The fascinating thing to me is it's as if breaking the seed launched an apocalypse so slow that no one's noticing it except Willow.

@theonetruebix | August 21, 04:53 CET

Put some Mentos in your Coke and the rainbow will be back to seven colors.

anca | August 21, 05:01 CET

It's an interesting idea, but was I the only one who thought the page made it seem a bit silly? I laughed, and then realized I probably shouldn't have.

Fred_Sonja | August 21, 05:24 CET

"The fascinating thing to me is it's as if breaking the seed launched an apocalypse so slow that no one's noticing it except Willow."

Yes, it's like the world is moving toward the dystopian future we saw in "Fray."

pacer | August 21, 06:31 CET

Gorgeous artwork. This has been the first preview in a while that has given me butterflies, haha. :)

without_passion | August 21, 07:08 CET

I think I mentioned this theory before, but these are my thoughts on how Willow brings back magic...

I think it all has to do with the Time of Your Life arc. Willow's presence and motive in that arc has yet to be explained and I think it was a move on her part to bring magic back.

We know that the Scythe is instrumental in bringing magic back. We know that Future Willow had magical properties, however minimal. We know that Future Willow was killed using that Scythe. When Future Willow was killed using that Scythe, it caused a large scale mystical reaction. We know that Future Willow orchestrated the whole situation for her to be killed using the Scythe.

I think Future Willow knew exactly what was going to happen with regards to the Seed and she managed to gain some minimal amount of magic that transferred to the Scythe when she died. This magic will somehow allow Present Willow to use the Scythe as the instrument to restore magic. (Perhaps it will be the new Seed, itself?)

What I don't know for certain is what happens in the middle.

Right now, I think a popular theory is that the Frayverse and the Buffyverse actually exist in separate timelines. This is because, at the end of TOYL, it was thought that Fray's world would cease to exist if Buffy returned to the present timelines to prevent all of the events that led to Fray. When Buffy returned, Fray continued to exist. There was even a flash of bright light, that seemed to indicate that perhaps Fray now existed in a different universe, not just in the future.

However, I think it's more likely that they exist in the same universe and that nothing Buffy has done will prevent the Frayverse from coming to pass. At some point, for some reason that we don't know yet, the Slayer line will cease. Magic will return and Zompires will be no more (hence the non-zombie vampires like Icarus).

More importantly, though, Present Willow will eventually realize that it was her future self's sacrifice that allowed magic to be restored to the world.

The biggest question in this is how Future Willow gained the magical properties in the first place. Perhaps Present Willow time jumps at some point? I'm not sure. I'm more interested in whether or not it is our current Willow who is destined to outlive all of her loved ones to thanklessly save the world from what others here have called the "slow Apocalypse."

Knuckleball | August 21, 07:13 CET

Isn't it possible the event that interupts the Slayer line is the activation of all slayers? That's how I always interpreted it after seeing the series finale. Such a powerful alteration of the line could definitely have a severely damaging effect. Therefore it's possible that it took from Buffy's time to Fray's time for the magics involved to recover and to finally call a new Slayer.

Mitholas | August 21, 08:03 CET

I like Willow as a character, but I despised her arc in Season 8 and so far in 9, to be honest. It's so apparent that she's selfish about magic and that's why she wants it back. She's the only one who notices it because she's the only one of the main characters directly affected.

lisatwingomez | August 21, 08:34 CET

Coke doesn't taste right - sure sign of an impending apocalypse.

baxter | August 21, 11:11 CET

Yes, I don't think Joss is comfy with the idea of alternate histories in general. Ergo, I can see the future, as it was sketched out in "TOYL," and it's not worth having. About what I expect from him anymore.

DaddyCatALSO | August 21, 12:56 CET

It's an oddly un-humanist (and un-Jossian) notion to think that all human accomplishment and creativity is based on some mysterious outside force, and we're not much more than sock puppets for it. If you take out "cut off from magic" and replace it with "cut off from God," you've got a Christian comic here.

Willow's observations... everything seems less colorful, less inspiring, duller, less vibrant... are really just those of a depressed person. She has made the transference from "I'm depressed" to "the world is wrong."

But, if restoring the Seed will make auto-tune go away, I'm all for it.

AndrewCrossett | August 21, 13:30 CET

I think Willow will become what Wisky was in the end of dollhouse. My theory; magic will slowly find it way back to earth. Willow notices but it takes years for her to build it up. She waits until she has enough to prevent Buffy from destroying the seed (TOYL story line). Along the way she looses herself and becomes a shell that only knows her mission.

A_Leaf | August 21, 14:56 CET

@Knuckleball

The Slayer line has been destroyed already when the Seed was smashed - by virtue of no magic, no new Slayers can be activated. (See S8I21 Harmony Bites for a Slayer activated post Chosen.)

Present time Willow gained 'magical properties' in Angel and Faith #12. See the issue for details.

Fray timeline became reality after Buffy killed FDW and returned to the past timeline. However Wilow's death did not cause a large scale mystical reaction. It caused timelines re-alignment and stabilization. Thus Fray world preserved.

Large scale mystical reaction was caused by opening the Twilight plane - it was that huge universal event that created ripples in time-space continuum and sealed the Fray future - see ToYL issue #16 for Willow's lecture on the big event in soon to come future that is about to open the time portal. See issue 36 of S8 for the 'origins' of fish-people mutants from Fray. See issue 36 for a flash of Fray holding the Scythe. See issue 31 Turbulence , for the 'ripples' from Twilight hit Willow two days before the event and restore her magic.

dorotea | August 21, 16:41 CET

I may be in the minority here, but I don't think this is going to have anything to do with Time Of Your Life. The reality of the situation is, Time of Your Life, although technically in Season 8, happened 4 years ago (4 years already?! crazy!) I think the writers have moved on and they don't really seem interested in really revisiting season 8 storylines, especially ones that happened so long ago.

I just think unfortunately it's a lost plot, or dead and buried. There might be thematical similarities, but it will be done in a way that people who have only read the Willow miniseries won't be confused. I just don't see the writers, already trying to bring up sales and draw a lot of attention, bring up a 4 year old storyline. It seems the only want to move forward at this point.

mark214 | August 21, 18:11 CET

I just don't see the writers, already trying to bring up sales and draw a lot of attention, bring up a 4 year old storyline. It seems the only want to move forward at this point.

Except that's David Mack mentioned in the interview with the artists drawing the snake-lady on one of Willow's mini covers...

[ edited by dorotea on 2012-08-21 19:12 ]

dorotea | August 21, 19:11 CET

The reason for the Snake lady may be more mundane. We have never had an explanation or information about how and why Willow ended her relationship with Kennedy.

Dana5140 | August 21, 19:16 CET

@Dana5140

Well, yes, Saga might appear in flashbacks only.

dorotea | August 21, 19:20 CET

Goddamit this is so frustrating. Like many I suppose, Willow is my favourite character in Buffy and I'm so pissed off that they're splitting all these characters up just to make more moeny, at least that's my cynical point of view. I want to read about Willow's journey, but this first page is almost laughable. The rainbow only has two colours? WTF?

To be honest, the Buffy comics have, in my mind, turned into fanfic now. Joss isn't directly involved, the only reason I perservered so long is because I was so attached to the characters, the actual writing hasn't excited me since mid way through s8. I'm not going to be part of this ride just to end up continually disappointed by the writers not answering questions, getting character voices wrong, and generally just not making interesting stories.

Sorry that this is a negative post when you guys probably want to talk about how much you're looking forward to it. I won't keep doing this.

digupherbones | August 21, 20:01 CET

dugupherbones, the purpose of the separate titles is to have more platforms to tell an overall richer story of S9 seeing as S8 was sometimes bogged down or distracting with its information overload. So far the two titles have been working well together and I suspect these two new ones will work just as well.

Although Joss is not as involved as many would like him to be, he still oversees what is happening with these characters. Personally I am grateful that we are still able to enjoy Buffy in an official form, despite the downside of having to wait so long for new information. I know I'll miss it once it's done completely. I do understand your frustrations and remember feeling quite disenchanted during S8 at times.

I hope you can look back on S9 in a while and be able to enjoy it! I'll be sticking it out either way.

without_passion | August 21, 21:36 CET

"dugupherbones, the purpose of the separate titles is to have more platforms to tell an overall richer story of S9..."

Well, maybe. This is a business, though. I sort of agree with digupherbones on this.

Dana5140 | August 21, 23:25 CET

So was spinning Angel off into his own show a purely money-grabbing move too?

Matt7325 | August 22, 01:06 CET

I just don't agree that having more material on these characters is a negative.... The more the merrier! As long as it doesn't diminish the quality of the story, it's fine by me.

without_passion | August 22, 01:44 CET

Umm, yes, Willow's breakup wiht Kennedy has been explained. We got botht the cover story Kennedy got " I'm brekaing up with you now because I know evnetually you'll dump me because I ahev no pwoers" now and then we also had the panel of Willow staring at a picture Saka Vasuki. Obviously Willow now regards the snake-lady as her true love and wnats to get back to her.

As for "tin Of Your Life;" the editors have gone on record as declaring their intention to "support" the Frayverse. Which sounds quite clearly like my own idea (that by seeing the future and then coming back, Buffy changed the dynamic, split Fray off into an alternate dimension, and changed the future) is wrong and that Dr. Joss and His "Bunche" are saying, "You've seen the future, you've seen where this will take Willow, live with it."

[ edited by DaddyCatALSO on 2012-08-22 12:58 ]

DaddyCatALSO | August 22, 12:55 CET