the paradise dimension, Buffy questions the new reality after observing the situation her friends are in. She decides to return to earth to assist her friends fight the unleashed demons, with Angel opting to assist her. Even with Buffy and Angel's superpowers the demons are hard to overcome. At the close of the arc, a spherical yellow ship arrives, from which Spike emerges promising a solution to the crisis.
Cultural references
Part I features many homages to comic book superheroes, notably DC ComicsDC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
' Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
, as Buffy and Xander attempt to test the extent of Buffy's powers, testing them against the popular Superman phrase, "faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound". In Part II, Andrew attacks Twilight with a suit of armour incorporating many facets of popular DC and Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
superheroes.
Early in the series, Joss Whedon was unaware of the coincidence of naming Season Eights villain Twilight, which shares its name with the series of supernatural romance novels written by Stephenie Meyer
Stephenie Meyer
Stephenie Meyer is an American author known for her vampire romance series Twilight. The Twilight novels have gained worldwide recognition and sold over 100 million copies globally, with translations into 37 different languages...
. In Part II, while fighting Buffy, she comments on the choice of name, remarking she's "lived that whole thing", and that "her vampire" was much better. This is a comment on the perceived indebtedness of Meyer's Twilight, which is primarily a romance between a teenage girl and a good-natured vampire, to Whedon's Buffy.
Spoiler leak
Twilight's identity was not revealed in the comic itself, but rather via comic book cover solicitations and subsequent interviews with Comic Book ResourcesComic Book Resources
Comic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
. Prior to the release, Season Eight artist Georges Jeanty
Georges Jeanty
Georges Jeanty is an American comic book penciler best known for his work on The American Way, an eight-issue American comic book limited series produced under DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint, and the Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics.-Early...
had mocked up a spoof cover depicting the revelation that Twilight was US President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
. Due to the April solicitations releasing covers by Jo Chen
Jo Chen
Jo Chen is a female comic book artist and writer best known for her highly detailed painted comic book covers.-Biography:Chen was born in Taipei, Taiwan and emigrated to the United States in late 1994. Working professionally in the Asian comic book industry since age fourteen, she burst suddenly...
and Georges Jeanty which clearly show Twilight to be Angel, and of actor David Boreanaz
David Boreanaz
David Boreanaz is an American actor, television producer, and director, known for his role as Angel on the supernatural drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, and as Special Agent Seeley Booth on the television crime drama Bones....
' likeness, Scott Allie was interviewed by Comic Book Resources. Allie stated that he had known of Twilight's true identity "from the get-go" and had struggled to keep it a secret all this time; four years ago, Whedon wrote out a "Buffy Manifesto" which included the identity of Twilight which was circulated under strictest confidence to Dark Horse editorial and the various comic and TV writers who would be contributing to the series.
Allie also spoke to Chris Ryall, editor of IDW Publishing, to assure and "make clear" to him that that their parallel narratives would "jibe", so as to prevent "some big conflict with IDW continuity". Allie also stresses that for readers, the big reveal should not be who Twilight is, but rather why Angel is Twilight and how Buffy will react to this, commenting:
The reveal led to the trending of the #twilightisangel hashtag on the popular microblogging
Microblogging
Microblogging is a broadcast medium in the form of blogging. A microblog differs from a traditional blog in that its content is typically smaller in both actual and aggregate file size...
site Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
. Subsequently, Dark Horse Comics posted on their Twitter, "Readers, we mean not to offend you. Knowing what you do will not spoil the great ending of Joss's Season 8. Trust us." IDW editor Chris Ryall posted a related teaser poster for the upcoming Spike ongoing, a spin-off from the Angel series which will focus on the heroic vampire Spike. The image, drawn by artist Franco Urru, is in the format of a comic book cover headed "Spike", and depicts Spike burning Twilight's mask with the tagline "He definitely isn't Twilight." Brian Lynch, writer of IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing, also known as Idea + Design Works, LLC and IDW, is an American publisher of comic books and comic strip collections. The company was founded in 1999 and has been awarded the title "Publisher of the Year Under 5% Market Share" for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 by Diamond Comic...
's own canonical Angel: After the Fall
Angel: After the Fall
Angel: After the Fall is a comic book published by IDW Publishing. Written by Brian Lynch and plotted with Joss Whedon, the series is a canonical continuation of the Angel television series, and follows the events of that show's final televised season...
and an upcoming Spike series came up with the idea on the night of the announcement. Franco drew it to completion the very next day, and it posted to Chris Ryall's blog shortly after.
IDW Publishing response
While Lynch, Urru and Ryall seem to support Whedon's move, Angel writer Bill WillinghamBill Willingham
Bill Willingham is an American writer and artist of comics.-Career:Willingham got his start in the late 1970s to early 1980s as a staff artist for TSR, Inc., where he illustrated a number of their role-playing game products...
took offence with Allie's comments, which he interpreted as Allie and Whedon "taking credit" for his work on the ongoing series. Willingham stated "I am not coordinating, nor have I ever coordinated stories with Scott Allie, Joss Whedon, nor anyone else at Dark Horse Comics ... as long as I am writing the Angel series for IDW, I will not be coordinating stories with any Dark Horse comic, period." Previously, Urru and Lynch's 17-issue After the Fall series for IDW had been considered canonical due to Whedon's involvement. Whedon later clarified by stating that the Dark Horse Buffy storyline took place, by internal chronology, after the resolution of the still-ongoing IDW Angel storyline.
Later, to make it up to IDW, Whedon and Allie granted permission to use Willow (IDW only has rights to Angel characters) in Lynch's ongoing series, Spike. However, Whedon requested oversight of the character's actions within the Spike series. Consequently, this leads to a bridging between the continuities of the Dark Horse Buffy series and the IDW Angel and Spike series (of ambiguous continuity) because the first arc of the Spike series acts as a prequel to the Twilight and Last Gleaming arcs of Season Eight.