Buffy Stuff

[shipperx]

You know, most commentary about the most recent issue has been about the Bangel!Boink, and eh. Whatever. It's all very silly. I wasn't particularly bothered by it. Mostly, I laughed and snarked, so good times! A space boink is deliciously ridiculous. Add the disproportionate bodies and general cartoonishness of the art and it's priceless.

However, strangely, reading moscow_watchers summary of Giles's dialog bothers me.

Jeebus! Joss retconned the hell out of BtVS. (ETA:9.24.10 so subsequent interviews make relatively clear that Joss had crap all to do with retconning the mythology... other than allowing it to happen, which begs the questions of 'why' and 'does Joss even give a shit about his 'verse any longer?' if he allows someone else to make an entirely different mythology to supercede his own.)

The 'universe' created Slayers? What? It wasn't Shadowmen Watchers creating the first Slayer by infecting her with demon essence?

Nature created vampires? NATURE? The hell...? What nature would that be? Isn't the whole thing about vampire mytholgy (in any fictional universe) that they aren't natural? They're UNnatural! They're preternatural. They're outside the laws of nature (and, also according to Giles on the show they were the byproduct of the last Old One out the door).

The empowerment spell was an evolution? Evo... I can't even repeat it. Seriously? So we just don't give a shit what words mean any more? Metamorphosis, would work as an explanation. But a witch's white-magic spell changing young girls from one thing to another in the twinklilng of an eye is not evolution! (If it were, then I guess Darren Stevens 'evolved' every time Endora came to visit on Bewitched.) Giles is supposed to be an educated man, damnit. A librarian should know enough to understand when he's using a word incorrectly!

And he's feared this Twilight crap could happen but he didn't -- oh, I don't know -- TELL Buffy? Or Faith? Not in thirteen eight years?! He just kept that information to himself until he... found something that could kill a Slayer-God? I guess he never heard the old axiom about an "ounce of prevention..." And here's a thought, Giles, what about that potion you used to knock out Buffy's powers in the Watcher's cruel test? Remember that? Think that could have been used as a preventative measure before excrement hit fan?

Joss really did just say to hell with the show, didn't he? Way to trash his own mytharc.

I tend to hate the phrase about ski-jumping over a large, finned, toothy fish. But there's nothing here to overcome the flood of straight-up dumb.

I mean, if there is a large, finned, toothy fish beneath this pile of twaddle, it's not one from the version filmed by Speilberg. That had intelligence. This is more along the lines of the one that starred Micheal Cain long after all the creative juice had completely run out of the franchise, the one Micheal Cain said he only did for money.

(Yeah, yeah, comics don't make money. But I'm searching for a reason anyone would bother to make this )

Comments

[sueworld2003.livejournal.com]

"Here's a thought, Giles, what about that potion you used to knock out Buffy's powers in the Watcher's cruel test? Remember that?"

Yes, there was always that. *g*

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

You'd think?

I mean, isn't there someone who could tap him on the shoulder to say, "Hey Giles, in that corner of your brain where you 'forgot' about a sentient universe destroying prophecy involving a slayer and a vampire, did you forget a few other things... such as the potion that would de-power a Slayer before she became a world-destroying p0rn 'goddess' and you had to kill her? Might that be hidden in there somewhere?

[treadingthedark.livejournal.com]

You know we fans probably have watched the series numerous times, have read the books, discussed stuff to death.

How many times you think Joss has seen the show? Once? 7 years ago? At this point I am convinced he's just clueless!

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I believe his most pertinent comment on the subject was "continuity is for wusses."

So, honestly, i don't think he actually gives a damn.

[sockmonkeyhere.livejournal.com]

Joss really did just say to hell with the show, didn't he? Way to trash his own mytharc.

I'm still trying to get past Brad Meltzer screaming out that vampire bats eat mosquitoes and live in Texas, but...yeah, once again Whedon has thrown continuity out the window in order to get his Kewl Scene.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I'm still trying to get past Brad Meltzer screaming out that vampire bats eat mosquitoes and live in Texas

So you're saying he isn't very bright.

[hazel75.livejournal.com]

But it was totally worth Angel and Buffy fucking all over the place, wasn't it? Oh, wait, that part sucked, too, unless you only care about Angel and Buffy fucking and nothing else.

I'm convinced that the Bangels who are intelligent and don't have a problem with this are just too caught up with getting "even" with Spuffy fucking.

[hazel75.livejournal.com]

Tell me you're kidding. Really. You've got to be kidding.

[http://users.livejournal.com/woman_of_/]

Oh I'm so pleased I stopped reading or I would have them all the comics in a bonfire about now.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I'm still curious about why this was ever produced on anyones part. (I'm not even touching the fact that there are folks who think this glacially paced, non-sensical, bad!ficcy alien sex pollen plot-device with Basil Exposition in Tweed retconning the entire Whedonverse out the whazoo is any good. Because if they can't see how ridiculous this is, I can't help them.)

[ms-scarletibis.livejournal.com]

I've read a ton of thoughts and reviews on the last issue, and I must say...

You summed up the WTFery of it all quite beautifully as well as concisely.

Thank you.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

Although I think it can all be boiled down to -- "Crack!Fic!"

[jerrymcl89.livejournal.com]

Giles Exposition has really never been the most consistent of characters. There's who he is, and who Joss is willing to make him to serve the plot, and the two are only loosely related. But the comic takes it a lot further.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Poor Giles. He was PodGiles in Season 7 and now he's Alzheimers (because apparently he forgot all about...well.. the UNIVERSE) Giles Exposition. (On the other hand, he still has it better than Twangel of no personal motivation, characterization, or personal history apart from being Buffy's special vampire. Really, Angel is getting screwed in this. Screwed hard. And not in the fun way. Giles is merely... an embarrassment).

[hazel75.livejournal.com]

This? is why the comics are not canon.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Joss doesn't try to make it fit with the show, so why should the rest of us?

[eilowyn.livejournal.com]

I've reached the point where I can ignore the comics as a continuation of the show and just enjoy them as a separate entity entirely. And by "enjoy" I mean "mock the hell out of, because it's not much good anyway". If Joss got a Season 8 on the air with the original cast (meaning: Sarah stuck around for another season and James stayed with the original series instead of spinning off), this travesty would never have happened.

There's a part of me that would miss Season 8 if it had never happened, but the Universe would keep on keepin' on . . . unless two superbeings frakked it out of existence.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

At this point, I almost admire how they could place this amount of fail all in one series.

Seriously, help me, what in any of this is actually supposed to be good? I look and all I see is embarrassingly stupid.

[fenderlove.livejournal.com]

Here's a thought, Giles, what about that potion you used to knock out Buffy's powers in the Watcher's cruel test? Remember that?

That was exactly my thought. Why in the world, if having so many Slayers is such a scary thing, would you demand that all of the new Slayers take up arms? Why not give them a chance to choose between having superpowers or living a normal life by mass-producing power-nullifying juice? Sure, they'd have to take it for the rest of their lives, but that means that they can always change their mind about using their powers, which might be for the best.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

That was exactly my thought. Why in the world, if having so many Slayers is such a scary thing, would you demand that all of the new Slayers take up arms?

Or call the "Let's make a bazillion Slayers" plan brilliant. If you knew of a prophecy that said that when the world gets out of balance the universe will say "fuck humanity! Let's start over" you might try to not have a Slayerfestapalooza.

But that's my thinking that Giles should have a brain... and be something more than Basil Exposition Plot-Device.

Silly me.

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

I remain absolutely convinced that Joss resents the heck out of BtVS for remaining so popular while his other shows haven't ever gotten to that same level.

What better way to take out his annoyance than by completely destroying everything about the franchise that made people like it in the first place?

[hazel75.livejournal.com]

I was thinking about this yesterday. This is his way at getting back at the BtVS fandom for not wholesale transferring their (its, whatever's correct these days) affections to Firefly and Dollhouse.

[infinitewhale.livejournal.com]

I tend to really hate the phrase about ski-jumping over a large, finned, toothy fish. But there's nothing here to overcome the flood of stupid.

I think they're past the point of jumping sharks. Seriously. That came with the most ridiculously stupid retcon of the Immortal and nearly all the main characters being WTF? for 30 issues.

But I'm searching for a reason anyone would bother to make this

Heh. Frankly I kind of wonder if it's spite. It really comes off like he actively wants to tarnish the series and characters (namely the ones played by actors that didn't kiss his ass).

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I think they're past the point of jumping sharks. Seriously. That came with the most ridiculously stupid retcon of the Immortal and nearly all the main characters being WTF? for 30 issues.

Well, yeah. But it's a bit like Gunn saying 'don't say there's no place to go but up, because the truth is, there's always more down.)

Joss keeps achieving new and more stupendous feats of batshit whu???

[jamalov29.livejournal.com]

Yeah the Bangel sex was merely an excuse to have fun , to snark or to laugh and it's already behind us -but what you're saying about all the Slayers/Vampires mythology and the beliefs Joss put in the TV show being forgotten or worse? That's the really sad, frustrating, disheartening part .:(

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Well, I've been calling it non-canon all along, but if it could become even more non-canon to me, it has. I really just don't even want to deal with the way that he's rewritten his show's mythology. I'll stick to the previous version, thank you.

[elisi]

If he didn't do it for the money, then why? *is clueless*

[paratti.livejournal.com]

Keep his name out there so new projects can get picked up like Dollhouse. Hollywood is all about what are you doing now, or have only just done. Look at Chris Carter. How many shows has he had in recent years. Wonder Woman failed and took up much of the window he had of get a big Franchise Movie and Serenity flopped. Without comics with giant publicity grabbing stunts: Buffy the Bisexual and Bangel Bonking he doesn't get his name out there, won't get the oxygen of his name being banded around and so new projects to play with that he might have some interest in.

Of course, doing the comics so badly has and will continue to back-fire spectacularly with a critical mass of his remaining fanbase, but this whole exercise was never aimed at us, it was aimed at convincing suits and journos that the Mighty Joss is still relevant and should be on the list for X-Men, Avengers, Runaways movies and his pitches for telly shows should get listened to and not the Dollhouse ratings disaster looked at.

[flake-sake.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's an aspect I had not fully taken in yet, but you're absolutely right, the very notion that "nature" created the slayers is ridiculous.

Also in all those years Joss has introduced so many higher beings, who controll nature and the universe, that it makes not sense at all to make it sentient now.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

the very notion that "nature" created the slayers is ridiculous.vampires. That's rewriting vampire lore from every corner of the mythological world for... like... ever.

And we made fun of Stephanie Meyer and her sparkle-motion vampires!

I guess Joss sparkles now too. ::headdesk::

[silverusagi]

I think Joss has truly lost his mind.

[next_to_normal]

THIS. Yes. This, exactly.

I went into it expecting to be disturbed by the Bangel sex based on the pictures flake_sake posted. And I was, but after I read the issue, I realized that the part that bothered me most wasn't the sex (which shouldn't be too surprising since I have read and enjoyed Bangel sex in fanfic, when it's not being drawn like 12-year-olds having sex), but Giles' exposition. And my reaction was pretty much like yours: "The universe - what? What the fuck? 'Balance'? 'Evolution'? I don't think it means what you think it means."

[(Anonymous)]

Exactly. I keep thinking that the endless Blight Sex was put in so the readers would be distracted from all the WTFery that was being said.

The sex just made me laugh, cause it was truly ridiculous and badly drawn and gratuitous, but I was actually reading and all the while I was like Huh? I think they underestimate the vast majority of readers of this comic.

~Ami

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

Maybe all those porn panels were necessary to distract the audience from ridiculous explanations?