Basement X

Oh OH OH OH OH OH HOT DAMN this was a good issue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quick Rundown:

So the forces of Twilight are in hardcore pursuit of the Slayers all over the place, and come raining down on them VERY hard. We see Giles and Faith battle out of a bunker in Germany from numerous demons, Andrew and his slayers fighting away from Amy and Warren in Roman tunnels (AMAZING Warren and Andrew scenes, and the throwback to the 'We are as gods' nearly had me busting in my chair!!!) Basically, they all make their way to Buffy and everyone else, where they're all being heavily attacked by various demons and vampires.

Bonus, Buffy and Giles seem to have made up (again), and when the going gets to tough, those remaining retreat to the submarine. From the look of it we're wittled down to the core cast (Buffy, Willow, Xander, Dawn, Giles, Faith, Andrew, Satsu, and *groan* Kennedy)

We figure out that they're being traced through magic, and Buffy decides to seek out Oz to find ways to hide their magical essences. We knew he was the focal point of this storyline, but his single line in the issue is pure classic Oz to what he witnesses. Jane Espenson's storyline already proves to be promising.



My one question is this: This issue brought the core characters together, making it much like the actual show used to be, and we focused more on them as the characters than we have in awhile.

Now, we all know that the last episode brought about every possible Slayer in the world. But this issue, and the last few actually, have revealed that their shelf lives are just as short as they used to be. In other words, Slayers are still dieing early. What I want to know is while we got all the new Slayers when Willow did her spell, are we STILL getting new ones?

Basically, are new Slayers being (literally) born daily, or are the ones we have now all the ones we're going to get? Are there new borns who in a few years will develop incredible strenght? Or, similar to our favorite Mutant Plight over at Marvel, is this a Slayer style of the 198?

Because face facts.. as these Slayer armies wittle away, Buffy basically has to wait about every 4-7 years for new girls to be ready to start taking up the fight. I doubt she'll let any 8 year old who is a Slayer be a part of it, but when her armies die the way they have been, the ranks will thin out really quickly.

It just seems like as Season 8 draws to a close, we're working towards the main cast members being almost being the only cast members, and I wonder if that'll be the case. If so, I'm 100% fine with it, as I much prefer just the handful of them saving the world, but if we're not then that's all just fine and dandy as well.


But as for this issue, I loved it, and I'm so glad we're back to the regular issue after what was honestly a very bad one shot last month.

Something is gonna start killing off slayers en masse....I say it comes from within.

Good issue. I didn't enjoy nearly as much as you Tragic, but that was because I got interrupted about fifty times while trying to read the issue.

As to your question about the Slayers: it would seem to me that there are new slayers being born everyday. Willow's spell in season 7 expanded the power of the Scythe to awaken all Slayers. Since the end of season 7 up until now Whedon has said zilch about how the new world order works in regards to the slayers so everything is up in the air.

Until a definitve explanation is given I will say that regular girls will be born everyday without powers. Some will be chosen to become Slayers. However, the girls will not recieve all their powers at once (maybe thats how it worked before but not anymore).

The chosens will slowly start to get more powerful as they grow older and then it is on Buffy to find them and train them. That then goes back to your point about Buffy needing to wait till they've grown up enough to be battle ready which is a good 4-7 years.

Yea, that's what I assumed as well. It just seems that she'll have a yearly supply of slayers coming in to be trained as they develop and the like.

Have you read Fray, by the way? It's cannon, and of course having read it would have helped with the crossover storyline.

In it we know that the last great Slayer, heavily hinted to be Buffy, ceased the line of Slayers at one point in a great magical war, and early interviews once Twilight rolled around had Joss referring back to Fray.. it's what makes me wonder if this upcoming battle coupled with Willow's spell maybe stopped the line for awhile since all the power was unleashed at once.

Suppose we'll find out when Joss's last arc hits, huh?

I've read & have the paperback; its a very well written & funny story thats why the tie-in Whedon did several issues back didn't leave me scratching my head going "wtf is Fray?"

I like your theory about the magic wearing itself out all at once as the reason for the slayer line stopping inexplicably. However, given that Fray has already altered history by time jumping with Buffy can we assume that the past may have been changed? Buffy is now aware of Willow's future evilness. May she try and alter the past?

I'm of two minds about the legions of Slayers. On the one hand I really hope that, if not by the close of this season, then definitely next season, the whole thousands of slayers comes to an end because with numerous slayers running around, it takes the focus off Buffy.

But on the other hand, I want to see Buffy form a Council of her own. One run "by the Slayers for the Slayers"; like the Green Lantern Corp. or the Jedi Council. In comics/tv/movies we, the reader, always come into the story in the middle of all the action. We read about these ancient orders in the present day and their next recruit. Rarely do we get a chance to see these Order's/Councils formed from scratch. Buffy has a chance to do that if done properly, it could be great.

And I really, really want Kennedy to die. I mean just f'ing die already you eternally unpopular bastard of a character.

Yea Buffy's knowledge of Future Willow will definitely have some rammifications, and we started to see those with her interrupted talk with Giles. I'm wondering if it'll wrap this season or become a bigger focus next season.

I think I'd like to see the Slayers taken away, and bring it back down to Buffy and the Gang rather than Buffy and the Army. I really like the focus on the main characters and introduction of newer ones to fit in as well. When everyone's a Slayer though, to me, it takes away from the usual Buffy-ensemble (Witch, Watcher, Werewolf, Vampire, Demon, etc) and makes it just, welll, less special to be in the group it seems... I dunno.

But I do like the council idea. Maybe have lots of them die off, but some of the key ones stick around like Satsu, Rona, the one's that have really been in the forefront since day one. That I would be fine with.


And Goood GOD yes, kill Kenedy the fuck off. I've been waiting for her to die since she first showed up in Season 7. Hopefully she gets into it with Oz and gets taken down a handful of pegs by the rest of the group.

CountD wrote:Something is gonna start killing off slayers en masse....I say it comes from within.

Evil Willow? Evil Riley? Evil Willow being controlled by evil Amy & evil Warren?

Tragic Angelus wrote:
and makes it just, welll, less special to be in the group it seems... I dunno.

I was going to say the exact same thing

Question for you guys:

When you buy the single issues, which covers do you go for?

Riley is supposed to show up in this arc as well!! I hate him, but I'm assuming it'll be a big move by Twilight. We're down to Jane's arc, Meltzers, then the finale by Joss.

As for covers... I buy both. For every issue. When it first started, I couldn't make up my mind which to get for the rest of the series, so I just said fuck it.

So essentially you've got the entire series. Twice

...Essentially.

I'm a Whedon Whore. I make no excuses.

You can't alter the past if it's effects you. It's the simplest way to put the time-paradox that would occur.

Mr Wallstreet wrote:Question for you guys:

When you buy the single issues, which covers do you go for?

sometimes both, but mostly the jo chen. altho the genty ones really appeal to me more, the chen ones are like portraits of the real life cast. good stuff.

Mr Wallstreet wrote:Evil Willow? Evil Riley? Evil Willow being controlled by evil Amy & evil Warren?



I was going to say the exact same thing

Well, Evil Willow alone would be too obvious.

Although I don't think she can be controlled, I think her foes are wiley enough to make her 'overuse' her magic...thus making her teh evil.

Yea, there might be a push to get her to the dark side, but no way could I see Amy overpowering her and controling her. Twilight maybe, since we don't know who or what he is just yet, but not Amy.

I read a Q&A with the editor, and he was asked about whether or not Twilight has ties to the rogue group of Slayers Andrew had that Buffy helped deal with, and that seems like a possibility. So maybe the house will just be divided by some un knowns?

Wait, there will be no season 9, right?

No I'm pretty sure there will be. Awhile back Joss said he had a whole Season 9 in mind as well, so I'm sure that if sales go well for the remainder of S8, we'll have S9. Don't know if it'll be as long, but I hope we get it.

I hope there is a S9....and then call it quits. Maybe explore Fray more.

I do enjoy that Whedon is aging the characters. In other mainstream comics, 10-15 years (our time) will pass before the character ages 1 year in the comics. With Buffy it might be more like 4-5 years and she'll age one year.

I agree. Hell, if he plays it like the series, she'll have aged an entire year after 'Season 8', just like she did there. It may take 3 years to get the season out, but it'll essentially be around 1 year or more her time when it wraps.

Bonus: If everything goes according to schedule and we don't hit any delays, Whedon's finale arc should start around May, just like the show. Instead now, it'll finish closer to October.