I think that the Buffy comics were better pre-Twilight arc than AoS is now, and AoS is better than the comics became after you quit :). Which -- there are enough things I liked about season eight that the goodwill lasted through to the end of the season, but season nine has mostly killed it for me so I'm back with the majority.

I agree that AoS seems more clearly Marvel's baby than Whedon's. I think that Whedon has hit on an interesting idea -- "what is it like to live in a world with superheroes, i.e. in which huge powerful events happen over which you have no control" -- and has articulated it well in interviews. Jeff Bell did well showrunning Angel and so I have some hope that it might be able to pull together. But it might be that they're just trying to find some reason to justify the show other than as truckloads of cash. I have not been impressed by Clark Gregg as the series lead, but I thought he was very good as Leonato in Whedon's "Much Ado About Nothing" and so have real hope for him.

I really liked Deadwood, for the record. I was a little bit burned by aspects of BSG (which I overall liked) and so am a little reluctant to check out Carnivale. Ron Moore is a very interesting writer, but he has certain excesses when it comes to more fantasy-oriented things that I want to steer clear of.