Freefall, Part Four is the fourth issue of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine comic book series. Written by Andrew Chambliss and illustrated by Georges Jeanty, it was originally published on December 14, 2011 by Dark Horse Comics.
Synopsis[]
As Xander, Dawn, and Willow retreat into their own complicated lives, Buffy finds herself drawn more closely to her new friend Severin, a mysterious crime fighter in his own right, and a snappy dresser to boot. Together they take on a new kind of vampire threat while Buffy's not-in-the-know roomies start snooping through her unslept-in bedroom. Now what could they possibly find?
Summary[]
Three months earlier. Severin is killing a vampire while demanding to know where he can find Alessandra. A shadowed figure then approaches and tells him to stop looking for vampires and start seeking the Slayer responsible for what happened to him and Clare: Buffy Summers. The figure also tells him to destroy her power, her freedom, and the idea that she's doing good.
In the present. Severin attacks Buffy while she doesn't understand when he became a Big Bad. He tells her that she is the bad guy: if she hadn't destroyed the Seed of Wonder, he wouldn't have to kill all those vampires. Severin remarks that she doesn't deserve her power so he's going to take it. Buffy, surprised, wonders if he can do that. Severin goes on, telling her that, when the cops find her among all those bodies, they will blame her.
At the San Francisco Police Department, Dowling tells Cheung about an anonymous call minutes before informing where Buffy Summers is and that she has killed hundreds of vampires. They move all available units in her direction.
Meanwhile, Spike and Koh try to get to Buffy before it's too late. Koh understands there is a connection between Spike and the Slayer and he wants to know more, but Spike refuses to say more than that they go way back and he'd do anything to keep her safe. He admits that due to everything that Buffy has gone through, she needs something normal - something he is not. When they reach the land, they see the police cars, and Spike understands why Buffy isn't replying to his texts. Meanwhile, Dowling and Cheung are deciding whether to enter the warehouse where Buffy is.
Buffy and Severin keep on fighting. Severin insists that he will take her mojo — something that will make him stronger than hundreds of vampires could. Buffy grabs a stake and runs it through his heart, but his injury quickly heals. Buffy understands that he has healed because he's charged up, so all she has to do was keep on fighting and hurting him until he uses all the power he has stored inside of him. The floor then collapses and both of them fall into a basement, where Severin has kept alive dozens of vampires to recharge himself.
Meanwhile, Dawn and Xander are in their apartment watching the news, which shows that the police are at the warehouse trying to capture Buffy. Xander wonders how much the bail will it be and Dawn decides to call Willow. In the meantime, Tumble watches the news as well, while Anaheed calls him to show all the weapons laying over Buffy's bed.
Dowling enters the warehouse while Severin and Buffy fight the vampires downstairs. Buffy, outnumbered, comments that Severin won't be able to take her powers if she's dead. While he touches a vampire's head, killing him, he shows that he's still able to kill others at a distance. Spike and Koh enter the warehouse, and Spike tells Dowling that he should go outside and let them handle things. Scared by their demonic faces, the detective stays behind.
Spike and Koh hear the noise from downstairs and rush to help Buffy. Severin, already sucking her power, comments that it "sparks different." Koh and Spike attack, but Severin repels them easily, knocking Koh unconscious. Severin grabs Spike with his free hand. Before he can drain and kill them both, Dowling shoots Severin three times in his chest.
After the fight, outside of the warehouse, ambulances have arrived to collect the corpses. Dowling tells Buffy that she will not get a public apology, but the police is no longer after her. Buffy thanks him for shooting Severin. Meanwhile, Spike and Koh talk as well. Koh says that Buffy will want to speak to Spike, since he risked his life to save her, but Spike doesn't want to. Dowling offers to give Buffy a ride, but Willow shows up in her car. She tells Buffy that Spike sent group messages telling them about the warehouse, the fireworks, and the Siphon. Willow decided to go to the scene in case Buffy needed a shoulder to cry on due to losing her powers. Buffy answers she's still a Slayer. Willow tells Buffy that she was never mad at her because she had still her powers and Willow not. Buffy promises her that they will find a way to get her magic back.
Later, Severin is visited at the hospital. Severin asks to charge his powers a little bit so he can get healed, but he's refused. Simone Doffler says that, now that he has failed, she will need all the power to kill Buffy herself.
Continuity[]
- When prodded of his relationship with Buffy, Spike declares that she deserves someone normal. Ironically, he has adopted the mentality Angel had when he ended their relationship in "The Prom," a comparison Faith will make in Spike and Faith.
- Koh suggests that Spike should talk with Buffy about his feelings, while Spike admits that she needs a normal life, which is something he's not. Because of this, Spike will initially push Dowling into dating Buffy, but it'll culminate in his (interrupted) declaration in On Your Own, Part Two.
- Buffy thanks Dowling for shooting Severin and declares that it will probably be the only time he ever hears her say that. This was a reference to Buffy's long-standing distaste of guns, as she has declared in "Flooded," "As You Were," Predators and Prey, Retreat, Part Two, and Twilight, Part One.
Appearances[]
Individuals[]
- Alessandra (Only mentioned)
- Anaheed
- Buffybot (II)
- Miranda Cheung
- Claire (Only mentioned)
- Simone Doffler
- Robert Dowling
- Alexander Harris
- Eldre Koh
- Willow Rosenberg
- Severin
- Spike
- Buffy Summers
- Dawn Summers
- Tumble
Organizations and titles[]
Species[]
Events[]
Locations[]
Objects[]
- Cross
- Holy water
- Seed of Wonder (Only mentioned)
- Slayer Handbook
- Soul (Only mentioned)
- Stake
Death count[]
- A vampire, siphoned by Severin (in flashbacks).
- Several zompires, staked by Buffy and siphoned by Severin.
Behind the scenes[]
Distribution[]
- Freefall, Part Four was the 61st best selling comic issue in its publishing month, with 31,157 sales in December 2011 at comic specialty stores.[2]
Collections[]
Pop culture references[]
- Spike calls Koh Lancelot in reference to the knight from the Arthurian legend.
- Buffy quips over Severin's power, calling it "using his snap, crackle, and pop." This was a reference to the cereal Rice Krispies and it's brand saying.
- Buffy stated that the fallout of the end of magic "nearly turned her into his own personal Duracell," an allusion to the name of a brand of batteries.
International titles[]
- French: Chute libre, chapitre 4 (Freefall, Chapter 4)
- German: Im Freien Fall, Teil vier (Freefall, Part Four)
- Italian: Caduta Libera, Parte 4 (Freefall, Part 4)
- Spanish: Caída Libre, Parte 4 (Freefall, Part 4)
Gallery[]
Covers[]
Cover artwork[]
Preview[]
Quotes[]
| Buffy: "When did you become a Big Bad?" |
| Severin: "I'm not the bad guy. You are. If you hadn't destroyed the Seed, I wouldn't have to put any of these vamp freaks down. You don't deserve the power you have. So I'm gonna take it." |
| Koh: "Tell me why vermin like you is so desperate to save a slayer." |
| Spike: "When you put it like that... The Slayer and I go way back. Back before I had a soul, though I should probably skip most of that if I expect you to believe me. Suffice it to say I'd do pretty much anything to keep her safe. Like put up with your bloody crap piloting." |
| Koh: "So you know each other?" |
| Spike: "What's it to you?" |
| Koh: "The Nitobe have a code for mating. Humans are not allowed." |
| Spike: "Well, Lancelot, let's skip the birds and the bees and the undead talk 'cause we have a Slayer to find." |
| Koh: "Things are not as you'd like them with the Slayer." |
| Spike: "Sorry if you're looking for a supernatural soap, but there's nothing sudsy to tell here. After everything that Buffy's been through, she needs one thing. And that's normal. Which I am decidedly not." |
| Xander: "What a refreshing change of pace. Buffy didn't take our advice and try to work it out with the police." |
| Koh: "You faced death to save her. She'll want to speak with you." |
| Spike: "Maybe. But I already told you..." |
| Koh: "You want her to be with what this realm calls normal." |
| Willow: "Buffy, I was never mad that you had power and I didn't." |
| Buffy: "Right. It's because I destroyed the seed without thinking about the fallout. If it's any consolation, the fallout tried to turn me into a personal Duracell." |
| Willow: "I'm glad he didn't. I'd hate for you to know what it's like to lose the thing that makes you tick." |
| Buffy: "Your magic, Will... we'll figure it out. I promise." |
References[]
- ↑ "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #4 (Steve Morris cover)". Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
- ↑ "Top 300 Comics Actual--December 2011". ICv2, January 9, 2012.