Okay, it's time for my reply. It could get a bit long, so bear with me.
Okay, first I'll start by saying I understand your disillusionment with the comics. While I wasn't eagerly looking forward to Season 9(the comics just never worked for me as a cannonical continuation of the show, and aren't fun or interesting besides)I still had hope that DH would have learned from their mistakes and gotten on the right track. It would be unrealistic to expect them to suddenly make a comic that was *amazing*, but you'd think they would know better than to continue with the lousy characterisations, shock value tactics, and goofy plot twists. I was even cautiously optimistic about Spuffy, vacillating between excitement and worry, although the feelings were fairly mild as my investment in the story was half-hearted. Even so, I became increasingly annoyed as the season unfolded, as I didn't expect them to be so awful. I finally gave up on them completely when they sent Spike away. I was really hurt by that for a couple weeks, it was like Spuffy had been invalidated. Really, the only reason I had any investment in the comics is because Joss sees it as canon, so to get over my comics angst I reminded myself that there was no way Joss would make the show like that. IMO he's just having fun making a comic book about his own characters, and having all sorts of crazy things happen that he thinks are cool, and he only calls it canon to validate it. I doubt he really sees the story continuing this way. Maybe if you keep thinking about it this way, it will help you move on from them too? I hope you can, because I'm much happier feeling "whatever" towards the comics, and I didn't have your level of emotional investment(it got mostly burned out in S8) to begin with.
So, on to your post. I said I agreed earlier, but really I *mostly* agree. Firstly, I agree about Spike and Angel. They understand the souled vampire aspect of each other, but that is hardly all there is to them. As *people* they are extremely different and so, really can't understand each other. Also, the person who understands Spike best would be Buffy, but they aren't interested in that relationship(and I don't just mean in a shippy way), probably because it's too heartfelt to appeal to the fanboys these comics are made for. That might be why they like writing Buffy as being either rude or unresponsive to Spike, and why I expect him to sleep with Faith(blergh) in A&F. It's more palatable to the target audience than what he and Buffy had in the show.
Sadly, I also have to agree about the Angel/Bangel bias and think Buffy will forgive him far too easily and they'll be back to being lovey-dovey in no time. To DH, killing Giles was the only bad thing Angel did as Twilight and the only thing she needs to forgive him for. I wouldn't be surprized if they have her initially being standoffish towards him, only to have him(or maybe another character(s) call her on how "childish" and "selfish" she is being for holding a grudge when he was nobly trying to save humanity and only killed Giles because he was possessed, causing her to "come to her senses" and forgive him completely, and Twilight will never be brought up again. I hope not, but I don't have faith in them. After all, Allie defended Angel as a better boyfriend for Buffy than Spike when he knew Angel was Twilight. Biased, indeed.
WORD to everything you said about Buffy's forgiveness, I've got nothing to add there. It's just one of the ways they've warped her character.
I still had hope that DH would have learned from their mistakes and gotten on the right track. It would be unrealistic to expect them to suddenly make a comic that was *amazing*, but you'd think they would know better than to continue with the lousy characterisations, shock value tactics, and goofy plot twists. I was even cautiously optimistic about Spuffy, vacillating between excitement and worry, although the feelings were fairly mild as my investment in the story was half-hearted
Yes! This is wonderfully put. These were my exact feelings as well. I had hope that having come from season 8, they'd be more knowledgeable about, well, everything. I didn't expect great comics off the bat, but a genuine effort. I do not see that in season 9. All I really see is carelessness and a quick effort to make Angel look good while dismissing his crimes in season 8 completely.
Really, the only reason I had any investment in the comics is because Joss sees it as canon, so to get over my comics angst I reminded myself that there was no way Joss would make the show like that. IMO he's just having fun making a comic book about his own characters, and having all sorts of crazy things happen that he thinks are cool, and he only calls it canon to validate it.
Oh, gosh, yes, yes! That was my hang up, but the more I thought about it the less it seemed to be real. As in the real follow up of season 7. Yeah, Joss was having fun and doing what he wanted, not actually thinking about anything serious. But the backlash probably made him realize that he was messing with something a lot of people held dear and it was no longer fun for him. It's a completely different team too. The comics, while we have some TV writers, it's mostly headed by different people besides Joss. That just makes it a whole different creature. I am beginning to see it as Joss fan fiction, taking place in an AU setting, with POD Buffy.
Okay, first I'll start by saying I understand your disillusionment with the comics. While I wasn't eagerly looking forward to Season 9(the comics just never worked for me as a cannonical continuation of the show, and aren't fun or interesting besides)I still had hope that DH would have learned from their mistakes and gotten on the right track. It would be unrealistic to expect them to suddenly make a comic that was *amazing*, but you'd think they would know better than to continue with the lousy characterisations, shock value tactics, and goofy plot twists. I was even cautiously optimistic about Spuffy, vacillating between excitement and worry, although the feelings were fairly mild as my investment in the story was half-hearted. Even so, I became increasingly annoyed as the season unfolded, as I didn't expect them to be so awful. I finally gave up on them completely when they sent Spike away. I was really hurt by that for a couple weeks, it was like Spuffy had been invalidated. Really, the only reason I had any investment in the comics is because Joss sees it as canon, so to get over my comics angst I reminded myself that there was no way Joss would make the show like that. IMO he's just having fun making a comic book about his own characters, and having all sorts of crazy things happen that he thinks are cool, and he only calls it canon to validate it. I doubt he really sees the story continuing this way. Maybe if you keep thinking about it this way, it will help you move on from them too? I hope you can, because I'm much happier feeling "whatever" towards the comics, and I didn't have your level of emotional investment(it got mostly burned out in S8) to begin with.
So, on to your post. I said I agreed earlier, but really I *mostly* agree. Firstly, I agree about Spike and Angel. They understand the souled vampire aspect of each other, but that is hardly all there is to them. As *people* they are extremely different and so, really can't understand each other. Also, the person who understands Spike best would be Buffy, but they aren't interested in that relationship(and I don't just mean in a shippy way), probably because it's too heartfelt to appeal to the fanboys these comics are made for. That might be why they like writing Buffy as being either rude or unresponsive to Spike, and why I expect him to sleep with Faith(blergh) in A&F. It's more palatable to the target audience than what he and Buffy had in the show.
Sadly, I also have to agree about the Angel/Bangel bias and think Buffy will forgive him far too easily and they'll be back to being lovey-dovey in no time. To DH, killing Giles was the only bad thing Angel did as Twilight and the only thing she needs to forgive him for. I wouldn't be surprized if they have her initially being standoffish towards him, only to have him(or maybe another character(s) call her on how "childish" and "selfish" she is being for holding a grudge when he was nobly trying to save humanity and only killed Giles because he was possessed, causing her to "come to her senses" and forgive him completely, and Twilight will never be brought up again. I hope not, but I don't have faith in them. After all, Allie defended Angel as a better boyfriend for Buffy than Spike when he knew Angel was Twilight. Biased, indeed.
WORD to everything you said about Buffy's forgiveness, I've got nothing to add there. It's just one of the ways they've warped her character.
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Yes! This is wonderfully put. These were my exact feelings as well. I had hope that having come from season 8, they'd be more knowledgeable about, well, everything. I didn't expect great comics off the bat, but a genuine effort. I do not see that in season 9. All I really see is carelessness and a quick effort to make Angel look good while dismissing his crimes in season 8 completely.
Really, the only reason I had any investment in the comics is because Joss sees it as canon, so to get over my comics angst I reminded myself that there was no way Joss would make the show like that. IMO he's just having fun making a comic book about his own characters, and having all sorts of crazy things happen that he thinks are cool, and he only calls it canon to validate it.
Oh, gosh, yes, yes! That was my hang up, but the more I thought about it the less it seemed to be real. As in the real follow up of season 7. Yeah, Joss was having fun and doing what he wanted, not actually thinking about anything serious. But the backlash probably made him realize that he was messing with something a lot of people held dear and it was no longer fun for him. It's a completely different team too. The comics, while we have some TV writers, it's mostly headed by different people besides Joss. That just makes it a whole different creature. I am beginning to see it as Joss fan fiction, taking place in an AU setting, with POD Buffy.
Thanks!
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