This Day in Comics

[maggie2]

Apologies to those tired of comic wank; but I continue to be interested.

Disjoint thoughts about the first big comic day we've had in a while.

1.  While I've been altogether too militant about my lack of love for IDW, I'm only muted-happy about the apparent news that AtS is going back to Dark Horse.  I very much do want both stories under one house.  I don't think that guarantees a good outcome, but IDW just hasn't looked promising.  Remember that I'm the wierdo who didn't even like Lynch's stuff very much -- and he's Shakespeare compared to what came after.  Still it's obviously really devastating some fans, and that's painful to see.  So my feelings are ambivalent.  They're also on hold because who knows what's really going on here.

I've tended to defend DH in its dealings with IDW.  We'll see how this develops, but it really does look pretty crappy on DH's side based on the appearances.  The announcement seems to clearly have caught IDW off guard.  What does that mean, anyway?  Weird.  

2.  Riley!  I think this is a nicely written, tight issue.  What have we learned?

* Angel's plan really was to strip Buffy of all of her power.  That makes him responsible in my book for all the carnage in Retreat.  In addition to learning Angel's plan, we learn that he mustered the army and gave the orders. 

* He has a good reason, though!  Whistler has popped in to tell Angel that he's seen all the future time lines and if Angel doesn't do all this Twilight gig, if he lets Buffy in on what's going on, he and Buffy fight a losing battle side by side (so romantic) and the world is destroyed.  Poor Angel had no choice but to save the world by turning Buffy into a pawn.  (And Angel explicitly says that's what he's doing; it feels wrong to him, but that's the price of saving the world!!)  Whistler approves:  Torture the cheerleader, save the world.

* Can we breath a sigh of relief and say that Angel's character has been saved?  Not in my book.  And I don't think in this book, either.  Riley's story is there to contrast with Angel's and Riley chooses to serve Buffy rather than the world.  The bottom line is that Angel has faith in Whistler's prophecies, Riley has faith in Buffy.  We get more compare and contrast by seeing that Riley and Sam are totally equals.  No way would Riley do anything manipulative behind Sam's back.  Finally, Angel's pages (which parallel Riley's) are all dark, while Riley's are light.  I'm pretty sure that we're not going to get an outcome where turning Buffy into a tortured pawn was the only way to save the world.  If we do get that, I'm ready to go with my pitchfork.

*  Angel's story also doesn't match up with his distinct lack of concern in #35 that following Whistler's instructions lead to the end of the world not the salvation of the world.  So who knows.  (You knew that was going to be my last line, right?  Indeed, we are still waiting to see what the heck is going on).

* Ha!  A different last line.  There's also a nice section on Riley and Sam being together as a choice and not because of binding ties.  I tend to think that's a commentary on Bangel as well.

* There are some other nice details.  I just like the way this book is written.  Nice resonances.  Nice parallels. 

3.  The Angel series.  I can't help but like Mariah.  She may not do it perfectly, but she works so hard to connect with the fans and keep things on an even keel.  So I skimmed the Angel book in the store today to see if I'm ready to come back to the fold.  I'm not.  But it's not as outrageous as it could be.  Spike is foggy about what happened with Felicia, suggesting he's less than culpable.  The fact that Spike earned his soul gets an airing.  We get the nice observation that from Spike's POV, Angel got his soul as a *gift*.  It make sense to me that Spike might see it that way -- totally evil Angelus gets zapped with a soul and he's the champion of the world.  That said, Spike is definitely not aware that he's lost his soul and that bugs me.  Maybe they'll concoct an explanation -- but how can a guy lose the soul that he took so much trouble to get and which made such a big difference (to him, at least) and not notice?  Ergo, they got no pennies from me.  Instead, I made a date with myself to re-readelisi's delightful story about what happens when Spike loses his soul in season 5.   I didn't read the non-Spike related stuff so I can't comment on their story as a whole.  Bad things are afoot, no doubt.

Two weeks until we find out what happens the third time Spike comes dramatically crashing into Buffy's world.  I'm ridiculously excited about it.  If I were in possession of my faculties, I'd be beside myself with worry, but I'm 90% anticipation, and only 10% apprehension.  I puzzle myself.

Comments

[rebcake.livejournal.com]

Oh, all right. I guess I'll pick it up tomorrow.

I've pretty firmly decided that having Buffy do sudden, epic sex — with virtually no explanation — with a guy who walked out on her more than 5 years before was the bridge too far for me and a lot of fandom. Who does that? Now that I'm saying it, I figure loads of folks will pipe up with stories of long lost loves leading to instant nasty, but I think Joss misread the audience on this one. I don't think I'm being puritanical about it, but it's a vastly weird response for her. It's just too much of a departure for not just Buffy, but any sane woman, no matter how lonely. I actually don't really care about Angel's motivations, as I don't really care about Angel, period. It's Buffy's motivations that are most troubling to me.

And, okay, I got completely off topic and am flogging a poor, dying horse. Please forgive me.

Slightly less diversionary: At Comic-Con, any mention of the comic at Joss' talk was met with dead silence or sporadic, tepid applause. It felt like a wake. Quite a difference from the utter celebration of last year. He's got a tough row to hoe to make us believe in a Buffy that can be relied upon to make good choices. Oh well, that's why he gets the big bucks, I guess. I think he'll probably do it, too.

[flake-sake.livejournal.com]

I didn't know that about comicon. Can't help but think it's good news that even the present Joss fans couldn't muster any enthusiasm. That has to send some message.

[2maggie2.livejournal.com]

Interesting about Comic-Con. I hadn't heard that. We're you there or did you have an audio or video for it?

Completely agree about the problem of #34. We need something to make sense of it, because it really doesn't. It's not just that she's boinking this guy after five years of nothing (in the wake of finding out about 206 dead slayers and all the rest of it). It's that she's not intensely angry at him for trying to say he's been doing all this to manipulate her into becoming what she's become. I also have a problem with the following illogic: If Buffy and Angel have been meant to be together all this time, the only explanation for them not being together is the detachable soul. But they come together now with no mention of said detachable soul. The wank on that is that they both have reason to believe he can't get that happy again or whatever. But if that's so, why weren't they together already. I don't think you get both long separation and his soul not being an issue in one cogent explanation.

I'm willing to give Joss a chance to save all this in the last arc. But I'm not counting on it, and I certainly don't think it's OK as is.

[rebcake.livejournal.com]

I was at Comic-Con for the Joss talk (like last year), but I missed the Joss/JJ talk. Last year the love in the room was incredible. I thought people would trash the place in ecstatic frenzy. Dollhouse had just been renewed, so that was a big part of it.

This year, Dollhouse is canceled, the release of Cabin in the Woods is on indefinite delay, and Joss' first statement was that Scott Allie was co-writing the final arc of Season 8. The crickets were loud indeed. I'm sure that some people are thrilled about The Avengers, but his core fans I don't see the feminist angle there.

There could have been extenuating circumstances for people's lack of enthusiasm, such as the stupidly long wait times, but the difference was remarkable.

[eilowyn.livejournal.com]

I think Joss misread the audience on this one. I don't think I'm being puritanical about it, but it's a vastly weird response for her. It's just too much of a departure for not just Buffy, but any sane woman, no matter how lonely.

Word.

I don't really care about Angel, period

Wordy McWordison.

am flogging a poor, dying horse.

Was the horse perhaps dark? Because methinks a little flogging might be necessary to get the horse to stop thinking out of its ass (and I so did not just endorse animal abuse via obscure metaphor, did I?)

He's got a tough row to hoe to make us believe in a Buffy that can be relied upon to make good choices

(This is one I just saw and liked on Whedonesque) I've got so much word for you I'm holding both a Webster's and an Oxford dictionary!

Okay, done now.

[rebcake.livejournal.com]

Oh man! I just joined Whedonesque, and was working up the nerve (or inspiration) to post something, and somebody beat me to it! Dang!

Oh well, I won't tell anybody about your animal abuse, if you don't tell about my foot dragging. ;-)

[infinitewhale.livejournal.com]

It's just too much of a departure for not just Buffy, but any sane woman, no matter how lonely

Bigtime agree. And beyond that, there's the curse and, you know, killing a couple hundred girls. There's just no way *anyone* would do that. Of course there's the glowhypnol and I think that's what they'll use as the out, but that's where it gets tricky for them when it comes Spike's reaction.

[owenthurman.livejournal.com]

I've pretty firmly decided that having Buffy do sudden, epic sex — with virtually no explanation — with a guy who walked out on her more than 5 years before was the bridge too far for me and a lot of fandom. Who does that?

Yeah, who does that? And also, eww.

I actually don't really care about Angel's motivations, as I don't really care about Angel, period

That, too.

[rebcake.livejournal.com]

I'm a little disappointed that nobody is arguing the "who does that" question. Preferably with lots of salacious detail about the time the guy who told them "It's not you, it's me" showed up 10 years later and they couldn't drop trou fast enough. I mean, I thought there were supposed to be degenerates here on the interwebs! Where the heck are they? (Pfft. Probably out having sex with some old flame. Whatever.)