BUFFY #34, ANGEL #31, Angel: Barbary Coast #1

Leave comments about the new format! Since I want to get reviews out in a more timely manner, and still be able to live my life and keep working on my own writing projects, this method seems a lot more doable than pages of content for each comic. Event issues and some issues will get longer reviews, but this seems like the best option for the regular comic issues.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight #32

Twilight Part III: Them F#@%ing

Written by Brad Meltzer. Art by Georges Jeanty

It's good. It's a good ready. It's also the riskiest Buffy story ever penned. It accepts us to believe a whole bunch of sudden information that's given out through the most graphic sex scene in the history of the show. Essentially, Buffy and Angel have become gods, effectively fulfilling a prophecy that the best Slayer and the best Vampire will fall in love, become superpowered, and have world-changing/destroying(maybe) sex. It's a lot to swallow, which is a pun that would have way less ick-factor in a different issue. But again, the sex and the exposition (sexposition?) is handled well. It's just... since it's such a "This is why this is happening" issue, it's very hard to judge on its own merit. It needs the context of the arc, while Meltzer's last two issues didn't. Does all of that make it weaker than I'd hoped? A bit. Season Eight has been on such a good run since December, that I'm fairly happy that an issue this strong is now what I see as weak for the series. The art is good, the dialogue is great, it's risky as shit... I'm just not sure if I trust where the story is going anymore. This is big stuff, and I need to see the last issue in the arc to really have a feel of this issue. As of now...

SCORE: 8/10

Angel #32

Immortality for Dummies, part IV: The Big Dust Up

Written by Bill Willingham. Art by Brian Denham.

(Back up story: Eddie and the Crew: The Risk of Skipping Ahead

Written by Bill Williams. Art by David Messina)

I gave Willingham the benefit of the doubt. He's a good writer, yes. The voices were off for the first two issues, but we hadn't seen anyone speak at length other than Connor. That all changes here. Spike is off. Spike doesn't speak like Spike. Spike speaks a lot like Jack from Fables, only awkwardly British. Spike doesn't behave like Spike. Illyria continues to talk like not-Illyria. She second guesses herself, speaking in awkward sentences, asking Angel if her use of the English language is correct. There is a long, drawn out, and (of course) unnecessary scene in the beginning where a bunch of dudes talk as Connor and his army kill some vampires. Utterly boring. No impact on the narrative, not at all funny, no impact on the characters. Willingham so obviously doesn't care about this universe or crafting a consistent story that it's insulting to fans, insulting to Joss, and insulting to everything in the Angel on-going that came before his arc. Am I going to keep reading? It's Angel, I have to. But that sense of anticipation I felt when going to the comic shop is gone. It's become a chore. I guess, on the positive side, the final page with Angel is cool. Mostly thanks to Denham's art, which is awesome when he's not drawing vampires being dusted (they apparently turn into goop). Bill William's back up is actually really entertaining, but that just makes me more sad. I want the characters I love off the pages so I don't have to see Willingham butchering them, to the point where I almost read the book for this new character. I'm excited for William's Spike miniseries, because he does seem to bit a good writer. Willingham, though... I have doubts that he has seen all of--or even most of--Angel the series. This arc has become every bit as bad as Aftermath.

SCORE: 2/10

Angel: Barbary Coast #1

Written by David Tischman. Art by Franco Urru.

Ah, man. Thank the Flying Spaghetti Monster. A good Angel comic. An Angel comic that reminds me why I love IDW. Beautiful art from Franco as always, but now, get this... even the writing is good. Tischman crafts a suspenseful, character driven, and sometimes funny tale about Angel's quest to get rid of his soul. The setting is awesome, the supporting cast of (mostly) humans are as creepy as actual monsters, and you know what? I'm excited for the next issue. IDW, get this dude to write the main series. Really. A guy like this could get Angel fans excited about the on-going again. Really, really solid start to what looks to be a fun mini.

SCORE: 8/10

Coming Soon: REVIEW OF Scott Tipton's A Hole in the World

Coming Soon: Hey, Why Didn't He Review THAT Issue? (Five Reviews)

Most Important Issue of Season Eight

What Is It?: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Issue #33: Twilight, Part 2- The Master Plan (written by Brad Meltzer; art by Georges Jeanty).

Timing: BtVS, Season Eight. Directly follows #32.

REVIEW: So, kinda late, huh?

Well. Here it is. The most important issue of Season Eight so far. In March 2007, Twilight creepily spied on Buffy in the first issue of the season. Later that year, in the conclusion to No Future For You, he made his first appearance. In a mask and a whole bunch of belts. People speculated that he was Riley (until Riley came into play later on as, well, Riley), people speculated that he was Xander or Giles, people speculated that he was a FUTURE VERSION of Xander or Giles. And some people speculated that he was either Angel or Spike.

Well, he's Angel. For my initial reaction, clicky here.

When Twilight's identity leaked to the interwebs, the speculation was crazy. But there was one thing I didn't really take into account. Maybe Angel as Twilight isn't evil. I probably didn't take it into account because... well, we've seen Twilight do outright evil things?

...Right?

Well, in this issue, Angel sure makes an argument against that. Buffy seems like she's on the edge of believing him. The fandom is divided. So I'm going to come at this from an angle that needs a voice. A fan, first and foremost, of Angel. Angel the character, Angel the show, Angel the comic. I care about the guy a hell of a lot more than I do Buffy, Willow, Xander, and most of the other characters in the Season Eight comic. And don't misunderstand me, I care about those characters a lot. A whole entire buttload, in fact. But Angel's different. Angel's hero journey is important to me, and so is the integrity of his character.

So understand how much this issue had to win me over.

The question is... did it?

Answer... well, yeah. I'm with it. Of course, I have to wait to see how the fallout and the explanation and all that good stuff gets handled. But Angel makes a damn good argument for why he was right to put on that mask and those very many belts. A part of it is this: that change Buffy is going through? The spike in her powers? Not because of dead slayers. There is a piece of mythology that both Angel and Giles understand (to be revealed next issue) that will reveal why Buffy has superpowers, why Angel does, and also why they were meant to love each other and why they can't be happy with anyone else.

Woah.

The issue itself is brilliant. Meltzer is complete winnage. Funny dialogue, so much geekery, and the tension and emotion brings on a physical reaction while reading. From the build-up, to the actual unmasking, to the long awaited confrontation, to when Buffy finally gives in and kisses Angel... it's a ride of an issue.

I can safely say I have no idea where it's going, but at this point, I've come to trust Joss's plan and also Meltzer for the way he writes these characters. According to Scott Allie, we'll have a better idea of the why behind Angel's actions after #34 and #35, but this was an epic installment that gave us enough information for me not to spend the month going crazy over the way Angel is being used, and to also look forward to next month's installment.

I can't believe the season, after so many bad and mediocre issues, is back at this level of greatness, but I'm quite simply loving it.

Art: The art is good. Jeanty did a great job with some scenes and a less-than-great-but-not-bad job with others. He does struggle with Angel's face a bit, but not to the point where it really takes away from the story. The only truly sucky panel is where Buffy throws the tree-stake at Angel, and Angel looks like... well, I don't even know. But blegh. The rest of the issue is solid, though.

Covers: Both covers are pretty cool. Jeanty's features an unmasked Twilight (face blurred) surrounded by a shocked Willow, Xander, and Buffy. It's another homage cover (this time to Spider-man), and it's better than most of his recent covers have been. Jo Chen's cover is good, but flawed. She's an expert at Buffy's face, totally nailing the expression of a devastated, I-just-found-out-Angel-is-Twilight Buffy. However, Buffy's neck is like... as long as an arm.

Characters We Know: Buffy, Xander, Giles, Faith, Andrew, Willow, Satsu, Dawn, Amy, Warren, The General, Twilight... well, from now on, Angel.

Rating: 10/10

Again With the Goodness

What Is It?: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Issue #32: Twilight, Part 1- Buffy has F#@$ing Superpowers (written by Brad Meltzer; art by Georges Jeanty).

Timing: BtVS, Season Eight. Shortly after "Turbulence."

Warning: The bigger spoilers will be written in black text. Simply highlight to read. As this is a review, there will be some minor "spoilers" sprinkled throughout the text that don't warrant being hidden. If you have not read the issue and don't want to know anything about the plot, don't read this. Spoilers for previous issues will obviously not be hidden.

REVIEW: First of all, this one is extra long. It comes in at twenty-five pages. That's three pages above the normal count, and the story really benefits from it. Like the extra long "Angel: After the Fall #1" before it, this feels more like a full episode than an act of an episode, and that kicks ass. And, in a trend that began with the Willow one-shot in December, I just didn't want the book to end. From #20 all the way up until #30, I'd often count the pages, wanting the book to just be over already. But this, along with "Willow" and #31, was just too good to end.

The issue deals with the fallout of Buffy's realization that she has superpowers. As Buffy and a completely geeking-out Xander test her new skills and push her boundaries farther than they could ever imagine (not in a sexy times way), Dawn openly expresses her fear that these powers are not coming from somewhere good. Willow suggests that the powers are coming from the universe thanking Buffy for kicking the crap out of the goddesses... which doesn't make sense because Buffy used the powers to do that. There are two subplots, one featuring Warren, Amy, and the General (who seems randomly introduced, as all the characters are aware of him and consider him as big a player as Warren and Amy) approaching Buffy and co. with an offer of sorts, and one that follows Giles, Andrew, and Faith, who have been captured by Twilight. The eponymous Twilight makes a brief but epic appearance, delivering the best line of the issue.

(SPOILER:) "Who wants to hear a really cool master plan?"

If that ain't a way to leave me hungry for next month's issue, I don't know what is.

Meltzer is a great fit for Buffy. The dialogue is spot on, funny, and fits right in with the best writers of the series so far (inarguably Joss, Goddard, and BKV). The nerdspeak hits a new high, which totally fits in the issue, considering Xander's affinity for comics and Buffy's new superhero-like powers. He giddily makes her try out different popular superpowers and nearly squees when she discovers that, yeah, she can do some of them. The scenes are really well written, and the subplots are balanced very nicely. Meltzer is a master of pacing... and I think he delivered the most powerful opener to an arc thus far.

Also, a new weight is added to this somewhat light story when Willow discovers the true source of Buffy's powers. I'd assumed the powers were from being touched by a goddess, as it was the last thing that happened to Buffy before she'd woken up with new powers. But. The real source is so much more thematically charged, and man it works for the story. Buffy's powers are coming from (SPOILERS:) the mass genocide of slayers around the world. Since she gave them their power, their power is going to her when they die. Creepy, huh?

All in all, a fantastic issue. I was originally skeptical that Joss himself didn't want to write the unmasking of Twilight, but now I see why he trusts Brad Meltzer with such an important moment. 'Cause the dude can write. And the dude can write Buffy.

And also... just throwing it out there... the subtitle on this issue was awesome. Buffy has f#@$ing superpowers indeed.

Art: Again, I'm impressed by how good the art is getting again. I'm still a bit peeved that the shittier scripts of the series so obviously received shittier treatment from Jeanty, but if anything could make it better, its Jeanty doing such a kick-ass job of late. Buffy looks like she should, there are laugh out loud sight gags (THE RABBIT!), and it's just a solidly drawn book. Kudos for stepping it back up, Jeanty.

Covers: Jo Chen’s is simple. Decent, but simple. It could have been an iconic image, seeing Buffy taking flight like this, but... I'm not sure. She just looks kind of long. And she lacks detail. It's as if someone took the cover and then stretched it in MS Paint until it was slightly too narrow. Not bad, but not a standout, like Chen's usually are. George's is way more dynamic, and I do dig the concept--yet another homage--of having Whedon, Jeanty, and Allie bugging out as Buffy lifts a train. Though... what is Joss wearing? Otherwise, a decent cover. I dig how it says "Buffy Comics" too. The new look of the variants is very cool.

Characters We Know: Buffy, Xander, Dawn, Willow, Amy, Warren, Faith, Giles, Andrew, Twilight.

Rating: 9/10

Season Eight News

News on Season Eight...

This is the current line up of writers that we know.

1-4 (The Long Way Home arc) by Joss Whedon

5 (The Chain) by Joss Whedon

6-9 (No Future For You) by Brian K. Vaughn

10 (one-shot) by Joss Whedon

11 (one-shot) by Joss Whedon

12-15 (??? arc) by Drew Goddard

16 (most likely a one-shot)

17-20 (??? arc) by Brad Meltzer

.........

41-45 (??? arc) by Brad Meltzer

46-50 (??? arc) by Joss Whedon

Joss says.... "The idea was always bringing in different writers, people who've either been on our show or powerhouses in comic books. I'm giving everybody an arc to do — or in some cases a one-shot if they didn't have the time. I've already mapped out the entire 40-issue season."

Joss says... "It's been indicated that there are people who are trying to get rid of the slayers because they represent the same kind of magic as the demons. So I'm putting the slayers in the global spotlight for a little bit — really getting to talk about shifts in power and trying to put an end to magic. That's what Buffy's fighting against. It's an epic story. I've asked Brad to plot out the last 10 issues with me and then write the first half, and I'll write the second half. But I'm overseeing every script, every story, every page."