Likely my favorite volume of Buffy so far, Book Three starts off with Buffy finding out about the major plot from the last volume, the lingering number of Slayers who have escaped her tutelage and have become something other than the first line of defense against evil.
But before Buffy and the gang have time to assess this new threat their castle is attacked by a group of vampires, unlike any other, who can shape shift to mist, and wolves and bats. They're after the Slayer's Ultimate Weapon and when they get it Buffy and the Slayers and Scoobies have to go on a quest to get it back before something really bad happens.
Joining them in their quest is the immortal, and bored, Dracula, whose powers the vampires used to get past the Slayers in the first place. What results is a hilarious, offensive, dark romp through the Buffy-verse that could rival the infamous Puppet Cancer episode of Angel.
This plot is a side aspect of the overall arc for this “season” but the events and character building in this volume is no less important to the texture and depth of the world itself. This is how one entertains and creates a complex, vivid world with a scope every bit as varied as our own. ( )

Dracula makes a guest appearance. Buffy has a fling with a slayer. Xander is important. Andrew and Willow are in it. Dawn is still a giant. The scythe is stolen and there's lots of gore and shape-shifting Japanese vampires. ( )

Summary: This time around we get the single-issue story "A Beautiful Sunset" first, scripted by Joss Whedon himself, in which Buffy deals with the isolation of power, even as she gets her first face-to-face meeting with Twilight, this season's Big Bad. In the main four-part story arc, "Wolves at the Gate", the Scotland slayer HQ is attacked by a group of Japanese vampires who can turn into wolves, or fog. When they steal Buffy's scythe, she'll stop at nothing to get it back, although before they head to Tokyo, they'll have to enlist the help of the vampire whose powers are being used by the Japanese gang: Dracula himself.

Review: In terms of plot development, this volume is pretty simple: Bad guys steal Buffy's scythe (which... ARGH! That. Is. Not. A. SCYTHE! It is an ax. AN AX!), Buffy & Co. track them down, kick their butts, and get the scythe back. In terms of character developments, however, this volume is incredible. Buffy and Xander do most of the heavy lifting, but Willow and others get plenty of nice character moments. There's some new emotional entanglements, Buffy's usual "it's lonely at the top" angsting, and this is the moment where the seriousness of this season's Big Bad really hits home for each of the characters.

But, amidst all of the pathos and heartbreak, this volume is also literally laugh-out-loud funny. Not just a muted chuckle, either - I was roaring with laughter at some scenes (Not to give too much away, but they're in Tokyo... and Buffy's little sister isn't exactly so little anymore. Now take whatever you're imagining and multiply the funny by five.) The dialogue, the banter between characters, the snarky sarcasm and quick-cuts... everybody sounds like themselves, and they all sound like a Joss Whedon show. So, all-in-all, an excellent mix of uproariously funny, terribly sad, a few kick-ass fight scenes, a few more teasing hints about Twilight's identity and agenda, and an interesting if not particularly complex plot staring one stupid mis-named scythe. 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Anyone who liked Buffy the TV show really, really needs to be reading this series. I loved No Future for You, and this installment is equally good, albeit in different ways. ( )

Dracula, ambiguous sexuality, and death, oh my! This volume continues the interesting moral developments of season eight. ( )

In the third volume of Season Eight, Buffy comes up against a group of Japanese vampires who can shapeshift and turn into fog.

This series just keeps getting better and better! Joss Whedon and Brian K. Vaughan gave us some fantastic drama in the first two story arcs; now Goddard kicks it up a notch with that other staple of the Buffyverse: humor. This was bloody hilarious. I don't often laugh aloud while I read, but portions of this book had me in stitches. I had a blast with it. So many pithy little comments! So much sarcasm! Both Whedon, (who penned the first issue of this arc), and Goddard know just how to use the medium to amplify their desired effect. The beats are spot on, the paneling drives the story forward and the dialogue is broken up just perfectly. It's a thing of beauty.

But of course, Goddard also gives us some heartwrenching stuff. There's so much of it, in fact, that I feel a bit awkward emphasizing the humor in this volume. When all is said and done, though, I'm gonna remember WOLVES AT THE GATE as one of those rare and wonderful Buffyverse episodes that had me in stitches.

I also remain very impressed with Jeanty's art. He's done some great stuff here; one of my favourite panels involves Buffy doing a mid-air leap onto the bad guy's back. All the characters are recognizable, too; always a good thing.

If you're a Buffy fan, I can't recommend Season Eight highly enough. You've gotta read it. Start with THE LONG WAY HOME, (effectively the season premier), move along to NO FUTURE FOR YOU, (a fantastic Faith-centric arc), then plunge into WOLVES AT THE GATE. I doubt you'll be disappointed.

(An updated version of this review is available on my blog, Stella Matutina). ( )