Discussion of 8.01 "The Long Way Home Part 1" - Released 3/14/07 (Comic)

[Black Eye Guy]

I'll put this here till we get the fourm.

Since the destruction of the Hellmouth, the Slayers--newly legion--have gotten organized and are kicking some serious undead butt. But not everything's fun and firearms, as an old enemy reappears and Dawn experiences some serious growing pains . . .
Source: Dark Horse (http://www.darkhorse.com/profile/profile.php?sku=14-111)

So I went into town today (took the morning off college to go in ;))and got the Buffy Comic, it was only released today in Europe cuz we get comics on a Thursday. The Shop had tons (They'd only been open an hour) Which I thought was cool they are clearly expecting to sell loads!

The Comic itself was FANTASTIC!!! I loved it, I was so surprised at how it totally captured the feel of the TV series in this form. I could totally see the characters saying each of those lines.

The Art is stunning, Like I loved the pics we saw but there nothing to the actual thing, the art is seriously beautiful!

Also loved the whole military Slayer operation thing, which was one thing I wasn't expecting to like that much, but it working well and still had the scoobie feel.

Really liked the Xander bit with Renee, it was funny, had pop culture references and showed signs of flirting, which was nice to see for Xander. Although you did get the sense (As you were probably supposed to) that the gang has really separated, but I loved the "Scoobie" meeting that was just Xander and Buffy.

Who do you think the feet belong to, the ones from the last frame where Buffy and Co storm the castle, right before it cuts to the military flying over the crater formally known as Sunnydale, There's a pair of feet that look like their flying above watching Buffy?

And who do you think Amy's Boyfriend is? Who could she have kept alive in the destroyed Sunnydale??

Gotta say this was well worth the wait, it was bloody brilliant. Only thing I don't like is that comics are so short, although I still think they covered allot.

But Yey Buffys Back!!

[goldenboy]

Damn, I wanna join in the fun. Gotta wait. Just walked to a comic shop. Was sold out...

[LawgSkrak]

yeah I have to wait until tomorrow. Kind of sucks.

[Lyri]

yeah, i have to wait until tomorrow. if they're sold out i'm gonna be majorly pissed!

[Black Eye Guy]

Jeeze guys wheres your dedication!! You should be takeing sick days and skipping in order to get it!!

Was re-reading it and remembered I LOVEd that Xander used Faiths 5x5 that was awesome!

[Lyri]

lol, BEG!! it was my sister's birthday today, so we did the celebrating thing. first thing in the morning, i'm heading to town!

[goldenboy]

I didn't see people camping out at the comic shop door like a buncha Star Wars nerds, but I figured it woulda sold out quick...

Luckily, I got two copies shipping.

[Black Eye Guy]

I was well impressed with the amount of copies Forbidden Planet had in Dublin, there was at least 80 copies, although thinkning about it now there is only like 2 Comic shops in Dublin, so they could easily sell out!

[Mr. Pointy]

I'm gonna have to e-mail Mrs P and ask her to pick up my ordered copy...I thought it was supposed to have been delayed...

[alexa]

I ordered mine at TFAW.com so I'm assuming it's getting sent to me when it gets to their warehouse.. whenever that is. :(

[mogwaid]

La La LA *covers eyes to not see any spoilers*

I was wondering, how much does shipping cost for you guys? Coz so far, i havent been able to find the comic in the middle east. Is there anywhere i can check shipping price?

[goldenboy]

I was wondering, how much does shipping cost for you guys? Coz so far, i havent been able to find the comic in the middle east. Is there anywhere i can check shipping price?

Well, for instance, I got mine from Westfield Comics (http://westfieldcomics.com/wow/order_main.html), in the States. They have a shipping cost chart, you can find it via their FAQ. It's not real cheap to ship internationally...looks like for the smallest orders, "shipping and handling" ranges from $13 to $29. Maybe it's cheaper for you to order from Europe, dunno.



OK, I'm a convert, I really liked Buffy #1. It felt like what I'd imagine a feature film would feel like, if they decided to do one. Going epic...

I'm still not sure about all the tech, sci-fi stuff. I did like the more intimate, mundane backdrop of the show...we'll see.

"Your butt looks big in those giant pants" lol. Love that. But, "great muppety Odin"? That's not a Buffy line. That's a Joss Whedon line, for sure. She musta snagged that one from Xander.

The narration, internal monologue stuff is standard for the comics, but something that you have to adjust to a bit for Buffy...

The art is great, I'm impressed. I was afraid the art team would make it too pretty, airbrushy, but it's good. Georges' style here is sort of rough and craggy, but not sloppy. It's got a lot of character, I really like it. Coloring is great, sort of muted. Good stuff. The likenesses are good, but not slavishly precise and static. Buffy's a true comic book character now. Nice, sturdy paperstock too...

[goldenboy]

I was wondering, how much does shipping cost for you guys? Coz so far, i havent been able to find the comic in the middle east. Is there anywhere i can check shipping price?

I'm guessing the cheapest way to go is to just subscribe to the comic? But it seems like it takes awhile before you see the latest issue, not sure. Dark Horse's subscription service, here (http://www.tfaw.com/Subscriptions).

[Mr. Pointy]

I'm guessing the cheapest way to go is to just subscribe to the comic? But it seems like it takes awhile before you see the latest issue, not sure. Dark Horse's subscription service, here (http://www.tfaw.com/Subscriptions).

Yea, that's the way I got the Serenity comics after I missed them in the shops. Dark Horse use TFAW, who do ship worldwide. I don't remember the postage costs being excessive (from US to UK) and they arrived pretty quickly.

[eponinethen]

Today after school I was gonna pick up the newest issue of Y: The Last Man at the comic book store. I didn't they they had the Buffy comic yet, but I asked the guy working there when they'd get it and he said they already did, and asked if I wanted one.

Woo hoo, bought it, read it, love it. Can't wait for next month, grr, hate that they're so damn short!

Edit:

Really liked the Xander bit with Renee, it was funny, had pop culture references and showed signs of flirting, which was nice to see for Xander. Although you did get the sense (As you were probably supposed to) that the gang has really separated, but I loved the "Scoobie" meeting that was just Xander and Buffy.
Agree about both these two things. Then again, the Scoobies weren't really Scoobies in season 7 either so.. guess they'll have to work on bringing them back together if that's what they want? Idk.

[goldenboy]

It's good to see Xands finally step up and be a take charge Scooby. They played down his military brain potential so much in later seasons.

And yet, yeah, he's still Buffy's best psychologist/councillor...next to Giles, maybe...

[eponinethen]

Xander is the heart :) I love how calm Xander has become. I mean he was like that in season 7, obviously, and I feel like they're keeping him that way, which I love..

[Joamna]

I picked mine up today too after a call from an excited epo holding her issue in her hand :D

I love it, very much. Loved the "scene" where Buffy was talking to Dawn lying on the floor, it felt so.. eh, real, like I could actually see the character moving..

I'm very excited, can't wait for next month, think I'm going to lie down and sleep and don't wake up until there's another issue.. or something.

[Mr. Pointy]

Brilliant! Loved it! Fave bits -

"Sgt Fury...nerd points" hehehehe!
Andrew set up the Immortal thing especially for Angel and Spike's benefit...hehehe!
Giant Dawn.
The fight with the demons.
The return to Sunnydale panels.

My guess for Amy's "friend" - Warren or Rack...as for the floaty boot bloke, I only noticed that on my second read...Hmm...and what was with the "frowny" symbol stuff...intriguing...
Did I mention I loved it...I even agreed to letting Mrs P read it...well she did go to the shop and get it for me :)

[CharmedSlayer85]

I really enjoyed this comic I just WISH it was longer, cause when I got to the end I was like DAMNIT!!! And I'm wondering who the pair of feet belonged to as well as we'd never seen anyone fly in the Buffyverse, granted they mentioned Willow flying when they thought she teleported but eh, maybe it's Dracula lol. One thing I wondered when I saw all this technology and then their headquaters was "Where the hell did they get the money for all this?" Also I noticed that Buffy had blue eyes when Sarah herself has green eyes, and I remember they said the same thing in "Girl In Question," in Season Five of Angel where angel said have you seen a girl blonde hair blue eyes, and I said the same thing I was like "Buffy has green eyes." I'm wondering how this US government thing is gonna play out. Are these the same guys that told them to cement the Initiative? They did say they were going to watch her. And Amy must be that damn powerful for her to survive inside the Hellmouth for about a year with just magick and not be drained...and I'm wondering who her "boyfriend," is too. It can't be Rack or Warren cause they're both dead...which doesn't mean anything in this universe but still. And I'm also wondering again where the hell is Amy getting all this power....could Willow even do that? Willow's suppose to be MUCH stronger but I'm just like Damn

[Tranquillity]

I Loved the comic and can't wait for the next one!

Any theories on who's boots they are? i was thinking willow but then thought why wouldn't she have made an appearance at the castle? so who else could it be?

I was also intrigued by who Amy's boyfriend is and i quite like Mr. Pointy's idea that it could be Rack or Warren, perhaps reanimated with magic or something. Whatever it is, it's obviously pretty hideous and needs a weapons lab! curious and curiouser.

I'm really impressed with the artwork and how much emotion the pictures convey and i love that we get to hear Buffy and Xanders thoughts.

[goldenboy]

I'm thinkin Rack is the other guy they captured. Theoretically, I guess Amy could have resurrected Warren, maybe...but Willow burned his body up. Amy woulda had to have done something really elaborate, like what WR&H did to retrieve Darla, you'd think...

Rack was just left there, floating in his hideout...presumed dead I guess (is that not right?). But maybe just in some kind of mystical coma or something.


Now, to go down a major geek tangent, I don't understand Sunnydale geography. It's north of LA - on the Pacific coast, I'd always assumed. There's some kind of a Sunnydale port, I'd thought. How far away is the coast from town? When we see the massive crater in the earth, the ocean must be "behind" us. I want a map of old Sunnydale.

Edit:

One thing I wondered when I saw all this technology and then their headquaters was "Where the hell did they get the money for all this?"

Yeah, I wanna know who's funding this and if and how Riley is connected to all this. Buffy had very high high-techery.

[crabby patty]

i have just got my copy from forbidden planet in london, cant wait to read it tonight.

Wow i am so glad Buffy is back!!

[asukafan]

i got my copy today, and i loved it!

I'm liking Xander so far. I'm glad they kept his maturity from season seven. Buffy is also a lot more likeable than she was in the last season.

The demons were cool. Now that they don't have to worry about the special effects budget, they can make as many bizarre/cool monsters that they want.

When the army guys said that Amy requested a weapon's lab for her "boyfriend", i immediately thought of Warren. It could also be Rack,but he's a warlock, it don't see what he needs a lab for. But i thought of him when i saw the person floating above the castle. we'll have to wait and see.

Andrew better hope Angel and Spike never find out the whole Immortal thing was his idea, lol.

[Whistler]

Oh man, so many things to love, so many questions.
- Even without Andrew directly in the comic yet he made me LOL indirectly. The "make sure he sends his ten best and not ten best dressed" was absolutely hilarious, I can't wait till he shows up.
- Xander is the man. The badass yet still heart of gold guy that I knew he could always be. Wonder where his love interest is going to come from.
- I have no theories on the person floating above the slayer squad. All I can say is that I don't think it's a vampire because it looked like it was still day in that scene.
- Can somebody please tell me what a "thricewise" is? I can't find any reference to it anywhere.
- What's up with the Buffy/Dawn tension? Like more then just sister stuff.
- Muppety Odin? But admitting she misses the sex was cool. Gives evidence to my Xander/Buffy hook-up, I still wanna see that.
- Amy still being alive, not a huge shock. But I can't believe that the "boyfriend" is either Wrack or Warren, that just doesn't make any sense to me. I think it's either going to be someone we've never heard of or someone who's only been mentioned in the show and was never a real character.

Whatever happens I'm stoked Buffy is back. God I love this show.

[DantePD]

Finally layed hands on a copy today. (While on duty. I love being a sergeant. Oddly enough, the rookie I'm training wanted me to pick him up a copy too...).

I'm impressed. A little Buffy/Dawn bickering. Xander stepping up into a leadership position. I'll be happy to get Giles back into the mix though.

Floaty Feet? Dracula, mabye?
The "Boyfriend". Well, being held together by magic. Apparently quite repulsive in appearance. I've got three candidates:
1.Warren-Genius. Sicko. Would need to be held together after being flayed alive. But didn't Willow incinerate him?
2.Caleb-Don't know what he would need with a weapons lab, but I'm guessing being bisected by way of crotch to head would require some magical mending. And he's going to be pretty damned pissed.
3.Adam-Longshot here. But did they ever say what was done with his body after he was taken out by uberBuffy?

[sk8rj04]

the nearest store that sells buffy comics is MILES and MILES away (KILOMETERS and KILOMETERS for you European folks :)), so i probably wont be able to get it...but i did enter in the contest at Darkhorse..so maybe i can win? *fingers crossed*

[Canon]

I finally got my hands on a copy yesterday, and I have to say I was surprised by how much I liked it! I had never read a comic book before and so I wasn't holding high hopes for me to like it, but I did. I think that Joss has written the characters perfectly, and I'm glad he's left in the humour that BtVS wouldn't be the same without.

[goldenboy]

Comments on this post
Mr. Pointy agrees: I refer you to my theory on the elasticity of fictional locations :)

I had never consulted Wiki on the subject...it's a fun (comprehensive) entry...

Sunnydale's surroundings

Sunnydale is somewhat isolated, and is not adjacent to other urban or suburban areas.[14]

Sunnydale is adjacent to several acres of woods and forest, including Miller's Woods.[15] An ocean port with several docked ships is nearby[16], and the nearby Kingman's Bluff is on a tall cliff overlooking the sea.[17] There is a nearby beach.[18] Either in or in the immediate vicinity of Sunnydale, there is, as well, a large hydroelectric dam. [19]
A short drive from Sunnydale there is a desert.[20] Breaker's Woods is 45-minute drive from town...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunnydale

[Mr. Pointy]

I had never consulted Wiki on the subject...it's a fun (comprehensive) entry...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunnydale
I liked Wiki's article 'cos it kind of hinted that my conclusion that Sunnydale was loosely based on Santa Barbara was right...I like to think it was influenced on our discussions here on the BB :) I'll have to dig up the link to the original thread which is buried somewhere in our cemetery...

[LawgSkrak]

So, tomorrow is the day. Hopefully. My comic guy said last week that it was on his list for this week. Diamond sold out so we got shafted and had to wait an extra week.

Now it had better not be a variant cover!!!

If it is...grrr, arrgh!

[Spuffiness]

i haven't read it yet and i really really want to, but where do you get it from?

[goldenboy]

where do you get it from?

Comic shops (http://www.gadling.com/2007/03/06/geek-alert-comic-shop-locator/). Or, tfaw (http://www.tfaw.com/Profile/Buffy-the-Vampire-Slayer-Season-Eight-1-(Second-Printing)___266278). There are tons of other sites that sell comics too...

[Spuffiness]

Comic shops (http://www.gadling.com/2007/03/06/geek-alert-comic-shop-locator/). Or, tfaw (http://www.tfaw.com/Profile/Buffy-the-Vampire-Slayer-Season-Eight-1-(Second-Printing)___266278). There are tons of other sites that sell comics too...
ohhh, thanks! I'll read it and then tell you what I think about it. But I'm sure I'll like it cos it's Buffy! so... wait for me!


Edit: Okay, it's on its way!

[Lyri]

it is offical...i can't get my hands on this comic anywhere in Belfast! lol
so i just ordered the first for issues online. don't know when the first issue will get to me, but there it is.
as usual, Lyri is left out in the cold!

[mogwaid]

Im ordering mine on Amazon. You can get it on there.

[Lyri]

i've already ordered them from a comics website. i'm just a little annoyed. the guy in the comic store in town promised me that they would be getting this and now they don't have it. something about them not being able to meet demand, so they're not gonna bother. jerks.

[Randy Giles]

With all the good things you guys are saying maybe I *will* try to read Buffy season eight, even if it is in comic form (I hate comics). I think I might wait until the entire "season" is released though.

[Lyri]

Randy, that's gonna take forever!! aren't there supposed to be, like, 20 plus issues?

[alexa]

Yeah somewhere between 20 and 30 within a year, and a big Faith arc, so you don't want to miss that. ;) I was coming in here just to say how jealous I am of you people who have the comic already, but a lot of you haven't got it either yet :p I should get mine on Monday... was suppost to get it today.

Edit:

Well I'm no longer in the cold! :biggrin2: don't know what happened but it just arrived at my house.

I loved it, but don't think I'll spoil myself so much in the future.. I forget how short 1 issue is so I'd already seen most of it. My favourite scene was between Xander and Buffy: 'You're a terrible watcher' :p I have no clue about what was the deal with the monsters and the dead people wanting to be with them.. and the upside down frown thing. Dracula is the only vampire that I think can fly... the boots looked like Spike or Angel to me, outfit wise, but seriously doubt that.
I don't know if I like the whole terrorist angle.. but I suppose it is realistic that the government would be after her. I agree that Amy totally looked like her mother, but she did ask for cheese so I guess it is her.
I'm thinking it's more likely that her boyfriend would be Warren because of him wanting the weapons lab... somehow kept/brought alive with magic... unless it's just some weird ass demon thing that we haven't met.
Woot the Buffyverse lives! :D

[Lorne The Host]

I sort of don't think it will be Warren, mostly for the makes-no-sense-whatsoever factor.

[CharmedSlayer85]

Yeah Warren wasn't killed by mystical energy like Buffy was, besides his body was completely burned and destroyed Amy would have to have some SERIOUS mojo to bring him back. Which I'm still wondering how she got the power to survive the Hellmouth, I thought Amy wasn't that powerful

[alexa]

She might have been caught in an air pocket, it seems believeable to me anyway. I suppose it is possible that her "boyfriend" is someone we don't know.. would be funny if it was one of Caleb's halves.

[Lorne The Host]

He better be Skip.
That'd make this a good season.

[LawgSkrak]

Got it. YAY!!!

It was the variant cover, though.

GRRR, ARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHH!!!

[goldenboy]

With all the good things you guys are saying maybe I *will* try to read Buffy season eight, even if it is in comic form (I hate comics). I think I might wait until the entire "season" is released though.

I bet Joss' first arc will be bundled together into a trade paperback. That's a fairly large chunk to get started...

[jesterjay]

Well my freaking comic shack upped the price to 9bucks - and to get the Variant you had to buy 10 copies of the 9 dollar one just to get a copy of the variant - sheesh - i stuck with the one copy.

Now that that's said and done - What the hell happened with Dawn? Can someone fill me in...do you get super big when having sex with a thricewise?

Totally saw Amy coming in the end (and not because we've run the spoilers) it was all about the Cheeze line :) Lots of Cheeze hahahahha...that's going to be one epic battle...but the question I ask is where is Willow?

[goldenboy]

That's Canadian bucks, right? What's it cost normally?

[jesterjay]

Well American I suppose that would be like 7 dollars-ish?

And I have no idea what it would cost anywhere else in the world

Edit:

New Cover of #4 on Darkhorse - you guys probably saw this but if not - check it out at

http://images.darkhorse.com/covers/14/14114.jpg

[alexa]

Yeah my boyfriend is still looking for somewhere to get it in Oklahoma that doesn't want $15. I've already worn the spine on my first issue :p I'm really not used to looking after comics.

I also had a thought about the floaty feet.. it might have been someone clinging onto something like a helicopter, but I suppose it would be more exciting if they were actually hovering.

[jesterjay]

I think the feet floating thing was a witch - maybe even Will

[Jenny]

This was my first forray into comic-book reading. Somehow in asking DH a simple question I managed to learn the entire Superman-world thingy background and how a comic gets 'graded' as fine, very fine, near mint, etc. *SIGH*

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. How much I went "ooooh" and "aaah" and "OMIGOD" - that being said....I want more! And I am left with SO many questions! Everyone else has already pretty much said what I feel about character dymanic, the overall feel, and the artists. Great work Joss and Co. as always!

[nerd4hire]

I finally got it too. There's an advantage to getting it late like this. We only have to wait a week for the next issue. I put this next one on reserve, so they'll hold a copy for me. I didn't get ripped off as bad as Jester Jay did. I only paid 4 bucks Canadian.

On the feet - I'm going to guess Willow. (although I'm crossing my fingers for Ethan Rayne)

On the boyfriend - I'm going to jump on board with whoever said Adam. I remember when Season 8 was first announced they were hinting at a villain from the past making an appearance. I forget which season he or she was coming from, but it was before 6, and I got the feeling it was something bigger than Amy.

Favorite bit of dialogue -
Dawn: I could swat you like a flea.

Buffy: Your Butt looks big in those pants.

Loved that issue four cover someone linked to earlier.

Edit:

I'm wondering...Why has nobody guessed Jonathan as a possible boyfriend. Intelligent zombies are possible in the Buffyverse, and Amy might have actually known Jonathan.

[Lyri]

lol, has anyone guessed Clem? i know he left in a VW Bug, but maybe he didn't go very far and the energy of the hellmouth turned him or something?

lol, ok, it's very late here, and i'm off to bed. please ignore my ramble!!:lmao:

[VisionGuy]

lol, has anyone guessed Clem? i know he left in a VW Bug, but maybe he didn't go very far and the energy of the hellmouth turned him or something?



I actually thought Clem too. :whistle:

[nerd4hire]

I'm not joking you know. I genuinely believe Zombie Jonathan is a legitimate possibility for Amy's new boyfriend.

[Lyri]

i'm not joking either!! right now, i believe Clem could be a reasonable candidate and should be considered!

[VisionGuy]

That's a possibilty. I was thinking it could possibly be Adam or Ethan Rayne too but mostly Adam since he was bigger in the weapons department. And also he is kind of grotesque looking. Maybe the big crater Spike created opened up the cement that was used to seal up The Initiative and Amy found Adam while rummaging through the mess that is Sunnydale and revived him. It would make sense to bring Adam back in the picture considering this season has some stuff to do with The Government. What gets me though is why didn't Amy leave Sunnydale with the everyone else?

On the feet thing, call me crazy but I thought maybe it was Spike. I mean you can kind of see the duster or cape and the black boots. Or maybe it was Andrew wearing some weird "watcher" apparel. Then again, it could be Ethan Rayne.

[Randy Giles]

Randy, that's gonna take forever!! aren't there supposed to be, like, 20 plus issues?

Yeah, but I'm not so desperate for it that the wait will kill me or anything. :P

[Samarkand]

Hi, new board member. I've been a fan of BtVS and AtS since the first season way back when the Canadian network YTV was airing the show. I adored the show--particularly the first three seasons--but never got into the fandom side to it much. Since going on a Twisting the Hellmouth archive binge and reading the first Season Eight issue, I decided to take the plunge into the Slayerette Community.

First reactions to Season Eight after finding a second printing copy: only reason I wasn't dancing in my boxers squeeing like a shoujo anime heroine after a Hello Kitty overdose is that kind of thing isn't recommended in public restaurants.

More thoughts:

* Clearly, as a certain vamp once exclaimed, "she got funding!". A lot of the post-Chosen fanfic I've read has the Slayers operating at the same level as the old Council did. More democratic and flexible, but still combatting evil in the traditional matter of stakes/swords/big frickin' troll hammers. It was part of the charm of the show in that the titular superheroine fought evil with fairly limited resources as regards to force.

Does the recasting of the Slayers as Section One with cuter fashion sense work? Of two minds of this. Part of me prefers the "smaller scale" style of the TV series. The other part of me took one look at the hawt chixxors in skintight body armour and whacking huge harpoon guns...and decided to embrace the new. Go Go Team Buffy, is what I say. Season Eight can't remain static when it comes to the dramatic limitations of the previous seasons. They ain't just busting chops in Sunnyhell anymore. It's logical that once the hidebound Watchers Council was eliminated that the Slayers would try a new approach.

Plus, again, hawt chixxors in kevlar fast-roping from a helicopter into a demon nest is teh awesome. Just sayin'

* That said, Joss does an excellent job of fitting the old tone of the series--"I just want to have a normal life in all this whackiness"--with the epic setting. The characters themselves come off as more mature versions of their Sunnydale selves, with the same longings for a mundane existence. However, they've deliberately suppressed those longings to step up to the plate to deal with the huge changes they're responsible for. Xander's incredibly cool line--"When duty calls, you don't get to screen"--establishes the theme for this season. Buffy's plaintive thought "I miss my mom" atop the castle tower made me damn near cry.


* Speaking of Xander--may I say, I totally love his transformation from Zeppo and "Fixing Broken Windows Guy" to a wisecracking geek Sgt. Fury. It was a shock for a moment...but completely fits with the skills he showed as a leader during "Graduation" and taking care of the Potentials in Season 7. "Mr. Harris" is a good example of how Joss is evolving the Buffyverse--kicked up to 11, but with the core of the character remaining the same.

Xander/Buffy shippers should note the new closeness between B. and Xander. Buffy and Xander were always close friends in the series. However, except for certain moments, they never interacted quite as closely as they do in "Long Way Home". What we see here is a major shift in the X/B relationship from friend to something more central. Buffy considers him her Watcher even if he doesn't want the title. When Giles was her Watcher, he was her surrogate father figure. Xander's new relationship seems to have shifted from "loyal true friend" to a brother-in-arms or equal partner. You sense Buffy accepting his authority and guidance in a way she never did during the series. I don't think they're romantically involved in that Xander hasn't been providing the Great Muppety Odin Sex. But he's clearly her remaining close friend. Giles and Willow seem to have drifted away due to obligations and distance.

* As a mild aside, I nominate "Great Muppety Odin" as the new BtVS catch-phrase.

* I wasn't as enamoured with the "FedGov sees Buffy as Osama" plotline. You'd think that with Riley's demon-busting unit that they'd see Buffy's Army of Slayers as a big asset when it comes to taking down evil. But after some reflection, the .gov's response to the Slayers makes sense. One, they didn't know the details of how Sunnydale got destroyed. All they knew is that Buffy Summers--a person considered an "anarchist" and general loose cannon--somehow got an *entire town swallowed up by the earth*. Of course the government would freak out. The fact that the Army of Slayers (AoS for short) is an independent, underground army that doesn't accept any outside control is further cause for the wiggins. Even if the .gov and the AoS had the same whack-the-evol goals, no nation-state likes that much power in the hands of non-state actors.

The line that the AoS pursues goals "that don't jibe with American interests" indicates factions within the American .gov are not entirely...innocent when it comes to the supernatural and demons. The Initiative may have been canceled. But the .gov's desire for control and exploitation--and perhaps making realpolitik deals with demonic forces--has not gone away.

* About the Army of Slayers: anyone notice how female-oriented it is? All the personnel save Xander and off-screen Giles are women. Either the HQ staff are deliberately chosen from women sympathisers who support the AoS's supernatural butt-kicking goals, or the Command Central staff are Slayers themselves whose intellectual talents make them more useful as support rather than as field agents.

What's interesting is the dramatic contrast between the female-run AoS and the male-staffed army group dedicated to bringing Buffy down. It's change from the Slayer being directed and manipulated by the patriarchal Watchers. I suspect that the Watchers as a formal entity are finished. While the *role* of a Watcher may exist--Buffy certainly accepts the idea, if Xander doesn't--the authority the Watchers assumed may be gone. At best a Watcher would be more a speciality as a research/reference expert than the mentor he or she was when the WC existed.

* Another neat background detail is that not all of the 1800 or so Slayers have joined Buffy. A fair few of them may have accepted the choice to not use their powers. The choice Buffy always wanted for herself. But I think we may be seeing factions form in the new Slayer community. Some Slayers may prefer to act as territorial watchdogs like Buffy did in Sunnydale. Lots of reasons they might do so: strong loyalties to a given community, suspicion of outsiders (like Gunn's vamp-fighting gang), or possible loyalties to local demon hunting groups.

In fact, the latter may be a complication for the AoS as other demon hunting organizations clue to the *ahem* potential in having their own slayers now that the Watcher's Council isn't around to monopolize them. I imagine the Vatican has on tap a fair number of Slayers whose Catholic faith lead them to listen to their religious leaders rather than Buffy's group. Other shadow agencies may have either indoctrinated or convinced Slayers in their own countries to follow their command. I bet the Russian intelligence community or the Mossad would have full-body orgasms at the prospect of a super-strong and fast healing female killing machine on staff for "special jobs" both mundane and supernatural.

[Buffy Summers]

Yeah, I envisioned Buffy "going bigger" post S7 - it seems the logical progression to me. Now that they're more than just a handful of people.

About the government...remember that Maggie tried to kill Buffy. You could say she was acting out her own plan, but it probably reflects a government feeling of anything they can't control, they eliminate.

:)

[Wicked]

The feet look like Spike to me. After all, we dont know what happened to him after Angel. No idea about Amys boyfriend though. I'll need to do more thinking about that :)

[Spuffiness]

GRRR right back at ya! It's not fair, I didn't get mine yet! LOL! :: vampire

[jesterjay]

lol sorry you two - you've gotta get on that :)

I keep refreshing the New topics page and getting that SPOILERS one that I just am trying with all my might not to open - you guys must just be grrr argh right about now :)

[alexa]

Oh I'm not waiting anymore, just was earlier. :D

[mogwaid]

Ok just read it.

Amy's boyfriend = Cheese guy from "Restless"

Haha! hey its a possibility he was more than someone in their dreams. Maybe a demon of some sort! And Amy was a rat, rats eat cheese right? They probably hooked up over their love of cheese. :P

Rest of the comic was awesome, Can't wait to have willow back in the mix. And Giles too! Hope they bring Clem back also. Maybe even Oz. I wish they could find a way to involve Tara And Anya in this. (Kinda like how in Harry potter they have those talking Headmaster paintings in the headmasters office?). I miss them!

My theories on the figure watching from above...It's probably someone who we least expect. So maybe not spike/Angel/Riley. It could be Amy projecting herself, watching the slayer(s). Could be bad slayer who has magically inclined allies. I guess the possibilities are endless.

[XDruX]

I know it's an old, old thread BUT!

I will now be able to get Buffy the Vampire Slayer 1: The Long Way Home: Season Eight (Comic)

You can imagine how happy I am, can't you?.... : pbounce:

[GATEGOD]

I finally got the first comic ^_^ The next 8 for my birthday in a few days, sadly lol most of them are weird covers :lmao:

The first one I got the white cover with her opening the dinosaurs mouth.
The other I might have liked more but I did love The Long Way Home #1
Art was pretty good, better then the first Angel one I thought ^_^
Loved the story and loved seeing what became of some of characters.
Things look great so far. Can't wait to read the next few!! Don't kill me with spoilers!!

:cheering: