parabola
Potential Slayer
[Mo0:0]
Posts: 131
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Post by parabola on Mar 11, 2009 19:56:37 GMT -5
Thanks for posting that. And good call about the spoiler tags, just in case. You could possibly post the excerpt over at the #24 and #25 threads too, since the most spoiler-ific bits pertain to them. Good idea, I've cross-posted the info in those spots too. I was probably over-cautious with the spoiler tags in those threads, but just playing it safe when it comes to unreleased material.
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Post by wenxina on Mar 11, 2009 20:02:32 GMT -5
Yeah, keep the spoiler tags on until the issue is released. Once the issue hits the stands, it's fair game. EDIT: I made a couple of changes to your posts, just to make sure that the spoiler-phobes are protected. Thanks again.
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Post by snizapman6294 on Mar 11, 2009 22:26:22 GMT -5
Not my favorite TPB cover. A little less...epic than I would have liked. It's nice to see the clear cover, though. i completely agree... i still don't see what the cover has to do with the phrase "predators and prey" it's just buffy sitting at a computer.
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Post by Emmie on Mar 11, 2009 22:54:50 GMT -5
Not my favorite TPB cover. A little less...epic than I would have liked. It's nice to see the clear cover, though. i completely agree... i still don't see what the cover has to do with the phrase "predators and prey" it's just buffy sitting at a computer. Well it's about the flip in perception of reality. The predatory Slayers of vampires become the Prey. Who is hunting who? Actually, it puts into question three different groups: humans, Slayers and vampires. Who is the predator and who is the prey? Are the humans now hunting Slayers? Are Rogue Slayers (Simone) now hunting humans? Are vampires now hunting Slayers instead of running from and avoiding them (Spike was an anomaly, most vamps fear slayers)? Plus it's questioning is this change limited to perception or has it truly changed the world order? When does what people think is happening become what is happening? The traditional order goes humans are hunted by vampires, vampires are hunted by slayers. The end. So the image of computers and Buffy watching them in trepidation shows how upsetting this change in world order is to her. Where do Slayers fit now? What is their role? Has Buffy changed the world to the point where she doesn't know where she belongs? Nothing makes sense and it's incredibly confusing to her.
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queeroid
Potential Slayer
gothatfar.[Mo0:0]
Posts: 134
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Post by queeroid on Mar 14, 2009 11:43:50 GMT -5
why law and order? or will that be answered in 24? or 25? I don't think it means all that much, probably not gonna have anything to do with the story. But look who's vamped out... I think it's just Jo poking fun at the Buffyverse alumni.
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parabola
Potential Slayer
[Mo0:0]
Posts: 131
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Post by parabola on Mar 29, 2009 12:37:29 GMT -5
Amazon has the full cover up now, unfortunately it's not much bigger than the thumbnail below (click for the, ahem, "larger" version): The credits along the top look to be Joss + individual writers + Jeanty.
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Post by Tyler Austin "tiewashere" on Mar 29, 2009 23:13:34 GMT -5
I like the color!! It matches Buffy's shirt and makes her pop against the gray/blue background. This is the first TPB color I've really really liked.
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Post by Tyler Austin "tiewashere" on Mar 29, 2009 23:18:42 GMT -5
i completely agree... i still don't see what the cover has to do with the phrase "predators and prey" it's just buffy sitting at a computer. Well it's about the flip in perception of reality. The predatory Slayers of vampires become the Prey. Who is hunting who? Actually, it puts into question three different groups: humans, Slayers and vampires. Who is the predator and who is the prey? Are the humans now hunting Slayers? Are Rogue Slayers (Simone) now hunting humans? Are vampires now hunting Slayers instead of running from and avoiding them (Spike was an anomaly, most vamps fear slayers)? Plus it's questioning is this change limited to perception or has it truly changed the world order? When does what people think is happening become what is happening? The traditional order goes humans are hunted by vampires, vampires are hunted by slayers. The end. So the image of computers and Buffy watching them in trepidation shows how upsetting this change in world order is to her. Where do Slayers fit now? What is their role? Has Buffy changed the world to the point where she doesn't know where she belongs? Nothing makes sense and it's incredibly confusing to her. I completely agree, but I think the cover could have expressed that a little bit better. It easily could have been Buffy sitting with her head bent over (an overhead short of her, probably in an alley-way or something sitting with her back against a dumpster) with her stake laying next to her on the road. Then, a large view of a vampire and a human (obviously MUCH larger than Buffy, almost Dark Willow size...godlike) with their hands gripping over the dumpster starring down at the helpless slayer. Would have been much more "intense" and eye catching. Instead of Buffy looking at monitors you can barely see unless you studied.
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Post by Wyndam on Apr 7, 2009 15:34:19 GMT -5
Cover: (click for larger) BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SEASON EIGHT VOLUME 5: PREDATORS AND PREY
Written by Jane Espenson, Steven S. DeKnight, Drew Z. Greenberg, Jim Krueger and Doug Petrie, penciled by Georges Jeanty and Cliff Richards, inked by Andy Owens, colored by Michelle Madsen and cover by Jo Chen.
Buffy's world goes awry when former-classmate-turned-vampire Harmony Kendall lands her own reality TV show, Harmony Bites, bolstering bloodsucking fiends in the mainstream. Humans line up to have their blood consumed, and Slayers, through a series of missteps, misfortunes, and anti-Slayer propaganda driven by the mysterious Twilight, are forced into hiding.
In Germany, Faith and Giles discover a town where Slayers retreat from a world that has turned against them, only to find themselves in the arms of something far worse. A rogue-Slayer faction displaces an entire Italian village, living up to their tarnished reputation as power-hungry thieves. And finally, with the help of a would-be demon lover, Dawn addresses her unfaltering insecurities.
Collects issues #21-#25 and the short stories "Harmony Bites" and "Vampy Cat Play Friend" from MySpace Dark Horse Presents!
160 pages, $15.95, in stores on Sept. 9.
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Post by hitnrun017 on Apr 7, 2009 15:36:11 GMT -5
Finally good quality. They really did turn Elisabeth Rohm into a vampire as someone mentioned earlier. That's pretty cool.
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Post by Skytteflickan88 on Apr 7, 2009 15:41:34 GMT -5
Can you imagine Kate's surprise if she ever turns on the TV and sees her vampire doubleganger?
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narflet
Potential Slayer
grr. arg.[Mo0:0]
Posts: 198
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Post by narflet on Apr 7, 2009 19:04:36 GMT -5
Hires prettyness.
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Post by Rebecca on Apr 13, 2009 16:56:53 GMT -5
You can really see her expression of anxiety in the large image. I think it works, shows the altered propaganda and perception of slayers, in effect isolating Buffy and her cohorts into... guess... Retreat. Thanks for posting large version
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Post by Emmie on Apr 13, 2009 17:51:02 GMT -5
I completely agree, but I think the cover could have expressed that a little bit better. It easily could have been Buffy sitting with her head bent over (an overhead short of her, probably in an alley-way or something sitting with her back against a dumpster) with her stake laying next to her on the road. Then, a large view of a vampire and a human (obviously MUCH larger than Buffy, almost Dark Willow size...godlike) with their hands gripping over the dumpster starring down at the helpless slayer. Would have been much more "intense" and eye catching. Instead of Buffy looking at monitors you can barely see unless you studied. I actually disagree because it's amazing how Buffy is breaking the 4th wall by looking at the audience. It adds a whole new layer to this theme about the subjectivity of reality. And again, this wouldn't be portrayed well without the computers screens showing the disconnect from reality. The images on the monitors themselves aren't important so much as what they represent to Buffy - a new order being relayed through the media. This would be impossible to portray in its complexity in the way you described because that's a very literal depiction, where as the cover itself portrays the concept on so many levels. It's symbolical in itself and serves as meta also. And even more important here is that Buffy is sitting alone, out of touch, and impotent to stop it. The cover also explores perception through the way we view the world through technology, the way Buffy views it, the way we the viewer can view it, the way the world views it through fiction, the way the news views it - you see how many layers the cover gives us? This would be impossible through an action image like you were describing. It's quite simply one of the best cover concepts we've seen period. There are so many damn layers in this image that it deserves it's own essay. Frankly, I'm inclined to say the TPB cover is more powerfully moving and meaningful in this one image than the entirety of the Predators and Prey arc so far. Whoever came up with this concept did a brilliant job. I'd like to think it was Joss because WOW. I love this cover so much.
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Marcos
Novice Witch
Define "human".[Mo0:30]
Posts: 210
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Post by Marcos on Apr 13, 2009 18:22:35 GMT -5
I completely agree, but I think the cover could have expressed that a little bit better. It easily could have been Buffy sitting with her head bent over (an overhead short of her, probably in an alley-way or something sitting with her back against a dumpster) with her stake laying next to her on the road. Then, a large view of a vampire and a human (obviously MUCH larger than Buffy, almost Dark Willow size...godlike) with their hands gripping over the dumpster starring down at the helpless slayer. Would have been much more "intense" and eye catching. Instead of Buffy looking at monitors you can barely see unless you studied. I actually disagree because it's amazing how Buffy is breaking the 4th wall by looking at the audience. It adds a whole new layer to this theme about the subjectivity of reality. And again, this wouldn't be portrayed well without the computers screens showing the disconnect from reality. The images on the monitors themselves aren't important so much as what they represent to Buffy - a new order being relayed through the media. This would be impossible to portray in its complexity in the way you described because that's a very literal depiction, where as the cover itself portrays the concept on so many levels. It's symbolical in itself and serves as meta also. And even more important here is that Buffy is sitting alone, out of touch, and impotent to stop it. The cover also explores perception through the way we view the world through technology, the way Buffy views it, the way we the viewer can view it, the way the world views it through fiction, the way the news views it - you see how many layers the cover gives us? This would be impossible through an action image like you were describing. It's quite simply one of the best cover concepts we've seen period. There are so many damn layers in this image that it deserves it's own essay. Frankly, I'm inclined to say the TPB cover is more powerfully moving and meaningful in this one image than the entirety of the Predators and Prey arc so far. Whoever came up with this concept did a brilliant job. I'd like to think it was Joss because WOW. I love this cover so much. What I read in this cover goes along your reading of it, but I dind't catch that much layers about technology and fiction, etc. Do you work with design or visual arts? I do and I'm impressed with your visual perception. Well, my first reading is basically: in a three-layer metaphorical composition, we got the world/media (background layer, background plot), "suffocating" Buffy (representing the slayers, middle layer, focus of the plot). And then she looks at us (in an unusual and really effective break of the fourth wall, as you pointed), in an amazingly expressive "what the f** am I supposed to do now?" face. We are the first layer, and it's up to us to judge the whole scenario because, clearly, we are humans. Humans are supposed to be good. Now, humans hate slayers. Ambiguos much? So, what I read in this is that Buffy is asking us what the hell is going on and what is she supposed to do in a scenario where her enemies are the ones she always fought to protect.
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Smashed
Junior Vampire Slayer
[Mo0:3]
Posts: 908
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Post by Smashed on Apr 13, 2009 18:36:18 GMT -5
OOH! I'm loving the pink cover! I hope they keep it, it goes really nicely with Buffy's shirt and the blueness of the room. They changed the NFFY one from the original black to blue, but I'm hoping this stays the same. I just love seeing the TPB covers. I love even more having them in a row on my bookshelf. They look so nice sitting side by side. I wish these came out quicker.
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Post by Emmie on Apr 13, 2009 18:55:51 GMT -5
What I read in this cover goes along your reading of it, but I dind't catch that much layers about technology and fiction, etc. Do you work with design or visual arts? I do and I'm impressed with your visual perception. No, I'm actually just a student right now. But I've always been a big fan of literature and always looking for symbolism. Well, my first reading is basically: in a three-layer metaphorical composition, we got the world/media (background layer, background plot), "suffocating" Buffy (representing the slayers, middle layer, focus of the plot). And then she looks at us (in an unusual and really effective break of the fourth wall, as you pointed), in an amazingly expressive "what the f** am I supposed to do now?" face. We are the first layer, and it's up to us to judge the whole scenario because, clearly, we are humans. Humans are supposed to be good. Now, humans hate slayers. Ambiguos much? So, what I read in this is that Buffy is asking us what the hell is going on and what is she supposed to do in a scenario where her enemies are the ones she always fought to protect. It's also interesting because Buffy is using that pleading expression to the audience, the humans who understand her, who've watched her journey for so many years and understand the truth about vampires. We know the score and aren't going to be taken in by the flash of Harmony (ha!) or Twilight's games because we've "seen her heart" for over seven years. You're absolutely right about there being mainly 3 layers though. The media/world, Buffy and the audience. It's just that within these three areas there's even more to play with. The vamping of the Law & Order character is a brilliant touch to show that circuity of life imitating art and art imitating life.
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Mathieu
Ensouled Vampire
[Mo0:0]
Posts: 1,069
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Post by Mathieu on Apr 13, 2009 19:14:18 GMT -5
For once I have to agree with you Emmie. The TPB cover is absolutely amazing. It was the best way to represent the whole slayer thing going public and Buffy caught in the middle of this publicness as we all know that the slayers are not the hottest thing right now.
And I also love the color of the cover, it matches Buffy's shirt in an amazing way. She really stands out in the picture.
All the covers that we got in this arc were really amazing and don't always reflect the quality of the stories that we were told. I usually get as much excited to discover the new covers than I get excited to actually read the issues themselves.
I'm trying to rank the 5 Predators and Prey Chen covers but it's really hard to do. 1. Living Doll: might turn out to be my favorite one, beautiful / controversial cover, great likeness of Dawn 2. Predators and Prey: great dynamic, great likeness of Buffy 3. Harmonic Divergence: Love it, it's fun to look at and amazying likeness of Harmony 4. Safe: Man! It's hard to rank them, amazing likeness of both Faith and Giles, the boobs are a little off and I don't care much for the background 5. Swell: Good cover too, good likeness of Kennedy, just not my favorite
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Marcos
Novice Witch
Define "human".[Mo0:30]
Posts: 210
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Post by Marcos on Apr 13, 2009 19:42:37 GMT -5
The vamping of the Law & Order character is a brilliant touch to show that circuity of life imitating art and art imitating life. And also so very Whedonversely funny Law and Order is so boring-serious! And yeah, I understand it as an ironic representation of how society changed it's values, since Law & Order is, in our real pop culture, a very important symbol of society's morals. A mirror of our culture values regarding, well, law and order. Showing another tv show with a vamp on it wouldn't be so affective, 'cause, c'mon, the show is called Law & Order! Awesomeness! Btw, I'm also a student (not a designer yet, but almost), and you can bet that I'd love to bring that cover as a reading subject in class. Too bad that I'm probably the only Buffy-fan there, and it takes a lot of background info and context to "get" the cover. Too bad. The image is a very rich playground ;D
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Mathieu
Ensouled Vampire
[Mo0:0]
Posts: 1,069
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Post by Mathieu on Apr 13, 2009 19:50:17 GMT -5
I've been studying International Relations for five years now and I've never managed to bring up the subject of Buffy in class!! Or al least not that I remember (I'm trying very hard to remember if it every came up). What do you guys study again?
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