After the Twilight crisis, in which she destroyed the 'Seed of Wonder' and consequently brought about the end of magic, Buffy is now living in San Francisco[4] and must continue her duties as the Slayer.

For example, in the process of becoming a vampire, demons are no longer able to fully possess the dead, creating mindless creatures which Xander coins "zompires".

However, their plan fails and Severin is successful in draining Illyria of her abilities leaving her alive but powerless and stuck in the physical appearance of her human host body, Winifred Burkle.

Xander appears to confess to Buffy of Severin's plan, leading the trio head to the Deeper Well in the English Cotswolds (a prison for ancient demons seen in Angel) where they hope they can acquire sufficient magical reserves for Willow to restore Dawn.

In the immediate aftermath of their battle, Willow returns the gang to San Francisco and uses Buffy's blood and her magic to restore Dawn.

Xander expresses guilt about his betrayal, but Buffy forgives him as his actions ultimately led to the creation of a new Seed, which saved Dawn.

Willow and Buffy turn to the Vampyr book to research possible consequences of their actions and find its pages are now blank.

Faith seeks to rehabilitate Angel after his actions as Twilight in Season Eight, while he is on the hunt for the scattered pieces of Giles' soul in order to resurrect him.

Willow visits Angel and Faith's apartment on her mission to restore magic, and as the Scythe contains a piece of Giles' soul, is able to enlist their help.

They learn that Giles's body has been possessed by the demon Eyghon (from the Buffy episode "The Dark Age"), to whom he sold his soul in his youth.

Because vampires are immune to Eyghon's ability to possess the dead and unconscious, with which he plans to build an army of Slayers, Angel recruits Spike to assist him on a mission to kill the demon.

The remaining group then go ahead with the plan to bring Giles back to life, using Coames's collection of artifacts to provide the required magic for the spell.

Angel parts on good terms with them, deciding to stay behind in London's newly christened "Magic Town" suburb where he expects many conflicts are yet to arise.

At first Willow enjoys the freedom of limitless power in a magical community, but later realizes Aluwyn has secluded her to the neglect of her friends, and the pair separate.

In the story's final part, Willow and Rack battle until he is defeated, and she in turn is guided by a sentient universe back to Earth—this time, with her own magic restored and the message that it is for all the world to share.

Demons seize control of Spike's ship seeking to return to the ruins of Sunnydale, California, over the mystical Hellmouth where Buffy shattered the Seed of Wonder, bringing about the end of magic.

At the site of Buffy's battle, Spike encounters a succubus named Morgan who helps him kill his captors and explains that she, like many demons, is after these fragments as well; she plans to use them to open the dormant Hellmouth on Easter Island.

Love vs Life is a three-part story written by Jane Espenson, originally serialized in Dark Horse Presents, following Billy's and Anaheed's departure from San Francisco during Buffy's last arc.

Billy is summoned back to his hometown of Santa Rosita by his boyfriend Devon after it is overrun by zompires who do not need an invitation to enter people's homes.

While Whedon had chosen to fully exploit the possibilities of a comic book medium to explore more fantastical storylines, he later reflected that Buffy was less about the scope of its storytelling and more about the emotional experience of its characters.

He also chose to kill off Rupert Giles because that character's television functions—providing narrative exposition, and acting as a paternal figure—did not translate well to the comic book format.

[14] Free Comic Book Day in April 2012, Chambliss' released the mini-story "In Space No One Can Hear You Slay," depicting Buffy and Spike on a "spacecation" following her pregnancy scare in "Apart (of Me)".

[17] A miniseries focusing on Drusilla after the events of Angel & Faith #9 was also planned, but was later delayed indefinitely due to scheduling issues.

Comic Book Resources' Kelly Thompson summed, "Joss Whedon has managed the impossible yet again, somehow reinventing and reinvigorating these beloved characters and putting them on entirely new paths and adventures.

"[37] Entertainment Weekly's Adam Vary gave the first issue of Season Nine a positive review, stating "Watching Buffy act like a normal twentysomething screw-up is adorable, and a refreshing reminder that, even without the weight of the world on her shoulders, our heroine’s life can still be a bit of a mess."

Whedon brings these characters back to the core of what works, and makes waiting a month for the next issue far more irritating than week between episodes ever was.

Threadgold praised Whedon's trademark humor, and for delivering "a script that is both witty and fun yet, like the best episodes, full of emotional subtext", despite Season Eight's set-up.

Threadgold was also skeptical whether Whedon's decision to share writing duties with comics-novice Andrew Chambliss would bode well for the series.

Scherl felt Season Eight "was too big, too grand in scale and scope, and while the characters were still the ones we know and love, there was something lost in not letting them be in situations that suit who they are.

Much critical attention to Buffy's decision was mainly positive, with Comic Book Resources' Kelly Thompson saying "The people in charge of this book -- creators, editors and behind-the-scenes puppet masters (that's you, Joss Whedon) -- deserve huge credit for tackling the sensitive and controversial subject of abortion with unflinching honesty and realism.