shapinglight | Buffy season 8 no 29 and Angel No 26

Buffy season 8 no 29 and Angel No 26

So glad it's Friday! Have seen my a**se so many times at work this past week that it's a wonder I can still face forward.

Anyway, watched ep 8 of Dollhouse last night and might watch ep 9 this evening. More on that in another post (still enjoying, btw). Also, sorry that I've not yet responded to everyone on my post about character identification. I will get around to that after I've done this.

So - went down the comic shop yesterday and came back with ta-dah! Planetary the final issue, the latest Authority (my favourite comic at the moment), plus the latest Angel and Buffy comics. Comic Shop Boy - after a dull couple of months - was in fine form. As I was paying for my comics, his counterpart Record Shop Boy came in wanting some change for £20 notes. Of course, Record Shop Boy doesn't work in a record shop as such. It's more of an acid groove beat whatchamacallit shop (I am way too old to know what it really is) but Record Shop Boy is easier to say. He is way shorter than Comic Shop Boy, has a rather limp mohican, and loads of piercings in his nose and lips. He also wears thick, horn-rimmed glasses and looks like he wouldn't say boo to a goose.

Comic Shop Boy and Record Shop Boy started commiserating with each other about how hard it is to take shop takings into the bank and get change etc when you look like they do (Comic Shop Boy looks a bit like Jayne from Firefly but with less hair, and always wears faded black t-shirts with the names of obscure thrash metal bands on them). Comic Shop Boy, who has a bit of a temper, explained to Record Shop Boy that he was Doing It All Wrong, and that what he wanted to do was not take that s**t from those c**ts (yes, he did say this in front of me, it's like having a very foul-mouthed part-time son) but glare at them and ask if they 'wanted to take it outside.'

Record Shop Boy: It's all right for you. I just don't look mean enough. (This is quite true). The £50 notes are the worst. Have one of those and you're sunk. They give you the third degree.
Comic Shop Boy: You wanna get violent, mate. An elbow in the gut. Believe me. Works for me every time.
Me (to Record Shop Boy): It's simple. Just take him with you (indicating Comic Shop Boy). Then you'll be fine.
Record Shop Boy (smiling as if this had never occurred to him) Yeah! Yeah!

At this point, Comic Shop Bloke (who is a bit of a geezer) came back and told us how he used to collect £50 notes, and collected and collected them until he had £10,000 pounds all in £50 notes, which he used to buy the comic shop from some bloke who took the money and ran.

This is probably true.

On to the review. Spoilers for both Buffy and Angel comics behind cut.

Neither of these titles exactly thrilled me, though for rather different reasons.

When reviewing the Buffy one, I think I have to say that my provisos from my previous review still stand. No matter how well written the story, I'm still fundamentally bored by it and still wishing for that character with edge (like Spike, BtVS Cordy or Anya) to give the story some bite. Was thinking on the way home today that Rona could have fulfilled that role pretty well. She was already quite sarcastic in season 7. It wouldn't have been much of a stretch to give her the Anya role. Pity.

As far as the story goes, must admit I was disappointed to realise this issue was not the end of Jane E's arc because the story just seems to be dragging out endlessly. Reading the (very spoilery) blurb about no 31 makes it seem that this war story won't really be over till it comes out, and that's not till January. Have to say, I think putting the book on hiatus for a month is a mistake. The Willow special should have been as well as, not instead of.

Speaking of whom, Willow and her reaction to all the speechifying on the first couple of pages is the thing I like best about this issue. I'm glad someone has said upfront what a stupid idea it was to give away their powers. Also, after reading the spoilered pages to this issue I'd come to the conclusion that Buffy had always known the Slayers' powers would be channelled into these earth goddesses - that she had, in fact, had a cunning plan all along. After all, getting some very powerful Tibetan goddesses to do the fighting for you is clever thinking, since they'd probably do better against tanks and aircraft than the Slayers even at full strength.

But it wasn't Buffy's cunning plan, was it? She didn't know it would happen. Which again makes the whole 'let the power drain away into the earth' thing majorly, majorly stupid. Since I'm fairly convinced that Joss doesn't intend us to see Buffy as a bad leader, I have to conclude that he's sacrificing Buffy's character to the needs of the plot here.

I also hope that Buffy's furious shaking of a badly injured woman is supposed to show us how very much Buffy has lost herself rather than be a repetition of the 'war is hell, people die' theme from season 7. Been there, done that.

So, don't like Comics Buffy much at all in this issue and am hoping we're not supposed to. Also don't like Dawn/Xander and their guns pr0n. I hope it's supposed to be ironic, because the panels where they tell the ex-Slayers that they know about this military hardware stuff because they're just ordinary while smiling lovingly at each other give me the creeps. Not to mention Dawn saying bayonets are cool.

Speaking of Dawn/Xander, until I read this, I was convinced that Joss would never kill either of them. Now, I'm not so sure. In fact, I'm pretty sure one of them is for the chop, and since I still think it won't be Xander, it's probably Dawn. That said, I'm also pretty sure she'll be back at some point.

ETA: should explain that my reason for thinking either Dawn or Xander (or both) might die, if only temporarily (because I'm sure it'd be only temporary), is because the Tibetan goddesses are called forth by anger, and Buffy has plenty of anger, part of which is directed against Dawn and Xander, because it seems she wanted Xander for herself but instead Dawn has him. Basically, he/she/they're toast (though as I keep saying, I'm pretty sure he/she/they'll be back).

Grim and at times exasperating, because we still don't know who Twilight is and the suspense is not killing me but just pissing me off. 6 out of 10.

I enjoyed the Angel comic while I was reading it. It was a fun romp, (a reprise of the plot of Halloween), which made me laugh out loud several times. I also thought Brian Lynch wrote Angel very well, and it was nice to see Jeremy again (the best OC in either book, I think). However, my enjoyment was somewhat tempered by the lacklustre art. I'm not a Stephen Mooney fan. I also have various quibbles with Lynch's version of Spike, which are nothing new, because they afflicted the AtS show writers too - in that they just can't write Spike as anything but comic relief when he's near Angel. However, to quibble too much about it in this context would be churlish, given that the story is supposed to be comic anyway. And it does lead to some very funny moments, including the priceless panel where Angel is telling Spike what to do while telling himself internally what he thinks Spike will actually do (the opposite of what Angel has told him, in most cases). It's also nice to see that the brotherly feelings Spike had in A: AtF towards Angel and which Angel didn't at all seem to reciprocate, do seem to be reciprocated here to some extent.

Funny and silly. 7 out of 10.

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*splutter*

Deb, I know nothing about comics but this is the funniest post I've read in quite a bit. Including some comedy fic. Record Shop Boy and Comic Shop Bloke (who is a bit of a geezer) are forever imprinted in the noggin.

Never change.

Never change.

I'll do my utmost best not to, Kitty. :)

At this point, Comic Shop Bloke (who is a bit of a geezer) came back and told us how he used to collect £50 notes, and collected and collected them until he had £10,000 pounds all in £50 notes, which he used to buy the comic shop from some bloke who took the money and ran.

This is probably true.

*snort*

The whole Buffy plotline seems very confusing at the moment. Having things solved by random 'luck'? I can kind of understand it when you're running a TV show and find yourself suddenly at Episode 20, but this story has been going for years.

And if Dawn dies I will be severely hacked off. Buffyverse deaths are pretty cheap anyway, but the killing of characters just after they've conveniently (for grieving lover purposes) got into a relationship would be beyond a joke, if it wasn't yet with Wes/Fred.

The whole Buffy plotline seems very confusing at the moment. Having things solved by random 'luck'?

Well, from the spoilers, things aren't going to be exactly solved. More like go to hell in a handbasket. But at least Twilight's army will be trashed on the way (which is supposed to be a good thing, I suppose, though Buffy never used to be in the business of killing humans, even when they had tanks).

I shan't be hacked off if Dawn dies, because as I said, I'm pretty sure it won't stick. On the other hand, it will be a massive Jossian cliche, given that Xander and Dawn just got all smoochy.

Ahh a mohawk, that is what you meant. I am just sad that Angel didn't get turned into a girl :( Though it is funny that Spike takes being shown as a female and kissing Angel in the movie than Angel does. It makes me wonder if Spike was the initiator of any sexual relationships he and Angelus had back in their evil days. And Angel justs totally blocks that memory out.

*better

Ahh a mohawk, that is what you meant.

We call it a mohican over here. :)

Yeah I thought maybe you did mean mohawk. All I have ever called that style of hair is a mohawk. So I have never heard of Mohican except as an Native American tribe, or acourse the book/movie.
Still wishes Angel had been turned into a girl, even if were a female Angel.
Spike would have been okay with breasts, because well he's a guy and would have done a John Crichton from Farscape. And have just felt them up, or have felt up Angel if he been turned into a girl.

Your recaps of the comics save me from actually reading them. Your story about going to get them shows what a born writer you are. And why Comic Shop Boy and Record Shop Boy are unlikely to scale the heights of society...

And why Comic Shop Boy and Record Shop Boy are unlikely to scale the heights of society...

Aww, bless 'em. I feel quite fond of them both.

Comic shop boy!!! yay.

I'm looking forward to your thoughts on DH. Did I miss your reflections on #7?

I have to conclude that he's sacrificing Buffy's character to the needs of the plot here.

This is what I'm most afraid of. You read comics more than I do -- is the medium just not capable of the kind of character study that the show had?

Thanks for your review/summary of Angel. I'm not reading them and I don't expect to, but it's nice to have some idea what's going on.

is the medium just not capable of the kind of character study that the show had?

It is, but IMO it needs to be done in a different way. Writers who are first and foremost TV writers would have a hard time adjusting...

Hi, Maggie. My post about Dollhouse ep 7 is here and I've just watched ep 9 this evening and loved it (in a God, that was nasty! kind of way). Am so hoping the 13 eps of season 2 will at least get made.

This is what I'm most afraid of.

It's entirely possible that this is another moment like the curse in BtVS season 2 where Joss is hoping the drama of the story will sweep us along and we won't realise how stupid the premise is, but if that's the case I have to say it worked much better on TV. As

deird1 says below, Joss may not quite have grasped that the same thing wouldn't work so well in comics, because he is certainly not as good a comics writer as he is a TV writer.

It may well be that in thinking because the plan makes no sense there is something wrong with Buffy, we're just overthinking it. We'll see, I suppose. Mostly, I'm afraid I'm still too bored to care that much.

Re: the Angel comics, I'm quite looking forward to seeing what this new writer, Bill Willingham (comic book royalty) makes of the characters. A lot will depend on his take on Spike, of course. If I don't like it, I won't read.

Did you see the variant cover for Willinghams arc? The new year cover, with SPike in top hat and diapers?

Yes, I did. It was very amusing. Probably won't be easy to get hold of, though.

I just adore the idea of someone in a mohican with horn rimmed specs!

Don't forget the piercings. He had loads.

I've not read S8 yet, but it sounds meh. I mean I wished for Dawn to get more character, but as a fire arm fetishist, now here's something that trumps Buffy the bankrobber.

The Angel comic I read and pretty much loved. Yes, the artwork is ugh, yes Spike is still stuck in the sidekick role (but for this fun project I'm willing to accept it), but at least their relationship is evolving and getting a little more trusting.

I hope Spike will get some serious development in the next arc or at the latest in his own series (where so far I loved Lynch's take on him).

I mean I wished for Dawn to get more character, but as a fire arm fetishist, now here's something that trumps Buffy the bankrobber.

It was pretty icky. I really don't know what to make of it.

I hope Spike will get some serious development in the next arc or at the latest in his own series (where so far I loved Lynch's take on him).

I hope so too. I liked what Lynch did with him in the solo Spike books. It's only when he gets near Angel that it all seems to fall down. I appreciate that it's Angel's book, so he has to come out looking the hero, so am sort of resigned to more of the same when Willingham takes over.

We'll see. I do wonder how Lynch will handle Angel appearing in Spike's book, because then the boot would be on the other foot. Wonder if he'll write the dynamic any differently then?

I have to conclude that he's sacrificing Buffy's character to the needs of the plot here.

I have the impression that it's not the plot Joss is sacrificing Buffy to; it's his new concept. For seven seasons Buffy impersonated feminist ideals; in season 8 she impersonates America. She could make wrong calls, she could wage wars that are dubious - but, in the end, she's the shiny (albeit flawed) hero.

I may be wrong, of course. It's just my impression.

Well, it makes more sense than most explanations I've heard, Moscow. I suppose we'll see - in another couple of years. Sigh!

More specifically, I think Buffy's intelligence has been sacrificed for the necessity of plot. The Slayers are only in this position because Buffy refused to defend herself or her Slayers at all when the public relations war started. None of the Slayers seems to really protest this idiotic power-drain as a real defense, and as far as we've seen, Buffy hasn't made the intelligent decision to try and get counter-intelligence on Twilight, to take the fight to him. Buffy wasn't always the brightest crayon in the box on the show, but she wasn't what I'd call dumb. The comics, sadly, have made me rethink this.

One fellow, though, replaced Willow's dialogue with Tupac's rap lyrics. Makes it that much more readable. http://www.the-isb.com/?p=2365

Buffy wasn't always the brightest crayon in the box on the show, but she wasn't what I'd call dumb. The comics, sadly, have made me rethink this.

Like I said to Maggie, I think maybe Joss is hoping that we'll get so swept up in the drama we won't notice the plot doesn't really make sense. However, though that worked well enough in the show, with actors etc, it doesn't work nearly so well when all we have is a flat, not particularly well drawn comic.

Heh. Took me a few moments to try and figure out if one of them was Dawn or Kennedy, a few more to determine if another was Oz or Andrew, and the longest to see if one was Satsu or a random Slayer - though that last one is kind of one and the same.

though that last one is kind of one and the same.

Yes, all this time and they're still pretty interchangeable.

Record Shop Boy (smiling as if this had never occurred to him) Yeah! Yeah!

Heh, they were in fine form indeed.

I hope it's supposed to be ironic, because the panels where they tell the ex-Slayers that they know about this military hardware stuff because they're just ordinary while smiling lovingly at each other give me the creeps. Not to mention Dawn saying bayonets are cool.

Way to rerun the Xander and Cordy linoleum conversation of S2 without the humor.

And it does lead to some very funny moments, including the priceless panel where Angel is telling Spike what to do while telling himself internally what he thinks Spike will actually do (the opposite of what Angel has told him, in most cases). It's also nice to see that the brotherly feelings Spike had in A: AtF towards Angel and which Angel didn't at all seem to reciprocate, do seem to be reciprocated here to some extent.

*g* It reminds me of a Spike/Angel humor piece I read during Top 5 last year.

Way to rerun the Xander and Cordy linoleum conversation of S2 without the humor.

If only. Unfortunately, it's nothing like it. It's very, very creepy IMO, and because the art is so flat and bland I really don't know what we're supposed to make of it.

*g* It reminds me of a Spike/Angel humor piece I read during Top 5 last year.

Really? Which was that?

Reading Between the Lines

Oh yes, I had read that. It was great fun. Thanks for the link. It's nice to be reminded.

I very much enjoyed the Angel comic, not on a deep level of course but it was good fun like most of Lynch's output. And poor George getting transformed into Lassie!

And poor George getting transformed into Lassie!

I know! Tickled me how very unbothered Spike was at being turned into a girl in the movie.

Nice review - I pretty much agree. (About the Season 8 title, haven't read the Angel one.

As far as the story goes, must admit I was disappointed to realise this issue was not the end of Jane E's arc because the story just seems to be dragging out endlessly. Reading the (very spoilery) blurb about no 31 makes it seem that this war story won't really be over till it comes out, and that's not till January.

Yup. Plus, the fact that it seems the rest of the season will build from the incomprehensible decision to get rid of their power, so no matter what they do with it I'll still want to say "Well, if you only hadn't done that..."

So, don't like Comics Buffy much at all in this issue and am hoping we're not supposed to. Also don't like Dawn/Xander and their guns pr0n.

Again, yup. I wonder if we're supposed to feel sorry for Buffy for not getting Xander?

so no matter what they do with it I'll still want to say "Well, if you only hadn't done that..."

So it seems. I really am only hanging on to find out who Twilight is now.

I wonder if we're supposed to feel sorry for Buffy for not getting Xander?

Well, since as you mention in your review, Xander still appears to be flirting with Buffy, despite Dawn, I would say she's had a lucky escape.

Mind you, it probably wasn't meant to be flirting. It just comes across that way, given the way Xander was staring into Buffy's eyes in the previous issue and given that he hasn't told her, "I'm in love with your sister. We bonded over the rocket launchers."

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Buffy season 8 no 29 and Angel No 26

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