Season 8 - Twilight Part 3: Issue 34

[Paul]

Apr 14, 2010 1:52:29 GMT -5 CowboyGuy said:

After reading this a few times, I find it quite interesting that Giles can speak of "The Universe" changing, etc. But he also said that this event was a first in the "Omniverse".

What's the diff?! Haha.

The "universe" usually applies only to one dimension, whereas "multiverse" and "omniverse" would apply to every dimension.

[faithswatcher]

I dont wana use the shipper word, but I have always been a fan of Buffy and Angel. But this issue was just over the top ridiculous and I just hope that it's going to make sense in future issues. Like others have said, it would have been just as beautiful/shocking to have them having sex normally while the world falls apart around them. Perhaps they needed to be floating around to get where they need to.

Couple of notes:
Willow used orgasm to achieve entry to Saggy (forget the name)
As Buffy seemed to, to achieve entry to 'Twilight'.

Angel said last issue that he only took the role of Twilight to avoid more costly death etc. Yet this issue he seems to be happy that they achieved/entered (not sure what verb i'm supposed to be using) 'Twilight'. What the hell IS going on?

How pissed would you be if this has all been part of Buffy's dream since Amy put her under a love spell while asleep? haha

[alex_krycek]

Apr 14, 2010 7:40:10 GMT -5 faithswatcher said:

How pissed would you be if this has all been part of Buffy's dream since Amy put her under a love spell while asleep? haha

i'd be very upset indeed. even though i'm not a fan of where this is going, waking out of a dream would seem like a cheap way out of a confusing storyline.

but i still trust joss & his vision. i'll see this season through.

[AndrewCrossett]

Apr 14, 2010 1:52:29 GMT -5 CowboyGuy said:

After reading this a few times, I find it quite interesting that Giles can speak of "The Universe" changing, etc. But he also said that this event was a first in the "Omniverse".

What's the diff?! Haha.

An omniverse (or "multiverse" to use Michael Moorcock's term) would be all of existence, consisting of many universes, or planes of existence. But considering that Giles couldn't possibly be knowledgeable enough to know what has or hasn't happened in all the Universes, he's probably referring to our physical universe (the world, solar system, galaxy, outer space) and the other planes connected to it (various Hells, Heaven, Pylea, "Twilight," etc.)

Apr 14, 2010 1:52:29 GMT -5 CowboyGuy said:

Seems like Buffy enjoyed the sex, but I wager that she will not want to be separated from the Scoobies for very long.

She may find that they want to be separated from her, though. All depends on how she reacts when she discovers the little side-effects her fun romp had. I'm hoping it goes something like this:

Buffy: "What? I'm not allowed to hit people?"

Giles: "Not people capable of genocide."

Buffy: "Those are exactly the types of people I should be allowed to hit!"

[Emmie]

Apr 13, 2010 22:51:02 GMT -5 wenxina said:

Em, I was making a case about how feeling slighted can go both ways. In my haste, my statement wasn't phrased correctly.

Fair enough.

Apr 13, 2010 22:51:02 GMT -5 wenxina said:

RE: switching positions... at the speed they were going, I'm not surprised they changed a few times. But it's not like there was a rapid succession of changes on the same page. It was spread over the course of the story, interspersed with the world going nuts.

I'm afraid I had to break out my issue and when the sex starts, full-on engaged, starting at the full page spread that says "that the Universe is also smart enough to have a far bigger plan for them?"--

Every time a wide shot shows their bodies, they have switched positions Six Times. If you include the foreplay from earlier, it's Seven. Within the page where they crash into the mountain, from one panel to the next, they switch. Every time you can tell what position their facing (front to front or back to back), it has changed.

It happens a lot. Every time they appear in wide shot, it's switched.

(Yes, I counted. )

I'm gonna stick by my stance that switching positions mid-air six times and them winding up in space is over-gilding the lily. Or maniacally over-glittering the Christmas tree. Now, I do like the effect of them crashing into mountains.

Frankly, instead of them frakking in space, I think it would've been cooler if they superspeeded around the world. Like show them knocking off the top of a famous building or a well-known landmark. You know that gag where the superheroes fly past a skyscraper window and the people inside gape?

[wenxina]

I counted too, and I still maintain that at superspeed, 6 really isn't that mind-boggling. But even then, the creative team isn't oblivious to the excess, with Dawn actually exclaiming: "Ew. I don't think that what super-speed's for". Dawn is becoming my favorite meta-commentator... She's also got a pottymouth, and I likes it... "Nutwads" anyone?

But hey, to each their own.
I can see how the excess may be silly to you, but to me, it didn't read as excess. Buffy and Angel whizzing by famous landmarks would've been hilarious, but there would still be people that would call it excessive.
But the thing is space... well, isn't space supposed to be the final frontier? These two are now powerful enough to be out in space with no protection/insulation at all, and they were fine. Heck, Angel didn't even have the UV shield of the ozone layer, and he still wasn't charring (which, yeah, was established in #33, but I like the nerdy next step taken). And then crashing through the atmosphere like that... thematically and visually, it worked for me.

My only gripe with the writing is that Faith isn't quite Faith yet... and once again, she seems to be rather wasted as a character.

[CowboyGuy]

I agree that Faith was way off. Since when does she call everyone by the letter of their first name? I distinctly remember from the show that it was only Buffy who had that nickname. Oh well. Even past that, she seems very one-dimensional.

The most ridiculous position that actually made me laugh out loud was the "reverse-cowgirl" one. Or at least I think that's what it's called!

I agree with Emmie about the whizzing past a skyscraper with gapey on-lookers. That would have been so funny! ...but isn't that what the Scoobies are doing anyway?

[wenxina]

Don't think the onlookers would be able to see them anyway... faster than a speeding bullet and all that.
Probably would feel the sonic boom, though...

[hitnrun017]

I don't think Meltzer's Faith is too bad. It's not as distinctive as Vaughn's, but at least I can hear the character delivering the lines. A lot better than Espenson and Krueger.

I can't wait to get some Whedon Faith.

[wenxina]

My problem with Faith is that the lines given to her are mostly pedestrian. I don't think Meltzer writes a bad Faith. Just a very generic one. And yeah, there's no way she would be as distinctive as Vaughan's Faith, since Faith is not the focus of the arc. But nothing beats (in terms of badness) Krueger's Faith and Giles. Espenson wrote good Faith a couple of times. First in #26, and then in #28. Again, not centerstage, but there was a spark.

[alex_krycek]

i hope faith gets a push towards center stage. i'd love to see her take charge of the scoobies and lead them to stop this apocolypse.

[The Night Lord]

Well, seeing as how Buffy is off banging Angel all over the place, I guess Faith is gonna have to take centre stage once again

[cutiepatootie]

Guhhh. I really hope Faith doesn't become the "hero" of the arc. Her character's never done it for me.

[neowhobaz]

Idk I think it'll ultimately come down to Buffy. I mean it is her book lol. But more than that the whole panel with her and spike standing there and it seeing soon with them getting ready for something seems sort of indicative of Buffy being the final contender.

[wenxina]

After a week of leisurely toiling at this, my review is finally finished. Click HERE to read, if interested.

[The Night Lord]

Interesting review, Xi, however, I did think of something while reading it, especially the part about the Scythe. What about Dracula's sword? He said it was bound with demon spirit, like the scythe, so perhaps that might come into play later on, considering how it was suggested that past characters in this season might return towards the end

[wenxina]

Apr 16, 2010 1:02:24 GMT -5 The Night Lord said:

Interesting review, Xi, however, I did think of something while reading it, especially the part about the Scythe. What about Dracula's sword? He said it was bound with demon spirit, like the scythe, so perhaps that might come into play later on, considering how it was suggested that past characters in this season might return towards the end

Thanks. Dracula's sword is an interesting catch. He did refer to it as one of the "ancient relics". I guess we'll see how that plays out.

[alex_krycek]

and don't forget, dracula owes spike fifteen pounds. it could get ugly!

[Dorotea]

Honestly, wenxina,

Yours is the most balanced and observant review of issue 34 I have seen so far - and the pick about different style of the panel boxes was my favorite. Astounding really how you managed to deliver it all so rationally yet humorously - especially after all the emotions that were pouring out lately.

In any case - my two cents would be

(1) WatG arc showed us how to de-power Slayers - the Scythe/Drac's sword were used. Scythe might need to be used in conjunction with the 'totem' that Giles was looking for to depower the God. It seems he would have suspected it was 'just' the Scythe.

(2) Twilight is an alternative reality - in Frayverse this is where all the magic ended up in.

(3) It looks like Dark Willow's death led exactly to the Fray-verse becoming a reality - as it triggered Buffy's flight to Tibet in attempt to depower, which in turn caused the Goddesses to emerge, which resulted in the final 'push' that cause Buffy to ascend , which resulted in opening of the Plane of Twilight. Thus Willow had sacrificed herself to make Fray verse a reality.

[The Night Lord]

Apr 16, 2010 7:43:37 GMT -5 alex_krycek said:

and don't forget, dracula owes spike fifteen pounds. it could get ugly!

Actually, it's eleven pounds, but yeah, it could be ugly ;D