Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 8

This is a short scene setting tale. After the events of 'Chosen' there are now 1,800 slayers in the world. 500 of who have allied themselves to Buffy.

Speaking of Buffy, she is now living in a remote Scottish castle with a squad of slayers. Xander acts as unofficial watcher in their high tech yet also arcane HQ. Buffy and her slayers are investigating a church filled with demons and dead humans.

Dawn is whining and she slept with a Thricewise and is now a giant as a result. That's Dawn's sole function in this issue: resident whiner.

Meanwhile the US military regard Buffy and her followers as terrorists.

While excavating the ruins of Sunnydale they come across two beings in the sinkhole who have a deal for them.

This is okay but is way too brief a read. It totally invalidates the novel 'Queen of the Slayers' though.

Highlight:

• Buffy stabbing a demon to death with a big crucifix.

Questions:

• What is a Thricewise?
• Why Scotland?
• What is that mark carved onto the dead people's skin?
• Is this branch of the US military anything to do with the Initiative?
• Who or what is the 2nd person found in the pit? I've a horrible feeling that it is Adam.
• Why do the military refer to the destruction of Sunnydale as The Decimation and why do they hold Buffy responsible?
• Why is Andrew (mentioned not seen) given a position of high importance in Italy? Why did he create the 'Buffy is dating The Immortal' lie for Spike and Angel?

A good issue with more hints as to the ongoing story and the Big Bad. We also get to see Giles and Andrew training their own squads of slayers. Giles actually teaches, Andrew just blathers on and on about 'Star Wars'.

The symbol carved into various people's skin shows up again and Dawn's abandonment issues are raised yet again.

I like Season 8. I will be buying future issues and seeing as how Season 8 is rumoured to run for 50+ issues. I'll need to find a big box to store them in.

Highlight:

• Amy stabbing Buffy.

Questions:

• Why is Willow wearing the dress Tara wore in 'Once More With Feeling'?
• Where are Robin Wood, Faith and Kennedy?
• What is TPTB fascination with Andrew?
• When did Willow learn to fly?
• Didn't the lookouts see the zombie army coming?
• Why The Initiative?
• Was it necessary to show Dawn taking a bath in a loch?
• Why did Amy Madison go from nice girl in Season 1's 'The Witch' to magic addict in Season 6 to thundering loony would be psycho killer? Seriously, why? She could have been a good Scooby. Why turn her into a remorseless loony? Why? That annoys me.

Buffy has an interesting vision. Willow and Amy do battle and an old enemy makes a most unwelcome return.

This is an okay tale but way too much space is wasted on images of Willow and Amy waving their hands at each other. Plus Andrew is shoe-horned in again.

However Dawn gets to do something useful and hilarious.

I do think however, this issue will be more remembered for the somewhat jawdropping threesome image than anything else.

Highlight:

• The Angel/Buffy/Spike sandwich. Oh my.

Questions:

• Warren? Isn't he dead? He was on the 'Please Stay Dead' list.
• Kennedy died and Willow joked about it? Even if was only temporary, would Willow joke about such a thing after Tara?
• Was that really Ethan?
• What is going on?
• Who kissed Buffy?
• Who would play strip poker with Andrew? Who?
• Why hasn't Willow magicked Xander up a new eye?

Iffy, plus some of the art in this issue is confusing.

Comments:

• Amy saved Warren's life back in Season 6. WTF? How was The First Evil able to take his form if he never died? This makes no sense.
• Dawn whines.
• If Willow has the power of healing, why hasn't she magicked Xander up a new eye?
• The bloody scythe is still around and of course only Buffy gets to wield it.
• Willow can channel magic through Buffy? Since when?

This Slayer works deep underground fighting a demonic threat, everyone there both enemy and ally alike think she is Buffy. Even when she dies in battle having won victory, we never learn her true name.

This is a sad tale that has some humourous moments (the slayer's school-life before she was called) and some poignant moments (her slayer training).

This is a good, sad story. Nothing else need be said.

Despite the scoobies being all buddy buddy with Faith at the end of Season 7, she's all on her own again. Robin Wood left her, nobody checks up on her, she isn't training any slayers and she's living in a dump. When finally Giles shows up, he wants her to come with him to England to kill a new slayer. The new slayer is a posh English aristocrat and she's allied with warlocks and demons and likes to hunt and kill other slayers. Faith accepts this mission but to get close to the upper class slayer, she has to pose as a deb and infiltrate British high society.

This issue made me feel uneasy and not just because the artwork is ugly. The scoobies have abandoned and ignored Faith again (because that worked out so well in season 3 and 4). Faith has no problem with killing despite the whole redemption arc she did on 'Angel'. She wouldn't just agree to kill the evil slayer, she'd drag her off to LA to Angel to be redeemed.

This is okay but the ugly artwork and dumping on Faith detract. Still I am curious about what exactly is going on with the evil Lady Genevieve Savidge.

Highlight:

• Lady Genevieve Savidge, the evil slayer.

Questions:

• After being abandoned by the selfish scoobies who are living in up in a castle, why didn't Faith go to LA to find what's left of Angel and co?
• When Faith is wearing the ballgown and gloves, where is her tattoo?
• Why do the characters in the comic act like Buffy season 5 to 7 never happened? They act like they did in season 4 but not what they became in season 7.
• What is with the Buffy/Xander bonding?
• What is with Buffy's dream?
• Did Lady Genevieve Savidge become evil by choice? Because it seems like the Season 8 Big Bad, Twilight' is manipulating her.

"I'll be doing the world a huge favor by stabbing this spoiled skank in the heart."

Faith is at the birthday party where she is to kill Genevieve Savidge. But after remembering how Buffy almost killed her once, Faith can't go through with the assassination. By chance she and Genevieve 'Gigi' Savidge end up bonding over cigarettes and Faith learns she and Gigi have a lot in common. When Gigi realises Faith (who is using the cover name of Hope Lyonne) is also a slayer. Gigi reveals how she plans to become queen of the slayers by killing Buffy.

This is a very good issue with Faith remembering how she tried to be friends with Buffy who rebuffed her and how it all ended with a knife in the gut. Faith and Gigi have a surprising amount in common, both are fans of Amy Winehouse for example and have toxic parents. Of course, Gigi thinks Faith is an upper class Brit so one wonders how all this is going to go down when Faith's true identity comes out. Faith surely won't join up with Gigi to kill Buffy. Will she?

In a subplot, the situation of Dawn being a giant drags on.

Highlight:

• Faith and Gigi bonding over bummed fags.

Comments:

• So why are Twilight, the big bad who are anti-slayer allied with Gigi? Are they using her so they can expose her as an evil slayer and use her as an excuse to wipe out all slayers?
• Why don't Gigi or her Twilight buddy know who Faith is?
• It seems Twilight have been spying on Buffy and her followers.

Faith fells abandoned, again and Buffy gets on her moral high horse, again.

Oh and Gigi gets upset. This can't end well.

An okay issue but Buffy and her unremitting arrogance needs a good slap.

Highlights:

• Faith giving Buffy a good throttling.

Comments:

• Why exactly were Gigi and Faith sharing a bath-tub?
• Will Buffy ever grow up?
• Will Willow ever stop babytalking?
• How will Faith get out of this?
• Gigi seems to have lost it.
• What is Giles up to?

Faith and Gigi have a fight to the death. Buffy needs a good punch in the face. Giles goes Conan The Librarian. Twilight shows its face.

Good. This Faith arc was great.

Highlights:

• Faith kicking Gigi across the lawn and into the greenhouse.
• Twilight is revealed as are its motives.

Comments:

• So Giles has the Twilight book now.
• Faith plans to help other 'bad' slayers before they end up like Gigi did.
• A 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' homage.

Buffy and Willow go visit a demon for information on Twilight only to learn various things that drive a wedge between them. It is revealed that Willow keeps Kennedy away from Buffy because deep down she blames Buffy for Tara's death. Also Buffy learns that someone close to her will betray her. Also the interminable Dawn-is-a-giant drags on.

An odd, vaguely unsatisfying issue. It seems to be a placeholder and the plot is kind of all over the place.

Comments:

• Buffy fantasizing about Daniel Craig in his blue James Bond swimtrunks. Heh, even if the artwork bares no resemblance to Daniel Craig. Then she fantasizes about multiple Christian Bale's. Heh heh.
• Buffy and Willow flying looks really stupid.
• Why does Twilight wish for the death of magic if he/it is magic?
• Dawn reveals a secret to Xander.
• So did Buffy and other slayers really rob a Swiss Bank to fund their army?
• So did Willow really get naked underwater with a mermaid?
• So who will betray Buffy? Will it be Xander? Will he finally get a plot?

"Now girl you will feel the wrath of...."
"Oh god! Nobody cares about your wrath!"

"You have brought about disaster. And it falls to me to avert it."

"You didn't kill her."
"That's been done. To little effect."

Buffy comes face to face with Twilight and questions are asked: who really started this battle? A good story: it mocks Caleb, questions Buffy's actions in 'Chosen', and sets up more plot to come. Twilight is now a really intriguing Big Bad. Still as Twilight does a monologue in front of his/her/its minions a terrible suspicion concerning Twilight's identity occurred to me: Twilight is Riley Finn isn't he?

Highlight:

• The Buffy/Twilight fight - but did nobody notice Twilight dropping a church steeple on Buffy?

Comments:

• How in the name of god is Andrew such a grand high pooh-bah in the slayer squadrons?
• Buffy has to admit her robbing of a Swiss bank to fund her Scottish castle adventures started the conflict.
• Dawn and the slayer army partying. Why?
• Does nobody wonder about the castle of people? Don't they think it's a cult or something?
• Where are the slayer's parents?
• Naturally Buffy lets no-one else touch her scythe.
• Buffy's alienated from Willow, Giles and Faith.
• Is Buffy season 8 (and the coming season 9) set up the situation in 'Fray' - where magic no longer exists and the slayer line is long broken?

This Xander heavy arc kicks off in style. This is a very good issue that sees a Japanese vampire gang storm the castle and steal the scythe. Meanwhile Buffy adds another notch to her bedpost, when she beds fellow slayer Satsu (yeah, Buffy is experimenting with being bi). Willow makes it all about herself, again. On the down side TPTB shoe-horn Andrew in again. But on the up side in researching the new vampire gang, Xander meets a old buddy: Dracula. Roll on issue 2, this was great stuff.

Highlights:

• The stylish Japanese vampire gang and their funky outfits and equally funky powers.
• Everyone in the castle ends up in Buffy's room and sees her naked with Satsu, very very funny.

Comments:

• Willow flies Andrew to the castle. Seriously WTF is the obsession with Willow flying everywhere? And how can she carry Andrew and his suitcase?
• Is the Buffy/Satsu hook up relevant or just for titillation?
• Why does Xander dress like Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D?
• Why does Buffy say the scythe is hers and hers alone? Why exactly is that? Are some slayers more equal then others in her view?
• Why does Willow sulk about Buffy/Satsu? She previously sulked over Xander/Cordelia and Xander/Faith - it's not all about you Willow.
• When did Xander learn to fly a helicopter?

Comments:

• After 'Chosen', Xander went off to willingly become Dracula's Renfield again for months. WTF? WTF? WTF times a thousand? When did Xander/Dracula become a viable ship in the eyes of TPTB?
• Xander and Renee make no attempt to save a boy Dracula was planning on killing. What charming people they are.
• Andrew is shoe-horned in again for no clear reason.
• Buffy still shows no remorse for robbing a bank to fund her slayer army/cult.
• Satsu learns that Buffy slept with her merely to scratch an itch and nothing more.
• Why doesn't Renee, who is a slayer by the by, just stake Dracula?
• Buffy used to whine about being the sole slayer, now she has an army/cult of women juts like her and she's still whining about being alone.

Buffy broods, Dracula acts like a snotty teenager and the Japanese vampires are still readying their anti-slayer spell. Satsu and Buffy have issues, Dawn rampages around Tokyo like Godzilla, Renee and Xander kiss and then Buffy's obsession over her damn scythe leads to the gang walking into a trap. Which results in a Japanese vamp skewering Renee through the heart with the bloody scythe.

A good issue. Willow and Buffy treating the mission to Tokyo like a trip to the mall has had terrible consequences. At least for Renee. Are the writers going to deal with Buffy's arrogance in Season 8 at all? They've shown she has a superiority complex but will she ever deal with it? I get the feeling that the writers are setting things up for Xander to turn on Buffy, enough reasons are laid out in this issue for him to do so. Or could he have already betrayed her? Could Xander be Twilight?