Buffy season 9 #3 and Angel & Faith #3 - very belated reviews
I should have really posted one of these reviews a month ago, and the other 2 weeks ago. In fact, parts of the text here is what I posted back then and in the meantime on BF and other forums. I intended to expand those into real reviews and post them on LJ and Dreamwidth, but due to a combination of being really busy and getting distracted with other stuff (and maybe some laziness), I never got around to it. So why now? Well, because it's the last moment, Angel & Faith #4 is going to be released soon ,and 'm the kind of person who does everything at the last possible moment - but I still get it done.
Angel & Faith #3 - Live Through This part 3
This comic book started so well - I thought #1 was great, and so did most of the fans, apparently - but my enthusiasm has been fading somewhat, and I've liked each new issue less than the last. I sure hope that #4 will stop this trend and be really, really good.
So here are my problems with Angel & Faith.
Everything is laid out openly in the dialogue: it's very straightforward and plot-driven and full of exposition, with very little being left unexplained. The villains are all one-dimensional, obvious bad guys, and demonic bad guys, to booth (we still haven’t had a single human villain, unlike in AtS. At least for the last 2 issues; Whistler is an exception, which is one of the main reasons why #1 was the most interesting issue so far. I hope we'll see more of him.
Angel's characterization is fine, but Faith's is a bit off, and her idealization and justifications of Angel are getting annoying - and she went especially far in this issue, with her "there will be no more apocalypses thanks to you and Buffy" statement, which makes about as much sense as "I signaled her with my eyes"). We're constantly being told (by Faith) that Angel is the best thing since sliced bread, instead of actually seeing it. As I quoted in the #2 review, Christos Gage said on Twitter that Faith is really trying hard to justify Angel and may be exaggerating, which gave me hope that her whitewashing of Angel is written intentionally as a character flaw or issue of her and Angel’s relationship and that this will be dealt with later on.
However, I’ve since read Gage’s interview where he says that he feels that Angel has „already atoned“ , which is a pretty weird and troubling stance - doesn’t Angel need to learn from his mistakes, to be sure he doesn’t repeat them, at least? - and it gets worse if the writer is using Faith as a mouthpiece. I don’t say this often, but I might give this issue a lower rating now than I would have a month ago, based on that interview. Of course, if the story relieves all my doubts and concerns, the authorial intent, whatever it may be, won’t matter. But I have a feeling I will be rethinking my initial ratings for some of the episodes - negatively or positively - once I read the whole story.
However, I have to say one thing: if the villains are one-dimensional, at least our heroes are morally ambiguous - and both doing stupid things! While Angel is preparing to resurrect Giles, Faith seems to be preparing to use the Mohra blood to make Angel human.
In order words, she wants to make a crucial decision about him without asking him about it, and violate his bodily integrity and make him into something different than what he is, assuming that she knows what's best for him and that he'd be happy and grateful once she managed to do it - even though there is a huge possibility and some clear signs that he would actually hate it. It's similar to what Angel is trying now to do to Giles, and what he was doing in season 8 to Buffy.
Angel decided on his own that Buffy needs to become super-human and that he's going to make her become that regardless of whether she wanted it, because he knew what was good for her and what would make her happy ("Don't you want to be happy?") - proving that he really didn't understand her. Faith is deciding that Angel needs to become human, and she's going to make him become that regardless of whether he wants it, because she knows what's good for him and what would make him happy if he just got rid of that feeling of guilt (and she asks him if he would like to be human and happy)... And she is proving that she doesn't really understand him, if she thinks that Angel's biggest problem is that he's a vampire and that all his problems would go away if he just became human. He should explain to her, as he did to Buffy in Amends, that the real problem isn't the vampire, it's the man. Twilight got to him using his human flaws, and a human Angel would still feel the same guilt, he would just find it more difficult to fight if he didn't have vampire powers, which he pretty much tells her in this issue as well. And a human Angel could just as well make stupid decisions, and would be just as dangerous if, say, he dug out Giles’ body and sprayed him with some Mohra blood.
The best things in Angel & Faith so far have been the revelations about the new post-Seed world. In this issue, we see the auctions of Mohra demon blood, and more about the fact that the remaining magical artefacts and people with inherent magical abilities have become very sought-after. After learning about the new rise in status of vampires in the demon world, this issue elaborates some more on their mainstream acceptance and sexual allure to the humans... But their status in the human world, apparently, is more along the lines of reality show attractions, sought-after prostitutes and arm candy for the idle rich.
Harmony has become a really important figure, since vampires are apparently widely accepting her rules, presumably explained in her reality TV show (no killing, only consensual biting and feeding). Or at least pretending to accept. We've seen already from the "Carpe Noctem" web comic in season 8 that some vampires want to fit in and obey those 'rules', while others don't care. What we didn't see but I bet happens a lot is that there's a third group that pretends to obey the no-kill, all consensual rule, but secretly do otherwise. After all, I doubt that, despite the popularity of vampires as exotic sexually alluring Others, there's nearly enough people who want to be bitten, not enough to feed all the vampires, and most vampires are probably not willing to satisfy with feeding on animals. Especially if you happen to not be a very attractive vampire - you probably don't get as many offers as those that rich and idle like to have as their arm candy. Plus, some vampires probably just love to cause death, torture and destruction too much, like the brunette from "Carpe Noctem".
Then again, comics have been awfully fond of generalizations (all Slayers adore Buffy! The public loves vampires! The public hates Slayers! All Slayers hate Buffy now!) so maybe they will focus on the zompires as the new threat, which would be very boring. But more about that later.
Despite the one-dimensionality of the demon gangsters, I must say I have found them very entertaining. Unlike them, the Mohra demon ins this issue was portrayed as something of a Noble Warrior - which screws up Angel’s plan when he/she/it decides to hill himself/herself/itself because of his/hers/its inability to fight due to the current lack of strength.
Another part of the issue I enjoyed were the very different human stories about using Mohra’s blood to restore people’s health. It would have been too much if all of Fraser’s customers ended up badly; instead, some of them were really helped, others got their health back but continued to ruin their lives, and in some cases people have disappeared and might have actually been killed. But even without it, the very mechanism of drawing blood from the Mohra demon (the only one still in this dimension) is deeply morally problematic. Keeping a sapient living being in captivity and draining its blood against its will, to satisfy one’s own needs - sound familiar?
Faith is more interesting as a character when she isn’t having expositiony voiceovers about Angel, and when she’s interacting with other characters, like Nadira and the other Slayers, or the newly introduced Watcher and Giles’ friend Alastair Coames (oh god, how do they come up with those names?). Those are the scenes where we get to see Faith’s change and growth - the Faith that has been counselling other Slayers, trying to save them from going on the wrong path like she did in season 3, as she’s doing here with Nadira, who’s venting her anger and pain by trying to pick fights with football (soccer, if you’re American) fans. This leads to a moment when Faith says „As long as you have power...you’re gonna feel the need to use it“, and her wistful look suggests that she also might feel that power is a burden or a danger - or maybe she is just thinking about Angel and that he is going to try doing big, stupid things as long as he’s got the power. (It’s also interesting in the light of the developments in Buffy.)
At the same time, it becomes obvious that she still has to grow (up) a lot: she isn’t used to being the „adult“, the more mature, wise one who should be a role model to younger girls. And it scared the hell out of her. She’s also still getting used to the change in her financial circumstances - but she’s already learning she can use money as a weapon instead of her sexuality (as when she calms down the Arsenal fans Nadira was going to pick a fight with - by giving out drinks on the house, instead of flashing them her boobs, which she would have done before as she says herself; the panel was deliberately playing with that expectation). We see Faith playing the role of the rich socialite again, as in No Future For You, only this time it’s closer to the truth.
Art: This is one area where Angel & Faith is clearly superior over Buffy is the art. Issacs > Jeanty. Isaacs does an amazing visual characterization of Faith, which helps against the feeling that her voice that Gage is supplying is a bit off.
Rating: 3 if we’re not supposed to agree with Faith’s whitewashing of Angel; 2.5 if we are.
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Buffy season 9 #3, Freefall part 3
I liked the issue, even though it's focused more on the plot than the deep characterization and interpersonal relationships. It's understandable, since there's a lot of new plot developments to deal with. There will be time for a more nuanced exploration of relationships; starting probably with issue 5. At least I hope that we won’t have to wait for Joss to come back to get something more layered.
On the other hand, compared to Angel & Faith, Buffy season 9 has been a lot more interesting and layered. I can think of several scenes and panels that really make you think and try to analyze what's been said, try to figure out the underlying feelings and motivations (most of them in Whedon’s #1, but also some in Chambliss’ #2). Even with all the narrations by Buffy, there is still some mystery about how Buffy feels about herself and the people in her life; and that's even more so the case with the other characters; we may know that Willow thinks that breaking the Seed was bad, while Spike thinks it was the right thing to do and he's there to help Buffy, but beyond that, we're left to speculate on how Willow, Spike, Xander or Dawn feel and how their future will shape up. The new characters and potential villains have all been ambiguous. How did the new vampire-killer get his powers, and is he really such a great guy, or is there something ominous about him? What's the deal with the demon released from the mystical prison, and does he want to kill Buffy, to thank her, or something else? Are the cops going to be Buffy's enemies or allies? And so on.
So, let’s see what #3 reveals about these mini-mysteries (or „mysteries“).
Buffy’s „freefall“ continues, in that she is being reckless and doing risky things. At least she’s happy while she’ss slaying, which is something she turns to when she can’t deal with her real life problems.
I'm not sure if the explanation about the fight between Xander and Dawn was the truth, or something they came up with to tell the police. I don't think I'd be telling strangers about my private matters. Anyway, I like them much better in #3 than in #2. Here they do show interest in Buffy's well-being, and offer good advice to Buffy to talk to the police and sort things out. They don't start interrogating Buffy about her new friend/colleague, or try to argue with her some more, but she's an adult and can make her decisions, and they probably figured Severin was a part of the fight. (Which they are trying to leave.) It wouldn't be the first time they've met a male demon-fighter.
In #2, I was more irked by the two of them not showing much interest or concern in what is going on with Buffy, than in not giving her shelter. I said it before, I would have been happier if they had told her: Buffy, you're being stupid. You shouldn't have ran away from police custody. You better sort it out with the police. We don't want to give you shelter so we wouldn't be accomplices harboring a fugitive.
To make it clear: I thought Buffy was being stupidly reckless when she ran away from the police, but I don’t see anything wrong with her agreeing to go and kill a nest of feral vampires first. It’s her job.
The twist about Eldre Koh/Severin is good, although it's something we've speculated about. I'm starting to think that with so much speculation, there's very little that can still surprise us. :D
Eldre Koh, the demon released from the mystical prison (now we know what it was that fans misheard as „El Draco“) is quite an interesting character so far, though he seems to fall firmly into the „Proud Warrior Race“ type of role. I found it funny that Koh is so used to being imprisoned that he wants to live at Alcatraz because it reminds him of 'home'. Poor demon, it will take a while to adjust. I assume he meant the part about "breathing the same air" metaphorically, like Spike when he talked about "putting him [Angel] in the bloody ground" in Becoming II; either that, or Koh doesn't know much about vampires. We get another reminder that pure demons look down on vampires (or rather did in the pre-Seed world), but maybe he shouldn't, since he is no stronger than Spike, at least not at the moment.
Lots of people have predicted that Severin will be a threat rather than an ally, and that he might try to drain Buffy’s powers (though this is just hinted at so far). His scary turn therefore seems a bit too fast. I'm not sure that Severin is really going to immediately attack Buffy - solicitations for #4 suggest otherwise. And hopefully his storyline doesn't unfold that quickly. Furthermore, I don't think he's been planning to take away Buffy's powers, even if it's what he wants now; for starters, he doesn't know enough about his powers yet, he's probably never met a Slayer before, and maybe he had no idea that he could take powers from a Slayer until he touched Buffy and saw the glowy thing starting to happen. Besides, he's been far too open about his desire for power, and that he could even be more powerful than Buffy; sounds more like someone who is just starting to figure it out, rather than someone who had it planned all along. I would certainly like him to be more morally ambiguous than downright moustache-twirling evil, even though I think he will likely be the villain for the season. I've said before the issue came out that I see him more as Faith 2.0 (rather than a new love interest or whatever else people were speculating): someone who seems like a suitable, if not entirely trustworthy, slaying partner, maybe even a possible replacement for Buffy if she doesn't want to be 'the one', but who turns out to be just a bit too much in love with his powers and not so concerned about morality. Though he and Faith come from the opposite poles of the financial/class divide, in addition to different gender.
Someone on BF posted a comparison between the last panel of this issue and the guy with the glasses from #40, now it seems they're the same person. (But then, Willow, Simone and the fairy were also depicted as threats in season 9, and at least one of them isn't exactly evil. ) The only difference is that the in #40 the guy is wearing glasses - they look like sunglasses, so it doesn't have to mean that he has problems with his vision - and gloves. Maybe Severin's power will be getting out of his control so he'll have to be careful to wear gloves to control his touch.
The bad (aka the mythology):
Willow's explanation about zompires makes the kind of sense that's not. If the demon isn't animating zompires, then what is? Why aren't they corpses? What is the magic that Severin is sucking from them?
Some people have understood this to mean that the demons are „remote controlling“ the body. Since when is that even possible from another dimension, if the other dimensions have been cut off?
More likely, she just meant that demons can’t enter this dimension, so they aren’t there at all. But let me get this straight: if zompres are feral and mindless because the demon can't reach them properly or whatever - then it seems like vampire's human memories and intelligence and emotions come from... the demon?! Isn't the demon mindless, like Pure-Demon-Angel in Pylea? Or maybe, as others have postulated, the demon is needed just to use the human traits and memories.
Still, this leaves us with vampires being animated by some magical, demonic substance, which is carried through in the siring process; but in addition they also have the demon? Seems like a needless complication. And what do those demons do before they come to our dimension? And why would they even want to come? If you were told that you should go to another galaxy and possess an alien body and completely lose your own memories and personality in the memorie and personality of that alien - why the heck would you wanna do it?
I really hope that Willow is wrong, but unfortunately they probably just needed to get zompires and it didn't matter what nonsensical explanation they came up with. The conversation at the writers' meeting probably went something like this:
"Hey, it would be great if we had a new kind of vampires that are totally mindless and feral. Like zombies. Zompires!"
"Zompires! Cool! Great idea!"
"And anyone who gets sired after the Seed was broken becomes a zompire!'
"But how do we explain it?"
"I dunno, we'll think of some crap".
But then, it was probably similar with most of the mythology.
"How do we explain why Angel is different from the other vampires?"
"He has a soul."
"What is the soul?"
"Well, it's something that makes him good. And when he doesn't have it, he's evil."
There’s been some speculation on whether this is an attempt to make the vampires less morally ambiguous. I think it has more to do with something that the writers probably realized at some point, that there's very little reason why huge chunks of human population wouldn't opt to become vampires, and very little that Buffy or anyone could actually do to "open their eyes" to vampires' true nature. Because it's perfectly possible that they are plenty of people who understand the true nature of vampires and have no problem with it whatsoever.
It’s a widespread opinion about the story about the popularity of vampires as if it's a really stupid and unbelievable concept. But is it really? I can see why the authorities being (openly) in their favor would be too much to believe. But what other folks in general? The belief that it's idiotic is based on the idea that vampires would kill those humans (like, for real) and that there have to be some vampires that are still killing, only in secret. For starters, many vampires are also looking for their own survival and comfort and realize that it's much better for them to play nice and get free blood rather than risk getting hunted down and staked or exposed to the sun. They don't have secrecy as a weapon now, they have to find something else.
Now, most of those vampires used to kill before... and there must be some of them who are still killing (not to sire people), only in secret. But if some humans know that but just don't care, as long as they believe aren't the ones that are going to be nothing but food? Some people who love vampires or the idea of becoming a vampire might be like Diego and Chanterelle, others might be more like Ford.
Many of our assumptions here have been based on the idea that the absolute majority of people would be horrified of monsters who kill or used to kill people. But that may be giving the human race a bit too much credit/ Think of the popularity that many gangsters have had in masses and popular consciousness, be it Wild West outlaws or Bonnie and Clyde or the mafia of today. (Much of the interactions between the main characters of The Sopranos and the non-mafia characters was based on the exotic allure that mobsters have in popular culture.) And, well, the idea that almost nobody would want to be sired if they just knew the full truth about vampires is based on the belief that the majority of people are good, moral people or want to be good and would be crushed by the idea of becoming immoral mass murderers. Except that... well, if that was the case, then there wouldn't be so many human murderers, gangsters, serial killers, war criminals, dictators. And even among those who aren't, there are many who are... morally challenged.
There are other downsides to being a vampire, sure. Like not being able to have children. But - how many people, especially in their youth, really want to have children? And how many of those who do want it just because 1) it's what you're supposed to do, or 2) they see children as the only continuation of themselves, because they'll get old and die? Remove that, and I'm not sure which percentage of human race would be eager to have kids. There are many people who really love children in general and people who really, desperately want to have children and take care of children. But then there are also many others who abandon or ignore their children, and some who even kill them.
Imagine explaining the advantages and downsides of being a vampire to someone who doesn't really care that much about being a good person and doing the right thing.
"But when you become a vampire, you'll become a soulless, immoral monster and will enjoy killing people!"
"Yeah, yeah, OK, but I'll be immortal, right?"
"Well, yes. Unless someone stakes you to the heart..."
"Can they kill me with a gun?"
"No"
"Good"
"And you can't walk in the sun, because you'll burn. Imagine never being able to feel the sunlight..."
"Meh, I always liked going out at night better anyway, and sleeping during the day. "
"And imagine never being able to feel your heartbeat..."
"Eww, why would I ever want to feel my heartbeat?"
"And you'll have to drink blood."
"But I'll like it, right?"
"Well, yes. But... you'll never be able to have a child."
"You say it like it's a bad thing. Let's see now, I'll never age another day, right?"
"Yes."
"And I'll have super-powers! I'll be super-strong and super-fast and everyone in the neighborhood will be afraid of me! And I'll heal quickly and I'll never get ill?"
"Yes, that's all true."
"And chicks/guys are really into that vampire thing. I'll be hot stuff! And... I've heard that I'll also have a lot of stamina for, you know *nudge nudge wink wink*"
"Well... there are rumors about that, yes..."
"... and I won't even have to worry about getting a bun in the oven/having some chick dump a kid on my doorstep. Hey, what the hell am I waiting for? Sign me up for this!"
And now imagine those humans who are already killers, gangsters, dictators, amoral politicians and heads of big corporations. Why wouldn't they want to get immortality, super-strength and immunity to illness in addition to what they already have? I imagine the only issue might be worrying if the potential sire will really sire you, or just kill you - if they decide to not fulfill the bargain, or if they are inexperienced and don't know how to do it. But as we've seen with Harth, you can "sire" yourself, if you just know how (slash a vampire and drink their blood before you die). There is still the risk that someone would burn or mutilate your body, for instance, before you wake up, but if you have loyal people with you to watch over the process, even that danger is minimal. And if you're rich and powerful, there's all the more probability that you have people working for you who could do the job.
The more I think about it, the more I see why the writers really had to find a way to make siring unattractive to humans.
There should be groups who hate vampires, religious groups who want them eradicated, politicians crusading against them - and others who are in their favor, debates pro and against, etc. But maybe there are - the comics just haven't focused on them, because the whole issue was just touched on. "Vampires are popular now" doesn't have to mean that everyone likes them, just like "Slayers are hated" shouldn't mean that literally everyone hated the Slayers.
I hope they'll explain some of it now. From #2, it seems like the existence of vampires is still not something that everyone believes in - some people like Cheung still think they're some sort of reality TV sham. So maybe the general public still isn't sure if they are real or if these are just some people playacting and enjoying bloodsucking (and probably using some effects on screen to make it look like they're changing their faces).
I hope they'll explore this a bit more seriously. So far it seems like it was just thrown as a cool plot in the middle of season 8, but nobody really thought it through at the time and bothered to explain how the world works now. A bigger inconsistency is that they've retconed Buffy's notoriety in season 8.
Another question is, how come nobody has noticed the difference in newly sired vampires? Maybe the writers just forgot about their own timeline and that there has been 7-9 months since the breaking of the Seed... or maybe the point is that people see what they expect to see, which is why so few people have noticed something off.
Art: Much better this time - Jeanty is really good with closeups, he draws new characters well, but I also have no criticism against his portrayal of Buffy in this issue. For once, she does look like an adult. The issue also has a beautiful cover by Steve Morris, visually showing Buffy's alienation from Willow, Xander and Dawn.
Rating: 3
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Angel & Faith #3 - Live Through This part 3
This comic book started so well - I thought #1 was great, and so did most of the fans, apparently - but my enthusiasm has been fading somewhat, and I've liked each new issue less than the last. I sure hope that #4 will stop this trend and be really, really good.
So here are my problems with Angel & Faith.
Everything is laid out openly in the dialogue: it's very straightforward and plot-driven and full of exposition, with very little being left unexplained. The villains are all one-dimensional, obvious bad guys, and demonic bad guys, to booth (we still haven’t had a single human villain, unlike in AtS. At least for the last 2 issues; Whistler is an exception, which is one of the main reasons why #1 was the most interesting issue so far. I hope we'll see more of him.
Angel's characterization is fine, but Faith's is a bit off, and her idealization and justifications of Angel are getting annoying - and she went especially far in this issue, with her "there will be no more apocalypses thanks to you and Buffy" statement, which makes about as much sense as "I signaled her with my eyes"). We're constantly being told (by Faith) that Angel is the best thing since sliced bread, instead of actually seeing it. As I quoted in the #2 review, Christos Gage said on Twitter that Faith is really trying hard to justify Angel and may be exaggerating, which gave me hope that her whitewashing of Angel is written intentionally as a character flaw or issue of her and Angel’s relationship and that this will be dealt with later on.
However, I’ve since read Gage’s interview where he says that he feels that Angel has „already atoned“ , which is a pretty weird and troubling stance - doesn’t Angel need to learn from his mistakes, to be sure he doesn’t repeat them, at least? - and it gets worse if the writer is using Faith as a mouthpiece. I don’t say this often, but I might give this issue a lower rating now than I would have a month ago, based on that interview. Of course, if the story relieves all my doubts and concerns, the authorial intent, whatever it may be, won’t matter. But I have a feeling I will be rethinking my initial ratings for some of the episodes - negatively or positively - once I read the whole story.
However, I have to say one thing: if the villains are one-dimensional, at least our heroes are morally ambiguous - and both doing stupid things! While Angel is preparing to resurrect Giles, Faith seems to be preparing to use the Mohra blood to make Angel human.
In order words, she wants to make a crucial decision about him without asking him about it, and violate his bodily integrity and make him into something different than what he is, assuming that she knows what's best for him and that he'd be happy and grateful once she managed to do it - even though there is a huge possibility and some clear signs that he would actually hate it. It's similar to what Angel is trying now to do to Giles, and what he was doing in season 8 to Buffy.
Angel decided on his own that Buffy needs to become super-human and that he's going to make her become that regardless of whether she wanted it, because he knew what was good for her and what would make her happy ("Don't you want to be happy?") - proving that he really didn't understand her. Faith is deciding that Angel needs to become human, and she's going to make him become that regardless of whether he wants it, because she knows what's good for him and what would make him happy if he just got rid of that feeling of guilt (and she asks him if he would like to be human and happy)... And she is proving that she doesn't really understand him, if she thinks that Angel's biggest problem is that he's a vampire and that all his problems would go away if he just became human. He should explain to her, as he did to Buffy in Amends, that the real problem isn't the vampire, it's the man. Twilight got to him using his human flaws, and a human Angel would still feel the same guilt, he would just find it more difficult to fight if he didn't have vampire powers, which he pretty much tells her in this issue as well. And a human Angel could just as well make stupid decisions, and would be just as dangerous if, say, he dug out Giles’ body and sprayed him with some Mohra blood.
The best things in Angel & Faith so far have been the revelations about the new post-Seed world. In this issue, we see the auctions of Mohra demon blood, and more about the fact that the remaining magical artefacts and people with inherent magical abilities have become very sought-after. After learning about the new rise in status of vampires in the demon world, this issue elaborates some more on their mainstream acceptance and sexual allure to the humans... But their status in the human world, apparently, is more along the lines of reality show attractions, sought-after prostitutes and arm candy for the idle rich.
Harmony has become a really important figure, since vampires are apparently widely accepting her rules, presumably explained in her reality TV show (no killing, only consensual biting and feeding). Or at least pretending to accept. We've seen already from the "Carpe Noctem" web comic in season 8 that some vampires want to fit in and obey those 'rules', while others don't care. What we didn't see but I bet happens a lot is that there's a third group that pretends to obey the no-kill, all consensual rule, but secretly do otherwise. After all, I doubt that, despite the popularity of vampires as exotic sexually alluring Others, there's nearly enough people who want to be bitten, not enough to feed all the vampires, and most vampires are probably not willing to satisfy with feeding on animals. Especially if you happen to not be a very attractive vampire - you probably don't get as many offers as those that rich and idle like to have as their arm candy. Plus, some vampires probably just love to cause death, torture and destruction too much, like the brunette from "Carpe Noctem".
Then again, comics have been awfully fond of generalizations (all Slayers adore Buffy! The public loves vampires! The public hates Slayers! All Slayers hate Buffy now!) so maybe they will focus on the zompires as the new threat, which would be very boring. But more about that later.
Despite the one-dimensionality of the demon gangsters, I must say I have found them very entertaining. Unlike them, the Mohra demon ins this issue was portrayed as something of a Noble Warrior - which screws up Angel’s plan when he/she/it decides to hill himself/herself/itself because of his/hers/its inability to fight due to the current lack of strength.
Another part of the issue I enjoyed were the very different human stories about using Mohra’s blood to restore people’s health. It would have been too much if all of Fraser’s customers ended up badly; instead, some of them were really helped, others got their health back but continued to ruin their lives, and in some cases people have disappeared and might have actually been killed. But even without it, the very mechanism of drawing blood from the Mohra demon (the only one still in this dimension) is deeply morally problematic. Keeping a sapient living being in captivity and draining its blood against its will, to satisfy one’s own needs - sound familiar?
Faith is more interesting as a character when she isn’t having expositiony voiceovers about Angel, and when she’s interacting with other characters, like Nadira and the other Slayers, or the newly introduced Watcher and Giles’ friend Alastair Coames (oh god, how do they come up with those names?). Those are the scenes where we get to see Faith’s change and growth - the Faith that has been counselling other Slayers, trying to save them from going on the wrong path like she did in season 3, as she’s doing here with Nadira, who’s venting her anger and pain by trying to pick fights with football (soccer, if you’re American) fans. This leads to a moment when Faith says „As long as you have power...you’re gonna feel the need to use it“, and her wistful look suggests that she also might feel that power is a burden or a danger - or maybe she is just thinking about Angel and that he is going to try doing big, stupid things as long as he’s got the power. (It’s also interesting in the light of the developments in Buffy.)
At the same time, it becomes obvious that she still has to grow (up) a lot: she isn’t used to being the „adult“, the more mature, wise one who should be a role model to younger girls. And it scared the hell out of her. She’s also still getting used to the change in her financial circumstances - but she’s already learning she can use money as a weapon instead of her sexuality (as when she calms down the Arsenal fans Nadira was going to pick a fight with - by giving out drinks on the house, instead of flashing them her boobs, which she would have done before as she says herself; the panel was deliberately playing with that expectation). We see Faith playing the role of the rich socialite again, as in No Future For You, only this time it’s closer to the truth.
Art: This is one area where Angel & Faith is clearly superior over Buffy is the art. Issacs > Jeanty. Isaacs does an amazing visual characterization of Faith, which helps against the feeling that her voice that Gage is supplying is a bit off.
Rating: 3 if we’re not supposed to agree with Faith’s whitewashing of Angel; 2.5 if we are.
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Buffy season 9 #3, Freefall part 3
I liked the issue, even though it's focused more on the plot than the deep characterization and interpersonal relationships. It's understandable, since there's a lot of new plot developments to deal with. There will be time for a more nuanced exploration of relationships; starting probably with issue 5. At least I hope that we won’t have to wait for Joss to come back to get something more layered.
On the other hand, compared to Angel & Faith, Buffy season 9 has been a lot more interesting and layered. I can think of several scenes and panels that really make you think and try to analyze what's been said, try to figure out the underlying feelings and motivations (most of them in Whedon’s #1, but also some in Chambliss’ #2). Even with all the narrations by Buffy, there is still some mystery about how Buffy feels about herself and the people in her life; and that's even more so the case with the other characters; we may know that Willow thinks that breaking the Seed was bad, while Spike thinks it was the right thing to do and he's there to help Buffy, but beyond that, we're left to speculate on how Willow, Spike, Xander or Dawn feel and how their future will shape up. The new characters and potential villains have all been ambiguous. How did the new vampire-killer get his powers, and is he really such a great guy, or is there something ominous about him? What's the deal with the demon released from the mystical prison, and does he want to kill Buffy, to thank her, or something else? Are the cops going to be Buffy's enemies or allies? And so on.
So, let’s see what #3 reveals about these mini-mysteries (or „mysteries“).
Buffy’s „freefall“ continues, in that she is being reckless and doing risky things. At least she’s happy while she’ss slaying, which is something she turns to when she can’t deal with her real life problems.
I'm not sure if the explanation about the fight between Xander and Dawn was the truth, or something they came up with to tell the police. I don't think I'd be telling strangers about my private matters. Anyway, I like them much better in #3 than in #2. Here they do show interest in Buffy's well-being, and offer good advice to Buffy to talk to the police and sort things out. They don't start interrogating Buffy about her new friend/colleague, or try to argue with her some more, but she's an adult and can make her decisions, and they probably figured Severin was a part of the fight. (Which they are trying to leave.) It wouldn't be the first time they've met a male demon-fighter.
In #2, I was more irked by the two of them not showing much interest or concern in what is going on with Buffy, than in not giving her shelter. I said it before, I would have been happier if they had told her: Buffy, you're being stupid. You shouldn't have ran away from police custody. You better sort it out with the police. We don't want to give you shelter so we wouldn't be accomplices harboring a fugitive.
To make it clear: I thought Buffy was being stupidly reckless when she ran away from the police, but I don’t see anything wrong with her agreeing to go and kill a nest of feral vampires first. It’s her job.
The twist about Eldre Koh/Severin is good, although it's something we've speculated about. I'm starting to think that with so much speculation, there's very little that can still surprise us. :D
Eldre Koh, the demon released from the mystical prison (now we know what it was that fans misheard as „El Draco“) is quite an interesting character so far, though he seems to fall firmly into the „Proud Warrior Race“ type of role. I found it funny that Koh is so used to being imprisoned that he wants to live at Alcatraz because it reminds him of 'home'. Poor demon, it will take a while to adjust. I assume he meant the part about "breathing the same air" metaphorically, like Spike when he talked about "putting him [Angel] in the bloody ground" in Becoming II; either that, or Koh doesn't know much about vampires. We get another reminder that pure demons look down on vampires (or rather did in the pre-Seed world), but maybe he shouldn't, since he is no stronger than Spike, at least not at the moment.
Lots of people have predicted that Severin will be a threat rather than an ally, and that he might try to drain Buffy’s powers (though this is just hinted at so far). His scary turn therefore seems a bit too fast. I'm not sure that Severin is really going to immediately attack Buffy - solicitations for #4 suggest otherwise. And hopefully his storyline doesn't unfold that quickly. Furthermore, I don't think he's been planning to take away Buffy's powers, even if it's what he wants now; for starters, he doesn't know enough about his powers yet, he's probably never met a Slayer before, and maybe he had no idea that he could take powers from a Slayer until he touched Buffy and saw the glowy thing starting to happen. Besides, he's been far too open about his desire for power, and that he could even be more powerful than Buffy; sounds more like someone who is just starting to figure it out, rather than someone who had it planned all along. I would certainly like him to be more morally ambiguous than downright moustache-twirling evil, even though I think he will likely be the villain for the season. I've said before the issue came out that I see him more as Faith 2.0 (rather than a new love interest or whatever else people were speculating): someone who seems like a suitable, if not entirely trustworthy, slaying partner, maybe even a possible replacement for Buffy if she doesn't want to be 'the one', but who turns out to be just a bit too much in love with his powers and not so concerned about morality. Though he and Faith come from the opposite poles of the financial/class divide, in addition to different gender.
Someone on BF posted a comparison between the last panel of this issue and the guy with the glasses from #40, now it seems they're the same person. (But then, Willow, Simone and the fairy were also depicted as threats in season 9, and at least one of them isn't exactly evil. ) The only difference is that the in #40 the guy is wearing glasses - they look like sunglasses, so it doesn't have to mean that he has problems with his vision - and gloves. Maybe Severin's power will be getting out of his control so he'll have to be careful to wear gloves to control his touch.
The bad (aka the mythology):
Willow's explanation about zompires makes the kind of sense that's not. If the demon isn't animating zompires, then what is? Why aren't they corpses? What is the magic that Severin is sucking from them?
Some people have understood this to mean that the demons are „remote controlling“ the body. Since when is that even possible from another dimension, if the other dimensions have been cut off?
More likely, she just meant that demons can’t enter this dimension, so they aren’t there at all. But let me get this straight: if zompres are feral and mindless because the demon can't reach them properly or whatever - then it seems like vampire's human memories and intelligence and emotions come from... the demon?! Isn't the demon mindless, like Pure-Demon-Angel in Pylea? Or maybe, as others have postulated, the demon is needed just to use the human traits and memories.
Still, this leaves us with vampires being animated by some magical, demonic substance, which is carried through in the siring process; but in addition they also have the demon? Seems like a needless complication. And what do those demons do before they come to our dimension? And why would they even want to come? If you were told that you should go to another galaxy and possess an alien body and completely lose your own memories and personality in the memorie and personality of that alien - why the heck would you wanna do it?
I really hope that Willow is wrong, but unfortunately they probably just needed to get zompires and it didn't matter what nonsensical explanation they came up with. The conversation at the writers' meeting probably went something like this:
"Hey, it would be great if we had a new kind of vampires that are totally mindless and feral. Like zombies. Zompires!"
"Zompires! Cool! Great idea!"
"And anyone who gets sired after the Seed was broken becomes a zompire!'
"But how do we explain it?"
"I dunno, we'll think of some crap".
But then, it was probably similar with most of the mythology.
"How do we explain why Angel is different from the other vampires?"
"He has a soul."
"What is the soul?"
"Well, it's something that makes him good. And when he doesn't have it, he's evil."
There’s been some speculation on whether this is an attempt to make the vampires less morally ambiguous. I think it has more to do with something that the writers probably realized at some point, that there's very little reason why huge chunks of human population wouldn't opt to become vampires, and very little that Buffy or anyone could actually do to "open their eyes" to vampires' true nature. Because it's perfectly possible that they are plenty of people who understand the true nature of vampires and have no problem with it whatsoever.
It’s a widespread opinion about the story about the popularity of vampires as if it's a really stupid and unbelievable concept. But is it really? I can see why the authorities being (openly) in their favor would be too much to believe. But what other folks in general? The belief that it's idiotic is based on the idea that vampires would kill those humans (like, for real) and that there have to be some vampires that are still killing, only in secret. For starters, many vampires are also looking for their own survival and comfort and realize that it's much better for them to play nice and get free blood rather than risk getting hunted down and staked or exposed to the sun. They don't have secrecy as a weapon now, they have to find something else.
Now, most of those vampires used to kill before... and there must be some of them who are still killing (not to sire people), only in secret. But if some humans know that but just don't care, as long as they believe aren't the ones that are going to be nothing but food? Some people who love vampires or the idea of becoming a vampire might be like Diego and Chanterelle, others might be more like Ford.
Many of our assumptions here have been based on the idea that the absolute majority of people would be horrified of monsters who kill or used to kill people. But that may be giving the human race a bit too much credit/ Think of the popularity that many gangsters have had in masses and popular consciousness, be it Wild West outlaws or Bonnie and Clyde or the mafia of today. (Much of the interactions between the main characters of The Sopranos and the non-mafia characters was based on the exotic allure that mobsters have in popular culture.) And, well, the idea that almost nobody would want to be sired if they just knew the full truth about vampires is based on the belief that the majority of people are good, moral people or want to be good and would be crushed by the idea of becoming immoral mass murderers. Except that... well, if that was the case, then there wouldn't be so many human murderers, gangsters, serial killers, war criminals, dictators. And even among those who aren't, there are many who are... morally challenged.
There are other downsides to being a vampire, sure. Like not being able to have children. But - how many people, especially in their youth, really want to have children? And how many of those who do want it just because 1) it's what you're supposed to do, or 2) they see children as the only continuation of themselves, because they'll get old and die? Remove that, and I'm not sure which percentage of human race would be eager to have kids. There are many people who really love children in general and people who really, desperately want to have children and take care of children. But then there are also many others who abandon or ignore their children, and some who even kill them.
Imagine explaining the advantages and downsides of being a vampire to someone who doesn't really care that much about being a good person and doing the right thing.
"But when you become a vampire, you'll become a soulless, immoral monster and will enjoy killing people!"
"Yeah, yeah, OK, but I'll be immortal, right?"
"Well, yes. Unless someone stakes you to the heart..."
"Can they kill me with a gun?"
"No"
"Good"
"And you can't walk in the sun, because you'll burn. Imagine never being able to feel the sunlight..."
"Meh, I always liked going out at night better anyway, and sleeping during the day. "
"And imagine never being able to feel your heartbeat..."
"Eww, why would I ever want to feel my heartbeat?"
"And you'll have to drink blood."
"But I'll like it, right?"
"Well, yes. But... you'll never be able to have a child."
"You say it like it's a bad thing. Let's see now, I'll never age another day, right?"
"Yes."
"And I'll have super-powers! I'll be super-strong and super-fast and everyone in the neighborhood will be afraid of me! And I'll heal quickly and I'll never get ill?"
"Yes, that's all true."
"And chicks/guys are really into that vampire thing. I'll be hot stuff! And... I've heard that I'll also have a lot of stamina for, you know *nudge nudge wink wink*"
"Well... there are rumors about that, yes..."
"... and I won't even have to worry about getting a bun in the oven/having some chick dump a kid on my doorstep. Hey, what the hell am I waiting for? Sign me up for this!"
And now imagine those humans who are already killers, gangsters, dictators, amoral politicians and heads of big corporations. Why wouldn't they want to get immortality, super-strength and immunity to illness in addition to what they already have? I imagine the only issue might be worrying if the potential sire will really sire you, or just kill you - if they decide to not fulfill the bargain, or if they are inexperienced and don't know how to do it. But as we've seen with Harth, you can "sire" yourself, if you just know how (slash a vampire and drink their blood before you die). There is still the risk that someone would burn or mutilate your body, for instance, before you wake up, but if you have loyal people with you to watch over the process, even that danger is minimal. And if you're rich and powerful, there's all the more probability that you have people working for you who could do the job.
The more I think about it, the more I see why the writers really had to find a way to make siring unattractive to humans.
There should be groups who hate vampires, religious groups who want them eradicated, politicians crusading against them - and others who are in their favor, debates pro and against, etc. But maybe there are - the comics just haven't focused on them, because the whole issue was just touched on. "Vampires are popular now" doesn't have to mean that everyone likes them, just like "Slayers are hated" shouldn't mean that literally everyone hated the Slayers.
I hope they'll explain some of it now. From #2, it seems like the existence of vampires is still not something that everyone believes in - some people like Cheung still think they're some sort of reality TV sham. So maybe the general public still isn't sure if they are real or if these are just some people playacting and enjoying bloodsucking (and probably using some effects on screen to make it look like they're changing their faces).
I hope they'll explore this a bit more seriously. So far it seems like it was just thrown as a cool plot in the middle of season 8, but nobody really thought it through at the time and bothered to explain how the world works now. A bigger inconsistency is that they've retconed Buffy's notoriety in season 8.
Another question is, how come nobody has noticed the difference in newly sired vampires? Maybe the writers just forgot about their own timeline and that there has been 7-9 months since the breaking of the Seed... or maybe the point is that people see what they expect to see, which is why so few people have noticed something off.
Art: Much better this time - Jeanty is really good with closeups, he draws new characters well, but I also have no criticism against his portrayal of Buffy in this issue. For once, she does look like an adult. The issue also has a beautiful cover by Steve Morris, visually showing Buffy's alienation from Willow, Xander and Dawn.
Rating: 3
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