For the Season 4 episode “Superstar,” Dark Horse created a “Jonathan” comic book as a prop, and inevitably, it later became a real comic – and a worthwhile one. The episode’s writer, Jane Espenson, doesn’t just beat into the ground the “Superstar” joke of an alternate reality where everyone loves the geeky kid.
She does start it off that way, though. “Jonathan: Codename: Comrades” (January 2001) begins with an over-the-top James Bond riff where Jonathan rescues a princess by staking a vampire in midair, giving her the one parachute, then hooking up with the plane from which they had plummeted, and landing it. And there are background gags, such as a marquee showing Jonathan starring the “The Matrix.”
But in this “Superstar” prequel, Espenson is interested in delving further into Jonathan’s psyche. This makes for a challenging piece for those of us “Buffy” fans who imagine ourselves as Xander but fear deep down that we are Jonathan.
In this alternate reality of Jonathan’s magical creation, Buffy is still the Slayer, but she just patrols Sunnydale graveyards; Jonathan takes the lead on more substantial threats. Espenson understands that Jonathan, in his heart of hearts, wants to belong more so than he wants to be world famous, so “Codename: Comrades” shows him forming the Scooby Gang as they exist in the reality we’re familiar with. He’s too selfish to give up this reality. But by restoring the Scoobies, he makes himself feel better by taking a step toward doing the right thing, without fully doing the right thing.
This one-shot is a welcome addition to the arc of a joke character who became a substantial character, and who deserved better than being killed by his best friend Andrew, who went on to get every benefit of the doubt from the Scoobs that Jonathan himself never got. “Codename: Comrades” is funny, but it’s also appropriately melancholy.
4 stars
“Reunion” (June 2002) completes Espenson’s trilogy of “filling in story gaps” comics, but it’s a step down from “Haunted” and “Jonathan.” This one-shot is sort of unfair to fans, because it’s pitched as if it’s telling the story of Buffy and Angel’s meeting after she returns to life in “Buffy” Season 6 – a reunion that is mentioned on the TV shows but not chronicled.
However, that’s a fake-out, because this is actually Xander, Anya and Dawn’s imaginings of what that reunion was like. It’s a bit like Spike giving his idea of what Angel is saying in “In the Dark” (“Angel” 1.3). Xander imagines the duo fights a monster, with Angel being worthless in the battle. Dawn imagines a beautifully sad slice of unrequited romance. Anya imagines sexual intercourse, but alters her story into a giant bunny attack since she’s not allowed to talk about sex around Dawn.
The idea of different artists doing each of the imagined stories is good, and it’s always nice to see work by Chynna Clugston-Major, who does Dawn’s story. The other artists’ pages feel stiff and blocky, though.
The through-line is that the imaginings of Xander, Anya and Dawn have been hijacked by a demon. We learn in the kicker than Willow summoned it by accident, which is admittedly in Season 6 character for her, but still a strange note to end on: Willow nearly gets her friends killed, but just keeps it too herself, and smiles.
I’m not saying the actual reunion of Buffy and Angel is worth chronicling – it’s clear that the writers had no story in mind, and that they just needed to communicate the fact that Angel knows Buffy is alive (and wants to see her to believe it). It’s a shame, though, that “Reunion” isn’t more substantial, even if only as a comedy yarn.
3 stars
Click here for an index of all of John’s “Buffy” and “Angel” reviews.