Prolific vampire slayer and monster hunter Buffy Summers gets cast as the centerpiece of an Into the Spider-Verse-style intro sequence in a fan-made animation celebrating Buffy the Vampire Slayer's 25th anniversary.
Editor, motion graphics artist, and well-documented Buffy buff Trevor Carlee seamlessly married two nerd culture obsessions in his Slayverse animated intro. In the animation, Rebekah Jones provides voiceover as Buffy Summers, who guides fans through some of the television series' most iconic moments in the tongue-in-cheek style of Spider-Verse's many Spider-character introductions.
Buffy aficionados will instantly recognize tentpole moments from the series, such as the Slayer's sacrifice in "The Gift" and her emotional fight with Angel in "Becoming, Part Two," brought to life in the animation style of Into the Spider-Verse. In addition to her superpowered Slayer skillset, Buffy is granted some distinct Spider-Man traits in the animation, such as a craftily placed use of Spider-Sense. In the tonal style of Spider-Verse, the animated Slayerverse sequence likewise breaks the fourth wall to mention pieces of cultural Buffy ephemera such as the ongoing comics, the 1992 film, the tabletop game, the "Once More, With Feeling" soundtrack, and the video game Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds.
While this tribute to both franchises is as sharp as Mr. Pointy, it's far from the first occasion in which Carlee has directed his artistry toward the characters and creatures of Sunnydale. Prior to the Slayerverse animation, Carlee had been embarking on an ambitious project to create a piece of original artwork for each episode of the supernatural series. Both Carlee's Twitter and Instagram provide behind-the-scenes insight into the work and passion poured into both his Slayerverse video and ongoing Buffy art project.
Alongside Kirstin Janssen LeBlanc, Carlee co-hosts Another Buffy Podcast, which recently covered the Season 2 episode "Phases." On his website, Carlee identifies Buffy as his favorite show, a passion that can be seen throughout his work. The Slayverse animation is a true testament to the lasting iconography of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, nearly a quarter-century after its debut. Carlee and other fans can see these characters thriving in a modern context and continuously demonstrate it with art that enmeshes Buffy and The Scoobies into modern franchises.
As for the Spider-Verse, Miles Morales and friends will return in the highly anticipated Across the Spider-Verse: Part One, swinging into theaters on Oct. 7. Perhaps the character intros in this latest installment will inspire further Buffy crossover content.
Source: YouTube