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#301 | |||
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Addicted Fan
 Joined: May 2003
Posts: 4,319
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Review: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #5 « Sci-Fi Bulletin
Review: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #5  Slayer Interrupted Words: Andrew Chambliss Pencils: Karl Moline Covers: Steve Morris/Georges Jeanty with Dexter Vines and Michelle Madsen Published by: Dark Horse Comics Buffy finds herself troubled by intense dreams featuring the First Slayer in this first part of a new story arc. Perplexed by the dreams’ cryptic messages she turns to best friend Willow to try and work out what the First Slayer is trying to tell her. The first thing that the long-time Buffy reader will notice about this issue is the change in the art. Personally, I was thrilled to crack the first page and find myself gazing upon the work of Karl Moline, one of my all-time favourite artists. Buffy fans will remember Moline for his work on the Fray spin-off series released between 2001 and 2003 as well as Buffy Season 8 and it’s great to see him make a return to the series. Moline’s work here is a treat and he brings all the energy to this issue that he brought to Fray and Season 8. Andrew Chambliss continues to take on the scripting duties and, while this issue starts off with a fairly stock standard Buffy mystery, it ends on a very different note altogether. Goodness knows where this new plot twist will take the series. I can think of a number of possibilities, all of which present interesting ramifications for the characters. I get the feeling that things are about to get very interesting for young Buffy and it’s nice to see the series pushing the envelope and continuing to try and let the characters grow. Only time will tell where all this will lead but I for one will be following events with great interest! 8/10 Bernice Watson |
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#302 | |||
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Addicted Fan
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 4,319
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CBR talks with Scott Allie about Buffy's pregnancy.
EXCLUSIVE: Scott Allie Talks Buffy's Big Changes - Comic Book Resources EXCLUSIVE: Scott Allie Talks Buffy's Big Changes "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9" #5 featured a huge turning point in Buffy's life. Editor Scott Allie spoke exclusively with CBR News about this issue's events and the coming repercussions. by Shaun Manning, Staff Writer  Scott Allie discusses Buffy being in a family way with CBR News SPOILER WARNING: This interview features extensive discussion of a major plot point from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9" #5. Buffy Summers, who has for years now fought back vampires and other forces of Hell, stared down an apocalypse or two, led an army of young Slayers and braved the horrors of a minimum-wage food service job, will soon confront a challenge unlike any she's faced before. In "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9" #5, written by Andrew Chambliss with art by Karl Moline and executive produced by Joss Whedon, the First Slayer haunts Buffy's dreams, repeatedly telling her, "You are not the Slayer," demanding that she consider the significance of her broken scythe in a world without magic. These visions lead to a new quest for one of Buffy's closest allies, but in a shocking last-page reveal, readers discover that Buffy herself is in for perhaps the most challenging journey of all. Yes, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is pregnant. Comic Book Resources spoke with Dark Horse editor Scott Allie for perspective on what this means for Buffy, her friends and her fans. CBR News: Scott, something you mentioned in a recent CBR interview was the idea that the different eras of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" have been about the changes people experience at different stages of life -- high school, college/early 20s and now mid-twenties or early thirties. There's a moment in issue #5 where, after Buffy has been told a couple times, "You are not the Slayer," she's asked to think about what that means. Is there a sense in which this stage of Buffy's life -- even without the pregnancy -- is incompatible with what it has meant, at least historically, to be a Slayer? Scott Allie: Those lines do connect with the pregnancy, yes. The big question she'll be wrestling with is how she can move forward in her life and still be the Slayer, now that everything for her and for the world has changed. In talking through the arc of Season 9 with Joss, what was his (and your) thought behind introducing the pregnancy into Buffy's life now? Buffy's trying to figure out how to take on the responsibilities of adulthood, of real life, in ways other than facing apocalypses and that sort of thing. She's had huge responsibilities on her shoulders before, and now she's facing different responsibilities. Mucking around serving coffee is part of the shock of facing real life, but she's wrestled with crappy, dead-end jobs before. Some readers expressed disappointment when they heard she was gonna be a waitress again, thinking that when we said we'd have her facing the challenges of adulthood, we were simply returning to old plotlines. But this has just been the set-up. She started in the coffee shop, familiar territory, and she'll push on from there. A San Francisco cafe is not the extent of what we're exploring with her new, grown-up life. How does the pregnancy affect how Buffy sees herself and her role? She'll be pondering that in upcoming issues. She has some great conversations with some key characters, including Spike, in "Buffy" #6. This has shifted her perspective instantly, of course. In "Buffy" #7, there's a fight that Spike insists she sit out of, and it does not sit well with her. Buffy, at this point in Season 9, is estranged to various degrees from her friends and allies. Is this something likely to bring them back to her side in support or cause further divisions? This will help bring her together with some of her nearest and dearest, for sure, but one of the other big developments in "Buffy" #5 was that Willow left the title for the time being. Not one or two issues. So the friendship that would probably deal best with this is on hold. Aside from what the pregnancy means to Buffy as a character, what sort of challenges or opportunities does it present for Joss and the other creators from a storytelling standpoint? Gotta leave that for the upcoming issues... I think a lot of Buffy fans grew up with these characters, in the sense that Buffy, Willow, and Xander were in high school at or around the same time, then experienced these different life events together (though, on the fans' side, hopefully without as much mayhem). Do you see Buffy's pregnancy as giving fans who are now parents another way to relate to the character? Absolutely. Fans anticipated this, which surprised us -- fans were seeing this coming from fairly early on in Season 9 -- and the reaction has not been altogether positive, shall we say. I think they need to see what we do with it, and see if it feels honest and relatable. Obviously that's our hope. Fans are going to be wondering who the father is, and issue #1 put forth a few candidates. Does Buffy know, at this point? Spoiler alert -- this will be one of the most upsetting aspects of the story, for some readers. Buffy doesn't know. Some readers will have a hard time with the idea that their hero could have gotten into this situation without knowing who the father is. She got black-out drunk in #1, and it turns out there are significant consequences. If the objection is that this couldn't or shouldn't happen to Buffy, it seems to me that that objection comes from the idea that there's something wrong with women to whom this does happen, that it is something beneath Buffy herself, and the fact that Joss and Sierra [Hahn, editor] and Andrew and I disagree with that is the reason why we think this is a viable storyline for Buffy. We know, of course, that Nikki Wood, the Slayer immediately preceding Buffy, also had a child. In light of Buffy's pregnancy, will we be learning more of Nikki's story? Next issue spends a lot of time with Nikki's son Robin, and flashing back extensively to Nikki herself. This was one of our earlier decisions about Season 9, at the writers' conference a year ago, that we'd bring Nikki and Robin into [the story] to help inform Buffy's perspective about motherhood. Having Nikki on the cover of the next issue confirmed readers' suspicion that Buffy would get pregnant, and that she would talk to Robin about it. We could have avoided putting Nikki on the cover, just like we could have avoided putting the hacked-off arm on the "Buffy" #8 cover, but we got tired of trying to keep all the most provocative stuff off covers, and decided that there were some surprises we had to keep for the insides, and some that were worth putting out there. Anything else you can tell us about what's coming up for our girl? She's making a career change, which I'm happy about. On Free Comic Book Day she gets out of San Francisco for a while. And Xander and Dawn's subplot will start picking up a bit before "Buffy" #10. Buffy's clearly having to redefine herself this season, and that's not an easy thing to do, but she has another twenty issues to do it. This story won't end where it began. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9" #5 is on sale now.  EXCLUSIVE: Regular series artist Georges Jeanty returns in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" #6 (Panel from #7) 1)This seems to confirm what I suspected about the circumstances of Buffy's arm loss. 2)This also seems to confirm that Buffy got knocked up at the party in issue 1 and adds weight IMO that it's the neighbor Heinrich.That's what Scott thinks will upset people.That it was due to druken sex that Buffy is blacked out on and she doesn't know who the father is. Another review of issue 5. Buffy The Vampire Slayers Season 9 #5 Review Buffy The Vampire Slayers Season 9 #5 Review Posted by Maria Selke January 12, 2012  You are not the slayer. What They Say: Buffy’s dreams have become all too real lately as she deals with a magicless world. She’s still fighting creatures of the night, as Willow and Xander grow distant and nightmares plague the Slayer. But something is telling Buffy that there is more to her dreams than meets the eye . . . and that her greatest fears may yet become reality! The Review: Buffy's dreams are haunted by people from her past as the first slayer desperately tries to get her attention. But what important messages do those dreams need to impart to the slayer? Can Willow help her decipher the message? Everything about this issue worked for me. The guest artwork by Karl Moline (the artist from Fray) fits exceptionally well with the dream style storyline of this issue. His simpler lines, mixed with the intense way he draws the character's eyes, made a perfect match for this issue. It's not often that I notice a character's hairdo, but Buffy's braids were adorable. His rendition of the first slayer and the spritely fairy like creature were also impeccable. I loved the fact that Willow became a bigger part of the story in this issue, because I missed her. Her friendship with Buffy is one of my favorite relationships in the series, and Willow's intriguing mix of power and pure geeky adorableness is so appealing. She takes on a very important task in this issue, and I'm excited to find out how Willow's new storyline will develop. Without being spoilery, (that's a real word, right?) the surprise ending both excites and concerns me. It definitely brings in a whole new dimension to the world of Buffy. That could go amazingly well, or it could spiral off into absurdity. My faith in the storytelling skills of the team leads me to believe that I'm going to enjoy the direction the tale will take. You really need to read this story and find out for yourself what Buffy discovers. In Summary: Slayer Interrupted is the perfect opening for the next piece of the tale. We get the beginnings of Willow's quest to restore magic to the world as well as a new source of conflict for Buffy. The surprise ending was a real smack in the face, yet tied the story neatly back into the first issue of season 9. Yes, it could go poorly, but the willingness to take a risk to tell a story that hasn't yet been told is one of the things I love about the Buffyverse. I'm all in, and the only really bad part about this issue for me is the fact that I have to wait until next month to hear what happens next. Grade: A A tweet from Angel & Faith writer Christos Gage. https://twitter.com/#!/Christosgage Christosgage So after reading the latest Buffy issue I have to ask: was Connor at that party? Because, y'know, it's kinda in his wheelhouse... 16 hours ago |
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#303 | |||
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Addicted Fan
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 4,319
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First advanced review for Angel & Faith # 6.
Review - Angel & Faith #6 Daddy Issues Part 1 | BAMFAS.com :: Entertainment*Gaming^Food-Music+Life Review – Angel & Faith #6 Daddy Issues Part 1 By Jenny – January 14, 2012  Script: Christos Gage Art: Rebekah Isaacs Colors: Dan Jackson Cover: Steve Morris Alternative Cover: Rebekah Isaacs with Dan Jackson Executive Producer: Joss Whedon Published By: Dark Horse This issue begins with Angel following his highly trained nose which is detecting the smell of blood. He knows that smell is never good and in this particular case it’s beyond not good. Flashback to Giles as a youth who is attempting to pass his Watcher final alongside a group of kids gathered together expecting a powerful vampire who, instead meet a crazy dangerous and powerful Lorophage demon with disastrous results. Meanwhile, Faith is knee-deep in her own problems as she continues to work with her small group of Slayers. As one of the Slayer trainees almost stakes a human (he claims he’s a vampire) Faith begins to see a pattern and a potential problem. A vampire named “Mother Superior” seems to be going around town wreaking havoc, however she’s not actually killing or siring anyone so there’s not a lot of justification to slay her. Faith takes her concerns to Angel. Angel who has been reading the Watcher Files, begins to wonder if the Lorophage demon is rearing its ugly head and takes his concerns to Alasdair Coames. Angel and Faith search for “Mother Superior” and end up finding her in a church/vampire club (what town doesn’t have one of these?). I won’t reveal who she is for the sake of the three people who have tried to stay spoiler free. Faith also has a surprise waiting for her when she meets up with her Slayers! The Giles flashback is great, he’s such an awesome, interesting character and getting these little glimpses into his past is always intriguing. Giles’ flashback really provides some insight into how he evolved into the Giles we know and love. This entire issue was fantastic, “Mother Superior” will definitely provide some great storylines and she’s always a great addition. The somewhat lost in the shuffle Faith visitor (because of Mother Superior) will be super intriguing and it should give us some unexplored insight into Faith. Everything about this issue was spot on, the art as usual is wonderful, the dialog is great and the story is really shaping up to be amazing. I love where this series is going and I can’t wait to get there! Release Date: January 25th, 2012 Mother Superior = Dru Faith's visitor = her dad |
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#304 | |||
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Elite Fan
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 49,250
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__________________
Between the Darkness and the Light |
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