Buffy The High School Years: Parental Parasite

Welcome back boys and girls, we are back, not just back to doing Buffy reviews but also back on our OG website. The Uncanny Fans site was an experiment but I want to try and keep everything on the same site so that we can build our brand. So, yeah, lets get to it. 

Once more we jump back to a time in early season 1, before we learn that Angel is a vampire!!! This issue, written by Kel McDonald while the great Yishan Li drew this beautiful book. 

The story starts with Buffy and Angel taking care of a group of vampires down in the sewers of Sunnydale, where Buffy spends far too much time, not that I'm one to talk, me and my friends use to play in 

sewers, it was fun. Buffy makes a fool out of herself while talking about Angel giving her his jacket, something that makes them both blush. Although, as Irishman, it's not hard to make Angel blush, I should know. 

Buffy goes to leave, heading back to school, making her way into the sun. Something that Angel can't do, but he plays it off by going back into the sewer to look for more vampires. Unknown to her, the school called her mother Joyce, who is not happy to hear her daughter skipped class, yet again. 

In the middle of yelling at Buffy, Joyce decides to step up and be a better mom. Something that I've been asking of her since episode one. I mean there is no worse parent in the world than Joyce Summers. Well, maybe Hank Summers. Or Scott Summers, okay, maybe Summers just make bad parents, who knows. Not the point. The point is, Joyce wants to be more involved in her daughters life, this would be a good thing if it wasn't for the fact that Buffy is the slayer.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Sunnydale a cute little girl is walking with what appears to be her mother, dragging her to the candy shop when they are attacked by a vampire. Business as usual in this small town. Until the little girl asked the vampire to take care of and the vampire agrees. 

Joyce follows through on her word and shows up at the library to see Buffy. They make a plans for a movie night, something she is unable to escape. Later that night Buffy and Angel find the little girl and almost kill the vampire before Angel stops her. He figures out that the little girl is really a Cuclidus Demon. 

Giles informs us that this demon forces people to protect itself no matter what. Even if it hurts them, even if it kills them. Buffy blows off her spa day with her mom to hunt for the demon, she has no luck. But as is the case in the world of fiction, the world is a small place. The little girl wants to go to the movie, during the day and her trusted vampire burst into flames. She did this feet away from Joyce who becomes her new protector.

When Buffy gets home that night she sees her mother serving this little girl and ignoring Buffy. It is hard to watch. Makes me feel so bad for Buffy and hate Joyce even more, even if it isn't her fault this time. This time. Once more the little girl wants to go for candy, almost causing them to get hit by a car, only to be saved by Buffy, who takes the demon and runs inside, locking Joyce out. 

Joyce bangs on the door, hurting herself trying to get in, at least till Giles and the others show up. Xander and Willow hold Joyce back as Giles does the spell to reveal the real form of the demon and Buffy slays it. 

As luck would have it, Joyce remembers nothing and Buffy manages to get herself out of trouble. This is a great book, lots of fun and really fits in well with the feel of season one. I really hope they keep making these High School Years books.