大象传媒

With artwork by Cliff Richards (no, not the chirpy Christian crooner), and a story by veteran Buffy scriptwriter Jane Espenson, you'd expect this to be good - and for the most part it is. The character of the Mayor is captured perfectly, and Espenson's writing takes him to some deeply creepy places - such as possessing foetid, rotting birds to get around town.

In fact, Haunted is a lot darker overall than the jokey, lighthearted scripts Espenson is known for. The tense and disturbing Faith/Buffy dream sequences, the Mayor's inhumanly singleminded stalking of the Slayer, and an underlying feeling of everything falling apart all add to the chill factor.

Sadly, the final resolution is a bit too sudden to satisfy, but there's still lots to enjoy along the way. As an added treat for continuity-addicts, there's a wealth of little nods to events in the series, including the first ever sighting of the Initiative.