Did someone else get chills reading that description for Buffy #10?
Cause I did, mostly from the words, but the cover is pretty too.

Numfar PTB | October 05, 13:23 CET

Oh gosh Willow on the cover is gorgeous and the hints to the plot are so intriguing too!

rua1412 | October 05, 14:07 CET

Jo's done it again- that cover is gorgeous, though it's strange to see Buffy with a look of abject fear on her face. Trust issues much?
Either Willow has seriously added to her Wiccan abilities, or they've finally made it to Disneyland.


Boy, I am SO looking forward to that!
Though I know that, with the contest winner and the soul searching, there will be much of the deepness as well.

January, you say?! That seems a l-o-n-g way off.

missb | October 05, 15:24 CET

Cover is so gorgeous

MySerenity | October 05, 16:31 CET

Beautiful cover, and though I've loved the other Jo Chen covers, it's great to see one with some action. I'm not surprised by the look on Buffy's face at all--seems like a perfectly reasonable reaction to me. And Willow's expression is priceless.

jcs | October 05, 16:47 CET

Wow! What a beautiful cover! Looks like I'll be passing on the variant once again.

Dan Corson | October 05, 17:54 CET

I'm so glad Joss is focusing on Buffy and Willow's relationship. After all that went on in the last few seasons, it's needed to hopefully get them back to the way they were. Or at least closer to it.

The covers great & so is the fact we'll be learning about Dawn's predicament.

maje | October 05, 17:54 CET

I adore Jo Chen's stuff. Just love it.

Kirochka | October 05, 17:59 CET

Also, note that "Dark Horse: Twenty Years of Comics" will have an excerpt from a story by Joss Whedon, though it doesn't say which one.

Invisible Green | October 05, 18:24 CET

Holy crap! What a cover! Although honestly, I thought that was Dawn at first, and it took me a few minutes to realize they were flying over a city, not falling down a waterfall.

But I get it now, and... Awesome!

Resolute | October 05, 18:24 CET

The first time I looked at the cover, I focused on Willow and Buffy, loved it and thought how amazing Jo Chen is. The second time I looked at it, I noticed the ground and my head exploded.

NotaViking | October 05, 18:26 CET

You know, the less the descriptions say, the more "oh noes! (yay!)" it seems to me. The look on Buffy's face-- is that "Ack! Flying is kind of weird..."?

It does make sense that it'd be Xander Dawn would confide in. Good to know the "well I guess I'll tell you--" [END OF SCENE!] action is almost at an end. ;)

Sunfire | October 05, 18:32 CET

I know this isn't the popular opinion, but I liked that the scoobs weren't as close. It added a little darkness, poignancy and bittersweetness, the hallmark of an adult show. As Spike once said about their growing apart, in S4, "It's the way of the world". (runs away, dodging brickbats)

shambleau | October 05, 18:36 CET

I know I'm in the minority here, but I'm rather getting fed up of the whole 'super Willow' thing. She's in danger of turning into the 'sonic screwdriver' of the Buffyverse. :0

Thats a beautiful cover though, and it actually looks like the actors, even at that awkward angle.

sueworld2003 | October 05, 18:46 CET

"Couldn't you at least use a broomstick?"

Craig Oxbrow | October 05, 18:49 CET

Agree there, Sunfire. In a lot of ways, Xander and Dawn have the most in common. And because of that, perhaps she doesn't feel comfortable confiding in Willow or Buffy.

I'm glad some past-introspection is in tow. It seems like there are still more than a few issues the Scoobs have yet to deal with.

Jo Chen is my Master (or Mistress, rather). Is she capable of drawing anything bad?

ETA: But, but I like the sonic screwdriver, sueworld. ;)

[ edited by deepgirl187 on 2007-10-05 15:51 ]

deepgirl187 | October 05, 18:50 CET

Well sueworld2003, I totally agree with you. I know part of the thrill of the comics is being able to do things that a television budget wouldn't allow. But frankly I'd rather see just a bit more budgetary discretion going on Season 8. "Supergirl Willow" is fine once in a very great while, but not every issue.

Haunt | October 05, 19:03 CET

I don't know, the whole 'Super Willow' thing seems like a natural character progression to me. She was headed that way on the show, remember.

Dan Corson | October 05, 19:15 CET

Wonder how (invisio-text for snarky but spoilerific comments on Goddards upcoming arc) they're flying to Japan? Does Willow Airlines, come with a flying mileage program?

Numfar PTB | October 05, 19:22 CET

Yeah, I hope the Superman flying thing is just Jo taking some artistic license, and not something that's actually going to be happening in the comic. I know it's a comic book now, but I think of that as just the medium, not the genre. Either way, it's an awesome cover, as usual.

RaisedByMongrels | October 05, 19:25 CET

The cover's awesome, no doubt, but I have to add my voice to chorus on making Willow basically limitless in her abilities. Every time there's a crisis in these comics I always just think to myself, "get Willow to fix it. She can do anything now." Then the disappointment sets in. What we need is to see that Willow still does, in fact, have limits in her abilities along with what those limits are.

mikejer | October 05, 20:31 CET

Freaking awesome! Just freaking awesome.

alexreager | October 05, 20:56 CET

I think we're going to learn Willow's limits. I think it's a matter of when and how, not if.

Sunfire | October 05, 21:40 CET

I have absolutely no problem with Super Willow. Because there is no Super Willow. Just Willow, with her realistically advanced capabilities. Am I missing something, guys? I'm sure we'll discover her limitations...Joss does this kind of thing.

And that cover, my God...it's Jo's best yet, which is saying a lot.

UnpluggedCrazy | October 05, 22:14 CET

The 'Super Willow' problem, for me, comes in when we see her almost constantly flying, hovering, using her now over-the-top magic to install megatons of computer equipment, etc. I agree that Willow progressed more or less naturally from one level of ability to the next. But the gap between what she could do on our screens in Season 7 and what is now possible thanks to the no-limit budget of comics is pretty severe.

Not saying she can't fly with her magic, but that the difference from screen to page is so noticeable that it's jarring. We're already being asked a lot as fans in that we have to continue following these wonderful characters WITHOUT the wonderful actors that portrayed them for seven years. Any further disconnect between the "show" that we have now and the one we all watched and fell in love with is bothersome.

To some of us, anyway.

Haunt | October 05, 22:30 CET

Course, on the other hand, finding out Willow's limits might also mean watching her death. I mean, once a character gets so powerful, there's usually only one option left.

deepgirl187 | October 05, 23:24 CET

Love the cover image, it has a dreamlike quality, perhaps it is a dream. I prefer Jo Chen's more 'actiony' less 'portraity' covers. I love the variant too.

silvius | October 05, 23:37 CET

I have this niggling suspicion the buildup of Willow's powers will become fodder for some kind of major personal correction down the road (perhaps the one marked Season Nine). Anyone else agree?

*genuflect* And I also worship at the shrine of Jo Chen. *lights a Joss-stick for her artistic fabulousness.*

[LOL! (Mala)props for catching my error, Haunt. I've made the correction and lit another Joss-stick in contrition. I used to watch Twin Peaks, too -- maybe the name stuck...]

[ edited by Wiseblood on 2007-10-05 23:42 ]

Wiseblood | October 05, 23:49 CET

And I also worship at the shrine of Joan Chen.

Not to nitpick, but Joan Chen is an actress, best known (to me anyway) as Josie Packard from Twin Peaks. I think this is the shrine you meant to be worshipping at. ;)

Haunt | October 05, 23:54 CET

I agree that the transition from a Willow who was afraid of floating a candle to a Willow who quite casually flies and is able to heal her own near-lobotomy felt pretty sudden. I think the take-home message is that the Slayer-empowering spell profoundly changed her relationship to magic. Skipping from moments after that change to a mega-witch Willow feels like the multiple-chapter-skipping that it was. We haven't seen much of her yet-- so far she's rescued and been rescued, been in extreme danger and had a few side conversations, but we haven't really been in her head much yet. Or Dawn's for that matter.

A character with an ability that provides a solution to most obstacles is in and of itself a narrative problem, too. But we've already seen Warren use Willow's own strength against her. So yeah, she's super-Willow now. Super-heroes still have weaknesses. Buffy sure does. And I still don't think I've seen enough of Willow to judge if she's overly powerful, yet.

The "Presto! Brain better!" move did bug me, though.

Sunfire | October 05, 23:57 CET

What Sunfire said.

Although I did think that the "Presto Brain better!" was supposed to be a surprise reveal of Willow's new super-duper powers (which were brought on by her slayer-making spell). And I also agree with Unplugged Crazy. "Joss does this kind of thing." We'll discover her limitations (and probably something very unexpected and much worse than that).

jcs | October 06, 01:28 CET

That's all well and good... but haven't we already had the whole "Willow's powers are growing out of her control" schtick?

At any rate, my problem isn't necessarily that she's too powerful to tell balanced stories with, because I've been reading comics for thirty years and I'm well used to stories dealing with godlike powerful people that still manage to maintain some level of suspense, etc. My problem is that the level of powers we're seeing now just don't really feel... right. This doesn't really feel like Buffy.

I completly understand, as I've said a few times, that there's a freedom in the comics that the budget concerns of television didn't allow. Joss (and Co.) can tell stories now that they couldn't back when they had to pay for all the special effects and stunts and so on. The problem is that after watching these characters grow and develop within that very system of budget constraints means that now seeing them doing incredibly over-the-top things (flying on a regular basis, commanding huge armies of heavily armed and armored Slayers, living in a castle with hardcore high-tech equipment, Dawn growing to gigantic proportions) is a shocking and jarring change. I'd rather read stories that COULD, in fact, have been told and portrayed on screen had the series continued on television.

But that's just me.

Haunt | October 06, 01:34 CET

I would like remember to everyone that Willow was away for almost a year and that we don't know where she was and what happened in her life during that time. I think the authors will use this "gap" in her life to explain the changes in Willow's powers and her eventually limits.

rua1412 | October 06, 03:15 CET

I agree. I still don't like the distinctly different power levels between the seriesand the comic, regardless of where they came from or how long it took within the context of the story. See my precious posts for my reasoning.

Haunt | October 06, 03:22 CET

Yeah, all of the changes are shocking and jarring, and you're right, it doesn't always feel like the Buffy we knew and loved.

But all the same, I'm excited about the new avenues this opens up...and I'm going to speculate that #10 will get us back to feeling closer to the characters we once knew.

UnpluggedCrazy | October 06, 09:55 CET

heh heh Well, I've read the script for #10 too. But I'm not saying a single word about it this time. :)

Haunt | October 06, 20:01 CET

Who is Haunt and how has he read the script to issue 10??? LOL? Joke? Scott Allie says we are all going to cry like babies. :(

Buffysmglover | October 07, 04:54 CET

I want to know why Haunt gets to have 'precious' posts.

It's all very Gollum-y...

missb | October 07, 06:39 CET

LOL

You should see the Oscar-worthy schizophrenic arguments I have with myself. ;-)

Haunt | October 07, 06:59 CET

Wow, Willow certainly has progressed, and I think its totally natural considering where she was going. Tara would be so proud, and probably is somewhere, lazily reclining on a cloud and watching her girl go.

As for the look on Buffy's face, I got the impression it was something below she was frightened about, but I suppose it could just be the fact she's the first passenger on "Willow Airlines."

quantumac | October 07, 23:36 CET