Buffy season 10 no 12
Feb. 18th, 2015 08:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shapinglightReview of the latest Buffy comic behind cut. And when I say review, it's more like a complete summary, so if you want to avoid spoilers, don't read.
Have to say, if the Buffy/Spike kiss in the last issue made the Spike/Spuffy hating subset of fans sick to their stomachs, this issue is going to make their heads explode.
This is because Buffy and Spike have sex. Yes, real, actual sex that isn't in a dream (or if it is a dream, the whole arc is a dream, which I don't think is the case).
Before that, of course, we go back to the end of the previous issue, where, far from pushing Buffy away, Spike does return her kiss. Afterwards, though, he asks her what's going on. Buffy admits it came a bit out of left field, but she realised (because of what Dawn said in the previous issue) that she hadn't really given Spike with a soul a shot, and she'd like to, if Spike's up for it.
Much to her surprise (though not of course to that of us, the readers), Spike says he's not sure. He questions why now, when he was starting to get used to the idea of them as friends and feeling okay about being on his own. "And now you do this?"
Buffy is somewhat peeved, and says, "You say that like I repossessed your car." She insists she's not trying to mess with Spike. Spike says, "Are you sure?" Which needless to say ups Buffy's peeved factor considerably.
Spike says he's not accusing her of trying to hurt him on purpose, but reminds her that when she did want him it was as her soulless naughty secret - an act of rebellion. Likewise, Xander had feelings for her for years but she never looked at him until he started dating Dawn. (Buffy mutters that she should never have let Spike and Xander move in together). Spike goes on to say that after Xander, Buffy was back with Angel, but not the boring version who was a private eye in L.A. 'and would have played house with you', but mad god Angel. Then there was Satsu. And Buffy's not even gay.
(I can at this point hear a chorus of fannish voices from way, way back in 2008, or whenever season 8 started, to the present day, saying the very same thing. It's like Spike is reciting the cliffnotes version of the comics letters pages).
Spike's point is that Buffy has a pattern of wanting something she can't have. If he says yes to her, will she be bored in a month or so and develop a sudden desire for Andrew, Willow, or Giles?
Buffy is now incandescent (and who can blame her), which you can tell even from the not terribly nice art (though it's better than the last issue). Spike realises he's gone too far, but Buffy says he's right. It was a bad idea. She runs off, leaving Spike alone. Spike says, "I'm a wanker."
Back at Spike and Xander's apartment, Spike has told Xander what happened. Xander calls him a moron. Spike protests that Xander told him he gave Buffy the same speech in Tibet (oh God! Tibet! The flying submarine! Don't make me remember!). Xander says the difference is that he was in love with someone else when he said it, whereas Spike is in love with Buffy. "From where I'm standing, it seems she rather courageously broke out of her pattern of dysfunction to reach out to you. And at her moment of greatest vulnerability, you slapped her down. Confirming her worst fears about male abandonment."
(Chorus of fans off again).
Spike repeats that he's a wanker.
Xander says he's not. He's just damaged, same as Buffy. Xander and his therapist have been covering this in sessions. He tells Spike that he, too, has issues, which mean he gravitates towards women who are incapable of having a healthy relationship - "crazy Drusilla, self-hating Buffy, Harmony."
(Poor old Harmony. I think that's a bit unfair. Otherwise, clearly a budding career in the therapy industry looms in Xander's future).
Spike tells Xander not to give him any of that 'head-shrinking jibber-jabber'. Xander responds that he gets it. Love can get you hurt. Xander himself is going through a bad time just now, but he doesn't regret a minute of the time he spent with Dawn.
(Well, maybe the bit where he was losing his temper so much Dawn made him sleep on the couch).
Spike is convinced. He's about to go after Buffy, but Xander stops him. After what he just said to Buffy, anything Spike says now is going to look like further provocation. Spike has to give her time to breathe.
At that moment, Super!Andrew crashes through the window.
The preview panels follow, with Andrew telling everyone what's going on and them going off to fight the Sculptor's giant meat puppet.
Willow, Clive and Julie (the girl Andrew went to the party with) try to cast a spell. It doesn't seem to be working. Super!Andrew starts tearing the flesh golem apart. Pretty soon it's in bits all over the floor. The Sculptor, meanwhile, has run away. Willow says she'll track him and flies off. Andrew asks Clive and the girl if they're okay. Clive says he doesn't know how to thank Andrew for saving their lives. Andrew says he has an idea. He grabs Clive, bends him back over his arm and kisses him.
Everyone is pleased for Andrew, except for Mini!Giles who grumps that he's aware it's the summer of love for everyone except him. Suddenly, Andrew can't hold Clive any more. He's lost his super powers and is back to normal. Clive doesn't seem to mind, but Andrew is instantly back in denial land and runs away, despite a congratulatory hug from Dr Xander, about Andrew coming out of the closet and how cool Xander is with that. Clive and Xander agree that Xander may have overdone the support.
Spike has caught up with Buffy, meantime (if you remember the preview pages, he tried to talk to her in those and she wouldn't). Spike tries to apologise, but Buffy says he doesn't need to, and that if Andrew can take an honest look at himself then she should be able to too. Spike was right. She was being impulsive and stupid and she doesn't want to wreck their friendship. Spike means so much to her. He's one of the few people in the world she can count on, not just to be there for her, but to be honest with her. "I mean, do you know how many guys would've used that as an excuse for a roll in the hay, and only brought up the complications afterwards?"
Spike agrees that would have been wrong.
Buffy says she loves what they have already. It's taken a long time to get there and it would have been stupid and thoughtless to risk that 'by rushing into something.' Spike says it's a pretty speech, and everything she says is true. Only thing is, he's in love with her.
Cue, Buffy and Spike slamming into Spike's bedroom while kissing, and beginning to take their clothes off.
Xander is next door with Dawn and Giles. There're crashing noises from upstairs. Xander says, it's his maquettes. Dawn says he doesn't know that. They go and listen through the wall. Dawn says it doesn't sound anything like-
They realise what they're listening to and move away, trading humorous (actually humorous, I smiled when I first read it) remarks about how maybe they're mistaken and Buffy and Spike are just making sandwiches. Mini!Giles in the meantime is really annoyed. Buffy and Spike are being really selfish, he says. Does it occur to them that there are other people in the world sentenced to years of forced celibacy? Xander protests that surely Giles didn't get that much action when he was old, did he? Needless to say, this does not help Mini!Giles's mood. He stomps off. Xander and Dawn settle down to play Pimp Slap IV (is this actually a real game?), quite companionably.
Best scene they've had together in season 10, in fact. Nick Brendon is co-writer on this issue, and the Xander voice is pretty good, even if he does come across as a bit all-knowing.
In Spike's room, Spike and Buffy are in bed. Buffy is asleep but Spike is wide awake, afraid to fall asleep in case Buffy's not there when he wakes. He tells himself not to be stupid. He's already the luckiest man in the world "Nothing can ruin this." He falls asleep, only to dream of stalking and killing a young couple in the street. He wakes up still in vamp face, turns back to human, tells himself to take it easy. It was just a dream.
But I don't think he really believes it.
Hmm, I suppose this is how they'll cross the storyline with A&F at some point. Angel, too, is having killing dreams that appear to be coming true. Interesting.
On the other hand, it does look very much like Buffy was right. It was stupid and thoughtless 'to rush into something.'
I'm beginning to wonder if they're trying to nix Buffy/Angel and Buffy/Spike in one fell swoop by making it clear that no matter the circumstances - with a soul, without a soul- when a slayer and a vampire have sex badness always follows.
We'll see.
One thing's for sure, though, Buffy and Spike have got together way too early in the series for this to be the endgame. ;)
Not a bad issue. Quite an enjoyable comic book, in fact (as long as you're not a Spike hater/Bangel 'shipper - though I suppose the latter can console themselves by pointing out that Buffy never says she loves Spike back, plus as aforementioned, it's way too early in the series for this to be how it ends). However, I just feel so distant from Buffy herself in it. Not distant in the sense that I don't understand her, more that she isn't the centre of the story, as she should be. It's plain that the writers' in-story avatars are Xander and Spike, and Buffy is someone they look at, rather than being the person whose eyes we see through. I'm unclear what the 'Buffy' of it is.
I don't think Gage is doing it on purpose, btw. I also think Dark Horse are trying hard to make up for the lack of Xander in season 9 and Spike's rubbish storyline in it. However, as always, they've now gone too far the other way.
Best, if you want to enjoy the comic at all, to try and divorce it from the show in your head as much as possible. I'm actually finding that re-watching the show from the start is helping me with that.
Anyway, be ready to duck and cover, although it's possible (not very likely if that guy who shouts at Gage, Megan Levens, even Joss, in capital letters on Twitter is anything to go by) no one will care.
ETA: Hmm, I've just realised there was no sign of the adorable kittens. Where have they gone? There hasn't been time to find them other homes since the last issue.
Have to say, if the Buffy/Spike kiss in the last issue made the Spike/Spuffy hating subset of fans sick to their stomachs, this issue is going to make their heads explode.
This is because Buffy and Spike have sex. Yes, real, actual sex that isn't in a dream (or if it is a dream, the whole arc is a dream, which I don't think is the case).
Before that, of course, we go back to the end of the previous issue, where, far from pushing Buffy away, Spike does return her kiss. Afterwards, though, he asks her what's going on. Buffy admits it came a bit out of left field, but she realised (because of what Dawn said in the previous issue) that she hadn't really given Spike with a soul a shot, and she'd like to, if Spike's up for it.
Much to her surprise (though not of course to that of us, the readers), Spike says he's not sure. He questions why now, when he was starting to get used to the idea of them as friends and feeling okay about being on his own. "And now you do this?"
Buffy is somewhat peeved, and says, "You say that like I repossessed your car." She insists she's not trying to mess with Spike. Spike says, "Are you sure?" Which needless to say ups Buffy's peeved factor considerably.
Spike says he's not accusing her of trying to hurt him on purpose, but reminds her that when she did want him it was as her soulless naughty secret - an act of rebellion. Likewise, Xander had feelings for her for years but she never looked at him until he started dating Dawn. (Buffy mutters that she should never have let Spike and Xander move in together). Spike goes on to say that after Xander, Buffy was back with Angel, but not the boring version who was a private eye in L.A. 'and would have played house with you', but mad god Angel. Then there was Satsu. And Buffy's not even gay.
(I can at this point hear a chorus of fannish voices from way, way back in 2008, or whenever season 8 started, to the present day, saying the very same thing. It's like Spike is reciting the cliffnotes version of the comics letters pages).
Spike's point is that Buffy has a pattern of wanting something she can't have. If he says yes to her, will she be bored in a month or so and develop a sudden desire for Andrew, Willow, or Giles?
Buffy is now incandescent (and who can blame her), which you can tell even from the not terribly nice art (though it's better than the last issue). Spike realises he's gone too far, but Buffy says he's right. It was a bad idea. She runs off, leaving Spike alone. Spike says, "I'm a wanker."
Back at Spike and Xander's apartment, Spike has told Xander what happened. Xander calls him a moron. Spike protests that Xander told him he gave Buffy the same speech in Tibet (oh God! Tibet! The flying submarine! Don't make me remember!). Xander says the difference is that he was in love with someone else when he said it, whereas Spike is in love with Buffy. "From where I'm standing, it seems she rather courageously broke out of her pattern of dysfunction to reach out to you. And at her moment of greatest vulnerability, you slapped her down. Confirming her worst fears about male abandonment."
(Chorus of fans off again).
Spike repeats that he's a wanker.
Xander says he's not. He's just damaged, same as Buffy. Xander and his therapist have been covering this in sessions. He tells Spike that he, too, has issues, which mean he gravitates towards women who are incapable of having a healthy relationship - "crazy Drusilla, self-hating Buffy, Harmony."
(Poor old Harmony. I think that's a bit unfair. Otherwise, clearly a budding career in the therapy industry looms in Xander's future).
Spike tells Xander not to give him any of that 'head-shrinking jibber-jabber'. Xander responds that he gets it. Love can get you hurt. Xander himself is going through a bad time just now, but he doesn't regret a minute of the time he spent with Dawn.
(Well, maybe the bit where he was losing his temper so much Dawn made him sleep on the couch).
Spike is convinced. He's about to go after Buffy, but Xander stops him. After what he just said to Buffy, anything Spike says now is going to look like further provocation. Spike has to give her time to breathe.
At that moment, Super!Andrew crashes through the window.
The preview panels follow, with Andrew telling everyone what's going on and them going off to fight the Sculptor's giant meat puppet.
Willow, Clive and Julie (the girl Andrew went to the party with) try to cast a spell. It doesn't seem to be working. Super!Andrew starts tearing the flesh golem apart. Pretty soon it's in bits all over the floor. The Sculptor, meanwhile, has run away. Willow says she'll track him and flies off. Andrew asks Clive and the girl if they're okay. Clive says he doesn't know how to thank Andrew for saving their lives. Andrew says he has an idea. He grabs Clive, bends him back over his arm and kisses him.
Everyone is pleased for Andrew, except for Mini!Giles who grumps that he's aware it's the summer of love for everyone except him. Suddenly, Andrew can't hold Clive any more. He's lost his super powers and is back to normal. Clive doesn't seem to mind, but Andrew is instantly back in denial land and runs away, despite a congratulatory hug from Dr Xander, about Andrew coming out of the closet and how cool Xander is with that. Clive and Xander agree that Xander may have overdone the support.
Spike has caught up with Buffy, meantime (if you remember the preview pages, he tried to talk to her in those and she wouldn't). Spike tries to apologise, but Buffy says he doesn't need to, and that if Andrew can take an honest look at himself then she should be able to too. Spike was right. She was being impulsive and stupid and she doesn't want to wreck their friendship. Spike means so much to her. He's one of the few people in the world she can count on, not just to be there for her, but to be honest with her. "I mean, do you know how many guys would've used that as an excuse for a roll in the hay, and only brought up the complications afterwards?"
Spike agrees that would have been wrong.
Buffy says she loves what they have already. It's taken a long time to get there and it would have been stupid and thoughtless to risk that 'by rushing into something.' Spike says it's a pretty speech, and everything she says is true. Only thing is, he's in love with her.
Cue, Buffy and Spike slamming into Spike's bedroom while kissing, and beginning to take their clothes off.
Xander is next door with Dawn and Giles. There're crashing noises from upstairs. Xander says, it's his maquettes. Dawn says he doesn't know that. They go and listen through the wall. Dawn says it doesn't sound anything like-
They realise what they're listening to and move away, trading humorous (actually humorous, I smiled when I first read it) remarks about how maybe they're mistaken and Buffy and Spike are just making sandwiches. Mini!Giles in the meantime is really annoyed. Buffy and Spike are being really selfish, he says. Does it occur to them that there are other people in the world sentenced to years of forced celibacy? Xander protests that surely Giles didn't get that much action when he was old, did he? Needless to say, this does not help Mini!Giles's mood. He stomps off. Xander and Dawn settle down to play Pimp Slap IV (is this actually a real game?), quite companionably.
Best scene they've had together in season 10, in fact. Nick Brendon is co-writer on this issue, and the Xander voice is pretty good, even if he does come across as a bit all-knowing.
In Spike's room, Spike and Buffy are in bed. Buffy is asleep but Spike is wide awake, afraid to fall asleep in case Buffy's not there when he wakes. He tells himself not to be stupid. He's already the luckiest man in the world "Nothing can ruin this." He falls asleep, only to dream of stalking and killing a young couple in the street. He wakes up still in vamp face, turns back to human, tells himself to take it easy. It was just a dream.
But I don't think he really believes it.
Hmm, I suppose this is how they'll cross the storyline with A&F at some point. Angel, too, is having killing dreams that appear to be coming true. Interesting.
On the other hand, it does look very much like Buffy was right. It was stupid and thoughtless 'to rush into something.'
I'm beginning to wonder if they're trying to nix Buffy/Angel and Buffy/Spike in one fell swoop by making it clear that no matter the circumstances - with a soul, without a soul- when a slayer and a vampire have sex badness always follows.
We'll see.
One thing's for sure, though, Buffy and Spike have got together way too early in the series for this to be the endgame. ;)
Not a bad issue. Quite an enjoyable comic book, in fact (as long as you're not a Spike hater/Bangel 'shipper - though I suppose the latter can console themselves by pointing out that Buffy never says she loves Spike back, plus as aforementioned, it's way too early in the series for this to be how it ends). However, I just feel so distant from Buffy herself in it. Not distant in the sense that I don't understand her, more that she isn't the centre of the story, as she should be. It's plain that the writers' in-story avatars are Xander and Spike, and Buffy is someone they look at, rather than being the person whose eyes we see through. I'm unclear what the 'Buffy' of it is.
I don't think Gage is doing it on purpose, btw. I also think Dark Horse are trying hard to make up for the lack of Xander in season 9 and Spike's rubbish storyline in it. However, as always, they've now gone too far the other way.
Best, if you want to enjoy the comic at all, to try and divorce it from the show in your head as much as possible. I'm actually finding that re-watching the show from the start is helping me with that.
Anyway, be ready to duck and cover, although it's possible (not very likely if that guy who shouts at Gage, Megan Levens, even Joss, in capital letters on Twitter is anything to go by) no one will care.
ETA: Hmm, I've just realised there was no sign of the adorable kittens. Where have they gone? There hasn't been time to find them other homes since the last issue.
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no subject
Date: 2015-02-18 10:34 am (UTC)How dare they!
As usual, I have nothing clever to add, as I just agree with you on everything you've written here. Especially "cliffnotes version of the comics letters pages" part.
no subject
Date: 2015-02-18 11:30 am (UTC)No sign of them. Maybe they were all asleep?
Especially "cliffnotes version of the comics letters pages" part.
It is a bit laboured, but not too bad.
no subject
Date: 2015-02-18 11:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-02-18 12:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-02-18 01:15 pm (UTC)Andrew lost those damned superpowers. This is good.
Not a bad issue. Sure, there are things you could complain about, but I stand by my belief that if you weren't complaining in S8/S9, you lost the right to now. I was scowling at the DMP reference. The meat was vegetables! And yeah, you can see through the writing pretty clearly. It could be meta it's so blatant.
It says to be continued. I thought it was only supposed to be a two-issue arc. It explains Levens being there for 3 at least. It might be a minority opinion, but I like her Buffy and the gang more than Isaacs. Her Spike is irredeemable, though.
Hopefully they don't lame-out with the dream stuff like they did Sculptor.
no subject
Date: 2015-02-18 02:56 pm (UTC)As to the kittens... No one could sleep during THAT spuffy action. I probably should take another look at the previous issue to see if there were any crossbows lying around.
no subject
Date: 2015-02-18 03:01 pm (UTC)Here's hoping the next issue will start with Buffy waking up because her face is being licked by an adorable kitten or six?
no subject
Date: 2015-02-18 03:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-02-18 03:07 pm (UTC)I'm ok with anything as long as kittens weren't eaten by mind-controlled evil!Spike.
no subject
Date: 2015-02-18 03:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-02-18 03:14 pm (UTC)I agree. They made him even more annoying. On the other hand, they actually did serve a purpose.
but I stand by my belief that if you weren't complaining in S8/S9, you lost the right to now.
I feel the same. The writing is very 'safe', but if you want to write 'unsafe' storylines, you need to plan them out (and how your characters are going to come back from them) a hell of a lot better than season 8/9 managed.
I thought it was only supposed to be a two-issue arc.
No, it's three. I predict that in the next issue, Dowling will call Buffy to tell her that a young couple has been murdered, so some vampire somewhere isn't playing by Harmony's rules, and Spike will realise they're the couple he killed in his 'dream.'
Her Spike is irredeemable, though.
There're a couple of panels where he looks okay, but mostly I agree. I just don't get why she draws his nose like that.
Hopefully they don't lame-out with the dream stuff like they did Sculptor.
Well, Gage does have a tendency to do that. Remember the endless complaints about the Angel whitewashing in season 9? It was because Gage was always sticking in get out clauses for Angel all over the place instead of having him deal head-on with his problems.
no subject
Date: 2015-02-18 03:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-02-18 03:35 pm (UTC)Dowling will call Buffy to tell her that a young couple has been murdered
The solicitation suggests Spike and the gang go to Buffy, who's with Andrew. Which will lead into the whole mindwalk bit, I suppose.
I don't even mean the whitewashing. This sculptor was interesting when introduced at the end of... 9? Since then they took him from interesting to hammy in no time. Whatever happened to the plan of laying low?
But Gage has nothing on Gischler when it comes to lack of payoff. The tie-up of that Amy arc was laughably anticlimactic.
Just pray they don't do another pregnancy arc.
no subject
Date: 2015-02-18 03:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-02-18 03:59 pm (UTC)By the way, the scenario with Spike killing in his dreams reminds me of Sleeper. Another case of reworking story lines from the TV show?
no subject
Date: 2015-02-18 05:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-02-18 05:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-02-18 05:18 pm (UTC)Unless it's a diversion so the bad guys' 'friend' (whoever that is - evil Spike? Dru? Someone/thing else?) can do their evil stuff?
Nah, it's probably just what it seems.
But Gage has nothing on Gischler when it comes to lack of payoff. The tie-up of that Amy arc was laughably anticlimactic.
Oh, I know. That was just terrible. I think the whole Amy plot, along with Faith in the jungle, were just treading water until Fred turned up and Faith and Angel were back in the same book.
Just pray they don't do another pregnancy arc.
You know, I haven't prayed since I was in primary school, but that remark leaves me wanting to take it up again. ;)
no subject
Date: 2015-02-18 05:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-02-18 05:33 pm (UTC)I don't think it'll be Dru. She's not old enough to be an old friend to the 3 bad guys. I'm still thinking snake lady or someone we haven't seen yet. It has to do with their souls, though, and I'll bet one or both lose them. They've just been banging the whole soul/soulless thing too hard for them not to at this point.
no subject
Date: 2015-02-18 08:23 pm (UTC)HATE the artist. Booo
no subject
Date: 2015-02-18 10:56 pm (UTC)I don't get why she draws Spike's nose like that, though.
no subject
Date: 2015-02-18 10:58 pm (UTC)I actually hope it's Snake Lady, because so far, Gage hasn't really managed to give Willow anything significant to do.
no subject
Date: 2015-02-18 11:44 pm (UTC)I laughed out loud at Andrew saying, "These are my friends [from] Oakland. Because San Francisco is so over." I think he said more or less the same thing last issue, but it is even funnier the second time. To me. Ahem.
It was awhile ago, so I don't expect you to remember, but I complained to Sierra that the comic stories weren't making any emotional sense, and that should be a priority. And so now I don't have anything to complain about, because this entire issue is all about hammering out the emotion of it all. The reasons why the characters to what they do. And I like it a whole bunch, of course. As you say, there's not much Buffy to it, but she definitely is able to articulate her feelings here. Which might be the biggest surprise. Right after the fact that she and Spike are able to get back to relationshipville without a dozen more misdirects.
One additional complaint about the art: Spike's hair isn't nearly mussed enough in the post-coital frames.
Buffy and Spike have got together way too early in the series for this to be the endgame
Mos def. However, I don't see them getting together as something stupid or reckless on Buffy's part. Badness will follow, of course, but it would have anyway. That's just how it is for these characters. It doesn't look like whatever horrible thing is on the horizon is payback for Buffy having a moment of happiness. Especially if, as you imply, the badness is happening to Angel, too. (I'm not reading Angel & Faith. Should I?)
I didn't notice the lack of kittens and am now devoutly hoping for a kitten attack to the feet morning after scene. Double awwwww.
no subject
Date: 2015-02-19 08:20 am (UTC)I agree, the emotional continuity of what's happened has been well handled (despite lack of Buffy POV - we get enough of her words to fill the gap).
I also think that whatever the frilly heck is going on isn't so simple as a reprise of Surprise/Innocence. For one thing, Spike doesn't appear to have lost his soul.
Someone on Buffyforums posits that the new magic is playing up somehow. Maybe it doesn't know how to deal with souled vampires? This seems plausible to me, especially as yes, the same thing is happening to Angel. He's had a couple of what he's taken to be killing dreams (flashbacks to Angelus murdering a whole posse of nuns etc), only to wake up looking horrified and dismiss it as a nightmare. Meanwhile, it turns out that a bunch of nuns really have been killed.
Until the latest issue, I would have said don't bother with A&F. Gischler is a horribly boring writer and the plot (such as it is) has meandered all over the place and various plot strands have sputtered out like damp squibs. But Faith is finally back in the same location as Angel, and the real, actual Fred is back (yay!). So things are looking up.
Did notice that there were hardly any comments on Whedonesque. Makes me assume that the majority of posters on there really don't like Spuffy but can't say how they feel because it would mean breaking the 'no 'shipper talk' rule.