In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll get this out of the way right now: This is the only comic book I’m reading these days. I have neither the money, time nor patience for anything else as far as comics are concerned. Having said that, even though it’s only his second issue, Brad Meltzer’s work on Buffy continues to be some of the best comic book storytelling this series has had since Brian K. Vaughan’s Faith arc. His sense of timing, wit and dramatic narrative feels just like the TV show, which I’m sad to admit is often severely lacking from even the original writers, including Joss on occasion. There, I said it. If you disagree, we can meet at the playground at three o’clock and settle this like children.

With his honest and clever dialogue, Meltzer makes me yearn for some kind of spin-off series involving the recent developments between Dawn, Xander and Buffy. No global power struggles, no government conspiracies and no endless, overblown wars. Just these three characters, dealing with their relationships and having adventures, possibly on the open road. With lots of roadside diners, and maybe they’re bombing around in a classic, gas-guzzling Cadillac Convertible, but I digress.

If there’s one complaint on the story side, it’s that “Twilight” feels out of character, making it difficult to get a handle on what’s exactly going on, but perhaps that is the point. Although Brad’s pacing and structure has served him quite well, this particular installment does feel like filler, with characters dancing around important issues and talking a lot, but not really saying much. It could simply be a case of Meltzer being forced to write four issues of what could easily be better expressed in three. In any event, I think I’ve heard the words “reason” and “glow” enough times in just a few pages to last me a lifetime. Speaking of, what’s up with said glow? Is “Twilight” the new Shogun of Harlem now? Sho Nuff! I have a feeling all of this will be better explained and dealt with in the next issue.

Now for my one major complaint with this series: Georges Jeanty. Though I’ve enjoyed his work on other books, notably Gambit, his art here consistently comes off as flat, sloppy and just plain rushed. Couple that with Andy Owens’ flat, sloppy and rushed inks and it makes for an overly simple, under-defined style that I’m just personally not a fan of. Jeanty may just not have the proper time needed to do these books justice, so I don’t hold him solely responsible, but character designs are also inconsistent.

For example, Buffy looks perfectly immortalized and recognizable in one panel (the opening “pep talk” with Xander springs to mind), but then head-scratchingly odd later on (when she’s yelling at the big bad about “206 dead girls!”, she suddenly looks like Renee Zellweger!). Additionally, “Floaty-Head Willow” looked more like Anya for a second. I had to do a double-take. Just sayin’. I personally miss the early Buffy comics team of Cliff Richards, Will Conrad, Dave McCaig and Lisa Gonzales.

Because of the reasons listed above, I can’t give this one the highest of ratings, but Brad Meltzer has managed to do in a couple issues what others haven’t done in over a year: He’s made me care again! I’m suddenly invested in these characters’ lives. I’m curious and interested in what happens next and how their decisions will play out. Even if I don’t always agree with certain actions or motivations, at least I’m no longer bored. For a while now, I’ve been reading Buffy more out of obligation. Thanks to Brad Meltzer, I’m excited once more! Apparently, you can go home again.