Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Willow #4: The Thread

The cover image for Willow #4 is very telling about what’s to come in this issue. You see Willow wrapped in green vines which match the color of her sweater, a comfort in early issue. It implies a transition from soothing to suffocating. 

A bold image opens the issue as the sweater that initially brought her comfort, joy and a sense of security begins to unravel. It foreshadows the unraveling we’ll see as Willow learns more about the community she lives in. 

You can sense her confusion about this new world she’s in. Although she feels she found her place, she still senses that something’s wrong. As she walks us through the scenes, we can identify with her thoughts as she gets to know the world around her. We’re pulled into the story, experiencing Abhainn from her perspective. We question some of the same things she does. 

As powerful as she is, her shyness and awkwardness is still present in her body language and the close-up shots help us relate to her uncertainty.  There is an innocence about her. She wants to trust others and find a place where she can feel she belongs.

The subdued coloring in these scenes makes you feel like it’s just an ordinary day and there’s nothing particularly unusual going on. But a later scene shows vibrance and joy of being with people that she feels as though she’s known them forever.

Later, we experience a jarring transition that brings us back to the doubts that she’s been having.  Yet another scene later in the story further demonstrates tension with a harsh change to shades of blue indicating a darkness. 

While there are times Willow expresses uncertainty about whether she needs to call in reinforcements, deciding not to indicates an increase in her self-confidence. When she does use her power and we see her facial expressions, it’s a huge contrast to the Willow we saw in earlier scenes.

The final scene leaves you eager for the next issue; it’s definitely a cliffhanger where you do want to see where the story is going next.