Buffy The Vampire Slayer #30

The last issue was not good. How much longer in this season?

Ten more issues. But of the next ten, I know that at least half are Joss himself and the rest are Brad Meltzer.

I used to enjoy reading these, now I'm basically reading them just to see what happens (I buy them for a friend who can't make it to a store regularly).  I think Joss working on Dollhouse probably killed the level of involvement he had, that and they just aren't using writers that are that great in these later arcs.  Really disappointing, I don't think I'll continue with Season 9.

I will never drop this book. Has't been great of late but I'm pretty sure the rest of season 8 will be amazing.

Issue 40 is the last one, but there is a Willow one-shot in December as well.

This arc start great, but has lost it's way, like the season as a whole. I don't think I'd be back for season 9 unless there was a format change (22 issues might work better.

@Zeppo I agree. I thought the first issue was actually pretty good, but then we got mired in an issue of exposition (the second) and then in a returning gimmick (the third) and then a far-too-fast-moving battle that should've played over an extra issue (mayhaps) and now we're wrapping it with this one.

I think the lack of balance between hard character work and strong plot is killing this series. It's so obsessed with the cool idea and then seeing where the story goes that it hasn't done anything neat with the characters in a while. Faith was good because it was good work on Faith and it tied into the larger mythology. Drew Goddard's arc was good because it was a lot about Xander and Dracula and others. It was so much about fun and the having of it and this just feels like it's going through the motions. And that needs to stop. Needs more fast paced. Needs more fun. Less filler.

(Also, yes, I did just make a crazy huge-big Buffy pun in there.)

This was just bad, the art was bad and the pacing was awful. if not for that last page i doubt i would be remotely interested in next issue

@RoiVamp I can't disagree with you at all on this (I think that worked). These guys are so much better than this. The art was rushed. I couldn't tell who anyone was. There was no set-up to any of the payoffs. Talk about a waste of an arc.

Ugh. There.... I'm sorry. This wasn't good. I can't.... I can't even... Yeah. I'm just speechless.

@GungaDin  the only female characters i could tell apart where buffy and dawn and thats mostly cause of the story, and buffy's haircolor. just not good

This most recent arc has not been good. As soon as the season ends, I switch to trades.

I've had enough. This book is now dropped.

@Conor Sad. Can't even find the effort to convince you otherwise.

@Conor i never thought I'd say this about this book but yeah. I think after sleeping on it for two nights I might be right there with you

It's not even the wacky story that I sometimes barely get that even bothers me most - I really can't stand Jeanty's art. I don't think he could really draw an effective dramatic scene or a battle scene at all. The issue overall gets a three from me because I'm too much of a sucker and I just enjoy reading the characters even if the shit makes no sense - I hope season 9 is the polar opposite of this season, and with a new artist.

@zibenson Did you not like his work on the first fifteen issues? He's actually really good when he's not rushed like he was here.

Not particularly, its just not for me, but its not bad enough to make me put a book down. I was just holding out hope they would get a new series artist for season 9 but it sounds like they are sticking with this guy. Oh well.

How did something so good, get so mediocre?  And, to me, the art has gone from good to poor.  I do not know who is who either.

Seems like I went from loving this book to blah in no time but I think I've been buying this book out of habit for a long time.  I was going to drop the book but @GungaDin saying the last 10 are Joss and Meltzer I'll probably still until end of the seaon.  

I'm such a sucker, the companies must love me.

I wish I hadn't read this thread. I was so sure I was going to drop this book, until I heard about Whedon and Meltzer. Hmmm...

Art was terrible. I'm sticking in until the end anyway because of the completist in me.