When your Scottish castle full of super-powered girls is attacked by an army led by, among others, a skinless guy, a witch and some dude in a ski mask, the best thing you can do is hop aboard your submarine and teleport to Tibet.

That, implausible though it may sound, is the general thrust of Retreat, the sixth volume in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season Eight. And, once in Tibet, Buffy & Co. seek the wonderful wisdom of Oz -- former werewolf, now peace-abiding dude with, go figure, a baby of his own. But Twilight, the ski-masked villain leading that pesky army, is not going to be put off the trail for long -- and war is coming.

So, too, are three massive, peevish, brightly colored goddesses -- and the slayers, along with their resident witches, are completely without power.

This all might seem to boil down into yet another good-humored romp in Buffyville, but the viciousness of the battle and sheer number of deaths on both sides of the field make aspects of this tale downright serious. It's certainly not a story that could have been told within the budgetary confines of a weekly television series, that's for sure. And, while some critics complain the series is now spinning wildly out of control, I have faith that the Buffy team, led by the careful hand of series creator Joss Whedon, will point it in the right direction.

Oh, by the way, you'll never guess who gets caught smoochin'. Or what Buffy finds herself doing in the final panel. Vol. 7 promises to be interesting.