8.15 cover revealed

[KingofCretins]

Solicitation for 8.15 is out. We've seen the variant, Jeanty's "Seven Samurai" homage, now the Jon Foster cover is out.

8.15 "Wolves at the Gate, Part IV" cover

Blurb --

Spoiler:

Having traveled from her base in Scotland, Buffy ventures to the heart of Japan in order to reclaim her stolen scythe, in Drew Goddard's conclusion to Wolves at the Gate. Along the way, Buffy and the legion of Slayers join forces with the irresistible Dracula to defeat a tight-nit group of nefarious vampires, in which the Slayers suffer a massive hit.

Opinion --

Spoiler:

Oh the fun just keeps coming... now they're going to kill off somebody. Just ****ing wonderful. Best week of Buffy ever.

[bishopcruz]

Spoiler:

So long as it's Satsu, Renee, or Andrew, I'm cool.

Anyone else and I'm gonna be pissy.

Of course a big hit doesn't mean that someone has to die, maybe the spell gets partially reversed or something?

[KingofCretins]

Spoiler:

I'm hoping it's the spell. That would be so much more legitimate than the idea of killing someone off at this point.

[vampmogs]

Spoiler:

Ah why?

This is the continuation of the series, we all know that, but yet we don't want anything big to happen? This is Btvs, it happens, we had Jenny die, Tara die, Joyce die and what? All of a sudden people are going to get pissy if someone else dies? I just don't get it.

And of course we don't even know if it is death which is the big hit, could be the spell as already suggested, could be that the traitor is revealed. Could be anything.

[KingofCretins]

Spoiler:

The way I see it, there are three things that could constitute the massive hit --

• The full or partial reversal of the Slayer spell, leaving few, and possibly none outside of Buffy and Faith again, Slayers left.
• The BHC is destroyed. I've been thinking this is something that must eventually happen in the course of playing out the plot -- the gang set adrift, robbed of their fortress. Either sneaky, like the Watchers, or in a huge fight of the kind Buffy is worried about during "No Future For You".
• Someone gets killed off. This is the worst case scenario, easily. But, if it happens, I'd say that the top five most likely in danger are Dawn, Satsu, Renee, Xander, and Willow. I don't want any of them to get killed, but if it's a choice, there's no question that it's the newbies that are expendable. The three main original scoobies simply have to see this thing all the way through, all three of them. That's the promise I feel was made by the cover for "The Long Way Home".

[bishopcruz]

Spoiler:

Ah why?

This is the continuation of the series, we all know that, but yet we don't want anything big to happen? This is Btvs, it happens, we had Jenny die, Tara die, Joyce die and what? All of a sudden people are going to get pissy if someone else dies? I just don't get it.

And of course we don't even know if it is death which is the big hit, could be the spell as already suggested, could be that the traitor is revealed. Could be anything.

Spoiler:

There is nothing wrong with killing a character off per se, and if it's done well, then whee. OTOH, there are certain characters that I think would be really stupid to kill off, mainly the core four. Of course, considering how many times they have toyed with killing Xander off, whenever one of these rumors comes about I get tense. Xander is my point of entry to the series, he is the character that I most associate with. The fact that he has always been viewed as at least partially expendable by the writers means that if they DO decide to pull the trigger I'm left without the last character I really care about in Buffy. (Giles and Faith aren't really around.)

Of course I don't think that killing him this early is likely, but I get nervous.

[Weredog]

Foster's Cover:
I like it. It's not as great as 8.11 or 8.12, but it is way better than 8.14. I like the vamps/wolves -- very menacing. And it's great that Dracula looks badass, as opposed to the dork look he pulled in "Buffy VS. Dracula." Buffy, on the other hand, is off. I mean... the hair? Brown? Heihn? And how come Dracula's fists are two times bigger than Buffy's? Ohhh, Foster and his perception on proportions... Nice cover regardless.

Jeanty's Cover:
Possibly his best. He has everyone spot on, very well proportioned. (Although isn't Andrew taller than Willow? Flashback: Willow holding Andrew's collar in "Never Leave Me"? Oh, it doesn't matter) Great ink work by what's-their-names, the two regular inkers. I like this cover a lot, almost more than his 8.06. I don't buy the alternative covers, but this time I just might. Oh, one final thing: isn't it a little too "early" for Dracula to come play outside?

[Thomas]

Maybe when the return, they find that...

Spoiler:

The castle is destroyed. Maybe not fully gone, but everything in it was destroyed, like the technology or a certain red oval shaped thing first seen in 'Anywhere But Here', and a majority of the Slayers at the castle are now dead. Then, the traitor (my bets on Rowena or Leah) is revealed and messes Buffy up. She falls to the ground, crying. At this point, the Scoobies (everyone on the variant cover, even Dracula and Dawn, who's standing outside, but can still see inside because it's an especially rubble-y part of the castle.) appear and find her. Buffy rises and wipes her tears and goes all Season 7!Buffy on them and breaks out a speech, more motivated than ever.

[bishopcruz]

I'll actually wait to judge the art until I actually see the comic itself. I've noticed that Foster's covers look like ass on my computer, but look a lot better printed out on the comics themselves. 8.11 I thought looked ok before I got it, but was blown away when I actually held the issue. 8.12 looked like ass on my PC but a lot nicer in RL.

[LaJaula]

Spoiler:

I'm kinda hoping for the castle to be attacked while they're gone. It'd be an interesting callback to Season Two, although that might tend to spark Twilight=Angel speculation, which I don't think he is.

Buffy's expression is...odd. She looks very out-of-it, and not at all focused on the vampires(?) she's fighting.

As far as someone getting killed, I'd say that Buffy, Xander, Willow, Dawn, and Faith are safe. The first three have to get through this all, since they're the core. Dawn is safe because there is no way in hell Joss would make Buffy suffer even more that she'd lose her only family member. And Faith is just too interesting and too great of a foil to Buffy that it wouldn't make sense to kill her off. Honestly, I'm worried for Giles.

[alexa]

Spoiler:

The way the plot summary is written suggests that something bad happens to the 'slayers'.. so this leads me to think the new ones. But yeah I guess it could be anything.. I'm fine as long as the core four are alive, and Faith. I'm also nervous about Xander, they better not kill him off because he feels like the centre of BtVS this season. And I just don't see Willow being killed.. I cling to the comment by Joss that he's never really going to kill her off.

And I haven't got my issue yet, but read the NYTime article in shock While the Buffy/Satsu thing seems odd to me in someways I in no way see this is the worst week of Buffy.. don't think anything will eclipse Dead Things for that title

[ntshpp]

is that err.. Dracula? Or some japanese dude?

[Maggie]

"

Spoiler:

Slayers suffer a massive hit". And in the issue right before this one don't we have a massive Dawn stomping around?

Y'all seem to be taking that for Buffy in the cover. But... likeness?

[Sosa lola]

"

Spoiler:

Slayers suffer a massive hit". And in the issue right before this one don't we have a massive Dawn stomping around?

Y'all seem to be taking that for Buffy in the cover. But... likeness?

Spoiler:

That's why I'm glad Jo Chen is back. Her likeness is the best.

I love Jon's style, even better than Chen, but I'd choose likeness over style any day.

[redrevo]

Spoiler:

Mark me down for a very large "I told you so" if Satsu dies. Also, no killing the Core Four -Giles +Dawn.

Then again, maybe they just lose something dead important. The idea of losing the castle sounds cool.

Weredog: Maybe Drac got the shanshu or something. It would be a fun twist... well, I guess Joss doesn't want to mess with ATS too much but it doesn't seem like too much of a bad idea.

[Wolfie Gilmore]

I'm going to avoid speculating too much about what the hit is. The trouble with reading teh comics week by week is by the time I actually get to read the thing, feels like all the possibilities have been said already, so reading it feels like a let-down. So, as to the big plot stuff, I'll try to keep my mind idle.

I will speculate, however, whether - after the bee mentions in the last issue, and their addition to this cover - anyone has yet made an Eddie Izzard-themed Buffy avatar: "Help! I'm covered in bees!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs-tl6GBOBo

[ThePoet's<3]

I hope the massive hit takes Satsu with it... Sorry...

[DigitalLeonardo]

Aug, I hate these covers. This was the first time I've ever bought the varient cover, because it looked awhole hell of alot better. I wish Jo Chen would do the covers again, cause she made them look like REAL promo art, and REAL actor pictures...

[Tom]

Aug, I hate these covers. This was the first time I've ever bought the varient cover, because it looked awhole hell of alot better. I wish Jo Chen would do the covers again, cause she made them look like REAL promo art, and REAL actor pictures...

You'll be glad to know that Jo Chen is making her comeback as of Issue 16. I like the cover for #11 and #12 isn't bad, but to be honest #13 is hidious. IMO #14 is nothing special either. #15 is okay, but I too am excited for Chen's return.

As for this "big blow" I don't think its a death. My prediction is... (WARNING #16 spoiler below)

Spoiler:

Prehaps the destruction of the Scythe reverses the spell? As a result Buffy has to time travel to see if she can undo what was done, but it goes wrong and she ends up in Fray's time (#16-20).

[Skippcomet]

My theory for the "big blow," considering that the next issue starts this Buffy/Fray crossover, is that somehow Buffy and the Scythe get zapped into the future, but the Scoobies and Junior Slayers don't know where she's gone or when, or possibly even think she's dead. Then, if the crossover has any scenes in the "modern-day" with the Scoobies, we'll get to see lots of scenes of Satsu mourning/missing Buffy, which will be intended to get readers to feel sorry for and invest in the Buffy/Satsu 'ship, so that when Buffy gets back to her native time period, we'll be expected to go 'aww' at the inevitable Buffy/Satsu reunion kiss. (Does anybody think Joss ISN'T going to string this ship for as long as he can, no matter what Buffy says?)