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Post by NightlySorrow on Jan 13, 2010 17:22:33 GMT -5
I liked it. Xander and Dawn being in love is a tad weird, but it doesn't bother me too much. I wish we'd get more character moments because the Buffy/Xander stuff was nice. So it's a way better start than last year. 2009 was pretty bad in general though.
Funny how quickly Buffy got over Xander and Dawn, but I guess that's how comics go. Almost like a sitcom where everything gets resolved quickly and it's all tidy.
I thought Willow was captured though. Wasn't that her being hauled away in issue 30? Maybe I'm wrong, been awhile since I've read it.
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Post by hitnrun017 on Jan 13, 2010 17:23:53 GMT -5
Definitely agree this was one of the best issues in a looooonnggg time (not counting the Willow one-shot). Well there was #28 too, but that feels like forever ago. The down time after all the war was needed desperately.
Just loved all the Buffy we got. We've been distanced from her for quite some time, and it was nice to revisit her complicated brain and see where her head is at. The scene between her and Xander was just perfect, one of the best in Season 8, as was the quick one with her and Riley. Willow got some interesting stuff, starting to worry about her again.
The Twilight scene was pretty weird, knowing who's behind the mask now. Poor Giles, Faith and Andrew. Wonder what Twilight will do with them. Have a feeling things won't turn out well for Andrew.
How the Goddesses got defeated was pretty anti-climatic, but it worked. Showed just how powerful Buffy is now. Nice and simple.
Character wise, this will be a hard issue to beat. Glad we got it.
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Post by Wyndam on Jan 13, 2010 17:27:16 GMT -5
This was a great issue, and probably the best since TOYL (well, #28 is also one of my favorite issues of the series, so since that I guess). The dialogue throughout was fantastic, especially from Buffy. I'm still riding the Bander train, so I look forward to even more scenes between the two after their brilliant scene in this issue.
It was VERY weird reading the scene with Twilight after learning who he is, I was not expecting that, but his dialogue there was also great.
The spell Twilight cast is certainly interesting. I wonder if he plans on trying to turn Giles, Faith and Andrew over to his side? I doubt Andrew would, once he learns it is Angel, but Warren there might add quite a bit to the mix. Giles and Faith are certainly the best suspects for side switching, I hope we get some scenes between them and Twilight next issue.
It sure was nice to get another winner from Joss this month, and one of my personal favorites of the season. Bring on some Meltzer.
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Post by AndrewCrossett on Jan 13, 2010 17:35:08 GMT -5
There's a downside to working 8-6 four days a week. I get three day weekends every week... but on comics days I don't get to the store until really, really late. :cries:
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Post by wenxina on Jan 13, 2010 17:43:29 GMT -5
Pretty much enjoyed the entire thing. But the absolute favorite part... the irreverent nature in which Joss treats his big plot twist from Espenson's arc. The three mighty goddesses who were supposed to change things for the better, and then made it worse instead. And what does Buffy do, after Willow fails to subdue them? Takes to the skies and pummels every single one of them, Atom Ant-style. I think it's safe to say that for the time being, Buffy is back... and done hiding. Her confidence is definitely back, and her not-so-much-a-plan is a throwback to #1's "What the hell is she doing?!" gag.
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Hellbound Hyperion
Bad Ass Wicca
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Post by Hellbound Hyperion on Jan 13, 2010 18:37:59 GMT -5
I'll chime in with some lovin' for this issue as well. Definitely one of the best issues of S8. You never realize how much you miss Joss-ian dialogue until he comes back to deliver more. I think my favorite part was when Buffy first mentions her plan. "It's a nuke." "You're a dyke." "You sacrifice this Key..." I busted out laughing so hard I had to put the issue down for a second (but only for a second). And the following panel when Buffy takes to the skies... beautiful. Jeanty made me cry. <3 Alright, Meltzer. Smack us around with some Twilight story!
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Post by DorothyFan1 on Jan 13, 2010 18:53:25 GMT -5
Pretty much enjoyed the entire thing. But the absolute favorite part... the irreverent nature in which Joss treats his big plot twist from Espenson's arc. The three mighty goddesses who were supposed to change things for the better, and then made it worse instead. And what does Buffy do, after Willow fails to subdue them? Takes to the skies and pummels every single one of them, Atom Ant-style. I think it's safe to say that for the time being, Buffy is back... and done hiding. Her confidence is definitely back, and her not-so-much-a-plan is a throwback to #1's "What the hell is she doing?!" gag. There are a couple of things I caught that I'm surprised nobody is commenting on. 1. Twilight's comment "my own Wiccans". Please tell me this was a slip up in the grammer. Otherwise if this was NOT a mistake...then this means Twilight has more than just Amy working for him. Translation: apparently Twilight has an army of witches working for him?! Since when? 2. Although the "leaked" images show us who Twilight is...his comments in here brings to my attention a problem I'm not seeing being addressed - he's sounding more like a power hungry maniac than someone interested in "averting" a disaster or "preventing" something from occurring. It seems to me Twilight WANTS whatever it is he's against to happen just so he can say he's right and Buffy is wrong. 3. Twilight's comments suggests rather strongly that Buffy isn't colluding with him in his "master plan" whatever it is. His comments are also confusing because not even I can see what it is that he's suggesting Buffy is supposed to "see".
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Hellbound Hyperion
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Post by Hellbound Hyperion on Jan 13, 2010 19:24:57 GMT -5
Since Retreat.
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Post by wenxina on Jan 13, 2010 20:16:57 GMT -5
dorothyfan1: You don't have to quote a post, unless you are going to respond to it specifically.
But about your concerns. No, I picked up on it, but it's really not hard to imagine that Twilight has quite a few witches on board. Not necessarily an "army" as you state, but plural enough. He previously toyed with Roden, so I doubt if Amy's his only witch on hand.
Concerns #2 and #3 seem premature. Those things are supposed to come to light in the "Twilight" arc. Joss wrote this one-shot with the specific intent of NOT taking away from Meltzer's arc, and rather, just dealt with some more character moments.
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Post by AndrewCrossett on Jan 13, 2010 21:37:38 GMT -5
I'll join in with the chorus o' love for this issue. I liked everything except one thing. (And I'm sure those who have known me long enough around here will know what it is. ) I almost felt like a proud parent, during the scene where Buffy and Xander have their talk. Buffy had a problem, she brought it out in the open. Xander had a problem, he brought it out in the open. They talked about it maturely, without spite or tears or anyone saying anything they would have to regret later. The kids are all grown up. *sniff* (spoiler here for those who haven't seen the Twilight reveal yet): To my mind, the scene with Twilight shoots down the hypothesis that Twilight is Future Angel and not Present Angel. He says, "The truth, at long last, the manifest truth. Buffy will finally see... if she is able to see at all."
So, he expects her to see for herself what the problem is, without the benefit of future knowledge.
I have a feeling we're about to be Greater Gooded, and I'll have to hate Angel, because I fundamentally don't agree with the concept that heroes can serve good by committing evil. I'm glad I had the chance to enjoy the "Angel" series before this story came out, because I doubt I'll ever be able to watch it again after this. I got the impression that Buffy's flight is being used as a metaphor for Freedom here. The resolution of the nagging Xander angst is one part of that, but I think Buffy is finally ready to leave the self-doubt behind and move forward without any more self-imposed shackles. Joss has certainly been firing on all cylinders lately, so I'm going to try and trust him here. I'm going to close my eyes and fall backwards and hope he catches me. But the thing is, he doesn't always catch you. Sometimes the back of your skull hits the floor, and you say "Ow," and Joss leans down and says "hurts, doesn't it?" and you say "Yep," and he says "But it was a good story, wasn't it?" and you say "Yes it was, Mr. Evil Joss sir." This year I'm gonna kick that football clear to the moon...
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Post by Emmie on Jan 13, 2010 21:47:08 GMT -5
Yeah, sometimes you just gotta let yourself fall so you can truly feel the story. I love that analogy, Andrew.
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Post by DorothyFan1 on Jan 13, 2010 22:02:32 GMT -5
I'm wondering if the Twilight reveal will be another form of the Buffy Xander talk...only with the stakes that much higher.
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jellymoff
Ensouled Vampire
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Post by jellymoff on Jan 13, 2010 22:42:49 GMT -5
Good Times! I really loved this issue. It was the first time in awhile that I was really excited as I was reading, really getting in to the story and the feelings of the characters.
I am offically a Dander shipper. Xander saying that he is in love with Dawn just warmed my heart. It made any creepiness assosciated with their relationship wash away.
I was a bit disapointed with some of the art. I like Jeanty alot, but some fo the panels of Buffy just didn't look right. Minor complaint though for a great issue. And Jeanty can't be perfect, with the amount of work he as to do.
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Post by AndrewCrossett on Jan 14, 2010 0:27:17 GMT -5
Few more points...
* Willow says, of the sudden return of her power (and that of the other Wiccans, apparently) that it was "a temporal ripple from something powerful and coming soon." The "coming soon" part seems to eliminate her death 200 years in the future as a cause.
* Dawn mentions Andrew by name, even though Twilight's spell was supposed to keep everyone from thinking about the missing people.
* Dawn mentioned her key-ness again. Not for the first time this season. Maybe she's not as certain as she thought that she's not a key anymore?
* The Twilight soldier Buffy talks to has no idea what a "vampire slayer" is. These guys haven't been given the slightest idea who or why they're fighting. This despite the fact that Slayers are seemingly all over the news and popular culture.
* Willow doesn't think her re-empowerment and Buffy's new powers are connected.
* Is that Kennedy wearing the shirt with the square monster on it?
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Post by wenxina on Jan 14, 2010 0:57:52 GMT -5
Well, Willow doesn't really know the specifics as to the origin of her returned power. A "temporal ripple" just sounds like a deliberate connect back to "ToYL", so I don't think that it's mere coincidence, regardless of "coming soon". It's like Cabin in the Woods. "Coming Soon... but we decided to 3-D-fy the damn thing so wait a while longer". Dawn mentioning Andrew is not in direct violation of the confounding spell. She thinks of him, but she doesn't miss him, as in find his absence disturbing in any way. Well, the term used for Slayers is "terrorist" anyway. If these guys have been away from home for a while, perhaps they just think that they're fighting a bunch of girls who have magic powers. He does ask Buffy is she's a witch. Yeah, that square monster on Kennedy's shirt is one of the Domo things. A member here asked him if he could put it in, and he said that he'd think about it.
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Post by DorothyFan1 on Jan 14, 2010 1:05:20 GMT -5
Few more points... * Willow says, of the sudden return of her power (and that of the other Wiccans, apparently) that it was "a temporal ripple from something powerful and coming soon." The "coming soon" part seems to eliminate her death 200 years in the future as a cause. Very good catch. I didn't get that part. After thinking your observation over some more...my theory is Willow's death in the future triggered some kind of wake up call to her allies in that future. My guess is they're following the ripple effects back to present day Willow. Could these allies be the ones we saw in the one shot?! It would be fun to see Muffitt again. I would love to see Twilight's reaction to seeing the wheel chair bound kid flying right into his lair with her goggles on.
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bishopcruz
Common Vampire
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Post by bishopcruz on Jan 14, 2010 1:13:52 GMT -5
BTW is there going to be a QandA for this issue?
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Hellbound Hyperion
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Post by Hellbound Hyperion on Jan 14, 2010 1:27:02 GMT -5
BTW is there going to be a QandA for this issue? Scott AllieGeorges JeantyBe wary of Twilight identity spoilers, unless you already spoiled yourself.
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Post by wenxina on Jan 14, 2010 7:44:57 GMT -5
BTW is there going to be a QandA for this issue? Scott AllieGeorges JeantyBe wary of Twilight identity spoilers, unless you already spoiled yourself. Yeah, the Q&As now happen over on the "Q&A" board... we have a special area under "Exclusives". But about Twilight spoilers, the simple rule is that anything pertaining to Twilight's true identity MUST be in spoiler tags.
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Post by DorothyFan1 on Jan 14, 2010 8:29:34 GMT -5
I'm wondering if Joss is hinting at something when he has Buffy say to Xander she's sorry she's the worst person in the universe? Is this foreshadowing something is about to occur that fulfills this ironic comment?
Is there anybody else beginning to dread the possibility Rebecca's comment about the betrayal "the closest, the most unexpected" may NOT be referring to Twilight but Buffy herself? That it's Buffy who will be doing the horrible deed that shows why Twilight may have been right all along?
If this proves true and the real betrayal is by Buffy then it promises to be so terrible that I doubt anybody on the forum or reads the comic could possibly see a way for Buffy to be redeemed. Remember, we've NEVER seen Buffy betray anyone. Never. Not to the level Joss is bringing Season 8 to an explosive finale. So this act may precipitate whatever happens to Buffy and triggers the Season 9 storyline right from the start.
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