Interesting that it says the One-Shot will tell us how he became Twlight. That seems like quite a story to tell within a one-shot dedicated to Riley.

Jelly | July 23, 23:00 CET

Sigh. Who's gonna die?

Dana5140 | July 23, 23:11 CET

Does Riley die? Hmmm...

BlueSkies | July 23, 23:19 CET

Willow. Again. Because once this season isn't enough. Or something else will happen.

Simon | July 23, 23:22 CET

Kennedy. The tears will be of happiness from the anti-Kennedy faction. :)

wenxina | July 23, 23:47 CET

People don't like Kennedy?! Gasp! She won't be dying in that case, you know how Joss loves to torture his fans!(Actually I quite like her, she was my Faith sub for a bit, shhh! Don't tell Joss!).

BlueSkies | July 23, 23:53 CET

Have no issues with Ken-Doll. For realsies.

wenxina | July 24, 00:01 CET

Sigh. Who's gonna die?

Everyone. Eventually. 'xcept maybe Angel and Spike (and Dru). And also probably them.

Harmony, on the other hand, will (un-)live forever.

WilliamTheB | July 24, 05:05 CET

If Willow ever dies, I want Alyson to act the scene. That would would make it the most emotionally satisfying and hurt way much more than a comic book death. I love it when stories hurt so well.

Valentyn | July 24, 09:37 CET

I'm a little iffy on the reveal of how Angel became Twilight being shown in a supplementary one-shot. This reminds me of important plot information for Angel: After the Fall being presented in Spike: After the Fall (i.e. the room that revitalized people who'd just been killed).

These one-shots are beginning to feel like make-up homework because the main numbered story ran out of space for the vital information. It reminds me of why we're even having a Riley one-shot: to show how his appearance in the comic was relevant to begin with. The double agent role never really came to fruition--it was hinted at, but never shown to have much bang. The problem here being that what's needed to make Riley's presence worthwhile is the story showing how he helped Buffy, but if this one-shot is so early in the season that it's just showing how he came to be a double agent, then it still won't be showing how his being a double agent helped Buffy. (Was that confusing enough for everyone?)

Maybe this is just how comics roll? I dunno. But if something is important to the main run of the story, I think it should be in the main run, and not dealt with in ancillary works. I think you should be able to read Issues 1 through 40 without reading the extras like MDHPs and the one-shots.

The MDHPs that dealt with Issue 22 The Swell was a good example of a bonus work that was enjoyable, but didn't deal with the heavy plot of the main run. The MDHP where Harmony was on The Colbert Report was the opposite: it started wading into the 'Humanity Loves Vampires' storyline of Season 8, but failed to really give clarity, and that plot is still extremely muddled in Season 8.

One-shots: Season 8's plothole duct tape.

/Concrit Brain Off


I am looking forward to reading this and anything that'll make sense of Angel and Riley's involvement in the season will be much appreciated. Plus, Jane Espenson writing and Karl Moline pencilling. Which means I'm hoping there's some great action scenes for Moline to draw.

[ edited by Emmie on 2010-07-24 13:31 ]

Emmie | July 24, 13:25 CET

I thought the "Vampy Cat Play Friend" short actually kinda did deal with the main plot, but in a more insidious way. It showed how integrated the whole "vampires are cute, cuddly, and shiny" mentality was. It wasn't just hormonal teens and yuppies that thought that vampires were hot and sexy, they were marketing vampire kitty cats. And of course the kitty cats were evil, but they looked cute. Oh, and that title itself kinda reflects the duality of the sitch, The Vampy Cats were either play friends, as in the wholesome playdate kinda way, or they were playing the role of a friend (but secretly wanted to infect their hosts).

[ edited by wenxina on 2010-07-24 14:23 ]

wenxina | July 24, 14:23 CET

But they'll be happy tears, right? Tears of happiness?

*Sigh* It's too much to hope. Most I can ask for is that we a get a sound explanation, a good finale and therefore well-deserved tears of pain.

Shep | July 24, 15:34 CET

It didn't advance the main plot. You didn't need to see the way the Vampy Cats played out to understand the Vampy Cats involvement in #22. That's where the bonus material deepens the story, but is not essential for understanding the story. Introducing how Angel became Twilight in a supplementary one-shot? That's essential material.

Emmie | July 24, 16:01 CET

From what it looks like, how Angel became Twilight will also be dealt with in "Last Gleaming". So this may very well be a case of enriching that plot point. Maybe not so much enrich as it'll give some more context, since you can't enrich something that isn't there yet. :)
I dunno... these books may not share the same numbering system as the main series, but they are being collected in the trades and such along with the numbered books, which is my eyes says that they are part and parcel with the main S8 storyline. Supplementary, but more essential than the term "supplementary" may imply.

wenxina | July 24, 18:04 CET

I don't see why people get bent out of shape about picking up a one-shot. The one-shots come out in months when Buffy doesn't ship, so I look at it as just another issue of the main series, just out of sequence.

Riker | July 24, 18:28 CET

Twilight was a watcher's myth, Ehan was a watcher held and killed by the military. Could be how Angel took command over the military (and Riley&wife were among them)

anca | July 24, 18:34 CET

Ethan's not a Watcher. Not that I know of anyway. As far as I remember, Ethan was just one of Giles' old pals, before he sobered up, put on tweed, and became stuffy.

wenxina | July 24, 18:42 CET

Ethan and Giles were working/having fun together with that Eyghon demon thing. I presumed they knew each other from watcher's school (if that exists) and they took different roads in their life after that incident.

*I really need to rewatch Ethan's episodes.

anca | July 24, 19:15 CET

Giles dropped out of university and the role his parents had planned for him, went up to London and fell in with a bad crowd (Ethan). There's no evidence that Ethan had anything to do with the Council.

stormwreath | July 24, 19:52 CET