"You're Five-by-Five, Buf."

Whedon Fans, Rejoice!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer returns in all new, Joss Whedon scripted adventures in Dark Horse Comics new series, "The Long Way Home," or as everyone calls it: Season 8.

Yes, this is it, the official story of what happened after we saw the remainder of the Scooby Gang drive away from the big, gaping hole that had been Sunnydale in a battered schoolbus. No more fan fiction. No more wear on the VCR searching for clues about Buffy's whereabouts in Angel, Season 5.

At post-time, two issues of the comic have been released, though I only managed to get the first issue last week. I didn't realize how much I missed Buffy and her friends until I saw them back in action. Things have apparently changed in Buffy's world, and we are thrown into the midst of it all. Buffy no longer fights alone, but has melded 500 other slayers into an army, complete with support, logistics, research, and transpo. Buffy uses an energy weapon to crack a force field so quickly it took me two readings to realize, "Hey, where's she get an energy weapon from?" There's a home base in a remote Scottish castle, from which Xander Harris runs a high-tech command center. And we also meet Buffy's sister, Dawn, apparently a college student now, and... Well, her problems have gotten a bit bigger.

We know Giles is still involved, though we don't see him. Willow has gone missing, but no one other than Dawn seems overly concerned. As for the rest of Buffy's usual supporting cast? Anyone's guess. I'm guessing all will be revealed in time. And speaking of time, we don't really know how much time has elapsed since the end of Season 7.

As for problems... Buffy's been keeping busy on the demon killing front, and the US Army has been poking its nose into Sunnydale's smoking pit. They dragged someone out of it too. Someone with a longstanding grudge against the Buff-ster. Oh, and there's a mysterious floating person who has Buffy and her Slayer Commandos under surveillance.

I'm glad to have them all back -- even if it is in monthly comic book form. It's been way too long.