Wolves at the Gate, Part One is the twelfth issue of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight comic book series. Written by Drew Goddard and illustrated by Georges Jeanty, it was originally published on March 5, 2008, by Dark Horse Comics.
Synopsis[]
Acclaimed television series writer, Drew Goddard (Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Alias; Lost), takes the reins on Season Eight with his four-issue arc titled "Wolves at the Gate." The gang (yep, Dawn too) travels to Tokyo where they duel vampires with unusual, yet strangely familiar, powers.[1]
Summary[]
At night, Xander and Renee observe a pack of wolves lingering by the moor. Willow arrives at the castle with Andrew, who sends himself off to bed right away, just as Willow is attacked by a mysterious woman, Kumiko Ishihara, shrouded in fog.
Meanwhile, Buffy and Satsu talk together in bed as the two just had sex. Buffy says she had a wonderful night, but asks that Satsu not to tell anybody about it to the other Slayers. She immediately agrees, but the secret doesn't last long as Xander suddenly walks in to report to Buffy that wolves are outside the castle. Soon, Renee, Andrew, and Dawn each make their entrance in the room reporting increasing signs of trouble. All are flabbergasted about who they find in Buffy's bed, Xander so much that he decides he is dreaming. He sits down saying he has had this dream before and they just need to wait for Willow to turn up. Willow then crashes through the ceiling and proclaims that they are under attack, before asking why Buffy is naked in bed with Satsu.
Whilst the Slayers are busy battling wolves, panthers, and swarms of bees, a lone wolf transmogrifies into a fog and breached the armory. Transforming back into a man, Toru, he heads straight for the Mʔ. Another man, Raidon, joins him, but before they can escape, Buffy sends the thief flying with a punch. He is revealed to be a vampire and distracts Buffy long enough to allow the other man to transform into a panther and escape with the Scythe. The Scoobies are left dumbfounded as the attack ends with all the enemies retreating in fog and animal form, and Buffy realizes they face a great new threat, especially considering that their enemies now have the Scythe.
However, all is not completely lost, as Xander recognizes these powers and flies in his helicopter with Renee. They arrive at a castle and are greeted by an old friend: Dracula. Xander calls him Master, revealing he is still under Dracula's thrall.
Continuity[]
- Renee mentions the time she was in sentry duty and the castle was attacked by zombies, seen in The Long Way Home, Part Two.
- Xander asks Renee to a date, as Buffy advised him in A Beautiful Sunset; she accepts, as Gia had noticed her interest in The Long Way Home, Part Two.
- Buffy wears an UC Sunnydale shirt, the college she began attending in "The Freshman."
- The only times the Scooby Gang had seen a vampire turn into a panther and fog were Dracula in "Buffy vs. Dracula" and "Antique."
- Xander is chosen to go visit Dracula due to his previous status as his manservant ("Buffy vs. Dracula," "Antique").
Appearances[]
Individuals[]
- Dracula
- Alexander Harris
- Kumiko Ishihara
- Leah
- Raidon
- Renee
- Willow Rosenberg
- Rowena
- Satsu
- Buffy Summers
- Dawn Summers
- Toru
- Andrew Wells
Organizations and titles[]
Species[]
Locations[]
- Japan (Only mentioned)
- Scotland
- Sunnydale, United States (Only mentioned)
- University of California, Sunnydale (Only mentioned)
- Transylvania, Romania
Objects[]
Rituals and spells[]
- Slayer activation spell (Only mentioned)
Death count[]
- None.
Behind the scenes[]
Production[]
- Drew Goddard writes his first Season Eight issue; he had written both Buffy and Angel episodes, as well as the comic stories "The Problem with Vampires" and "Antique".
Distribution[]
- Wolves at the Gate, Part One was the sixth best selling comic issue in its publishing month, with 88,930 sales in March 2008 at comic specialty stores.[2]
Collections[]
Pop culture references[]
- While flying together, Andrew and Willow quote various scenes from the Superman (1978) movie.
- Andrew mentions taking a Dramamine medication.
- Buffy wears pajama pants with an illustration of the character Eeyore.
International titles[]
- French: Les Loups Sont à Nos Portes, partie 1 (The Wolves Are at Our Doors, Part 1)
- Italian: Lupi alle porte parte 1 (Wolves at the Doors, Part 1)
- Russian: Волки у ворот, Часть 1 (Wolves at the Gate, Part 1)
- Spanish: Lobos a las Puertas, Parte I (Wolves at the Doors, Part I)
- Turkish: Kapıdaki Kurtlar, Kısım Bir (Wolves at the Gate, Part One)
Adaptations[]
- This issue was adapted into an episode of the Season Eight Motion Comic animated comic series.
Gallery[]
Cover artwork[]
Cover artwork[]
Preview[]
Quotes[]
| Satsu: "What we do about tomorrow?" |
| Buffy: "You mean the whole 'we slept together' thing?" |
| Satsu: "For starters." |
| Buffy: "I don't know. It's like… I had a wonderful night. And… it's been a while since I said that. So… Tomorrow, I'm gonna think about what we did. And I'm gonna blush. And then I'm gonna smile." |
References[]
- ↑ "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8: #12 Wolves at the Gate." Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved on February 06, 2018.
- ↑ "Top 300 Comics Actual--March 2008." ICv2, April 21, 2008.