Season 8 - Retreat Part 1: Issue 26

[Emmie]

Welcome fayth! Glad to have you joining the ranks.

Ahhhhhh this issue was so good! The action, the characterization, the talk between Buffy and Giles, the art. And Oz's introduction was so perfect.

Thank you, Espenson. Buffy comic day was truly awesome this month!

[AndrewCrossett]

I'm going to sneak over and change the clock in the office to read 5:00 now...

[trunkstheslayer]

AMAZING issue. Finally we're getting all the dread and danger that PaP was supposed to demonstrate to us.

Two small problems I have though:
Warren talking about killing Jonathan to become gods....that wasn't Warren, it was the First. So...splainy?

The Willow situation: A)Why is her magic all of a sudden taking control again? Wasn't the underlying message of the slayer spell the fact that it was so good and pure that it gave her back her total control? Hence her massive use all season now?
B)Giles and Buffy are advocating her quitting cold turkey...again. Didn't Giles say that such an idea was impossible and a horrible idea before? Like, early season 7 when he's retraining Willow?
So what the hell?


Aside from those issues though, this was pure gold. Jane's upped the ante to the max with this issue.
Also: Totally called it that Oz would be a last panel reveal. Not a bad one though, given the context.
Can't wait to see how Jane keeps this energy going. My blood's still pumping and I finished reading it an hour ago. The whole drive home had me buzzed and anxious over it. Now THAT is a sign of damn good writing.

[Tyler Austin "tiewashere"]

Excellent issue! After the last CRAPPY six months, this issue, in only 22 pages demonstrated the fear that the slayers feel that was barely even touched upon in Predators and Prey. I can't wait to read it again!!

[Nicholas]

I absolutely 100% love this issue! This has to be the best one since A Beautiful Sunset and I hope that the rest of the arc stays as amazing as this one.

I dont really have anything to comment on when regarding the art, because it is still as beautiful as ever. But this showed us so many things that have been on our brains since the Predators And Prey arc first started! Andrew finally seeing the real Warren again was an amazing scene, first of all. I liked how it ended with Warren yelling at Amy for not letting him finish tricking Andrew, but I think the most important part of the whole conversation between the two was that as much as Warren was trying to put doubt in Andrews head, Andrew wasnt at all interested in it, except when it came to talking about Keith Olbermann. And something that is shown here, is that the demons all attacking the Slayers IS influenced by Amy/Twilight, which means that the human/vampire pairing could be influenced by them as well. When it comes to Warren talking about killing Jonathon, wasnt Amy around for at least one episode of Season 7, meaning she could have found out about The First talking to Jonathon? Its a stretch but then again, maybe this is one of this little clues that are supposed to be throughout the course of the season to tell you who Twilight is. Maybe Twilight is The First....you never know.

And I think it was wonderful to see that as much stuff that has been going on between Buffy and Giles, they still very much love eachother like family and it was a BEAUTIFUL panel to see Buffy crying while hugging him.

Pretty good action scenes if I dont say so myself, with the fake bridge set up which took out the tank, etc. One thing I found really interesting was that the witches Willow had holding up the shields, literally must have been harnessing so much magic that it can kill them, like Willow said: Brain fry.

One thing I didnt understand was why Faith was saying she was done with this crap...does she mean fighting? I thought that had been worked through in her own arc? Or maybe it was a jab at how done she is with all the magic crap.

It was excellent to see the submarine touched upon with Andrews excellent humor!

Now the best scene had to be between Giles and Buffy when talking about Willow, its something that has been building throughout the season. Giles has no idea about Willow eventually turning dark again, but now he does (well to an extent) and he is wondering why Buffy is allowing her to do it anyway if thats how Twilight is tracking them. An interesting thing that I noticed and I felt was expressed very well, is that Buffy needs help. This whole time, she is allowing Willow to do magic, etc, because she doesnt know how to lead an entire army, she needs her mentor. And I think with Giles returning, she will finally be able to get back on track.
When it comes to Willow stopping magic, I think the thing trying to be expressed is that although Willow may have been able to get to the good place again when it comes to magic, Buffy has been shown (depending on whether Frays future is true) that Willow will still turn evil. They tried Giles approach at getting her better, but according to what Buffy saw, it wont work for long. So yes, cold turkey has become an option.


AND WHO DIDNT LOVE OZ'S APPEARANCE!?

[AndrewCrossett]

A+ issue. Great to see them all back together again, and getting along.

So did all of Andrew's squad get killed except for five girls? That's pretty harsh. I knew we were going to lose Posey as soon as they gave her a name and a few lines... obvious redshirting there.

I'm actually a bit glad Willow didn't succeed in killing Warren... her method was not nearly cruel enough. I want to see him lose his "containment" spell (hopefully when Amy dies) and then be sealed in a tank of lemon juice to drown.

(Yeah... it is strange how Warren knows about things that First Evil Warren said to Andrew... maybe this Warren is actually the First Evil?)

Loved the Buffy/Giles interaction, and Buffy confessing her Willow fears to him. This makes the Willow/Dark Willow imagery in the Dark Horse Presents comic clearer. But I did like to see Willow getting nasty with the demons. They deserve it.

Oz's reaction to the sub's appearance was so... Oz-y.

This is gonna be great.

Is that it for another whole month?

[Nicholas]

Jul 1, 2009 17:00:22 GMT -5 AndrewCrossett said:

I'm actually a bit glad Willow didn't succeed in killing Warren... her method was not nearly cruel enough. I want to see him lose his "containment" spell (hopefully when Amy dies) and then be sealed in a tank of lemon juice to drown.

(Yeah... it is strange how Warren knows about things that First Evil Warren said to Andrew... maybe this Warren is actually the First Evil?)

Loved the Buffy/Giles interaction, and Buffy confessing her Willow fears to him. This makes the Willow/Dark Willow imagery in the Dark Horse Presents comic clearer. But I did like to see Willow getting nasty with the demons. They deserve it.

OUCH! Someone has a wicked mind!? I agree though...hehe.

And what Willow/Dark Willow Dark Horse Presents....did I miss something?

[fayth]

Oz's last panel apperance was PERFECT! So subtle and very Oz-esque. I am so content with it, and I am looking forward to the next 4 issues with him involved! though I have an intense feeling it'll be mostly ANTI willow and oz-ness... boo... I demand at least a mutual sweet kiss between the two! But it seems having Kennedy around will botch their perfection up...

Also- Faith and Giles return and reunite with Buffy which makes my day even brighter!! Having Faith and Oz in the same issue is like... nirvana... lol. And though I am not so thrilled about their some what dull and less than best interaction and panels with Buffy, I'm happy all over.

Now the long wait till August...
And thanks for the welcomes!

[patxshand]

Agree about the first panel.

I think the issue was good, with moments of excellence and moments of not that. Really dug most of the Andrew/Warren stuff, the Buffy/Giles stuff, and some dialogue. Not so much how Magicky and crazy everything was.

Elaboration, aqui:

buffyversecomics.blogspot.com/2009/07/lily-from-how-i-met-your-mother.html

[hitnrun017]

This was great!

I just love that everyone was brought together. That one page where everyone said their hellos with that panel of Buffy hugging Giles was perfect. It took 26 issues, but it finally happened, and I'm hoping that there will be some great group dynamic interaction in future issues.

Magic, magic, magic. I love the concern about Willow's use of it. So cool that it was Giles Buffy went to about what she experienced during Time or Your Life, going to him for advice... I've missed that. The two pages between them were the best of the issue, felt like old times. I can't wait for all the tension between them and Willow. So she skinned that demon alive? While not being evil? That is very worrisome. The "brain-fry" part was creepy as hell, and even though they were under attack, the lack of emotion that came from Willow was just weird.

The Andrew/Warren reunion didn't go the way I expected, but it was still pretty cool. But yeah, another big plot hole with The First thing, makes zero sense and it took me right out of the scene. I did like that Warren didn't finish. Now we don't know what "the proposal" was and if Andrew would of gone with it or not. The battle scene was pretty epic, but also kind of messy. Some of the panels and lettering seemed weird, got confused a couple times, but the actual art was great. The last page was brilliant, totally Oz.

Really, really beyond excited to see where this arc goes.

[AndrewCrossett]

Jul 1, 2009 18:33:34 GMT -5 hitnrun017 said:

the lack of emotion that came from Willow was just weird.

It wasn't just her... it was kind of jarring to see Andrew quipping away one panel after one of his girls got murdered in front of him... and I realize it was in the heat of battle, but a lot of those Slayers died pretty horrible deaths from napalm and other things... all girls with lives and friends and families.

That was why I liked the scene in ToYL where Rowena cries over the deaths of her friends in the missile attack. Made it seem more real... even though we didn't witness those deaths and we did witness these.

In a comic, though, space is tight and you can't show every reaction in detail.

The issue was about as bloody as I expected.

[Emmie]

Pat, Warren's escape is shown by the green poof of Amy making him disappear as Andrew turns to fight the goatmen. It was quick and subtle, but still shown. I imagine they had to be quick about it with so much to accomplish in this issue.

I really loved this issue. I've never had a problem with the submarine nor the magic. I think the whole point of Willow-God danger is very relevant. Just as the white-haired-goddess spell of Chosen made sharing the Slayer power a perfectly good message - both magic and Slayer power are good - in Season 8 we discover that these consequences are catching up with them. Just as Willow is falling into darkness, so too is Buffy.

[Mathieu]

L*O*V*E*D the issue!!! Finally. I'm hooked again.

We had a good mix of what the TV show could offer: humor, drama, action, horror, etc...

I am so glad Buffy finally brought up the Future Dark Willow thing as it is my favorite storyline this season. I hope this is where we're heading. She seems to be really addicted to magic again and she didn't even seem moved by the death of one of the wicca-slayers. Very cold attitude.

Just one thing or two that really bugged me as some pointed out.

Why does Warren talk about things that the First said?
-> Doesn't make any sense, HUGE plot hole. Better be on purpose. Isn't Joss Whedon supposed to supervise everything?

Why has Faith become anti-magic all of a sudden? What she said "about being done" really came out of nowhere.

Too bad, it could have been a perfect issue.

[hitnrun017]

Jul 1, 2009 18:59:54 GMT -5 AndrewCrossett said:

Jul 1, 2009 18:33:34 GMT -5 hitnrun017 said:

the lack of emotion that came from Willow was just weird.

It wasn't just her... it was kind of jarring to see Andrew quipping away one panel after one of his girls got murdered in front of him... and I realize it was in the heat of battle, but a lot of those Slayers died pretty horrible deaths from napalm and other things... all girls with lives and friends and families.

That was why I liked the scene in ToYL where Rowena cries over the deaths of her friends in the missile attack. Made it seem more real... even though we didn't witness those deaths and we did witness these.

In a comic, though, space is tight and you can't show every reaction in detail.

The issue was about as bloody as I expected.

Yeah, that one panel of Slayers getting stabbed with swords shocked the hell out of me. But still, there just seemed to be more to that "brain-fry" panel. The magic that Willow was pretty much in charge of killed that girl and there wasn't an ounce of remorse from her. Even in battle, that's totally un-Willow. The look on Buffy's face speaks volumes too.

[AndrewCrossett]

Jul 1, 2009 19:16:15 GMT -5 Mathieu said:

Why has Faith become anti-magic all of a sudden? What she said "about being done" really came out of nowhere.

I don't think it was the magic that bothered her, but what Willow was doing with it. Gleefully torturing one's enemies reflects a mindset Faith is trying to banish from her life.

[wenxina]

Holy cow! After 6 months of low urgency, despite the intended purpose of the "Predators and Prey" arc, the adrenaline rush from just reading this issue has me all tingly still. It's 22-pages of non-stop chaos, illustrating exactly how bad things are, not just in terms of the attacks, but also the counter-attack schemes stacked up upon each other.

Writing: I was a little nervous at first, after reading "Harmonic Divergence". That clearly wasn't Jane Espenson's strongest work. This, however, had renewed my faith in her abilities. The voices are spot on, and the pacing of the story is pitch-perfect, allowing the characters to come through the madness. The only point of confusion would be how the real Warren knew what lies the First had been stuffing into Andrew's ears in the Season 6-7 interim. Unless, killing Jonathan to make themselves gods was something that Warren had talked about with Andrew in Season 6. Jonathan was the little black sheep of the Trio, so to make him the sacrificial lamb for their selfish schemes wouldn't be way over the top to believe. But otherwise, minor plot hole of sorts... The two pages of Buffy and Giles having a conversation about Willow and the events of "Time of Your Life" are amazingly reminiscent of their little chat in "Grave".

Art: For the most part, rather glorious. The subtleties in so many of the panels is what makes Jeanty the perfect candidate to be carrying the bulk of Season 8, just like the tons of little references, and in-jokes in the TV show. There are no wasted panels at all. Even something as mundane as a panel with Willow and Kennedy snuggled in bed contains an interesting detail: look at the book on the nightstand. It's Wicked. I don't think the reference is lost on anyone there. I will admit, I'm a huge Lord of the Rings fan, and the sequence of the invading army coming over the bridge just reminded me of the departing orc army as they leave Minas Morgul in The Return of the King. Another instance of unwasted panel space is the Wiccan girl who dies from a "brain-fry". In the panel where one of the Wicca girls yells "Second shield down!", you can see the other girl's face contorted in concentration, trying to keep the last shield up. Then you have the napalm explosion, and you see her dead, apparently from trying too hard. It's subtle details like this that make the art truly alive for me. Oh, and Georges... totally caught your own little bit of shameless self-promotion! If you've no idea what I'm talking about, check out Faith's shirt when she interrupts Buffy's chat with Giles. The hippo is Jeanty's logo/mascot.

It's been a while since I've commented on the letters and colors, but I'll just say that it's all very impressive work this month. The letters convey everything clearly, without being ostentatious, and the color scheme goes so well with the different moods. Madsen's mood lighting in the catacombs is perhaps only outdone in her consistently awesome colors in the battle sequences. She may not have the subtle command of light of Fabio Mantovani, but given Jeanty's slightly more cartoony style, her vibrant colors mesh well with the pencils.

All in all, big thumbs up.

[Wyndam]

I really enjoyed this issue. I have been waiting for this for two years now, ever since it was first revealed Oz was returning, and I wasn't let down.

Highlight was easily the Buffy and Giles reunion. I was really happy, and surprised to see that they just forgot about their argument and went right to the teary embrace stage, which was really sweet. Buffy unloading all of her Dark Willow burdens on Giles was also a surprise, and it at least shows that they have that connection that I feared had broken down after Season 6 and Season 7. Yay Buffy and Giles!

Warren's reveal was also a great scene, and I wonder what his real goal there was. I have some reservations about Willow going Dark again, but since magic is such a huge theme with this arc and Season 8 as a whole, I am starting to come around to the idea. Let's just hope that Buffy and Co. can stop Willow before she goes over the deep end. Buffy's "Then, that's it. Forever" regarding Willow's final spell of teleporting the sub was a great final line for the issue (Oz's "Huh" notwithstanding"), and it will be interesting to see how this arc's plot unfolds.

Overall, this was easily my favorite issue since #15 and #16 and possibly in my top 5 of Season 8. I can't really think of much of anything to gripe about.

[AndrewCrossett]

Jul 1, 2009 21:16:18 GMT -5 Wyndam said:

Buffy's "Then, that's it. Forever" regarding Willow's final spell of teleporting the sub was a great final line for the issue

It was also very, very naive.

[patxshand]

Jul 1, 2009 19:01:26 GMT -5 Emmie said:

Pat, Warren's escape is shown by the green poof of Amy making him disappear as Andrew turns to fight the goatmen. It was quick and subtle, but still shown. I imagine they had to be quick about it with so much to accomplish in this issue.

Thanks a lot, that definitely clears things up. I found that sequence to be confusing. I couldn't tell that was Amy, didn't know the significance of her plan. Was she going to unleash the goatmen on the slayers but they got out of her control? Why distract Andrew with Warren then? I don't know, it was probably there in the script but the execution (artwise) was a bit sloppy, in my opinion. There should have been a close-up panel of Amy so she didn't appear to be a random slayer that the goatmen had beaten up. Maybe it's just me.

[AndrewCrossett]

Actually, I don't think Amy was physically present in the catacomb... she was communicating with Warren telepathically.