The big bad of season 8 is called Twilight.
The character with the most mysterious and unexplained arc in season 8
is called Dawn.
Coincidence?


Anyway, my first impression of 'A Beautiful Sunset' was that it felt
rather flat, like nothing much happened... which is odd for an episode
that advances the main season arc as well as answering several
important questions - even including the 'Does Buffy know if Spike is
alive?' one. On further thought I think that's rather unfair - it
really didn't help that the most important new development was given
to us a month ago in the preview; but also, I think I've got used to
the Season 8 style of story telling that wraps mysteries inside
enigmas inside conundrums. An episode where everything is plain and
straightforward and questions are answered without new ones being
posed just seems unnatural. Also, this was in many ways a fluffy
episode - not quite comedy, but heading in that direction - and
personally I've always preferred the doom and angst. (But not the
episode 'Doomed', which is my 155th least favourite BtVS episode...).

I also suspect that a lot of ideas which Joss puts across in this
issue, which to me just seem fairly obvious, will turn out to be quite
controversial...

....Case in point being Buffy's unhesitating description of the Slayer
Empowerment Spell as a 'good thing'. Clearly the writer of this story
doesn't buy into the whole "What Buffy and Willow did in 'Chosen' was
tantamount to mass rape" idea that some people espouse. It's
interesting that the value of the empowerment is seen as not so much
the strength ("though that does come in handy", as Buffy points out)
but the sense of purpose and connection. I can see that - we know that
nobody forces Slayers to sign up to fight evil any more, so presumably
the girls in Team Buffy have all made a conscious decision. They know
there are bad things in the world, but they also know that they,
personally, now have enough power to help change that. They can
actually make a difference themselves, and that's a powerful and
positive thing to know. It's all very political and a metaphor for all
sorts of real-world things, of course: and it's continuing the theme
from 'The Chain'. Also, issue #10 was all about division and heartache
and betrayal, so it's a nice contrast to make the theme of #11
'connection'.

In the montage of scenes from Chosen, Baseball Girl was drawn
perfectly, but I'm afraid I only recognised Vi because she's standing
behind Rona's right shoulder, just as she was in the TV show. Also,
the sparkly red CGI glow is a new touch; I like the way a soft
afterimage of it is still outlining the Slayers as they train at the
bottom of the page.

Here's a question: is 'school girl' in the 'Chosen' montage supposed
to be Satsu?

The lockers are drawn in an identical way. However, the girl on the
show is wearing jeans, t-shirt and jacket, not blouse, tie and skirt
the way Satsu's been pictured here; and her hair's different. I'd be
happy if it is her, though - and put down the differences in clothing
to artistic licence and/or a mistake (wouldn't be the first time
*cough*Willowseyecolour*cough*...). Not only is it a nice touch of
continuity, but it makes Satsu an actual Character Who Was On The Show
and thus, according to some people, worthy of being a romantic
interest of the Core Four. ;-)

Speaking of continuity, we've seen Simone twice before already, so
it's nice to have it confirmed that that was foreshadowing. The moral
message is pretty clear and obvious: Buffy crossed the line herself
with her bank robbery, and now her followers are doing the same thing
except with more violence. Buffy gave them power... but she can't
control how they choose to use it, and some of them are making bad
choices. That's what happens when you give people power without first
chaining them to the earth (literally or metaphorically)...

Mind you, Simone herself would probably argue that she can fight evil
much more effectively now that her team has automatic weapons and
grenades; like she said in #2, she can now "do some real damage".
Question is, to what? I expect her to become an ongoing subplot for
much of the rest of the season.

On a side note, I know someone in real life who tends to hand me her
coffee cup after she's finished with it the way Buffy does to Xander
here, even if she's just as close to the kitchen as I am... :-)

Also, we've known at least since 'Chosen' that Buffy's a slasher at
heart, but it's nice to get further confirmation. Assuming "that would
be nice" is a reply to the idea of Xander getting a man, rather than
her thinking she's like one for herself too, of course - though it
could be both. Both Xander and Buffy seem to share a common opinion of
Andrew that he's not the sort of person you'd want to bond with: they
haven't been mysteriously converted into admirers of him despite
putting him in charge of a squad. Mind you, they seem to be blaming
Rona rather than Andrew for Simone going off the rails, although there
might be an element of "well, what do you expect from Andrew?" in
that.

In the preview I thought the glow reflected off Buffy and Xander's
faces was either a surprise party, Inverness being nuked, or the light
of lots of candles that Xander had lit so that he and Buffy could have
sex next to them. Looks like guess no. 1 was correct... though it was
a general party rather than Buffy's birthday party.

Dawn's size relative to the girls climbing over her is much smaller
than I depicted her in my fic 'Netherlands to Nepal', meaning that
Willow could have stood on the ground and wouldn't have fallen off
twice. (If you don't understand that last sentence, be thankful...)
Her drinking from opened beer kegs is cute, but I also liked the image
of one of the Slayers casually lifting one of them while chatting to
her friend as if it were made of polystyrene. (and in general, the way
the image shows people who are clearly from all over the world)

Some other points of note: we have confirmation that Dawn is at least
18 (the drinking age in Scotland), making this episode no earlier than
late 2004/early 2005, and not yet 21 (the drinking age in California)
so it's no later than late 2007/early 2008. Xander has kept Dawn's
confidence and not told Buffy what she said about Kenny and Nick last
issue. And apparently Satsu and Renee are dancing together in a "we're
both attracted to members of the Core Four/Three/Two secret club" kind
of way while Leah watches with a drink in her hand. Either Rowena is
off doing her own thing or she's the blonde girl next to Leah and
totally unrecognisable because she's not wearing her baseball cap...
I do think this is the first time we've seen Renee interact with any
of that group.

So back in the day, Buffy wore blue. Did the Germans wear grey?

Notice how every single act break in this issue has one character
saying something which is then reflected or taken up by the characters
in the next scene?

Satsu's fall and the mud are slapstick, though Buffy's in a serious
mood: she pretty much slaps Satsu down when she makes a joke, which is
quite jarring. Mentoring Slayers is serious business, especially if -
as we now learn - Buffy considers Satsu as potential "her eventual
replacement as leader" material.

Loved the reference to Buffy's dream in 'Restless'.

The next bit, with two characters having a serious emotional
heart-to-heart in the middle of fighting vampires, is very much a
standard BtVS trope, but it's always a fun one. I loved the futile
attempts of the vampires to interject, and Buffy's dismissive replies.
And kicking one high up into the air so he catches the last rays of
the setting sun is an inspired move... Satsu herself was pretty
impressive too, as befits Buffy's chosen heir: drawing her sword and
beheading the vampire running up behind her without even looking round
is a classic samurai move sort of move.

As for the emotional content of the scene: it was pretty much the way
I thought it would go, though of course I'm pleased to be proven
right. :-) Watching Satsu's successive reactions was instructive:
she's embarrassed and ashamed when Buffy criticises her for getting
her jump wrong (she wants to look good in front of her); she's
struggling to remain impassive when she thinks Buffy might be leaving,
and while Buffy is, in effect, stroking her face to clean the mud off
(doesn't want her to know how she really feels). When she realises
Buffy does know she's in love with her she's horrified (and angry
because the lip gloss gave it away), then gets really upset when she
thinks that now Buffy won't want her around. I think she's resigned
herself to the idea that she stands no chance of a relationship with
Buffy - but probably can't resist hoping that maybe she's wrong and
she will be interested after all.

Is she wrong? Buffy's never come across as anything other than
thoroughly heterosexual before.. well, depending on your opinions on
her feelings for Faith. Personally, I thought that the fact that Buffy
was willing to joke about the fact that the two of them were in a
relationship (the "really, we're just good friends" scene in the
Bronze) was good evidence that she didn't actually take such a
possibility seriously. (What Faith's opinions were on that subject is
another question entirely, of course.) Buffy doesn't contradict that
idea here either - although I can't help but comment that as an answer
to "You're not gay", "Not so you'd notice" is rather more ambiguous
than a flat-out "Sorry, no.". :-)

In fact, Buffy is clearly pleased and flattered by Satsu's attraction
to her, and obviously feels something for her too, even if it's
non-sexual. Just look at her body language all through the issue -
from the intimacy of cleaning Satsu's face, to kicking her across the
set (what? She did that to Spike all the time when she was having a
relationship with him...), to hugging her and cradling her head when
she cries, to perching on her hospital bed and leaning forward all
big-eyed and parted-lips and holding her hand. This could be Buffy's
long-unsuspected-by-anyone-but-Faith bi side finally emerging. Just as
likely, she's clinging to Satsu as her new best friend now that things
are so awkward with Willow, and isn't used to governing her actions to
make sure that can't be interpreted as sexual come-ons the way she
automatically would with a platonic male friend.

I don't know where they're heading with all this... but I can see
Buffy almost falling into a relationship with Satsu by accident:
because she's lonely, and feeling isolated from everybody except the
other Slayers;, and she likes Satsu and appreciates her supportiveness
and is flattered by the attention; and while she's got no sexual
interest in her she's not squicked by the idea either; and she feels
guilty for not giving Satsu what she wants when Satsu does so much for
Buffy... Someone should write the fic. Though I can't see it having a
happy ending.

And then there's the speech that I suspect will be analysed to death,
when Buffy breaks down in tears. Although I'm generally happy with the
comic format, this is one speech that would be so much better spoken
by the actress rather than written as a flat paragraph of text. I
wonder how much we'd have to pay Sarah Prinze to record the audiobook
version of this comic? Anyway, the reference to people who love Buffy
"burning up" seems pretty clear proof that she doesn't know that Spike
came back afterwards, although I admit it's not entirely conclusive -
Angel came back from Hell too. She clearly misses him (and Angel, and
Riley) an awful lot, though. Though the reference to friends leaving
too suggests that it's Willow's estrangement that has really triggered
this outburst - and Buffy has taken to heart the fact that it's her
fault.

The fact that Buffy refers to her lovers in the order
Angel-Spike-Riley will doubtless enrage Spuffies and delight Bangels
everywhere, especially since it's not chronological (in which case it
would have been Angel-Riley-Spike).

Oh yeah, and the Big Bad also makes an appearance. Really, this is
almost an anticlimax, the weakest part of the issue. The only reason
Twilight shows up is to make a "mwah-ha-ha" speech ("I actually came
here to talk"), bash Buffy around to show how powerful he is, and make
her doubt herself. So far, so Adam/Glory/Caleb (delete as applicable).

It is interesting that Twilight's main aim was to "strip Buffy of her
moral certainty" - something which quite a few readers believe needs
to be done anyway. So again, Twilight the Big Bad is actually doing
something we can sympathise with... But he reckoned without Xander's
own superpower, as well as Buffy's connection to Satsu. (And notice
that her defiant speech, after the classic-Joss "church me", is to
tell Twilight that she's not alone, there are plenty of other girls
ready to step into her shoes?)

The fight was impressive, although I didn't recognise the scenery:
those buildings looked more Dutch or German than Scottish, although
I'm not sufficiently familiar with Scottish architecture to say for
sure. Anybody recognise anything? Other questions: how did Twilight
watch Buffy and Willow? (Amusing speculation: Twilight's secret
identity is actually Georges Jeanty, Joss Whedon or Scott Allie :-)
). Why does Twilight's posse include a bunch of demons - I thought he
was opposed to them? (or is he, *gasp*, a hypocrite?) I assume the
woman was Lieutenant Molter, but the man didn't look like General Voll
- is he still around?

I laughed at the so-called reveal of Twilight's face. Another reason
why I call this a comedy episode. So, what do we know about Twilight?
He's male, white, square-chinned, and wears a mask and cape. He can
fly, and is super-strong. Sounds very much like your cliché comic
superhero, in fact... which makes me wonder if it's Andrew's secret
identity. Or Warren has had a chin-skin transplant since we last saw
him.

On the other hand, I've also speculated that Twilight is Caleb, with
those belts around his waist holding his bisected parts back together.
Here's some more evidence to support this theory:

1. The second page of the comic includes a flashback of Caleb just to
remind us about him.
2. "Always complaining, just like a girl" is typical Calebian
misogyny. So is the talking about Buffy crying
3. The clincher: Buffy tries to swing the Scythe up between Twilight's
legs - just like she did to Caleb - and he says "I know that move,
Slayer".

Plus, I can really hear Nathan Fillion saying the line "The trick is
to strip her of her greatest armour... her moral certainty" with the
same intonation he used in 'Dirty Girls' to say "The strongest, the
fastest, the most aflame with that most precious invention of all
mankind... the notion of goodness."

A lot of the nasty moments in season 8 have taken place,
coincidentally enough, at twilight. But now, as Twilight gloats about
his victory we see Buffy hugging Satsu and watching a beautiful
sunrise (as opposed to a beautiful Dawn). In fact, this episode ends
on a surprisingly hopeful note. Buffy telling Satsu that they'll both
heal. Satsu actually making a slightly sarcastic joke. (We can deduce
from the radical way she customised her combat outfit that she's
hardly a conformist at heart, but previously she's always been
entirely proper and respectful around Buffy, being careful to call her
'ma'am'.) Xander giving Buffy a pep-talk about giving people purpose
and connection. Buffy encouraging Xander to ask Renee to go out with
him - which is building on her raised eyebrows about them being
'sparring partners' back in the Faith arc. (Admittedly, it also puts a
stake through the heart of any Buffy/Xander shippers reading who
thought they were sure to get together now based on the preview. I
wonder if Buffy's eagerness to see Xander paired off has any
implications for her own feelings about Satsu??)

So Buffy's still feeling not-so-much connected and mopey... but that's
practically her default state these days, so no shock there. As Xander
says, being the leader is famous for being a lonely role. The big
question is, what's the huge reveal in the next episode that Joss has
warned retailers to buy in extra copies for?

Stephen

In article <r7lmq355nummv6kr0e1aqqndsbmindimll@4ax.com>,
Stephen Tempest <stephen@stempest.demon.co.uk> wrote:

> The big bad of season 8 is called Twilight.
> The character with the most mysterious and unexplained arc in season 8
> is called Dawn.
> Coincidence?

so you have to ask yourself
when you see those lights in the sky
do you see coincidence
or do you see signs

> ...Case in point being Buffy's unhesitating description of the Slayer
> Empowerment Spell as a 'good thing'. Clearly the writer of this story
> doesn't buy into the whole "What Buffy and Willow did in 'Chosen' was
> tantamount to mass rape" idea that some people espouse. It's

- good thing we re hot chicks with superpowers
i dont recall any slayer complaining about the power
even crazy dana seemed happy to finally have the power

what buffy objected to was being alone to fight the evil
along with the traditional slayer early death benefit

> In the montage of scenes from Chosen, Baseball Girl was drawn

yea baseball girl

> Speaking of continuity, we've seen Simone twice before already, so
> it's nice to have it confirmed that that was foreshadowing. The moral
> message is pretty clear and obvious: Buffy crossed the line herself
> with her bank robbery, and now her followers are doing the same thing
> except with more violence. Buffy gave them power... but she can't

theres an important line in the power and glory
where the corrupt and debased priest is facing
the brave and moral lieutenant
- what about the jefe?

no matter how good the intentions
an organization will acquire people who pervert the power to their own ends
without vigorous policing and self-criticism

> Loved the reference to Buffy's dream in 'Restless'.

that was signficant in the dream
because it was buffy losing her civilized side
and losing herself into the loneliless and brutality of the first slayer

she no longer sleeps on a bed of bones
(and uses a better hair conditioner)

> another question entirely, of course.) Buffy doesn't contradict that
> idea here either - although I can't help but comment that as an answer
> to "You're not gay", "Not so you'd notice" is rather more ambiguous
> than a flat-out "Sorry, no.". :-)

given her romantic track record
maybe buffy is doubting her abillity to make a connection

> Oh yeah, and the Big Bad also makes an appearance. Really, this is
> almost an anticlimax, the weakest part of the issue. The only reason
> Twilight shows up is to make a "mwah-ha-ha" speech ("I actually came
> here to talk"), bash Buffy around to show how powerful he is, and make
> her doubt herself. So far, so Adam/Glory/Caleb (delete as applicable).

i am rewatching season five and he sounds a younger version of gregor
general of the knights of byzantine

> On the other hand, I've also speculated that Twilight is Caleb, with
> those belts around his waist holding his bisected parts back together.
> Here's some more evidence to support this theory:

no scar through the middle of his throat and chin

also just because jonath-n died doesnt mean hes dead
he mightve been just mostly dead not completely dead

arf meow arf - everything thing i know i learned
from the collective unconscience of odd bodkins
sacramento - political pigsty of the western world
or a babys arm holding an apple

On Feb 7, 1:00 pm, Stephen Tempest <step...@stempest.demon.co.uk>
wrote:

> Anyway, my first impression of 'A Beautiful Sunset' was that it felt
> rather flat, like nothing much happened... which is odd for an episode
> that advances the main season arc as well as answering several
> important questions

Part of my delay in responding is that I didn't get my hands on the
comic until today - nice of people not to buy up every copy for once
the week I was away - but now this response won't say much because I
have very little of note to say about "A Beautiful Sunset." Not even
that it was bad, just that it didn't thrill me enough to give me any
opinions or insights. I'm impressed that you managed to generate so
much text, given that you seem to feel the same way.

> Also, this was in many ways a fluffy
> episode - not quite comedy, but heading in that direction - and
> personally I've always preferred the doom and angst. (But not the
> episode 'Doomed', which is my 155th least favourite BtVS episode...).

I'm curious about what you were trying to say, since "155th least
favorite" is pretty high praise, if there are 154 you liked less.
It's especially impressive given that if we count every one of those
little 24-pagers as a full episode (and "Bargaining" as two, which
it's not), there are only 155 episodes of BTVS.

> I also suspect that a lot of ideas which Joss puts across in this
> issue, which to me just seem fairly obvious, will turn out to be quite
> controversial...
>
> ...Case in point being Buffy's unhesitating description of the Slayer
> Empowerment Spell as a 'good thing'. Clearly the writer of this story
> doesn't buy into the whole "What Buffy and Willow did in 'Chosen' was
> tantamount to mass rape" idea that some people espouse.

Browsing through your LJ, people have already articulated well what
the empowerment spell means as far as awakening sleeping capabilities
in those who were forcibly denied them by the old system. But
seriously, Buffy's "unhesitating description" is anything but. It's
done with a sense of irony about it, suggesting that she's brooding
about the way she's abruptly created this Chosen Caste without a way
to ensure that they don't start hurting people. (Which was my
complaint about "Chosen," so, cool.) I know tone of voice is hard to
represent on page, but clearly, anything in the first voiceover is
trying to convince herself at best, or as sarcastic as the concluding
"yay, me" at worst.

That's what the comic is trying to make into an issue - create a
villain who reflects some of the same concerns that the viewer might.
In that regard, I'm disappointed that Twilight is so mwahaha-y; if
it's a serious moral question, putting it into the mouth of a villain
who's specifically trying to demoralize Buffy makes it easier to
ignore. "He's only saying it because he's evil." Maybe Joss does
think the uncertainty is real, though. Twilight's dialogue is
patronizing, like the way one can get if one's been spying on someone
for a long time, but he also acknowledges that Buffy was trying to do
the right thing. I hold out hope that he'll be a more morally nuanced
villain than a Glory or a Caleb. We'll see how much long-term effect
Xander's pep-talk ends up having.

Both Xander and Buffy seem to share a common opinion of
> Andrew that he's not the sort of person you'd want to bond with: they
> haven't been mysteriously converted into admirers of him despite
> putting him in charge of a squad. Mind you, they seem to be blaming
> Rona rather than Andrew for Simone going off the rails, although there
> might be an element of "well, what do you expect from Andrew?" in
> that.

So Andrew's a figure who should be held up to relentless mockery
(based on every one of his S8 appearances), yet they've made him the
frickin' leader of a group of Slayers. Besides the fact that it's
nonsensical, Andrew's badly outlasted his humor value.

> Oh yeah, and the Big Bad also makes an appearance. Really, this is
> almost an anticlimax, the weakest part of the issue. The only reason
> Twilight shows up is to make a "mwah-ha-ha" speech ("I actually came
> here to talk"), bash Buffy around to show how powerful he is, and make
> her doubt herself. So far, so Adam/Glory/Caleb (delete as applicable).

At least he has a reason not to kill her. Not only has it been done
before, but in the short term, the world may be slightly safer with
her keeping some of the Slayers in some sort of line than without
(although in the long term, as a charismatic leader, she has to go).

> On the other hand, I've also speculated that Twilight is Caleb, with
> those belts around his waist holding his bisected parts back together.
> Here's some more evidence to support this theory:

Now that he's played with his mask, he almost has to be someone
important. The big thing is, though, despite what the comic format
may delude us into thinking, it needs to make sense that Buffy shows
no sign of recognizing his voice. So it can't be someone like an
Ethan Rayne or anyone whose voice Buffy has heard recently, or whose
voice is distinct. Caleb saying Caleb-y lines in a Nathan Fillion
voice would be a bit of a giveaway and elicit a reaction, wouldn't
it? Of course, if Joss ever throws in a line suggesting that he has a
damaged throat or something, all bets will be off.

-AOQ

Stephen Tempest <stephen@stempest.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> The big bad of season 8 is called Twilight.
> The character with the most mysterious and unexplained arc in season 8
> is called Dawn.
> Coincidence?

A-ha! Twilight is really *Kenny*!

> Anyway, my first impression of 'A Beautiful Sunset' was that it felt
> rather flat, like nothing much happened...

I wouldn't call it "flat," but there was no big-stuff-is-happening feeling
during my first reading. Twilight's appearance didn't feel like the big
event it actually was because we hardly learned anything new about him.
(We didn't even get new conundrums about Twilight, though his little
gathering of humans and demons could be thought-provoking.) There wasn't
much more than a chance for Buffy to meet Twilight, whom the audience has
already met, while giving us a few nice but modest updates on her
emotional state. Not bad at all, but it felt more like a mid-arc episode
than a standalone story. But I now suspect that Buffy's thoughts about
connecting to other people might be more important to her development than
I realized at first. Maybe in the future we'll look back and see #10 and
11 as companion stories.

> personally I've always preferred the doom and angst. (But not the
> episode 'Doomed', which is my 155th least favourite BtVS episode...).

I think AOQ already handled this one adequately.

> the girls in Team Buffy have all made a conscious decision. They know
> there are bad things in the world, but they also know that they,
> personally, now have enough power to help change that. They can
> actually make a difference themselves, and that's a powerful and
> positive thing to know. It's all very political and a metaphor for all
> sorts of real-world things, of course: and it's continuing the theme
> from 'The Chain'.

Speaking of which, it was nice see all the love for The Chain in the
letters column. I'm going to assume Scott Allie wanted to reinforce the
connections between these two stories, and it wasn't all just an accident
of timing.

Also in the letter column, we finally learn who Janie Kleinman was. It's
weird to think how we never heard of someone so important to bringing the
Buffyverse to life.

> In the montage of scenes from Chosen, Baseball Girl was drawn
> perfectly, but I'm afraid I only recognised Vi because she's standing
> behind Rona's right shoulder, just as she was in the TV show.

Same here. I blame the mystical red glow, which probably kept the
colorist from making Vi's hair as wonderfully red as it should be.

> Mind you, Simone herself would probably argue that she can fight evil
> much more effectively now that her team has automatic weapons and
> grenades; like she said in #2, she can now "do some real damage".

Thanks -- I didn't connect her to #2 until you said that. You'd think I'd
remember that pink mohawk, even if the reference to Andrew's team didn't
tip me off. You'd be wrong. Note that nothing is shown to tell us if
Simone plans to use those guns for a crime spree, to fight demons, or
both.

> Her drinking from opened beer kegs is cute,

I doubt it would be practical though. I'm no physicist, but wouldn't the
pressure in the keg result in an explosion, or at least half the beer
shooting out? The party didn't seem that messy. Not that I'd object.

> So back in the day, Buffy wore blue. Did the Germans wear grey?

That reference whooshed over my head. However, I am enjoying myself
trying to remember when Buffy wore blue to dance in. Was her dress in the
teaser of Passion a pale blue?

> Notice how every single act break in this issue has one character
> saying something which is then reflected or taken up by the characters
> in the next scene?

A technique used once or twice in seasons 1 through 7, I believe.

> And kicking one high up into the air so he catches the last rays of
> the setting sun is an inspired move...

I thought the attack was at daw-- er, sunrise, as the vampires seemed to
be heading back into the tomb when Buffy and Satsu arrived. Admittedly
this wouldn't fit as well with Xander's comment that they might not want
to head out too early in the morning, unless this actually the morning
after that.

> Is she wrong? Buffy's never come across as anything other than
> thoroughly heterosexual before.. well, depending on your opinions on
> her feelings for Faith. Personally, I thought that the fact that Buffy
> was willing to joke about the fact that the two of them were in a
> relationship (the "really, we're just good friends" scene in the
> Bronze) was good evidence that she didn't actually take such a
> possibility seriously. (What Faith's opinions were on that subject is
> another question entirely, of course.) Buffy doesn't contradict that
> idea here either - although I can't help but comment that as an answer
> to "You're not gay", "Not so you'd notice" is rather more ambiguous
> than a flat-out "Sorry, no.". :-)

I think that was more likely to be simple Whedonspeak than serious
ambiguity. But hey, keep hope alive!

Bi or not, I wonder how Buffy will feel if/when Satsu falls out of love
with her? One more lost love for the list?

Hey, I wonder if Simone is gay. Satsu's got to turn somewhere for
comfort!

> And then there's the speech that I suspect will be analysed to death,
> when Buffy breaks down in tears. Although I'm generally happy with the
> comic format, this is one speech that would be so much better spoken
> by the actress rather than written as a flat paragraph of text.

Definitely. I don't think I really got the tone of that speech until
seeing her reaction in the next panel.

> version of this comic? Anyway, the reference to people who love Buffy
> "burning up" seems pretty clear proof that she doesn't know that Spike
> came back afterwards, although I admit it's not entirely conclusive -
> Angel came back from Hell too.

I don't think it's conclusive at all. As you say, she mentions Angel
going to hell even though he later returned, so there's no reason she
couldn't mention Spike dying even though he later got better. But then
I've always been of the opnion that Buffy must have known Spike came back.
For one thing, I find it hard to imagine Andrew keeping such a delicious
secret for very long.

> The fact that Buffy refers to her lovers in the order
> Angel-Spike-Riley will doubtless enrage Spuffies and delight Bangels
> everywhere, especially since it's not chronological (in which case it
> would have been Angel-Riley-Spike).

You know the old saying: You never really get over your first dead lover.

> It is interesting that Twilight's main aim was to "strip Buffy of her
> moral certainty" - something which quite a few readers believe needs
> to be done anyway.

Though as it happens, Buffy was already doing it herself in the first
section, around the first of the two "Yay me"s that bracket this issue.

> ). Why does Twilight's posse include a bunch of demons - I thought he
> was opposed to them? (or is he, *gasp*, a hypocrite?)

If Holtz can make a deal with Sahjhan, and Buffy can make a deal with
Spike in Bec2, then Twilight can certainly enlist demons to rid the world
of magic. In fact maybe Twilight, the humans and the demons may all
recognize that they're in an alliance of convenience, though Gen. Voll did
seem to be a true believer. (That Lt. Molter does seem to be giving the
demons an unfriendly stare here.)

> I laughed at the so-called reveal of Twilight's face.

Me too. I hesitated before turning that page -- ooh, here comes the big
reveal! Am I ready for this? Yep, Joss really caught me that time. And
I was reading it on a crowded Metro car, so I tried to stifle my laughter
as much as possible, which of course only made it worse. Now "itchy neck"
is always going to be a faintly hilarious phrase in my mind.

> On the other hand, I've also speculated that Twilight is Caleb, with
> those belts around his waist holding his bisected parts back together.
> Here's some more evidence to support this theory:

The issue certainly hints that it's Caleb, but I'm hoping this is just
Joss playing with our minds. I'm not at all sure that I'd like Caleb as
Twilight. For one thing, they've already done the resurrected villain
thing with Warren; I want something new. And while there's always a place
for misogynistic villains, again, I want something new, at least for this
season's big bad. Finally, I like the idea that Twilight is at least
partly sincere in claiming that he wants to help humanity and avert
disaster, and it's hard to imagine Caleb being sincere about anything
aside from misogyny and the First.

Random wild idea: maybe Twilight is Hank Summers? Surely someone has
already come up with this one. He is one of the few white male characters
who survived the TV series but remains unaccounted for in the comics, and
I'm sure Joss has always wanted to try writing a bad father character....

> 'sparring partners' back in the Faith arc. (Admittedly, it also puts a
> stake through the heart of any Buffy/Xander shippers reading who
> thought they were sure to get together now based on the preview. I
> wonder if Buffy's eagerness to see Xander paired off has any
> implications for her own feelings about Satsu??)

I saw it as something like her attitude in The Prom. "I'm doomed to be
alone, but by gawd at least I can help my friends find and enjoy love."

> So Buffy's still feeling not-so-much connected and mopey... but that's
> practically her default state these days, so no shock there. As Xander
> says, being the leader is famous for being a lonely role.

Hard to read her expression there at the end. Unhappy, or becoming
reconciled to her lonely role?


--Chris

__________________________________________________ ____________________
chrisg [at] gwu.edu On the Internet, nobody knows I'm a dog.

chrisg@removethistoreply.gwu.edu wrote in
news:13qsu4isop9b428@corp.supernews.com:

> Stephen Tempest <stephen@stempest.demon.co.uk> wrote:

>> And kicking one high up into the air so he catches the last
>> rays of the setting sun is an inspired move...
>
> I thought the attack was at daw-- er, sunrise, as the vampires
> seemed to be heading back into the tomb when Buffy and Satsu
> arrived.

Also it seems like the sky is brighter in the Buffy-Satsu scene
after the fight, than it was in the scenes just before the fight.

Admittedly this wouldn't fit as well with Xander's
> comment that they might not want to head out too early in the
> morning, unless this actually the morning after that.

Who needs sleep when there's a vampire nest to raid?

:-)

>
>> Is she wrong? Buffy's never come across as anything other than
>> thoroughly heterosexual before.. well, depending on your
>> opinions on her feelings for Faith. Personally, I thought that
>> the fact that Buffy was willing to joke about the fact that the
>> two of them were in a relationship (the "really, we're just
>> good friends" scene in the Bronze) was good evidence that she
>> didn't actually take such a possibility seriously. (What
>> Faith's opinions were on that subject is another question
>> entirely, of course.) Buffy doesn't contradict that idea here
>> either - although I can't help but comment that as an answer
>> to "You're not gay", "Not so you'd notice" is rather more
>> ambiguous than a flat-out "Sorry, no.". :-)
>
> I think that was more likely to be simple Whedonspeak than
> serious ambiguity. But hey, keep hope alive!

This does bring to mind Lawrence Watt-Evans' note that Willow would
be an excellent match for Buffy if Willow wasn't female (in
"Matchmaking on the Hellmouth" in the book "Seven Seasons of
Buffy," Glenn Yeffeth, editor.)

(After directly or indirectly considering most of the males in the
Buffyverse, LWE eventually concluded that Wesley would be the best
match for Buffy. This will be more difficult, of course, now that
Wesley is dead. On the other hand, so were two of Buffy's
boyfriends...)

Stephen noted that Buffy sees Satsu as a possible successor. Which
raises a question that I'm not sure Buffy has considered: how to
select future leaders? Buffy's prestige (among other things)
allows her to be seen as the natural leader and this may even
extend to anointing a successor. But after that?

--
Michael Ikeda mmikeda@erols.com
"Telling a statistician not to use sampling is like telling an
astronomer they can't say there is a moon and stars"
Lynne Billard, past president American Statistical Association

chrisg@removethistoreply.gwu.edu writes:

>> So back in the day, Buffy wore blue. Did the Germans wear grey?
>
>That reference whooshed over my head. However, I am enjoying myself
>trying to remember when Buffy wore blue to dance in. Was her dress in the
>teaser of Passion a pale blue?

It's a reference to 'Casablanca'. Rick is talking to Ilsa:

"I wasn't sure you were the same. Let's see, the last time we met..."
"Was La Belle Aurore."
"How nice, you remembered. But of course, that was the day the Germans
marched into Paris."
"Not an easy day to forget."
"No."
"I remember every detail. The Germans wore grey, you wore blue."

>> And kicking one high up into the air so he catches the last rays of
>> the setting sun is an inspired move...
>
>I thought the attack was at daw-- er, sunrise, as the vampires seemed to
>be heading back into the tomb when Buffy and Satsu arrived.

You're right, it was sunrise. I was fooled by the name of the villain.
:-) (And I caught the mistake after I posted this to LiveJournal, but
I'd already sent the Usenet version off.)


>Hey, I wonder if Simone is gay. Satsu's got to turn somewhere for
>comfort!

Simone certainly enjoys having her girlie groupies around her...
(That's a reference to her appearance in #5 'The Chain', if you missed
her there as well... ;-) )

>The issue certainly hints that it's Caleb, but I'm hoping this is just
>Joss playing with our minds. I'm not at all sure that I'd like Caleb as
>Twilight. For one thing, they've already done the resurrected villain
>thing with Warren; I want something new. And while there's always a place
>for misogynistic villains, again, I want something new, at least for this
>season's big bad. Finally, I like the idea that Twilight is at least
>partly sincere in claiming that he wants to help humanity and avert
>disaster, and it's hard to imagine Caleb being sincere about anything
>aside from misogyny and the First.

If it is Caleb, I'm wondering now if we'll find that The First has
abandoned him because he failed, and he's had to put his life back
together (soon after putting *himself* back together) and find a new
cause to believe in...

>Hard to read her expression there at the end. Unhappy, or becoming
>reconciled to her lonely role?

I'm not sure if 'reconciled' is the right word, but I did get the vibe
that she's pretty much resigned to it. At least for the moment.

Stephen

Arbitrar Of Quality <tsmtsm@wildmail.com> writes:

>On Feb 7, 1:00 pm, Stephen Tempest <step...@stempest.demon.co.uk>

>I'm impressed that you managed to generate so
>much text, given that you seem to feel the same way.

That's what happens when you end up analysing every single panel...
*rueful smiley*

>I'm curious about what you were trying to say, since "155th least
>favorite" is pretty high praise

You're interpreting that as:
155th
least favourite

but what I meant was:
155th least
favourite.

See? Makes perfect sense.


>But
>seriously, Buffy's "unhesitating description" is anything but. It's
>done with a sense of irony about it, suggesting that she's brooding
>about the way she's abruptly created this Chosen Caste without a way
>to ensure that they don't start hurting people.

Disagree... the irony is there, but it's about the consequences of her
action, not the action itself. A good thing has had unfortunate
consequences, not that it wasn't a good thing in the first place.

"Once upon a time I gave women the vote... and they turned around and
voted for a bunch of idiots. Yay me."

> he also acknowledges that Buffy was trying to do
>the right thing. I hold out hope that he'll be a more morally nuanced
>villain than a Glory or a Caleb.

I not, though, that Caleb also praised Buffy for what she was trying
to do.... at least, if you ignore the fact that he was being
sarcastic. :-)

"The Slayer. The strongest, the fastest, the most aflame with that
most precious invention of all mankind - the notion of goodness. The
Slayer must indeed be powerful."

"You really should relax a little. Look at where you are. History's
gonna look back at you, at me, at this place, and they're gonna see
the glory. Great things are happenin' now, right here. This school,
the seal... it's all gonna be a part of the great sweepin' tide of
change, and you're gonna be a part of it. Now, why would you wanna
miss that?"

"You know, I gave you ample warning. Told you not to interfere, but
you chose not to heed. I was kind of hoping it'd go this way."

> Besides the fact that it's
>nonsensical, Andrew's badly outlasted his humor value.

Tell that to Joss...

>The big thing is, though, despite what the comic format
>may delude us into thinking, it needs to make sense that Buffy shows
>no sign of recognizing his voice.

Wouldn't the fact that Twilight's voice is written using an odd font
mean that it almost has to sound inhuman and distorted? Either he's a
demon, or he's using magic or technology to disguise his voice, or he
suffered a serious injury.

Or he's Darth Vader.

Stephen

mariposas rand mair fheal <mair_fheal@yahoo.com> writes:

>no scar through the middle of his throat and chin

That's a problem with the identification, yes. But in real terms, no
reason why Buffy's Scythe-swing couldn't have gone crotch to
collarbone rather than continuing up straight through his skull...

Stephen

In article <jqrtq31jaai5vhp154en4k8icocbgupaa3@4ax.com>,
Stephen Tempest <stephen@stempest.demon.co.uk> wrote:

> mariposas rand mair fheal <mair_fheal@yahoo.com> writes:
>
> >no scar through the middle of his throat and chin
>
> That's a problem with the identification, yes. But in real terms, no
> reason why Buffy's Scythe-swing couldn't have gone crotch to
> collarbone rather than continuing up straight through his skull...

a scratchy neck could also be an old scar
and the flying around might not be magic but a hidden jet pack
is riley back in town?
(my boyfriends back and theres gonna be trouble
tralala my boyfriends back)

it cant be warren because the conspiracy was already in play
when warren and amy were discovered

could it be the electrician
is this about the zeppo tube

arf meow arf - everything thing i know i learned
from the collective unconscience of odd bodkins
sacramento - political pigsty of the western world
or a babys arm holding an apple

Stephen Tempest <stephen@stempest.demon.co.uk> wrote in
news:nmqtq39sn7i3qk6ks5esnm9m4406kqmstr@4ax.com:

> Wouldn't the fact that Twilight's voice is written using an odd
> font mean that it almost has to sound inhuman and distorted?
> Either he's a demon, or he's using magic or technology to
> disguise his voice, or he suffered a serious injury.
>
> Or he's Darth Vader.

Issue 16. Single-issue Buffy-Star Wars crossover. Jar Jar Binks
arrives in Scotland pursuing a mysterious masked villian.

:-)

--
Michael Ikeda mmikeda@erols.com
"Telling a statistician not to use sampling is like telling an
astronomer they can't say there is a moon and stars"
Lynne Billard, past president American Statistical Association

In article <yL-dnV8jUp6FFzLanZ2dnUVZ_o-mnZ2d@rcn.net>,
Michael Ikeda <mmikeda@erols.com> wrote:

> Stephen Tempest <stephen@stempest.demon.co.uk> wrote in
> news:nmqtq39sn7i3qk6ks5esnm9m4406kqmstr@4ax.com:
>
> > Wouldn't the fact that Twilight's voice is written using an odd
> > font mean that it almost has to sound inhuman and distorted?
> > Either he's a demon, or he's using magic or technology to
> > disguise his voice, or he suffered a serious injury.
> >
> > Or he's Darth Vader.
>
> Issue 16. Single-issue Buffy-Star Wars crossover. Jar Jar Binks
> arrives in Scotland pursuing a mysterious masked villian.

slayer army beats the crap out of jar-jar

much cheering and the world appreciation of slayers day

arf meow arf - everything thing i know i learned
from the collective unconscience of odd bodkins
sacramento - political pigsty of the western world
or a babys arm holding an apple

No, no! He's Riley! Sam died fighting evil demons and now he has an
excuse to de-power Buffy, who abandoned him to the fight! Er... Yeah.

In article <f5b41685-f433-4532-9edb-5bde1739c99a@c4g2000hsg.googlegroups.com>,
Jillun <jillun@hotmail.com> wrote:

> No, no! He's Riley! Sam died fighting evil demons and now he has an
> excuse to de-power Buffy, who abandoned him to the fight! Er... Yeah.

two words

scott
hope

arf meow arf - everything thing i know i learned
from the collective unconscience of odd bodkins
sacramento - political pigsty of the western world
or a babys arm holding an apple

On Feb 9, 10:07 pm, chr...@removethistoreply.gwu.edu wrote:
> Stephen Tempest <step...@stempest.demon.co.uk> wrote:

> > Her drinking from opened beer kegs is cute,
>
> I doubt it would be practical though. I'm no physicist, but wouldn't the
> pressure in the keg result in an explosion, or at least half the beer
> shooting out? The party didn't seem that messy. Not that I'd object.

You'd think Olaf's approach would work better.

> > version of this comic? Anyway, the reference to people who love Buffy
> > "burning up" seems pretty clear proof that she doesn't know that Spike
> > came back afterwards, although I admit it's not entirely conclusive -
> > Angel came back from Hell too.
>
> I don't think it's conclusive at all. As you say, she mentions Angel
> going to hell even though he later returned, so there's no reason she
> couldn't mention Spike dying even though he later got better. But then
> I've always been of the opnion that Buffy must have known Spike came back.
> For one thing, I find it hard to imagine Andrew keeping such a delicious
> secret for very long.

Yeah, this issue doesn't resolve the question at all.

> > On the other hand, I've also speculated that Twilight is Caleb, with
> > those belts around his waist holding his bisected parts back together.
> > Here's some more evidence to support this theory:
>
> The issue certainly hints that it's Caleb, but I'm hoping this is just
> Joss playing with our minds. I'm not at all sure that I'd like Caleb as
> Twilight. For one thing, they've already done the resurrected villain
> thing with Warren; I want something new. And while there's always a place
> for misogynistic villains, again, I want something new, at least for this
> season's big bad.

Agreed, but I'm increasingly worried that he'll be another resurrected
or returning villain (the Caleb parallels, though, pretty much have to
be intentional, and thus have a good chance of being misdirection),
given lines like if there's one thing he knows about the Slayer...

-AOQ

On Feb 10, 6:33 am, Stephen Tempest <step...@stempest.demon.co.uk>
wrote:
> Arbitrar Of Quality <tsm...@wildmail.com> writes:
>
> >On Feb 7, 1:00 pm, Stephen Tempest <step...@stempest.demon.co.uk>

> >I'm curious about what you were trying to say, since "155th least
> >favorite" is pretty high praise
>
> You're interpreting that as:
> 155th
> least favourite
>
> but what I meant was:
> 155th least
> favourite.
>
> See? Makes perfect sense.

Hmm. I don't recall ever seeing anyone talk like that. Is this one
of those British things? [Insert Flutie reference]

> >But
> >seriously, Buffy's "unhesitating description" is anything but. It's
> >done with a sense of irony about it, suggesting that she's brooding
> >about the way she's abruptly created this Chosen Caste without a way
> >to ensure that they don't start hurting people.
>
> Disagree... the irony is there, but it's about the consequences of her
> action, not the action itself. A good thing has had unfortunate
> consequences, not that it wasn't a good thing in the first place.
>
> "Once upon a time I gave women the vote... and they turned around and
> voted for a bunch of idiots. Yay me."

I like the analogy to suffrage in the sense that it gives people
abilities that have been denied to them by an establishment, but the
difference for me is that instead of putting everyone on equal
footing, the spell turns a few thousand people who were lucky enough
to be born that way into superheroes. That's never sat right with me.

In any case, within the TV series, I don't think there's supposed to
be any doubt that it's a good thing that Buffy does; the comic is the
first time that's been brought up. There's enough conviction in the
stuff about purpose that you're probably right in that her actions
since then are the source of her doubts, but I think they're there.
I'm reminded of the series-opening musing about "the thing about
changing the world."

> >The big thing is, though, despite what the comic format
> >may delude us into thinking, it needs to make sense that Buffy shows
> >no sign of recognizing his voice.
>
> Wouldn't the fact that Twilight's voice is written using an odd font
> mean that it almost has to sound inhuman and distorted? Either he's a
> demon, or he's using magic or technology to disguise his voice, or he
> suffered a serious injury.

It's italic, but I don't know if it's that odd. Just one line about
it being inhuman-sounding would make me happier (if he turns out to be
a returning character), but that could well be intention.

-AOQ

On Sun, 10 Feb 2008 17:30:16 -0800 (PST), Jillun <jillun@hotmail.com>
wrote:

:No, no! He's Riley! Sam died fighting evil demons and now he has an
:excuse to de-power Buffy, who abandoned him to the fight! Er... Yeah.

Hey, I proposed that theory *last* month.
--
Doesn't the fact that there are *exactly* 50 states seem a little suspicious?

George W. Harris For actual email address, replace each 'u' with an 'i'

In article <18fb89e8-54d0-4b51-bf6e-a2f584d824da@m34g2000hsf.googlegroups.com>,
Arbitrar Of Quality <tsmtsm@wildmail.com> wrote:

> In any case, within the TV series, I don't think there's supposed to
> be any doubt that it's a good thing that Buffy does; the comic is the

in the tv series theyre a few days from the hell mouth apopping open
and demons inheriting the earth
so the concern is for the immediate danger
and not what the long term consequences will be

until they can at least be sure there will be a long term
to have consequences in

arf meow arf - everything thing i know i learned
from the collective unconscience of odd bodkins
sacramento - political pigsty of the western world
or a babys arm holding an apple

Arbitrar Of Quality <tsmtsm@wildmail.com> writes:

>I like the analogy to suffrage in the sense that it gives people
>abilities that have been denied to them by an establishment, but the
>difference for me is that instead of putting everyone on equal
>footing, the spell turns a few thousand people who were lucky enough
>to be born that way into superheroes. That's never sat right with me.

OK, how about this:

"Once upon a time I gave women the right to go to university... and
they turned around and invented a method to make cheaper ice cream by
bulking it up with air bubbles. Yay me."

(Because only a small proportion of women [and men] are lucky enough
to be born with the intelligence to benefit from a university
education.)

>It's italic, but I don't know if it's that odd. Just one line about
>it being inhuman-sounding would make me happier (if he turns out to be
>a returning character), but that could well be intention.

It's not italic, actually; it's still roman. But it looks like a
script font, with uneven stroke weights and semi-serifs at the end of
some strokes, as if an ink poen was blotting slightly. For the best
example, look at the last page of their conversation where Buffy says
"Twilight. That's you." and he says "Have you made a difference?" The
way the words 'you' is written is completely different.

Stephen

Stephen Tempest <stephen@stempest.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>>> So back in the day, Buffy wore blue. Did the Germans wear grey?
>>
>>That reference whooshed over my head. However, I am enjoying myself
>>trying to remember when Buffy wore blue to dance in. Was her dress in the
>>teaser of Passion a pale blue?
>
> It's a reference to 'Casablanca'. Rick is talking to Ilsa:

D'oh! I really should have caught that one.

> Simone certainly enjoys having her girlie groupies around her...
> (That's a reference to her appearance in #5 'The Chain', if you missed
> her there as well... ;-) )

I did. My memory is definitely going.

> If it is Caleb, I'm wondering now if we'll find that The First has
> abandoned him because he failed, and he's had to put his life back
> together (soon after putting *himself* back together) and find a new
> cause to believe in...

I guess that could work. Caleb could even look back on his time serving
the First as the very thing that opened his eyes about magic being bad,
etc. But if Caleb has changed that much, I'm not sure what would be the
point in bringing him back at all, instead of creating a new character.


--Chris

__________________________________________________ ____________________
chrisg [at] gwu.edu On the Internet, nobody knows I'm a dog.

"Arbitrar Of Quality" <tsmtsm@wildmail.com> wrote in message
news:fcc3fa1c-7633-44a5-bcf8-a961ef7ffe9c@b2g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
> On Feb 9, 10:07 pm, chr...@removethistoreply.gwu.edu wrote:
>> Stephen Tempest <step...@stempest.demon.co.uk> wrote:

/snip/

>> > On the other hand, I've also speculated that Twilight is Caleb, with
>> > those belts around his waist holding his bisected parts back together.
>> > Here's some more evidence to support this theory:
>>
>> The issue certainly hints that it's Caleb, but I'm hoping this is just
>> Joss playing with our minds. I'm not at all sure that I'd like Caleb as
>> Twilight. For one thing, they've already done the resurrected villain
>> thing with Warren; I want something new. And while there's always a place
>> for misogynistic villains, again, I want something new, at least for this
>> season's big bad.
>
> Agreed, but I'm increasingly worried that he'll be another resurrected
> or returning villain (the Caleb parallels, though, pretty much have to
> be intentional, and thus have a good chance of being misdirection),
> given lines like if there's one thing he knows about the Slayer...

I notice that in the scene where he blindsides Buffy and her new love
interest, rather than just drawing him with plain leather gloves, he *seems*
to have bandages on his arm up to his wrist. A clue, or just an artistic
choice? If it's a clue, I can't imagine of what, yet.

Ahh, I'm probably reading too much into it. Not every little thing
*means* something.

--

Kel

drifter wrote:
>
> "Arbitrar Of Quality" <tsmtsm@wildmail.com> wrote in message
> news:fcc3fa1c-7633-44a5-bcf8-a961ef7ffe9c@b2g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
>> On Feb 9, 10:07 pm, chr...@removethistoreply.gwu.edu wrote:
>>> Stephen Tempest <step...@stempest.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>
> /snip/
>
>>> > On the other hand, I've also speculated that Twilight is Caleb, with
>>> > those belts around his waist holding his bisected parts back together.
>>> > Here's some more evidence to support this theory:
>>>
>>> The issue certainly hints that it's Caleb, but I'm hoping this is just
>>> Joss playing with our minds. I'm not at all sure that I'd like Caleb as
>>> Twilight. For one thing, they've already done the resurrected villain
>>> thing with Warren; I want something new. And while there's always a
>>> place
>>> for misogynistic villains, again, I want something new, at least for
>>> this
>>> season's big bad.
>>
>> Agreed, but I'm increasingly worried that he'll be another resurrected
>> or returning villain (the Caleb parallels, though, pretty much have to
>> be intentional, and thus have a good chance of being misdirection),
>> given lines like if there's one thing he knows about the Slayer...
>
> I notice that in the scene where he blindsides Buffy and her new love
> interest, rather than just drawing him with plain leather gloves, he
> *seems*
> to have bandages on his arm up to his wrist. A clue, or just an artistic
> choice? If it's a clue, I can't imagine of what, yet.
>
> Ahh, I'm probably reading too much into it. Not every little thing
> *means* something.

I noticed the same thing and posted it on two or three boards to see if
it jogged anything. So far, the only response has been that his hands
and wrists also could be taped like a boxer or martial artist. Still
doesn't click, though, so it may mean nothing.

--
Rowan Hawthorn

"Occasionally, I'm callous and strange." - Willow Rosenberg, "Buffy the
Vampire Slayer"