I constantly rant on this blog that Hollywood is without any original thoughts, and that they should be ashamed of themselves.

Even I thought they would never sink this low.

It was announced yesterday that Warner Brothers is rebooting Buffy, The Vampire Slayer as a movie. For those unfamiliar with the history of the franchise, when Joss Whedon sold the original movie he had to sign the rights to that particular incarnation over to the producers. When it went way off the mark of what he planned, that was when the TV series came about. While the TV series made very fleeting references to the movie in the premiere episode, that was where the connection between the two projects ended.

As we know, the TV series went off the air seven years ago, and it has now continued as a successful comic book (I swear I’m going to catch up on those synopsis posts …), but beyond that Whedon has not planned to continue as a film or television series.

So, when it was learned yesterday that Warner Brothers had secured the rights from the producers, and that Joss Whedon is in no way associated with the production, it goes without saying that fans are angry.

When it comes to Buffy, you somewhat liken Mr. Whedon to … well … I wouldn’t say “god”, but at least a minor deity.  He crafted one of the wittiest, most insightful stories on television that just happened to deal with the supernatural.  The idea of someone that he did not personally pick putting words into the mouth of Buffy is just not acceptable.  Yes, yes, reboots happen all the time now, but never with a property that is such a cult favorite and so deeply associated with its creator.

Mr. Whedon, who has never shown himself to be anything but classy, issued a very classy statement to E! that goes a long way to show why fans love him so.  It read in part:

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Warner Brothers Announces Buffy Reboot; Internet Explodes

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***MAJOR SPOILERS***

Characters Seen:
Amy
Andrew
Angel
Buffy
Dawn
Faith
Giles
Warren
Willow
Xander

(Yes, I’m still catching up!)

Xander goes to talk to Buffy, offering her some sort of food he refers to as “pirate’s booty”, I’m assuming it’s popcorn, but as usual, the interior art of this book is just not that great.

Buffy tells Xander that she isn’t in the mood for a pep talk, but he tells her that has been some of their best times over the years.  We finally see that Buffy is hovering several feet off the ground while sitting cross-legged.  She laments that she can only do this because she is taking the power from dead Slayers, as was revealed last issue.  Xander tells her this doesn’t make her a bad person, it just makes her like the Highlander.

This doesn’t amuse Buffy, and she reminds him that since they started this whole thing with all of the Slayer girls, 206 have died, and she has absorbed powers from each of them.  Xander tells her this doesn’t make her a bad person, but as she sees it, it makes her a vampire.

We cut to “Villain HQ” (that’s how the book labels it, and we see Twilight telling Andrew, Faith and Giles that he’s thinking of a number.  And he wonders who should die first, running down their names, although he forgets Andrew’s name until he says it.  As he keeps talking, Giles says he knows that voice, and Twilight says of course he does …

Xander continues his pep talk, telling Buffy that she was chosen for a reason, that she is getting these powers for a reason.  She says that is a better pep talk, and he says it’s from the first Superman movie.  Willow appears as a giant glowing head and asks if the speech worked, Xander says not to appear as a giant head, as giant heads are bad.  She asks if the Superman speech worked, and Buffy says she just wants to know what it is they are doing.  Xander says the same thing they “always do, Pinky, find the big bad and kick him in the boulders.”

Faith lunges at Twilight to attack him.  Twilight snatches her around the throat in mid-lunge and reminds her this isn’t a fair fight.  She asks why he thinks she is fighting fair, and kicks him in the crotch.  Twilight looks down, then back to Faith and asks “And what makes you think ‘invulnerable’ isn’t ‘all over’?” And promptly slams her head into the floor.

Willow and Amy are preparing to cast a spell to de-cloak the HQ.  It turns out Amy hid it three seconds in the future, and that’s why the Scoobies have been unable to locate it.  Once the cloaking shield drops, the Slayers will be able to move in.  Buffy says she can sense Twilight has hurt Faith.  Satsu says its weird, but Buffy says she can sense all the Slayers now.  Warren is complaining about how Twilight stole his HQ, but the General says he will have it back soon enough.  This concerns Dawn, but Xander tells her they’ll worry about them later.

The story begins flipping back and forth … the spell is decloaking the the HQ … Twilight is taunting Faith to get back up … Buffy is preparing to fly to wherever the HQ is … Giles is shocked by Twilight’s speed and invulnerability, to which he responds he can fly also, and that Giles knows where this is leading.  Faith asks when he means, and Twilight seems shocked that Giles hasn’t told her, or Buffy, that with all of his travelling he has it figured out, but hasn’t told her what she has become, or what is to come.

Something this Twilight in the back of the head, and he asks Andrew if he just hit him in the head with a Frisbee.  We see Andrew wearing an Iron Man glove, a Punisher vest, a Batman utility belt, carrying a Captain America shield, a Star Trek tricorder and an X-Wing helmet while he says “It’s clobberin’ time.”

Buffy gets the location, and before Satsu can finish saying “Go”, she’s gone.  Twilight is choking Andrew when the side of the castle he is in starts to burst in … next we see Buffy punching Twilight in the stomach and flying through the opposite castle wall pushing him in front of her.

You listen to me, Twilight — My god, is that really the name you picked?  Twilight?  Y’know I lived that idea first, right?  (and my vampire was so much better.)

Twilight says “Yeah.” as he removes his mask, cutting to Buffy’s shocked look.

Angel says, “I missed you too.”  (yep, Angel is Twilight)  Buffy drops him.

Andrew asks Giles if they won, but Giles says Twilight is definitely Angel.  Andrew is sure she will beat him, but Giles says not this time, that regardless of what she does, there is no winning.

Angel is searching the woods for Buffy, he says she is more powerful than he had hoped, that it was the first blow he has felt in a long time and thet she needs to think about what has happened.  Meanwhile, Buffy tears a huge tree out of the ground and concludes that it must be Angelus.  (To which he yells out, “And don’t think I’m Angelus either.”)  Buffy screams for him to stop talking, and that not talking was one of his best assets.  She sharpens the tree she pulled out of the ground to make it into a giant stake, and promptly throws it at Angel to only see it disintegrate as it slams into his chest.

Xander, Satsu and Willow can hear the fight going on and hear sonic booms.

Buffy goes at him, screaming about his killing 206 of her girls.  Angel explains this was going to happen no matter what, that governments were lining up against her and the Slayers, so he put on a mask, talked of master plans, and tried to slow them down.  She continues trying to punch him as he dodges, saying that he pushed her to absorb these powers of her dead friends.  He asks who said that.  Willow?  He thought she’s see further than that, and that isn’t why she has these powers.

She finally connects a punch, sending him flying.  He says it won’t make her feel better no matter how many times she hits him.  He says the increased power both of them is experiencing, that this is what they have been waiting for, what they’ve earned and what they need.  Buffy tells him to shut up, she says he must be lying to her because why else would he hide all this time?  He says he wasn’t hiding, there he was in L.A., things got funky, but now he’s better.

Buffy says she doesn’t care and that she wants to know why he’s been putting them through this.  He says she fundamentally shifted the balance of power, and whenever that happens, people die.  Angel says that he came up with the mask and cult to distract the bad guys, and to help her focus.  He says the twist she feels in her stomach isn’t rage, confusion or guilt, it’s her feeling him, “us.”

She knows he’s right, but refuses to admit it.  He tells her to notice the glow on her arm every time it gets close to him, but she says he is imagining the glow.  (Willow, Satsu and Xander wonder why they hear nothing, Willow thinks they’re talking)  Angel says her glow is expanding, and she still insists he is imagining it.  Angel tells her to let go, let her body tell the truth, and that is they are both experiencing joy, even more than he imagined they would feel.  He says this is for them, that this is their future.

Buffy says he doesn’t know her like he used to.

He admits he might now, but he also knows there’s a reason they are standing there, both possessing so much power.  There’s a reason he has loved her since he first saw here, and there is a reason they are both glowing and the fact that even though he is standing there with all this power in him, all he feels is weak.  He’s terrified she will leave before they can explore what this is, and that just for once it looks like the right thing to do is the one that will bring them happiness.  Doesn’t she want to experience joy?

They stare at one another …

They float …

They kiss …

Satsu asks what the sound is, Willow says “I think they’re f#@%ing.”

Well, there you go folks.  it’s Angel is Twilight.  I would love to have someone explain his power … and how it is he’s out in the sunlight.  Perhaps in the next couple of issues they’ll explain it.

If you enjoy these recaps, please consider purchasing your Buffy, the Vampire Slayer trade paperbacks through the links below to help support this site.

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Buffy Season 8, Issue 33

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***MAJOR SPOILERS***

Characters Seen:
Amy
Andrew
Buffy
Dawn
Faith
Giles
Warren
Willow
Xander

(Yes, I am horribly late with this, and I do apologize, but regular life got in the way.  I am going to try to catch up as quickly as I can)

This is the first chapter of a new four-part story arc simply entitled “Twilight”, so you can imagine it is going to deal heavily with the Big Bad we’ve been seeing since issue #1 of this “season”, but have had no clue who who or what he was.

When we left off in issue #31, we saw Buffy fly, and now it’s time for the Scoobies to figure out what is causing this bout of super powers for our favorite Slayer.  Xander, Buffy and Dawn are out in the woods, and Xander is loading a gun.  Honestly, the banter here is classic Buffy, and I could reprint it all, but suffice it to say, this is a must read couple of pages.

After a brief argument if Buffy should start from a standing or squatting position, she finally agrees to squat, Xander fires the gun, and … Buffy runs and catches up with the bullet to see Xander scratched “Goonies Never Say Die” into the side of it.  Buffy catches the bullet and asks if that’s neat, Xander tells her “No … ”

The reason it isn’t is because next he has her lifting a train while he takes a picture of it with his iPhone.

Next up is seeing if Buffy can leap to the top of a mountain, she tells Xander she can make it, scoops him up and says, “Don’t worry, I got you.”  Xander plays Lois Lane from the Superman: The Movie by saying, “You’ve got me?  Who’s got you?!?”  (If you haven’t picked up on the Superman motif here yet …)

Dawn goes to Willow and tells her that this is bad because no one gets power without paying a price.  Dawn is bothered by how casual Xander and Buffy are taking this, and says even Andrew would take this more seriously … which makes then wonder where Andrew is.  As they keep talking, Willow calls Satsu and asks her where he is … and where are Faith and Giles, but no one is quite sure. As Willow and Dawn continue to talk, Willow wonders if Dawn is jealous of Buffy and Xander spending time together, but she assures her all is well there now.

Meanwhile, Xander is outside trying to figure out what other powers Buffy has, naming off a slew of things, including asking if she can shoot arrows.  All the while Willow tries to suggest this is just a temporary reward from the universe for defeating the Goddesses from the previous fight.  As the scenes keep inter-cutting between the two, Willow decides to cast a calling spell to see why no one seems to know where Andrew, Faith and Giles are,

And 7.2 miles away, Warren, Amy and an Army general are watching Buffy try out her new powers.  Amy refers to them as “nerd-a-trons” for doing the “faster than a speeding bullet” test.

Willow snaps to a realization … she now knows Andrew, Faith and Giles are gone.  (A cut to Amy shows she knows Willow has finally figured it out) The Scoobies go inside to do a search by magicks, Willow says even with all the Slayers in the world, Faith will be the easiest to focus on and she casts a spell that will take her to the Slayer who needs her the most.  (Amy senses her leave)

Willow pops up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia … Willow hates transporting as it makes her gassy, and she says the place smells of old eggs, urine and rusty pennies.  As she looks around, you see a form in chains, and Willow says, “My Goddess.”

Meanwhile Buffy returns to Xander and Dawn after flying to all of Giles’ known safe houses in the U.K. and Budapest, and nothing.  They’re hope now is Willow finds something …

Willow pops up in the Port of Miami in a shipping container.  It smells of metal.  She casts a light spell and spots something human flesh colored, she thinks Andrew is playing a joke on her, but she gasps when she gets closer.

We see Giles, Faith and Andrew waking up on a floor, and as they come around, it’s Andrew who realizes they are in the villain HQ because, well, he designed it.  It is exactly what he and Warren had always discussed building, and it’s all there down to the last detail.

Once again Willow transports, and this time it is Morgan City, LA.  Again she smells odd smells, but this time, there is a Slayer alive, although just barely.  Her name is Cori, she met Willow at training in Atlanta, and she is on the verge of death.  Something about a mob attacking them, and then we see the swamp is filled with the bodies of dead Slayers.

Buffy discovers she has telescopic vision, she can see as far as Greece and an older couple … “Ew.  Ew, like Internet Ew!”  She looks around the more general vicinity they are in and she spots … Warren, Amy and the General.  She runs to them at hyper-speed and then hovers in front of them to confront them.  They explain that Twilight kicked them out, and they are looking to get even, even if it means working with Buffy.

Willow pops back in, she’s figured out Buffy’s powers.  It isn’t a gift from defeating the Goddesses … it’s coming from all of the dead Slayers.  As each Slayer dies, it makes Buffy more powerful.

Andrew breaks through the electronics on the door to the room holding himself, Giles and Faith, only to find Twilight standing on the other side, looking to tell them of his master plan.

Overall a good “episode”, quick paced, witty and very much in the vein of the actual series.  Probably one of my favorite installments of the entire “season.”

If you enjoy these recaps, please consider purchasing your Buffy, the Vampire Slayer trade paperbacks through the links below to help support this site.

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Includes Issues #16 – #20	Includes Issues #21 – #25	Includes Issues #26 – #30
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Buffy Season 8, Issue 32

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***MAJOR SPOILERS***

Characters Seen:
Andrew
Buffy
Dawn
Faith
Kennedy
Oz
Riley
Willow
Xander

We open on Buffy flying.

Yes, you read that right … flying.  As in like Superman does.  Don’t worry, she’s as confused by it as we are, and she has no clue why or how she can do it , and she doesn’t understand why she feels the need to hide it from everyone else.

After landing she walks into Oz’s temple, while Willow and Oz walk around talking outside.  She apologizes to Oz for all the trouble they brought to his home, but he assures her that Bay (mother of his child) will be fine, and since it’s Tiber, they aren’t the first to bring war to the country.

Willow thanks him and she wonders how she can get her magicks back quickly … when she gets hit with green energy, her eyes glow, and … Willow is back to full power.  Oz seems shocked, and Willow tells him it was “like an aftershock.  Fallout from some cataclysmic mystical event.”  Oz asks her if she knows what it was, and she says she doesn’t because it hasn’t happened yet.

Xander and Dawn come running out to tell Willow that six of the Wiccans have gotten their powers back after collapsing.  They notice Willow is glowing and think it’s time to go after the three goddesses that are sill rampaging across the countryside.  Willow tells them to get the Wiccans on researching the temporal event she just felt, and she takes flight to go try and shove the goddesses back underground.

We cut to Buffy talking to a still injured Riley about the mistakes of the battle, but he informs her he saw intelligence, courage and compassion in the fact she is treating the wounded of the enemy.  He tells her he is proud of her, and she wonders if they gave him the most morphine … he says also a couple shots of Jack, but he thinks he’s good to drive.  She tells him to sleep.

We cut to Twilight standing over the unconscious bodies of Andrew, Faith and Giles.  He rambles about the amount of destruction, the confusion and the spell his Wiccans will make sure it is hours before they are missed, and days before they are sought.  He refers to Giles as her trust, Faith as her guilt and to Andrew as … “And your name will come back to me.”  He says that this will make Buffy finally see the truth, if she is able to see at all.

The Wiccans are casting a spell to find the missing Slayers, and Xander says they can send out a … “or wait.  We can wait.  They’ll show.”

Willow is trying to lasso the goddesses with magicks and they punt her.  She knows she is back to being sorceress supreme, but these goddesses are out of her league, and she worries what will happen if they reach a populated area.  She goes in for another go … and gets punted again.  ”Damn!  What am I, a hacky sack?”

A wonded soldier asks Buffy if she’s a witch.  She explains she’s a vampire Slayer.  He tells her that they (meaning Twilight’s army) told the soldiers that they had magic powers and would do things to them.  She says if they did, they would have healed them by now.  He asks her if she’s in love, she says they should take it slow, and he starts to tell Buffy about Jenna Abrams, and how he should have said something to her at the dance, and he doesn’t know what he was afraid of, and nothing could be worse … Buffy reaches over and closes his eyelids.

Xander says they’ll need that bed.  He asks how she is, and she says she is tired of seeing this, tired of causing it.  He tells her it’s a war, and she didn’t start it.  He informs her Willow got her powers back, and Buffy wants to know if she got more power.  Xander says she wasn’t dark if that’s what she means, and tells her that Willow has gone off to fight the goddesses.  He tells Buffy she’s proud of what she did, and she says that’s the same thing Riley said.  He says that Riley is a brainy guy, and she wonders when he became a fan of him.  ”Your one boyfriend who wasn’t a psychotic demon?  I was always team Riley.”

Buffy remembers he got all tough love about Riley, and he says it too little too late, and she says that’s her motto.  She asks if  she’s too late, and he wants to know for what.  She says for him.  He responds with “Whotothehowtothehammina?” (I’m going to transcribe this whole convo as we have waited eight seasons for it)

Buffy: You and Dawn.
Xander: Oh, is that a conversation that’s happening?
Buffy: No, it’s fine. Dawn’s a grown woman, and you’re a disgusting pedophile.
Xander: Whoa!
Buffy: Craddle Robber? Come on! I at least get craddle robber …
Xander: You get to mind your own beeswax.
Buffy: It is my beeswax! She’s my sister and you and I …
Xander: You and I what? Wait — Whats ‘too late again’ mean?
Buffy: Nothing! It just … it means … it’s just … what about me?
Xander: Yooou … have feelings. At me.
Buffy: Would that be good?
Xander: That would be great. … If it was a bunch of years ago and you actually meant it.
Buffy: You don’t know how …
Xander: Puh. Leaze.
Buffy: Feelings develop. People change!
Xander: And now you like me. I made the list.
Buffy: There’s not a –
Xander: Hey, that’s a big deal! I’m a potential romantic interest! I’m on the list — right after being gay. I rate almost as good as trying to change your sexual orientation. You went — THROUGH GAY — to me.
Buffy: I was having a phase! I’m supposed to have that phase!
Xander: And now all this comes right when I’m kissing your sister. Coincidence?
Buffy: No! I mean yes! I mean it’s been … happening! It has nothing to do with with seeing you kiss.
Xander: Of yes it does! It does because even if you felt something before, once you saw us together you should know the decent thing to do would be to keep it to yourself!
Buffy: That is the most — oh. Yeah.
Xander: Dawn has loved me her whole life. It’s not unweird, knowing her since she was little, and I do feel a tad bit bit Humbert Humbert … or Henry Higgins … I can never remember which is which … but she’s grown. And shrunk. She’s not the same. I’m kind of in love with her. Sorry.
Buffy: No, it’s good. I love you both. And I’m sorry I’m the worst person in the universe.
Xander: Ah, it’s part of your charm.
Buffy: You won’t tell Dawn how I’m the worst person in the universe?
Xander: Promise.
Buffy: And do I still get to make craddle-robber jokes?
Xander: Just used up your last.

As they hug, Dawn interrupts with “Uh, cough. Noise of cough.” Buffy tells her it was a friend hug “because of sad. No subtle bosom-pressing in hug.” Dawn says she knows Buffy could never do anything subtle. Xander tells Dawn the cat’s out of the bag, and Buffy says, “And I approve. I’m Buffy, and I approve of this kissage.” (Joss should write every issue … I miss his banter … and murdering of the English language.)

Dawn says she doesn’t care, and they have three goddess-sized problems.  Willow can’t handle them alone, and Buffy says she has an idea, and then gets shocked by Xander and dawn diving right into a public display of affection.

They talk to a giant astral projection of Willow’s head … and she worries her nostrils look huge.  Buffy says she looks fine, but they are finding out Willow’s magicks are bouncing off of the goddesses.  Buffy tells Willow to dig her a giant hole, and she’ll handle the rest.

Buffy heads outside with Xander, Dawn and Kennedy in tow.  They want to know if she’s going to use artillery.  She says no, and that it involves something she hoped not to mention.  Kennedy says “You’re a dyke.”  Xander says “It’s a nuke.  Dawn says, “You sacrifice a ‘key’ …” while making air quotes.  ”Thanks for the vote of no confidence and shut your mouths, and look.  Up in the sky.”  Buffy flies away.

Kennedy: That’s actually hot.
Xander: I … don’t agree.
Dawn: Gape. (she actually said “Gape.”)

Willow dug the hole … Buffy starts beating the crud out of the goddesses and shoves them in the hole. Willow says if they stay dormant they should all get the powers back now as she seals the hole. Buffy asks about herself, and Willow says she doesn’t get her.  Willow wants to run tests on her.  Buffy tells her Xander and Dawn are in love.  Willow is thrilled they finally figured it out.

End.

While I haven’t been a huge fan of the one-shot issues, just as he did in the television series, when Joss does the actual writing, you get a ton of story development.  Something is up with Buffy … Willow sensed something big happening … Xander and Dawn are outed … and we get the Xander/Buffy conversation we’ve waited for since season one.  A friend once told me, “If Joss has the writing and directing credits on an episode, expect pain.”  This wasn’t so much pain as the typical Joss way of saying, “Here comes the Big Bad fight, let me get these subplots out of the way and set up how Buffy will win.”

Joss can write as many one-shots as he wants if it was as good as this one.

If you enjoy these recaps, please consider purchasing your Buffy, the Vampire Slayer trade paperbacks through the links below to help support this site.

Buffy Season 8, Vol. 1	Buffy Season 8, Vol. 2	Buffy Season 8, Vol. 3
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Buffy Season 8, Issue 31

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***MAJOR SPOILERS***

Characters Seen:
Kennedy
Tara
Willow

Yes, I know I’m very late with this, but I have been insanely busy, and since it wasn’t a normal issue I figured I would get to it when I could.

Well, and since it wasn’t a normal issue, I’m also going to not be quite as detailed as I normally am on the main series issues.

Since Season 8 took off, we’ve gotten some hints about Willow having some sort of relationship with a female snake demon, Aluwyn, but we’ve gotten no real details on what exactly happened, or how it came about.  In this one-shot special we see Willow telling Kennedy that she has to go off some special training that all real witches go and do, but she had missed out on doing it at that time she should have because she was busy being busy with the Scoobies.  Kennedy feels she doesn’t need to go, but Willow finally tells here there isn’t a choice.

As Willow is descending into the mystical realm, she is taken aback as her guide meets her in what looks to be a train station … with kids in robes … getting on a train … yeah, they never call it by name, but Willow is horrified by how derivative kids have become.  Her guide agrees and takes into a field of flowers which leads to an interestign conversation about just how big of a “dyke” Willow really is.  (Joss said it folks, not me)

The first guide introduces her to Aluwyn who says that she will take Willow the rest of the way through the mystical realm, and Willow doesn’t take much time to decide she would rather have her original, wheel chair bound, guide back, but she follows Aluwyn any way.

The two of them immediately run into a giant black knight who says that Willow may not follow the path because she is tainted.  Aluwyn tells him that there is nothing that says the path is only for the righteous.  Aluwyn says this is all because the knight is angry with her for a love spell she once cast on him and tells him this will be a fight to the death … which Willow isn’t thrilled with and she gets wrapped up in something that makes her speak only in song titles while she fights the Knight.  Willow finally blows his armor part, much to Aluwyn’s amazement.

They move on next to a sea where Aluwyn tells her that Willow needs to take a sea journey and … Willow says enough.  Both guides I had mentioned in passing that she needed to get beneath the surface of things, and suddenly she has realized that beneath the surface means realizing that Aluwyn is not her actual guide, and none of this is real.

… the world peals away and she and Aluwyn are surrounded by giant entities that appear to be all sorts of Goddesses.  All of them are impressed with how fast Willow figured things out, and angry with Aluryn for misleading Willow for her own entertainment.  The Goddesses tell Aluryn to leave and to leave Willow alone.

She slithers off and Willow asks them who her guide is, and they say while there are many guides along the path to wisdom, it is obvious she has one in mind … and we see Tara standing in a sunlit field.  Willow sheds a tear, but she finally waves her hand and says “No.”  Tara disappears and the Goddesses question why she would wave her off since that is what she wished for.  Willow says she had hoped, but knew it was a lie.

I said I wanted to understand my power — and I do.  But under that, I wanted to know my fate.  Darkness?  enlightenment?  Was I a good witch, or a bad witch?  I feel the pull of each.  That was my secret motive … But it’s not.  Under the under, I just wanted her.  She was my light.  She was my order.  She was my journey.  Completed.

But either she’s an illusion … or Tara is at peace.  And either way, no thanks.

One of the Goddesses starts crying, which annoys one of the others, but they are all touched, but Willow must still choose a guide for her journey.  Willow says she has someone in mind…

We see Aluwyn by a river bank complaining to the wheel chair guide, the black knight a huge fly (that was delayed from helping win over Willow due to a fight with a giant leaf blower) about how they all kept her from aligning with the most powerful witch of her age.

Willow pops up out of the river … naked … and says it’s cold, to which Aluwyn replies she can see  that (you get the idea).  Willow says, “They say you’re no good.  That you run in circles, the snake that eats its tail.  I’ve got a bit of a rep myself.”  After a brief exchange Willow says she chooses the trickster to guide her, and they come to an agreement that Aluwyn will be her guide … all Willow wants to know is where they start.

Overall an interesting interlude from season 8, and nice to see some back story on this character that keeps popping up, but one thing that bugs me is that it has been all but bluntly said that Willow had sex with Aluwyn at some point which means she cheated on Kennedy.  Seems kind of un-Willow like to me.  I hadn’t really thought about it before at some point Willow had told Buffy that Kennedy died for a bit, and I figured it had been in that time period, but nope, looks like it was while Kennedy was alive.  Weird.

Anyway, not an essential part of the season 8 story by any means, but interesting to see.

If you enjoy these recaps, please consider purchasing your Buffy, the Vampire Slayer trade paperbacks through the links below to help support this site.

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Buffy Season 8, Vol. 4	Buffy Season 8, Vol. 5	Buffy Season 8, Vol. 6
Includes Issues #16 – #20	Includes Issues #21 – #25	Includes Issues #26 – #30
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Post from: SeanPAune.com

Buffy Season 8: Willow One-Shot

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It seems Joss Whedon already has some ideas of what to do with his time since Dollhouse got cancelled.

The Buffy, the Vampire Slayer season 8 comic books have been running for quite some time now, and it appears that they will be brought to life in a manner of speaking.  It seems that a casting call has gone out for voices to turn the season 8 comic books into motion comics online.

According to an article on Sci-Fi Wire, it sounds a bit like we will see a mix of events from the comic as well as some events that happened “off screen”.  Some of the characters they are casting for are not included in the comic book, such as the “Slug Queen”.

Friday, Nov. 13, 2009, 3:15 PM Pacific BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (MOTION COMIC) Webisodes NON-UNION

Casting Director: Jeff Shuter
Interview Dates: Next week (w/o 11/16)
Shoot/Start Date: TBD
Pay Rate: Pay Provided (various for each character)
Location: Los Angeles

SUBMIT ELECTRONICALLY IMMEDIATELY

PLEASE SEND VOICE OVER LINKS/ REELS (IF POSSIBLE)

NOTE: ALSO INCLUDE PERFORMANCE VIDEOS OR ACTOR SLATES IF AVAILABLE. DO NOT SEND DEMO TAPES.

[ FAITH (V.O.) ]
Co-Star / Female / Caucasian / 20 – 25 years
Description: MAXX INITIATIVE is now casting voice over talent for the Buffy the Vampire Motion Comic, upcoming web series. Seeking the role of FAITH – female, early 20′s, a slayer, displays a much darker, dangerously, fun-seeking, approach to both slaying and murder, she is the dark side of a slayer’s personality. Voice to match Eliza Dushku. Send voiceover links/ reels (if possible). Pay provided. Nonunion.

[ KENNEDY (V.O.) ]
Supporting / Female / Caucasian / 20 – 25 years
Description: MAXX INITIATIVE is now casting voice over talent for the Buffy the Vampire Motion Comic, upcoming web series. Seeking the role of KENNEDY – Female, caucasian, early 20s. A newly made slayer, Kennedy is also Willow’s girlfriend. She’s an out lesbian with an assertive personality. Voice to match Lyari Limon. Send voiceover links/ reels (if possible) Pay provided. Nonunion.

[ LIEUTENANT MOLTER (V.O.) ]
Supporting / Female / African American / 30 – 35 years
Description: MAXX INITIATIVE is now casting voice over talent for the Buffy the Vampire Motion Comic, upcoming web series. Seeking the role of LIEUTENANT MOLTER – Female, African American, early 30s. A lieutenant in the US Air Force – ally of the villain Twilight. Send voiceover links/ reels (if possible) Pay provided. Nonunion.

[ DANIEL CRAIG (V.O.) ]
Guest-Star / Male / Caucasian / 30 – 40 years
Description: MAXX INITIATIVE is now casting voice over talent for the Buffy the Vampire Motion Comic, upcoming web series. Seeking the role of actor DANIEL CRAIG – Male, caucasian, mid 30s. Voice to match actor Daniel Craig. Send voiceover links/ reels (if possible) Pay provided. Nonunion.

[ RODEN (V.O.) ]
Supporting / Male / Caucasian / 30 – 40 years
Description: MAXX INITIATIVE is now casting voice over talent for the Buffy the Vampire Motion Comic, upcoming web series. Seeking the role of RODEN – Male, caucasian, 30s. An Irish human warlock and the tutor of Lady Genevieve Savidge, one of the new slayers, manipulating her into becoming an assassin of slayers. He was also a servant of Twilight, who convinced Roden to serve him in exchange for surviving the coming purge. However, Roden ignored that Twilight did not intend them to survive, but that they would merely thin out the number of Twilight’s enemies. Send voiceover links/ reels (if possible) Pay provided. Nonunion.

[ LADY GENEVIEVE (V.O.) ]
Supporting / Female / Caucasian / 25 – 30 years
Description: MAXX INITIATIVE is now casting voice over talent for the Buffy the Vampire Motion Comic, upcoming web series. Seeking the role of LADY GENEVIEVE – Female, caucasian, British, late 20s. With Roden, she hunts and kills other slayers as part of his ‘Training’ her. However, she and faith find they share a lot in common; both as slayers and as troubled young women enticed by evil, despite their drastically different background. Send voiceover links/ reels (if possible) Pay provided. Nonunion.

[ ROBIN WOOD (V.O.) ]
Supporting / Male / African American / 30 – 35 years
Description: MAXX INITIATIVE is now casting voice over talent for the Buffy the Vampire Motion Comic, upcoming web series. Seeking the role of ROBIN WOOD – Male, African American, early 30s. Robin is in charge of a squad of slayers, and is shown to be working at the Hellmouth in Cleveland. In his one-panel appearance he calls Faith to tell her of a family that was recently attacked by vamps. Faith refers to him as ‘The ex’ implying the couple has ended their relationship since ‘Chosen.’ Voice match to D.B. Woodside. Send voiceover links/ reels (if possible) Pay provided. Nonunion.

[ SEPHRILLIAN (V.O.) ]
Supporting / Male / All Ethnicities / 30 – 40 years
Description: MAXX INITIATIVE is now casting voice over talent for the Buffy the Vampire Motion Comic, upcoming web series. Seeking the role of SEPHRILLIAN – Male, demon. A demon who walked in the realities of humans and the old ones, making him ‘Tichajt: – one of the demon elite. He resides in a domain between realities kept in stasis by Robin, a minder. Send voiceover links/ reels (if possible) Pay provided. Nonunion.

[ FAERIE (V.O.) ]
Supporting / Female / All Ethnicities / 20 – 30 years
Description: MAXX INITIATIVE is now casting voice over talent for the Buffy the Vampire Motion Comic, upcoming web series. Seeking the role of FAERIE – Female, faerie creature. She is a pixie fairy, helping one of the Buffy decoys. Send voiceover links/ reels (if possible) Pay provided. Nonunion.

[ ROBIN (V.O.) ]
Supporting / Female / Caucasian / 20 – 25 years
Description: MAXX INITIATIVE is now casting voice over talent for the Buffy the Vampire Motion Comic, upcoming web series. Seeking the role of ROBIN – Female, caucasian, early 20s. The minder of Sephrillian’s reality field, chosen to watch over a small house which serves as a mask to Sephrillian’s domain. Send voiceover links/ reels (if possible) Pay provided. Nonunion.

[ RONA (V.O.) ]
Supporting / Female / African American / 20 – 25 years
Description: MAXX INITIATIVE is now casting voice over talent for the Buffy the Vampire Motion Comic, upcoming web series. Seeking the role of RONA – Female, African American, early 20s. Rona is a new slayer, working as a squad leader. Send voiceover links/ reels (if possible) Pay provided. Nonunion.

[ SLUG QUEEN (V.O.) ]
Supporting / Female / Caucasian / 40 – 50 years
Description: MAXX INITIATIVE is now casting voice over talent for the Buffy the Vampire Motion Comic, upcoming web series. Seeking the role of SLUG QUEEN – Female, slug queen, 40-50s. The oldest survivor of the Slug Clan, the Slug Queen rules the underground Slug resistance against the force of Yamanh. Send voiceover links/ reels (if possible) Pay provided. Nonunion.

[ TWILIGHT (V.O.) ]
Supporting / Male / Caucasian / 30 – 40 years
Description: MAXX INITIATIVE is now casting voice over talent for the Buffy the Vampire Motion Comic, upcoming web series. Seeking the role of TWILIGHT – Male, a villain with superhuman strengths, such as flying. Twilight is the leader of an Initiative-like group that shares his name. He views the expanded ranks of Slayers as a threat to humanity no better than an army of demons, and plans to bring about an end of magic, both good and evil. Send voiceover links/ reels (if possible) and Pay provided. Nonunion

One of the most interesting things is the speed with which this appears to be coming together. This casting call went out on Friday the 13th and it indicates recording is to begin this week, minus the 16th.  There is no indication of when these will hit the Web, but if they are moving this fast, I would imagine it isn’t too far off in the future.

Lets all keep an eye out for the project.

Post from: SeanPAune.com

Buffy Season 8 To Get Webisodes

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***MAJOR SPOILERS***

Characters Seen:
Amy
Andrew
Buffy
Dawn
Faith
Giles
Oz
Riley
Warren
Willow
Xander

This issue picks up with the Slayer/Wiccan team advancing on the soldiers as the Goddesses they summoned in the last issue lay waste to the battlefield.

Xander is calling for the Slayers to advance into the cleared areas and hold the territory.  In the meanwhile Slayers turn to one another asking if they have their powers back yet, but thus far they are all still powerless.

As the Goddesses continue destroying the soldiers, Warren is complaining to Amy and Twilight (there he is!  I knew he had to be somewhere around the fight!) that all of this was unnecessary, and that he was making progress with Andrew in tempting him to their side.

The General working with Twilight wants to pull his troops out, but Twilight says he wants the battle to continue so he can observe it.  The General says the Goddesses won’t stop until the troops are gone, but Twilight poses the thought that even that won’t stop them.

Xander & Dawn are giving the Slayers a talk on how to hold the ground they gain as the Goddesses push the troops back, and how they need to not just occupy it, but really make it theirs.  Dawn warns the Slayers that giants have a hard time knowing where they are stepping, so be careful.  Dawn asks Xander if her pores were that big when she was a giant, but Xander gives her a nervous & stuttering “no”.

Buffy and a few other Slayers are trying to turn a jeep upright and finally calls over Xander and Dawn to help them because they are still so weak.  Once it’s turned over, Buffy says she needs to get to something she saw in the middle of the battlefield, and Willow and Satsu (I think … I really hate Georges Jeantry’s art, it is impossible to tell who half the characters are as he lacks so many details) jumps in with her to head out.

Andrew and Giles are handing out more guns to the Slayers (er … shouldn’t that have been done ages ago?  Like, in issue #29?), and Andrew comments how he thought the Goddesses were supposed to make this be over quickly, but Giles say apparently they were wrong on that matter.

Inside the temple, Oz sits beside the ailing Bay who wants to know if the Goddess had come.  Oz tells her they did, and Bay says that they shouldn’t have come, which Oz isn’t sure if she means the Slayers or the Goddesses.  Bay simply replies with “We gave them everything.”

The jeep drives across the battlefield and Buffy keeps Willow from falling out as they get rocked by the footstep of one of the Goddesses.  Amy and Twilight watch through binoculars (which Warren wants to know why he doesn’t have a pair) and note that the Goddesses almost killed them.  As the jeep races across the battlefield, Buffy scrams at the Goddesses that they are the good guys, but then she notices that one of them is grabbing Slayers as well as the soldiers …

Buffy: The Goddesses, they’re not on our side.
Willow: What? We — They –
Buffy: They’re not on anyone’s side. They’re killers and we’re not getting our powers back.
Willow: We didn’t bring help. We brought death.

Dawn figures this out about the same time and calls for the Slayers to fall back to the temple.  As they enter, Oz asks Andrew why everyone is coming in and he says the Goddesses are killing indiscriminately.  Oz is confused since they called them, but Bay says it has been too long since they shared the surface with humans, they don’t recognize them.  A Slayer asks Faith if they are going to get their powers back, but she simply replies with, “No.”

Buffy finds Riley in the middle of the battlefield (HEY!  There he is!  We haven’t seen him since like issue #19!), he’s badly injured and she grabs him up into the jeep and tells Satsu (I’m still not sure …) to get him back to the temple for help.

As they drive back, they yell for the Slayers to take shelter where they can, and once back at the temple, Buffy gets Riley inside.  She calls for Xander who walks in and she runs over and hugs him with a smile, telling him she was worried about him (uh oh … after 8 seasons, we’re going THERE?!?).  A Slayer walks up and asks if Riley is a prisoner, Buffy says he isn’t and that he’s been working with them all along and he will tell them what Twilight has planned … which Andrew says he needs to wake up first.

Amy wonders why Buffy took Riley, which Twilight says he knows Riley was working with her all along.  Warren is confused as if Twilight knew this all along or is just figuring it out.  Amy tells him to shut up and they start arguing as Twilight starts to tell them they can’t trust anyone, anymore, and … he gives up as Amy and Warren continue arguing and walks away.

Buffy sits next to Riley and goes on about how he needs to wake up and help them figure out how to take out Twilight and the Goddesses at the same time, and how they need their powers back, and … Riley wakes up and says she needs a miracle, and he’s out.  He doesn’t know how she can win this.  Buffy wipes away tears and says, “No miracles.  No magicks.  So I guess what we have is …”

“… A losing battle.  Sometimes we fight them.  It’s unavoidable,” says Twilight.  The General says that they are just letting his men die, but Twilight says they were mortal and had to die sometime.  He says the Goddesses (who have now dug up the submarine and tossed it) will cleanse this valley and then move on to the next.

Buffy rallies the Slayers and Wiccans and tells them they aren’t getting their Magicks back, and they can’t run due to the Goddesses would move faster than they can.  So Buffy says they will stay at the temple, but do nothing to attract attention to themselves.  She says they need to collect their wounded, but then corrects herself to say also collect the wounded soldiers.  That they need to protect anything that bleeds.

As they march out, a soldier takes aim at Buffy, a Slayer shoves her out of the way, shooting the soldier, but in the meantime she shoves Buffy right into the hand of one of the Goddesses.  The Goddess lifts her up, looks at her, and drops her.

Five hours later Buffy wakes up, covered in snow and the Slayers and Wiccans are being marched off by the soldiers.  Buffy looks on from the distance, horrified.  She tries to center herself, she closes her eyes, meditates while standing up, opens her eyes and … screams “WHAT THE HELL?!” as she finds herself floating in the air high above the temple.

Decent issue, but the Riley thing would have had a lot more impact if we had seen him more than just the once so far this season.  It really lacked any emotional impact.  And, seriously, someone please replace Georges Jeanty as artist!  I am not one normally for knocking art, but when I have to figure out who is talking by knowing who is talking to them, your art sucks.  I know it isn’t always easy to capture a real person’s likeness, but this guy misses the mark so often it is actually distracting.

If you enjoy these recaps, please consider purchasing your Buffy, the Vampire Slayer trade paperbacks through the links below to help support this site.

Buffy Season 8, Vol. 1	Buffy Season 8, Vol. 2	Buffy Season 8, Vol. 3
Includes Issues #1 – #5	Includes Issues #6 – #10	Includes Issues #11 – #15
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Post from: SeanPAune.com

Buffy Season 8, Issue 30

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***MAJOR SPOILERS***

Characters Seen:
Andrew
Buffy
Dawn
Faith
Giles
Oz
Willow
Xander

The Slayers are preparing for traditional warfare as they know Twilight is coming.  Since they have been at Oz’s temple, they have surrendered their magicks up to the Earth to hide themselves, and now they are learning you can’t just flip a switch to bring them back.

The original Scoobies have split off to talk to various groups of Slayers about the coming attack, and the fact that without magicks they will have no force fields, no rapid healing and people will die.  Willow seems the most distraught by this and has an outburst during Buffy’s talk with a group of Slayers, Buffy tells her they need to have a sidebar.

They go off to speak with Oz and Bay (his Tibetan girlfriend in case you forgot), who is holding their baby.  Willow is screaming about how they said it would take months for the magicks to go away, but Bay explains that once you commit to it, you can’t just get it back on a whim.  Willow explains that this isn’t a “whim”, it’s a “need.”

Oz tries to comfort her, but Willow is still going on about how they agreed to be made weak.  Bay interrupts saying that they brought an army to her peaceful home, so who really has the right to be angry.  Oz asks Bay to hand him the baby, but Willow says there is no need to protect the baby, she isn’t mad at them, but instead is mad at herself.  She points to her eyes and says, “I’m so angry at me, I can’t believe these aren’t black.”

Willow goes on about this being the wrong decision, how she knows now she can’t have a family, that she must die in the future, which Buffy half-heartedly confirms.  The two old friends hug as Willow says that she could have all of this, but now she has lost everything.

Xander and Dawn are in the Slayer’s armory demonstrating a wide assortment of weapons to the now powerless girls.  Machine guns, mortars, various types of grenades, self-loading auto cannons and tons more.  Andrew asks Xander about “the big thing”, but he tells him not to worry about that.

Giles and Buffy are looking at two Chinese assault rifles on a bed when Buffy asks why he needs two.  He says one is for her, but she replies that Slayers don’t need guns.  He reminds her she is no longer a Slayer.  He asks what’s bothering her, but she brushes it off and says they need to find Andrew to discuss an idea she has.

We cut back to Xander and Dawn now training some Slayers on how to monitor the radar station, and trying to teach them the difference between “noise” and actual aircraft.  The Slayers feel out of place, like they won’t get it, but Xander and Dawn explain that they never had powers, and they could do this stuff, so surely the girls can.  One of them refers to the Scoobies as “Mama and Papa” which Dawn and Xander just smile about.

Buffy is talking with Andrew, she wants him to create illusions that they still have magicks.  While they talk, Andrew asks how she’s doing considering what she saw (we see a flashback to Xander and Dawn kissing), but she brushes it off.  An hour later Andrew has all sorts of smokes and potions cooking to make it appear that they still have their magicks

The temple is now surrounded by weapons, Dawn comments on how Buffy is strong even when she is weak, and she is worried about how they had to retreat even when they were strong.  Xander tries to comfort Dawn, and gives her a kiss, Buffy looks on with a pained look in her eye.

A Slayer spots a plane on the radar, three Slayers pop out with surface-to-air shoulder missiles and take it out, but it doesn’t matter as tanks are now rolling in across a small creek.  As the Slayers prepare, a werewolf appears and transforms into Monroe, the man that Oz mentioned left the temple.  He says his wolves have come to help as Twilight’s group wants to destroy all magicks, so this puts them on the same side.

The fight is joined and both sides are hitting each other hard.  The werewolves attack as they can, but …

Willow: Buffy, look.  We’re not even slowing them down.
Buffy: Yeah, I’m starting to think there’s a reason no one’s written a suspense novel where the conflict is wolves vs. tanks.

Xander shows up at Buffy’s request, she tells him she needs his big secret weapon … Xander says that sounds like a come-on if he’s ever heard one.  She says she has no time for jokes, but he says it used to amuse her.  She just tells him, “Get it.  Use it.  Now.”

The tank commanders are surprised to see a torpedo sliding down the hill towards them.  A Slayer asks is torpedoes even work on land … a tank explodes … someone shouts “TORPEDOES WORK ON LAND!”

The Slayers regroup in the radar room, but they are concerned they are losing, and they need the magicks.  It suddenly dawns on Willow that Bay has kept saying they “redirected” them, Buffy goes to find Bay and finds Oz is carrying a wounded Bay through the battlefield.  Oz asks for help to take care of Bay, but Buffy has to ask her where the magicks go.  Bay says they go into the Earth, but Buffy doesn’t believe her.  They get Bay inside and lay her down, and Buffy continues questioning her and says one of the words in the chant they have been doing is “invocation” and she knows they have been begging for something to help them, Bay says it is “wrathful goddesses.”

Bay says that is just ancient names for the Earth, but Buffy thinks “Earth” is just the modern word for these goddesses, and she thinks the magicks have been sucked out of them by the goddesses, and the more they got, the faster they took the magicks.  Bay says they have conducted a trade, and by giving them their powers, the goddesses protect them.  Buffy says she wants to cash in their trade.  Willow tells Buffy Bay has passed out from her wounds.

Willow runs off to get the scrolls, and Giles asks if this will work, going from pulling back to full-throttle forward.  Buffy says it does when she punches someone, and Giles says she has a good point.  Willow returns with the scrolls as the temple is rocked by an explosion, Buffy tells Xander and Dawn to buy them 10 minutes while they work on the scrolls.  Willow says it would be easier if they could read them, and Buffy says Bay can.  Buffy tries to wake up Bay, but Oz stops her.  Buffy says they need her help to keep everyone alive, and Bay wakes up long enough to say that if they have anger in them, they can call them … Buffy says she has some anger.

Outside the war rages on … the Earth cracks open … colored mist shoots out of it, and three ancient looking goddesses appear in giant size as the issue draws to a close.

Nice to see a lot of action in this issue, although the cover misleads you and you never see Twilight in this issue.  You aren’t sure if Buffy is jealous of Dawn kissing Xander instead of her, or is she’s just disturbed by the whole situation.  For the first time in quite a

If you enjoy these recaps, please consider purchasing your Buffy, the Vampire Slayer trade paperbacks through the links below to help support this site.

Buffy Season 8, Vol. 1	Buffy Season 8, Vol. 2	Buffy Season 8, Vol. 3
Includes Issues #1 – #5	Includes Issues #6 – #10	Includes Issues #11 – #15
Purchase from Barnes & Noble	Purchase from Barnes & Noble	Purchase from Barnes & Noble

Buffy Season 8, Vol. 4	Buffy Season 8, Vol. 5	Fray Mini-Series
Includes Issues #16 – #20	Includes Issues #21 – #25	Includes all 8 issues of the series
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Post from: SeanPAune.com

Buffy Season 8, Issue 29

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Well folks, it seems you can’t keep a good Slayer down.

Joss Whedon, the creator of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, has confirmed that the end of the Season 8 comic series will not be the end of our favorite blonde Slayer.  Speaking with MTV’s Splash Page column, he spoke about the length of the current season, and where he will go from here.

As for Buffy’s continuing adventures in the Dark Horse comic book series, Whedon said the end of her “Season Eight” is in sight—but fans shouldn’t be worried, he has “Season Nine” already mapped out.

“Well, 40 issues was always the goal, and that’s how we’re playing it,” he said of the current “Season Eight” run. “We’re around issue 30 now, we’ve got about 10 to go, five of which I have to write, so I have to get on that. Then we’ll pause for breath and then we’ll start Season Nine.”

“I have had for a long time a conception for Season Nine that is very different from Season Eight,” he added. “It may not run as long, because 40 issues sounds great until you realize that it’s four or five years.”

Seeing as I have been doing a summary/review of each issue of Buffy Season 8, I am thrilled to know the end point at last, but also horrified by doing another “season” of those.  Each issue takes me over two hours to write up, but since people seem to love them, continue to do them I will.  Just glad he mentioned there will be a breather between seasons!

I do agree with him that 40 issues is too much.  I wrote up the first issue on March 14, 2007, so seeing as I have been doing these for 2 & 1/2 years now, I would really like to see the story flow a bit faster.  Only 12 more issues to go in season 8!

Post from: SeanPAune.com

Joss Whedon Comfirms Buffy Season 9 Comic

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***MAJOR SPOILERS***

Characters Seen:
Amy
Andrew
Buffy
Dawn
Faith
Giles
Oz
Willow
Xander

We open up this issue with Andrew going to see Giles in the middle of the night.  Giles informs him there had better be a demon attack, and Andrew replies there is … or could be.  Giles goes to close the door, but Andrew puts his hand up and tells Giles that there is a spy in their midst.

Andrew tells him that he feels Warren finding him in the catacombs of Rome confirms it.  Giles says he doesn’t see the connection, but Andrew says that Twilight is good at being evil and at turning people, even making them kill.  Giles tells Andrew that is he starts spreading this theory that it will just result in finger pointing in other badness and tells him to drop it.  Andrew keeps on point, but Giles tells him to go to bed.

Not yet discouraged, Andrew heads back to his room and retrieves a video camera he had Xander pick up for him on his last trip in to town (remember they are still at Oz’s temple in the Himalyas – Sean).  He says he will start observing everyone, including Oz’s puppy as he struck Andrew as being “a bit dodgy”.

Andrew decides to start by speaking with Bay, Oz’s new girlfriend, about the process of getting magicks out of your life.  She tells him it is all about redirecting them into the Earth.  She tells him that it is also a mixture of meditation and hard work that will let you disconnect from the magicks, so Slayers are doing things like weaving, farming, churning butter, taking apart the submarine to trade its parts for high tech defenses and more.  They are also training the Slayers in traditional forms of fighting as they realize the girls will still face dangers.

With that interview complete, Andrew opts to start talking with the more disgruntled Slayers that are unhappy with how things are going.  This includes a brief interview with Satsu who’s only real comment is that she feels weak, and she doesn’t like it.  A few other Slayers complain, but they don’t linger on it for long.

Andrew decides to hide in a tree and observe Faith as she has always stood apart from the others.  He finds her and Buffy attempting to move a large boulder out of a field while a cat plays around on the boulder.  The conversation he captures isn’t one he expected:

Buffy: Man, this sucks.
Faith: Oooof
Buffy: Maybe we could just plant the garden around the boulder and call it a feature?
Faith: You miss what we’re giving up, don’t you?
Buffy: You don’t?
Faith: (she and Buffy are now using part of a tree to leverage the boulder out) It got to me. What we had to do. What I had to do. I’m not strong enough to have to be that strong. Good riddance.
Buffy: Every life meant something to you. Every one.
Faith: They did to you, too.
Buffy: Did they? I don’t know. I guess that’s why I need this. I need to feel that connected. I don’t want to stand … to stand over people any more.
Faith places a comforting hand on Buffy’s shoulder.

Andrew finds the bonding nice and moves on to observing Xander and Dawn as every one is a suspect.

Dawn: What do you suppose this says?
Xander: On the Chinese land mine? That says, ‘This side towards enemy.’
Dawn: How do you know? That’s what is says on claymores, but maybe the Chinese label the other side?
Xander: Humans point to the danger, not the sage. It’s a thing about humans.
Dawn: Maybe we should point to the safe sometime.
Xander: Maybe that’s what we’re doing here?
Dawn: Right. A chance. To have a life. For you to go for what you want, Xander.

Andrew wonders about Dawn’s cryptic reference, and is the thing Xander wants something that Twilight can give to him?

When he next catches up to Xander, he is sitting on a hill top with Buffy … and a yak.  Xander wants to know if Buffy has told Willow the big secret yet.  Buffy asks which one, and Xander reminds her of killing Willow in the future.  She says she worries about telling her because it might be what turns her evil.  While they talk, Buffy is sucking her thumb, and Xander asks if that is because of the secret, but Buffy informs him she has a splinter and it hurts like heck.  Apparently her powers are indeed leaving her if a splinter can hurt her now, and Buffy speculates she can feel more now.  Xander takes her hand in both of his and asks her to tell him.

They lay on the hilltop, and you get the distinct feeling of a potential kiss between the two as Buffy says there are very few people she loves … she resolves to talk to Willow.  Xander says she should come find him as soon as the two of them have talked, and she promises she will.

Andrew goes to interrogate Giles about knowing that Willow is going to go Dark Willow again.  Andrew confronts Giles about Will going Dark again, and Giles attempts to avoid it, but Andrew finally screams at him to answer the question, and he does … Willow will go Dark again.  Andrew says he wants to follow her for the safety of everyone, and if he finds anything they can deal with her.  Giles agrees with him, much to Andrew’s surprise.

The video switches to Andrew filming himself drawing a picture of Dark Willow coming after him and Jonathan.  It’s child-like in nature, but you get the idea, and he says they have a past, but he loves “real Willow”, and so he finds this all –he flips the page he’s drawing on to a snapped apart heart — heartbreaking.

Oz is sitting on Willow’s bed, holding his baby, as Willow is talking angrily about how she can’t seem to get a handle on dumping the magicks.  In the background the cat and the “dodgy” puppy are playing.  Oz is telling her it’s easy, she just has to work at it, instead of pulling the energy from around her, she needs to dump it in to the Earth instead of bottling all of the “poison” inside herself.  She asks, “But without the poison, what am I?”  Oz says that was a telling statement.

Willow continues being pissed off, and Oz wants to know why.  She says she’s angry with him because he got out of the game, he went out and had a real life, but now she feels like he is being fake and his true self.  He says this is real, and Willow can have a child too if she wants, she says he can’t.  Oz says there’s adoption and donors … Willow says it’s more about what she is and what she has to do.  Oz hugs her and tells her again she can just let it go, but she says she can’t.  Oz asks if she wants to watch the baby for a while, Willow seems shocked Oz would trust her, and asks him such.

Andrew cuts the video to himself again and says that was intense and he should follow Willow, but he can’t find her at first.  When he does finally catch up with her, Buffy has found her, and Willow seems to be enjoying her time with the baby.  As Willow begins talking about how she is finally believing she could have a life, that for so long she had thought she was just a force, and that meant no babies, but now she’s thinking different, and … “I killed you in the future,” Buffy interjects.

Buffy continues her apology:

Buffy: I went to the future and you there and very dark and I killed you and and I’m so sorry I didn’t tell –
Willow: It wasn’t me.
Buffy: What?
Willow: Sorry, because I know you meant this to be all dramatic and cleansy, and I know it must’ve been terrible for you, but that … if that was a possible me, I don’t think it still is.

And if it still is, well … I’ll work harder at this no-magic thing. So that it won’t be possible.
Buffy: It’s really — we’re really okay?
Willow: We’re great.

They hug, and Buffy says she is going to find Xander as she promised to find him after they talked.  Willow says Xander is a good guy, and Buffy agrees.  Willow adds after her, “We can all have futures, Buffy.  Even you.”

As she walks the halls, she tells Andrew to leave her alone with the camera, and as she gets to a door, Andrew dramatically narrates the scene of something stopping Buffy in her tracks … Andrew peaks in the room to see Xander and Dawn kissing.  He pans back to Buffy who looks stunned and finally says, “Go away, Andrew.”

At last Andrew gathers the Slayers to tell of his suspicions, and he apologizes to Willow dor suspecting her, and … as he talks, the cat that has been in the background all issue disappears in a light … Xander announces it must have been Amy.  Buffy calls for the Slayers to get ready … Twilight is coming for them.

You know, when this Buffy series started, I thought it would be nice to do these posts for the world, but 28 issues later, these things are taking me a minimum of 3 hours to write up as I have to decide how to describe each scene, what to quote, etc.  Please, for the love of all things Buffy, let us get to the end of this season!

That being said … interesting issue.  It felt like more stuff got advanced than it has in a long time.  The Xander/Dawn kiss is … well … it’s kinda icky.  The tension has always been there, but it just feels weird to “see” it happen finally.  Especially with Buffy apparently finally getting feelings for him.

Willow just saying, “Oh, I won’t go Dark, la la la” … um, yeah, this is Joss Whedon we’re talking about here, she just doomed herself to going full-on Dark again.

See ya in a month.

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Post from: SeanPAune.com

Buffy Season 8, Issue 28

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