Crush (Dark Horse)

(Dark Horse, 2003-2004)
™ and © Dark Horse Comics, Inc.

Elizabeth Crush looks like another Buffy: a high-school girl who is a hardbodied Slayer. But, this time, it’s the teen who does the transforming—into a super-powered she-beast. The child of uncaring parents, Liz discovers that she actually may be an orphan—and a test subject that morphs into a lean, mean, bruising machine when she’s cut. Suffering amnesia after “wilding” on classmates who gave her a hard time, Crush is aided by her friends Carl and Jen to uncover her dark past.

Unfortunately for them, the mysterious group that spawned Crush has sensed her “awakening” and intends to bring their prize possession back into the fold. Now Liz herself may be crushed by the hunters sent to retrieve her—three teen-age boys who have been changed into werewolves themselves!

Now that Buffy’s TV show is history, Dark Horse rolls out a potential replacement that has promising potential. Murphy’s art is convincing, even though the plot simply mirrors its vampiric predecessor and uses bystanders as fodder for fighting fiends. A bit immature, Crush still needs to develop a personality and earn some sympathy before she can be considered a worthy heroine.

— Oliver Chin

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