According to it, we won't see it available till June.

jettamesis | November 25, 08:48 CET

Pfft, you know fans comment a lot about how DH seems to be tweaking Spike fans and usually I dismiss it. But that? Totally tweaking Spike fans.

I found it interesting that they said they're "defending reality itself". Anyone care to chime in with some "Normal Again" theories?

Emmie | November 25, 08:55 CET

Greatest challenge ever! Biggest Buffy finale ever! Too bad the gang is at its dysfunctionalest ever. I wonder how Buffy's going to deal with the ultimatest betrayal ever...

Kairos | November 25, 09:10 CET

No cover??

anca | November 25, 09:11 CET

More Spike fan baiting from good old DH. No change there then....

sueworld2003 | November 25, 10:34 CET

"Defending reality itself" caught my eye too. No idea what it means but I'm intrigued.

tranquillity | November 25, 11:38 CET

Hmm. That sounds quite ominous.

menomegirl | November 25, 15:24 CET

Now, I'm not really a big Dark Horse fan... but that isn't baiting the Spike fans. I took it as this: Spike is the more loyal to Buffy than anyone. Anyone. Even when Willow, Xander, and Dawn turned their backs on her in "Empty Places" (rightfully so, I'd add), Spike stuck with her. Unconditional. When people betray Buffy, Spike will be there for her. I'm sure that this is what it's saying. Considering the wording, how could it mean anything else?

patxshand | November 25, 17:03 CET

I might have thought the same If DH staff hadn't had such a long and colourful history of simular odd'pronouncements' about the character.

But hey thats just me.

sueworld2003 | November 25, 17:38 CET

I've said this before, but I think it's important to keep in mind that most of these releases are written by people who AREN'T going to use foreshadowing or hidden, double meanings or anything like that. Press releases and things of this nature are often written by PR people who are given the basic gist of the product (in this case, the story) and whose job it is to write something that will catch people's eyes. Anyone remember the "former vampire" bit from the first few issues of "Last Gleaming"? And that was downright incorrect.

So, no, I don't think the company is "baiting" anyone. They're giving readers the facts -- Spike returns -- without just saying "Oh yeah btw Spike comes back in these issues." They have to write it in an engaging tone. At the same time, I personally don't think it's worth it to analyze their words. What I mean is, patxshand, is that this isn't necessarily saying that Spike will be there for Buffy when people betray her. Even if that IS the case, they're just trying to use engaging language.

But those are just my two cents anyway.

[ edited by Waterkeeper511 on 2010-11-25 17:44 ]

Waterkeeper511 | November 25, 17:43 CET

I didn't take it to that extreme (Spike's more loyal than anyone?), but it certainly reads to me like Buffy's in a dark place, so it's the best time for Spike to show up and help her out.

The Dark Shape | November 25, 17:48 CET

I saw it as sarcasm, but not really at Spike's expense. Something like: "Oh, everything's going to shit, and someone who has a tendency to make situations complicated comes back. Of course." Or do y'all think that even that interpretation is unfair to Spike? I mean, I love the character, but I do think he often has a tendency to make things difficult. The counterexample, of course, is the end of S7, but I'd submit the rest of S7 and Angel S5 as evidence for the other side.

goingtowork | November 25, 18:02 CET

I'm a Spike fan, and have kinda developed a bad attitude toward Dark Horse, but I still didn't take that as tweaking or baiting.
Of course if it turns out I'm wrong, well I'll just feel silly.

Xane | November 25, 18:22 CET

I love that Spike and the gang are back together for the first time since season three where he was a major character...

didifallasleep | November 25, 21:10 CET

I don't care one way or another about 'Spike-fan-baiting' - c'mon, these folks don't care about fandom, they care about profits - but I'm confused and annoyed by the repeated insistence that the final arc is 'written by Joss Whedon.' He and Allie broke the stories and Allie wrote the scripts, right? As in, 'Series Editor Scott Allie Commandeers Plummest Writing Job in All of DH's Comics Library,' right? As in, 'There's a Reason These One-Liners Have Tended to Be Juuuuust a Little On-the-Nose,' right?

I don't think I'd care if the last few issues had been good...but they haven't been particularly good. Not since before Meltzer's arc. And it'd be nice to know how to apportion blame!! ON ACCOUNT OF I AM A GRUDGE-HOLDING ADOLESCENT.

waxbanks | November 26, 14:03 CET

Baiting or not but this description kind of sealed the S8 main theme for me - it has become the season where the fandom finally subverted Joss into its ways - subtly, casually and seductively - without him noticing that it is no longer him teasing the fans but rather them forcing his hand. And the Chosen one from the girl who saves the world a lot finally became the girl who has feelings a lot.

dorotea | November 27, 06:37 CET

Who writes the teasers at the beginning of each comic? "Seems like a perfect time for Spike to come back" is taken directly from #36. It's got a certain nose-tweaking tone to it, as those usually do. I've always assumed the writer of the issue wrote them.

[ edited by Sunfire on 2010-11-28 02:43 ]

Sunfire | November 28, 02:41 CET