More thoughts about the web comic
Jul. 2nd, 2009 11:53 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shapinglightHave to say one thing for this Buffy web comic – it’s the first time for a long time that I’ve found myself over-thinking anything to do with the Buffy comics in general (possibly something to do with the beautiful art. Doubt I’d be feeling the same if Jeanty had drawn this).
Unfortunately, the more I think about it, the more there is that makes me go, hmmm!
Thing is, once I got over the initial squee! at the Spangel-ness of it, I of course found myself thinking about the context in which it happens, which is in Buffy’s nightmares.
This led me to two places, first of which is a touch of irritation with people who were upset by it. I mean, come on. Fair’s fair. Both Bangel and Spuffy got enough in the show that both groups can claim to have won (or at least drawn) and they need only watch their DVDs if they want to see it all again. Spangel ‘shippers, despite whatever Joss said in his episode commentaries for AtS season 5, got an unfinished sentence from Spike in AtS’s penultimate episode, and that’s it. So yes, I was a little peeved that some people couldn’t get past their ‘shipping preferences and be pleased for us, especially considering that many people aren’t reading the comic, don’t consider it canon, and even in the comics ‘verse it’s not even real. Buffy’s dreaming it.
Then I sort of shrugged. This is just Joss, I thought. It's his way. He’s poking fun at the two major ‘shipping groups here, and using Spangel to do it, while poking fun at the Spangels too, and 'shippers will be 'shippers and they want what they want.
And then of course I reached an even lower place (and I’m not the only one, it seems, see![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ruuger’s post) where I suddenly got quite annoyed at the way the Spangel in this scene was presented. This is Buffy’s nightmare, as I said, so apparently Spike and Angel preferring each other to her is one of the worst things she can think of. Also, before she sees them, she sees the arch-misogynist Caleb who reminds her that she’s just a ‘dirty girl,’ in contrast to the ‘clean boys.’ Then I realised that you could, if you so chose, interpret this scene to mean that Joss is portraying male homosexuals as nasty woman-haters (some are, no doubt, but so are many straight men), or at best making them into a big joke.
Then I thought – nah! Not his intention. This is all about Buffy and her state of mind, but that just led me back to, is Spike and Angel getting it on really the worst thing Buffy can think of? She didn’t seem so anti the idea in Chosen. Then I thought, well, Joss should be a bit more careful, and I felt grumpy, and lost my squee entirely. :(
Oh well, no doubt Joss would be thrilled to think people were taking his work apart with a fine toothcomb looking for hidden meanings the way they did with Restless. Shall just have to cling to the knowledge that in the end all the wild speculation about that episode was just that; speculation. And it won’t stop me nabbing some icons, because we may never get to see Jo Chen draw Spike and Angel again.
Cheese. It was all about cheese.
Unfortunately, the more I think about it, the more there is that makes me go, hmmm!
Thing is, once I got over the initial squee! at the Spangel-ness of it, I of course found myself thinking about the context in which it happens, which is in Buffy’s nightmares.
This led me to two places, first of which is a touch of irritation with people who were upset by it. I mean, come on. Fair’s fair. Both Bangel and Spuffy got enough in the show that both groups can claim to have won (or at least drawn) and they need only watch their DVDs if they want to see it all again. Spangel ‘shippers, despite whatever Joss said in his episode commentaries for AtS season 5, got an unfinished sentence from Spike in AtS’s penultimate episode, and that’s it. So yes, I was a little peeved that some people couldn’t get past their ‘shipping preferences and be pleased for us, especially considering that many people aren’t reading the comic, don’t consider it canon, and even in the comics ‘verse it’s not even real. Buffy’s dreaming it.
Then I sort of shrugged. This is just Joss, I thought. It's his way. He’s poking fun at the two major ‘shipping groups here, and using Spangel to do it, while poking fun at the Spangels too, and 'shippers will be 'shippers and they want what they want.
And then of course I reached an even lower place (and I’m not the only one, it seems, see
ruuger’s post) where I suddenly got quite annoyed at the way the Spangel in this scene was presented. This is Buffy’s nightmare, as I said, so apparently Spike and Angel preferring each other to her is one of the worst things she can think of. Also, before she sees them, she sees the arch-misogynist Caleb who reminds her that she’s just a ‘dirty girl,’ in contrast to the ‘clean boys.’ Then I realised that you could, if you so chose, interpret this scene to mean that Joss is portraying male homosexuals as nasty woman-haters (some are, no doubt, but so are many straight men), or at best making them into a big joke.Then I thought – nah! Not his intention. This is all about Buffy and her state of mind, but that just led me back to, is Spike and Angel getting it on really the worst thing Buffy can think of? She didn’t seem so anti the idea in Chosen. Then I thought, well, Joss should be a bit more careful, and I felt grumpy, and lost my squee entirely. :(
Oh well, no doubt Joss would be thrilled to think people were taking his work apart with a fine toothcomb looking for hidden meanings the way they did with Restless. Shall just have to cling to the knowledge that in the end all the wild speculation about that episode was just that; speculation. And it won’t stop me nabbing some icons, because we may never get to see Jo Chen draw Spike and Angel again.
Cheese. It was all about cheese.
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no subject
Date: 2009-07-02 09:16 pm (UTC)I think this is hugely because Buffy has become an incredibly internalized character over the years. It's very evident in Season 7, too. So we really only get insight into her when she's alone (the end of LWH 1 when she's thinking about her mom and missing Sunnydale) or accidentally breaks down to Satsu, admitting her fear that she's wrong and will only hurt her (in A Beautiful Sunset) or here in her dreams where all her fears are put on hold. Her standard MO is the face she gives in WatG where she's General Buffy, closed off. I think it's hard to feel sympathy for her on the surface because she's so closed off as a character. You have to think about her journey on the whole and peel back the layers to really touch her, to feel sympathy.
Buffy's character herself I see as another extended metaphor of the danger of disconnection in S8.
There's actually a rather nice scene between Buffy and Giles in #26 - I'd be interested to hear if you find Buffy more sympathetic here. I felt very sorry for her while reading it.
no subject
Date: 2009-07-03 09:43 pm (UTC)Acting two emotions on top of each other is hard to act but even harder to draw, I think that's part of why I have such hard time getting into comic buffy sometimes.
I haven't read #26 yet (have to wait for three month to get it here or for a scan), but I'm looking forward to her interaction with Giles.