Guarded, Part Two is the twelfth 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 August 8, 2012, by Dark Horse Comics.
Synopsis[]
By working for Deepscan — the company that recruits Slayers as bodyguards — Buffy thought she would disengage herself from the world of demons and garner a more significant income, to boot. While the income may get her closer to paying off pesky student loans, the demony population is closer to her than ever, thanks to her first client. Buffy, under the tutelage of a disgruntled and heartbroken Kennedy, has her work cut out for her and is forced to call on the honorable Eldre Koh for help, culminating in a little demon-on-demon violence.
- Executive produced by Joss Whedon!
- Buffy vs. Wolfram & Hart![1]
Summary[]
The founder of the TinCan social network, Theo Daniels, is in a car with Buffy and Kennedy, who he hired as his bodyguards from Deepscan. Theo shows them messages two demons sent each other on his network about assassinating him; Theo believes Wolfram & Hart is behind it. Buffy mentions that the Senior Partners escaped the Earth and, with the end of magic, it is not be possible for them to return. However, Theo reveals that the TinCan network itself is operated from several hell dimensions.
Theo further explains that his network does not rely on magic, but on demon technology. The connection had already been established when the Seed of Wonder was broken, which is why it was left unaffected. If the connection was be severed now, there would no way to reconnect. Theo explains that the only way to sever the connection is destroying the data center running the website, which would result in the deletion of the user data for millions of people. Moreover, advertisers would lose billions, and so would investors.
Theo laments that TinCan is his life, but he thinks it is the right thing to do anyway, which is why he hired Deepscan. Kennedy complains that DeepScan cannot involve itself in corporate terrorism, but she is willing to keep it off the books.
While scouting out the data center, Buffy recognizes that a Teuth demon has infiltrated the building and killed a security guard. Buffy says she would have to get help and visits Eldre Koh to ask him to join her. He initially declines, but she calls on the debt that he owes her.
Buffy returns with Koh, and Kennedy expresses her doubts on severing the connection being the right thing to do. She figures that Willow might be able to restore her magic using the connection. Buffy convinces her to go through with it. They split up. At the front door, Kennedy and Koh provide distraction by fighting off many of the Teuth demon's tentacles, while Buffy and Theo sneak into the server room. However, the Teuth demon spotted them through the CCTV, and some of its tentacles also protect the server room. The tentacles surprise Buffy and Theo, grabbing them. Kennedy and Koh hack their way through the demon and try to find the root of the tentacles, which are holding Buffy and Theo.
Through an audio connection, a voice tells them they won't win. However, Kennedy kills the Teuth demon by throwing a hand grenade at the center of it. At the server room, Theo has second thoughts; he is saddened about having to destroy something he thought would better the world, especially because he knows that nobody would understand why it was for the best. Buffy relates to this.
Just as Theo is about to pull the plug, Koh stops him and puts one of his blades to Theo's throat. Koh speaks to Wolfram & Hart, asking them to identify the demon who imprisoned him. In return he promises to kill Theo and keep Tin Can safe. Buffy protests that he is breaking the code, but Koh insists that honor is more important than the code, and he cannot have that without having vengeance.
Continuity[]
- When told of Wolfram & Hart, Buffy expresses awareness of Angel and Spike risking their lives to keep it out of their realm ("Not Fade Away").
- Buffy mentions the Senior Partner's escape from the Earth dimension, as seen in Stranger Things.
- Buffy establishes the Senior Partner's escape as happening "right before our little Twilight showdown," referring to the battle that led to the destruction of the Seed of Wonder in Last Gleaming, Part Four. Indeed, Spike had arrived in a pod from the Senior Partner's ship issues earlier in Twilight, Part Four.
- Some recognizable TinCan profile pictures include a Vampy Cat (Swell), a demon alike Yamanh of Hoht (The Chain), and a Thricewise (Living Doll).
- Koh describes: "Back in my time, the Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart were considered nothing more than... chattel." This echoes Illyria's comment in "Shells": "The Wolf, Ram, and Hart? In my time they were weak, barely above the vampire." Koh and Illyria's time were confirmed to be same in United, Part Two, when his imprisioner's identity is revealed.
- Despite Koh's attempt, he'll only learn who imprisoned him in United, Part Three.
Appearances[]
Individuals[]
- Angel (Only mentioned)
- Theo Daniels
- The Destroyer (Only in picture)
- Fredo (Only in picture)
- Golth (Only in picture)
- Kennedy
- Eldre Koh
- Savit Mukherjee (Only in picture)
- Lillian Parker (Only in picture)
- Willow Rosenberg (Only mentioned)
- Spike (Only mentioned)
- Buffy Summers
- Taramind (Only in picture)
- Dan Thomsen (Only in picture)
- Twilight (Only mentioned)
Organizations and titles[]
- Deepscan
- Senior Partners (Only mentioned)
- Slayer
- Wolfram & Hart (Only mentioned)
Species[]
- Demon
- Nitobe
- Teuth demon
- Thricewise (Only in picture)
- Human
- Vampire (Only mentioned)
Events[]
Locations[]
- Prague (Only mentioned)
- USA
- Palo Alto (Only mentioned)
- San Francisco
- Alcatraz Island
Objects[]
- Seed of Wonder (Only mentioned)
- Soul (Only mentioned)
- TinCan
- Vampy Cat (Only in picture)
Death count[]
- A security guard, killed by a Teuth demon.
- Teuth demon, killed by Buffy, Kennedy, and Koh.
Behind the scenes[]
Production[]
- The pictures of Theo Daniel's friends on his TinCan profile feature the likeness of Sierra Hahn, Andrew Chambliss, Joss Whedon, Scott Allie, Freddye Miller, and Georges Jeanty.
- Koh still resides in the abandoned Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary.
Distribution[]
- Guarded, Part Two was the 97th best selling comic issue in its publishing month, with 26,569 sales in August 2012 at comic specialty stores.[2]
Collections[]
Pop culture references[]
- Buffy tells Kennedy that Spike has boldly gone where no vampire has gone before, which is a play on a famous line from Star Trek.
Gallery[]
Covers[]
Cover artwork[]
Previews[]
Quotes[]
Koh: "Slayer." |
Buffy: "I heard you'd shacked up here, but I had no idea you'd made it so warm and... serial killer-y." |
Kennedy: "If we talk Theo out of destroying TinCan... maybe Willow could use it to get her magic back." |
Buffy: "Willow getting magic back isn't going to undue what happened between you too. And you told me the break-up was a good thing." |
Kennedy: "Doesn't mean I don't care about her anymore." |
Kennedy: "Buffy, can you tell us — which tentacle has you!?" |
Buffy: "I dunno. It looks like... a tentacle!" |
Theo: "No one's going to understand why I destroyed what I worked so hard to build." |
Buffy: "You're right. They won't. You're going to get blamed for being selfish. For doing this to save your life. To fix the mistakes you made. You're going to lose friends. But at the end of the day, you're doing it for the right reasons. To keep Wolfram & Hart and their brand of evil out of our world." |
Koh: "You mistake the code. Honor ranks above all else. And I cannot have honor without vengeance." |
References[]
- ↑ "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #12 (Phil Noto cover)." Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved on May 21, 2022.
- ↑ "Top 300 Comics Actual--August 2012." ICv2, September 9, 2012.