::eyeroll::

[elisi]

Spoilery preview of S8 issue 4.

Dude! Amy *saved* Warren before Willow killed him? WTF? Apart from all the enormous issues it raises (what about The First? How did Willow not *notice* that she wasn't the one killing him (/making him disappear)? What about Willow's whole S7 arc? What does Amy see in a misogynist pig who kills girls for fun? Etc. etc.), then there is this (which has been bothering me since Amy was first revealed): How come they didn't get out of Sunnydale before the apocalypse? Even ordinary people could feel that something bad was coming and left town, so surely a smart girl like Amy would get the hell out before the whole place collapsed?

It doesn't make sense!!!! Did working on Wonder Woman break something vital in Joss' brain? I know he never cared all that much about 'how things worked', bending the rules so he could get to the emotional part, but this is... *throws hands up*

Thank the powers above that this never made it to the screen!

Comments

[elisi]

I pretty much agree with everything you say here and further on in the thread! And the Joss' whole 'this is canon' spiel was bad enough when he was trying to set Buffy's future in stone. Messing around with established canon is just... rude!

(One possible 'good' outcome - Willow will have to kill Warren (again!). Do you think we'll be so lucky?)

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

I have to kind of wonder about the killing Warren option, actually, and what that would imply about some of the show's more philosophical stances - the last few episodes of S6 were all big with the Willow-must-be-stopped-from-killing-Warren-because-he's-human, which would've been the line that must not be crossed, etc., so.... if it's okay to kill Warren now, because he's... uh, a skinless something kept alive by magic (as an aside: isn't he cold? isn't Amy's magic burly enough to whip up some skin for him, or is this entirely a "it just looks cool" sort of thing?), then what's the point being made here? I'd actually be more pleased if there was a trend back toward mercy - otherwise, the just seems to be saying that Willow's mistake was in not being ruthless enough.

[elisi]

I'd actually be more pleased if there was a trend back toward mercy
That's a good point. I'm just confused and have no idea what Joss is trying to do or accomplish. And I'm not even sure I care anymore.

I've read some really good fic this past week - stuff that broke my heart and stuff that made me think and stuff that made me laugh. The comics just make me go wtf? I wish they didn't. *sigh*

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean. I didn't exactly have high hopes for these comics, mostly because I haven't been too impressed by JW's work in comics, specifically - IMHO, they're not the best match for his storytelling style, based on his X-Men work - but I'd thought that he might produce something more substantial from his own universe, less gimmicky. Mileage varies by reader, of course - a lot of reviews I've read in comics fandom are of the "it's the characters we love back again, yay!" school of thought, so obviously these renditions are working fine for other people. But for me, for what *I* got out of the show, it's not adding anything new. More like subtracting.

[elisi]

I'd thought that he might produce something more substantial from his own universe, less gimmicky.
Yeah. Although a big problem for me is the artwork - and apparently we're stuck with it. *sighs deeeeeply*

a lot of reviews I've read in comics fandom are of the "it's the characters we love back again, yay!"
Yes, I've seen a lot of those on Whedonesque.

But for me, for what *I* got out of the show, it's not adding anything new. More like subtracting.
*meeps* I'm beginning to seriously worry about that too. As I said to stormwreath it's like Star Wars - Joss is revisiting his old 'verse and he just can't help meddling in stuff that was perfectly fine to begin with. But we all know that Han shot first. And that Willow killed Warren.

There should be a law or something to stop ret-cons.

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

I personally don't have a huge problem with the artwork - it's perfectly competent, storytelling-wise, if not always in terms of character recognition, which is the one thing I'd single out for improvement. And to be fair, most artists in the field seem to draw a lot of characters who look pretty much the same. The Buffyverse is also tough in this regard because the characters don't always have distinctive props or costumes to immediately alert you to who's who. The costumes in superhero comics do have their advantages - you see a big blotch of red and blue on the page, and you can still tell it's Superman, no matter how he's otherwise drawn.

There should be a law or something to stop ret-cons.

The Star Wars comparison is feeling pretty apt right now, I've gotta say. But I don't know if I'd outlaw retcons so much as say that they should only be used very sparingly - a storytelling device, what a retcon says loudest is that you're abandoning one set of circumstances in favor of another, and this usually happens (and I'm drawing this impression from a couple of decades of reading comics) when a creator feels boxed in. (I'm using "creator" loosely here - a lot of retcons are also the result of an editorial fiat.) The positive angle of a retcon is that a previously limited story can open up to more possiblities; the negative side is a sort of throw-in-the-towel-and-override mentality whenever a continuity hits a roadblock or an implications that an author doesn't feel like tackling, and a disturbing willingness to throw out history that's "too complicated."

[elisi]

The Buffyverse is also tough in this regard because the characters don't always have distinctive props or costumes to immediately alert you to who's who.
Oh definitely. And they're not easy to draw - I've tried a few times and it's hell! Guess it's just that if it was *me* I'd not be satisfied. (Also it's just bit on the dull side, artistically.)

But I don't know if I'd outlaw retcons so much as say that they should only be used very sparingly
Well yes. I was just being a tad frustrated. Some ret-cons are perfectly great - like the way they fleshed out Spike's story in FFL, or Giles' Ripper history.

I'm just sleepy and bored and wish I could look forward to the comics instead of worrying.