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orlesianmask's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
alexampersand's review
3.0
Season 8 still manages to not be quite as pleasing as the show, but this time I think it was a combination of storytelling devices and plot points that just combined to leave it stuck at the 3 star mark.
To start with, the first half of this volume is all standalone stories, and some of them are slightly ridiculous. Harmony gets a reality television show... It rubs me the wrong way immediately when vampires are suddenly in the public consciousness, and being paraded as the 'good guys'. I can get on board with the Slayers being presented as evil in the previous volume. I could even get on board with vampires being public knowledge, if it is handled in the right way. But I don't think it is here. The comics seem to shrug it off as part of their light-hearted handling of Harmony's character, but that doesn't feel like the same atmosphere that the show had. Sure, it poked fun at Sunnydale residents being mildly aware, or perhaps not being aware enough, of what goes on in their town. But when it came down to it, it was fairly serious, and vampires weren't seen as the good guys.
Following on from that is a story about a killer cuddly toy. I can't decide whether it's so ridiculous that it is cute, or if it is just ridiculous.
Then we have standalone stories featuring Buffy & Andrew, and Giles & Faith, and while individually these are okay, as part of 5 standalone stories that are barely connected to the main arc, they get a little bit tedious. Maybe this is just a problem with serialised comics - knowing that it is serialised, I am happy to read a big story quickly, but then the standalone issues irk me. If I were just reading the comics as a series of standalones (like the original run of Buffy comics) these would just be seen as cute little miniature Buffy-tales. But as it is, I'm judging it within the context of Season 8, and that is where they fall flat.
Living Doll, however, is quite a nice conclusion to the Dawn storyline, even if her thricewise didn't look particularly terrifying at all.
Retreat is the major storyline here,and I'm not sure how I feel about this one either. It is nice to see the return of Oz, and I actually like what they have done with his character since leaving the show. I feel like it fits him. Generally most of this issue was nice and enjoyable, mostly because I felt like it was believable. The ending was slightly odd, though, and it wasn't until I read the bonus material of Georges Jeanty's sketch notes that I realised what it was meant to represent. (view spoiler)
Let's ignore the fact that there was more silly business with Harmony in the end. Those stories really do not need to exist, and I will continue in my headcanon believing that the world is not aware of the existence of vampires.
I am interested to (re)read the final volume of Season 8, because so far I have enjoyed it a lot more than I did the first time around (and the problems with this issue I think WERE more storytelling medium issues, rather than actual plot issues).
To start with, the first half of this volume is all standalone stories, and some of them are slightly ridiculous. Harmony gets a reality television show... It rubs me the wrong way immediately when vampires are suddenly in the public consciousness, and being paraded as the 'good guys'. I can get on board with the Slayers being presented as evil in the previous volume. I could even get on board with vampires being public knowledge, if it is handled in the right way. But I don't think it is here. The comics seem to shrug it off as part of their light-hearted handling of Harmony's character, but that doesn't feel like the same atmosphere that the show had. Sure, it poked fun at Sunnydale residents being mildly aware, or perhaps not being aware enough, of what goes on in their town. But when it came down to it, it was fairly serious, and vampires weren't seen as the good guys.
Following on from that is a story about a killer cuddly toy. I can't decide whether it's so ridiculous that it is cute, or if it is just ridiculous.
Then we have standalone stories featuring Buffy & Andrew, and Giles & Faith, and while individually these are okay, as part of 5 standalone stories that are barely connected to the main arc, they get a little bit tedious. Maybe this is just a problem with serialised comics - knowing that it is serialised, I am happy to read a big story quickly, but then the standalone issues irk me. If I were just reading the comics as a series of standalones (like the original run of Buffy comics) these would just be seen as cute little miniature Buffy-tales. But as it is, I'm judging it within the context of Season 8, and that is where they fall flat.
Living Doll, however, is quite a nice conclusion to the Dawn storyline, even if her thricewise didn't look particularly terrifying at all.
Retreat is the major storyline here,and I'm not sure how I feel about this one either. It is nice to see the return of Oz, and I actually like what they have done with his character since leaving the show. I feel like it fits him. Generally most of this issue was nice and enjoyable, mostly because I felt like it was believable. The ending was slightly odd, though, and it wasn't until I read the bonus material of Georges Jeanty's sketch notes that I realised what it was meant to represent. (view spoiler)
Let's ignore the fact that there was more silly business with Harmony in the end. Those stories really do not need to exist, and I will continue in my headcanon believing that the world is not aware of the existence of vampires.
I am interested to (re)read the final volume of Season 8, because so far I have enjoyed it a lot more than I did the first time around (and the problems with this issue I think WERE more storytelling medium issues, rather than actual plot issues).
bookdingo's review
3.0
I breezed through Volumes 3 and 4 quickly last night, so points for the overall Buffy v. Twilight story arc for keeping me up at night. I expressed the basic plot points to my husband and honestly if you tell a fellow Buffy fan what's going on in the comics, there's a good chance they're going to say either "Buh?" or make a snorting noise, because it sounds goofy as hell.
Volumes 1 and 2 indicate that Buffy funds her Slayer army of fierce warrior women by robbing European banks, which is no longer touched upon and there are no consequences whatsoever. TV Buffy's ideals and morals don't mesh with Season 8 comic Buffy, but I guess if there's no Watcher's Council and no govt aid, how else is she going to fund the armories and all the Slayer group breakfasts? I guess Joss really wanted dramatic European and Asian backdrops and there's NO way you can do that without crime. Means to an end, I guess.
Anyway! I was glad to see Oz again, and I like that Willow has conflicting-weird-jealous feelings regarding the fact that he's got a family and lives peacefully in Tibet. One big issue throughout the show and the comics is bisexual erasure. Every character is either gay or they're not. There are no transgender folks, gender fluid, asexual, aromatic, nope nada peeps. I know that imagination doesn't run out, so if you can imagine that Buffy's sister, Dawn, was changed into a giant, a centaur, and a wee doll because of a curse from a demonic college boyfriend, then I bet you could also imagine that a few characters are bisexual. One minor romantic subplot that ends quickly in Volumes 1 and 2 is Buffy's brief tryst with another slayer, Satsu. Satsu awakens Buffy from a magical coma with true love's kiss, and that ought to have some weight to it, right? Eh, not so much. They have sex twice, then it's business as usual with everyone telling Satsu, "You're gay and Buffy's not. Stop this." Um...K. Is that how sexuality works in the Whedon universe? Going back to Willow, she explains she's jealous because Oz has a family and he's "normal" and acts like he betrayed her for leaving. There's nothing wrong with acknowledging that there's one last lingering mushy feeling for Oz, even though she's devoted to Kennedy, the bratty Slayer everyone loved to despise on the TV show. And I think it's lovely that Willow discovered who she loves romantically and sexually, but everything doesn't have to be gay/not gay. It's so silly!
Every once in a while, you will get confused as to whether you're looking at Andrew, Oz, or sometimes even Giles, but good grief these library edition covers with the hyper realistic likenesses are fabulous! Returning back to romantic pairings and mixing in some art style, I think the real reason I'm uncomfortable with the eventual pairing of Xander and Dawn is 1) they're relationship felt very older brother/kid sister or cool uncle/annoying niece throughout the show and the comics, plus the art style doesn't help because Michelle Trachtenberg has a beautifully youthful face so her Dawn comic representation looks even younger despite a small age difference between Xander and Dawn (what is it, 5 years difference?). So the age difference isn't a bad thing and the pairing isn't super out of the question, but it does feel like a pairing of convenience. Dawn has made nice with her demon ex, Xander's previous love interest was killed by a vampire (typical), and Buffy's about to get sexy with Angel again, so they HAVE to be with each other! I guess?
This was fun.
Volumes 1 and 2 indicate that Buffy funds her Slayer army of fierce warrior women by robbing European banks, which is no longer touched upon and there are no consequences whatsoever. TV Buffy's ideals and morals don't mesh with Season 8 comic Buffy, but I guess if there's no Watcher's Council and no govt aid, how else is she going to fund the armories and all the Slayer group breakfasts? I guess Joss really wanted dramatic European and Asian backdrops and there's NO way you can do that without crime. Means to an end, I guess.
Anyway! I was glad to see Oz again, and I like that Willow has conflicting-weird-jealous feelings regarding the fact that he's got a family and lives peacefully in Tibet. One big issue throughout the show and the comics is bisexual erasure. Every character is either gay or they're not. There are no transgender folks, gender fluid, asexual, aromatic, nope nada peeps. I know that imagination doesn't run out, so if you can imagine that Buffy's sister, Dawn, was changed into a giant, a centaur, and a wee doll because of a curse from a demonic college boyfriend, then I bet you could also imagine that a few characters are bisexual. One minor romantic subplot that ends quickly in Volumes 1 and 2 is Buffy's brief tryst with another slayer, Satsu. Satsu awakens Buffy from a magical coma with true love's kiss, and that ought to have some weight to it, right? Eh, not so much. They have sex twice, then it's business as usual with everyone telling Satsu, "You're gay and Buffy's not. Stop this." Um...K. Is that how sexuality works in the Whedon universe? Going back to Willow, she explains she's jealous because Oz has a family and he's "normal" and acts like he betrayed her for leaving. There's nothing wrong with acknowledging that there's one last lingering mushy feeling for Oz, even though she's devoted to Kennedy, the bratty Slayer everyone loved to despise on the TV show. And I think it's lovely that Willow discovered who she loves romantically and sexually, but everything doesn't have to be gay/not gay. It's so silly!
Every once in a while, you will get confused as to whether you're looking at Andrew, Oz, or sometimes even Giles, but good grief these library edition covers with the hyper realistic likenesses are fabulous! Returning back to romantic pairings and mixing in some art style, I think the real reason I'm uncomfortable with the eventual pairing of Xander and Dawn is 1) they're relationship felt very older brother/kid sister or cool uncle/annoying niece throughout the show and the comics, plus the art style doesn't help because Michelle Trachtenberg has a beautifully youthful face so her Dawn comic representation looks even younger despite a small age difference between Xander and Dawn (what is it, 5 years difference?). So the age difference isn't a bad thing and the pairing isn't super out of the question, but it does feel like a pairing of convenience. Dawn has made nice with her demon ex, Xander's previous love interest was killed by a vampire (typical), and Buffy's about to get sexy with Angel again, so they HAVE to be with each other! I guess?
This was fun.
becksri29's review
3.0
Both the art and the story kind of got a bit weak in this one. Still fun, but not as good.
skyturtles's review
3.0
This is my second readthrough of Buffy Season 8, first time of the library editions. Volume three is fairly ridiculous, and very unrealistic, even for the Buffyverse. Season 8 started out okay, but is going downhill. Needs more lols and focus on the characters.
istaisa's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This compendium has a very different feel to the other two, and unfortunately I didn’t enjoy it as much. There were some really interesting ideas in the shorter arcs, and I look forward to seeing what happens with Harmony. However, the multi-chapter ‘Retreat’ arc felt utterly out of place for the Buffy universe.
Like several other readers, I’m also finding it increasingly difficult to differentiate between characters with the sheer volume of slayers. Maybe this is an artistic choice to reduce the pain of losing them in this new gun-based warfare, but it does feel like it’s diverging at this point. There was also basically no development of the characters, which is a shame as Buffy has always been such a person-driven experience.
I look forward to reading book 4 to see how the season rounds off.
Like several other readers, I’m also finding it increasingly difficult to differentiate between characters with the sheer volume of slayers. Maybe this is an artistic choice to reduce the pain of losing them in this new gun-based warfare, but it does feel like it’s diverging at this point. There was also basically no development of the characters, which is a shame as Buffy has always been such a person-driven experience.
I look forward to reading book 4 to see how the season rounds off.
falinter's review
3.0
Maybe it's the nature of reading graphic novels but I feel like the stories blow by real fast. I guess they are just better read issue by issue instead of all at once in a compendium.