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Note: This article is about the comic issue. For the collection, see Slayer, Interrupted (TPB).

Slayer, Interrupted is the fifth issue of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine comic book series. Written by Andrew Chambliss and illustrated by Karl Moline, it was originally published on January 11, 2012 by Dark Horse Comics.

Synopsis[]

Buffy's dreams have become all too real lately as she deals with a magicless world. She's still fighting creatures of the night, as Willow and Xander grow distant and nightmares plague the Slayer. But something is telling Buffy that there is more to her dreams than meets the eye... and that her greatest fears may yet become reality![1]

Summary[]

Buffy, Xander, and Dawn are being chased by zompires. As they run into Buffy's apartment, Dawn opens the door and Buffy fights the creatures, holding them back. Once inside, Buffy believes they're safe, but Xander and Dawn reveal themselves as zompires and attack her. She's saved by Sineya, who stakes Xander and Dawn. Buffy attacks the Slayer for killing her sister and her best friend, only to be punched in her gut. Buffy wakes up and runs to the toilet to throw up.

Later, Buffy meets Willow and tells her about her dream, mentioning that it was the first time that she actually "felt" a Slayer's dream. Willow asks her if she has talked to other Slayers to find out whether they've been having the same kind of dreams, but Buffy answers that she's not close to them anymore. The closest one was Kennedy, but she isn't on good terms with Buffy either, because she feels that Buffy is responsible for losing Willow. Buffy says that the First Slayer told her that she was not the Slayer anymore, so she wonders if that means that she'll lose her powers now that the Seed of Wonder is broken. Willow rejects the notion, as Buffy's powers come from inside of her. She suggests that she consults Giles' book and then they part to go to their jobs.

When Buffy gets home, she opens her weapon chest and takes the Vampyr book. She lights a candle and stars reading, remembering Giles and how much she misses him, only to fall asleep again. The First Slayer reappears and insists that she is not the Slayer. Buffy follows her, trying to understand what the First Slayer wants to tell her. They end up in the ruins of a destroyed San Franciso, where the broken Scythe is stuck on top of a hill of garbage, with dozens of zompires ready to attack at the bottom. The First Slayer points to the Scythe, but Buffy mentions that it is broken. Sineya replies that only the Slayer can pull it out, but Buffy isn't the Slayer anymore. Buffy gets confused, realizing that the First Slayer talks too much unlike the other times they met. Suspicious, she then attacks Sineya, who transforms into a fairy. Buffy wakes up.

The next day, Buffy meets with Willow in her office and says that someone is hijacking her dreams. It's like there are two messages sent to her from two different sources, one from the First Slayer and the other from the fairy. Willow decides that the only way to find out is for Buffy to fall asleep and dream again. Night comes and Willow is with Buffy in her bedroom with the intention to stay awake, watching her sleep. She asks Buffy not to say anything to her new girlfriend about it. Buffy mentions she has missed hanging out with her best friend, and Willow says that she wasn't sure that they were still using that qualifier. She promises to wake Buffy if she looks distressed, then Buffy falls asleep again.

The fairy comes again and doesn't answer her name because it is too difficult to be pronounced. She tells her that she lays eggs in people's ears so they can dream, but she also gives nightmares. With the Seed broken, her powers are gone, so she had to hijack Sineya's dream to contact Buffy. She asks Buffy to follow the First Slayer again and reveals that she initially intended to punish her, so Buffy guesses she wanted to do so because Buffy destroyed the Seed. The fairy explains that she thought that the real Buffy Summers was the Slayer who died underground fighting Yamanh of Hoht, but realized something else when she came into Buffy's head to plant nightmares. A zompire then attacks Buffy, prompting the fairy to tell her that they will keep coming until she gives her attention to the First Slayer.

Buffy then guesses that Sineya wants to say that this mess is all Buffy's fault, but the fairy says that it's not a message of self-pity and actually barely about Buffy. The First Slayer wants Buffy to unlock the key and undo the damage that was done to the world. Buffy understands that the key is the Scythe and runs to pull it out, but she doesn't have enough strength to do that. It's because the scythe is for someone else. Tink, as Buffy calls the fairy, points at Willow, who has appeared in Buffy's dream.

Willow takes the broken Scythe from the pile, saying she thinks that the Scythe is the key to bring back magic. Buffy asks her if she must give it to her when she wakes up, to which Willow replies that she thinks so, and she must go and take the Scythe with her. Buffy doesn't want her to go, but Willow says: "if you love something set it free." Buffy wonders if this is a goodbye and watches Willow leaving with the First Slayer. Tink comes to Buffy again and informs her that the First Slayer is now satisfied, then tells Buffy what she knows: Buffy isn't the Slayer anymore; the Slayer is a part of Buffy, but Buffy is not a girl anymore.

Buffy, unable to understand again the message, is anxious to wake up and tell Willow what she dreamed, but the fairy tells her that Willow already knows because they share a special bond, their dream spaces bleed together. Buffy understands that Willow fell asleep and shared the dream. Buffy wakes up alone in her room, goes to her chest, and finds that the Scythe is missing. There is a letter there from Willow telling her that the world needs magic and she had to go, that she loves her but there was no need to say goodbye twice. Buffy runs out to the street calling for her, then sits on the sidewalk remembering the fairy's words that she is not a girl anymore. She makes a gesture just like she's ready to throw up.

When Buffy returns home, Tumble and Anaheed are there waiting for her. They need to talk to her but Buffy rushes inside the toilet asking them to talk later. They follow her behind the closed door, telling her that they know she's a Slayer and they feel in danger having her living with them. As Buffy listens to them, she thinks that they are scared of her, but so is she. She holds the result of a pregnancy test - it's positive.

Continuity[]

  • This issue marks the first time Sineya appeared since "Get It Done".
  • The fairy from The Chain shows up and mentions the Buffy Summers decoy she met.
  • Tink mentioned that Willow and Buffy have such a deep bond, their dream space could bleed together, which was also implied in The Long Way Home, Part Four.
  • The repeated phrase of "You are not the Slayer" foreshadows Buffy actually being revealed to be a robot — actually Buffy's consciousness in the Buffybot's body — in On Your Own, Part Two.
  • Buffy's belief of being pregnant is later proven false, as Andrew had forgotten about monthly periods as well as properly having the Buffybot manage food, causing her to continually throw it back up (Apart (of Me), Part One).
  • Buffy mentions that everyone knows she's a Slayer, as she was on TV in Freefall, Part Two.
  • Willow departs, taking the Scythe with her. She'll go to Angel and Faith for help in Family Reunion, Part One.

Appearances[]

Individuals[]

Organizations and titles[]

Species[]

Events[]

Locations[]

Objects[]

Death count[]

  • One zompire, staked by Xander (only in a dream).
  • Three zompires, staked by Buffy (only in a dream).
  • Xander, staked by Sineya (only in a dream).
  • Dawn, staked by Sineya (only in a dream).

Behind the scenes[]

Distribution[]

  • Slayer, Interrupted was the 63rd best selling comic issue in its publishing month, with 30,146 sales in January 2012 at comic specialty stores.[2]

Collections[]

Pop culture references[]

  • When telling Willow about her Slayer dreams, Buffy compares Tink with Tinkerbell and references Neverland from Peter Pan.

Gallery[]

Covers[]

Cover artwork[]

Preview[]

Quotes[]

Willow: "I wish I had some more answers. But right now I have to get back to the exciting world of computer programming."
Buffy: "Me too. Except my world involves coffee. And pouring."
Willow: "Is grand theft dream even possible without the M-word?"
Buffy: "I'm not sure. I found one page in Giles's book about slayer dreams... which I may or may not have drooled on... so it's now kind of hard to read."
Willow: "Extra pillows, coffee so I don't fall asleep, and some midnight munchies.
Buffy: "It's like a slumber party."
Willow: "Which we're not going to tell my girlfriend about."
Buffy: "I miss this."
Willow: "The popcorn, the girl talk, or the possibility of a pillow fight?"
Buffy: "Hanging out with my bestie."
Willow: "I didn't know we were still using that qualifier."
Buffy: "Why are you in my Slayer dream? Tink, why is she in my Slayer dream?"
Willow: "The scythe could be the key to restoring magic to the world."
Buffy: "Am I supposed to give it to you when I wake up?"
Willow: "I think so... I need to go away, and I need to take the scythe with me. It's going to be a long trip..."
Buffy: "I don't want you to go. Things are starting to get better. There's so much I'm figuring out about my life right now ... I need you."
Willow: "If you love something... set it free."
Buffy: "So this is goodbye?"
Willow: "This is just a dream, Buffy."
Buffy: "But it feels so real."
Tumble: "But we know you're a Slayer."
Buffy: "Everyone knows I'm a Slayer. I was on T.V."

References[]

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