Headphones and Notebooks

 As we reach the midway point of the Willow miniseries, and issue 17 of Buffy, we find ourselves learning more about the sinister underbelly the Slayer and her friends must face... Buffy issue 17 The first thing to be noted about Buffy issue 17 is that it’s another little stand-alone or background issue, much as issue 13 was. But rather than focusing on Kendra or another Slayer, we are finally properly introduced to the Watcher’s Council in its brand new, shiny format. And not only are we introduced to the Council, but a familiar-looking Watcher by the name of Wesley Wyndam-Pryce. The most striking thing about this new Watcher’s Council is that council head Quentin Travers is conspicuously missing. In his place, we have a new female head of the Council quite possibly introduced to move away from the majority of the Council being female as they were in the show. Despite the exception of a few female Watchers mentioned in passing, or appearing in season five, it was very much impl

 Anyone who loves reading probably has at least one special edition of a book- whether it’s a limited edition, whether it’s signed, whether it’s a more expensive copy with an elaborate cover. I know I’ve got a few of those myself. And that’s what I sometimes struggle with. You see, the special editions I own- whether signed, anniversary copies, or simply the ones with lavish covers- mostly just sit on a shelf. The thought of reading them and subsequently ruining them- spilling a drink on them, getting the cover scratched up in my bag, god forbid tearing a page- makes me extremely uneasy, and as a result I don’t read them. I have a signed Neil Gaiman book- The Ocean at the End of the Lane - that I adored, but have only read once. I fully intend to buy a second copy- a paperback- that can be read and beaten up and left lying around, but the signed copy has lived happily on a shelf in my bedroom for the past seven years. I know I’m not the only one who shares these- perhaps insane- re

  With Willow in Abhainn and Spike and Angel taking us back to the 60s, it’s time to check out the next few comics in the Boom! Studios Buffy universe... Willow issue 2 Unfortunately, much like the Hellmouth comics, Willow issue two seems mostly about world-building rather than moving the plot forward. It’s certainly a quick and easy read, and I didn’t hate it, but it also didn’t really tell me anything I hadn’t already figured out for myself. The issue follows Willow as she wakes up and explores Abhainn a little, stopping to buy the perfect sweater in a little store, before making the discovery that the town is home only to witches. Like I said, an easy read but not telling me anything I didn’t already know. I would have liked it more if Willow had perhaps talked to some locals in this issue, asked a few questions that helped hint more at what is likely to be a dark underbelly to the quaint town. I strongly suspect that upon rereading the series as a whole, this issue won’t frus