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Thoughts on issue 1 of S8. (Yes I finally read it...)
In general - I liked it. It’s early days, but since I was thoroughly spoiled I had no expectations of it being more or less than it was. And in one aspect I was pleasantly surprised...
That said, it didn’t ‘feel’ like the show - it felt like fanfic. This might be because I’ve read so much post-Chosen/NFA fanfic that this quite simply slots in as just another scenario. Sure it’s nice as a writer to get some ‘guidelines’ if set-up isn’t your cup of tea, but... I’ve read better. Maybe Joss will do something interesting with it - who knows?
Anyway, more specific thoughts under cut.
The art.
Hmmm - it’s fine I guess, but I do wish Buffy would look like Buffy. It’s very distracting to have to remind myself which one she’s supposed to be. (Why on earth do they 'not want the characters to look like the actors’? This strikes me as v. odd. Buffy wouldn’t be Buffy without SMG. Spike wouldn’t be Spike without JM etc.) Otherwise it’s very nice, if not spectacular in any way. (I grew up with Asterix and Elfquest and various others - Buffy the comic is so far perfectly competent, but not... striking.)
The ret-con.
Buffy: “One’s in Rome, partying very publicly -- and supposedly dating some guy called ‘The Immortal’. That part was Andrew’s idea. He did research on the guy, said it would be hilarious for some reason.”
Oh Andrew... Gotta say, this little ret-con makes TGiQ just that bit more delicious. Andrew obviously read up on The Immortal, found out about his old rivalry with Spike & Angel and thought it would be hilarious if ‘Buffy’ ‘moved on’ to him...
When they turn up at ‘Buffy’s door in TGiQ he must have thought that it was his birthday and Christmas come together! ;) But seriously - he needed to keep the real Buffy’s situation a secret, so he had to make sure that S&A believed the cover-story... so what did he do? Baited their petty rivalry as much as he could, making them too busy quarreling and hating The Immortal to notice anything that might blow his story. Spike and Angel of course played into his hands beautifully.
Government/Military/Initiative/Alliance.
*shrugs* I’m willing to wait. And it seems that they learned from The Initiative in Sunnydale - these guys are aware of (and ready to take advantage of) magic. And honestly it’d be odd for the government not to notice Buffy. I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt. And of course there’s Amy - has she ever been used as a serious threat before? (I mean in fic?)
Buffy.
Here we come to the center. Now the thing with me is that I’m willing to accept pretty much any (or no) plot if the characters ring true. And Joss, thank the Powers, did it! This panel is my favourite out of the whole comic, because that - right there - is *my* post-Chosen Buffy:
The self-same post-Chosen Buffy I’ve encountered in many a gorgeous fic (and written myself). A little older, a little wiser (but still messing up, because just because you’re a grown-up doesn’t mean you have all the answers), not depressed as in S6, nor faltering due to too heavy burdens (S7), but lost (“I miss my home”) and still somewhat cut off. She’s been through too much to just fall back into normal life and likes to do something, because otherwise she begins to think too much about all the things and people that are gone for good...
And then she (as usual) pulls herself together and gets on with it.
(Which is why in the end she’ll end up with Spike, because she deserves someone who understands her. And no one will ever understand her better than Spike. Fact.)
Um... where was I? So, Buffy rings true. That’s good. Especially since like most other people I find the whole new set-up rather unimpressive - where did the money come from for a start? (The Council must have had Swiss Bank Accounts!) And why all the high-tech gear? Just because they [Joss] now *can*, what with having an unlimited budget? Sorry, it just doesn’t work very well. Which is another reason I’m not hugely bothered by these comics - I have no sense this is what happened to Buffy the way Joss is now saying. Except in where her head is at. But since I’ll happily follow Buffy down the weirdest paths as long as she rings true, then I guess I’ll see where Joss takes her.
But it’s not canon. Sorry Joss.
(Oh and the ‘flying boots’ look nothing like Spike’s. Far too shiny and no buckles! (Yes I know he could have got some new ones post-Apocalypse, but...)
Incidentally, my perfect post-Chosen/NFA outcome is this: So This is How They Are by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
stultiloquentia (Do check it out, it’s not very long!). It might be compatible with the comics (more or less), and if so I’ll be very pleased. If not - well so be it. *I* know that that’s how the story goes! :)
ETA: Anyone out there who hasn't read the comic, but who'd like to? I might know a way...
That said, it didn’t ‘feel’ like the show - it felt like fanfic. This might be because I’ve read so much post-Chosen/NFA fanfic that this quite simply slots in as just another scenario. Sure it’s nice as a writer to get some ‘guidelines’ if set-up isn’t your cup of tea, but... I’ve read better. Maybe Joss will do something interesting with it - who knows?
Anyway, more specific thoughts under cut.
The art.
Hmmm - it’s fine I guess, but I do wish Buffy would look like Buffy. It’s very distracting to have to remind myself which one she’s supposed to be. (Why on earth do they 'not want the characters to look like the actors’? This strikes me as v. odd. Buffy wouldn’t be Buffy without SMG. Spike wouldn’t be Spike without JM etc.) Otherwise it’s very nice, if not spectacular in any way. (I grew up with Asterix and Elfquest and various others - Buffy the comic is so far perfectly competent, but not... striking.)
The ret-con.
Buffy: “One’s in Rome, partying very publicly -- and supposedly dating some guy called ‘The Immortal’. That part was Andrew’s idea. He did research on the guy, said it would be hilarious for some reason.”
Oh Andrew... Gotta say, this little ret-con makes TGiQ just that bit more delicious. Andrew obviously read up on The Immortal, found out about his old rivalry with Spike & Angel and thought it would be hilarious if ‘Buffy’ ‘moved on’ to him...
When they turn up at ‘Buffy’s door in TGiQ he must have thought that it was his birthday and Christmas come together! ;) But seriously - he needed to keep the real Buffy’s situation a secret, so he had to make sure that S&A believed the cover-story... so what did he do? Baited their petty rivalry as much as he could, making them too busy quarreling and hating The Immortal to notice anything that might blow his story. Spike and Angel of course played into his hands beautifully.
Government/Military/Initiative/
*shrugs* I’m willing to wait. And it seems that they learned from The Initiative in Sunnydale - these guys are aware of (and ready to take advantage of) magic. And honestly it’d be odd for the government not to notice Buffy. I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt. And of course there’s Amy - has she ever been used as a serious threat before? (I mean in fic?)
Buffy.
Here we come to the center. Now the thing with me is that I’m willing to accept pretty much any (or no) plot if the characters ring true. And Joss, thank the Powers, did it! This panel is my favourite out of the whole comic, because that - right there - is *my* post-Chosen Buffy:
The self-same post-Chosen Buffy I’ve encountered in many a gorgeous fic (and written myself). A little older, a little wiser (but still messing up, because just because you’re a grown-up doesn’t mean you have all the answers), not depressed as in S6, nor faltering due to too heavy burdens (S7), but lost (“I miss my home”) and still somewhat cut off. She’s been through too much to just fall back into normal life and likes to do something, because otherwise she begins to think too much about all the things and people that are gone for good...
And then she (as usual) pulls herself together and gets on with it.
(Which is why in the end she’ll end up with Spike, because she deserves someone who understands her. And no one will ever understand her better than Spike. Fact.)
Um... where was I? So, Buffy rings true. That’s good. Especially since like most other people I find the whole new set-up rather unimpressive - where did the money come from for a start? (The Council must have had Swiss Bank Accounts!) And why all the high-tech gear? Just because they [Joss] now *can*, what with having an unlimited budget? Sorry, it just doesn’t work very well. Which is another reason I’m not hugely bothered by these comics - I have no sense this is what happened to Buffy the way Joss is now saying. Except in where her head is at. But since I’ll happily follow Buffy down the weirdest paths as long as she rings true, then I guess I’ll see where Joss takes her.
But it’s not canon. Sorry Joss.
(Oh and the ‘flying boots’ look nothing like Spike’s. Far too shiny and no buckles! (Yes I know he could have got some new ones post-Apocalypse, but...)
Incidentally, my perfect post-Chosen/NFA outcome is this: So This is How They Are by
stultiloquentia (Do check it out, it’s not very long!). It might be compatible with the comics (more or less), and if so I’ll be very pleased. If not - well so be it. *I* know that that’s how the story goes! :)ETA: Anyone out there who hasn't read the comic, but who'd like to? I might know a way...