Comics: 2-06-08

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SEASON EIGHT #11
"A Beautiful Sunset"
Writer: Joss Whedon
Penciler: Georges Jeanty
Inker: Andy Owens
Colorist: Michelle Madsen
Letterer: Richard Starkings & Comicraft's Jimmy
Editor: Scott Allie

Season Eight has been a troubled little book. Aside from an above average arc by Brian K. Vaughan about Faith, it's been pretty standard fare. Joss Whedon's voice is coming through loud and clear, it's just that his witticisms are sometimes confusing when read and not heard. Also, the art hasn't been anything to get excited over. Jo Chen has provided some striking paintings for the covers but Georges Jeanty is merely passable. He tells the stories well and gets the likenesses down, but nothing past that. In my opinion, a book as important and event-y as the eighth season of one of the most important and influential television shows of the past twenty years deserves an artist of some merit and individuality (Adrian Alphona would be amazing).

All that aside, this is a better than average issue of Season Eight. I'm glad to read single issues by Joss; they show that he has a real grasp on the medium moreso than the sprawling epics hes doing on Runaways and Astonishing X-Men. It feels like we're finally getting a direction and a real threat after eleven issues. Twilight, the person or organization or whatever, is not happy with the slayer-filled world and is going to do something about it. It feels like a big threat since it's a direct consequence to what Buffy did in the series finale. Whedon's universe is full of consequences so this is a natural fit. I'm pleased to see her second guessing her decision. The single issue format is great and I like the alternating between longer arcs and individual stories. Joss' fake-out with the identity reveal of Mr. Twilight is such a clear sign of his understanding of the medium; he knew how to mess with his audience on TV and now he knows how to do it in comics. I almost clapped when Mr. Twilight said "sorry, itchy neck." Great.

This issue also answers some questions raised by the series so far instead of the tv series. Buffy deals with Satsu and the love kiss she placed on Buffy in the opening arc and also hints at an explanation for Willow's awkwardness as of late. Everything's becoming clearer and I think this'll help the past issues. Buffy's speech about her exes all getting hurt is a nice nod to continuity (as is the mud-faced Satsu reminding Buffy of the dream she had in "Restless") but I find it pretty self-centered that it immediately turned back on self-pity. Then again, Buffy's self-pity has been a character point before so no reason it shouldn't pop up here.

I think the real problem with this book is that it feels too removed from the TV series. I respect the decision to make a bold change, I'm all for that. I'm just finding it hard to adjust to not seeing Willow and Xander together in every issue, or Buffy talk to Giles, or even just seeing people hate Spike. There really is no cast here and so far Satsu is the only new character to, well, have a personality. It feels really fractured, moreso than season 4. I want to see the gang all back together eventually. Eventually.

So, good issue. The single issues are shaping up to be way better than the big event storylines. Here's hoping that Drew Goddard's big arc starting next month is better than "Long Way Home."

MY SCORE: 8.6/10


UNCANNY X-MEN #495
"X-Men: Divided 1"
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Mike Choi
Color Art: Sonia Oback
Letterer: VC's Joe Caramagna
Assistant Editor: Will Panzo
Editor: Nick Lowe
Executive Editor: Axel Alonso
Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley

For the first time in ten years (seriously, I just checked), nothing happened in this issue. Yes, there have been one or two quiet issues in that time period, but it seems like they've been leading up to either a new creative team or a huge event. Even though this issue is labeled as "part 1," it's the X-Men just chilling with no huge change looming. For the first time in a long time, I finished reading the book with a nod and realized that I was simply going to read an Ed Brubaker story next month, and the month after that, and the month after that. I'm not worried about what a new writer is potentially going to mess up. I'm not worried about having to buy a title I don't want to to get the rest of the story. I'm just going to read #496 and find out what happens. That's it.

And I am so happy.

Everyone claims that Joss Whedon's Astonishing is way old-school, but Claremont never did decompression with delays on top of that. If you want old-school, this is it. Cyclops and Emma are on vacation in the Savage Land. Nightcrawler, Wolverine and Colossus are in Germany. There's no action whatsoever, just solid characterization. In that way, it's like a Scott Lobdell issue, but the whole vibe is very post-Siege Perilous Claremont. There's no X-Men, as far as the government is concerned, and that is genuinely exciting to me. If the whole point of "X-Men: Divided" is to actually focus on the characters' relationships instead of just sticking them in the crossover-o-matic (Hot Creator + New Status Quo X Variant Cover / Death = Event) then I am on board.

The scenes with Cyclops and Emma work for me. Somehow they are way more interesting than Cyclops and Jean ever were, which is a shame. Shanna points out that Emma has a soft side which, my only complaint, is what I fear we're seeing too much of. Emma's love for Cyclops is interesting and I'd like to see more of her reasons for loving him. I particularly enjoyed the exchange where Emma revealed that she could also look him in the eyes (due to her diamond form) as well as look into his mind. That simple feat sets her above Jean Grey in the intimacy department since not being able to look him in the eyes was a plot point for that couple.

Cyclops is also getting some nice attention finally. It has been pointed out that Cyclops isn't the big gun that he should be in the Marvel Universe. Mr. Fantastic and Captain America (and I guess Iron Man) are huge names and also lead the Fantastic Four and the Avengers. Cyclops has never been anything more than a boy scout and a follower. It was Professor X that joined the Illuminati after all. His worry about what to do without Professor X is so right and such an interesting angle for the character. The problem is...it should have been done before. Cyclops has led the X-Men during three of Professor X's absences: when he died in the 1960s, when he was in prison after Onslaught in the late 90s, and when he was in Genosha after Grant Morrison's run. During all three of those times he never had this type of crisis. I guess his death has heightened his inner turmoil, but it's laid out in the first page of this issue that Cyclops doesn't think he's dead. He should be upset that the Professor is missing, but I don't really buy the whole "without him there is no purpose" line. It might be a front for the government at this point, so I'll wait it out.

On the topic of Professor X's death, how botched was that? If I had not read the solicitations for this month's comics and read this directly after the 13th chapter of "Messiah Complex," I would be giving a big "a-huh?" to this. Professor X was shot in the head. The disappearance of his corpse on the last page was done in such a way that it seemed more like an artistic goof than a plot point, and it wasn't even addressed or pointed out. Then in this issue, the recap page says he was shot in the head and seemingly dead with no mention of the disappearance. I assume all of this will be cleared up in X-Men: Legacy when it comes out, but if so it should have come out this week instead of Uncanny.

The bits with the Giant-Size boys club (Peter, Kurt and Logan, the only surviving guys from Giant-Size X-Men) were pretty great. Those three have always been close friends and I'm so pleased to actually see it addressed and to see them just hanging out. Moments like these don't come along often and when they do, they are so important.

The art leaves a lot to be desired. It's nice, professional, tells the story, but it's too pretty. It looks like an ad for hip new cologne, not a comic book. I'm not a fan of the photo-realism, I kinda wish it would go away.

This issue didn't break any new ground, nothing important really happened, and the cliffhanger is so darn unexciting. For all of these reasons, I loved it. It feels like this is a comic book about characters, and after the long and hard decade Uncanny has had, it's about time.

MY SCORE: 8.7/10