Spoiler! Covers for BtVS S10 Issue #22

[gite63]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 10 #22

Christos Gage (W), Rebekah Isaacs (A/Variant cover), Dan Jackson (C), and Steve Morris (Cover)

On sale Dec 23
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
Ongoing

Willow’s loyalties to Buffy are questioned when she makes a decision behind the Slayer’s back . . . Are the besties growing apart? Also unknown to Buffy, Spike has a conversation with an old friend that leads him to question the patterns of his relationship with Buffy.

SOURCE

 

[gite63]

Also unknown to Buffy, Spike has a conversation with an old friend that leads him to question the patterns of his relationship with Buffy.

This "old friend" would be Dylan (from Spike: Into the Light, who appeared in #7)?

Willow’s loyalties to Buffy are questioned when she makes a decision behind the Slayer’s back... Are the besties growing apart?

I'm very curious about that...

 

[Taake]

Buffy + Willow! I love it 🙂 Nice to see a cover with only the two of them.

And lol, my first spellery...cute! Though from the look of it i think I prefer when Willow taught computer class 😉

 

[EVIL UU]

Hell yes! Finally, a conflict between these two! Finally, a conflict! And the Spike stuff? It sounds even better! Spike desperately needs some introspection. I am so looking forward to it, the covers are awesome by the way!

 

[NothingVentured]

Willow’s loyalties to Buffy are questioned when she makes a decision behind the Slayer’s back . . . Are the besties growing apart?

The cover has her talking to the military, who may/may not be still anti-slayers.

Also unknown to Buffy, Spike has a conversation with an old friend that leads him to question the patterns of his relationship with Buffy.

Could be Dylan, but it's a stretch to call her an old friend. Maybe Clem, since he and Harm are back in 21.

 

[EVIL UU]

I can already imagine that conversation...

You work with the army?!
Buffy, if you haven't noticed we're in the middle of a worldwide demon invasion.
But...but the initiative! But Twilight! But the slayers! B-but I'm still needed. B-but we can handle it!
Like the last time?
Willow, don't you trust me?
Don't you trust me?!

Cue to oestrogen fuelled angst onslaught that ends with them hugging, possibly after trying to kill each other/screwing each other's brains out.

 

[NothingVentured]

I fail to see why any of them are trusted. Hell, last issue Willow couldn't find the box, told them it was destroyed and they left. They're all idiots and frankly, D'Hoffryn should just have them killed and take the book. And since lives are expendable (LOL We all grown up now!), it shouldn't be an issue. The Scoobies have been responsible for every apocalypse since S6. S5 as well with a slight stretch.

 

[Taake]

But Twilight!

Ha! My repression of season 8 is clearly working. Was gonna comment "wrong verse, dude"

 

[gite63]

Ha! My repression of season 8 is clearly working.

The cover has her talking to the military, who may/may not be still anti-slayers.

The military, Slayers about to be reunited as an army again, opened portals, demon invasion... S8 all over again? 😱

 

[NothingVentured]

The military, Slayers about to be reunited as an army again, opened portals, demon invasion... S8 all over again? 😱

Heh. I've been saying S9+S10 is just a long retelling of S8 for awhile. And wouldn't you know, the Restless Door can't be tamed by Earth magic, which means the only way to shut it will probably be to get rid of magic again.

My pet theory is S10 will have the ending I think S8 originally did--set up the Frayverse with magic and Buffy shut off in another dimension.

 

[EVIL UU]

I fail to see why any of them are trusted. Hell, last issue Willow couldn't find the box, told them it was destroyed and they left. They're all idiots and frankly, D'Hoffryn should just have them killed and take the book. And since lives are expendable (LOL We all grown up now!), it shouldn't be an issue. The Scoobies have been responsible for every apocalypse since S6. S5 as well with a slight stretch.

Reading through your posts here and there - man, you're looking at this from the wrong perspective. This franchise is called Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Read the title out load. It clearly doesn't take itself too seriously unlike some lifeless grimdark pulp fantasy garbage so you probably shouldn't either 'cause you're just setting yourself for a disappointment. Yes, stuff like consistency and characterisation is important, obviously, but it's not more important and has never been more important than entertainment value and fun. Like, OK?

D'Hoffryn should just have them killed and take the book.

Do I really have to list everything that tried to kill Scoobies and is no longer around? What makes D'Hoffryn different in your opinion? We've seen the old goat in a fight in season 9. He sucked.

 

[NothingVentured]

Reading through your posts here and there - man, you're looking at this from the wrong perspective. This franchise is called Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Read the title out load. It clearly doesn't take itself too seriously unlike some lifeless grimdark pulp fantasy garbage so you probably shouldn't either 'cause you're just setting yourself for a disappointment. Yes, stuff like consistency and characterisation is important, obviously, but it's not more important and has never been more important than entertainment value and fun. Like, OK?

Are you actually using the defense of comic capes here? Just turn off your brain? I wouldn't have a problem with that, except the writers constantly attempt to claim they're saying something. In other words, use your brain.

Characterization is *everything*. More important than deep plotz and metaphors or hammy BF4eva tropes. It's what separates hacks from decent writers, even in a title called Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Do I really have to list everything that tried to kill Scoobies and is no longer around? What makes D'Hoffryn different in your opinion? We've seen the old goat in a fight in season 9. He sucked.

I said have them killed, or at least try to. If we're getting into D'Hoffryn, why does he even care if demons are coming to Earth anyway? But given that he's established that he does and the Scoobs are established incompetent, why do they have that book?

 

[white avenger]

Am I the only one who noticed that the Scythe seems to be damaged in the second cover?

 

[EVIL UU]

Are you actually using the defense of comic capes here? Just turn off your brain?

YES! ​

Buffy is a big #$%^ing B movie, it's never been anything but a B movie. It tries to tackle some more serious issues from time to time through metaphors and, undeniably, has a lot of heart but it also has zombie-robots ( or robot-zombies? ) and giant mantises and good vampires and kitten poker and demon-aliens ( alien-demons? ) and magical sex and you know what? There's shit like this in every episode. The lore? The world-building? It's a pile of nonsense. And now, 10 seasons in, it's suddenly a problem? It's like you want Buffy to stop being Buffy. Seriously.

I wouldn't have a problem with that, except the writers constantly attempt to claim they're saying something.

​

Who cares? The author is dead!!!
Who cares? The author is dead!!!
Who cares? The author is dead!!!
Who cares? The author is dead!!!
Who cares? The author is dead!!!​

hammy BF4eva tropes

You can't avoid those in a story about friendship. Buffy, Willow, Xander, Giles - yes, they love each other, shamelessly so, it's not going to change, not after everything they've been through together.

If we're getting into D'Hoffryn, why does he even care if demons are coming to Earth anyway?

What is a vengeance demon going to do without humans, huh?

Scoobs are established incompetent

No, they're not. Do they make mistakes? Yes, a lot of them but since the world's still spinning I'd cut them some slack.

why do they have that book?

OK, so we have a group that consists of probably the most experienced slayer ever, the most powerful witch in the world, also the mother of the seed of wonder, the last surviving watcher, one of the most notorious vampires in the recorded history and just a normal guy who somehow managed to survive hanging out with all of the above. You think you can find someone who is more qualified and less evil?

Am I the only one who noticed that the Scythe seems to be damaged in the second cover?

The cover is not finished.

 

[NothingVentured]

YES! ​

Buffy is a big #$%^ing B movie, it's never been anything but a B movie. It tries to tackle some more serious issues from time to time through metaphors and, undeniably, has a lot of heart but it also has zombie-robots ( or robot-zombies? ) and giant mantises and good vampires and kitten poker and demon-aliens ( alien-demons? ) and magical sex and you know what? There's shit like this in every episode. The lore? The world-building? It's a pile of nonsense. And now, 10 seasons in, it's suddenly a problem? It's like you want Buffy to stop being Buffy. Seriously.

So much anger. Yes, Buffy is rife with silliness and genre tropes. You'll notice I said characterization is everything. Not the plotting or world-building which everyone knows is crap, but it's wrapped around the characters. That's why the show(s) had fans. Joss threw everything out the window in the comics for the sake of his big, epic story and some kind of message. So now all there is is the message to be looked at. And it's garbage.

​

Who cares? The author is dead!!!
Who cares? The author is dead!!!
Who cares? The author is dead!!!
Who cares? The author is dead!!!
Who cares? The author is dead!!!​

Ah.

You can't avoid those in a story about friendship. Buffy, Willow, Xander, Giles - yes, they love each other, shamelessly so, it's not going to change, not after everything they've been through together.

It's a story about growing up, not friendship. Who told you it was about friendship? Did the author leave an epitaph about it?

What is a vengeance demon going to do without humans, huh?

Anything it wants. Vengeance demons are exclusive to humans since when?

OK, so we have a group that consists of probably the most experienced slayer ever, the most powerful witch in the world, also the mother of the seed of wonder, the last surviving watcher, one of the most notorious vampires in the recorded history and just a normal guy who somehow managed to survive hanging out with all of the above. You think you can find someone who is more qualified and less evil?

A slayer who can't lead, can't fight anything tougher than a paper bag and spends all her time failing and banging apocalypses out. The very first thing she did was inform Drac (and the rest of the world) that the book was open. People died, it was a riot. What good is experience if you never learn and get your ass kicked every fight? A witch who just let the bad guys get what they wanted and can't stop getting stabbed by Archaeus, a 12 year old, and two guys who can't stop getting put under thralls.

More qualified and less evil? Pretty much anyone else at this point. Therein lies the problem. Make characters do nothing but stupid things for 3 seasons, you do have to answer the question of why we're still supposed to root for them. If you were a good writer, that is.

 

[Silverspike]

"The cover is not finished."

Err, it should be as this is a preview.

 

[Taake]

​

Who cares? The author is dead!!!
Who cares? The author is dead!!!
Who cares? The author is dead!!!
Who cares? The author is dead!!!
Who cares? The author is dead!!!​

Tone it down, will ya?

 

[EVIL UU]

Joss threw everything out the window in the comics for the sake of his big, epic story and some kind of message. So now all there is is the message to be looked at.

I don't see how the comics are any more about message than the show that gave us an entire season of drugs are bad kids only to discard it all with a single line of dialogue first chance it got.

Who told you it was about friendship?

Are you seriously telling me that BtVS is not about the friendship between Buffy, Willow and Xander or that the friendship is what makes Buffy stronger narrative present in every season and hammered continuously for close to 20 years now does not exist? Get out.

Vengeance demons are exclusive to humans since when?

Since you couldn't provide anything that would suggest that they're not.

A slayer who can't lead, can't fight anything tougher than a paper bag and spends all her time failing and banging apocalypses out. The very first thing she did was inform Drac (and the rest of the world) that the book was open. People died, it was a riot. What good is experience if you never learn and get your ass kicked every fight? A witch who just let the bad guys get what they wanted and can't stop getting stabbed by Archaeus, a 12 year old, and two guys who can't stop getting put under thralls. More qualified and less evil? Pretty much anyone else at this point. Therein lies the problem. Make characters do nothing but stupid things for 3 seasons, you do have to answer the question of why we're still supposed to root for them. If you were a good writer, that is.

That's a very negative perception in my opinion - I just don't see it that way. I think that Scoobies are awesome.

Tone it down, will ya?

What, I can't even use text formatting now?

 

[Taake]

What, I can't even use text formatting now?

Oh please, don't even. You know exactly what the problem is and it's not that you use text formatting. It's the how.

 

[gite63]

Am I the only one who noticed that the Scythe seems to be damaged in the second cover?

It's missing the handle; I think the barcode will cover it.

A slayer who can't lead, can't fight anything tougher than a paper bag and spends all her time failing and banging apocalypses out. The very first thing she did was inform Drac (and the rest of the world) that the book was open. People died, it was a riot. What good is experience if you never learn and get your ass kicked every fight? A witch who just let the bad guys get what they wanted and can't stop getting stabbed by Archaeus, a 12 year old, and two guys who can't stop getting put under thralls.

They have saved the world a lot, they managed to survive until now, and if they do make mistakes, it makes them a hell more interesting... About informing Drac, he could be a good font of information, so go for him was a right thing to do - they just should have been more watchful and less trustful...