Avox in Arcadia (perpetual) wrote,
Avox in Arcadia

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Buffy S10 Issue #11

Going to make this short, since I haven't written anything on the comics in ages, and there's a lot from the previous issues that I would need to address if I was going to claim any semblance of a thorough review.

Andrew's gay!

No, seriously, he actually came out on-panel. It doesn't change the way I felt about the character in the slightest, but I thought it was interesting that this moment was barely worth a shrug next to the one that the entire online fandom is going to be focused on...

At the end of the issue, Spike and Buffy kiss. There you have it. I'm pretty sure there are only two things I want to say about this. First, there's an air of "cliffhanger" around this, not only because it happened in the final panel but because Spike's pose didn't change; it's entirely her kissing him. What do we know about cliffhangers? They refer to something that's going to happen next, meaning the thing didn't actually happen yet. It doesn't mean the kiss itself isn't a big deal, but the way the characters react to it is going to be a bigger one.

Second, those of us who don't want Spike and Buffy together were betrayed a long time ago, and frankly, we need to stop blaming the comic writers and the lack of direct involvement from Joss. If anything, the Buffyverse needs less Joss. He is an excellent, pulchritudinous epic storyteller, and that is all. Successful storytelling is founded on the manipulation of the audience's emotions, and sometimes that means hanging onto a particularly effective element even when it damages your overall message. Spuffy has never been the right choice for this story - not for Buffy, not for Spike, not for anyone they know or the world they live in. It keeps coming up anyway because it makes you feel something.

So if you're upset about the comic going back to Spuffy now, I can only urge you not to give up on Buffy, but to give up on Joss and make it official. There is plenty of his work left to enjoy, and only the Buffyverse (and possibly Serenity) is vulnerable to his meddling - big properties limit him on what he can destroy just to make you cry, and you won't get invested long-term in his side projects, so those are all win/win. The Buffyverse left its heart in the early seasons, and in the fandom.

I guess this all might sound kind of harsh, so let me veer back to the comic itself, because it was actually pretty good. Worthwhile humor is my favorite thing, all the characters got a moment to shine, and the art was decent - not everyone's appearance was accurate, but it was clean, colorful, and attractive, and I'll take that over likenesses any day. I don't know where the plot is going right now and I don't really care, and I don't really care that I don't care.

About all of the other pairings touched on: Giles/Olivia was pointless and OOC, Willow/Aluwyn was kind of sweet but too little too late, Xander/Dawn almost beats Spuffy in endless repetition, and Andrew is gay. So okay, I guess I wasn't that thrilled by the character development either. I think I'm still writing just because I had one really positive thing to say about Spike and I wanted to be sure I got it out. He saves some kittens! Also, Xander cuddles with the kittens later, so it's a point for both of them.

In fact, I'm making a vow that however Spike reacts to Buffy in the next issue, I'm going to forgive him. Because KITTENS.
Tags: comic review, dark horse buffy comics

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