Buffy Season eight rant: issues 24, 25, and Tales of the Vampires(spoilers)
So I haven't done this for a while because for once I've actually had too much of a life and haven't had time(score!) and I'm bored today so here we go.
Issue #24: Safe is my least favorite issue in this season so far. It was ok I just didnt get excited about it. There just weren't any moments or events that made me go wow. Faith didn't really seem as Faithy to me as I would have liked. I understand she's turning over a new leaf with the being a useful member of society(so she's going through changes) but the voice of her character just seemed a little off. Giles was better. Courtney, the young blonde slayer that had a resemblence to a younger Buffy(down to the blonde hair and parent divorce drama), annoyed me a little. Is there a reason as to why they made her seem buffyesque? If there is I'm confused as to the exact reason why.
The plot was all right. It's an interesting tale about desperation and what people are willing to do and believe to protect their way of life. Which is a likely thing to happen when the world suddenly goes bass ackwards. And despite the fact that I have issues with faith's voice we do get to see her really act like a true hero and show mercy in a way we haven't before. I can't wait for Buffy's reaction when she sees Faith becoming the polar opposite of what she was. It's gonna be interesting. I heard Giles and Faith will be in the Oz arc so maybe it won't be long until that reunion. I think the only way Buffy would believe Faith was good would be if she died saving either Buffy's life or someone near and dear to Buffy, but maybe I'm wrong. Joss always surprises me, so we'll see.
Issue #25 was the best issue of this arc. FInally got closure about Dawn's transformations and she's back to normal. The best thing about it was that it provided closer between Buffy and Dawn that has been called for since season 7 (and maybe before that). Dawn confessed about being jealous of the other slayers and admited that she acts out just to get Buffy's attention, and put those feelings to rest by confessing. Ladies and Gentelman Dawn is all growed up. NO MORE COMPLAINING ABOUT HER BEING WHINEY, DAWN HATERS!! Those days are over. I can't wait to see what she'll do next. Or who she'll do because I'm wondering if she's gonna hook up with Xander. Scott Allie in a question/answer session on slayalive said there would be a pairing coming up that was controversal. Of course there are lots of possible pairings especially with the characters in the upcoming Oz arc I could see some fans getting upset over. Personally I don't care who hooks up as long as it's done well and believable. Normally Joss and co are good with that. Also I like crazy drama that I didn't see coming. it makes everything more interesting.
Anyways, creepy Gheppeto and his dolls freaked me out. I have a fear of talking dolls and puppets(come play with us Kate. Come play with us forever. *shivers and hides under and bed*). There was a great mix of horror, humor, drama, a little romance, and great dialog which is why it's an awesome issue. Love that Buffy and co. are fans of Veronica Mars. Love that the vamp army was a bogus group of drunk vamps. Love the wolverine claws and hope they reappear. Love that Xander helped Buffy straighten out her feeling towards Dawn and whats going on with her. Love that Xander can hate himself in British. Love Andrew as obvious dorky college roomate incognito. Love Kenny(kinda hope he comes back). Love that her saying sorry is what broke the spell. P.S. the cover makes me pee laughing and it looks like Dawn is kissing a vagina with a tongue coming out of it.
This arc (or the last five stand alones) were a little lower than my expections in some ways(I expected more info to be revealed then there was), but I still enjoyed it. 25 was my favorite followed closely by 22 because it made me laugh my ass off. I liked seeing the old, less conflicted, Buffy return in issue 23. That made me feel so much better to see her act like a big damn hero rather then slightly riding the line like she had been. 21 was little choppy but I liked the over all point of the issue and was impressed with fact that Jane could crame a plot point that big into one issue. 24 kinda sucked.
Tales of the Vampires was pretty awesome. The cover with the pomegranate was kinda sexy in a dark way. Story was good. Good twists. Especially the ending when you're wondering if he's gonna turn her or not. It did a decent job of showing how the people feel about vamps and slayers. The fact that the Mom didn't take it all that hard when he told her he was a vampire tells you how warped society was become from the influence of the media. He didn't seem all the freaked out about being a vamp either where as his friend was upset she was a slayer. It was a tale of an antihero( to us but becomes just plain hero in a world that loves vampires) and it was done effectively. My only complaint is that this kid is the exact sorta person you would expect to become a vampire. He's a dark outsider/emo kid. It would have been more interesting if they had chosen someone a little more average(that we can indentify with) so we could see what the run or the mill person in the world feels about being turned into a vampire. Because so far we haven't seen enough of the general publics reaction to slayers and vampires. We've seen media reactions, an isolated effed up town in Europes reaction, Buffy and co's reactions, and the reaction of an emo kid and his mom and girlfriend. Maybe we'll see more reactions of the general public later. But I'm surprised these last 6 issues didn't show that as much as I would have liked. I will say it was a good creepy horror tale though. Disturbing and entertaining.
Issue #24: Safe is my least favorite issue in this season so far. It was ok I just didnt get excited about it. There just weren't any moments or events that made me go wow. Faith didn't really seem as Faithy to me as I would have liked. I understand she's turning over a new leaf with the being a useful member of society(so she's going through changes) but the voice of her character just seemed a little off. Giles was better. Courtney, the young blonde slayer that had a resemblence to a younger Buffy(down to the blonde hair and parent divorce drama), annoyed me a little. Is there a reason as to why they made her seem buffyesque? If there is I'm confused as to the exact reason why.
The plot was all right. It's an interesting tale about desperation and what people are willing to do and believe to protect their way of life. Which is a likely thing to happen when the world suddenly goes bass ackwards. And despite the fact that I have issues with faith's voice we do get to see her really act like a true hero and show mercy in a way we haven't before. I can't wait for Buffy's reaction when she sees Faith becoming the polar opposite of what she was. It's gonna be interesting. I heard Giles and Faith will be in the Oz arc so maybe it won't be long until that reunion. I think the only way Buffy would believe Faith was good would be if she died saving either Buffy's life or someone near and dear to Buffy, but maybe I'm wrong. Joss always surprises me, so we'll see.
Issue #25 was the best issue of this arc. FInally got closure about Dawn's transformations and she's back to normal. The best thing about it was that it provided closer between Buffy and Dawn that has been called for since season 7 (and maybe before that). Dawn confessed about being jealous of the other slayers and admited that she acts out just to get Buffy's attention, and put those feelings to rest by confessing. Ladies and Gentelman Dawn is all growed up. NO MORE COMPLAINING ABOUT HER BEING WHINEY, DAWN HATERS!! Those days are over. I can't wait to see what she'll do next. Or who she'll do because I'm wondering if she's gonna hook up with Xander. Scott Allie in a question/answer session on slayalive said there would be a pairing coming up that was controversal. Of course there are lots of possible pairings especially with the characters in the upcoming Oz arc I could see some fans getting upset over. Personally I don't care who hooks up as long as it's done well and believable. Normally Joss and co are good with that. Also I like crazy drama that I didn't see coming. it makes everything more interesting.
Anyways, creepy Gheppeto and his dolls freaked me out. I have a fear of talking dolls and puppets(come play with us Kate. Come play with us forever. *shivers and hides under and bed*). There was a great mix of horror, humor, drama, a little romance, and great dialog which is why it's an awesome issue. Love that Buffy and co. are fans of Veronica Mars. Love that the vamp army was a bogus group of drunk vamps. Love the wolverine claws and hope they reappear. Love that Xander helped Buffy straighten out her feeling towards Dawn and whats going on with her. Love that Xander can hate himself in British. Love Andrew as obvious dorky college roomate incognito. Love Kenny(kinda hope he comes back). Love that her saying sorry is what broke the spell. P.S. the cover makes me pee laughing and it looks like Dawn is kissing a vagina with a tongue coming out of it.
This arc (or the last five stand alones) were a little lower than my expections in some ways(I expected more info to be revealed then there was), but I still enjoyed it. 25 was my favorite followed closely by 22 because it made me laugh my ass off. I liked seeing the old, less conflicted, Buffy return in issue 23. That made me feel so much better to see her act like a big damn hero rather then slightly riding the line like she had been. 21 was little choppy but I liked the over all point of the issue and was impressed with fact that Jane could crame a plot point that big into one issue. 24 kinda sucked.
Tales of the Vampires was pretty awesome. The cover with the pomegranate was kinda sexy in a dark way. Story was good. Good twists. Especially the ending when you're wondering if he's gonna turn her or not. It did a decent job of showing how the people feel about vamps and slayers. The fact that the Mom didn't take it all that hard when he told her he was a vampire tells you how warped society was become from the influence of the media. He didn't seem all the freaked out about being a vamp either where as his friend was upset she was a slayer. It was a tale of an antihero( to us but becomes just plain hero in a world that loves vampires) and it was done effectively. My only complaint is that this kid is the exact sorta person you would expect to become a vampire. He's a dark outsider/emo kid. It would have been more interesting if they had chosen someone a little more average(that we can indentify with) so we could see what the run or the mill person in the world feels about being turned into a vampire. Because so far we haven't seen enough of the general publics reaction to slayers and vampires. We've seen media reactions, an isolated effed up town in Europes reaction, Buffy and co's reactions, and the reaction of an emo kid and his mom and girlfriend. Maybe we'll see more reactions of the general public later. But I'm surprised these last 6 issues didn't show that as much as I would have liked. I will say it was a good creepy horror tale though. Disturbing and entertaining.