Whedonesque : Comments on 18829 : (SPOILER) More preview pages for Buffy #22 "Swell".

Those tiny little hello kitty-style vampire things are the cutest thing ever! What a great way to start off the morning!

narse | January 29, 15:02 CET

i think this issue is goin to interesting... im lovin the whole kennedy /chemistry

twilightisfallin | January 29, 15:05 CET

This issue just keeps looking better and better! I think this is where Buffy gets back on track. :]

patxshand | January 29, 15:16 CET

Thanks for the awesome find!

wenxina | January 29, 15:21 CET

"Check on Ayumi. Tell her try ducking next time."
"You see the tail on that thing? Momma! You should try ducking next time."

HAW! Okay, now we know one reason Satsu's being a little pissy in this scene. That had to be embarrassing, having her own snark coming back to bite her in the ass.

ET fix a mis-typing. Again. *gad*

[ edited by Rowan Hawthorn on 2009-01-29 15:24 ]

[ edited by Rowan Hawthorn on 2009-01-29 16:12 ]

Rowan Hawthorn | January 29, 15:24 CET

If there was ever any doubt about it this issue at least proves that yes, Satsu does speak fluent Japanese.

(There was a debate before about whether she was Japanese-American or some such.)

stormwreath | January 29, 15:53 CET

Based on her very American internal voice-over, I'd still say that's the case. Possibly with immigrant parents who insisted on her learning Japanese and spoke it at home.

Rowan Hawthorn | January 29, 16:11 CET

This time the alternate cover is fantastic, I like it better than the awesome-as-usual Chen's one. I'll get it for sure.

nyrk | January 29, 16:22 CET

Rowan already said it -- speaking Japanese doesn't preclude someone from being an American, of Japanese descent or otherwise in fact.

Incidentally, this issue now represents our first use of modern technology for actual weaponry by one of Buffy's Slayers in Season 8.

[ edited by KingofCretins on 2009-01-29 16:39 ]

KingofCretins | January 29, 16:38 CET

I'm wondering, does this series have any, you know, vampires?

Dana5140 | January 29, 16:45 CET

That's been a legitimate question since, oh, Season 5.

KingofCretins | January 29, 16:48 CET

Dana5140, I guess you missed issue #6 and issues #11 through 21, which all had some, you know, vampires...

Rowan Hawthorn | January 29, 16:50 CET

Harmony!

Sunfire | January 29, 16:52 CET

Issues with just ordinary vampires features include... 8.05, 8.06, 8.11, 8.12, 8.13, 8.14, 8.15, 8.16, 8.17, 8.18, 8.19, 8.20. Not going to count 8.21, since Harmony is an established character. But in terms of vampires on patrol or as one-off villains, that's 12 out of 21 issues so far. Pretty consistent with pretty much every season after Season 3.

KingofCretins | January 29, 16:54 CET

I don't trust this shifty DeKnight fella. Last time he wrote for Buffy, Bad Things Happened. ;-)

I kid, I kid. Can't wait to see the rest of the issue!

redders | January 29, 18:04 CET

Teddy bears are supposed to be brown. These being white should clue you up right away that there's something wrong, such as the teeth or the aliveness, or both. I'm not against new kinds of villains, in general. Just not sure about the demonic teddy bears.

dreamlogic | January 29, 18:13 CET

Grr, argh. I forgot about Issue #5. Concede the point on Harmony, too, seeing as how the other vampire shown (her disgruntled minion) was actually in the webcomic tie-in, not issue #21. Still, that's over half the published issues so far.

Rowan Hawthorn | January 29, 18:13 CET

Gang, I think Dana5140 is indulging in his "Chee, what a offbeat sense ' humor" here.

DaddyCatALSO | January 29, 18:16 CET

Wow, this issue is shaping up to be mega-awesome. DeKnight's writing fits the comic medium like a glove.

I don't trust this shifty DeKnight fella. Last time he wrote for Buffy, Bad Things Happened.

That's actually a good point to keep in mind. DeKnight's episodes normally have a darker edge. He lulls you into the story with the trademark BUFFY humor and action, then guts you with character death and/or imminent disaster. His episodes on BtVS and AtS in the end left the characters (who survived) questioning themselves or emotionally traumatized. Blood ties, Spiral, All the Way (Dawn kills the first boy...vampire she kisses), Dead Things and Seeing Red. Episodes so ultimately dark you forget how they started out on a light and happy tone.

Emmie | January 29, 18:31 CET

I've been suspecting one or both of these women won't make it out of 8.22 for a few months...

KingofCretins | January 29, 18:35 CET

She speaks Japanese, but he didn't quite say what she said. :)

He said: "Wah! A monster! Somebody help!"

And then she translated with some attitude. :)

swanjun | January 29, 18:59 CET

I'm not sure if we can expect character deaths, but I think it's fair to say something really bad/upsetting is going to happen. Or maybe both Kennedy and Satsu will die. That way a significant other from Xander, Willow and Buffy have all died in this season. It feels a bit extreme to even consider that the character deaths will be that specifically crappy.

Emmie | January 29, 19:00 CET

Maybe this one will prove the exception to the DeKnight rule. If Joss can write "Amends", then DeKnight can write a happy romp where nothing (too) bad happens. Am I typing from denial land? I like Kennedy (*gasp*, I know) and I kinda love Satsu. *sigh*

nyrk | January 29, 19:00 CET

Well, Twilight is mentioned in the blurb, so it's not unreasonably to think he might turn up in the issue. Maybe we finally see him do his own wetwork. It would certainly be a brilliant way to shatter Buffy's support system, it would totally leverage exactly what Willow was most afraid would happen if she got Kennedy involved.

KingofCretins | January 29, 19:11 CET

Preview looks good as usual.Based on Scott Allie's most recent Q/A at Slayalive,I wonder if Kenendy and Satsu get thrust back into close contact with Buffy,Willow,Xander and Dawn following this arc?

[ edited by Buffyfantic on 2009-01-29 19:16 ]

Buffyfantic | January 29, 19:15 CET

Awww!
Grrr!
Awww...

Craig Oxbrow | January 29, 19:25 CET

I was tongue in cheek on this, more commenting on all these monster thingies that keep cropping up. I prefer my Buffy old school, with many vamps and few demons, monsters and etc. Otherwise, I can head over to Hellboy. :-)

PS. Yes, it could be bad, but man, another dead lesbian would be pretty unsettling. On the other hand, there could be a bed at the end of this, too. Poor Willow. :-(

Dana5140 | January 29, 20:16 CET

I sidestep that whole "dead lesbian" thing by simply declining to parse out the characters by their assigned hyphenates. Characters are characters, not avatars of the populations segments they represent. I think Kennedy is in danger, for instance, because she's Willow's girlfriend and they already set up Willow's fear of her getting killed after what she said about her feelings about Buffy with regard to Tara dying. The risk to her would be exactly the same if she was Willow's boyfriend Kevin.

[ edited by KingofCretins on 2009-01-29 20:26 ]

KingofCretins | January 29, 20:22 CET

I thought the cover treatment of Kennedy was spot-on and beautiful. The character in Season 7 really, really annoyed me, but I recently convinced myself to rewatch the season. Giving her the benefit of the doubt (and no longer resenting that Tara was gone...much), I appreciated her much more and look forward to seeing Kennedy develop.

ScullyWant2B | January 29, 20:58 CET

You're both right; it shouldn't be necessary to parse people's hyphenates when developing a plot, but the firm, chilly fact is that any number of readers will do exactly that so it can behoove a writer to at least think about it.

DaddyCatALSO | January 29, 21:21 CET

The problem with that is that, if there's any possible way to be offended by anything, there's someone out there who will stretch a point to the breaking point to manage it. If a writer has to tiptoe on eggs to avoid the possibility of offending even those who are determined to be offended no matter what, there's not much point in trying to write; be better off sitting at home knitting sweaters.

Rowan Hawthorn | January 29, 21:31 CET

Agreed, at least on principle

DaddyCatALSO | January 29, 21:45 CET

I am offended by sweater knitting...

I'm going with neither of them dying or ending up in bed (with each other). I actually quite like Kennedy. I didn't hate her in Season 7 though, just found her a bit brash. It's good to see her developing through Season 8 though, strong character.

bubblecat | January 29, 22:03 CET

Characters are characters, not avatars of the populations segments they represent.

Except when they are. This is B-Verse were talking here; the subtext may "not" be the target of the plot/arc, but the subtext is still there.

Being one of the few who actually digs Kenny, and have fallen totally for Satsu... {sigh} Yeah, they gonna die horribly.
I hatehatehate Joss. ;)

roddikinathome | January 29, 22:26 CET

KingofCretins, didn't we see modern day technology in the very first issue, with those laser guns the slayers were using to attack the demons who have a (still unexplained) connection to Giles?

Buffy the Slayer Layer | January 29, 22:49 CET

bubblecat and roddikinathome, you can add me to the Kennedy fan club (and there are lots of places where that doesn't sit well with others, I'm afraid.) ETA: and you'll be pleased to hear that I, personally, don't knit. I tried once, and kept myself in stitches...

Buffy the Slayer Layer - No, Buffy only used that electric blaster thingy to break through the force-field. The Junior Slayers used some sort of harpoon guns to take out the demons.

[ edited by Rowan Hawthorn on 2009-01-30 00:27 ]

Rowan Hawthorn | January 30, 00:25 CET

Buffy had some kind of laser thing, but she only used it to get through the forcefield. Rowena used harpoon guns, but everything else was the more customary stakes, swords, and blunt objects. It does appear to be the same type of weapon or device Buffy had, though -- this is just the first time it was used as a weapon. Oddly, Kennedy's reveal in 8.22 is very similar to the panel of Buffy in 8.01 as she lands.

I only pointed this out because, at the time, there was a big fight over zOMG Buffy has teh l4zerz oh noes at which time I pointed out that, no, she didn't, she hadn't used it as a weapon (not that it would be a big deal -- she willingly took an Initiative blaster as a weapon in Season 4 at least twice). I figured if people still wanted to do zOMG on the subject, it's officially ready to be argued about.

KingofCretins | January 30, 00:28 CET

Not too crazy about this issue focusing on the most-peripheral of Scoobies, but I'll keep an open mind.

Riker | January 30, 00:58 CET

Yes, the "ducking" does add a little somethin' to the swap of comments between Kennedy & Satsu. Very cute evil things as well.

korkster | January 30, 01:02 CET

There's nothing better than snark and killing monsters. :)

Teddy bears are supposed to be brown. These being white should clue you up right away that there's something wrong, such as the teeth or the aliveness, or both. I'm not against new kinds of villains, in general. Just not sure about the demonic teddy bears.

To me, dreamlogic, they remind me more of the fuzzy-reproducing-pet-things from the Original Star Trek. The ones that infested the whole ship. And they deserve to die. *shivers* Evil fluff balls.

korkster | January 30, 02:05 CET

Those little critters look a bit Miyazaki-ish to me.

snot monster from outer space | January 30, 02:12 CET

My daughter had lots of white teddy bears along with the brown and parti-colored.

DaddyCatALSO | January 30, 02:43 CET

To me, dreamlogic, they remind me more of the fuzzy-reproducing-pet-things from the Original Star Trek.

Tribbles dear, from the ep. "The Trouble with Tribbles", and one ep. of the cartoon series from the early 70's.
/Yes, I am old and have no girlfriend, how did you guess?

roddikinathome | January 30, 03:34 CET

This issue looks like it's shaping up to be super entertaining. A fun read, I'm hoping!

UnpluggedCrazy | January 30, 09:39 CET

Much thanks, roddikinathome. Terrible Tribbles.

korkster | January 31, 04:29 CET

January 29 2009