beer_good_foamy (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
beer_good_foamy) wrote2009-11-07 07:35 pm
beer_good_foamy) wrote2009-11-07 07:35 pm
Entry tags:
#30
Yep, I wrote something about #30. It's more grumpy than snarky, but it has a poll.
Nothing was delivered
And I tell this truth to you,
Not out of spite or anger
But simply because it's true.
- Bob Dylan, "Nothing Was Delivered"
"My god, it sucks to be weak."
- Buffy Summers, Season 8 #30
#30, then. The end of the arc that, as Allie once again tells us in the letter column here, was supposed to leave us shocked, pissed off and scrambling for pitchforks (actual quote). The arc that was advertised with phrases that all said "people are going to die" (again, actual quote). The one that was so chock-full of reveals and developments that it had to be stretched to 5 issues and followed by no less than two standalones.
And it ends predictably, considering the plan they came up with: the former slayer army loses and everyone remains powerless. Geez, Buffyverse gods not playing by human rules, what were the odds? Despite the advance hype, however, we get no character deaths (apart from a bunch of redshirts nobody cares about), no big reveals, no new clues about who Twilight is (nor any more reasons to care), no major thematic or character developments that hadn't already been covered (well, maybe one, see below), and then at the end an advance hint of whatever will be the plot of the next arc. Like #29 before it, it's mostly stuff blowing up, and that bores me even in movies where it doesn't look like something out of My Little Pony like Jeanty's art tends to do. Yeah, I see now how they absolutely had to stretch this story out to five issues. Or six. Or seven, or however many it'll end up being.
I'm pretty sure I recall someone hinting a few months ago that Twilight would be revealed in this issue, but of course the reveal has since been postponed yet again, so it's no big surprise that almost 3 years into the story we still know jack squat about him except that we know jack squat about him. Which apparently is supposed to make him interesting. That's not mystery, it's hide-and-go-seek. Given that his entire point is to be someone in disguise, and that none of the characters seem to want to know who he is, I stand by my prediction from last month: Twilight won't be revealed. At all. Ever.
Riley's confirmed as a triple agent (at least). Not a very useful one, since he hasn't actually done anything to help Buffy yet; I suppose all the redshirts he watched get killed without doing anything (or stop Twilight when he was standing right beside him) were considered acceptable losses, but hey, big picture. I'm sure we'll get a good explanation for what he's been up to and what his role is in Season 8 any decade now, his arc so far has been... non-existant, really.
But there is one very welcome thing about the issue: Buffy realises that simply saying she's the good guy makes absolutely no difference, and starts actually acting like it. For the first time in a bunch of issues, she seems to actually draw a reasonable conclusion, and her speech about "protecting everything that bleeds" is great. It's the kind of (rather obvious) reply to the "you're at war with the human race" challenge I've been waiting for for 30 issues now. Yay Buffy! A pity it's immediately followed by another 90-degree turn into the absurd, as...
Now, I'm guessing that Buffy being able to fly is the big thing that was supposed to piss us off. Of course,for it to piss anyone off it would have to have some significance, and so far I have no idea what it's supposed to do (and given the art, I wasn't even sure what it was supposed to be). I've seen some speculation that this is the buddhist thing where by giving up power, you get power. Which is nice for Buffy who gave up her power and is now Superman, and less so for all the others who gave up their power and are now either prisoners, killers, dead, or some combination thereof. I suppose that's why nobody who's not just cannon fodder bought it in this issue; having Buffy become a superbeing because Faith or Willow died might have been a hard sell.
No, it doesn't look like Season 8 is in a hurry to return to the relative realism of the TV show anytime soon. Maybe it'll make sense, maybe it won't, maybe Buffy will get herself a really spiffy cape and matching tights, but at least it continues Season 8's consistent trend of random transformations. I think a poll is in order.
[Poll #1482133]
So, this is where I would sum up the entire arc, but of course it's not over yet even though it's already one issue into overtime, so I have no idea what to write here. One idiot plot, two issues of some really good character introspection, and three issues of Bruckheimeresque fight scenes. Yeah, I know, this is all setup for something. That's what we said after "Predators and Prey" too, wasn't it? Come to think of it, that's what the Lost fans are still telling me years after I gave up on that series. And Season 8 hasn't even gotten to the magical polar bears yet.
General observations:
- They would have saved themselves a lot of trouble (and a lot of nameless dead Slayers, if anyone's expected to care) by surrendering right away when it became obvious that the fight was unwinnable (about two issues ago). Just sayin'.
- And Twilight is now officially commanding US soldiers in battle. On PRC territory. With nobody questioning it. Huh.
- The goddesses were said to want to kill everyone and then move on to the next valley. Except then they move on without killing everyone. Oh well.
- Allie confirms that the Slayers in Tibet aren't "ALL the Slayers (…) there are still cells in other countries"; so much for the argument that Buffy and her gang had no choice but to go with Operation Sitting Duck or die. In short, it retains its title as Dumbest Tactic Ever.
- Has the "Chosen" spell been permanently undone now? Seems like. Should make some people happy, I guess. I was pretty sure Joss wouldn't do that, and I'm still not sure he will.
- Also, there's the...
...You know what? I think I'm done. I don't care who Twilight is, I have no interest in spending another year on this only to see Buffy shoehorned into Fray, and as for Buffy's newfound Powers Of Sudden Plot Device, I gave up Superman when I was 14. I keep hoping the comic will somehow reconnect with the show, and it keeps moving further away (deliberately, apparently). I keep hoping something will click and everything will make sense, and it keeps getting more random. I keep hoping the story will match the admittedly interesting themes being explored, and it keeps breaking its own back to fit the metaphor.
I love Buffy because, as fantastical and as silly as it got, it was always grounded in some semblance of reality, some sort of earth logic in a fantasy setting; if you do A, you can reasonably expect B to follow (except then C happens instead because A isn't as simple as you think, but there's still cause and effect). It was about the challenges of everyday life. It's not that Buffy now has comic-book superhero powers, it's that... to paraphrase a good TV writer, if shit just happens, if nothing the characters do matters, then nothing matters. I don't feel the logic of it, I have no way to tell what anything is supposed to mean, understand why anyone does what they do. Does that make it a bad story? Maybe, maybe not, I'm sure it's a lot of fun for people who enjoy that sort of story, and good luck to you. But despite Allie hoping that it would piss us off, all it does is bore me; what pisses me off is that after 30+ issues, all it manages to do is bore me. And so...
Grr. Argh.
The fewer words you have to waste on this,
The sooner you can go.
- Bob Dylan, "Nothing Was Delivered"
Nothing was delivered
And I tell this truth to you,
Not out of spite or anger
But simply because it's true.
- Bob Dylan, "Nothing Was Delivered"
"My god, it sucks to be weak."
- Buffy Summers, Season 8 #30
#30, then. The end of the arc that, as Allie once again tells us in the letter column here, was supposed to leave us shocked, pissed off and scrambling for pitchforks (actual quote). The arc that was advertised with phrases that all said "people are going to die" (again, actual quote). The one that was so chock-full of reveals and developments that it had to be stretched to 5 issues and followed by no less than two standalones.
And it ends predictably, considering the plan they came up with: the former slayer army loses and everyone remains powerless. Geez, Buffyverse gods not playing by human rules, what were the odds? Despite the advance hype, however, we get no character deaths (apart from a bunch of redshirts nobody cares about), no big reveals, no new clues about who Twilight is (nor any more reasons to care), no major thematic or character developments that hadn't already been covered (well, maybe one, see below), and then at the end an advance hint of whatever will be the plot of the next arc. Like #29 before it, it's mostly stuff blowing up, and that bores me even in movies where it doesn't look like something out of My Little Pony like Jeanty's art tends to do. Yeah, I see now how they absolutely had to stretch this story out to five issues. Or six. Or seven, or however many it'll end up being.
I'm pretty sure I recall someone hinting a few months ago that Twilight would be revealed in this issue, but of course the reveal has since been postponed yet again, so it's no big surprise that almost 3 years into the story we still know jack squat about him except that we know jack squat about him. Which apparently is supposed to make him interesting. That's not mystery, it's hide-and-go-seek. Given that his entire point is to be someone in disguise, and that none of the characters seem to want to know who he is, I stand by my prediction from last month: Twilight won't be revealed. At all. Ever.
Riley's confirmed as a triple agent (at least). Not a very useful one, since he hasn't actually done anything to help Buffy yet; I suppose all the redshirts he watched get killed without doing anything (or stop Twilight when he was standing right beside him) were considered acceptable losses, but hey, big picture. I'm sure we'll get a good explanation for what he's been up to and what his role is in Season 8 any decade now, his arc so far has been... non-existant, really.
But there is one very welcome thing about the issue: Buffy realises that simply saying she's the good guy makes absolutely no difference, and starts actually acting like it. For the first time in a bunch of issues, she seems to actually draw a reasonable conclusion, and her speech about "protecting everything that bleeds" is great. It's the kind of (rather obvious) reply to the "you're at war with the human race" challenge I've been waiting for for 30 issues now. Yay Buffy! A pity it's immediately followed by another 90-degree turn into the absurd, as...
Now, I'm guessing that Buffy being able to fly is the big thing that was supposed to piss us off. Of course,for it to piss anyone off it would have to have some significance, and so far I have no idea what it's supposed to do (and given the art, I wasn't even sure what it was supposed to be). I've seen some speculation that this is the buddhist thing where by giving up power, you get power. Which is nice for Buffy who gave up her power and is now Superman, and less so for all the others who gave up their power and are now either prisoners, killers, dead, or some combination thereof. I suppose that's why nobody who's not just cannon fodder bought it in this issue; having Buffy become a superbeing because Faith or Willow died might have been a hard sell.
No, it doesn't look like Season 8 is in a hurry to return to the relative realism of the TV show anytime soon. Maybe it'll make sense, maybe it won't, maybe Buffy will get herself a really spiffy cape and matching tights, but at least it continues Season 8's consistent trend of random transformations. I think a poll is in order.
[Poll #1482133]
So, this is where I would sum up the entire arc, but of course it's not over yet even though it's already one issue into overtime, so I have no idea what to write here. One idiot plot, two issues of some really good character introspection, and three issues of Bruckheimeresque fight scenes. Yeah, I know, this is all setup for something. That's what we said after "Predators and Prey" too, wasn't it? Come to think of it, that's what the Lost fans are still telling me years after I gave up on that series. And Season 8 hasn't even gotten to the magical polar bears yet.
General observations:
- They would have saved themselves a lot of trouble (and a lot of nameless dead Slayers, if anyone's expected to care) by surrendering right away when it became obvious that the fight was unwinnable (about two issues ago). Just sayin'.
- And Twilight is now officially commanding US soldiers in battle. On PRC territory. With nobody questioning it. Huh.
- The goddesses were said to want to kill everyone and then move on to the next valley. Except then they move on without killing everyone. Oh well.
- Allie confirms that the Slayers in Tibet aren't "ALL the Slayers (…) there are still cells in other countries"; so much for the argument that Buffy and her gang had no choice but to go with Operation Sitting Duck or die. In short, it retains its title as Dumbest Tactic Ever.
- Has the "Chosen" spell been permanently undone now? Seems like. Should make some people happy, I guess. I was pretty sure Joss wouldn't do that, and I'm still not sure he will.
- Also, there's the...
...You know what? I think I'm done. I don't care who Twilight is, I have no interest in spending another year on this only to see Buffy shoehorned into Fray, and as for Buffy's newfound Powers Of Sudden Plot Device, I gave up Superman when I was 14. I keep hoping the comic will somehow reconnect with the show, and it keeps moving further away (deliberately, apparently). I keep hoping something will click and everything will make sense, and it keeps getting more random. I keep hoping the story will match the admittedly interesting themes being explored, and it keeps breaking its own back to fit the metaphor.
I love Buffy because, as fantastical and as silly as it got, it was always grounded in some semblance of reality, some sort of earth logic in a fantasy setting; if you do A, you can reasonably expect B to follow (except then C happens instead because A isn't as simple as you think, but there's still cause and effect). It was about the challenges of everyday life. It's not that Buffy now has comic-book superhero powers, it's that... to paraphrase a good TV writer, if shit just happens, if nothing the characters do matters, then nothing matters. I don't feel the logic of it, I have no way to tell what anything is supposed to mean, understand why anyone does what they do. Does that make it a bad story? Maybe, maybe not, I'm sure it's a lot of fun for people who enjoy that sort of story, and good luck to you. But despite Allie hoping that it would piss us off, all it does is bore me; what pisses me off is that after 30+ issues, all it manages to do is bore me. And so...
Grr. Argh.
The fewer words you have to waste on this,
The sooner you can go.
- Bob Dylan, "Nothing Was Delivered"
no subject
I don't think it's meant to herald a "oh, she can now fly and kick Twilight's ASS!!!1!!"
I think it's about creating and bridging emotional distance. And changing her perspective in how she sees the world. And also, in learning to control something that in past left her at another's mercy (flying with Willow in ABH, flying with Twilight in ABS, flying with Willow as a fish who can't see in Retreat). Reclamation of agency and vision.
I don't think it's meant to be used like a Superman power. Buffy hears a scream from far away, she leaps up and suddenly she's flying off to rescue the innocent victim! Cue heroic battle. Because, yes that is cliche. But I guess I don't see how what I said above is cliche - when has that been done before? Maybe I haven't been watching/reading the right classic superhero stories.
I understand not wanting to be negative all the time, too. I had to give up on the ANGEL comics for that reason. In reality, I had no desire to read them, but more to read them, then criticize them in fandom because everyone was squee'ing over them and not mentioning the shortcomings that bothered me. I wonder if fandom didn't exist, if I would have just read the book and enjoyed it superficially.
no subject
Well, obviously, that too. Everything in Season 8 has been so far. And personally I'm bored with it being not so much a theme as just never-ending barrage of increasingly silly ways to create that distance. Why is Buffy in Scotland? Why is Dawn a giant? Why are Spike and Angel non-issues? Why are the only viable romantic partners - Riley, Xander, Satsu - unavailable to her? Why does Buffy hide out in Tibet? Why does Buffy fly while everyone else gets killed or captured? Because Joss needs her to be distant from everything. Enough already, we get it. And funnily enough, the end result is just that I feel distant from the story.
when has that been done before?
The story that immediately springs to mind is the Matrix sequels. And I hated those, so... :-)
no subject
Or maybe you haven't been watching the wrong superhero stories. What I'm reminded of is the parody "Superhero Movie", in which the hero, the Dragonfly, is very fast, super strong, and highly resistant to damage but feels like a failure as a superhero because he can't fly.
no subject