If You Go Chasing Vampires and You Know You're Going To Fall...
Slayer Interrupted part 3, has Buffy, now well ensconced in the mental institution her parents committed her to, trying to come to grips with growing up, taking on responsibilities, questioning authority, and her own role in society.
I have to admit that I expected the institutionalization of Buffy to be a lot more simplistic, of the "you just don't understand, I'm the Slayer", "I know you think that, but that's the illness speaking, Buffy" variety. Actually it is much more subtly layered than that. The institution staff are hardly ogres (yet) and some seem to be genuinely sympathetic to Buffy. The discussions between Buffy and her therapist are adult and resemble modern client-centered therapy.
Then there's the wonderful Alice in Wonderland metaphor. Like the 'Viva Las Buffy' arc, where Buffy was depicted as a showgirl on the cover, here we get Buffy depicted as Alice, being stalked by the Jabberwocky. Like Viva Las Buffy, that scene doesn't appear in the comic, but something similar does - we get to see Buffy in the role of Alice as she explores her childhood feelings. The art by Richards and Conrad closely mimics the Tenniel version of Alice, much as the characters of Buffy and Giles are depicted in close resemblance to the TV actors.
The central theme of personality crisis is also reflected in the purification ritual Giles is undergoing on the coast of Ireland - confronting his past and trying to ready himself for the future.
This is the kind of intelligent writing that made the TV series so good. Let's hope it continues.