Issue #20 Variant cover and blurb! WARNING SPOLIERS

[vampmogs]

Hey

This was already posted this over in the 'After the Fall' section of the forum but I thought we might as well get some discussion going on about it in the Buffy season 8 section. So here's the cover for Issue #20.

http://www.whedon.info/Buffy-Season-...-20,27588.html

And the blurb;

Spoiler:

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #20

Written by Jeph Loeb, penciled by Eric Wight and Georges Jeanty, inked by Andy Owens, colored by Michelle Madsen, covers by Jeanty and Jo Chen.

Comic-book writer Jeph Loeb was set to executive produce, alongside Joss Whedon and animator Eric Wight, the proposed Buffy animated TV series. While Buffy fans won't be viewing that show anytime soon, Loeb, Wight, and Whedon offer the next best thing -- a comic inspired by the animated series!

40 pages, $2.99, in stores on Nov. 26.

My thoughts...

Spoiler:

Can I just say how bloody excited I am for this? We get not only Angel in Btvs again but Cordelia! We haven't had Cordy since 'Graduation Day' I think it's fantastic we're seeing her again, can't wait. I just love the cover, the high school years was my favourite ?Scooby gang' period so it's nice to see all the gang back together.

It'll be very interesting to see what they do with the issue, can't wait to find out why we're going back to high school. And really, it's one of the great benefits of the comic. You couldn't go back to highschool in a later televised season of Btvs for many reasons. The first being, the unlikelyhood of DB being able to come over from Ats, not to mention Cordy. It'd also take rebuilding all the sets which is extremely doubtful and well.. the characters look too different. They don't have to worry about any of that with the comics.

Vampmogs

[DigitalLeonardo]

I'm really exctied!

Though for the cover I wish they would have done something a bit different. They used alot of the stock images that we've seen, I wish they had been slightly updated - but oh well its cool.

And I agree, highschool rocked and I hope this redeems the series after the last two arcs.

[Nina]

The first cover already excited me for this arc, but with the return from Cordy (I miss her so much!) ... I really can't wait.

Only, where is Oz? Maybe this is season 1 ... ?

[Koos]

I'm not really excited for this issue. For three reasons:
1. It takes us away from the overall arcline for another month. It's filling. Couldn't they do this arc in AtS comics?
2. It really means that that the animation will never be brought out. This seals it.
3. Looking at the first cover, it means that Buffy/Willow/Xander will be together again. While I'd hoped that after the current arc they wouldn't.

[Wolfie Gilmore]

So, is this a flashback, right? (Not quite awake yet, early...) Interesting. I wonder what sets off the flashback?

Or is it time travel?

[vampmogs]

I'm not actually sure wether or not it is a flashback or not Wolfie? Somebody else might have heard something I didn't though? But most likely I'd say it is.

Why don't you want Buffy/Xander/Willow together anymore Koos? Just because it'd be more interesting or something else? I don't think this variant automatically seals the deal they will be though, after all Buffy could be reflecting on highschool because back then they were tight and were together whereas they may not be at this point in the story?

[Wolfie Gilmore]

I'm not actually sure wether or not it is a flashback or not Wolfie? Somebody else might have heard something I didn't though? But most likely I'd say it is.

Now I'm thinking of the opening of life on Mars "Am I mad, or in a coma, or back in time" type stuff

I hope they go into a cartoon world with cartoon logic. Frying pans to beat vampires!

[-beardo-]

To be honest i really doubt it's a flashback or them going back to high school.

Part of me thinks that because we have Geores Jeanty working on the issue as well that they go back to high school but are turned into cartoon versions of thereself, so they will actually be cartoons and they know it, its not just the art.

I think this may be a possible plot. At the end of time of your life Buffy finds out that twilight has something to do with her past. Willow casts a spell to send Buffy, Wilow and Xander into the past. Twilight intercepts the spell and they are turned into cartoon versions of themselves, in their highschool years.

[dinamo]

Does anyone think that this could possible be a bit of a extension on the current arc? Not in the sense its part of the story, but its maybe Buffy, Willow or Xander remembering when times were ''easier'' and they were just kids in school fighting vampires before money and politics was involved. Before they'd lost friends and even more of their innocence. This current arc is going to change things in some way, it can't not. So maybe this Issue is about the past before it all got so complicated?

[stormwreath]

The preview of this on the Dark Horse website has rather more information in the blurb:

Jeph Loeb and Eric Wight take the reins on Buffy Season Eight with this very special one-shot joining series artist Georges Jeanty, in a twisted tale picking up from the time-traveling Buffy/Fray crossover.

So... time-travel back to Season 1 or 2? An alternate parallel universe where things took a different route - perhaps because Willow never got interested in magic?


Also, I'm assuming that the animated series preview got leaked deliberately to YouTube, to stir up interest for the comic.

[Wolfie Gilmore]

Well, I've said it before, but now there's even more time travel, I'll say it again....please can we have another appearance from the Doctor? Maybe with Donna this time?

Oooh, thought. What if Rose and the Doctor in "NFFY" are actually parallel reality Doc and Rose, and there's no time machine, they're just in London in that dimension?

*Goes to check if he's wearing a blue suit in NFFY*

[Koos]

Why don't you want Buffy/Xander/Willow together anymore Koos? Just because it'd be more interesting or something else?

I like any Buffy/Xander/Willow moment. I always have the need for that. But, I like it that the three are apart now. It is better for the characters, especially Xander's as he always needs to be stuck around Buffy all the time. It is more interesting, because all three of them have to deal with whatever it is without their friends. I'd have liked to see that for a longer period than one arc.

[Roses-r-Red]

I'm really excited about this issue. I can't wait to see some Dawn/Angel interaction. Ever since the episode of Angel (Season 4, I think) where Angelus calls Buffy to see if she's the slayer in L.A. and he says "Hi Dawn. It's me" I've been so curious about how they got along. It was the first time I actually thought about it. Angelus saying "It's me" seems so personal that it makes me want to know what their relationship was like.

[Vampire in Rug]

I can't wait.

I too love the highschool era scoobies and I think it's great that we're revisiting that. Maybe after being in the future with Fray, Buffy will try to get sent back... but will go too far? And she's gotta figure out how to get back to the present without disturbing the past too much?

[Vampire in Rug]

I'm not really excited for this issue. For three reasons:
1. It takes us away from the overall arcline for another month. It's filling. Couldn't they do this arc in AtS comics?

You don't know that. It's too early to say. And even if it is filler, at least it will be entertaining filler.

And why on earth would the IDW Angel comics want to revisit the Sunnydale High days??? AtS is set in Los Angeles, Sunnydale is where Buffy takes the spotlight.

2. It really means that that the animation will never be brought out. This seals it.

Buffy the Animated Series has been out of the question for years. I'd rather have this comic than nothing at all. If anything, the popularity of this comic would increase the ever-so-slim chance that we might someday see the animation. Seems like a bit of a coincidence that the pilot clip would be released on Youtube just before the hype of this comic.

3. Looking at the first cover, it means that Buffy/Willow/Xander will be together again. While I'd hoped that after the current arc they wouldn't.

I figure the current arc ("Time of Your Life") will explore how the scoobies cope seperated and once that has been explored they will be reunited. Which is the way I'd preffer it. Just my opinion though.

[sueworld]

So, is this a flashback, right? (Not quite awake yet, early...) Interesting. I wonder what sets off the flashback?

Or is it time travel?

I'm guessing it's going to be some sort of flashback. I'm so pleased to see Angel again. I hope he actually gets something to do, rather then be 'set dressing'.

I adore Chens covers, but I have to say I'm not so keen on Jeantys version.

[Thomas]

Looking at the first cover, it means that Buffy/Willow/Xander will be together again. While I'd hoped that after the current arc they wouldn't.

We don't really know that from the cover. Yes, it shows the Scoobies together, but it could also what Buffy wishes their relationship was like now, which would cause her to flashback to High School, before everything changed. The covers sometimes

[Charles]

The cover and tale could be contrasted with how things are actually going though. It could very well hint and reflect upon what's going on in the current storyline. Note for example, in addition to Cordy and Angel, Dawn's present here, just as she is in the current storyline. But no sign of Joyce or (as previously pointed) Oz or Faith.

This sounds like an untold tales situation that while it may not advance the main plot, it may advance a subplot or two, namely Xander and Dawn's relationship.

[Sacred Knight]

I'd like it if this story is told as seen through present-day Buffy's eyes on her way back to her own time after leaving Fray's time. Like, I dunno, she gets stuck for a bit on her journey back and witnesses this untold story from high school as an unseen spectator. By the end of the story she then makes it back to her time.

I think it'd be cool because then we could see Buffy's reactions to certain things, like reminiscing about Angel, noting how although Dawn is there and she remembers this event, in true reality she was never there, seeing Joyce again, etc.

[Slayer+]

The cover and tale could be contrasted with how things are actually going though. It could very well hint and reflect upon what's going on in the current storyline. Note for example, in addition to Cordy and Angel, Dawn's present here, just as she is in the current storyline. But no sign of Joyce or (as previously pointed) Oz or Faith.

This sounds like an untold tales situation that while it may not advance the main plot, it may advance a subplot or two, namely Xander and Dawn's relationship.

This is what I'm afraid of. Filler episodes were okay when Buffy was a weekly thing. Now that we're only getting new editions every month... it just feels like a waste of time to have a 'do you remember way back then?' arc...