SPIKE THE DEVIL YOU KNOW #1-2 by IDW
WRITER: Bill Williams
ART: Chris Cross
You know how some things get handed down, generation after generation? Furniture, wedding dresses, psychoses, businesses, etc? In Bill William’s miniseries Spike: The Devil You Know, Tansy Fry, one of the Master’s children, takes over the family business of opening hellmouths and trying to destroy the world.
The Master. Y’all remember him? Creepy nosferatu-looking vampire from season one of Buffy, played by Mark Metcalfe (aka Doug Neidermeyer of Animal House)?
Opening hellmouths, destroying the world and other such fun activities seem to be very popular in the Buffyverse. But really? You’d think that after all the times one slayer or another has put the kibosh on them or how often one of their own has betrayed them to keep the world safe for ‘happy meals on legs,’ those with a real yen for destruction would have turned to hobbies less likely to cause them to end up dead – like kicking over sandcastles or something.
Still, points for tenacity. Or maybe not. Einstein did say that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results was the definition of insanity.
Tansy, at least, seems to have a new plan: she’s developed a new kind of hellmouth. (Makes you wonder what the r&d on that was like!) Large enough for creatures to pass through, but small enough to keep off the slayer-radar (harder than ever, with so many of them running around these days.) The rub in the ointment is Spike. He has a coin – stolen fair and square – that can do something about her new hellmouths.
A daughter of the Master, Tansy is a stickler for tradition. She has her chief lackey Andrea send a good squad after Spike, interrupting what looked to be a fun evening. Suffice it to say that even though they get the coin from Spike, they also get Spike’s attention. Hero or villain or electronically-neutered house guest, Spike’s attention is usually awkward, violent and messy.
Spike, of course, finds out where they took his coin and interrupts a meeting where at least part of the plan is revealed.
The Order of Aurelias is once again on the move. Once one of the most feared groups of vampires, having been responsible for some of the supernatural world’s preiminent heavy-hitters: Angelus, Spike, Darla, Drusilla – and, of course, Spike. Basically, a cult dedicated to destroying the world and allowing the Old Ones to walk free.
Spike never made a very good cultist.
After killing the Annointed One and basically ending the Order of Aurelias, Spike spent more than a bit of his career as a violent bad boy curb-stomping folk interested in bringing about an apocalypse – even before he went off and got himself a soul.
Doesn’t mean the Order doesn’t want him back. Andrea makes one last, chilling appeal:
“Now Spike, there have been some ugly rumors about you going around. We will not discriminate against you if you have a soul. People with souls commit atrocities every day.”
This comic had me from the beginning, but this sealed the deal: it epitomizes the kind of story Joss Whedon’s Buffy has become. Spike’s response – which you have to read – epitomizes who Spike has become. I could write an entire review on that line alone.
Sometimes I wonder if Joss Whedon knew what kind of character he created when he introduced Spike? Or where the character would eventually end up?
Williams has a gift for writing Spike’s irreverant and cynical wit and knows how to pack a lot into a short amount of dialogue. He doesn’t waste words. Even his internal monologue boxes add to the story, in both plot and flavor. Combine Williams’ gift for banter with Chris Cross’ dynamic art and you have a must-read comic. Dramatic poses, slick outfits, posh lairs and steampunk warehouses paint a landscape that feels just like an episdoe of Angel.
Williams’ moves things along at a breakneck pace but doesn’t miss a trick; he has a quick scene between Spike and Illyria that seems almost an aside from the story, but it brings into sharp relief the similarities between Illyria and Spike – and reminds the reader of just how far Spike has come.
Even as we see Spike tracking down what was stolen from him, we also see Tansy laying her plans and find out that she’s not in this alone. There is someone else on the other end of her cell phone that she – quite possibly – has to answer to.
Williams set up his mystery, his villain and his hero, leaving the reader wanting to know.
The best part about it is that even if – like me – you haven’t been following Angel or really know much about the Buffyverse you can still pick up Spike: The Devil You Know, read and enjoy without needing to know much than the basics.
Issue one sets the stage – issue two ups the ante. Spike finds himself teamed up with Eddie Hope to stop Tansy Fry.
Wait. I didn’t mention Eddie Hope, did I? That’s because if I did, I would ruin it for you. So instead of telling you how Eddie enters the story, I’ll tell you a bit about Eddie. He’s a demon who remembers what happened in Hell and he’s out to punish those who gave in to the darker natures. He’s got ice-beams and a rather impressive demon form – complete with horns and a prehensile – tail, is a fair hand with technology, a good shot with a pistol and has just as much attitude as Spike.
If you think these two teaming up is a volatile combination, then you’re right. If you thought anything else, you’re probably new to the Buffyverse. In which case: Welcome to the show. Leave your expectations and sanity at the door. You won’t need them here.
Williams’ takes you on a wild ride in the second issue. Spike and Eddie get along about as well as Spike and Angel did when they first started working together and generally aren’t fond of each other, despite having the same approach to the situation.
Go straight in, hit everything that’s not on your side, break everything that looks like it could be evil and have a pint or six before going home.
Eddie tries to leave Spike behind when they first get to Tansy’s warehouse (Spike has to be invited in, it being the ‘home’ to someone or another), but the vampires invite him in, much to Eddie’s dismay.
Most of the issue jumps between Spike and Eddie battling Tansy’s multitude of minions inside her warehouse of mechanized evil while trading one-liners while Tansy and a demon-sorceress go about opening yet another portal to Hell.
And it is awesome.
It’s what made the Buffyverse so much fun; witty banter, fight scenes where you realize there is no such thing as ‘the unbeatable fighter’ (because enough guys trying to beat you down and even a guy who kills slayers is going to have some trouble), transforming demons and ritual magic.
Magic, in the Buffyverse, has always been something of a vague concept; rules and systems and such have never been established. It’s exactly what it purports to be – magic. Unexplainable, powerful and usually creepifying and requiring unpleasantness.
When you put down issue two, you’ll feel like you’ve just stood up from your couch for a commercial break that will unfortunately last until you get the next issue.
At it’s heart, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is supernatural pulp noir for the modern consumer and Bill Williams treats his readers to the quietly absurd and overtly cynical themes that only the best noir has. Villains who tell you almost all of their plans, hard-boiled heroes and quirky dialogue that makes you look at the normal world we live in just a little differently.
Spike: The Devil You Know is one of those comics that’s a must-read for fans of Whedon (because Williams’ really has mastered the tone and themes and reparte Whedon loves) and fans of good pulp noir.