Buffy The Vampire Slayer #12

    O.K.  Let’s get into this.  George Jeanty was the perfect pick for this book.  It’s been said that he maintains the look of the characters from the show while giving them a unique “comic book� feel.  The transition has been a little awkward (for both Jeanty and the audience) but for the past several issues Buffy season eight has come into its own as a comic book that’s not just another property mangled by the industry looking for a quick buck.  Don’t get me wrong it was very good at the beginning, but it lacked a short hand or rapport with the audience that the comic book now has.  Jeanty seems more confident and that makes the reader let go of the pervious incarnation of Buffy and let the story go where it will.  

    I really want to hit this home: It’s very hard to sell comedy on a page!  The pairing of Goddard and Jeanty pulls the comedy off in SPADES.  When it gets into the British sex comedy section the layout, pacing, facial expressions, and dialogue had me rolling on the floor.  Absolutely inspired.  I had some fears about Goddard being the giant Buffy dork he is, but I think anyone can read this and get the funny.  It’s just funnier if you can hear Andrew in your head.  Very hilarious. 

    O.K.  Let’s talk about the elephant in the room.  Buffy had sex with a slayerette.  Hmmmm.  Willow’s arc into Terra’s arms was beautifully handled.  It evolved over many episodes and made perfect sense.  This was not.  Now Buffy has had many strange relationships that she has tried to keep hidden.  She has a history of instigating problematic relationships to fuel her self loathing.  She still loves ice skating…  I just think that’s cute.  But all of these things developed in an organic way.  Here we go from gracefully letting Satsu down to hopping on the good foot to do the bad thing in the span of an issue.  I’m not saying that it’s wrong that Buffy had sex with Satsu.  Willow is a lesbian, why not Buffy?  You can tell some fun stories like that.  All I’m saying is that this felt like a stunt to get an article in the NY Times, and did not have the usual Buffyesque character study. 

    But if this is how they wanted to do it, that’s fine because it was shocking, (I know many people had it spoiled, I must be blind) funny, well done, and an all around entertaining issue.  But I have a soft spot for Buffy so, I might be biased.