Ahh... the Spike and Faith Comics...
Oct. 6th, 2007 06:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat[As an aside, I find it highly amusing that I stopped buying/obsessing over X-men comics and lost all interest in them back in 2001, when I got obsessed with Buffy, Spike and the Angel series. Then, in 2007, I'm back to buying comics every month (albeit Buffy not X-men) - because - the Buffy character's stories are being continued by their creators in comic form. This amuses me greatly. The morale? You never can quite break yourself of a weird time/space and money consuming habit/addiction/obsession - you just end up replacing it with another similar one. I can blame Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch for this, but I know full well they are merely the drug pushers, I'm the buyer.]
Bought issue 4, the finale of the Spike: Shadow Puppets mini-series, and issue 7, part II of the four part, Faith story, in Buffy Season Eight comic this afternoon. Took me about an hour and a half to read both.
I loved Spike:Shadow Puppets. It provided me with everything that I wanted from the mini-series. Character exploration, humor, great art, good dialogue, and a sense of the character actually growing and advancing on his journey. Changing. It is admittedly one of my kinks - I need characters to evolve and change in stories, to learn from their mistakes and progress. This gives me hope for the human race and makes me feel better about myself. Stories in which this does not happen, just upset me and who wants that? Life is tough enough without having those things we use to comfort ourselves upset us instead.
Now, I admittedly have an odd sense of humor. Which Brian Lynch apparently shares. It is snarky and a bit self-deprecating in nature. What am I talking about? Ah, here is a bit of dialogue from the latest issue of Spike:Shadow Puppets that made me laugh out loud.
"Official canon is so complicated. So many people with so many opinions!"
LOL!
And -
"Seriously, I'm still feeling puppety. I can't go canon as a puppet. The internet is complaining about me as it is."
"I'm so sure the internet is complaining about something. Get real for a second."
Hee Hee.
And... "Demons love murdering but hate research."
I want icons of those!! Particularly the first one.
The story also worked for me - it explored Spike's envy of Angel, his struggle to define himself (he keeps seeing himself as a lone wolf who doesn't get on with people when it is clear that he is the opposite and does need people), and how others perceive him.
As for the art? I continue to be impressed by Frank Urru - who manages to create characters that do not look alike or dress alike, who have different facial expressions, and are older.
Unlike the Buffy comics - the women in Urru's drawings aren't all one age - we see children, adolescents, elderly women, and their faces are very different. When I read a comic, I look at the art first - it's first and foremost in my mind, then the writing, then the thing as a whole. Lynch and Urru's styles blend beautifully together. The work to me feels almost three dimensional and continues to be in my opinion amongst the best graphic novels I've read and I've read quite a few and a wide variety, including Magna and underground. I draw or have drawn and taken numerous art classes in my lifetime and am picky about art. If I can do it?
I don't think it's that great. If I can't? I'm in awe. Jeanty's? I've drawn stuff like that.
Urru? I couldn't begin to draw like that even in my dreams. Of course it's all very subjective isn't it? What floats my boat more than likely won't float yours. Arguing over it seems to be a waste of time. Yet, being human, we do it anyway. Go figure.
Which brings me to the Buffy Comic. Read this baby first. And....
Well. It was lukewarm.
The good? I am enjoying the exploration of the Faith character and her unresolved feelings towards Giles, Buffy and the gang, which were not explored to my satisfaction in S7 due to the fact that they were busy doing five storylines at once in the space of four or five hours with thirty characters. Also enjoying the exploration of how Faith is not exactly the killer that everyone likes to believe she is. So on the character exploration? It's working for me.
The bad? I don't like the set-up, too cliche for words. I've seen this done in one too many romance novels (not to mention bad fanfics) and to be honest, it is amongst the many reasons I stopped reading romance novels. (By set-up - I mean, the poor girl infliterating the rich English estate, pretending to be a spoiled brat, bonding with the person she is supposed to be decieving (who for reasons that defy logic has not figured out she's a fake), and the only one remotely suspicious is the nasty servant/tutor. If you've read any Harlequin novels - you've read this set-up before. OR at least I have and I know what is going to happen next. Bored already. Come on, you couldn't have come up with a better plot than this? Please.
In short it is not a romance trope that I particularly like at the moment and wish they'd picked another one.
The really bad? The Dawn subplot offends me or rather the humor of it is. I suppose I should be a little clearer about this, shouldn't I? It's not the plot itself, it's the dialogue.
Here - examples:
"And speaking of clothes, have you been wearing the same outfit since you blossomed?"
(Sigh. BLOSSOMED??? Gimme a break. Growing bigger means you blossomed? What about grew?)
"What, did my proportionate stench tip you off? Cause unless Lane Bryant redefines "plus-sixed' in a huffy, it's only gonna get worse."
(Lane Bryant? Ugh. I just watched Without A Trace last night with it's bit about an overweight woman who committed suicide because of how a bunch of boys treated her. This comic is getting on my nerves. All the woman are drawn to be exactly the same size and weight. No one is bigger or smaller in the bust. While the men are different sizes, weights, etc. Then we make cracks about stores catering to women who aren't thin? And think it is funny? Granted I realize that may not have been the intent, but it irked me a bit all the same.)
"You don't understand he was the only guy on campus who treated me like a friend and not a..a walking pair of boobs."
(Uhm, she doesn't seem to have any. I seriously doubt that.)
"Oh sweetie. Don't talk like that. Boys are into you because of your legs. Not those itty-bitty things."
(Honestly, Willow, considering they are exactly the same size as yours, Buffy's, and everyone else not wearing a bustier, how can say you say that? And yet, some idiot letter writer on the letter page seems to think real women look like this? Granted it's better than the super-heroes in most comic books who are stick figures with extended busts and perfect legs and look like Barbie. But...on the other hand, that isn't all comic books. That's just super-hero comics. Pick up Strangers in Paradise? Or say Spike:Shadow Puppets. Or how about a couple of the Marvel ones - some artists do a good job. It varies.
I don't know about anyone else, but I'm getting tired of the lame thricewise sex jokes. Granted they did go over a few people's heads - the one's obsessed with researching mythology.
But, a thricewise was a penis joke. In case you didn't get it - they repeated it here.
See:
"I swear I'll un-embiggen you the second you tell me what incantation your significant other used while you two were being significant together..."
"You're worse than my sister, Willow! Why is everyone so sure this is Kenny's fault?"
"Um, because he's a thricewise?"
Get it? He made her bigger so when his penis expanded to three times its size it wouldn't break her. The big penis, tiny virgin vagina joke...it never goes out of fashion. Am I the only person who collected lame sex jokes in college? Apparently so.
Ugh. This book doesn't make me laugh. It makes me wince. Brian K. Vaughn? Do us all a favor, leave the humor to experts like Brian Lynch. You aren't any good at it.)
I suppose I should analyze the book, but I don't really care that much, nor have the time to be honest. Plus I'm analyzing contracts all week long, bloody tired of analyzing things - want a break from it. The comic was fun. It wasn't that deep. And I'll probably get the next one. Because you know, I like the character exploration and want to see where they go with that bit.
Overall ratings?
Spike:Shadow Puppets: A+
Buffy Season Eight - Faith Issue 7, Part II: C
Bought issue 4, the finale of the Spike: Shadow Puppets mini-series, and issue 7, part II of the four part, Faith story, in Buffy Season Eight comic this afternoon. Took me about an hour and a half to read both.
I loved Spike:Shadow Puppets. It provided me with everything that I wanted from the mini-series. Character exploration, humor, great art, good dialogue, and a sense of the character actually growing and advancing on his journey. Changing. It is admittedly one of my kinks - I need characters to evolve and change in stories, to learn from their mistakes and progress. This gives me hope for the human race and makes me feel better about myself. Stories in which this does not happen, just upset me and who wants that? Life is tough enough without having those things we use to comfort ourselves upset us instead.
Now, I admittedly have an odd sense of humor. Which Brian Lynch apparently shares. It is snarky and a bit self-deprecating in nature. What am I talking about? Ah, here is a bit of dialogue from the latest issue of Spike:Shadow Puppets that made me laugh out loud.
"Official canon is so complicated. So many people with so many opinions!"
LOL!
And -
"Seriously, I'm still feeling puppety. I can't go canon as a puppet. The internet is complaining about me as it is."
"I'm so sure the internet is complaining about something. Get real for a second."
Hee Hee.
And... "Demons love murdering but hate research."
I want icons of those!! Particularly the first one.
The story also worked for me - it explored Spike's envy of Angel, his struggle to define himself (he keeps seeing himself as a lone wolf who doesn't get on with people when it is clear that he is the opposite and does need people), and how others perceive him.
As for the art? I continue to be impressed by Frank Urru - who manages to create characters that do not look alike or dress alike, who have different facial expressions, and are older.
Unlike the Buffy comics - the women in Urru's drawings aren't all one age - we see children, adolescents, elderly women, and their faces are very different. When I read a comic, I look at the art first - it's first and foremost in my mind, then the writing, then the thing as a whole. Lynch and Urru's styles blend beautifully together. The work to me feels almost three dimensional and continues to be in my opinion amongst the best graphic novels I've read and I've read quite a few and a wide variety, including Magna and underground. I draw or have drawn and taken numerous art classes in my lifetime and am picky about art. If I can do it?
I don't think it's that great. If I can't? I'm in awe. Jeanty's? I've drawn stuff like that.
Urru? I couldn't begin to draw like that even in my dreams. Of course it's all very subjective isn't it? What floats my boat more than likely won't float yours. Arguing over it seems to be a waste of time. Yet, being human, we do it anyway. Go figure.
Which brings me to the Buffy Comic. Read this baby first. And....
Well. It was lukewarm.
The good? I am enjoying the exploration of the Faith character and her unresolved feelings towards Giles, Buffy and the gang, which were not explored to my satisfaction in S7 due to the fact that they were busy doing five storylines at once in the space of four or five hours with thirty characters. Also enjoying the exploration of how Faith is not exactly the killer that everyone likes to believe she is. So on the character exploration? It's working for me.
The bad? I don't like the set-up, too cliche for words. I've seen this done in one too many romance novels (not to mention bad fanfics) and to be honest, it is amongst the many reasons I stopped reading romance novels. (By set-up - I mean, the poor girl infliterating the rich English estate, pretending to be a spoiled brat, bonding with the person she is supposed to be decieving (who for reasons that defy logic has not figured out she's a fake), and the only one remotely suspicious is the nasty servant/tutor. If you've read any Harlequin novels - you've read this set-up before. OR at least I have and I know what is going to happen next. Bored already. Come on, you couldn't have come up with a better plot than this? Please.
In short it is not a romance trope that I particularly like at the moment and wish they'd picked another one.
The really bad? The Dawn subplot offends me or rather the humor of it is. I suppose I should be a little clearer about this, shouldn't I? It's not the plot itself, it's the dialogue.
Here - examples:
"And speaking of clothes, have you been wearing the same outfit since you blossomed?"
(Sigh. BLOSSOMED??? Gimme a break. Growing bigger means you blossomed? What about grew?)
"What, did my proportionate stench tip you off? Cause unless Lane Bryant redefines "plus-sixed' in a huffy, it's only gonna get worse."
(Lane Bryant? Ugh. I just watched Without A Trace last night with it's bit about an overweight woman who committed suicide because of how a bunch of boys treated her. This comic is getting on my nerves. All the woman are drawn to be exactly the same size and weight. No one is bigger or smaller in the bust. While the men are different sizes, weights, etc. Then we make cracks about stores catering to women who aren't thin? And think it is funny? Granted I realize that may not have been the intent, but it irked me a bit all the same.)
"You don't understand he was the only guy on campus who treated me like a friend and not a..a walking pair of boobs."
(Uhm, she doesn't seem to have any. I seriously doubt that.)
"Oh sweetie. Don't talk like that. Boys are into you because of your legs. Not those itty-bitty things."
(Honestly, Willow, considering they are exactly the same size as yours, Buffy's, and everyone else not wearing a bustier, how can say you say that? And yet, some idiot letter writer on the letter page seems to think real women look like this? Granted it's better than the super-heroes in most comic books who are stick figures with extended busts and perfect legs and look like Barbie. But...on the other hand, that isn't all comic books. That's just super-hero comics. Pick up Strangers in Paradise? Or say Spike:Shadow Puppets. Or how about a couple of the Marvel ones - some artists do a good job. It varies.
I don't know about anyone else, but I'm getting tired of the lame thricewise sex jokes. Granted they did go over a few people's heads - the one's obsessed with researching mythology.
But, a thricewise was a penis joke. In case you didn't get it - they repeated it here.
See:
"I swear I'll un-embiggen you the second you tell me what incantation your significant other used while you two were being significant together..."
"You're worse than my sister, Willow! Why is everyone so sure this is Kenny's fault?"
"Um, because he's a thricewise?"
Get it? He made her bigger so when his penis expanded to three times its size it wouldn't break her. The big penis, tiny virgin vagina joke...it never goes out of fashion. Am I the only person who collected lame sex jokes in college? Apparently so.
Ugh. This book doesn't make me laugh. It makes me wince. Brian K. Vaughn? Do us all a favor, leave the humor to experts like Brian Lynch. You aren't any good at it.)
I suppose I should analyze the book, but I don't really care that much, nor have the time to be honest. Plus I'm analyzing contracts all week long, bloody tired of analyzing things - want a break from it. The comic was fun. It wasn't that deep. And I'll probably get the next one. Because you know, I like the character exploration and want to see where they go with that bit.
Overall ratings?
Spike:Shadow Puppets: A+
Buffy Season Eight - Faith Issue 7, Part II: C
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no subject
Date: 2007-10-08 03:27 am (UTC)And I agree with you on Tales of the Vampire series - it did have some good artists. And very different styles. Reminded me of the some of the kick ass art on the old X-Men cross-overs. Jai Lee who is doing the Gunslinger (Stephen King) series for comics- was one of those artists.
I'm a sucker for hyper-realism, shadow/color template graphic art that looks like it has been painted on the page and flows across it. Urru's is in that style as was Jai Lee and Cassidy (who does Whedon's Astonishing X-Men.)
But Joan Chen's covers rock - they are much better than Tony Harris for Angel After the Fall or even Urru's. In fact I think I may like her paintings almost as well as the great Alex Ross who did Kingdom Come for DC. (Sigh, sorry, am a comic graphic art geek.) Hee. This may explain why Jeanty's art urks me. He looks like he's improving - see issue 6 of the series, then he disappoints me again.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-08 08:25 am (UTC)That’s interesting. Someone on my friends list was saying that Jeanty draws action sequences as if he were choosing a series of individual frames from a TV show showing the key points of the action. He’s like an editor rather than a cinematographer, which works for me. While vidding I’ve found the process of selecting a small number of key of key images to represent a point came very naturally, I think it’s similar to the way I process movies instinctively. TV editing on shows like Buffy tend to be like that too, they shoot a scene from a number of different angles and distances then put them back together afterwards rather than planning what to shoot in great detail in advance. In comics I also find that fragmented approach works in better sync with the text which is necessarily discontinuous. I think Lynch overwrites anyway but I’ve found it hard to match the eye movement needed for Urro’s visuals with the need to process all the words. But if you read one then the other that wouldn’t be a problem.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-08 01:38 pm (UTC)What bugs me about Jeanty's art is I can't tell his female characters apart, they look too much alike. Sometimes the only way I can distinquish them is by the clothes they are wearing. Also the dialogue is too similar they sound a like.
Same troubles with some of the male characters. Andrew - I didn't know was Andrew in one of the comics.
Here's how I read comics - I look at the art first. Then I read the words with it. In Urru's I can tell what is going on without dialogue - the art tells the story, I know who the characters are, who is speaking, no problems. With Jeanty's art - I have to read the words to know who is who, often have to read it twice. It's not clear to me.
There are some amazing artists out there who do the editing thing - one is Alex Ross. Who selects specific scenes to paint. Another is Jai Lee.
Then there's Frank Miller - who uses black and white drawings in stark relief. Jeanty is, don't get me wrong, serviceable - his style is pretty good, but from what I've seen he can only draw women to look one way.
My other difficulty with the comic is the coloring - it's faded, not pristine, the colors don't jump off the page. And I admittedly prefer black background as opposed to white. It's personal. I like the feeling of a painting or watercolor - I like the three dimensional look. Something that pulls me inside the page.
Urru's style reminds me of some of the styles I fell in love with while reading X-Men, Jai Lee, and an another Italian artist I forget the name of.
Jeanty's reminds me of the styles that left me cold in the X-Men - Kirby (who was a fan favorite, but I didn't like that much).