Post by wenxina on Mar 4, 2010 1:46:30 GMT -5
Review with pictures can be found HERE[/color]. Comments are welcome... we always love to hear from you.[/size][/b]
The nitty-gritty: Twilight is finally unmasked. Surprise… the covers for #34 don’t lie… it’s him. There’s a hint or two of a major mythology expansion coming in the next issue. You will either hate, or love it. ‘Nuff said.
Art: Strong panel work throughout by Georges Jeanty. The panels featuring Xander giving Buffy a pep-talk are some of the best work that jeanty’s put out thus far, with remarkable nuance, expression, and dynamic storytelling. The panels of Buffy and Angel interacting show an amazing range of emotions and actions; with some of the best “acting” I’ve seen from Jeanty’s characters. The way that Angel points when he tells Buffy about how she “fundamentally shifted the balance of power in the world”… it’s a gesture that Angel’s used before, on-screen. The way Buffy smacks Angel’s hand away, commanding him to “get away from [her]”. Buffy’s look of utter horror as she finally sees the man behind the mask. Had I not been spoilt as to Twilight’s identity already, it would’ve been so much more rewarding to go through that with Buffy.
My only minor quibbles are his renditions of Faith and Angel. Jeanty has shown in the past that he draws an amazing Faith, but in this issue, as well as the last, she’s not been drawn in a flattering light at all. One could argue that she’s a little rough around the edges from the wear-and-tear, but when has Faith never looked good? Even when covered with battle wounds that would shame Beowulf. Jeanty’s Angel is a little inconsistent, but the learning curve is quite impressive. While the close-up of his mug is a little off, the later panels indicate that Jeanty seemed to get more comfortable drawing him.
Michelle Madsen continues to complement the overall product, once again switching palettes in order to convey the general mood of each scene; e.g. warm and bright for the Buffy/Xander pep-talk, and cold and menacing for Twilight’s HQ.
Writing: This has been the issue that we’ve all been waiting for. Heck, if the leak hadn’t happened earlier this year, it would’ve been even bigger. As it is, internet chatter is going nuts, with more pages of forum discussion per hour than I’ve seen in a long time. In fact, the last time I saw so much heated discussion go on was when the covers for #34 leaked. It’s a controversial issue, and I doubt that wasn’t expected at all. How this will all pan out remains to be seen, so there are some loose ends still dangling for now. Oh, and a quick note, I’m going to be using “Angel” and “Twilight” interchangeably, as it best suits the context.
How does Meltzer hold up? Up to the reveal, the writing and pacing is solid. We learn several things that are so artfully placed in dialogue that the exposition never clips the pacing at all. As it turns out, Twilight’s HQ is hidden three seconds in the future (what that really means beats me, but I guess it explains its elusiveness). There is an interesting exchange between Warren and the General (“My H.Q.! It was my genius that built it! And for Twilight to think he can steal it from me --!” “Relax, soldier. We’ll be back on track soon enough”) hints that the three exiles (or at least two of them) may not entirely be on the level, as Dawn points out.
More interestingly, Meltzer preps the stage for the next issue, which according to an interview with Newsarama, is “where the Buffyverse mythology really comes into play”. There are several foreboding hints as to what this new twist will be. According to Scott Allie in a Buffyfest interview, "Giles explains the secret history of vampires and slayers." This is heavily hinted at in several places, the first being Giles recognition of Twilight’s abilities sounding extremely familiar. Apparently Giles has been withholding information that will explain what Buffy’s become. Once again, it’s hinted that Buffy is a child of prophecy, with Twilight saying: “Every Watcher wonders if his Slayer might be the girl… and you’ve had more reason than any. […] I figured with all your recent jaunts… to England… to Germany… I thought they all knew what you were really looking for. But now, thanks to your silence – she has no idea what she’s become.” Later, in response to Andrew’s enthusiastic cheering on of Buffy, Giles responds with a foreboding “No. Not this time. Regardless of what Buffy does – there is no winning.”
So that’s up to the big reveal. What about after that? Well, this is the bit that gets a little difficult to judge, since everything’s just kinda crazy at the moment. Some things just don’t seem to add up, and this could either be attributed to bad writing (I hope not!) or ignorance on the part of the readers. As Scott Allie has said at least twice now, Twilight’s plan will only truly become clear after reading #35. So I’ll hold off on deciding whether it’s the case of the former or latter for now.
So what is it exactly that Buffy’s become? According to Angel, Willow was mistaken, and that Buffy’s power, like his “has nothing to do with the other Slayers”, and that what’s happening to them “is what [they’ve] been waiting for. What [they] earned. What [they] need.” Vague at best.
Where things don’t seem to add up is the difference in Angel’s attitude. Before the reveal, he’s pretty much a dick, joking about which of his three captives wants to die first. He beats Faith up pretty badly, and is in the process of threatening Andrew when Buffy crashes the party (literally), and takes him on in an aerial battle. It’s then that he switches over to Earnest Angel, spilling his guts to her, explaining how he hadn’t been trying to kill anyone, but rather his agenda was to distract the world’s governments and demons, keeping the body count as low as he could while he pushed Buffy into becoming what she’s become. That’s where things get a little shadier. From the hints so far, what Buffy’s become may not necessarily be good, so if Angel was pushing her towards that, then that makes him two shades darker.
He then appeals to her, telling her that the feeling in her gut isn’t “just rage, or confusion – and for once, it’s not even guilt”. What she’s apparently feeling is him. Them. Together. Their bodies glow whenever they’re close because it’s “joy” that they feel. Buffy feels it, and knows that he’s “right” (not that he's necessarily in the right or anything, but rather, to her, it's apparent that he's at least correct about what she feels). Coupled with the glowiness, it does sound more than a tad mystical, and possibly not entirely voluntary, if she were in the right mind. It ends with a kiss, or does it? An interesting tidbit to note, Willow seems to have a pretty good idea of what Buffy’s doing, despite the fact that she can’t see her, possibly alluding to their connection in the mode of “TLWH” Pt. IV.
So where does that ultimately leave us? It’s a damn exciting issue, for better or worse. It places us right in the middle of the arc, and there’s more drama ahead. How the rest of the Scoobies will react remains to be seen, but if that variant cover for #35 is to be taken literally, Buffy’s not going to be happy for a while. A lot is riding on this arc, and on a technical level, Meltzer hasn’t disappointed yet.
We’ll see.
The nitty-gritty: Twilight is finally unmasked. Surprise… the covers for #34 don’t lie… it’s him. There’s a hint or two of a major mythology expansion coming in the next issue. You will either hate, or love it. ‘Nuff said.
Art: Strong panel work throughout by Georges Jeanty. The panels featuring Xander giving Buffy a pep-talk are some of the best work that jeanty’s put out thus far, with remarkable nuance, expression, and dynamic storytelling. The panels of Buffy and Angel interacting show an amazing range of emotions and actions; with some of the best “acting” I’ve seen from Jeanty’s characters. The way that Angel points when he tells Buffy about how she “fundamentally shifted the balance of power in the world”… it’s a gesture that Angel’s used before, on-screen. The way Buffy smacks Angel’s hand away, commanding him to “get away from [her]”. Buffy’s look of utter horror as she finally sees the man behind the mask. Had I not been spoilt as to Twilight’s identity already, it would’ve been so much more rewarding to go through that with Buffy.
My only minor quibbles are his renditions of Faith and Angel. Jeanty has shown in the past that he draws an amazing Faith, but in this issue, as well as the last, she’s not been drawn in a flattering light at all. One could argue that she’s a little rough around the edges from the wear-and-tear, but when has Faith never looked good? Even when covered with battle wounds that would shame Beowulf. Jeanty’s Angel is a little inconsistent, but the learning curve is quite impressive. While the close-up of his mug is a little off, the later panels indicate that Jeanty seemed to get more comfortable drawing him.
Michelle Madsen continues to complement the overall product, once again switching palettes in order to convey the general mood of each scene; e.g. warm and bright for the Buffy/Xander pep-talk, and cold and menacing for Twilight’s HQ.
Writing: This has been the issue that we’ve all been waiting for. Heck, if the leak hadn’t happened earlier this year, it would’ve been even bigger. As it is, internet chatter is going nuts, with more pages of forum discussion per hour than I’ve seen in a long time. In fact, the last time I saw so much heated discussion go on was when the covers for #34 leaked. It’s a controversial issue, and I doubt that wasn’t expected at all. How this will all pan out remains to be seen, so there are some loose ends still dangling for now. Oh, and a quick note, I’m going to be using “Angel” and “Twilight” interchangeably, as it best suits the context.
How does Meltzer hold up? Up to the reveal, the writing and pacing is solid. We learn several things that are so artfully placed in dialogue that the exposition never clips the pacing at all. As it turns out, Twilight’s HQ is hidden three seconds in the future (what that really means beats me, but I guess it explains its elusiveness). There is an interesting exchange between Warren and the General (“My H.Q.! It was my genius that built it! And for Twilight to think he can steal it from me --!” “Relax, soldier. We’ll be back on track soon enough”) hints that the three exiles (or at least two of them) may not entirely be on the level, as Dawn points out.
More interestingly, Meltzer preps the stage for the next issue, which according to an interview with Newsarama, is “where the Buffyverse mythology really comes into play”. There are several foreboding hints as to what this new twist will be. According to Scott Allie in a Buffyfest interview, "Giles explains the secret history of vampires and slayers." This is heavily hinted at in several places, the first being Giles recognition of Twilight’s abilities sounding extremely familiar. Apparently Giles has been withholding information that will explain what Buffy’s become. Once again, it’s hinted that Buffy is a child of prophecy, with Twilight saying: “Every Watcher wonders if his Slayer might be the girl… and you’ve had more reason than any. […] I figured with all your recent jaunts… to England… to Germany… I thought they all knew what you were really looking for. But now, thanks to your silence – she has no idea what she’s become.” Later, in response to Andrew’s enthusiastic cheering on of Buffy, Giles responds with a foreboding “No. Not this time. Regardless of what Buffy does – there is no winning.”
So that’s up to the big reveal. What about after that? Well, this is the bit that gets a little difficult to judge, since everything’s just kinda crazy at the moment. Some things just don’t seem to add up, and this could either be attributed to bad writing (I hope not!) or ignorance on the part of the readers. As Scott Allie has said at least twice now, Twilight’s plan will only truly become clear after reading #35. So I’ll hold off on deciding whether it’s the case of the former or latter for now.
So what is it exactly that Buffy’s become? According to Angel, Willow was mistaken, and that Buffy’s power, like his “has nothing to do with the other Slayers”, and that what’s happening to them “is what [they’ve] been waiting for. What [they] earned. What [they] need.” Vague at best.
Where things don’t seem to add up is the difference in Angel’s attitude. Before the reveal, he’s pretty much a dick, joking about which of his three captives wants to die first. He beats Faith up pretty badly, and is in the process of threatening Andrew when Buffy crashes the party (literally), and takes him on in an aerial battle. It’s then that he switches over to Earnest Angel, spilling his guts to her, explaining how he hadn’t been trying to kill anyone, but rather his agenda was to distract the world’s governments and demons, keeping the body count as low as he could while he pushed Buffy into becoming what she’s become. That’s where things get a little shadier. From the hints so far, what Buffy’s become may not necessarily be good, so if Angel was pushing her towards that, then that makes him two shades darker.
He then appeals to her, telling her that the feeling in her gut isn’t “just rage, or confusion – and for once, it’s not even guilt”. What she’s apparently feeling is him. Them. Together. Their bodies glow whenever they’re close because it’s “joy” that they feel. Buffy feels it, and knows that he’s “right” (not that he's necessarily in the right or anything, but rather, to her, it's apparent that he's at least correct about what she feels). Coupled with the glowiness, it does sound more than a tad mystical, and possibly not entirely voluntary, if she were in the right mind. It ends with a kiss, or does it? An interesting tidbit to note, Willow seems to have a pretty good idea of what Buffy’s doing, despite the fact that she can’t see her, possibly alluding to their connection in the mode of “TLWH” Pt. IV.
So where does that ultimately leave us? It’s a damn exciting issue, for better or worse. It places us right in the middle of the arc, and there’s more drama ahead. How the rest of the Scoobies will react remains to be seen, but if that variant cover for #35 is to be taken literally, Buffy’s not going to be happy for a while. A lot is riding on this arc, and on a technical level, Meltzer hasn’t disappointed yet.
We’ll see.
