Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Season Nine
Season Nine
The eighth season of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, presented in comic book format for the first time, was a tremendous accomplishment. When the television series ended, it had felt like the story had been taken about as far as it could go, and the ending seemed fitting. Season Eight looked a bit risky when it was first announced. Fortunately, while not perfect (the final story arc was extremely disappointing), the comic demonstrated that Buffy had plenty of life left in it. Could Season Nine be just as strong?
Unfortunately, the answer turned out to be no. Clearly, Dark Horse made an attempt to address some of the problems of Season Eight. It completed the season faster, finishing in only two years instead of four. It also divided the season into two separate comics that were published simultaneously. One one side you had Buffy, on the other you had Angel & Faith. This gave fans more issues than Season Eight did in only half the time. Presumably, this was also done because of the steadily falling sales numbers for the series. The first issue of Season Eight sold the most copies; the final issue sold the least.
Dark Horse was no doubt counting on the die-hard fans to buy both comics. However, Angel & Faith sold far below what Buffy did. It’s especially ironic because Angel & Faith was easily the better comic of the two, and it won a Harvey award for Best New Series.
The main difference seemed to be that Angel and Faith are more interesting characters than Buffy. The two both have dark, sordid pasts and are looking for redemption. Buffy, on the other hand, is not nearly as complex.
The Buffy side of Season Nine at first seemed like a rehash of the same themes from Season Six. We find Buffy struggling to find her way in the world, both financially and emotionally, trying to find a balance between being a Slayer and living her life. The first four-issue story arc has Buffy in a serious funk, and it's not particularly entertaining. Yes, happy characters often translate into boring stories, but Buffy being miserable and depressed isn’t much fun either. We’ve seen it too many times before.
Unfortunately, the answer turned out to be no. Clearly, Dark Horse made an attempt to address some of the problems of Season Eight. It completed the season faster, finishing in only two years instead of four. It also divided the season into two separate comics that were published simultaneously. One one side you had Buffy, on the other you had Angel & Faith. This gave fans more issues than Season Eight did in only half the time. Presumably, this was also done because of the steadily falling sales numbers for the series. The first issue of Season Eight sold the most copies; the final issue sold the least.
Dark Horse was no doubt counting on the die-hard fans to buy both comics. However, Angel & Faith sold far below what Buffy did. It’s especially ironic because Angel & Faith was easily the better comic of the two, and it won a Harvey award for Best New Series.
The main difference seemed to be that Angel and Faith are more interesting characters than Buffy. The two both have dark, sordid pasts and are looking for redemption. Buffy, on the other hand, is not nearly as complex.
The Buffy side of Season Nine at first seemed like a rehash of the same themes from Season Six. We find Buffy struggling to find her way in the world, both financially and emotionally, trying to find a balance between being a Slayer and living her life. The first four-issue story arc has Buffy in a serious funk, and it's not particularly entertaining. Yes, happy characters often translate into boring stories, but Buffy being miserable and depressed isn’t much fun either. We’ve seen it too many times before.
Fortunately, the comic begins to soar in issues #5-7 and remains strong through issue #10. There is also a great one-shot offered for Free Comic Book Day in May 2012 in which Buffy travels through outer space in a fun spoof of the movie Alien.
Unfortunately, Buffy starts to lose steam again beginning with issue #11 and hits rock bottom with #14-15. The story picks up with the final season arc which has Xander betraying Buffy for the first time ever, but it never really fires on all cylinders.
Buffy also managed to anger many fans by wading into deeply devisive political issues: abortion and homosexuality. In issue #5, Buffy takes a pregnancy test and it tells her she is pregnant. In issue #6, she decides to get an abortion (although this never happens because it is soon revealed that she is a robot and thus not pregnant after all). In issues #14-15 we are given a gay love story in which Buffy only makes a brief cameo appearance at the very end. Dark Horse already did a gay angle with Buffy’s character in Season Eight, but this story comes across as a blatant political statement. Whether or not you think these stories were right or wrong, it is a risky move from a commercial standpoint. And, judging from the reactions on the letter pages, it looks like Dark Horse may have paid a heavy price.
Contrast Buffy with Angel & Faith. The new series takes place in London where Angel is staying at Faith’s house. Faith is now rich thanks to Giles leaving her everything in his will, and Angel is dealing with the fallout over the bargain he struck with Twilight. His relationship with Buffy is in tatters because he murdered Giles, and he goes on a frantic mission to bring Giles back to life. What we get is a comic that could easily have been called Angel, Faith & Giles, as Giles plays a large role in the comic despite being dead. Throughout the series we get many intriguing flashbacks about Giles’ past. We also get to meet Sophie and Lavinia, Giles’s great-aunts. These two wonderful characters provide a good amount of comic relief, a nice contrast to the always serious Faith and Angel.
Angel & Faith also had great villains whereas Buffy did not. A&F had Whistler, Pearl, Nash and Eygon. Buffy had Severin and Simone Doffler, easily the most boring Big Bads ever. There are some crossover stories in which Drusilla, Willow and Spike make appearances, and these mostly work really well (with the unfortunate exception of Spike).
Amazingly, Angel eventually succeeds in resurrecting Giles, something I was initially hoping would NOT happen. We already saw the resurrections of Warren and the Master in Season Eight, and death was starting to look like something of a joke. But the writers deliver a clever twist in regards to Giles’s resurrection: He comes back to life as a young boy. This manages to give new life to the character and opens amazing new possibilities for future storylines.
But above all else, Season Nine made one thing pretty clear: The Angel character has a lot more mileage left than Buffy's does.
Unfortunately, Buffy starts to lose steam again beginning with issue #11 and hits rock bottom with #14-15. The story picks up with the final season arc which has Xander betraying Buffy for the first time ever, but it never really fires on all cylinders.
Buffy also managed to anger many fans by wading into deeply devisive political issues: abortion and homosexuality. In issue #5, Buffy takes a pregnancy test and it tells her she is pregnant. In issue #6, she decides to get an abortion (although this never happens because it is soon revealed that she is a robot and thus not pregnant after all). In issues #14-15 we are given a gay love story in which Buffy only makes a brief cameo appearance at the very end. Dark Horse already did a gay angle with Buffy’s character in Season Eight, but this story comes across as a blatant political statement. Whether or not you think these stories were right or wrong, it is a risky move from a commercial standpoint. And, judging from the reactions on the letter pages, it looks like Dark Horse may have paid a heavy price.
Contrast Buffy with Angel & Faith. The new series takes place in London where Angel is staying at Faith’s house. Faith is now rich thanks to Giles leaving her everything in his will, and Angel is dealing with the fallout over the bargain he struck with Twilight. His relationship with Buffy is in tatters because he murdered Giles, and he goes on a frantic mission to bring Giles back to life. What we get is a comic that could easily have been called Angel, Faith & Giles, as Giles plays a large role in the comic despite being dead. Throughout the series we get many intriguing flashbacks about Giles’ past. We also get to meet Sophie and Lavinia, Giles’s great-aunts. These two wonderful characters provide a good amount of comic relief, a nice contrast to the always serious Faith and Angel.
Angel & Faith also had great villains whereas Buffy did not. A&F had Whistler, Pearl, Nash and Eygon. Buffy had Severin and Simone Doffler, easily the most boring Big Bads ever. There are some crossover stories in which Drusilla, Willow and Spike make appearances, and these mostly work really well (with the unfortunate exception of Spike).
Amazingly, Angel eventually succeeds in resurrecting Giles, something I was initially hoping would NOT happen. We already saw the resurrections of Warren and the Master in Season Eight, and death was starting to look like something of a joke. But the writers deliver a clever twist in regards to Giles’s resurrection: He comes back to life as a young boy. This manages to give new life to the character and opens amazing new possibilities for future storylines.
But above all else, Season Nine made one thing pretty clear: The Angel character has a lot more mileage left than Buffy's does.
Again, Angel has always been a more interesting character than Buffy due to his evil past and his quest for redemption. Unfortunately, the Angel television series often floundered. The reasons varied, but the biggest mistake the writers made was when they seemed to forget that Angel is a vampire with a soul and failed to build stories around that premise. From the latter half of the second season to the middle of the fourth, this aspect of the character was mostly ignored and thus Angel was just another generic superhero fighting to save the world. It wasn't until the fifth season that Angel finally began to soar (just like Buffy), and it occurred partly because the writers once again honed in on what made the Angel character interesting. Of course, this made the show's cancellation all the more disappointing.
Overall, Angel & Faith is a very good and occasionally excellent comic book, but it unfortunately never rises to the level of outstanding for this very same reason. While Angel’s quest to resurrect Giles is engrossing, the Shanshu prophecy (that Angel will one day become human after fulfilling his destiny) is almost completely ignored, and thus what we get is a glass that seems half-full. As good as the comic was, it could have risen to another level if the writers had taken full advantage of everything the Angel character has to offer.
To be clear, the Shanshu prophecy doesn’t have to dominate the stories, but it should at least be in the background, affecting the events in some manner. The writers would be wise to work out a long-term arc for the Shanshu prophecy with specific benchmarks, ones that the readers (and perhaps the characters) can recognize and track. The Angel TV series never did this, probably because the writers were afraid of getting boxed into a corner, but the comic format should prevent this from being a problem. It would make an enormous difference if we actually saw Angel moving in a specific direction towards his ultimate destiny.
To be fair, though, there are other problems that hinder the character, such as the poor structural foundation of the Buffy universe itself. Unfortunately, Joss Whedon has created a universe where there is a hell but essentially no God – a structural absurdity (likely due to Whedon’s atheism). The result is that Buffy wears a cross yet has no faith in religion, and Angel is put in a virtually impossible predicament – seeking redemption yet having no real way to attain it.
After all, how can redemption truly be possible if there is no God? If there is no God, then who is to do the redeeming? And Angel never prays for salvation, which is what people looking for salvation usually do. There is also the issue of how many good deeds Angel must perform before it is enough. Despite all the harm Angel has caused, he still has saved the world several times over. If that’s not enough to even the score, then what is?
At this point, it’s not clear what the end game is for Angel. We’ve been told that he may eventually be rewarded for his benevolent acts and become human again, but he signed away any chance at becoming human in his quest to defeat Wolfram and Hart. At this point, what can Angel do to redeem himself and escape his situation? There appears to be no answer.
In fact, the very idea of achieving salvation is the main goal of Christianity. Whedon is willing to borrow this and other Christian elements when it suits him, but because he is apparently unable to accept that there could be any validity to Christianity itself, Angel’s mission becomes a muddled mess.
Whedon and the other writers are able to create entertaining stories, but they could do so much better if the stories were built on a stronger foundation. In the end, what we wind up with is akin to a song that sounds great but has jumbled lyrics. Buffy is also hampered somewhat by this, but not nearly as much as Angel & Faith.
It would also help to focus on the religious aspects of Angel’s quest for redemption, to make his mission more than just a series of tasks to be completed. For example, what exactly is Angel’s view of God? Can he accept the Christian belief that any evil act can be forgiven? What if Angel’s soul could be saved without fulfilling the Shanshu prophecy? I realize Joss Whedon may not want to go in this direction, but it only hurts the stories when he borrows Christian ideas such as salvation and takes them only halfway. There are many fascinating themes to explore if Dark Horse is willing to embrace the challenge.
However, this will only work if they’re also willing to acknowledge the existence of a benevolent God (something I suspect Whedon might be releuctant to do). If they were to take up these religious issues only to have Angel conclude that there is no God or that God is evil, then they might as well not even bother, as this will only make Angel’s mission more of a muddle than it already is.
Dark Horse also offered a few spinoff limited series: Willow: Wonderland, Spike: A Dark Place, and Love vs. Life (carried in Dark Horse Presents issues #25-27). Unfortunately, none of them were above average, and they often came across as just an excuse to get fans to shell out more money.
Another disappointment is that the comic covers for Season Nine were not nearly as good or as memorable as the ones from Season Eight. Many of the Buffy covers are drawn by Phil Noto who is not in the same league as Jo Chen. Many of the Buffy issues are drawn by Georges Jeanty whose work continued to be outstanding, but the fill-in issues by Cliff Richards were disappointing (though his work did noticeably improve after a few issues).
For Angel & Faith, we were treated to the fantastic art of Rebekah Isaacs. What especially impressed were her depictions of Faith. Great artwork goes a long way toward making a great comic, and Isaacs’s efforts always excelled.
My Ratings System
As with Season Eight, these comic reviews are patterned after the episode guides from Spectrum Magazine, a now defunct publication that covered fantasy television and movies. It had great Buffy episode guides, and I'm going to use the same five-star rating system that Spectrum used. For the most part, I'm only going to rate single issues when they contain standalone stories. The three, four and five-issue story arcs will be rated as a group.
Five stars - Outstanding
Four stars - Excellent
Three stars - Good
Two stars - Average
One star - Terrible
Overall, Angel & Faith is a very good and occasionally excellent comic book, but it unfortunately never rises to the level of outstanding for this very same reason. While Angel’s quest to resurrect Giles is engrossing, the Shanshu prophecy (that Angel will one day become human after fulfilling his destiny) is almost completely ignored, and thus what we get is a glass that seems half-full. As good as the comic was, it could have risen to another level if the writers had taken full advantage of everything the Angel character has to offer.
To be clear, the Shanshu prophecy doesn’t have to dominate the stories, but it should at least be in the background, affecting the events in some manner. The writers would be wise to work out a long-term arc for the Shanshu prophecy with specific benchmarks, ones that the readers (and perhaps the characters) can recognize and track. The Angel TV series never did this, probably because the writers were afraid of getting boxed into a corner, but the comic format should prevent this from being a problem. It would make an enormous difference if we actually saw Angel moving in a specific direction towards his ultimate destiny.
To be fair, though, there are other problems that hinder the character, such as the poor structural foundation of the Buffy universe itself. Unfortunately, Joss Whedon has created a universe where there is a hell but essentially no God – a structural absurdity (likely due to Whedon’s atheism). The result is that Buffy wears a cross yet has no faith in religion, and Angel is put in a virtually impossible predicament – seeking redemption yet having no real way to attain it.
After all, how can redemption truly be possible if there is no God? If there is no God, then who is to do the redeeming? And Angel never prays for salvation, which is what people looking for salvation usually do. There is also the issue of how many good deeds Angel must perform before it is enough. Despite all the harm Angel has caused, he still has saved the world several times over. If that’s not enough to even the score, then what is?
At this point, it’s not clear what the end game is for Angel. We’ve been told that he may eventually be rewarded for his benevolent acts and become human again, but he signed away any chance at becoming human in his quest to defeat Wolfram and Hart. At this point, what can Angel do to redeem himself and escape his situation? There appears to be no answer.
In fact, the very idea of achieving salvation is the main goal of Christianity. Whedon is willing to borrow this and other Christian elements when it suits him, but because he is apparently unable to accept that there could be any validity to Christianity itself, Angel’s mission becomes a muddled mess.
Whedon and the other writers are able to create entertaining stories, but they could do so much better if the stories were built on a stronger foundation. In the end, what we wind up with is akin to a song that sounds great but has jumbled lyrics. Buffy is also hampered somewhat by this, but not nearly as much as Angel & Faith.
It would also help to focus on the religious aspects of Angel’s quest for redemption, to make his mission more than just a series of tasks to be completed. For example, what exactly is Angel’s view of God? Can he accept the Christian belief that any evil act can be forgiven? What if Angel’s soul could be saved without fulfilling the Shanshu prophecy? I realize Joss Whedon may not want to go in this direction, but it only hurts the stories when he borrows Christian ideas such as salvation and takes them only halfway. There are many fascinating themes to explore if Dark Horse is willing to embrace the challenge.
However, this will only work if they’re also willing to acknowledge the existence of a benevolent God (something I suspect Whedon might be releuctant to do). If they were to take up these religious issues only to have Angel conclude that there is no God or that God is evil, then they might as well not even bother, as this will only make Angel’s mission more of a muddle than it already is.
Dark Horse also offered a few spinoff limited series: Willow: Wonderland, Spike: A Dark Place, and Love vs. Life (carried in Dark Horse Presents issues #25-27). Unfortunately, none of them were above average, and they often came across as just an excuse to get fans to shell out more money.
Another disappointment is that the comic covers for Season Nine were not nearly as good or as memorable as the ones from Season Eight. Many of the Buffy covers are drawn by Phil Noto who is not in the same league as Jo Chen. Many of the Buffy issues are drawn by Georges Jeanty whose work continued to be outstanding, but the fill-in issues by Cliff Richards were disappointing (though his work did noticeably improve after a few issues).
For Angel & Faith, we were treated to the fantastic art of Rebekah Isaacs. What especially impressed were her depictions of Faith. Great artwork goes a long way toward making a great comic, and Isaacs’s efforts always excelled.
My Ratings System
As with Season Eight, these comic reviews are patterned after the episode guides from Spectrum Magazine, a now defunct publication that covered fantasy television and movies. It had great Buffy episode guides, and I'm going to use the same five-star rating system that Spectrum used. For the most part, I'm only going to rate single issues when they contain standalone stories. The three, four and five-issue story arcs will be rated as a group.
Five stars - Outstanding
Four stars - Excellent
Three stars - Good
Two stars - Average
One star - Terrible
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Magical Mystery Tour, Featuring The Beatles
Written by Jane Espenson
Art by Georges Jeanty
This one-shot retailer exclusive e-comic features Spike and was released in August 2011, before the first issue of Season Nine. The story itself is more of a bridge to Season Nine than a beginning to it. Needless to say, you won’t be missing much if you don’t read it.
This is written by Jane Espenson, a long-time Buffy television writer. Unfortunately, Espenson is probably the most hit-and-miss Buffy writer of all time. She continued this tradition in Season Eight, writing both the well-done Retreat arc as well as the awful Harmonic Divergence.
This one unfortunately falls into the latter category. The story is mostly an attempt at humor, but it falls flat. I didn’t find a single joke to be funny. The whole bugs-as-aliens concept just seems stupid. As with Harmonic Divergence, the problem may not be Espenson’s writing so much as the fact that she’s been saddled with a terrible story idea. The most poignant moment is the end when Spike finally returns to Earth and meets with Buffy.
Written by Jane Espenson
Art by Georges Jeanty
This one-shot retailer exclusive e-comic features Spike and was released in August 2011, before the first issue of Season Nine. The story itself is more of a bridge to Season Nine than a beginning to it. Needless to say, you won’t be missing much if you don’t read it.
This is written by Jane Espenson, a long-time Buffy television writer. Unfortunately, Espenson is probably the most hit-and-miss Buffy writer of all time. She continued this tradition in Season Eight, writing both the well-done Retreat arc as well as the awful Harmonic Divergence.
This one unfortunately falls into the latter category. The story is mostly an attempt at humor, but it falls flat. I didn’t find a single joke to be funny. The whole bugs-as-aliens concept just seems stupid. As with Harmonic Divergence, the problem may not be Espenson’s writing so much as the fact that she’s been saddled with a terrible story idea. The most poignant moment is the end when Spike finally returns to Earth and meets with Buffy.
Here is a description of the final scene taken from a review by Angearia:
I love how she asks him, “Are you home for good now?” She wants him there, what’s more, she thinks this is his home, too. And instead of going all googly-eyed at finally returning to her, he looks up into the sky, to dreams of his own adventures without Buffy. Yes, he’s journeyed “home” to her, but he’s still got his own life to live. Equality between them. She’s the one who’s gazing at him a bit wistfully, asking if he’s going to stay now. He’s the one dreaming about flying again. They’ve both got their own lives, but they’re choosing to meet in the middle as the sun sets over San Francisco. And is there a more romantic image than a sunset at the Golden Gate Bridge? *paging all romcom movies*
To be honest, I found her description of the scene to be far more moving than the actual scene itself. All in all, a terrible effort.
I had never even heard of this comic until a few months after it was released and had a hard time finding it. It was eventually released again as part of a free digital promotional comic called Dark Horse Does Vampires Right.
I love how she asks him, “Are you home for good now?” She wants him there, what’s more, she thinks this is his home, too. And instead of going all googly-eyed at finally returning to her, he looks up into the sky, to dreams of his own adventures without Buffy. Yes, he’s journeyed “home” to her, but he’s still got his own life to live. Equality between them. She’s the one who’s gazing at him a bit wistfully, asking if he’s going to stay now. He’s the one dreaming about flying again. They’ve both got their own lives, but they’re choosing to meet in the middle as the sun sets over San Francisco. And is there a more romantic image than a sunset at the Golden Gate Bridge? *paging all romcom movies*
To be honest, I found her description of the scene to be far more moving than the actual scene itself. All in all, a terrible effort.
I had never even heard of this comic until a few months after it was released and had a hard time finding it. It was eventually released again as part of a free digital promotional comic called Dark Horse Does Vampires Right.
Freefall
Issues #1-4
Written by Joss Whedon
Art by Georges Jeanty
Freefall is a fitting name for the first story arc of Season Nine, and I don’t mean that as a compliment. It feels very lackluster, a big step down from the The Long Way Home, the first story arc of Season Eight. As I’ve said, seeing Buffy depressed isn’t much fun (It feels like they’re rehashing Season Six or early Season Four). At this point, it lacks believability for Buffy to show so little self-esteem. If I had saved the world a dozen times over, I think I’d have a stronger perspective on life than Buffy displays here.
Anyway, a big problem is Joss Whedon’s decision to bring the story back down to earth. While I think was a good idea in general, he needed to find a middle ground. The best parts of Season Eight were moments like Giant Dawn stomping through Tokyo, Buffy traveling to the future to meet Fray, and her battle with Twilight in issue #11. These were things that could never have been done on the television show, and it reinvigorated the franchise. While I wouldn’t want to go back to anything resembling the outlandish Twilight arc that ended the previous season, I would prefer stories on a larger scale than this.
Issues #1-4
Written by Joss Whedon
Art by Georges Jeanty
Freefall is a fitting name for the first story arc of Season Nine, and I don’t mean that as a compliment. It feels very lackluster, a big step down from the The Long Way Home, the first story arc of Season Eight. As I’ve said, seeing Buffy depressed isn’t much fun (It feels like they’re rehashing Season Six or early Season Four). At this point, it lacks believability for Buffy to show so little self-esteem. If I had saved the world a dozen times over, I think I’d have a stronger perspective on life than Buffy displays here.
Anyway, a big problem is Joss Whedon’s decision to bring the story back down to earth. While I think was a good idea in general, he needed to find a middle ground. The best parts of Season Eight were moments like Giant Dawn stomping through Tokyo, Buffy traveling to the future to meet Fray, and her battle with Twilight in issue #11. These were things that could never have been done on the television show, and it reinvigorated the franchise. While I wouldn’t want to go back to anything resembling the outlandish Twilight arc that ended the previous season, I would prefer stories on a larger scale than this.
Another big letdown was the ending to issue #1. Buffy, Willow and Spike are walking down the street and a demon materializes before them. It says, “Buffy Summers, it is time for you to pay… your student loan!” As it turns out, the demon was hired by a collection agency. When I first read this, I was totally confused and didn’t make that connection until much later, so it ruined the ending for me. The idea of a monstrous demon taking on a regular job seems a little too far out there.
That said, there are some fun moments worth mentioning. In issue #1 at the party, Buffy tells Spike not to mention to anyone that he is a vampire, and we then cut to a scene where Spike is talking about his attempt to bite Willow in episode 4.7 The Initiative. So apparently he did tell everyone about his fang side. Also, Andrew inadvertently makes Buffy feel small when he says he took his former Slayer squad and formed a disaster relief squad.
Buffy and Xander have an interesting conversation in which there appears to be something that Xander is hiding from Dawn. Xander tells Buffy that Dawn “never has to know.” Unfortunately, at no point during the season are we ever told what this is!
Willow seems to be handling the fact that magic is gone pretty well, but many people still aren’t. This leads to another major problem with Season Nine. Buffy destroying the Seed and ending all magic is constantly being portrayed as a bad thing, but logically this makes no sense. We’ve often seen how dangerous and corruptive magic can be (i.e. Dark Willow, Amy), so it should be a good thing overall that it’s gone. This flawed notion permeates throughout Season Nine, and it hampers the believability of the stories.
We also are introduced to new characters such as roommates Anaheed and Tumble, police detective Robert Dowling, and the demon Eldre Koh, but none of them are particularly interesting. Dowling would unfortunately be put forth as a possible new love interest for Buffy, which leads to another challenge for the series. After all this time, most fans are strongly for either Buffy/Angel or Buffy/Spike and would have a hard time accepting anyone as a new love interest. Alas, Buffy/Dowling ultimately never goes anywhere, and that’s a good thing.
In issue #2, we at least get a somewhat intriguing mystery in which it’s revealed that the police are finding dead vampires, but their bodies aren’t disintegrating the way they usually do. Buffy gets arrested after being caught near a crime scene, but she quickly escapes, a foolish move because the police didn’t really have anything on her to begin with.
Interestingly, the police know that she’s a Slayer. Since Buffy's identity is now publicly known, her continued money troubles seem a lot less believable. Couldn’t she just get a book deal or something similar and become rich?
It is also revealed that Xander and Dawn are having domestic squabbles, but the reason initially seems silly. Xander forgot Dawn’s birthday, but her birthday hadn’t even happened yet!
Buffy meets Severin at the end of issue #2, and he comes across as a good guy, but in the next issue she discovers that he is actually a villain who is out to steal her power. Unfortunately, Severin just isn’t an interesting character, and making him and Simone the Big Bads for Season Nine turns out to be a mistake. His anger at Buffy, blaming her for the loss of his girlfriend, seems kind of misplaced.
Another swerve comes in the form of Eldre Koh, a demon who appears to be stalking Buffy with the intent to kill her, but we learn that he is actually out to help her. Koh is also a boring character who would only get interesting much later on in the season when he decides to turn on Buffy.
The final battle in issue #4 is kind of lackluster (Severin just isn’t very scary or menacing), and Dowling saving the day by shooting Severin isn’t a strong ending to the fight. We also get hints that Spike is still in love with Buffy, but this is hardly an earth-shattering revelation.
The biggest failure of this story arc is that it fails to give the reader a sense of where Season Nine is heading. It's not uncommon for Buffy to introduce the Big Bad early in the season, and while this first arc does introduce Severin, I never imagined that he was the Big Bad, and I doubt few others did, either. The problem is that the character's motivation is too small-scale. Most Big Bads have apocalytpic intentions (i.e. destroy the world), but all Severin wants is to get revenge against Buffy for the death of his girlfriend. This is a motivation more suited for a villain of the week. Also, the Big Bad tends to pop up numerous times through the season, but Severin doesn't appear again until issue 20. The result is a real lack of direction for Season Nine.
Finally, I sent a letter to Dark Horse with my complaints about the first two issues, and they printed it in #4. (Also, a letter of mine was printed in #5 of Season 8 in which I complain about the anti-American sentiment of the early issues.)
Overall, Freefall is just an average story, and Buffy deserves better, especially for the start of a new season.
That said, there are some fun moments worth mentioning. In issue #1 at the party, Buffy tells Spike not to mention to anyone that he is a vampire, and we then cut to a scene where Spike is talking about his attempt to bite Willow in episode 4.7 The Initiative. So apparently he did tell everyone about his fang side. Also, Andrew inadvertently makes Buffy feel small when he says he took his former Slayer squad and formed a disaster relief squad.
Buffy and Xander have an interesting conversation in which there appears to be something that Xander is hiding from Dawn. Xander tells Buffy that Dawn “never has to know.” Unfortunately, at no point during the season are we ever told what this is!
Willow seems to be handling the fact that magic is gone pretty well, but many people still aren’t. This leads to another major problem with Season Nine. Buffy destroying the Seed and ending all magic is constantly being portrayed as a bad thing, but logically this makes no sense. We’ve often seen how dangerous and corruptive magic can be (i.e. Dark Willow, Amy), so it should be a good thing overall that it’s gone. This flawed notion permeates throughout Season Nine, and it hampers the believability of the stories.
We also are introduced to new characters such as roommates Anaheed and Tumble, police detective Robert Dowling, and the demon Eldre Koh, but none of them are particularly interesting. Dowling would unfortunately be put forth as a possible new love interest for Buffy, which leads to another challenge for the series. After all this time, most fans are strongly for either Buffy/Angel or Buffy/Spike and would have a hard time accepting anyone as a new love interest. Alas, Buffy/Dowling ultimately never goes anywhere, and that’s a good thing.
In issue #2, we at least get a somewhat intriguing mystery in which it’s revealed that the police are finding dead vampires, but their bodies aren’t disintegrating the way they usually do. Buffy gets arrested after being caught near a crime scene, but she quickly escapes, a foolish move because the police didn’t really have anything on her to begin with.
Interestingly, the police know that she’s a Slayer. Since Buffy's identity is now publicly known, her continued money troubles seem a lot less believable. Couldn’t she just get a book deal or something similar and become rich?
It is also revealed that Xander and Dawn are having domestic squabbles, but the reason initially seems silly. Xander forgot Dawn’s birthday, but her birthday hadn’t even happened yet!
Buffy meets Severin at the end of issue #2, and he comes across as a good guy, but in the next issue she discovers that he is actually a villain who is out to steal her power. Unfortunately, Severin just isn’t an interesting character, and making him and Simone the Big Bads for Season Nine turns out to be a mistake. His anger at Buffy, blaming her for the loss of his girlfriend, seems kind of misplaced.
Another swerve comes in the form of Eldre Koh, a demon who appears to be stalking Buffy with the intent to kill her, but we learn that he is actually out to help her. Koh is also a boring character who would only get interesting much later on in the season when he decides to turn on Buffy.
The final battle in issue #4 is kind of lackluster (Severin just isn’t very scary or menacing), and Dowling saving the day by shooting Severin isn’t a strong ending to the fight. We also get hints that Spike is still in love with Buffy, but this is hardly an earth-shattering revelation.
The biggest failure of this story arc is that it fails to give the reader a sense of where Season Nine is heading. It's not uncommon for Buffy to introduce the Big Bad early in the season, and while this first arc does introduce Severin, I never imagined that he was the Big Bad, and I doubt few others did, either. The problem is that the character's motivation is too small-scale. Most Big Bads have apocalytpic intentions (i.e. destroy the world), but all Severin wants is to get revenge against Buffy for the death of his girlfriend. This is a motivation more suited for a villain of the week. Also, the Big Bad tends to pop up numerous times through the season, but Severin doesn't appear again until issue 20. The result is a real lack of direction for Season Nine.
Finally, I sent a letter to Dark Horse with my complaints about the first two issues, and they printed it in #4. (Also, a letter of mine was printed in #5 of Season 8 in which I complain about the anti-American sentiment of the early issues.)
Overall, Freefall is just an average story, and Buffy deserves better, especially for the start of a new season.
Slayer, Interrupted
Issue #5
Written by Andrew Chambliss
Art by Karl Moline
This issue is the beginning of a stretch that would mark the absolute best of Season Nine for Buffy. It’s a single issue story, and a great one. It is also a sequel of sorts to issue #5 from Season Eight (The Chain) as we get the return of the fairie Tink who communicates to Buffy by hijacking her dreams.
Issue #5
Written by Andrew Chambliss
Art by Karl Moline
This issue is the beginning of a stretch that would mark the absolute best of Season Nine for Buffy. It’s a single issue story, and a great one. It is also a sequel of sorts to issue #5 from Season Eight (The Chain) as we get the return of the fairie Tink who communicates to Buffy by hijacking her dreams.
The First Slayer appears to Buffy and speaks to her, saying, “You are not the Slayer.” This tips Buffy off that something is wrong since the First Slayer never speaks. Another message is “You are not a girl.” This refers to the fact that Buffy is a grown woman, but also something else (We would eventually learn that Buffy is actually a robot!).
Buffy is told through a dream that magic needs to be restored, and Willow enters the dream and gets the same message. Willow leaves before Buffy awakes, and she would not return until much later in the season.
And the issue ends with one of the biggest shockers ever: Buffy is pregnant! (or so we are led to believe). I should also mention that Karl Moline is one of the better fill-in artists, and his work here is fantastic as usual.
Interestingly, the title of this issue is Slayer, Interrupted, an obvious reference to Girl, Interrupted, a movie about a teenage girl's stay in a mental institution. When you consider that the story is about Buffy's dreams, you have to wonder if this is meant to be a nod to the Season 6 episode Normal Again and more evidence that Buffy really is in a mental institution and that her entire life as the Slayer has been a dream.
A great issue, one of the best of Season Nine.
Buffy is told through a dream that magic needs to be restored, and Willow enters the dream and gets the same message. Willow leaves before Buffy awakes, and she would not return until much later in the season.
And the issue ends with one of the biggest shockers ever: Buffy is pregnant! (or so we are led to believe). I should also mention that Karl Moline is one of the better fill-in artists, and his work here is fantastic as usual.
Interestingly, the title of this issue is Slayer, Interrupted, an obvious reference to Girl, Interrupted, a movie about a teenage girl's stay in a mental institution. When you consider that the story is about Buffy's dreams, you have to wonder if this is meant to be a nod to the Season 6 episode Normal Again and more evidence that Buffy really is in a mental institution and that her entire life as the Slayer has been a dream.
A great issue, one of the best of Season Nine.
On Your Own – Part 1
Issue #6
Written by Andrew Chambliss
Art by Georges Jeanty
This issue contains another great flashback story. We see the Slayer Nikki from the 1970s (who was eventually killed by Spike) go through the same trial that Buffy did in episode 3.12 Helpess. This test by the Council never made sense to me. Why train a Slayer only to risk losing her and then be forced to spend more years training her replacement? And how would they know that the next Slayer would be any better or even willing to answer the call? It seems strange that the Council was often portrayed to be almost as bad as the vampires that Buffy faced. Aren’t they supposed to be the good guys?
It’s actually a little gruesome to see Nikki dig her bare hand into a wooden pole in order to pull out a make-shift stake. Only afterwards do we learn that she did this without her Slayer strength, which only emphasizes how the desire to protect her child helped save her life.
A similar element has saved Buffy’s life on numerous occasions: her relationships with her friends. Unlike the other Slayers, Buffy has had a close group of friends that have successfully tied her to the world (as Spike told her in episode 5.7 Fool For Love). Her friends have even brought her back from the dead twice. They are the main reason she is still around after all this time.
It’s great to see the return of Principal Wood who only made one cameo appearance during Season 8. Unfortunately, the character seems to lose something in the translation from screen to comic, as imagining his magnificent voice is not quite the same as hearing it for real.
Through Wood, we learn that there were a number of similarities between Buffy and Nikki. Both of them put up walls between themselves and other people. Nikki wanted to give up being the Slayer (as Buffy has at times) but she found that she couldn’t walk away from her chosen path.
Interestingly, Wood never makes a moral argument that Buffy should have the baby, though he comes close when he mentions that he is here today because of his mother’s decision. He simply argues that Buffy is capable of raising the child and doing it well.
One odd moment, however, is when Detective Dowling urges Spike to tell Buffy about his true feelings for her. But doesn’t Buffy already know that Spike loves her? He’s only told her about a million times in the past, and I don’t think he has ever given her a reason to think otherwise. But Buffy actually does tell Spike that he would have been the one that she’d want to run away with, indicating that she really does have feelings for him.
The biggest shocker, of course, is the end when, after Buffy seems to have been won over by Wood’s argument that she should raise the child, we learn that she has decided to get an abortion. Buffy tells Spike that she doesn’t believe she has what it takes to be both a great Slayer and a good mother. Buffy’s decision angered many of those on the pro-life side of the abortion debate, but that’s the danger of delving into this type of storyline. Still, a powerful issue nonetheless.
Issue #6
Written by Andrew Chambliss
Art by Georges Jeanty
This issue contains another great flashback story. We see the Slayer Nikki from the 1970s (who was eventually killed by Spike) go through the same trial that Buffy did in episode 3.12 Helpess. This test by the Council never made sense to me. Why train a Slayer only to risk losing her and then be forced to spend more years training her replacement? And how would they know that the next Slayer would be any better or even willing to answer the call? It seems strange that the Council was often portrayed to be almost as bad as the vampires that Buffy faced. Aren’t they supposed to be the good guys?
It’s actually a little gruesome to see Nikki dig her bare hand into a wooden pole in order to pull out a make-shift stake. Only afterwards do we learn that she did this without her Slayer strength, which only emphasizes how the desire to protect her child helped save her life.
A similar element has saved Buffy’s life on numerous occasions: her relationships with her friends. Unlike the other Slayers, Buffy has had a close group of friends that have successfully tied her to the world (as Spike told her in episode 5.7 Fool For Love). Her friends have even brought her back from the dead twice. They are the main reason she is still around after all this time.
It’s great to see the return of Principal Wood who only made one cameo appearance during Season 8. Unfortunately, the character seems to lose something in the translation from screen to comic, as imagining his magnificent voice is not quite the same as hearing it for real.
Through Wood, we learn that there were a number of similarities between Buffy and Nikki. Both of them put up walls between themselves and other people. Nikki wanted to give up being the Slayer (as Buffy has at times) but she found that she couldn’t walk away from her chosen path.
Interestingly, Wood never makes a moral argument that Buffy should have the baby, though he comes close when he mentions that he is here today because of his mother’s decision. He simply argues that Buffy is capable of raising the child and doing it well.
One odd moment, however, is when Detective Dowling urges Spike to tell Buffy about his true feelings for her. But doesn’t Buffy already know that Spike loves her? He’s only told her about a million times in the past, and I don’t think he has ever given her a reason to think otherwise. But Buffy actually does tell Spike that he would have been the one that she’d want to run away with, indicating that she really does have feelings for him.
The biggest shocker, of course, is the end when, after Buffy seems to have been won over by Wood’s argument that she should raise the child, we learn that she has decided to get an abortion. Buffy tells Spike that she doesn’t believe she has what it takes to be both a great Slayer and a good mother. Buffy’s decision angered many of those on the pro-life side of the abortion debate, but that’s the danger of delving into this type of storyline. Still, a powerful issue nonetheless.
On Your Own – Part 2
Issue #7
Written by Andrew Chambliss
Art by Georges Jeanty
No doubt about it. After an awful start, Buffy is rolling.
There is an interesting scene early on where Buffy essentially takes back what she said about Spike being the one she’d want to run away with, saying that if she ever sought a normal life then he’d be the kind of person she would run from. Spike doesn’t take this well and storms out.
The battle with the zompires on the clock tower is pretty cool, and Dowling tells Buffy that Spike is still in love with her. Buffy confronts Spike about this, and he seems on the verge of convincing her that he can give her what he needs, but then Buffy’s arm is ripped off revealing her to be… a robot! As if the endings of the previous two issues weren’t shocking enough, the ending to this one blows the roof off.
As was true during the television series, the Buffy/Spike love story is far more interesting than Buffy/Angel ever was. It’s amazing that the writers continue to get mileage out of the relationship, though you have to wonder how much more it can be milked before it gets stale. While I personally would like to see Buffy wind up with Xander one day, I would be perfectly happy to see her settle down with Spike (assuming he eventually becomes human).
Issue #7
Written by Andrew Chambliss
Art by Georges Jeanty
No doubt about it. After an awful start, Buffy is rolling.
There is an interesting scene early on where Buffy essentially takes back what she said about Spike being the one she’d want to run away with, saying that if she ever sought a normal life then he’d be the kind of person she would run from. Spike doesn’t take this well and storms out.
The battle with the zompires on the clock tower is pretty cool, and Dowling tells Buffy that Spike is still in love with her. Buffy confronts Spike about this, and he seems on the verge of convincing her that he can give her what he needs, but then Buffy’s arm is ripped off revealing her to be… a robot! As if the endings of the previous two issues weren’t shocking enough, the ending to this one blows the roof off.
As was true during the television series, the Buffy/Spike love story is far more interesting than Buffy/Angel ever was. It’s amazing that the writers continue to get mileage out of the relationship, though you have to wonder how much more it can be milked before it gets stale. While I personally would like to see Buffy wind up with Xander one day, I would be perfectly happy to see her settle down with Spike (assuming he eventually becomes human).
In Space No One Can Hear You Slay
Written by Andrew Chambliss
Art by Georges Jeanty
This one-shot was released on Free Comic Book Day (5-05-12). It's not completely clear when the story occurs, but it likely happens between issues #4 and #5 (after Severin’s attack but before Buffy loses her arm). The story is a blatant ripoff of the movie Alien. Of course, the title itself is a riff on the Alien movie poster which had the by-line "In Space, No One Can Hear You Scream."
This is a lot of fun, and the reason it works is because it doesn't take itself too seriously. And it is easily the best story so far involving the bugs on Spike's spaceship. There are some funny moments such as when the bugs are appalled that Spike had bug spray aboard the ship and when it is revealed that one of the bugs ate Buffy's stake.
Amazingly, the bug-alien/vampire looks exactly like the alien from Alien. In fact, there are several references to the film. The inside of the ship looks a lot like the ship from the movie. A hole is burned through the floor (similar to the movie). Also, Buffy hides among some spacesuits just as Ripley did and later comes face to face with the alien and its two mouths just as Ripley did. Buffy manages to kill it by exposing it to sunlight, and there is a nice moment at the end when she stares into outer space and takes in the amazing wonder of it all. As it turns out, Buffy has been in outer space before (in 8.34 - although she spent the entire time having The Best Sex Ever with Angel so she didn't pay much attention to the view).
Because this was a free promotional comic, it is only half as long as a typical issue. Fortunately, the story is above average and about as good as you could hope for when it comes to this particular format. That said, if Dark Horse was hoping to use this comic to bring new fans to the series, then this type of story was probably not the best choice as it puts Buffy in a setting that is out of her normal element (outer space), really bizarre (giant alien bugs!), and is a comical spoof. Can you imagine how someone completely unfamiliar with Buffy would likely react to this? It's funny just to think about it.
Written by Andrew Chambliss
Art by Georges Jeanty
This one-shot was released on Free Comic Book Day (5-05-12). It's not completely clear when the story occurs, but it likely happens between issues #4 and #5 (after Severin’s attack but before Buffy loses her arm). The story is a blatant ripoff of the movie Alien. Of course, the title itself is a riff on the Alien movie poster which had the by-line "In Space, No One Can Hear You Scream."
This is a lot of fun, and the reason it works is because it doesn't take itself too seriously. And it is easily the best story so far involving the bugs on Spike's spaceship. There are some funny moments such as when the bugs are appalled that Spike had bug spray aboard the ship and when it is revealed that one of the bugs ate Buffy's stake.
Amazingly, the bug-alien/vampire looks exactly like the alien from Alien. In fact, there are several references to the film. The inside of the ship looks a lot like the ship from the movie. A hole is burned through the floor (similar to the movie). Also, Buffy hides among some spacesuits just as Ripley did and later comes face to face with the alien and its two mouths just as Ripley did. Buffy manages to kill it by exposing it to sunlight, and there is a nice moment at the end when she stares into outer space and takes in the amazing wonder of it all. As it turns out, Buffy has been in outer space before (in 8.34 - although she spent the entire time having The Best Sex Ever with Angel so she didn't pay much attention to the view).
Because this was a free promotional comic, it is only half as long as a typical issue. Fortunately, the story is above average and about as good as you could hope for when it comes to this particular format. That said, if Dark Horse was hoping to use this comic to bring new fans to the series, then this type of story was probably not the best choice as it puts Buffy in a setting that is out of her normal element (outer space), really bizarre (giant alien bugs!), and is a comical spoof. Can you imagine how someone completely unfamiliar with Buffy would likely react to this? It's funny just to think about it.
Apart (of Me)
Issues #8-10
Written by Chris Chambliss
Art by Cliff Richards
When Buffy was revealed to be a robot in the previous issue, my first suspicion was that Andrew was somehow involved in this since we saw him working on a robot in an earlier issue. As it turns out, I was right.
So it turns out that Andrew switched the real Buffy with the robot Buffy during the party in issue #1. My initial guess was that some kind of switch occurred shortly after the events of issue #5. I’m just glad that the writers didn’t pull a trick similar to what Marvel did with Spiderman in the 90s with the clone storyline and tell us that Buffy has been a robot all the way back since Season 6! I would have walked away from the comic had they tried something like that.
Issues #8-10
Written by Chris Chambliss
Art by Cliff Richards
When Buffy was revealed to be a robot in the previous issue, my first suspicion was that Andrew was somehow involved in this since we saw him working on a robot in an earlier issue. As it turns out, I was right.
So it turns out that Andrew switched the real Buffy with the robot Buffy during the party in issue #1. My initial guess was that some kind of switch occurred shortly after the events of issue #5. I’m just glad that the writers didn’t pull a trick similar to what Marvel did with Spiderman in the 90s with the clone storyline and tell us that Buffy has been a robot all the way back since Season 6! I would have walked away from the comic had they tried something like that.
And it appears that Andrew transferred Buffy’s mind to the robot rather than copied it, so the robot Buffy has the real Buffy’s mind. I’m having a little bit of trouble understanding this. So if robot Buffy is destroyed, does the real Buffy die? (If so, then how does Andrew expect the switch to protect her?) And would the real Buffy really not be able to tell the difference between her own body and a robotic one? And how is it that she is able to dream? Perhaps it’s best not to ask too many questions.
Based on Andrew’s explanation, this is indeed the out for the writers when it comes to Buffy’s pregnancy. From the beginning, I suspected that Buffy wasn’t actually pregnant, and – Voila! – I was right.
In the end, this was probably for the best. There were only a few other directions that the writers could have taken the pregnancy storyline, and all of them would have posed significant problems. Buffy could have had an abortion, but this could have potentially angered half the readership. She could have had the baby, and while the comic format could have allowed the story to jump nine months ahead, the fact remains that saddling Buffy with a baby would have been a serious drag on the character. Thus the writers would have had to eventually find a way to get rid of the brat, and does anyone really want to rehash the Connor storyline from Angel?
Still, there will be many fans that will no doubt be upset that Buffy made the decision to have an abortion, even though she didn’t have to actually go through with it. While Buffy may not be on the level of Superman, she is a cultural icon of sorts, so she certainly has an influence. Therefore, it makes sense that those who are pro-life will not be happy about this. As it turns out, the entertainment industry in America is overwhelmingly liberal, and so our pop culture overwhelmingly reflects liberal values. Conservatives unfortunately don’t have many options. They have to either stomach these things or just walk away.
Truthfully, the Buffy character is a somewhat odd juxtaposition of both liberal and conservative values. She displays liberal sensibilities when it comes to sex, abortion, religion, homosexuality, and her apparent lack of patriotism towards the U.S. And yet she is very conservative when it comes to taking the fight to evil and not excusing or making any apologies for it (her speech at the end of episode 7.10 Bring On The Night when she declares war on the First is about as conservative as any speech you’ll ever hear).
When you break it down, the Buffy character doesn’t quite make sense. It’s hard to imagine a real life person having the exact same values that she does. Buffy wears a cross and uses its power to protect herself from vampires, yet she apparently does not believe in God (in episode 4.1 The Freshman she makes it clear she’s not a Christian). You would think that the power of the cross would compel Buffy to say a prayer every once in awhile, but no. Actually, the problems with the Buffy character are really the problems with the Buffy universe itself. As I mentioned earlier, Joss Whedon has constructed a universe in which there is a hell but essentially no God, a structural absurdity. I suspect it’s Whedon’s belief in atheism that is the reason for this. He wanted to borrow the Christian elements of vampire mythology without acknowledging that there is any validity to Christianity itself. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work.
Based on Andrew’s explanation, this is indeed the out for the writers when it comes to Buffy’s pregnancy. From the beginning, I suspected that Buffy wasn’t actually pregnant, and – Voila! – I was right.
In the end, this was probably for the best. There were only a few other directions that the writers could have taken the pregnancy storyline, and all of them would have posed significant problems. Buffy could have had an abortion, but this could have potentially angered half the readership. She could have had the baby, and while the comic format could have allowed the story to jump nine months ahead, the fact remains that saddling Buffy with a baby would have been a serious drag on the character. Thus the writers would have had to eventually find a way to get rid of the brat, and does anyone really want to rehash the Connor storyline from Angel?
Still, there will be many fans that will no doubt be upset that Buffy made the decision to have an abortion, even though she didn’t have to actually go through with it. While Buffy may not be on the level of Superman, she is a cultural icon of sorts, so she certainly has an influence. Therefore, it makes sense that those who are pro-life will not be happy about this. As it turns out, the entertainment industry in America is overwhelmingly liberal, and so our pop culture overwhelmingly reflects liberal values. Conservatives unfortunately don’t have many options. They have to either stomach these things or just walk away.
Truthfully, the Buffy character is a somewhat odd juxtaposition of both liberal and conservative values. She displays liberal sensibilities when it comes to sex, abortion, religion, homosexuality, and her apparent lack of patriotism towards the U.S. And yet she is very conservative when it comes to taking the fight to evil and not excusing or making any apologies for it (her speech at the end of episode 7.10 Bring On The Night when she declares war on the First is about as conservative as any speech you’ll ever hear).
When you break it down, the Buffy character doesn’t quite make sense. It’s hard to imagine a real life person having the exact same values that she does. Buffy wears a cross and uses its power to protect herself from vampires, yet she apparently does not believe in God (in episode 4.1 The Freshman she makes it clear she’s not a Christian). You would think that the power of the cross would compel Buffy to say a prayer every once in awhile, but no. Actually, the problems with the Buffy character are really the problems with the Buffy universe itself. As I mentioned earlier, Joss Whedon has constructed a universe in which there is a hell but essentially no God, a structural absurdity. I suspect it’s Whedon’s belief in atheism that is the reason for this. He wanted to borrow the Christian elements of vampire mythology without acknowledging that there is any validity to Christianity itself. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work.
Getting back to the comic, it’s somewhat hard to believe that Andrew would violate Buffy the way he did. We were given a strong impression in Season 8 that Andrew had truly reformed, and this has to make you wonder if that is actually the case. I think it would’ve been more believable if she had been in on the scheme and if he had made a copy of Buffy’s mind instead of somehow transferring her actual consciousness into the robot.
In Andrew’s defense, his plan up to this point had actually saved Buffy (even though it went awry by the end of #8). If Buffy hadn’t been a robot during the events of issue #7, her real arm would have been torn off by the zompire.
I’ve never cared for Spike’s alien spaceship and the alien bugs that pilot it, but at least now I think I understand why it’s around. The ship is a convenient tool for the writers because it allows the characters to travel great distances in a short amount of time. In this story, it allows Buffy and Spike to visit Andrew in Europe and then quickly get back to California.
Detective Dowling seems to have hit rock bottom with the death of his partner, but the character still isn’t even remotely interesting.
It should be noted that the alternate cover for issue #8 shows Buffy’s arm being sliced off. They wisely used a fake cover for the early marketing in order to avoid spoiling the surprise that Buffy is a robot.
In issue #9, for the first time this season, Xander is finally given something to do as he accompanies Detective Dowling on a hunt to track down his former colleague. There is a nice reference to the second episode of Buffy (The Harvest) when Xander was forced to kill his friend Jesse who had been turned into a vampire. This may be the first time that Jesse has been mentioned since that episode, and we learn that Xander is still haunted by what he had to do.
There is also a touching scene in which Andrew tells Buffy that he wanted to give her the life she never had. Ironically, the real Buffy is being held on Angel Island, and the mention of the Angel's name causes Buffy to react in a way that makes Spike jealous.
The cliffhanger ending is cool with the robot Buffy being threatened by the "real" Buffy, although it isn't quite clear what the scientific explanation is for the personality that remains in Buffy's real body. Still, it’s actually similar to what Whedon did in the Dollhouse television series. If I could accept that, then I guess I can accept this.
The only problem I have with the story is that I don’t care for Simone as a character, as she is one of the least interesting Buffy villains ever. That said, the battle between her and Spike is fairly well-done.
The ending is great. Actually, there are two endings. The first one involves Spike as he says good-bye to Buffy. Obviously, Spike had to leave because he is going to star in his own five-issue limited series. But his exit was a smart move from a storyline point of view, as there was a real danger of a Moonlighting-like collapse. If you’ve seen Moonlighting, you’re probably aware that it was a phenomenal show until David and Maddie finally slept together. After this happened, there was nowhere left for the characters to go, and the writers were forced to come up with ludicrous storylines to keep them apart. The show became unwatchable as a result. It was perhaps the greatest meltdown in television history.
Like David and Maddie, Buffy and Spike had gone about as far as they could go as a couple, and having Spike just follow Buffy around and provide the occasional back-up was not going to be interesting and could really harm the series. Apparently, the writers saw this too and realized that they couldn’t have Spike just hanging around like a love-sick puppy dog.
Spike tells Buffy that he loves her, and by her reaction it isn’t clear that she feels the same (or at least as strongly as he does). It could simply be that she isn’t ready to settle down yet. The second ending supports this, in which she comes to terms with her situation. In a nice moment, the “real” Buffy tells her that she eventually will have the nice life with the nice house someday, but she needs to get it on her own terms.
The farewell scene between Buffy and Spike is really well done. What makes it work is the absence of dialogue at certain moments. When Spike tells Buffy he loves her, she doesn’t respond. Instead, she closes her eyes; the look on her face says it all. Give the writer credit for trusting the artist to convey the right message to the reader. It’s these little things that make the scene so powerful.
Spike’s love for Buffy is real, but it’s clear that he has his pride. If she isn’t ready to be with him, then he isn’t going to just follow her around at her heels waiting for the day to come. He also trusts her enough to know that she can take care of herself. And he’s willing to give her whatever time she needs to set her life straight. Too often in the past, Spike’s love for Buffy came across as mere lust, but there’s no doubt now that Spike has moved beyond that.
Finally, the art by Cliff Richards gets a lot better over the course of the story arc, as there is a noticeable improvement between #10 and his work in #8 and #9. Still, I prefer Georges Jeanty as his art is really outstanding.
In Andrew’s defense, his plan up to this point had actually saved Buffy (even though it went awry by the end of #8). If Buffy hadn’t been a robot during the events of issue #7, her real arm would have been torn off by the zompire.
I’ve never cared for Spike’s alien spaceship and the alien bugs that pilot it, but at least now I think I understand why it’s around. The ship is a convenient tool for the writers because it allows the characters to travel great distances in a short amount of time. In this story, it allows Buffy and Spike to visit Andrew in Europe and then quickly get back to California.
Detective Dowling seems to have hit rock bottom with the death of his partner, but the character still isn’t even remotely interesting.
It should be noted that the alternate cover for issue #8 shows Buffy’s arm being sliced off. They wisely used a fake cover for the early marketing in order to avoid spoiling the surprise that Buffy is a robot.
In issue #9, for the first time this season, Xander is finally given something to do as he accompanies Detective Dowling on a hunt to track down his former colleague. There is a nice reference to the second episode of Buffy (The Harvest) when Xander was forced to kill his friend Jesse who had been turned into a vampire. This may be the first time that Jesse has been mentioned since that episode, and we learn that Xander is still haunted by what he had to do.
There is also a touching scene in which Andrew tells Buffy that he wanted to give her the life she never had. Ironically, the real Buffy is being held on Angel Island, and the mention of the Angel's name causes Buffy to react in a way that makes Spike jealous.
The cliffhanger ending is cool with the robot Buffy being threatened by the "real" Buffy, although it isn't quite clear what the scientific explanation is for the personality that remains in Buffy's real body. Still, it’s actually similar to what Whedon did in the Dollhouse television series. If I could accept that, then I guess I can accept this.
The only problem I have with the story is that I don’t care for Simone as a character, as she is one of the least interesting Buffy villains ever. That said, the battle between her and Spike is fairly well-done.
The ending is great. Actually, there are two endings. The first one involves Spike as he says good-bye to Buffy. Obviously, Spike had to leave because he is going to star in his own five-issue limited series. But his exit was a smart move from a storyline point of view, as there was a real danger of a Moonlighting-like collapse. If you’ve seen Moonlighting, you’re probably aware that it was a phenomenal show until David and Maddie finally slept together. After this happened, there was nowhere left for the characters to go, and the writers were forced to come up with ludicrous storylines to keep them apart. The show became unwatchable as a result. It was perhaps the greatest meltdown in television history.
Like David and Maddie, Buffy and Spike had gone about as far as they could go as a couple, and having Spike just follow Buffy around and provide the occasional back-up was not going to be interesting and could really harm the series. Apparently, the writers saw this too and realized that they couldn’t have Spike just hanging around like a love-sick puppy dog.
Spike tells Buffy that he loves her, and by her reaction it isn’t clear that she feels the same (or at least as strongly as he does). It could simply be that she isn’t ready to settle down yet. The second ending supports this, in which she comes to terms with her situation. In a nice moment, the “real” Buffy tells her that she eventually will have the nice life with the nice house someday, but she needs to get it on her own terms.
The farewell scene between Buffy and Spike is really well done. What makes it work is the absence of dialogue at certain moments. When Spike tells Buffy he loves her, she doesn’t respond. Instead, she closes her eyes; the look on her face says it all. Give the writer credit for trusting the artist to convey the right message to the reader. It’s these little things that make the scene so powerful.
Spike’s love for Buffy is real, but it’s clear that he has his pride. If she isn’t ready to be with him, then he isn’t going to just follow her around at her heels waiting for the day to come. He also trusts her enough to know that she can take care of herself. And he’s willing to give her whatever time she needs to set her life straight. Too often in the past, Spike’s love for Buffy came across as mere lust, but there’s no doubt now that Spike has moved beyond that.
Finally, the art by Cliff Richards gets a lot better over the course of the story arc, as there is a noticeable improvement between #10 and his work in #8 and #9. Still, I prefer Georges Jeanty as his art is really outstanding.
Guarded
Issues #11-13
Written by Andrew Chambliss
Art by Georges Jeanty
I had some trouble warming up to this story at first as I can’t say I was thrilled to see the return of Kennedy and the other Slayers. I was still angry at them because I didn’t like the way they turned on Buffy at the end of Season 8, as the logic behind it didn’t make any sense. I also initially disappointed to see the return of the demon Eldre Koh who last appeared in issue #4.
Unfortunately, Buffy working for Kennedy just isn’t all that interesting. The best part of this issue is Buffy being torn between trying to make a normal living and being a Slayer. At first, she believes that she cannot ignore her calling, that there is no one who can replace her. Yet after witnessing a police officer stake and kill a vampire, she realizes that the world may not need her as badly as she had believed.
Issues #11-13
Written by Andrew Chambliss
Art by Georges Jeanty
I had some trouble warming up to this story at first as I can’t say I was thrilled to see the return of Kennedy and the other Slayers. I was still angry at them because I didn’t like the way they turned on Buffy at the end of Season 8, as the logic behind it didn’t make any sense. I also initially disappointed to see the return of the demon Eldre Koh who last appeared in issue #4.
Unfortunately, Buffy working for Kennedy just isn’t all that interesting. The best part of this issue is Buffy being torn between trying to make a normal living and being a Slayer. At first, she believes that she cannot ignore her calling, that there is no one who can replace her. Yet after witnessing a police officer stake and kill a vampire, she realizes that the world may not need her as badly as she had believed.
A social networking site for demons? I’m not sure I buy the idea of demons sitting down at a computer and typing on a keyboard, but whatever. It is cool to see pictures of various demons on the web site, including demons that we’ve seen before such as a Vampy Cat Doll from 8.22 and a thricewise demon from 8.25. Like the TV series, it’s nice that the comic has a memory.
The return of Wolfram & Hart is a complete letdown, as I would have preferred to have seen Buffy actually enter one of their law offices. Instead, the law firm remains completely in the background. This had so much potential, especially since Buffy had never faced them before.
Buffy’s personal struggle is far more interesting than the mission itself. Kennedy implies that Buffy let Giles die because she was so caught up in trying to save the world, and Buffy clobbers her. Kennedy’s point is that Buffy deserves to let herself live and not be so caught up in trying to save the world all the time. She seems to think that vampires are not as pressing of an issue because humans have accepted their existence and because there is no longer any magic. Needless to say, it’s not a particularly strong argument.
Anyway, Buffy’s decision to quit at the very end makes sense because she realizes that the responsibility of protecting individuals at the expense of everything else would make it difficult for her to make the necessary sacrifices in order to stop whatever threat is occurring. In episode 5.22 The Gift, Buffy decided that she couldn’t let Dawn die even if doing so would save the world. By the end of Season 7, Buffy had evolved to the point where she would be willing to sacrifice Dawn if necessary. For Buffy, the greater good of protecting all mankind is ultimately more important than protecting any one individual. That said, you would think Buffy might be willing to take an occasional job for Kennedy as that would put her financial troubles to rest once and for all.
Also, Elder Koh betrays Buffy, and this suddenly makes the character a lot more interesting than he was before.
In issue #11 Dark Horse printed another letter of mine in which I say that I suspected from the beginning that Buffy wasn’t actually pregnant.
Also, Buffy makes a cute Star Trek reference when she says that Spike has “boldly gone where no vampire has gone before.”
Overall, it feels like Buffy has lost its groove somewhat since Spike left.
The return of Wolfram & Hart is a complete letdown, as I would have preferred to have seen Buffy actually enter one of their law offices. Instead, the law firm remains completely in the background. This had so much potential, especially since Buffy had never faced them before.
Buffy’s personal struggle is far more interesting than the mission itself. Kennedy implies that Buffy let Giles die because she was so caught up in trying to save the world, and Buffy clobbers her. Kennedy’s point is that Buffy deserves to let herself live and not be so caught up in trying to save the world all the time. She seems to think that vampires are not as pressing of an issue because humans have accepted their existence and because there is no longer any magic. Needless to say, it’s not a particularly strong argument.
Anyway, Buffy’s decision to quit at the very end makes sense because she realizes that the responsibility of protecting individuals at the expense of everything else would make it difficult for her to make the necessary sacrifices in order to stop whatever threat is occurring. In episode 5.22 The Gift, Buffy decided that she couldn’t let Dawn die even if doing so would save the world. By the end of Season 7, Buffy had evolved to the point where she would be willing to sacrifice Dawn if necessary. For Buffy, the greater good of protecting all mankind is ultimately more important than protecting any one individual. That said, you would think Buffy might be willing to take an occasional job for Kennedy as that would put her financial troubles to rest once and for all.
Also, Elder Koh betrays Buffy, and this suddenly makes the character a lot more interesting than he was before.
In issue #11 Dark Horse printed another letter of mine in which I say that I suspected from the beginning that Buffy wasn’t actually pregnant.
Also, Buffy makes a cute Star Trek reference when she says that Spike has “boldly gone where no vampire has gone before.”
Overall, it feels like Buffy has lost its groove somewhat since Spike left.
Billy The Vampire Slayer
Issues #14-15
Written by Jane Espenson
Art by Karl Moline
Buffy hits its nadir for Season Nine with this unfortunate story arc.
In issue #14, neither Buffy nor any of the other main characters appear (although Buffy’s name is mentioned). It feels like a letdown, as the new characters introduced aren’t particularly interesting.
And a gay love story? I’m sorry, but I don’t enjoy reading gay love stories (and, no, I am not a homophobe). It’s just that I’d much rather read a love story about a guy and a girl than a guy and a guy. At least the writers were kind enough to spare us a sex scene.
But if you’re going to have an issue that leaves out all of the main characters we know and love, then it better be a really good story. Unfortunately, the logic behind this story is suspect. We see zompires spreading like the plague overnight with dozens of people being turned. Shouldn’t this have started happening earlier in the season? And if zompires are now so much stronger than regular vampires were (remember that one of them easily tore off Buffy’s robotic arm), then how could a non-super-powered person like Billy become a “slayer” and be able to take them on? It feels like the writers are cheating here, that they are unmaking things up as they go along (the worst kind of writing).
Also in #14, one of the characters says, "It gets better", which is the name of a pro-gay activist campaign. The entertainment industry needs to stop making blatantly political statements like this. Unfortunately, there's no escape from it unless you simply stop reading comics or watching TV and movies altogether.
After reading #15, I was starting to feel like Dark Horse was ripping me off. It might be okay to have one issue without Buffy in it, but that should be enough to fill any quota. To have a second issue without Buffy (except for a mere cameo appearance at the end) is simply inexcusable.
It also lacks believability that Buffy would take Billy in as a slayer-in-training or whatever. Would she really allow a young high school boy who has no super powers to put his life at risk? I just don’t buy it.
It’s truly amazing the rollercoaster of highs and lows that Buffy has hit during Season Nine. It has both soared and crashed. Unfortunately, Billy The Vampire Slayer falls into the latter category.
Issues #14-15
Written by Jane Espenson
Art by Karl Moline
Buffy hits its nadir for Season Nine with this unfortunate story arc.
In issue #14, neither Buffy nor any of the other main characters appear (although Buffy’s name is mentioned). It feels like a letdown, as the new characters introduced aren’t particularly interesting.
And a gay love story? I’m sorry, but I don’t enjoy reading gay love stories (and, no, I am not a homophobe). It’s just that I’d much rather read a love story about a guy and a girl than a guy and a guy. At least the writers were kind enough to spare us a sex scene.
But if you’re going to have an issue that leaves out all of the main characters we know and love, then it better be a really good story. Unfortunately, the logic behind this story is suspect. We see zompires spreading like the plague overnight with dozens of people being turned. Shouldn’t this have started happening earlier in the season? And if zompires are now so much stronger than regular vampires were (remember that one of them easily tore off Buffy’s robotic arm), then how could a non-super-powered person like Billy become a “slayer” and be able to take them on? It feels like the writers are cheating here, that they are unmaking things up as they go along (the worst kind of writing).
Also in #14, one of the characters says, "It gets better", which is the name of a pro-gay activist campaign. The entertainment industry needs to stop making blatantly political statements like this. Unfortunately, there's no escape from it unless you simply stop reading comics or watching TV and movies altogether.
After reading #15, I was starting to feel like Dark Horse was ripping me off. It might be okay to have one issue without Buffy in it, but that should be enough to fill any quota. To have a second issue without Buffy (except for a mere cameo appearance at the end) is simply inexcusable.
It also lacks believability that Buffy would take Billy in as a slayer-in-training or whatever. Would she really allow a young high school boy who has no super powers to put his life at risk? I just don’t buy it.
It’s truly amazing the rollercoaster of highs and lows that Buffy has hit during Season Nine. It has both soared and crashed. Unfortunately, Billy The Vampire Slayer falls into the latter category.
Spike: A Dark Place
Issues #1-5
Written by Victor Gischler
Art by Paul Lee
While I thought it was a good idea for Spike to exit Buffy, I can't say I was looking forward to the Spike five-issue limited series. The Spike character works best when he has other characters from Buffy or Angel to play off of. Having him travel to the moon with his alien bugs takes this away. I can't help but think of the first IDW Angel series that came out after the Angel TV show ended. It placed Angel in a story all by himself without any of the other familiar characters, and it just wasn't that compelling.
In issue #1 there are two amusing moments that I liked. The first is when the bugs appear to be staging a mutiny against Spike and trying to kill him, and then it is revealed that they just wanted him to get "out of the dark", and they created a window that allows him to be in sunlight without burning up. The second is when the giant bugs are being eaten by a giant frog monster.
It's also worth mentioning that Spike imagines raising a child with Buffy. But Spike doesn't seem to have thought this through very well. The fact remains that he is a vampire and she is not. Thus Buffy would continue to grow old while Spike would remain the same age. So unless Spike becomes human one day (which is possible because of the Shanshue prophecy although not likely), he simply would not be good for Buffy. Angel realized this (which is why he left Sunnydale after Season 3), but Spike apparently has not.
Issues #1-5
Written by Victor Gischler
Art by Paul Lee
While I thought it was a good idea for Spike to exit Buffy, I can't say I was looking forward to the Spike five-issue limited series. The Spike character works best when he has other characters from Buffy or Angel to play off of. Having him travel to the moon with his alien bugs takes this away. I can't help but think of the first IDW Angel series that came out after the Angel TV show ended. It placed Angel in a story all by himself without any of the other familiar characters, and it just wasn't that compelling.
In issue #1 there are two amusing moments that I liked. The first is when the bugs appear to be staging a mutiny against Spike and trying to kill him, and then it is revealed that they just wanted him to get "out of the dark", and they created a window that allows him to be in sunlight without burning up. The second is when the giant bugs are being eaten by a giant frog monster.
It's also worth mentioning that Spike imagines raising a child with Buffy. But Spike doesn't seem to have thought this through very well. The fact remains that he is a vampire and she is not. Thus Buffy would continue to grow old while Spike would remain the same age. So unless Spike becomes human one day (which is possible because of the Shanshue prophecy although not likely), he simply would not be good for Buffy. Angel realized this (which is why he left Sunnydale after Season 3), but Spike apparently has not.
In issue #2 the story becomes a lot more interesting. The story is wisely moved to Earth, and we even return to Sunnydale and the location of the final battle during Season 8. An interesting new character (Morgan) is introduced, although initially I thought it might be Illyria in disguise. And the ending is great as we see the arrival of Pearl and Nash, two of the villains from Angel & Faith.
In issue #3, the flashback scene showing Spike's first meeting with Pearl and Nash is weak. The connection between Spike and the duo seems forced. In #4, Spike realizes that all the pain and heartache he has experienced with Buffy is ultimately worth it. Morgan had started to look like a promising love interest, but that prospect gets quickly tossed.
It would have been interesting to see Buffy's reaction if Spike had returned to San Francisco with a new girlfriend. It certainly could have been a new direction for Spike, which may be necessary since the Buffy/Spike love story appears to have been played out as far as it can. If the writers try to push it any further, we may get a Moonlighting-like collapse, something I've discussed previously.
Issue #5 delivers a good ending with some interesting twists. As it turns out, it isn’t a world-in-peril story at all as Morgan fails to open the Hellmouth. She and Spike wind up teaming up against the whatever it is that she unleashes. I also liked how they teased at the end that Spike and Morgan might still get together only to have Spike blow her off again. Clearly, the door is open for her to return sometime in the future. Most of all, I’m glad we will no longer have to endure the giant alien bugs as they were a little too far off the charts, in my opinion.
The most disappointing aspect of the Spike series is that the Spike character doesn’t change in any way. The writers try to give him a grand revelation when he decides that all the turmoil with Buffy has ultimately been worth it, but it feels much ado about nothing, as Spike had never really expressed any regret for getting involved with Buffy.
As for the series as a whole, I still feel somewhat mixed. Did we really need five issues (at a cost of $15) to tell this story? I think it could have easily been told in three issues or less. Ever since Crossgen Comics debuted in 2000 (which I was a huge fan of), we’ve seen an abundance of four and five-issue story arcs. I have to say I’m starting to miss the days when comics often gave you a full story in a single issue. With the Spike series, like so many others, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and it just isn’t very memorable.
In issue #3, the flashback scene showing Spike's first meeting with Pearl and Nash is weak. The connection between Spike and the duo seems forced. In #4, Spike realizes that all the pain and heartache he has experienced with Buffy is ultimately worth it. Morgan had started to look like a promising love interest, but that prospect gets quickly tossed.
It would have been interesting to see Buffy's reaction if Spike had returned to San Francisco with a new girlfriend. It certainly could have been a new direction for Spike, which may be necessary since the Buffy/Spike love story appears to have been played out as far as it can. If the writers try to push it any further, we may get a Moonlighting-like collapse, something I've discussed previously.
Issue #5 delivers a good ending with some interesting twists. As it turns out, it isn’t a world-in-peril story at all as Morgan fails to open the Hellmouth. She and Spike wind up teaming up against the whatever it is that she unleashes. I also liked how they teased at the end that Spike and Morgan might still get together only to have Spike blow her off again. Clearly, the door is open for her to return sometime in the future. Most of all, I’m glad we will no longer have to endure the giant alien bugs as they were a little too far off the charts, in my opinion.
The most disappointing aspect of the Spike series is that the Spike character doesn’t change in any way. The writers try to give him a grand revelation when he decides that all the turmoil with Buffy has ultimately been worth it, but it feels much ado about nothing, as Spike had never really expressed any regret for getting involved with Buffy.
As for the series as a whole, I still feel somewhat mixed. Did we really need five issues (at a cost of $15) to tell this story? I think it could have easily been told in three issues or less. Ever since Crossgen Comics debuted in 2000 (which I was a huge fan of), we’ve seen an abundance of four and five-issue story arcs. I have to say I’m starting to miss the days when comics often gave you a full story in a single issue. With the Spike series, like so many others, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and it just isn’t very memorable.
Willow: Wonderland
Issues #1-5
Written by Jeff Parker
Art by Brian Ching
This series is similar to Spike: A Dark Place in the sense that it feels like a long, roundabout way to tell a story that could have told in less than five issues. It’s not that it’s a bad story. It just doesn't feel all that necessary. Unfortunately, Willow in this comic doesn't look like Allyson Hannigan, and it distracts somewhat from the narrative. The covers are well-done, however.
In issue #1, Willow says that the world isn’t right due to the loss of magic. Suicide rates are up, music and poetry are going bad, and even Diet Coke doesn’t taste right. This is all very hard to believe. It would have been much more interesting if we were told that the world was in many ways better off without magic. This would at least give Willow some conflict as to the rightness of what she is trying to do.
Willow is in an alternate dimension where she is able to use magic. She befriends a demon named Marrak. They fight some other demons and eventually meet up with Willow’s ally/lover Alluywn near the end of issue #2. Alluwyn takes Willow to a coven of other witches and helps her to repair Buffy’s scythe which had been almost completely destroyed when Buffy used it to shatter the Seed.
Issues #1-5
Written by Jeff Parker
Art by Brian Ching
This series is similar to Spike: A Dark Place in the sense that it feels like a long, roundabout way to tell a story that could have told in less than five issues. It’s not that it’s a bad story. It just doesn't feel all that necessary. Unfortunately, Willow in this comic doesn't look like Allyson Hannigan, and it distracts somewhat from the narrative. The covers are well-done, however.
In issue #1, Willow says that the world isn’t right due to the loss of magic. Suicide rates are up, music and poetry are going bad, and even Diet Coke doesn’t taste right. This is all very hard to believe. It would have been much more interesting if we were told that the world was in many ways better off without magic. This would at least give Willow some conflict as to the rightness of what she is trying to do.
Willow is in an alternate dimension where she is able to use magic. She befriends a demon named Marrak. They fight some other demons and eventually meet up with Willow’s ally/lover Alluywn near the end of issue #2. Alluwyn takes Willow to a coven of other witches and helps her to repair Buffy’s scythe which had been almost completely destroyed when Buffy used it to shatter the Seed.
The coven seems to be an interesting twist on the movie Lost Horizon. In that story, there is a magical place in the mountains called Shanghri La that is accidentally discovered by some outsiders. It is a place of higher consciousness, and the outsiders soon find themselves so happy and at peace that they lose any desire to leave. Eventually, one of them does leave, but he soon regrets his decision and spends years in an obsessed attempt to find his way back. The covern in Willow: Wonderland seems to be a kind of Shangri-La, but a false one.
Willow eventually realizes this, but she never has to fight her way out of the coven; Alluwyn simply lets her leave, which ruins what could have been a great battle/conflict. I’m still not sure I buy the love story between the two (I’m also not sure that I want to). Anyway, the brief appearance of Dark Willow is a treat, and the ending is good as we get the return of Rack (who was believed to have been killed by Dark Willow).
In issue #5, Willow fails to restore magic to the Earth, but she still manages to regain her own magical powers. This has the potential to create some interesting stories down the line.
The way that Willow regains her power isn’t clear, however. This issue is filled with a lot of spiritual gobbledy-gook which, after three readings, I’m still not sure I understand.
Willow encounters a being or creature that is the “embodiment of magic” or something like that, and it decides to restore Willow’s powers or the power that was always inside her, I’m not exactly sure which.
The battle between Rack and Willow never really hits a high level of intensity. There is one interesting moment when Rack tells Willow that she wants magic back more for herself than for the good of the earth, something I’ve believed from the start.
What may be most telling is the end when Willow decides that it will be up to her to influence people using her magic, and we see her use magic on a little boy giving him the power to draw really well.
It’s actually a little disturbing, and it makes you wonder just how much Willow has actually changed since those days during Season Six when she used magic to try and solve every problem (which led to a temporary break-up with Tara).
Being a do-gooder often can cause more harm than good, and if Willow starts meddling in other people’s lives in such ways, disastrous things may happen. Suddenly, it’s not too hard to imagine her falling again and become Dark Willow once more.
Overall, a satisfying conclusion, but most of the past five issues seem like a blur. Couldn’t this story have been told in two or three issues? I’m not sure it was worth paying $15 for.
At the risk of sounding repetitive, both the Willow and Spike series confirm that the characters of the Buffyverse come off best when they have other familiar characters around them that they can play off of. When you place Willow and Spike in a setting completely removed from all the other characters, it's just not as interesting.
Willow eventually realizes this, but she never has to fight her way out of the coven; Alluwyn simply lets her leave, which ruins what could have been a great battle/conflict. I’m still not sure I buy the love story between the two (I’m also not sure that I want to). Anyway, the brief appearance of Dark Willow is a treat, and the ending is good as we get the return of Rack (who was believed to have been killed by Dark Willow).
In issue #5, Willow fails to restore magic to the Earth, but she still manages to regain her own magical powers. This has the potential to create some interesting stories down the line.
The way that Willow regains her power isn’t clear, however. This issue is filled with a lot of spiritual gobbledy-gook which, after three readings, I’m still not sure I understand.
Willow encounters a being or creature that is the “embodiment of magic” or something like that, and it decides to restore Willow’s powers or the power that was always inside her, I’m not exactly sure which.
The battle between Rack and Willow never really hits a high level of intensity. There is one interesting moment when Rack tells Willow that she wants magic back more for herself than for the good of the earth, something I’ve believed from the start.
What may be most telling is the end when Willow decides that it will be up to her to influence people using her magic, and we see her use magic on a little boy giving him the power to draw really well.
It’s actually a little disturbing, and it makes you wonder just how much Willow has actually changed since those days during Season Six when she used magic to try and solve every problem (which led to a temporary break-up with Tara).
Being a do-gooder often can cause more harm than good, and if Willow starts meddling in other people’s lives in such ways, disastrous things may happen. Suddenly, it’s not too hard to imagine her falling again and become Dark Willow once more.
Overall, a satisfying conclusion, but most of the past five issues seem like a blur. Couldn’t this story have been told in two or three issues? I’m not sure it was worth paying $15 for.
At the risk of sounding repetitive, both the Willow and Spike series confirm that the characters of the Buffyverse come off best when they have other familiar characters around them that they can play off of. When you place Willow and Spike in a setting completely removed from all the other characters, it's just not as interesting.
Welcome To The Team
Buffy #16-19
Written by Andrew Chambliss
Art by Georges Jeanty
On first reading, #16 comes across as better than it actually is. It's a solid issue, but not spectacular. The reason it initially seems so good is because the two previous issues were so atrocious.
It's great to finally have the return of Xander and Dawn, and it feels like the Scooby gang is back. Xander asks Dawn in a roundabout way if she is pregnant, and the two of them seem to be getting along okay despite the signs of trouble early on. The big question is whether or not Xander is ready to commit to marriage or whether he is still haunted by the same demons that caused him to leave Anya at the altar. This would be a really interesting issue to explore. The hints of a Buffy-Dowling romance are scary, but it appears that was just a tease as Dowling is likely dead or a zompire. Hopefully, Billy and his "Watcher" will not be around for the long haul. Thankfully, their role in this issue is fairly small.
The ending is solid as we see the long-awaited return of Illyria, the ancient demon god that killed Fred and took over her body during Season 5 of Angel. Again, the comic book format works especially well because it's easy to have crossovers, something that rarely happened on TV due to scheduling conflicts.
In #17, we finally see what the problem has been between Xander and Dawn. It seems that Xander has had trouble adjusting to a normal life, not going on patrols and no longer being in the line of fire. And Dawn’s illness is revealed to be something more than just the flu, as she passes out in the hospital and stops breathing.
In a battle with zompires, Buffy gets teleported away and Dowling gets severely wounded as a result. I was a little disappointed that he didn’t meet his maker. Buffy’s meeting with the Council of demons is interesting, which includes the return of D’Hoffryn (the vengeance demon who gave Anya her powers). The story pushes the theme that Buffy has made the world worse by bringing an end to all magic. As I’ve said previously, I have a big problem with this argument. Given how many people have used magic for evil purposes over the years, you could make a good argument that the benefits of what Buffy has done far outweigh any negatives, yet the writers have never even tried to explore this.
By #18, Buffy finally feels back on track. Severin appears to be more misguided than evil, as he’s simply trying to bring his dead girlfriend back to life. It’s nice to see the return of Andrew, and we are teased that Dawn may be turned into a Dawnbot, but this turns out to be a swerve.
The illness that has taken over Dawn appears to be supernatural, so Xander’s hope of getting Dawn out of harm’s way has all been for naught. It looks like Buffy’s loved ones will always be targets simply by their association with her. There may be no safe haven for any of them. It would be interesting if the writers explored this further.
Anaheed saves Billy from a horde of vampires. So Anaheed is a slayer, huh? We learn that Anaheed was from the Chicago squad, but she stayed loyal to Buffy. Funny, I don’t recall any mention of a Chicago squad. Anyway, I was disappointed in this revelation as I was kinda hoping Billy would get killed off. Anaheed’s explanation of how she has been watching over Buffy has a serious flaw. How is it that Buffy just happened to choose the apartment that she was living in?
I suspected that Dawn’s illness could be the thing that creates a rift between Xander and Buffy, and it turns out I was correct. It all makes sense now given that Dawn was a magical key; she is fading away because magic is what created her. Buffy’s first reaction is to blame Severin, but then she realizes it is her fault because she destroyed the Seed. There is a great scene where Xander lashes out at Buffy, and he mentions the cosmic hanky-panky she had with Angel which caused all the havoc to start. Buffy falls back on the fact that she didn’t have total control over her actions, although the confusing logic of the Twilight arc only muddles this up. Xander really stings her when he says that no matter how many times she saves the world, she keeps making it worse.
Illyira loses her powers to Severin, and she looks exactly like Fred now. Unfortunately, the Illyria character doesn’t work so well on Buffy. She was much better in Angel when she had Wesely to play off of.
It’s becoming clear now where the season is going, with Severin and Simone as the Big Bads. Unfortunately, they’re hands down the worst Big Bads in Buffy history.
Still, a strong story arc, and you have to like the overall direction the series is headed.
Buffy #16-19
Written by Andrew Chambliss
Art by Georges Jeanty
On first reading, #16 comes across as better than it actually is. It's a solid issue, but not spectacular. The reason it initially seems so good is because the two previous issues were so atrocious.
It's great to finally have the return of Xander and Dawn, and it feels like the Scooby gang is back. Xander asks Dawn in a roundabout way if she is pregnant, and the two of them seem to be getting along okay despite the signs of trouble early on. The big question is whether or not Xander is ready to commit to marriage or whether he is still haunted by the same demons that caused him to leave Anya at the altar. This would be a really interesting issue to explore. The hints of a Buffy-Dowling romance are scary, but it appears that was just a tease as Dowling is likely dead or a zompire. Hopefully, Billy and his "Watcher" will not be around for the long haul. Thankfully, their role in this issue is fairly small.
The ending is solid as we see the long-awaited return of Illyria, the ancient demon god that killed Fred and took over her body during Season 5 of Angel. Again, the comic book format works especially well because it's easy to have crossovers, something that rarely happened on TV due to scheduling conflicts.
In #17, we finally see what the problem has been between Xander and Dawn. It seems that Xander has had trouble adjusting to a normal life, not going on patrols and no longer being in the line of fire. And Dawn’s illness is revealed to be something more than just the flu, as she passes out in the hospital and stops breathing.
In a battle with zompires, Buffy gets teleported away and Dowling gets severely wounded as a result. I was a little disappointed that he didn’t meet his maker. Buffy’s meeting with the Council of demons is interesting, which includes the return of D’Hoffryn (the vengeance demon who gave Anya her powers). The story pushes the theme that Buffy has made the world worse by bringing an end to all magic. As I’ve said previously, I have a big problem with this argument. Given how many people have used magic for evil purposes over the years, you could make a good argument that the benefits of what Buffy has done far outweigh any negatives, yet the writers have never even tried to explore this.
By #18, Buffy finally feels back on track. Severin appears to be more misguided than evil, as he’s simply trying to bring his dead girlfriend back to life. It’s nice to see the return of Andrew, and we are teased that Dawn may be turned into a Dawnbot, but this turns out to be a swerve.
The illness that has taken over Dawn appears to be supernatural, so Xander’s hope of getting Dawn out of harm’s way has all been for naught. It looks like Buffy’s loved ones will always be targets simply by their association with her. There may be no safe haven for any of them. It would be interesting if the writers explored this further.
Anaheed saves Billy from a horde of vampires. So Anaheed is a slayer, huh? We learn that Anaheed was from the Chicago squad, but she stayed loyal to Buffy. Funny, I don’t recall any mention of a Chicago squad. Anyway, I was disappointed in this revelation as I was kinda hoping Billy would get killed off. Anaheed’s explanation of how she has been watching over Buffy has a serious flaw. How is it that Buffy just happened to choose the apartment that she was living in?
I suspected that Dawn’s illness could be the thing that creates a rift between Xander and Buffy, and it turns out I was correct. It all makes sense now given that Dawn was a magical key; she is fading away because magic is what created her. Buffy’s first reaction is to blame Severin, but then she realizes it is her fault because she destroyed the Seed. There is a great scene where Xander lashes out at Buffy, and he mentions the cosmic hanky-panky she had with Angel which caused all the havoc to start. Buffy falls back on the fact that she didn’t have total control over her actions, although the confusing logic of the Twilight arc only muddles this up. Xander really stings her when he says that no matter how many times she saves the world, she keeps making it worse.
Illyira loses her powers to Severin, and she looks exactly like Fred now. Unfortunately, the Illyria character doesn’t work so well on Buffy. She was much better in Angel when she had Wesely to play off of.
It’s becoming clear now where the season is going, with Severin and Simone as the Big Bads. Unfortunately, they’re hands down the worst Big Bads in Buffy history.
Still, a strong story arc, and you have to like the overall direction the series is headed.
The Watcher
Issue #20
Written by Andrew Chambliss
Art by Georges Jeanty
This is my favorite issue of Season Nine, at least on the Buffy side of it.
Issue #20
Written by Andrew Chambliss
Art by Georges Jeanty
This is my favorite issue of Season Nine, at least on the Buffy side of it.
There’s a cool flashback in the beginning that shows what happened after Buffy destroyed the Seed in 8.39. We learn that Xander was on the verge of killing Angel, but Buffy stopped him. It’s evidence that Buffy still loves Angel, because she couldn’t let him die even after he killed Giles. Most of all, we learn that this is the moment that Xander’s frustration began to build. I was always disappointed that we never got to see what happened in those moments after Buffy destroyed the seed. This fills in some blanks that really needed to be filled. The alternate cover for this issue is also good as it gives us a portrait of this moment, right after the Seed was destroyed.
The title of this issue, “The Watcher”, is fitting because it takes us back to a theme that was first presented in episode 7.12 Potential in which Xander tells Dawn how hard it’s been to always be on the sidelines, watching everything that happens. In that episode, Xander seemed to have accepted his "watching" role, but we learn that since he failed to save Giles he now sees this as an ever-growing, unbearable burden.
There is a hilarious scene in which Xander refuses to talk to Buffy, and Andrew repeats everything that Xander says. Andrew still has great potential as a humorous character, and I hope he sticks around for awhile.
Xander gets captured by Severin and Simone Doffler, and we get the most interesting scenes yet involving the two. It's not enough to get me excited about the characters, but their plan to go back in time and stop Twilight is intriguing. Severin and Simone cleverly exploit Xander’s feelings of uselessness which is important because it is this, along with Xander's anger towards Buffy, that makes the whole scenario believable.
The final page in which Xander agrees to help them is a powerful moment, one of the best of Season Nine.
It should be noted that Xander is the only member of the Scooby Gang up to this point who has never betrayed Buffy. Giles and Willow have (Giles in episode 3.12 Helpless and Willow at the end of Season Six), but not Xander. Although Severin and Simone cleverly frame it as something that will help Buffy, there of course are a number of things that could go horribly wrong. So make no mistake. Xander doing this is a really big deal and something that will have huge ramifications in the future.
As great as this issue this, there is one major downside: It establishes Severin and Simone Douffler as the Big Bads of Season Nine. I've already talked about the problems with Severin, mainly that his motivations are too small for a Big Bad (He wants to bring his dead girlfriend back to life).
But Simone Douffler has problems of her own, mostly that the character has never been fleshed out. She does have some similarities with Magneto (the main villain of the X-Men) which was indicated in 8.23 (Predators and Prey) where she argues that Slayers should take out the humans before the humans can take them out. Still, this isn't enough. The reason Magneto works as a character is because we know of his past in which he was in a Nazi concentration camp where he watched his entire family be killed by the Nazis. And even though Magneto does evil things, he clearly does them out of a desire to protect other Mutants. This makes the character sympathetic and believable.
With Douffler, we know nothing about her past. We know nothing about what made her into the person she currently is. And we never get the impression that she has any concern for the other Slayers. She just comes across as a bully who wants power for the sake of power. While Magneto seems like an actual person, Douffler is little more than a cartoon character.
And although the entire Earth will be put in danger due to the actions of Severin and Douffler, the problem is that this all happens unintentionally. This gives the upcoming story less power than it otherwise would have.
Even though we are now given a clear indication of how Season Six will finish, it seems to come out of left-field. Normally, it's common to spend the entire season slowly building toward the climax, but Severin hasn't appeared since issue 4 and Douffler hasn't appeared since issue 10. Until now, there has been no sense of where everything is going, and it's just not the ideal way to bring it all to a close.
Finally, there is one more problem with Severin and Douffler: Buffy's battle with them isn't personal. The best season ending battles occur when Buffy's conflict with the Big Bad is personal rather than impersonal. You could argue that her final battles with the Master, Angelus, Faith, Glory, and Dark Willow were personal, while the battles with the Mayor, Adam, the First Evil and Twilight were impersonal. And that is why all of Buffy's battles with the former have been much better than her battles with the latter.
To give one specific example, in Season Five, Glory not only threatens to destroy the world, but she also injures Tara, turning her into a mental cripple and in the process bringing great pain to Willow and also Buffy as well. Even worse, Glory kidnaps Dawn and plans to kill her. In response, Buffy makes it clear that she is determined to save Dawn no matter what the cost. The final fight scene between the two of them (5.22 The Gift) is absolutely amazing, perhaps the best battle of the entire series. Why is this the case? Well, it's not just due to great choreography. A big reason is that it is just so personal. Glory is determined to kill Dawn, Buffy is determined to stop her, and no compromise between the two of them is possible.
In contrast, Buffy's conflict with Severin and Douffler is clearly impersonal. To start, the duo's grand scheme at the end isn't even a direct attack on Buffy (although it involves manipulating Xander). Now, it is true that Severin and Douffler have both tried to kill Buffy earlier in the season, and this certainly could have made the conflict between them personal. But is Buffy angry with them for these attempts on her life? No, not really. Is Buffy obsessed with hunting them both down, spending the entire season on their trail? No, she quickly forgets about them and goes on her merry little way. This not only makes the season story arc uneven but makes her battle with them at the end of the season less dramatic and far less interesting than it could have been.
The title of this issue, “The Watcher”, is fitting because it takes us back to a theme that was first presented in episode 7.12 Potential in which Xander tells Dawn how hard it’s been to always be on the sidelines, watching everything that happens. In that episode, Xander seemed to have accepted his "watching" role, but we learn that since he failed to save Giles he now sees this as an ever-growing, unbearable burden.
There is a hilarious scene in which Xander refuses to talk to Buffy, and Andrew repeats everything that Xander says. Andrew still has great potential as a humorous character, and I hope he sticks around for awhile.
Xander gets captured by Severin and Simone Doffler, and we get the most interesting scenes yet involving the two. It's not enough to get me excited about the characters, but their plan to go back in time and stop Twilight is intriguing. Severin and Simone cleverly exploit Xander’s feelings of uselessness which is important because it is this, along with Xander's anger towards Buffy, that makes the whole scenario believable.
The final page in which Xander agrees to help them is a powerful moment, one of the best of Season Nine.
It should be noted that Xander is the only member of the Scooby Gang up to this point who has never betrayed Buffy. Giles and Willow have (Giles in episode 3.12 Helpless and Willow at the end of Season Six), but not Xander. Although Severin and Simone cleverly frame it as something that will help Buffy, there of course are a number of things that could go horribly wrong. So make no mistake. Xander doing this is a really big deal and something that will have huge ramifications in the future.
As great as this issue this, there is one major downside: It establishes Severin and Simone Douffler as the Big Bads of Season Nine. I've already talked about the problems with Severin, mainly that his motivations are too small for a Big Bad (He wants to bring his dead girlfriend back to life).
But Simone Douffler has problems of her own, mostly that the character has never been fleshed out. She does have some similarities with Magneto (the main villain of the X-Men) which was indicated in 8.23 (Predators and Prey) where she argues that Slayers should take out the humans before the humans can take them out. Still, this isn't enough. The reason Magneto works as a character is because we know of his past in which he was in a Nazi concentration camp where he watched his entire family be killed by the Nazis. And even though Magneto does evil things, he clearly does them out of a desire to protect other Mutants. This makes the character sympathetic and believable.
With Douffler, we know nothing about her past. We know nothing about what made her into the person she currently is. And we never get the impression that she has any concern for the other Slayers. She just comes across as a bully who wants power for the sake of power. While Magneto seems like an actual person, Douffler is little more than a cartoon character.
And although the entire Earth will be put in danger due to the actions of Severin and Douffler, the problem is that this all happens unintentionally. This gives the upcoming story less power than it otherwise would have.
Even though we are now given a clear indication of how Season Six will finish, it seems to come out of left-field. Normally, it's common to spend the entire season slowly building toward the climax, but Severin hasn't appeared since issue 4 and Douffler hasn't appeared since issue 10. Until now, there has been no sense of where everything is going, and it's just not the ideal way to bring it all to a close.
Finally, there is one more problem with Severin and Douffler: Buffy's battle with them isn't personal. The best season ending battles occur when Buffy's conflict with the Big Bad is personal rather than impersonal. You could argue that her final battles with the Master, Angelus, Faith, Glory, and Dark Willow were personal, while the battles with the Mayor, Adam, the First Evil and Twilight were impersonal. And that is why all of Buffy's battles with the former have been much better than her battles with the latter.
To give one specific example, in Season Five, Glory not only threatens to destroy the world, but she also injures Tara, turning her into a mental cripple and in the process bringing great pain to Willow and also Buffy as well. Even worse, Glory kidnaps Dawn and plans to kill her. In response, Buffy makes it clear that she is determined to save Dawn no matter what the cost. The final fight scene between the two of them (5.22 The Gift) is absolutely amazing, perhaps the best battle of the entire series. Why is this the case? Well, it's not just due to great choreography. A big reason is that it is just so personal. Glory is determined to kill Dawn, Buffy is determined to stop her, and no compromise between the two of them is possible.
In contrast, Buffy's conflict with Severin and Douffler is clearly impersonal. To start, the duo's grand scheme at the end isn't even a direct attack on Buffy (although it involves manipulating Xander). Now, it is true that Severin and Douffler have both tried to kill Buffy earlier in the season, and this certainly could have made the conflict between them personal. But is Buffy angry with them for these attempts on her life? No, not really. Is Buffy obsessed with hunting them both down, spending the entire season on their trail? No, she quickly forgets about them and goes on her merry little way. This not only makes the season story arc uneven but makes her battle with them at the end of the season less dramatic and far less interesting than it could have been.
The Core
Issue #21-25
Written by Andrew Chambliss
Art by Georges Jeanty
In issue #21, Buffy finds Xander beaten up, and he tells her that Severin and Simone tried to get him to betray her. You get the impression that Xander was simply playing along with the two and was lying when he agreed to help them. Unfortunately, this turns out to not be the case as Xander does indeed betray Buffy.
Another interesting aspect is the return of Spike and his concern for Dawn. This seems a little forced, though, because the relationship between the two had been pretty cold since the end of Season Six when Dawn learned that Spike tried to rape Buffy.
The fact that Buffy and friends went to England made me suspect we would get some kind of crossover between Buffy and Angel & Faith to end the season, but no such luck.
Issue #21-25
Written by Andrew Chambliss
Art by Georges Jeanty
In issue #21, Buffy finds Xander beaten up, and he tells her that Severin and Simone tried to get him to betray her. You get the impression that Xander was simply playing along with the two and was lying when he agreed to help them. Unfortunately, this turns out to not be the case as Xander does indeed betray Buffy.
Another interesting aspect is the return of Spike and his concern for Dawn. This seems a little forced, though, because the relationship between the two had been pretty cold since the end of Season Six when Dawn learned that Spike tried to rape Buffy.
The fact that Buffy and friends went to England made me suspect we would get some kind of crossover between Buffy and Angel & Faith to end the season, but no such luck.
In #22, there is a nice moment between Buffy and Koh. When Koh says his family was killed and he was blamed for their deaths, Buffy says, “Sorry you got Shawshanked…” Buffyspeak is always fun. Xander eventually admits that he betrayed Buffy, and they learn that Severin could rip the universe apart. Great line from Buffy at the end: “Now we have to save the world. Again.”
In #23, we are told that Buffy convinced D’Hoffryn to let her enter the Well to help defeat Severin. I find this a little hard to believe, but it does move the story forward. Buffy reveals to Willow that she was hurt when Willow left without saying goodbye. Simone emerges as a Slaypire, one of the ugliest, most gruesome looking demons we’ve ever seen.
In #24, Simone thanks Buffy for being so pessimistic. By eliminating magic, she gave Simone the chance to become the most powerful being on Earth. Simone tosses Xander into the abyss, and it’s just enough to make you think this could be the end for him. The battle with Simone is spectacular as Buffy sends them both plunging into the abyss as well. In a nice flashback moment, Illyria uses Wesely as an example of the importance of letting go in order to find peace. As a result, Severin is finally able to let Clare (his dead girlfriend) go. Interestingly, Wesely doesn’t look at all like actor Alexis Denisof, and it’s hard not to assume this is because Dark Horse didn’t want to pay a licensing fee to use the actor’s likeness since the character only appears in a few panels. Finally, #24 concludes with a powerful image of Simone holding the scythe with Buffy impaled on it.
In #25, Severin and Illyria sacrifice themselves, using his power on the new Seed which restores magic to the world. Buffy kills Simone with the scythe, and I don’t think I’ve ever been so glad to see a Big Bad bite the dust. Buffy survives the Chernoble-like explosion without any explanation as to how. The ending of the comic is especially interesting, as Buffy quickly forgives Xander for betraying her, but there are hints that Xander won’t be able to forgive himself, and this could adversely affect his relationship with Dawn. The Vampyre book is now blank, and we learn why. A newly sired vampire no longer turns into a zompire but is impervious to light and can transform into a bat. This is very intriguing and has great story possibilities for Season Ten.
I was a little disappointed with the death of Illyria. She was a very interesting character, although she worked best when she had Wesely to play off of. If the writers weren’t going to bring Wesely back to life, then perhaps it’s best to give her the sendoff. Of course, it’s always possible that the writers could find some way to resurrect Illyria, as death seems to be less and less permanent these days, but this is the kind of thing that could really damage the series if they keep doing it. If death becomes a complete joke, then the battles simply won’t be as dramatic.
A good story arc and a good finish, but all in all, a disappointing Season Nine, at least for the Buffy half of it.
In #23, we are told that Buffy convinced D’Hoffryn to let her enter the Well to help defeat Severin. I find this a little hard to believe, but it does move the story forward. Buffy reveals to Willow that she was hurt when Willow left without saying goodbye. Simone emerges as a Slaypire, one of the ugliest, most gruesome looking demons we’ve ever seen.
In #24, Simone thanks Buffy for being so pessimistic. By eliminating magic, she gave Simone the chance to become the most powerful being on Earth. Simone tosses Xander into the abyss, and it’s just enough to make you think this could be the end for him. The battle with Simone is spectacular as Buffy sends them both plunging into the abyss as well. In a nice flashback moment, Illyria uses Wesely as an example of the importance of letting go in order to find peace. As a result, Severin is finally able to let Clare (his dead girlfriend) go. Interestingly, Wesely doesn’t look at all like actor Alexis Denisof, and it’s hard not to assume this is because Dark Horse didn’t want to pay a licensing fee to use the actor’s likeness since the character only appears in a few panels. Finally, #24 concludes with a powerful image of Simone holding the scythe with Buffy impaled on it.
In #25, Severin and Illyria sacrifice themselves, using his power on the new Seed which restores magic to the world. Buffy kills Simone with the scythe, and I don’t think I’ve ever been so glad to see a Big Bad bite the dust. Buffy survives the Chernoble-like explosion without any explanation as to how. The ending of the comic is especially interesting, as Buffy quickly forgives Xander for betraying her, but there are hints that Xander won’t be able to forgive himself, and this could adversely affect his relationship with Dawn. The Vampyre book is now blank, and we learn why. A newly sired vampire no longer turns into a zompire but is impervious to light and can transform into a bat. This is very intriguing and has great story possibilities for Season Ten.
I was a little disappointed with the death of Illyria. She was a very interesting character, although she worked best when she had Wesely to play off of. If the writers weren’t going to bring Wesely back to life, then perhaps it’s best to give her the sendoff. Of course, it’s always possible that the writers could find some way to resurrect Illyria, as death seems to be less and less permanent these days, but this is the kind of thing that could really damage the series if they keep doing it. If death becomes a complete joke, then the battles simply won’t be as dramatic.
A good story arc and a good finish, but all in all, a disappointing Season Nine, at least for the Buffy half of it.
Angel & Faith
Live Through This
Issues #1-4
Written by Christos Gage
Art by Rebekah Isaacs
The series gets off to a resounding start, partly because of the story and partly because of the tremendous artwork of Rebekah Isaacs. It’s a bit odd seeing Angel in London, and you can’t help but wish they had kept the character in Los Angeles, but it still works well enough.
Issues #1-4
Written by Christos Gage
Art by Rebekah Isaacs
The series gets off to a resounding start, partly because of the story and partly because of the tremendous artwork of Rebekah Isaacs. It’s a bit odd seeing Angel in London, and you can’t help but wish they had kept the character in Los Angeles, but it still works well enough.
The story begins with a great flashback involving Rupert Giles. We see him save a young girl who is possessed by a demon. Unable to kill it, he has to keep it imprisoned inside her. Then we flashforward to the present where Angel and Faith are fighting the same demon. Angel saves the girl by biting her neck, strangely enough, and it causes Faith to question whether she can trust him.
Part of what makes the series so compelling is Faith’s internal struggle over how to deal with Angel. She feels indebted to him because he saved her life, and so she goes along with him on things that others likely wouldn’t.
The return of Whistler is intriguing, as this was a character that was never really defined during his brief appearance on Buffy during Season Two. He and Hall and Nash will turn out to be great villains.
Another new character is the slayer Nadira, an Indian girl that Faith befriends who is determined to kill Angel to get revenge for all the girls who died in battle. Without a doubt, Angel & Faith was much more successful at creating new interesting characters this season than Buffy was.
We also get some nice flashbacks in #1 such as the Angel killing Jenny Calendar and Giles, as well as Los Angeles in a hell dimension from the Angel: After The Fall comic series.
One thing that bothered me is that Angel says that he believed he had to be Twilight in order to save the world. I recall Whistler telling him that he had to be Twilight in order to save Buffy from being killed. It feels like history is being rewritten here, and it’s for the worse because it gives Angel an easy out for his actions since, hey, he believed the world was in peril. If he was just out to save Buffy, then it makes his actions far more irresponsible and his guilt more believable.
In issue #2, Angel reveals that Giles can be brought back to life because he did not die a natural death. Longtime fans will recall that Willow made the same argument when it came to resurrecting Buffy (in episode 6.1 Bargaining Part One). There is another nice Giles flashback in which Faith tells him that she feels zero guilt over killing the Deputy Mayor (in episode 3.14 Bad Girls), but she’s still haunted over her murder of Professor Worth (in episode 3.21 Graduation Day, Part One).
Part of what makes the series so compelling is Faith’s internal struggle over how to deal with Angel. She feels indebted to him because he saved her life, and so she goes along with him on things that others likely wouldn’t.
The return of Whistler is intriguing, as this was a character that was never really defined during his brief appearance on Buffy during Season Two. He and Hall and Nash will turn out to be great villains.
Another new character is the slayer Nadira, an Indian girl that Faith befriends who is determined to kill Angel to get revenge for all the girls who died in battle. Without a doubt, Angel & Faith was much more successful at creating new interesting characters this season than Buffy was.
We also get some nice flashbacks in #1 such as the Angel killing Jenny Calendar and Giles, as well as Los Angeles in a hell dimension from the Angel: After The Fall comic series.
One thing that bothered me is that Angel says that he believed he had to be Twilight in order to save the world. I recall Whistler telling him that he had to be Twilight in order to save Buffy from being killed. It feels like history is being rewritten here, and it’s for the worse because it gives Angel an easy out for his actions since, hey, he believed the world was in peril. If he was just out to save Buffy, then it makes his actions far more irresponsible and his guilt more believable.
In issue #2, Angel reveals that Giles can be brought back to life because he did not die a natural death. Longtime fans will recall that Willow made the same argument when it came to resurrecting Buffy (in episode 6.1 Bargaining Part One). There is another nice Giles flashback in which Faith tells him that she feels zero guilt over killing the Deputy Mayor (in episode 3.14 Bad Girls), but she’s still haunted over her murder of Professor Worth (in episode 3.21 Graduation Day, Part One).
Angel thinks he can use the blood of a Mohra demon to resurrect Giles. In the Angel episode 1.8 I Will Remember You, Angel temporarily becomes human after being exposed to the blood of a Mohra demon. This gives Faith the idea that she might be able to save Angel by turning him human.
There are also some fun moments, such as when a fight is hinted to start, and the scene then cuts to later showing Angel and Faith with their faces bruised up. Also, Faith sorta breaks the fourth wall when, after Angel mentions what happened to him with the Mohra blood, she says, “I missed a whole damn season.”
The fight at the party with Pearl and Nash in issues #3 and #4 is thrilling, especially the twist about the Mohra blood. Faith was just about to splash the Mohra blood on Angel when they learn that the Mohra blood no longer heals; instead it subjects its recipients to agonizing torture.
In the final scene Angel suddenly talks like Giles when he asks Faith for “a spot of tea.” Faith’s reaction indicates that there’s more going on here than meets the eye.
Finally, the main cover for issue #1 has Angel looking the same age as he did during Season 2 of Buffy. I think it would have been wise to depict him at this age, but the comic makes him look much older.
There are also some fun moments, such as when a fight is hinted to start, and the scene then cuts to later showing Angel and Faith with their faces bruised up. Also, Faith sorta breaks the fourth wall when, after Angel mentions what happened to him with the Mohra blood, she says, “I missed a whole damn season.”
The fight at the party with Pearl and Nash in issues #3 and #4 is thrilling, especially the twist about the Mohra blood. Faith was just about to splash the Mohra blood on Angel when they learn that the Mohra blood no longer heals; instead it subjects its recipients to agonizing torture.
In the final scene Angel suddenly talks like Giles when he asks Faith for “a spot of tea.” Faith’s reaction indicates that there’s more going on here than meets the eye.
Finally, the main cover for issue #1 has Angel looking the same age as he did during Season 2 of Buffy. I think it would have been wise to depict him at this age, but the comic makes him look much older.
In Perfect Harmony
Issue #5
Written by Christos Gage
Art by Phil Noto
One of the drawbacks of studying the art of writing as I have is that it often enables you to figure out what direction a story is going in and sometimes predict what the big surprise is. When Angel and Faith's investigation into who was blackmailing Harmony clearly wasn't going anywhere, I figured that Clem was the guilty party. And I was right.
I've never been a big fan of Clem as I've never cared much for "good" demons (with the exceptions of Angel, Spike and Lorne), as the whole concept seems to go against the mythology established in the very first episode of Buffy. And if some demons are good, then how can Buffy justify killing certain ones? Isn't it possible that she has killed demons that appeared to be a threat but actually weren't? If some demons are capable of being good, then is it fair to kill them and thus deny them any chance for redemption? (And am I the only one who notices the irony of Clem being Harmony's best buddy when he was once Spike's best buddy?)
Still, an entertaining story with a great ending, despite some mediocre artwork by Phil Noto (who has also done a number of mediocre Buffy covers). It shows that the Harmony character can really shine in the right situation, as this is a huge improvement over her last appearance in 8.21 Harmonic Convergence.
Finally, it was interesting how Harmony advised Angel to let go of his past just as she has. Her advice is correct, although the irony is that it's much easier for her to follow it due to the fact that she lacks a conscience. Thus, for Angel, letting go is much easier said than done.
Issue #5
Written by Christos Gage
Art by Phil Noto
One of the drawbacks of studying the art of writing as I have is that it often enables you to figure out what direction a story is going in and sometimes predict what the big surprise is. When Angel and Faith's investigation into who was blackmailing Harmony clearly wasn't going anywhere, I figured that Clem was the guilty party. And I was right.
I've never been a big fan of Clem as I've never cared much for "good" demons (with the exceptions of Angel, Spike and Lorne), as the whole concept seems to go against the mythology established in the very first episode of Buffy. And if some demons are good, then how can Buffy justify killing certain ones? Isn't it possible that she has killed demons that appeared to be a threat but actually weren't? If some demons are capable of being good, then is it fair to kill them and thus deny them any chance for redemption? (And am I the only one who notices the irony of Clem being Harmony's best buddy when he was once Spike's best buddy?)
Still, an entertaining story with a great ending, despite some mediocre artwork by Phil Noto (who has also done a number of mediocre Buffy covers). It shows that the Harmony character can really shine in the right situation, as this is a huge improvement over her last appearance in 8.21 Harmonic Convergence.
Finally, it was interesting how Harmony advised Angel to let go of his past just as she has. Her advice is correct, although the irony is that it's much easier for her to follow it due to the fact that she lacks a conscience. Thus, for Angel, letting go is much easier said than done.
Daddy Issues
Issues #6-9
Written by Christos Gage
Art by Rebekah Isaacs
The story begins with a great Giles flashback, showing him as a young boy. Several of his fellow schoolmates die on a patrol fighting a Lorophage demon which feeds on trauma, whatever exactly that means.
The lorophage demon appears in the present and we disocover that it has made Drusilla sane. Drusilla’s return is a delight, and she remains as interesting as she ever was. Ironically, being relieved of her pain and insanity allows her to forgive Angel for what he did to her. The flashbacks we see of her are also really well done.
Issues #6-9
Written by Christos Gage
Art by Rebekah Isaacs
The story begins with a great Giles flashback, showing him as a young boy. Several of his fellow schoolmates die on a patrol fighting a Lorophage demon which feeds on trauma, whatever exactly that means.
The lorophage demon appears in the present and we disocover that it has made Drusilla sane. Drusilla’s return is a delight, and she remains as interesting as she ever was. Ironically, being relieved of her pain and insanity allows her to forgive Angel for what he did to her. The flashbacks we see of her are also really well done.
At one point, Angel says he hates churches because he killed so many people inside them. It’s interesting that the character is searching for redemption yet shows no signs of religious belief. Wouldn’t God be the one to redeem him?
We also discover that Angel is wearing a talisman called the Tooth of Ammut, a magnet for fragments of the spirit. Fragments of Giles’s soul are being drawn into Angel, of which there are nine fragments total, and this would explain why he was starting to sound like Giles at the end of #4 when he asked Faith for tea.
The entrance of Faith’s father makes for a nice parallel storyline since Angel can be said to be Drusilla’s father because he sired her. Of course, it quickly becomes clear that her father is going to cause trouble. The battle with the Irish mobsters in pretty gruesome as Faith uses a sword to cut off the leader’s hand. Faith’s confrontation with her father afterwards is pretty powerful as she says that Mayor Wilkins was more of a father to her than he was.
I had some problems with the idea of the Lorophage demon draining people’s negative emotions, since emotions are not a physical thing, but I guess I can live with it since it’s a fantasy story.
However, Daddy Issues still has one tremendous fail: The argument Angel makes that guilt and emotional pain make us better people. This is absurd and makes no sense whatsoever. Every spiritual teaching I know says that we are not obligated to guilt trip ourselves forever. While we should acknowledge our mistakes, we do ourselves no good by continually beating ourselves up over them. The correct course of action is to forgive ourselves and simply vow to do better. That is all anyone can do.
But Angel tells Faith that she has lost something because she now feels happy, that she was better off feeling deep guilt over her past crimes. In the end, Faith begrudgingly agrees with him, but I still don’t see why. Angel even argues that guilt is what keeps him from turning into Angelus again. But isn’t his soul the reason for that?
Ultimately, the best stories are the ones that tell uplifting, universal truths. And the message that we should spend our lives wallowing in guilt is certainly not universal and certainly not uplifting.
This poor ending damages Daddy Issues and prevents it from rising to the level of greatness; instead, it’s simply very good.
We also discover that Angel is wearing a talisman called the Tooth of Ammut, a magnet for fragments of the spirit. Fragments of Giles’s soul are being drawn into Angel, of which there are nine fragments total, and this would explain why he was starting to sound like Giles at the end of #4 when he asked Faith for tea.
The entrance of Faith’s father makes for a nice parallel storyline since Angel can be said to be Drusilla’s father because he sired her. Of course, it quickly becomes clear that her father is going to cause trouble. The battle with the Irish mobsters in pretty gruesome as Faith uses a sword to cut off the leader’s hand. Faith’s confrontation with her father afterwards is pretty powerful as she says that Mayor Wilkins was more of a father to her than he was.
I had some problems with the idea of the Lorophage demon draining people’s negative emotions, since emotions are not a physical thing, but I guess I can live with it since it’s a fantasy story.
However, Daddy Issues still has one tremendous fail: The argument Angel makes that guilt and emotional pain make us better people. This is absurd and makes no sense whatsoever. Every spiritual teaching I know says that we are not obligated to guilt trip ourselves forever. While we should acknowledge our mistakes, we do ourselves no good by continually beating ourselves up over them. The correct course of action is to forgive ourselves and simply vow to do better. That is all anyone can do.
But Angel tells Faith that she has lost something because she now feels happy, that she was better off feeling deep guilt over her past crimes. In the end, Faith begrudgingly agrees with him, but I still don’t see why. Angel even argues that guilt is what keeps him from turning into Angelus again. But isn’t his soul the reason for that?
Ultimately, the best stories are the ones that tell uplifting, universal truths. And the message that we should spend our lives wallowing in guilt is certainly not universal and certainly not uplifting.
This poor ending damages Daddy Issues and prevents it from rising to the level of greatness; instead, it’s simply very good.
Women of a Certain Age
Issue #10
Written by Christos Gage
Art by Chris Samnee
Angel and Faith return home to discover Sophie and Lavinia, Giles’s great-aunts. These two wonderful new characters have used magic to keep themselves from aging. The humor quotient is high in the beginning as Angel and Faith are forced to battle a horde of demons that Sophie and Lavinia are in hock to.
It gets more serious with a flashback involving Giles as a young child, and there is a reference to his desire to be a fighter pilot (mentioned in 1.5 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date), and we learn how his dream was cruelly taken away (Sophie gave him the nickname Ripper). The two women get humanized at the end when they reveal how bad they felt about causing this and thus tried to help Giles over the years. In the end it is revealed that one wants Giles resurrected and the other does not, but neither seems to have dubious motives.
As I’ve said, given the heavy emphasis on Giles so far, perhaps the series should have been called Angel, Faith and Giles. Not that I’m complaining. All of the Giles flashbacks have been really well done.
Finally, there is a nice ending as Willow arrives at Faith’s door holding the broken scythe.
Issue #10
Written by Christos Gage
Art by Chris Samnee
Angel and Faith return home to discover Sophie and Lavinia, Giles’s great-aunts. These two wonderful new characters have used magic to keep themselves from aging. The humor quotient is high in the beginning as Angel and Faith are forced to battle a horde of demons that Sophie and Lavinia are in hock to.
It gets more serious with a flashback involving Giles as a young child, and there is a reference to his desire to be a fighter pilot (mentioned in 1.5 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date), and we learn how his dream was cruelly taken away (Sophie gave him the nickname Ripper). The two women get humanized at the end when they reveal how bad they felt about causing this and thus tried to help Giles over the years. In the end it is revealed that one wants Giles resurrected and the other does not, but neither seems to have dubious motives.
As I’ve said, given the heavy emphasis on Giles so far, perhaps the series should have been called Angel, Faith and Giles. Not that I’m complaining. All of the Giles flashbacks have been really well done.
Finally, there is a nice ending as Willow arrives at Faith’s door holding the broken scythe.
Family Reunion
Issues #11-14
Written by Christos Gage
Art by Rebekah Isaacs
The first issue of Family Reunion is superb. It’s filled with great moments, mostly in the way the various characters interact with each other. The highlight is Willow’s early conversation with Angel, particularly her early attack on him, calling him selfish and reckless because of his quest to bring Giles back to life. Angel quickly strikes back, pointing out that she resurrected Buffy, and he even gets her to admit that she doesn’t regret it despite all the pain that Buffy suffered as a result. Then Willow shockingly offers to help Angel with his quest if he will help her to bring magic back! There is another great moment when Willow slaps Angel after he tells her she should be ashamed to ask that Connor return to Quor’toth, the hell dimension he had been banished in for most of his life.
Issues #11-14
Written by Christos Gage
Art by Rebekah Isaacs
The first issue of Family Reunion is superb. It’s filled with great moments, mostly in the way the various characters interact with each other. The highlight is Willow’s early conversation with Angel, particularly her early attack on him, calling him selfish and reckless because of his quest to bring Giles back to life. Angel quickly strikes back, pointing out that she resurrected Buffy, and he even gets her to admit that she doesn’t regret it despite all the pain that Buffy suffered as a result. Then Willow shockingly offers to help Angel with his quest if he will help her to bring magic back! There is another great moment when Willow slaps Angel after he tells her she should be ashamed to ask that Connor return to Quor’toth, the hell dimension he had been banished in for most of his life.
I also appreciate the fact that the writers aren’t afraid to make references to things that occurred in the past such as Connor’s banishment in Quor’toth and Buffy’s resurrection. We’re also told that Illyria is missing and Nina (a love interest of Angel’s from Season Five) got married. Even cooler is that the gang returns to the Hyperion Hotel in Los Angeles where most of the events from the Angel television series took place. Someone unfamiliar with Buffy and Angel would probably find this story really confusing, but at this point it’s probably only the die-hard fans who are buying the comic.
The return of Gunn is wonderful to see. It’s also interesting to see Faith’s annoyance at the father-son bonding between Angel and Connor. Clearly, she still has some bad feelings left over because of what happened with her own father. The reunion between Angel and Connor is also well done.
This story really makes you wish that Angel and company had stayed in Los Angeles for awhile as the setting feels more appropriate to the series than England does.
There are a few weak points, though. Willow and Connor’s assertions that the world is in such terrible shape due to the loss of magic come out of left field. Although vampires are a lot more dangerous now, it hasn’t been demonstrated that the world is that much worse off. Surely the loss of magic is good in the sense that it prevents a lot of harm from being done.
Willow’s argument about why magic needs to be restored is weird. She mentions in the same breath that suicides rates are rising and that there hasn’t been a decent song, movie or book since the seed was destroyed. Huh? This is what’s making her hysterical? Her assertion that the world is “dying” seems way over the top. More likely, the reason Willow is so upset is that she hasn’t been able to adjust to living without her powers. More emphasis on that would have made the scene a lot more effective.
The return of Gunn is wonderful to see. It’s also interesting to see Faith’s annoyance at the father-son bonding between Angel and Connor. Clearly, she still has some bad feelings left over because of what happened with her own father. The reunion between Angel and Connor is also well done.
This story really makes you wish that Angel and company had stayed in Los Angeles for awhile as the setting feels more appropriate to the series than England does.
There are a few weak points, though. Willow and Connor’s assertions that the world is in such terrible shape due to the loss of magic come out of left field. Although vampires are a lot more dangerous now, it hasn’t been demonstrated that the world is that much worse off. Surely the loss of magic is good in the sense that it prevents a lot of harm from being done.
Willow’s argument about why magic needs to be restored is weird. She mentions in the same breath that suicides rates are rising and that there hasn’t been a decent song, movie or book since the seed was destroyed. Huh? This is what’s making her hysterical? Her assertion that the world is “dying” seems way over the top. More likely, the reason Willow is so upset is that she hasn’t been able to adjust to living without her powers. More emphasis on that would have made the scene a lot more effective.
Also, in Los Angeles, Angel snaps at Faith for giving him some advice about keeping Connor safe, but it’s hard to understand why that would make him angry. It comes off like a forced attempt to create conflict between the two.
Then there is an attempt to make some sense out of the bizarre Twilight mythology that ended Season Eight. Angel tells Willow that once he and Buffy had given form to the Twilight universe he was going to bring everyone over. Okay. Whatever. Whedon and company would be wise to just let this storyline go.
#12 is somewhat disappointing. The writers throw in a big twist, but it’s a big twist that’s very hard to believe. It's revealed there is a Christian-like religion in Quor'toth that has been built around Connor due to a demon overhearing a simple conversation between Holtz and Connor years earlier in which Holtz says that Connor’s great strength comes from love. You don’t say!
Maybe I’m being too picky here, but this just feels like a huge stretch. I also get frustrated whenever writers present us with “good” demons, something I’ve discussed earlier. Again, if demons are capable of being good, then how can you truly justify killing them except in the most extreme situations?
What works better are the interactions between the characters (similar to the previous issue). Faith tells Willow that she’s worried about what might happen to Angel if he transforms to his vampire face. She wants Willow to use her magic to keep Angel safe, but Willow responds by simply suggesting to Angel that he stay in human form, and he agrees. This leaves Faith with a bit of egg on her face.
Then there is an attempt to make some sense out of the bizarre Twilight mythology that ended Season Eight. Angel tells Willow that once he and Buffy had given form to the Twilight universe he was going to bring everyone over. Okay. Whatever. Whedon and company would be wise to just let this storyline go.
#12 is somewhat disappointing. The writers throw in a big twist, but it’s a big twist that’s very hard to believe. It's revealed there is a Christian-like religion in Quor'toth that has been built around Connor due to a demon overhearing a simple conversation between Holtz and Connor years earlier in which Holtz says that Connor’s great strength comes from love. You don’t say!
Maybe I’m being too picky here, but this just feels like a huge stretch. I also get frustrated whenever writers present us with “good” demons, something I’ve discussed earlier. Again, if demons are capable of being good, then how can you truly justify killing them except in the most extreme situations?
What works better are the interactions between the characters (similar to the previous issue). Faith tells Willow that she’s worried about what might happen to Angel if he transforms to his vampire face. She wants Willow to use her magic to keep Angel safe, but Willow responds by simply suggesting to Angel that he stay in human form, and he agrees. This leaves Faith with a bit of egg on her face.
Also, Connor reveals to Angel that his fake childhood memories have vanished due to the loss of magic, but he is able to cope with his disturbing past now in a way that he couldn’t have done a few years earlier.
#13 is a big improvement. The writers show us the thoughts of Faith and Connor as the events progress, including the battle with the demons. This elevates what would have been a generic fight scene. The huge Quor'toth monster looks pretty cool, and it ends with a great cliffhanger as Willow's eyes turn black, implying that she is turning dark again.
It's great that the bond between Angel and Connor is growing. I never cared much for the whole "Connor hates Angel and wants hims dead" plot that we had to endure during the Angel television series. The story also indicates that a bond may be developing between Angel and Faith, but not in a romantic way. This is probably a wise move.
The battle is fine, and the gigantic old one looks pretty cool, but it’s hard to really care much about the mission to save the benevolent demons.
Sophia and Lavinia’s confrontation with Whistler, Pearl and Nash is a lot of fun. We get to see how powerful Whistler is as he savagely restrains Pearl and Nash just as they are about to commit murder. He wants Angel to meet him at a certain loction “on our anniversary.” Sophia speculates that Angel is gay and that is why he hasn’t hit on her. These two ladies are a real blast.
#14 delivers a fitting conclusion to the story arc as we get the return of Dark Willow. What is surprising is how easily Willow is corrupted again by regaining her powers, although Qor'toth apparently has something to do with that. I'm not sure I totally buy that Angel was able to bring Willow back by biting her on the neck, but it's a good moment nonetheless.
Faith makes a reference to the time when she slept with Xander. She also makes it clear that she's not religious, as if there was any doubt. And the alternate cover for #14, an homage to The Wizard of Oz, may well be the best cover of Season Nine.
Finally, Dark Horse printed a letter of mine in issue #11 in which I mention my complaints about the Daddy Issues arc.
#13 is a big improvement. The writers show us the thoughts of Faith and Connor as the events progress, including the battle with the demons. This elevates what would have been a generic fight scene. The huge Quor'toth monster looks pretty cool, and it ends with a great cliffhanger as Willow's eyes turn black, implying that she is turning dark again.
It's great that the bond between Angel and Connor is growing. I never cared much for the whole "Connor hates Angel and wants hims dead" plot that we had to endure during the Angel television series. The story also indicates that a bond may be developing between Angel and Faith, but not in a romantic way. This is probably a wise move.
The battle is fine, and the gigantic old one looks pretty cool, but it’s hard to really care much about the mission to save the benevolent demons.
Sophia and Lavinia’s confrontation with Whistler, Pearl and Nash is a lot of fun. We get to see how powerful Whistler is as he savagely restrains Pearl and Nash just as they are about to commit murder. He wants Angel to meet him at a certain loction “on our anniversary.” Sophia speculates that Angel is gay and that is why he hasn’t hit on her. These two ladies are a real blast.
#14 delivers a fitting conclusion to the story arc as we get the return of Dark Willow. What is surprising is how easily Willow is corrupted again by regaining her powers, although Qor'toth apparently has something to do with that. I'm not sure I totally buy that Angel was able to bring Willow back by biting her on the neck, but it's a good moment nonetheless.
Faith makes a reference to the time when she slept with Xander. She also makes it clear that she's not religious, as if there was any doubt. And the alternate cover for #14, an homage to The Wizard of Oz, may well be the best cover of Season Nine.
Finally, Dark Horse printed a letter of mine in issue #11 in which I mention my complaints about the Daddy Issues arc.
The Hero of His Own Story
Issue #15
Written by Christos Gage
Art by Lee Garbett, Derek Fridolfs and David Lapham
Despite mediocre artwork, this issue soars because we finally get the origin of Whistler (first introduced in 2.21 Becoming) as well as a confrontation between Whistler and Angel.
We learn that Whistler has super-strength and is more than Angel's match. We also get a better explanation of the Twilight storyline. I was very disappointed with the Twilight arc near the end of Season Eight because it was so confusing. In one of the recent letters pages, we were told that the writers had thought the mythology out but decided not to reveal the details. This was a big mistake, but at least we're getting an explanation now, though it isn't enough to salvage what was an almost-complete meltdown at the end of Season Eight.
"The Hero of His Own Story" is a fitting title because we learn that Whistler truly does believe he is doing good. In fact, villains never believe that they're doing evil; they believe they're doing good. Unfortunately, Whedon has at times strayed from this important fact (i.e. Spike has often referred to himself as evil; the Operative in the Serenity movie also said he was committing evil).
We learn that Whistler is over two thousand years old. He was a mentor to King Arthur and perhaps even presided over the burning of Rome. His goal is to maintain a "balance", although it isn't quite clear what this means. It is revealed that he wanted Buffy and Angel to fall in love, (though it isn't clear how he could know this would happen) and he planned all along to have them create a new universe that would make a better world.
The mistake that Whistler makes is that he is determined to change the world no matter what the cost. He admits that his new plan to "save" the Earth will kill about two billion people, but he says the Earth is doomed otherwise due to overpopulation and global warming. For people such as myself who don't believe in man-made global warming or that there is an overpopulation problem, Whistler comes across as a complete fool.
The irony is that there really are people out there who want to condemn mankind to the Dark Ages for the sake of saving the Earth from global warming. The banning of the pesticide DDT by people who believe that overpopulation is a problem has resulted in the deaths of over a million people in Africa. As a result, Whistler seems similar to the radical left in this country.
It is also revealed that Buffy and Angel could have brought their friends to the new universe, but they couldn't have saved everyone on Earth. Whenever you have a retro-explanation like this, it's important to go back and see if the writers are playing fair with the audience. I went back and reread issue #35 from Season 8, and I have to conclude that they are not. Angel never tells Buffy that they could go bring their friends over (and Whistler implies that Angel knew this was possible). Instead, Angel tells Buffy that her friends will survive and that she needs to leave them behind.
The second half of the comic gives us the origins of Pearl and Nash, but it is not nearly as interesting. It is also one of the most gross, gruesome comic stories I've ever read as we see humans and demons viciously gored and shredded. We also get to see Pearl and Nash meet Twilight for the first time.
If this comic only had the Whistler story it would rate four stars, but because of the Pearl and Nash story I'm going to have to knock it down a little.
Issue #15
Written by Christos Gage
Art by Lee Garbett, Derek Fridolfs and David Lapham
Despite mediocre artwork, this issue soars because we finally get the origin of Whistler (first introduced in 2.21 Becoming) as well as a confrontation between Whistler and Angel.
We learn that Whistler has super-strength and is more than Angel's match. We also get a better explanation of the Twilight storyline. I was very disappointed with the Twilight arc near the end of Season Eight because it was so confusing. In one of the recent letters pages, we were told that the writers had thought the mythology out but decided not to reveal the details. This was a big mistake, but at least we're getting an explanation now, though it isn't enough to salvage what was an almost-complete meltdown at the end of Season Eight.
"The Hero of His Own Story" is a fitting title because we learn that Whistler truly does believe he is doing good. In fact, villains never believe that they're doing evil; they believe they're doing good. Unfortunately, Whedon has at times strayed from this important fact (i.e. Spike has often referred to himself as evil; the Operative in the Serenity movie also said he was committing evil).
We learn that Whistler is over two thousand years old. He was a mentor to King Arthur and perhaps even presided over the burning of Rome. His goal is to maintain a "balance", although it isn't quite clear what this means. It is revealed that he wanted Buffy and Angel to fall in love, (though it isn't clear how he could know this would happen) and he planned all along to have them create a new universe that would make a better world.
The mistake that Whistler makes is that he is determined to change the world no matter what the cost. He admits that his new plan to "save" the Earth will kill about two billion people, but he says the Earth is doomed otherwise due to overpopulation and global warming. For people such as myself who don't believe in man-made global warming or that there is an overpopulation problem, Whistler comes across as a complete fool.
The irony is that there really are people out there who want to condemn mankind to the Dark Ages for the sake of saving the Earth from global warming. The banning of the pesticide DDT by people who believe that overpopulation is a problem has resulted in the deaths of over a million people in Africa. As a result, Whistler seems similar to the radical left in this country.
It is also revealed that Buffy and Angel could have brought their friends to the new universe, but they couldn't have saved everyone on Earth. Whenever you have a retro-explanation like this, it's important to go back and see if the writers are playing fair with the audience. I went back and reread issue #35 from Season 8, and I have to conclude that they are not. Angel never tells Buffy that they could go bring their friends over (and Whistler implies that Angel knew this was possible). Instead, Angel tells Buffy that her friends will survive and that she needs to leave them behind.
The second half of the comic gives us the origins of Pearl and Nash, but it is not nearly as interesting. It is also one of the most gross, gruesome comic stories I've ever read as we see humans and demons viciously gored and shredded. We also get to see Pearl and Nash meet Twilight for the first time.
If this comic only had the Whistler story it would rate four stars, but because of the Pearl and Nash story I'm going to have to knock it down a little.
Death and Consequences
Issues #16-19
Written by Christos Gage
Art by Rebekah Isaacs
In #16, there is a great dream sequence in which Faith talks with Giles. The tears in her eyes at the end suggest that she and Giles had developed almost a father-daughter type relationship.
The girls tell Faith that they want nothing to do with her, and we can see how Faith is shattered as a result. Clearly, she’s paid a huge price for standing by Angel.
And then there is the shocking revelation that Giles appears to be alive after all.
#17 is a follow-up to the Buffy episode 2.8 The Dark Age. We start off with a scene that was mentioned in that episode in which Giles, Ethan Rayne and their friends allow themselves to be possessed by a demon named Eyghon as a way to get high. Unfortunately, The Dark Age is not one of the better Buffy episodes, and I hadn't watched it in years, so I didn't immediately recognize what the flashback was alluding to. I have a feeling that this may have been true for other readers as well.
There's more friction between Angel and Faith as she is now paying the price for helping out Angel. She declares that her debt to him is repaid and that he now owes her. And, in a stunning turnaround, Faith now demands that Angel brings Giles back to life! This is pretty amazing, since she had decided before that she would stop Angel if he ever got close to resurrecting him. It shows that she now needs Giles more than ever.
Issues #16-19
Written by Christos Gage
Art by Rebekah Isaacs
In #16, there is a great dream sequence in which Faith talks with Giles. The tears in her eyes at the end suggest that she and Giles had developed almost a father-daughter type relationship.
The girls tell Faith that they want nothing to do with her, and we can see how Faith is shattered as a result. Clearly, she’s paid a huge price for standing by Angel.
And then there is the shocking revelation that Giles appears to be alive after all.
#17 is a follow-up to the Buffy episode 2.8 The Dark Age. We start off with a scene that was mentioned in that episode in which Giles, Ethan Rayne and their friends allow themselves to be possessed by a demon named Eyghon as a way to get high. Unfortunately, The Dark Age is not one of the better Buffy episodes, and I hadn't watched it in years, so I didn't immediately recognize what the flashback was alluding to. I have a feeling that this may have been true for other readers as well.
There's more friction between Angel and Faith as she is now paying the price for helping out Angel. She declares that her debt to him is repaid and that he now owes her. And, in a stunning turnaround, Faith now demands that Angel brings Giles back to life! This is pretty amazing, since she had decided before that she would stop Angel if he ever got close to resurrecting him. It shows that she now needs Giles more than ever.
The mystery that Angel and Faith investigate involving the reappearance of Ethan Rayne turns out to be pretty interesting. Giles’s body is missing from his grave, but it soon becomes clear that Giles is still dead; his body is being possessed. This is made completely clear (if it wasn't already) in the final page of #17 when we meet the demon Eyghon (who looks pretty cool) and he says, "I am Eyghon. And very soon you will be too." We also see Ethan Rayne standing next to him with a bullet hole in his head. It has to be one of the most chilling panels of Season Nine.
#18 is great from start to finish. The battle with Eyghon is fantastic, especially Faith’s reaction to seeing Giles. Angel’s direct fight with the demon is also great, and the backstory we're given makes perfect sense. Amazingly, the writers have even come up with a plausible way in which Giles might be resurrected: He had signed his soul over to Eyghon; as a result, it didn't leave the world when he died. Originally, I thought there was no way that Giles would ever come back, but by now I was starting to think it a real possibility.
The flashbacks from Giles's past are also well-done, and it's simply amazing the role this dead character has played in Angel & Faith. Eygon is just a great-looking villain, and it’s a perfect example of how the comic book format can really take the stories to a higher level.
Spike's entrance at the end is nice but it was telegraphed by the end of the Spike miniseries, so it was hardly a surprise.
#19 starts off with a great flashback in which Giles is convinced to become a Watcher; he sees it as a way to redeem himself for the mistakes he committed messing with Eyghon and the dark arts.
There is a great conversation between Angel, Faith, and Alasdair. Angel is intent on taking Alistaire’s magical items, but Alasdair manages to convince him that stealing them would be wrong. Yet Angel and Faith inadvertently manage to convince Alasdair to let them use the items after all. Also, Sophie and Lavinia become humanized somewhat. They’ve mostly been shallow characters thus far, but here they show that they really do care for Giles.
Faith has a great line when she says she’s surprised by Spike’s appearance because she thought that he and Angel were “the Betty and Veronica of vampires.” This is a reference to Archie comics (of which I am a HUGE fan). Archie, Betty, and Veronica are one of the great love triangles, and I guess you could say something similar about Buffy, Angel and Spike. The comparison is slightly flawed, however, since Betty and Veronica are best friends and are practically inseparable despite their rivalry over Archie. Anyway, Angel and Spike quickly get into an argument about Buffy, and Spike almost tells him that Buffy thought she was pregnant.
But the final battle with Eyghon is a little lackluster and a little confusing. Spike is soon turned even though we were told that a vampire with a soul could not be. And Angel is able to avoid being turned because of Giles’s soul inside him, but I’m not clear exactly how. It comes across as the kind of silly comic book logic you use when you can't think of any actual logic. It also feels like Eyghon gets killed off a little too soon as he was a great villain. But even if the finale is a bit of a letdown, the overall story is fantastic.
#18 is great from start to finish. The battle with Eyghon is fantastic, especially Faith’s reaction to seeing Giles. Angel’s direct fight with the demon is also great, and the backstory we're given makes perfect sense. Amazingly, the writers have even come up with a plausible way in which Giles might be resurrected: He had signed his soul over to Eyghon; as a result, it didn't leave the world when he died. Originally, I thought there was no way that Giles would ever come back, but by now I was starting to think it a real possibility.
The flashbacks from Giles's past are also well-done, and it's simply amazing the role this dead character has played in Angel & Faith. Eygon is just a great-looking villain, and it’s a perfect example of how the comic book format can really take the stories to a higher level.
Spike's entrance at the end is nice but it was telegraphed by the end of the Spike miniseries, so it was hardly a surprise.
#19 starts off with a great flashback in which Giles is convinced to become a Watcher; he sees it as a way to redeem himself for the mistakes he committed messing with Eyghon and the dark arts.
There is a great conversation between Angel, Faith, and Alasdair. Angel is intent on taking Alistaire’s magical items, but Alasdair manages to convince him that stealing them would be wrong. Yet Angel and Faith inadvertently manage to convince Alasdair to let them use the items after all. Also, Sophie and Lavinia become humanized somewhat. They’ve mostly been shallow characters thus far, but here they show that they really do care for Giles.
Faith has a great line when she says she’s surprised by Spike’s appearance because she thought that he and Angel were “the Betty and Veronica of vampires.” This is a reference to Archie comics (of which I am a HUGE fan). Archie, Betty, and Veronica are one of the great love triangles, and I guess you could say something similar about Buffy, Angel and Spike. The comparison is slightly flawed, however, since Betty and Veronica are best friends and are practically inseparable despite their rivalry over Archie. Anyway, Angel and Spike quickly get into an argument about Buffy, and Spike almost tells him that Buffy thought she was pregnant.
But the final battle with Eyghon is a little lackluster and a little confusing. Spike is soon turned even though we were told that a vampire with a soul could not be. And Angel is able to avoid being turned because of Giles’s soul inside him, but I’m not clear exactly how. It comes across as the kind of silly comic book logic you use when you can't think of any actual logic. It also feels like Eyghon gets killed off a little too soon as he was a great villain. But even if the finale is a bit of a letdown, the overall story is fantastic.
Spike and Faith
Issue #20
Written by Christos Gage
Art by Rebekah Isaacs
This is the most hated issue of Angel & Faith.
Why? Because of the way Spike is characterized. When Spike said farewell to Buffy earlier in the season, it seemed that he truly loved her. He even turned down a fling with Morgan in the Spike miniseries, mostly because of his love for Buffy. But in this story, Spike comes on to Faith rather strongly, and then at the end he jumps into bed with Harmony. The character just isn't being portrayed with any consistency. Spike's actions here have to make you wonder just how deep his love for Buffy really is. Imagine if Angel, after leaving Sunnydale at the end of Season Three, had quickly jumped into another relationship, and had done so with such wild abandon.
Also disturbing is Spike and Harmony exposing themselves to Angel and Faith. I'm not a fan of cheap humor such as this. As a comic book writer myself, I always try to avoid going for the cheap laugh.
It appears that Spike may be posing a serious problem for the writers. We’ve seen him mature and grow and develop a legitimate love for Buffy, but the writers clearly aren’t sure what to do with this version of Spike (The Spike miniseries did seem rather pointless). They still feel the need to give him an edge in order to make him interesting, but there is simply no believable way to portray Spike as a lustful jerk at this point.
Unfortunately, it feels like the Spike character may have gone about as far as he can go. Since the Shanshu prophecy is clearly directed at Angel (which means he will eventually be able to settle down with Buffy someday), it might be best to simply kill Spike off.
Don’t get me wrong. I love the character, but if the writers can’t figure out what to do with him, then it’s better for him to exit the stage. The same thing was done with Cordelia, and it worked out brilliantly. And judging from the large amount of negative mail that Dark Horse received regarding this story, it seems this is the kind of mistake they really can’t afford to repeat.
Spike tells Faith that she had thrown herself at him when they were in Sunnydale. At first, I couldn't figure out what he was talking about, but then I realized he must be referring to the body-swap incident in episode 4.16 Who Are You?
It is amusing that Faith, Sophie and Lavinia give Spike essentially the same message: The fact that he isn’t over Buffy makes him sexually unattractive. He also gets a little too defensive when Faith says that he and Angel have some kind of “bromance” going on, and this is one angle that I wish the writers would just drop.
Angel seems to regain his sanity a little too easily in my view. We are told Angel lost his sanity because his mind is being inhabited by three different beings: Angel, Angelus and Giles. But I’ve never understood the idea that Angelus is a separate being from Angel. Angelus is simply Angel without a soul. How can they be two separate beings? Besides, if Angelus is a separate being, then why should Angel feel guilty about all the crimes Angelus committed? Wouldn't that mean that Angel is innocent?
The alternate cover for this issue is another nod to Archie comics, although it would have been much more appropriate to have Buffy on the cover than Faith.
Despite a few good moments, this is the low point of the season for Angel & Faith.
Issue #20
Written by Christos Gage
Art by Rebekah Isaacs
This is the most hated issue of Angel & Faith.
Why? Because of the way Spike is characterized. When Spike said farewell to Buffy earlier in the season, it seemed that he truly loved her. He even turned down a fling with Morgan in the Spike miniseries, mostly because of his love for Buffy. But in this story, Spike comes on to Faith rather strongly, and then at the end he jumps into bed with Harmony. The character just isn't being portrayed with any consistency. Spike's actions here have to make you wonder just how deep his love for Buffy really is. Imagine if Angel, after leaving Sunnydale at the end of Season Three, had quickly jumped into another relationship, and had done so with such wild abandon.
Also disturbing is Spike and Harmony exposing themselves to Angel and Faith. I'm not a fan of cheap humor such as this. As a comic book writer myself, I always try to avoid going for the cheap laugh.
It appears that Spike may be posing a serious problem for the writers. We’ve seen him mature and grow and develop a legitimate love for Buffy, but the writers clearly aren’t sure what to do with this version of Spike (The Spike miniseries did seem rather pointless). They still feel the need to give him an edge in order to make him interesting, but there is simply no believable way to portray Spike as a lustful jerk at this point.
Unfortunately, it feels like the Spike character may have gone about as far as he can go. Since the Shanshu prophecy is clearly directed at Angel (which means he will eventually be able to settle down with Buffy someday), it might be best to simply kill Spike off.
Don’t get me wrong. I love the character, but if the writers can’t figure out what to do with him, then it’s better for him to exit the stage. The same thing was done with Cordelia, and it worked out brilliantly. And judging from the large amount of negative mail that Dark Horse received regarding this story, it seems this is the kind of mistake they really can’t afford to repeat.
Spike tells Faith that she had thrown herself at him when they were in Sunnydale. At first, I couldn't figure out what he was talking about, but then I realized he must be referring to the body-swap incident in episode 4.16 Who Are You?
It is amusing that Faith, Sophie and Lavinia give Spike essentially the same message: The fact that he isn’t over Buffy makes him sexually unattractive. He also gets a little too defensive when Faith says that he and Angel have some kind of “bromance” going on, and this is one angle that I wish the writers would just drop.
Angel seems to regain his sanity a little too easily in my view. We are told Angel lost his sanity because his mind is being inhabited by three different beings: Angel, Angelus and Giles. But I’ve never understood the idea that Angelus is a separate being from Angel. Angelus is simply Angel without a soul. How can they be two separate beings? Besides, if Angelus is a separate being, then why should Angel feel guilty about all the crimes Angelus committed? Wouldn't that mean that Angel is innocent?
The alternate cover for this issue is another nod to Archie comics, although it would have been much more appropriate to have Buffy on the cover than Faith.
Despite a few good moments, this is the low point of the season for Angel & Faith.
What You Want, Not What You Need
Issues #21-25
Written by Christos Gage
Art by Rebekah Isaacs
A fantastic story all around with only a few cringe-worthy moments. The attack by Whistler, Pearl and Nash is really well done, and it’s startling to see the viciousness of both Angel and Faith during the battle. Giles gets resurrected, and we learn that he has been brought back as a young boy!
Issue #22 has a great reunion between Giles and the others. Giles’s irritation at having such a young body is fun to watch, but there is one major fail: the two “horny young boy” moments between Giles and Faith. These are just gross, not funny, and it’s a shame the writers again felt the need to go for some cheap laughs. Giles does give a good speech before the battle, thanking them for reviving him but telling them not to do it again should he be killed.
The final battle is spectacular. There’s not much to elaborate on, but I especially enjoyed Faith’s reaction to Nadira's apparent death, as well as Nadira’s surprise comeback at the end in which she stabs Nash in the back. Sophie and Lavinia make a good point about the elites in society who try to control our lives. The only weak moment is when Whistler compares what he’s doing to dropping the atomic bombs on Japan during World War II, the idea being that the U.S. was wrong to do it.
After the battle, it’s not surprising when Giles tells Angel that he’s leaving (to be with Buffy), but it is somewhat surprising when Faith tells Angel the same thing. Clearly, Faith has grown attached to Giles. However, the Angel & Faith comic will continue in Season Ten, so Faith shouldn’t be away for too long. Angel’s decision to stay in London is disappointing, though, as I’d much rather see him return to Los Angeles.
Overall, just a great story arc, and a great finish to a great series.
Issues #21-25
Written by Christos Gage
Art by Rebekah Isaacs
A fantastic story all around with only a few cringe-worthy moments. The attack by Whistler, Pearl and Nash is really well done, and it’s startling to see the viciousness of both Angel and Faith during the battle. Giles gets resurrected, and we learn that he has been brought back as a young boy!
Issue #22 has a great reunion between Giles and the others. Giles’s irritation at having such a young body is fun to watch, but there is one major fail: the two “horny young boy” moments between Giles and Faith. These are just gross, not funny, and it’s a shame the writers again felt the need to go for some cheap laughs. Giles does give a good speech before the battle, thanking them for reviving him but telling them not to do it again should he be killed.
The final battle is spectacular. There’s not much to elaborate on, but I especially enjoyed Faith’s reaction to Nadira's apparent death, as well as Nadira’s surprise comeback at the end in which she stabs Nash in the back. Sophie and Lavinia make a good point about the elites in society who try to control our lives. The only weak moment is when Whistler compares what he’s doing to dropping the atomic bombs on Japan during World War II, the idea being that the U.S. was wrong to do it.
After the battle, it’s not surprising when Giles tells Angel that he’s leaving (to be with Buffy), but it is somewhat surprising when Faith tells Angel the same thing. Clearly, Faith has grown attached to Giles. However, the Angel & Faith comic will continue in Season Ten, so Faith shouldn’t be away for too long. Angel’s decision to stay in London is disappointing, though, as I’d much rather see him return to Los Angeles.
Overall, just a great story arc, and a great finish to a great series.