226 replies to this topic

[SueB]

Since the new Angel & Faith comic came out, it made it clear that it occupys the same "universe" and timeline as Buffy, I'm starting the S9 thread now as it's relevant S9 new info vice speculation. I'm not sure if reveals in the Angel & Faith comic line, however, are considered spoilers for the Buffy line. So, to be safe for now, I'll put stuff under spoiler tags.

Relevant/interesting (IMO) info:

- So Angel is going to use Gile's Watcher Journal for his next redemption bit?
- I really like that it is Faith helping out Angel, it makes sense given their track record
- But i gotta say, that Twilight persona of his was just a little too self-justifying in a "the ends justify the means" kindof way. There's the suggestion that sometime Angel was "in control" and sometimes not. Great, can you vague that up for me a little bit more? ("Welcome to Helmouth") I'm going to need some more to feel like Angel shouldn't be held responsible for his crimes. This "I only killed bad people" is not a good defense and the slayers killed (not by him but by his version of the Wonder Twins) were not bad people.
- I liked the method of getting squick-thing out of the little girl but gee, didn't we have that plot in "Homecoming?"
- I liked Faith helping the lost Slayers.
- So apparently Buffy is only slightly behind Angel in "person most hated on the planet". And everyone knows she's a waitress? It's gonna be a dark S9 (not that we didn't see it coming).
- The letters to the editors were funny (I'm only read compendiums before so I never saw these). Alot of walking off in a huff letters I'm guessing were received.
- AND... MOST IMPORTANTLY.... Angel is going to try and bring back Giles!!! IDK. I'm torn. I love Giles but if this means bring Giles back and then he gets to get in Buffy's pants, I am NOT on board. I feel for Angel and the Twilight nonsense but I kindof think he made some questionable choices there. I'm also not sure Giles coming back is the right thing. If he does come back, I want the relationship with Buffy repaired. If that is not, I see no reason to bring him back. Kindof violates the dead is dead rule.
- BTW, It was evident that they are going to keep the Giles character at least alive thru his journals as he is the first character "speaking".





MtV Feek link Spoilerfull Interview with Chris Gage

Edited by SueB, Sep 3, 2011 @ 3:07 PM.

[Jack Shaftoe]

Great art (unlike the Buffy comics, here you can instantly recognise all the characters) but absolutely nothing original in the story. Same old, same old.

There was no need whatsoever to introduce the idea that Angel doesn't remember parts of his Twilight stint and that he wasn't fully in control. Yes, thankfully he didn't jump to that excuse even when Faith suggested it but all this has the implication of manipulating us into liking Angel for being so noble that he takes more blame than he could have, sort of like how he tries to redeem himself for his deeds when soulless.

- Whistler is starting to rival Amy in the category of "Plot Device Character whose motivation makes no sense". Repeating the famous speech from Becoming? Come on, guys, it didn't work when Dark Willow used "Bored now", it didn't work when Giles said "The world is doomed" in Chosen, etc. Come up with something new, please. And I am so tired of the "balance" and "evolution" talk, those seem to be the writers' new buzzwords.

[Adam Tyner]

With as wretched as season 8 was, I was really reluctant to dive into season 9, but I'm still loyal/masochistic enough to at least consider it. I've poked my head in here several times over the past week to see if anyone had anything to say about the first issue of this run, but...nope. I guess the complete and total disinterest here is all the review I need. :D Thanks for helping me hold onto a few bucks and a little more of my dignity every month!

[SueB]

I'll be posting a review when I get back in town. I've been away from home for 3 weeks. From what I've read online, I'm looking forward to getting my issue.

[SueB]

Read it at last! Here's my review:

Overall: 8 of 10 (more for the potential than for specific action)

S9 #1: Freefall

My title: 'That's the dance of the "Brave Little Toaster"'

Plot highlights:
- Buffy has a new apartment w/ new roomies, throws a "rager" housewarming party with plenty of friends/police/alcohol; the audience (along w/ Buffy) spend much of the comic in flashback as she tries to remember what she did and who (if anyone) she slept with
- Secondary plot: someone has killed 3 beautiful girls with no apparent injuries, on the streets of San Francisco
- Additional tease: something big, green & deadly (BG&D for short) which has been chained by magic, break lose due to the weakening of magic (undoubtedly Buffy's seed destroying ripple affect) and is off to "kill kill"
- Throw-a-way plot: someone sends a demon to collect Buffy's college loan

Characters:
Buffy - This is the highlight of the comic for me. Buffy is in a DARK place and trying to gloss it all over. Her hangover line is really telling IMO: "Beside what I'm feeling isn't just pain or even guilt, for five whole minutes. It's dread". I interpret that line that Buffy is in a constant state of pain and guilt over what happened in S8 and now is experiencing dread (as the overpowering feeling) for a five minute breather of her regularly scheduled pain and guilt. If this is where Joss is going, then I'm on-board. S8 had a great deal of WTF'ery and just moving on with life is not gong to work. In stark contrast is Andrew, who has coped with the massive change by forming a disaster relief organization with the slayers previously under his commend. Andrew (who could be considered a major foot soldier in her war on demons but not the mastermind), is doing something emotionally healthy. He's giving the slayer's a positive purpose. Buffy is slinging coffee and back to solo hunting.
Xander - This is more of a mystery but I'm going to ignore the sexual red herrings (IMO) and say Xander is ALSO going thru something depressing and doesn't want Dawn to know. He's obviously tipped his hand to Buffy but is all avoidy. I'm going to go out on a limb and hazard a guess that Xander misses the hero life. He was the one to say "let's be normal" and perhaps he's unwilling to let his disillusionment of what being "normal" means to him impact Dawn. He and Buffy are both very Dawn protective and it wouldn't surprise me that this shared secret is nothing more than him realizing being a carpenter and nothing more is not enough. Now the vagueness of the Buffy/Xander scenes are enough to let the plot go in many directions but that's where my head is at.
Willow - Y-y-ouch. Dating another anti-Tara. This woman is as far away from Earth Mother as possible. Willow appears to have a job but she's not coping well either. And she can't get off the "Buffy you screwed up by destroying the seed" argument.

Others: Riley is a voice of reason when he says: "Buffy, you can stop convincing yourself things are better now." and offers his support for the big choice she made "people were dying, I was nearly one of them". I think the psych major is seeing things pretty clearly and he also is dealing better than Buffy with his new terrorist mission. Spike is just hanging around IMO waiting to catch Buffy when she finally falls down. The roomies are cool (as someone said, they look like Red Shirts* because we learned their names and they are likeable).


Artwork:
- Loved the Jo Chen cover, loved the attention to details in the party scenes (very madcap, very choc-full of little treasures).
- Disliked many of the main character drawings. Many panels are just okay, some are truly awful (ex: Willow showing up with her date does NOT look like Willow very much)

Plot:
- I'm on-board for this not-really-a-comedy comic as the set-up for S9. I'm hoping all three: Buffy/Xander/Willow get some quality time devoted to healing what is ailing them. The Scoobies are a bit on the ropes right now IMO. I'm feeling "The Yoko Factor" fight is going to be tame compared to what will eventually spew forth. They are IMO in a lot of pain and trying to deal but not very well. I read in another review that reading this comic was like listening to Buffy's inner thoughts and that's why it was so chaotic. I like that notion.

Selected mysteries:
- Did Buffy sleep with someone? Mmmm, maybe that guy Henreich in 2D. She's definitely into self-destructive these days.
- Who's killing the girls on the street: I'm guessing one of two or three big-bads this season
- Pink Mohawk is gunning for Buffy, I anticipate a Riley/Buffy takedown
- BG&D looks like another pile 'o guilt for the Slayer to deal with
- What's Xander sad about - my theory in "Character"

Best Funny Line: "But I got dressed and I walked far and I opened the whole door"

Coolest effect: Washed out hangover-Buffy w/ party-Buffy in bright colors

Bottom line: It's definitely denial time in San Francisco. I hope the payoff happens and we get to hear what the Scoobies are actually feeling and see some healing start to go on. Joss left the world, and the Scoobs, in a real mess. I'm looking forward to cleanup.

*Red Shirt: gratuitous Star Trek reference, they'll be around for a while but they are doomed to die in Jossian fashion (because they are nice and we like them).

Edited by SueB, Sep 24, 2011 @ 4:51 PM.

[Jack Shaftoe]

My opinion for 9.01? On a scale of one to ten - it sucked.

Let's see - Buffy is feeling lost and is pretending that she is fine. Am I describing the Freshman? Early S6? Early S3? Early S9? BtVS also has way too many characters considering the restrictions of the comic medium. Many of them are reduced to interacting on screen pretty much with Buffy only most of the time which doesn't do much for their development. Willow and Xander don't seem to even talk to each other any more and never get any scenes between just the two of them. Everybody is bizarrely blaming Buffy for the breaking of the Seed rather than for sleeping with Angel and later letting him go. The "apocalypse" seem to have left no lasting impression in anybody except for...you guessed it the breaking of the Seed. You'd think nothing much happened in S8 except for that famous breaking.

Willow - Y-y-ouch. Dating another anti-Tara. This woman is as far away from Earth Mother as possible.

How do you know that? She didn't even say word. And we cant really judge based on Jeanty's "art".

[SueB]

And we cant really judge based on Jeanty's "art".

We can't? I guess I assumed production notes were given on how to draw specific characters. Otherwise that would give Jeanty too much control. For that character it's ALL non-verbal. The fashionista outfit, the crackberry, and turning away from Willow during her story. I presumed Joss gave a character description Jeanty worked with. Does it work differently?

Am I describing the Freshman? Early S6? Early S3? Early S9?

Fair enough. I'm still interested in seeing the outcome.

[valny]

Willow - Y-y-ouch. Dating another anti-Tara.

I don't read the comments, so does this mean Kennedy is totally out of the picture? Preferrably dead? I'll take badly injured. Ok, ok,...as long as she's gone,that's the main thing.

[Bleu]

At the end of season eight, Kennedy is dumped by Willow. Willow says it's because she thinks without magic it wouldn't work out, that Kennedy liked the power in her.

[valny]

Oh yay Willow! Thanks for that info Bleu.

[cryyhavoc]

My opinion for 9.01? On a scale of one to ten - it sucked.

I agree.

The "apocalypse" seem to have left no lasting impression in anybody except for...you guessed it the breaking of the Seed. You'd think nothing much happened in S8 except for that famous breaking.

This is why I think it sucked. Where are all the dead bodies from the Space Frak? Why is Buffy not being hunted as a terrorist (shouldn't Riley be arresting her now)? Is the broken seed still in Sunnydale? Where is the blonde raping idiot's stupid spaceship? Where/When was Giles funeral, where is he buried, who was there?....

This is just a small sample of the questions I have that were not answered. S9 is going to continue to suck if that is all the closure from S8 that we get. In addition, I don't like the return of SlutBuffy, apparently she may have had multiple partners in one drunken night. WTH?

[Jack Shaftoe]

Why is Buffy not being hunted as a terrorist (shouldn't Riley be arresting her now)?

From the recent Q&A session with Scott Allie:

Scott: While Slayers were outed, Buffy didn't become a household name. And Riley pulled some favors with the government, because of how screwed up things got with that one faction of the military. The outing of vampires will definitely pose some problems for our characters who make a past-time of killing them.

But then it becomes even funnier:

Another question.
Spike in #36 reads the titles in a newspaper "Buffy Summers terrorist, slayer jihad".
And yesterday you replied to a question "While Slayers were outed, Buffy didn't become a household name."
And then you added "Riley pulled some favors with the government, because of how screwed up things got with that one faction of the military."

Ok, maybe a single soldier with no actual power in the military can pull some favours and be able to cover such major things, what about the press though which lives and chases things and scandals like that? How were they able to shut up the fourth power?
Is that a retcon, or is it a mistake?

Scott: Yeah, having her name on that paper was a bad call, I guess. Frankly, there was talk of what REALISTICALLY she'd need to do to go forward with her life, and basically it would make the story suck. She'd change her name, dye her hair, and her and all her friends would get shoved into different small towns in states like Arizona and Nevada, working in insurance companies. We decided not to do that, and to say that the story would be better if we could make this work. It's not completely realistic, and I forgot her name was on that paper. I am apparently not the only one who forgot (glancing around at my partners in crime). But yes, we wanted to get Buffy away from the big political schemes and conflicts, down to a personal level in an interesting city, and I guess we strained credulity in doing so. We didn't want the story to spend a bunch of time dealing with the intrigue of how she winds up working in a coffee shop and living with some other twenty-somethings. However, Riley is a somewhat important guy in the US military at this point, so I standby the idea that after everything that happened he could have had a role in getting her exonerated by the government.

So not only do the writers admit it makes no sense for everyone to forget "Buffy the terrorist", they also forgot stuff from the end of last season. Very professional. Not.

The fashionista outfit, the crackberry, and turning away from Willow during her story. I presumed Joss gave a character description Jeanty worked with. Does it work differently?

No idea, I just don't think we need to jump to conclusions yet. After all, Buffy looks like Harmony but they aren't much the same. Well, except for moments like in this issue. As for Spike's "funny" story - if Willow's my girlfriend I wouldn't find the story of how she almost died all that funny.

Edited by Jack Shaftoe, Sep 26, 2011 @ 10:53 AM.

[cryyhavoc]

Thank you Jack for the info. However, it does not change my opinion of the suckiness of 9.01 (not that you were trying to.) With answers like SA gave, I don't see the future of S9 improving because the writers and the editor don't seem to care.

[SilverShadow]

Urgh. Hate. Hate. Have some respect for the story you're telling or why bother telling it? In my dream world they would hire Greg Weissman, the creator of Gargoyles (who managed to successfully transition his show from television to comics by, oh, say giving a shit about what he was doing) and a self-confessed Buffy fan, to fix this mess. But Greg is busy with the awesome Young Justice so that's not happening.

Edited by SilverShadow, Sep 26, 2011 @ 12:21 PM.

[SueB]

This is why I think it sucked. Where are all the dead bodies from the Space Frak? Why is Buffy not being hunted as a terrorist (shouldn't Riley be arresting her now)? Is the broken seed still in Sunnydale? Where is the blonde raping idiot's stupid spaceship? Where/When was Giles funeral, where is he buried, who was there?....

Well we DID get the Giles funeral moment (VERY short mind you) and that Faith got his inheritance and Buffy got a book. I'm not really happy with that BTW.

Thanks JS for the info. So I'm going with: RETCON. 'We screwed up in S8 and it we didn't want to pay for it in S9 so a "Riley did it"" will have to do.

I agree the lack of fallout was ridiculous. They could possibly rationalize that Buffy is not a household name because it was a "prop" but the whole TVshow and comic dedicated to the public outting of vampires doesn't go back into the box. Now the government could say that the military fought an epic battle w/ magic and most vampires and demons are gone but the press wouldn't have to look far to refute that. SO, I think they are just going to pretend that the people of Earth are either well adjusted or extremely forgetful. This, of course, from a society that still sells books on Roswell. I think they don't know how to put that back into the box so they are just ignoring it. Riley says there is not much demon work so that is why he is doing terrorism. A throw-away line that demons and vamps have gone underground would have helped. Clearly they exist or they couldn't be student loan collection officers.

Urgh. Hate. Hate. Have some respect for the story you're telling or why bother telling it? In my dream world they would hire Greg Weissman, the creator of Gargoyles (who managed to successfully transition his show from television to comics by, oh, say giving a shit about what he was doing) and a self-confessed Buffy fan, to fix this mess. But Greg is busy with the awesome Young Justice so that's not happening.

I guess my point is that I think they think it isn't "fixable" so they are going for "ignore". In all seriousness, I'm not sure HOW to fix it without the series going "large" again versus focusing on the individuals (which is what they wanted to do).

With answers like SA gave, I don't see the future of S9 improving because the writers and the editor don't seem to care.

It DOES remind me of a three-year old who desperately clings to a toy. Then puts it down and walks away from it completely forgotten. Now they've picked up a new toy (S9) and don't want to put away the old toy (S8).

Since I read all of S8 in one gulp, I wasn't that invested. Although I usually insist on my continuity-porn, I'm personally ready to drop that S8 toy and move on to S9 and see what they have in store. YMMV.

What I need to see resolved in S9 (from S8):
- Angel killed Giles. That can't be swept under the rug.
- Buffy (and Xander - he had a "squad") have run away from their Slayers. Andrew at least is organizing them into relief workers. Faith is trying to help them deal - one at a time it would appear. But there were nearly 2000 at one time. With the war the number still has to be over 1000. They were left leaderless. What did they do for these girls?
- Willow without magic and how she deals.

I can live with "dead demons around the planet oozing gunk are miraculously cleaned up without anyone giving Buffy a bill". That's kind of in the vein of no one often sees Superman picking up the broken pieces post-destruction. I'm sure he helps (he's Superman) but they don't focus on the cleanup very much as far as I can tell. Happens in movies too. Rampant destruction in comics/superhero movies just magically goes away unless there is a purpose for it not too. The only time I think I saw it dealt with was in Ghostbusters and The Incredibles. Other than that, I think that stuff is ignored. Again YMMV.

[Bleu]

Urgh. Hate. Hate. Have some respect for the story you're telling or why bother telling it? In my dream world they would hire Greg Weissman, the creator of Gargoyles (who managed to successfully transition his show from television to comics by, oh, say giving a shit about what he was doing) and a self-confessed Buffy fan, to fix this mess. But Greg is busy with the awesome Young Justice so that's not happening.

He even did a mini Buffy/Angel arc for a cartoon called W.I.T.C.H., when he was in charge of its second season. /Slight offtopicness over

Why did I never think of him. Right, because I know very little about American comics.

See, a personal story in which Buffy has to deal with literally being isolated from her people and hide from the public would be interesting. Even if it were made larger, part of the problem with doing that in season eight is that they didn't do it right. So they could have chosen to follow up on the consequences while paying better attention.

[SueB]

See, a personal story in which Buffy has to deal with literally being isolated from her people and hide from the public would be interesting. Even if it were made larger, part of the problem with doing that in season eight is that they didn't do it right.

Now that's a fair angle (Buffy in hiding but the stories are personal). I get the impression Joss wants Buffy to go thru the pains of being 20-something. That, of course, seems totally wrong IMO after leading a world-wide organization. Maybe Xander was running the day-to-day organization (I kindof doubt it, he only had two outfits, he couldn't have been that powerful) but Buffy seemed to be making the big calls (like stealing money to fund the organization) so I can't see how she didn't grow up beyond her years during that time.

IF it's all about being a stumbling 20-something then I expect job troubles, identity crisis, boyfriend issues, friend drama, etc.. mixed in with killing badguys at night. This may in fact be what we are going to get but I can see how the pendulum may have swung too far.

[Jack Shaftoe]

Now that's a fair angle (Buffy in hiding but the stories are personal). I get the impression Joss wants Buffy to go thru the pains of being 20-something. That, of course, seems totally wrong IMO after leading a world-wide organization.

I for one have been bitching a lot about the lack of any real life issues for the protagonists in S7-8 and I still find the sudden change silly. We already saw Buffy deal with what in real life terms might be called a mid-life crisis (with plenty of extra angst and misery, of course) in S5-6. And while I believe she was rather childish in those seasons, that's clearly not the show's party line. So I am expected to believe Buffy had that tremendous "growth" and became "one heck of a woman" in S7 and then ooops, suddenly they need her to behave like a girl who always relied on mom and dad and therefore has troubles handling the realities of the world of the grown-ups? Sorry, can't do. While it could be an interesting story to see how Buffy (or Willow for that matter) can't handle some aspects of the mundane because she has been all about the supernatural for a while, I think S9 took that too far, too fast.

More importantly, I am very sceptical about the writers' ability to come up with any good stories about real life issues. They seem way too busy writing ridiculous cliffhangers, throwing random red herrings and pandering to all possible shippers while being afraid to commit to any long term relationship for Buffy. And I might be biased, but I think it's all kinds of wrong that Willow and Xander barely interact any more, you would think that with Willow dealing with the mundane for the first time in quite a while, Xander would b just the guy to help but if he did it was entirely off-screen because who would want to see that...[/sarcasm]

Angel killed Giles. That can't be swept under the rug.

Want to bet? :)

Edited by Jack Shaftoe, Sep 26, 2011 @ 9:20 PM.

[Jack Shaftoe]

Sorry for the double post but I just read the second issue of Angel and Faith and I want to vent my frustration, I mean post my impressions. Let's cut to the chase: on a scale of one to ten - it sucked. Lots of random fights and lots of whitewashing. Angel thinks he has a shot at resurrecting Giles properly because Giles was a "warlock" and "spent his life immersed in magic". Okay then, boy genius, then how come Tara isn't alive then? Oh, and are you going to resurrect Jenny too, since she was "immersed in magic" too? "Jenny who?", I hear you say. Thought so...

Faith thinks Angel saved the world "five or six times over" and "spent two lifetimes doing good". Does anyone involved in the making of these comics even know what continuity means? There is some random flashback of Giles and Faith and their talk heavily implied that the volcanologist and Alan Finch were the only people Faith has killed. Am I mistaken or she killed some more? Damn, Joss's brand of "redemption" really pisses me off, I thought I had gotten used to it.

[Bleu]

I didn't recall her killing anyone else, so I looked it up on the Buffy wikia and the dialogue database. Well, in the Buffy parts of the dialogue database. It doesn't say she killed anyone else, unless you count the demons re: the books of Ascension.

I haven't checked transcripts.

[SueB]

Am I mistaken or she killed some more? Damn, Joss's brand of "redemption" really pisses me off, I thought I had gotten used to it.

I'm pretty sure it's just the two.

As for Joss' redemption I REALLY hope the moral to the story is that Angel is all wet on his theory. No way does Giles want to come back from Heaaaaaaaaaven. Presuming Giles believes in Heaaaaaaaaven. With all the silent thought boxes where Faith is trying to figure out how to handle Angel, I'm hoping this is "Forever" on steroids and in the end, Angle let's the resurrection dream go like Dawn did. Sad statement if it takes longer for 270 yr-old Angel to figure out what 14 year old Dawn clued into in 24 hrs.

[Sonicsean34]

Faith killings; god, I'm trying to remember who the volcanologist was since its been ages since I've re-watched both shows. but didn't she (in addition to killing the deputy mayor) kill a few people once she got to LA (she even stayed in some guys apartment that she attack right off the bus or something), did they not die and just ended up in ICU?

[SueB]

Faith killings; god, I'm trying to remember who the volcanologist was since its been ages since I've re-watched both shows. but didn't she (in addition to killing the deputy mayor) kill a few people once she got to LA (she even stayed in some guys apartment that she attack right off the bus or something), did they not die and just ended up in ICU?

The volcanologist was the guy in Graduation Day Pt1 who knew about the giant snake demon from some volcanoes in Hawaii. From there the Scoobs determined fire was the key. The mayor had Faith kill him because he knew how the giant snake demon died.

As for the guy in LA at the bus, this is what it said in the transcript:

Faith hits him in the stomach, the face, keeps hitting and kicking him into unconsciousness. Leans down and takes his keys and wallet out of his jacket.

later..

Lilah: "Great. I heard you came up with a good idea. How to deal with our friendly neighborhood vampire?"
Lee: "No, I came up with a great idea. How do you find out these things so fast?"
Lilah: "Part of my job. How did you find out there was a rogue Slayer in town?"
Lee: "Part of *my* job. I've been reading, ah, the police reports. She's been a - busy little beaver."

finallly....

Lindsey: "A felony arrest warrant from Sunnydale was issued in your name - - physical description is quite accurate. The photograph, however, is - not flattering. - There is a lot of personal stuff that is of no interest to me, but what they do fail to mention is that you are a Slayer."
Lilah: "Which is why we found you so appealing."
Lindsey: "You have a problem. We have a problem. I just had a perfectly good murder case go up in smoke and you seem to - have a certain expertise in that area. So to make a long story - less long - I think if a service is rendered - we can get you off."
Faith: "You don't know how many man have promised me that."
Lilah: "I'm certain you won't be disappointed in our performance."
Faith: "Who am I supposed to kill?"
Lindsey: "Please understand that we would never advocate the killing of another human being. - His name is Angel. - He's somewhat of a private..."


... then of course she SADISTICALLY TORTURES Wesley but doesn't in fact kill him...

In "Sanctuary"

Kendrick: "The guy who lives here identifies her as the woman who mugged him. Put him in the hospital, stole his keys, his wallet. - We're lifting prints now. My bet is - we get a match."
Kate: "Anything else?"
Kendrick: "That's it. You mind telling me why you're here examining a crime scene that wasn't assigned to you?"


later..

Announcer: "Eyewitnesses identified her..."
Angel: "What is it?"
Announcer: "...as being involved in several recent assaults. Police want your help in finding her." Angel coming into the living room: "Faith."

So, I'm going to go with ...one kill (vulcanologist) and lots of aggravated assault is what she actually did. She went to jail for everything she did to civilians but didn't serve time for beating on Wesley, attempted murder of Buffy, Angel, and Xander, or anyone else she tossed about that I can't remember.


...and that was probably more than you wanted to know...

Edited by SueB, Oct 5, 2011 @ 8:36 AM.

[Jack Shaftoe]

What I learned from Buffy 9.02:

- Buffy paying her student loans was not a joke.
- A detective would check the missing persons reports from 1941 even when the victim looks 30 at most.
- Slayers now can be arrested for slaying the poor persecuted vampires
- Xander and Dawn refuse to aid and abet Buffy, never mind that Xander has done that for Spike, Andrew, Faith, etc. Of course, the whole situation could have been resolved with a simple "Buff, you do realize this would be the first place they would look for you after your own apartment" but this wouldn't have been angsty enough, I guess.
- Willow thinks keeping demons away from their home dimensions is a bad consequence of breaking the Seed. Earth to Willow -this also means the demons who wanted to come to Earth to kill people will not be able to do so now. How is that a bad thing again?
- The new guy, who I think is called Severin, can defeat a crowd of vampires just by turning on his superpower. And here I thought that we would have at least issues of Buffy not being totally outshine in the vampire slaying department once Willow got nerfed.

Edited by Jack Shaftoe, Oct 12, 2011 @ 12:19 PM.

[WWPrice The Man]

After two issues a piece, I think both the new Buffy series and the Angel and Faith series are shaping up rather nicely. Both are entertaining, and everyone is staying true to character. It seems like Joss, Andrew, and Christos are really working to correct the issues that Season 8 had, without white-washing it like Season 8 never happened. It's fun to be enjoying these books again!

[cryyhavoc]

I disagree, I am so bored with the Buffy comic, nothing has happened. Also, about 3 new characters were introduced this issue, I thought that a bloated cast (ala S7) without focus on the core group was in the past, apparently not. Finally, why Buffy is not a wanted terrorist anymore was very lame, obviously Scott Allie felt like the dipshit he is when someone asked after issue #1 what the deal was and quickly included this to save face.

[Perfect Xero]

ETA: Wrong topic.

That said, is Joss still writing Season 9, or has the other writer taken over yet?

Edited by Perfect Xero, Oct 19, 2011 @ 11:34 PM.

[MidnightFrost]

Regarding Willow's girlfriend's clothes: I attended a S9 panel Georges Jeanty did at Dragon-Con this year, and someone asked him about the characters' wardrobes. He said he's never been given any instructions whatsoever on how they should dress, so he's just made it up himself. Eventually, he asked Joss about it, and Joss told him that he never felt the need to give Georges direction because he said, "you get it." Georges said he was quite flattered by that. Personally, I was relieved to know whom to blame for Willow's horrid wardrobe throughout S8. I'm pretty sure Georges said that he had just finished drawing issue 4 or 5 at that point, so he would have already done the gf's clothes in issue 1. As for how much he's told about the characters, I don't know. He certainly talked as if he has a good idea of the entire arc for the season, but there was very little he was allowed to say about S9. And I suppose it's possible that he's pretending to be more important than he is.

I'm liking S9 so far, but I do hope we don't get bogged down too much in the new characters. As someone else has already pointed out, we need more interactions among our core Scoobies. Georges said that he "thinks" there's supposed to be a small Willow side arc at some point during S9 (he also said he "thinks" 4 issues). He didn't say more than that, although he mentioned it in response to my question about whether we'd ever learn more details about her Wicca Walkabout thingy with Aluwyn. If that's true and if it does address those events, then I'll very much be looking forward to it. However, Georges either didn't know much about it or wasn't allowed to confirm anything.

ETA: I found an interview with Joss where he confirms part of what Georges said about Willow: "This idea of magic being taken out of the world — that’s going to be her personal obsession and will result in a miniseries."

Edited by MidnightFrost, Oct 20, 2011 @ 5:15 AM.

[Sonicsean34]

SueB

{INFO ON FAITH'S CRIMES}
...and that was probably more than you wanted to know...

It was but still greatly appreciated, very whedon like in the "don't give people what they want but what they need!" for some reason my mind was zeroing in on demon who had the books of accession and couldn't remember volcanologist. OOOH just had a thought, Angel was able to get into the apartment to rescue Wesley so guy either invited him or died in the end, may have to find which storage box my season1 set is in to check.

[Jack Shaftoe]

My impressions of Angel and Faith #3:

So the Slayers don't kill vampires who are not breaking "Harmony's rules" and are "just nibbling on goth wannabes". What. The. Hell. That's stupid on so many levels. Why the hell should vampires care about this rules? And why would Slayers believe that this is not just an act? It's the vamp ho nonsense all over again...

Oh, and Slayers want to fight so much that they go pick fights with football fans in bars. But that's a normal part of being a Slayer, says Faith. We have missed so much potential for wacky hijinks over the years with Buffy being so unnaturally restrained about using her powers, I guess...

At least Angel finally got a clue when he thought that every time the bill for his sins come up, someone else pays. If they follow on this properly, I would be willing to overlook everything else but I doubt it, soon there will be some new excuse for Angel, I am sure of that.

Oh, and I am waiting to see how Angel and Faith will manage to defeat Peral and Nash despite the latter apparently defeating a bunch of Slayers in one battle.