Buffy's Romp: Marketing Ploy or Part of the Plot?

March 6, 2008 — -- Buffy Summers has now done it all.

After spending nearly a decade slaying vampires and demons and carefully juggling her schoolwork with her budding teen romances, Buffy of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" now also knows what it's like to have a one-night stand -- with a woman.

In the latest installment of the comic book series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight" -- which continues the saga that began in a 1993 film and then continued during seven seasons of a hit television series -- Buffy takes a break from her vampire duties to jump into bed with Satsu, a fellow slayer.

"Wow," says Buffy in the comic, hand on sweaty brow, naked body wrapped in tangled bed sheets. "That was ... that was ... Wow."

"'That was wow' pretty much covers it," responds Satsu, who, also dripping with sweat, clutches Buffy's 20-something body.

The comic's illustrators -- seemingly inspired by the sexy narrative -- litter the bedside with discarded bras and panties.

While the scene, which was first reported by The New York Times, may initially come across as a little too sexy and a little too soft porn, Joss Whedon, executive producer of the strip, told ABCNEWS.com that the story line flowed naturally and is nothing to gape at.

"We had already established that there was this character, Satsu, was in love with Buffy and that Buffy was kind of lonesome," said Whedon. "[We decided] it would be fun if they just went ahead and did it, rather than have it be a 'will they won't they' situation."

Despite Whedon's assertion that Buffy's adventurous sexuality is nothing new -- after all, her best friend on the show, Willow, came out in Season 4 -- industry insiders still aren't convinced that the latest plot twist isn't anything more than a marketing ploy.

Having gay characters in comic books is not a new concept, according to comic guru Matthew McAllister, but central characters who stray from heterosexuality may be.

"We've definitely seen gay characters in mainstream comics over the past 10 to 15 years," said McAllister, who co-edited the book "Film and Comics." "But usually those tend to be secondary characters, not leads."