(no subject)

[shadowkat]

Work was non-stop putting out fires all week long, phone constant, email constant, people yanking at me every which way. Left with a throbbing head-ache and somewhat brain dead.

Attempted to download the Buffy comic - but can't. So, I'll probably not be able to get it until the next issue comes out...sometime in April.Which means I can't really comment on any of the comic fervor going on. All I'm seeing is others interpretations - which are sort of all over the place. Some people think the comic is a subversive satire of the Twilight novels, other's think it is emulating them, and other's ...are not sure what to think. Even people who have never read the comics or gave up a while back - are commenting. Have to say, I'm becoming more and more ambivalent on the comics...which is oddly reminiscent of how I felt regarding Grant Morrison's fan-lauded run with the X-men (which I find dull and somewhat derivative) ...until I finally stopped buying the X-men comics and found another story, more satisfying to obsess over - which turned out to be Buffy S6.

Off to watch Caprica and continue reading...what I'm reading. Actually reading five things at the moment: Crave, Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics (which makes far too many generalizations and assumptions regarding how other people think - sorry, Scott, but if everyone thought the same way, everyone would love comics. Not everyone thinks visually. Hard to wrap your head around, but there it is.), The World According to Garp by John Irving (which I've never read until now, shocking I know. Saw the movie ages ago, but cannot for the life of me remember it - well except for the scene where Garp's wife gives her lover a blow job in a car, and puts everyone in the hospital including Garp, with the ensuring car crash (the lover loses more than the rest of them, if you know what I mean) - funniest blow job ever), the morning newspaper, and well my livejournal. Considering how much reading and writing I do at work - I've no idea why I do it outside of work...must love it, I guess. Also clearly, I'm somewhat eclectic or more likely just diversified in my tastes.

Hope your weeks were better than mine. ;-)

Five positive things:

1. Caprica - JM on Caprica tonight, yay!
2. fanfic that makes me laugh and smile and happy (thank you nauti, gabrielleabelle, beergoodfoamy, penguine people, moscowwatcher, and rarihah)
3. my foot is getting better - so can do church this weekend
4. finished book synopsis last weekend, can tweak perhaps this
5. survived the work week and it did not snow like it threatened to

Comments

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

BtVS S8 issue 33 is in the mail on it's way to you, I hope you get it by your Bday...
I'm DVRing Caprica because I'm staying w/friends... I hope to see it on Sunday (while DVRing the Oscars)

I'm very happy your foot is getting better, have a good weekend!

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

It is??? OMG, THANK YOU!!!! What a lovely lovely surprise! Because I really would like to read the issue - hard to tell what to think of it and I'm curious.

Caprica continues to be quite good, not as good as last weeks, but still quite good.

PS: What did you think of the issue? (I've known who Twilight is for ages, but have been incredibly curious to know what your reaction to the reveal would be and have been restraining myself from telling you.)

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

well I'll confess (now) that I heard the spoiler about Twilight, and I avoided all possible sites discussing that spoiler because A. it might just be a rumor, and B. I hate all the angst by people who are jumping to conclusions about what it might mean.

Now that I've read the issue in question I do think that there is a lot more to learn in the final issues (are there 40 issues in BtVS S8?)... The arguments Twilight gives to Buffy seem specious, at best, but it is possible that he has been deluded by his own super powers into thinking he is something special (above the worries of other beings).... Buffy's own reaction have been impulsive and thoughtless, but that isn't unusual for Buffy so I don't feel that we know what is happening in her mind yet....

Most of the comments at Whedonesque seem to be people still over-reacting because of their own bias (pro Angel or anti Angel) with even the attempted rape by Spike coming up AGAIN! lol
I am still in 'wait and see where Joss is going with this' mode, because this was NOT the climax... there will be a lot more coming.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

So you're pretty much in wait and see mode, eh? Can't say I blame you. With comics - that's your best bet. For all we know the next issue may tell us the last one was a dream or a spell or something.
Anything goes in comic books. ;-)

Now that I've read the issue in question I do think that there is a lot more to learn in the final issues (are there 40 issues in BtVS S8?)...

Yep, there are 40 issues. Meltzer is writing issues 32-35. Whedon is writing 36-40. The series is co-plotted by Meltzer and Whedon.

The last part of Meltzer's arc comes out in May. Then they take a two month break (the wankers) and come back in August or September with the last five issues written by Whedon - which knowing Dark Horse will probably look something like this - issue 36 (Sept), issue 37 (OCT), issue 38 (Nov), a one shot by someone else that has zip to do with the arc but gives poor Whedon and Jeanty a break(December), another filler episode (Jan), issue 39(Feb) and issue 40 (March). Sigh... . Seriously, these people take more breaks than anyone else does. As a result what amounts to maybe two years of a tv series, has become 5 years in comics. This is what I dislike about comic books. You're expecting a lot from an audience...when you keep making them wait forever for the next issue in your story. Why we don't wander off and find something else more interesting in the mean time - I've no clue. (some people have...)

Whedon actually stated in a recent interview that he realized that perhaps he'd made a huge mistake in making this arc as long as he did and agreeing to DH's idea of 40 issues. It was originally supposed to be about 22-36. But DH talked him into doing a longer arc. As a result the story got stretched a bit thin and drug out.

Most of the comments at Whedonesque seem to be people still over-reacting because of their own bias (pro Angel or anti Angel) with even the attempted rape by Spike coming up AGAIN! lol

Sigh. Not again. Honestly fan ship wars can be tiring, not to mention head-ache inducing and repetitive at times. The fracas when the reveal was leaked was far more entertaining. Mostly because it was between IDW and Dark Horse - specifically Willingham (Angel Series Writer) and Scott Allie (Dark Horse Editor) (neither of which I like or respect all that much), which in turn drug in Whedon (Buffy series Writer) and Ryall (IDW Editor) (who I do sort of respect and wish were working together instead). Hilarious. At least it was to me. Now, apparently, IDW is past it and has moved on. Discovering that their fans don't really read both and those that do, don't really care.

The arguments Twilight gives to Buffy seem specious, at best, but it is possible that he has been deluded by his own super powers into thinking he is something special (above the worries of other beings)....

Well that is certainly in character for the guy who is Twilight.
I mean he's always thought he was special, the champion of the world, evil or not evil. That's his m.o. Also his fatal flaw.
Aycheb did a review regarding the cult of the celebrity on this issue - I had troubles with it because I haven't read the issue yet, but you may want to check out aycheb reviews as well as stormwreath and 2maggie2 and angeria - they all appear to like comics quite a bit and think there's more going on. They disagree with each other, quite a bit, and I don't always agree with their take - although lately aycheb has been more or less on target or close to how I'm seeing this whole thing play out, she likes it more than I do but then so do you. At any rate - I think you'll enjoy reading their takes.

Buffy's own reaction have been impulsive and thoughtless, but that isn't unusual for Buffy so I don't feel that we know what is happening in her mind yet....

Actually they've done a good job of setting this up. We are shown from the beginning that Buffy feels alone and cut off from everyone. She desperately wants to connect. Wants to be in love.
And keeps striking out. Basically she feels like she's doing all the wrong things...

I sort of need to read this issue for myself.

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

"I sort of need to read this issue for myself. "
I wish I had gotten the issue mailed off to you more quickly, I hope you get it soon! It really is necessary to read it for yourself because everyone puts on their own filters, so they don't read the dialogue or look at the pictures, in the same way.

Re: Twilight: so much has been said lately about men in powerful positions who evidently feel that they can get away with anything (John Edwards & Tiger Woods came right out saying that that was their excuse for their behavior), so it seems to me that Joss MIGHT be using that as the jumping off place for Twilight's behavior. Or not. They could be headed in a completely different direction (which is why I remain in 'Wait and see' mode).

I read (after I read issue 33) Joss' interviews and I agree w/him that this whole season 8 got to be way too rambling... I'm happy to hear that Season 9 will be shorter and tighter.
But at the same time we must remember that Fray was only 8 issue long and it took Joss about 2 years to write it (I did wander off and forget about it when the 'breaks' between issues stretched out to 4 months or more.... But I was able to buy all the issues I'd missed when the final one FINALLY came out).
It is funny that Joss can stay on schedule w/TV and movies but comic books end up taking forever....

Thanks for the review recommendations, I'll go check them out.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Yay for foot being better.

[shapinglight]

I've actually gone back to the X-Men a bit. Saw my favourite character on the cover of an issue of Uncanny X-Men and was intrigued.

'Course, I haven't a clue who half the characters are.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Magneto is back?

'Course, I haven't a clue who half the characters are.

LOL! Yes, been there done that.

I went back during Whedon's run, flirted a bit with Warren Ellis (realized, I'm not crazy about Warren Ellis) and decided...you know, we really don't need to go back there.

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

I loved Joss' Astonishing X-Men, but I also found that I couldn't get into Warren Ellis (I even read some of his own titles, but didn't find him compelling).

Really the only other title (besides Buffy) that is exciting me right now is Terry Moore's Echo.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Really the only other title (besides Buffy) that is exciting me right now is Terry Moore's Echo.

Hmmm, haven't heard of that one.

I did pick up the second volumn of Brian K Vauhn's Ex Deus Machina a while back.

I'm getting pickier about comics as I get older. It's weird.

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

Terry Moore is doing all the writing AND art for 'Echo', you can read the synopsis here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echo_(comic_book)
I've always loved his artwork, but this story is particularly compelling with a strong female central (and several strong female secondary) character.

They have past issues bound into trade paperback/graphic novel format.

[shapinglight]

Magneto is back?

Yes, and since the last story featuring Magneto that I read was the incredibly well done and respectful Magneto: Testament, which narrated in detail his childhood as a Jewish boy in Nazi Germany and his family's experiences in the Holocaust, I had to pick this up and see what Marvel were doing with the character now.

So far, I'm intrigued, but they're about to do one of their frequent franchise reboots, so we'll see how that goes as to whether I retain my interest. This is Uncanny X-Men I'm talking about, not the one that Joss was writing and which Warren Ellis took over.

I hope your foot is better soon and look forward to your thoughts on the Buffy comic.