Out of the five main story lines in this volume, only three are really worth reading. Spike and Dru at the World's Fair was a bore that served no purpose and completely butchered the characters. Granted crazy Dru is difficult to portray in print, but this is messy at best. The Vegas storyline is sloppy as well. Trying to interlace two stories that really aren't that intrigued and don't move the larger story arc. And man, this dialogue is so hard to follow. Those stories aside, the origin and Buffy's return home feel more like the Buffy we know and love. Dawn's mini story in the middle is similar to a one-off but it works. It's cute and silly, and we get more of the turmoil between Joyce and Hank.

All I can say, is thank God the post-show comics got some better writers. Seasons 8+ are much more deserving of your time. But if you really want to go back and see Buffy pre-Sunnydale, it's better to start here than the movie.