Review by Blake Matthews
Published August 15, 2008

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus - Volume 4 continues Dark Horse's plan to reprint all of their Buffy, the Vampire Slayer stories in chronological order.  Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus - Volume 4 finishes up the Season Three stories which get the "Scooby gang" out of high school.

The majority of this omnibus comprises one storyline broken into three part known as "Bad Blood."  This arc, written by Andi Watson who wrote the first 20 issues of the series, finds Buffy up against the vampire Selke, who Buffy thought she had killed in a mausoleum fire. Selke is damaged from the fire and seeks out a plastic surgeon to restore her looks. Once she does, she takes on Buffy before running away to fight again. The next part finds Selke returning with "bad blood," a supernatural ingredient that may massively increase her powers, all while Buffy is trying to get her drivers license. The final part of this trilogy is devoted to the final showdown between Buffy and Seike, where Buffy isn't as fast as she should be. These issues were a bit weak. Points to Dark Horse for trying for the first time to map a season in the comics, but Watson's dialogue misses the mark.

What comprise the rest of the book are one-shots and a miniseries. Angel is spotlighted in a miniseries called "The Hollower," which details Angel taking on a demon that sucks the demon spirit out of vampires. This is written by fan-favorite and Buffy novelist, Christopher Golden, and is only his first contribution to this omnibus. He also contributes "Stinger," which reprints a mail-away issue about a demon with different motives.  "Who Made Who," is a fun Spike/Dru story, and "Cursed" is a tale about Angelus and his doings.

Also contributing to this omnibus is Buffy series writer Doug Petrie; he wrote "Ring of Fire" which was in the second Buffy omnibus. This time out, he writes "Bad Dog" which was the second story in the 1999 Buffy Annual. It features Oz the werewolf taking on a sorcerer seeking revenge. The final story, also by Petrie and entitled "Graduation Day," shows what happens right after Buffy and Angel parted ways in the Season Three finale. It's fitting that this closes out the omnibus, and we say goodbye to Buffy's high school years.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus - Volume 4 isn't the best of the omnibuses, but it does have some tales worth reading. The price makes it affordable to own as well.