I have my copy of Buffy # 19,"Freaky Giles Day."
I had to get to my comic shop today by hook or crook since it will be closed the rest of the week until Monday due to Baltimore Comic Con.The owner of my comic shop created and runs the convention so if I didn't get there today,I would have to wait until next week.
I really loved this issue.Yes,it can be considered filler before and after the next big arcs but it had a lot of character stuff I think.Plus I loved seeing grown Giles again for just a day.This issue really worked as a nice bookend to the idea that Buffy no longer needs a mentor to teach her.But I think this issue also shows that while show no longer needs a a parent,she'll always loves Giles.
The sequence on the roof was so perfect and really to me represents the metaphor of a child no longer needing a parent in the same way once they've grown up and become a adult but still needing them in their life,their love.Buffy may no longer need Giles as a father,and he really was her father(this was the whole point of bringing Hank back) but still needing him in her life anyway even if it's in a different way.Which it will be with giles returning to being a child.
Much as parents get to live their own lives once their children grown up and move on out into the world.Giles gets the same but in a much bigger,scarier and Buffyverse way by getting to grow up again.And the second time is going to be just as scary,more even since Giles is carrying his life experiances fro mthe first time around in his young body.
I probably could go on longer but I really loved this issue and bringing Hank back now and in this way really worked to show just how bad a father he was vs. Giles.
A review of Buffy # 19
Comic Book Review: Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 10 #19 - Geeked Out Nation
Comic Book Review: Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 10 #19
by Jideobi Odunze
It’s the start of a new story arc now that Buffy and the gang have had their introduction to Archaeus. When picking up Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 10 #19 it would be assumed that this issue was filler just from the description of the story. Goes without saying that when it comes to Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 10 everything matters. We get the supernatural elements of this series, but the personal half is just as important if not more. They are at their core trying to find that balance between fighting off the forces of evil while trying to live normal lives. As normal as things can get.
It has been some time since Gile’s issue with his age has been the center of attention. Now is better than never that we get back to this as others have come further along dealing with their personal problems. Some could probably think this is a weird time to focus on giving Giles this second chance at adulthood, but finding the time to focus on him is a bit tricky. This was that best time where there is a pause enough in the main storyline where it doesn’t come off as a distraction. In fact how this all played out to dealing with Archaeus was just as smart in execution. Though getting back to Giles as an adult, the approach you admire because it explores the challenges of what being an adult means to Giles. Christos Gage dissected what it means to be a father figure vs. being a Watcher. Both of which is a struggle for Giles now that he is now neither those people.
This here was coming to terms with the fact that Giles needs to focus on the second life he has now, and not the one he had before. Plenty of us have always wondered what it would be like to go back and not make those same mistakes we regret. To do things differently for a better outcome. All this was seen through Giles and you sympathize with him. Especially when Buffy decided to be blunt with Giles about his importance to her at this stage in her life.
Buffy and Dawn’s half of the story as well hit home when the weight of everything these two have been through falls in their lap as they reunited with their neglectful father, Hank Summers. We’ve come a long way with Buffy as she has matured throughout her adventures, and it was hard to see her life from the perspective of someone who doesn’t really know her as he should. The truth he spoke could not be argued, yet not what you expect from a father. Plenty of times we have heard what’s wrong about this guy, and barely saw much of him in the show, so this experience with Hank was a reality check. A reaffirmation of what family is to Buffy and Dawn which is a powerful message at the end of the day.
It feels like forever since we’ve seen Giles at an older age. As close to it as Willow could get. A feeling of nostalgia almost sank in because if not for Buffy and Dawn’s own problem this would have felt very close to the first season. What sold the emotion in this issue of Buffy is Rebekah Isaacs’s own expressive style that keeps this story grounded in a supernatural world. You could feel the anger Buffy felt when her dad makes another attempt to be a part of their lives, to the feeling of being broken as he indirectly throws her failures in her face, to the disappointment Giles accepts as he finds out the hard way that being his old age again wouldn’t be everything he dreamed. The focus here was on their personal lives and she captures that with how they go about handling everyday things down to their consistently unique clothing choices. It’s all natural expression to these characters and that makes them both real and relatable.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 10 #19 is an emotional rollercoaster. Yet again another example of how this creative team have knocked it out of the park with this season 10. It’s not just about fighting evil anymore, it’s about living their lives the best they can as well.
Preview pages for Angel & Faith # 19.The new arc is titled,"A Little More Than Kin."
Preview :: Dark Horse Comics
