Perhaps the most interesting thing to note at the start of this review is how the current pandemic has caused Hellmouth-level disruption to the Buffy comic release schedule. With Willow being pushed back a month or two due to production shutting down, it’s created a very odd little plot-hole within the comics themselves. While this month saw the release of the fourth Willow comic, it also saw the release of Buffy issue eighteen, wherein Willow has finished her adventure and returned to Sunnydale. Needless to say, this is creating a little bit of confusion, and while I’m sure it won’t affect things too much, it’s certainly making things a little more complicated than the writers perhaps meant for them to be.
Willow issue 4
As I’ve mentioned in my previous reviews, the Willow miniseries, while interesting, has been trudging along in a fashion I haven’t exactly been overwhelmed with love for. Issues two and three were ones that I felt would seem a lot better in retrospect, once all five parts have been released and I can read them all through as a single story, rather than in small chunks once a month. I also compared it to Hellmouth and how I felt about its middle issues. Apparently I was right in thinking that my views would be similar to the other miniseries, as issue four certainly picked up the pace.
With Willow now apparently seriously considering Abhainn as a potential permanent home, issue four was interesting in the fact that the mysterious circle of birds wasn’t mentioned in this new issue. Seeing as it had been discovered by our favourite redhead at the end of the last issue, the fact that she doesn’t note the oddness of how she was stopped just at the edge of town is a little baffling but not a deal-breaker. I’d have liked to see it mentioned about how she found it odd, but then on the other hand Abhainn seems like such an attractive opportunity to Willow that I can easily let it slide.
Although it didn’t exactly pick up where the previous issue left off, this issue also began drawing in the threads of several other small plot points beyond the witches trying to persuade Willow to stay. She has finally noticed that her phone has gone missing, with nobody having seen it and no cell reception in the entire town suggesting it’s of no use to anybody anyway. Willow was also finally confronted by the mysterious girl who has been trying so hard to escape, and while we still don’t have a name for her, our witch does agree to try and help her escape. Despite the fact Willow seems perfectly content in Abhainn and, at the very least, not in that much of a hurry to return to Sunnydale, her agreement to help is interesting. Does she think she can get this girl out and then return and pretend everything’s alright?
Of course, all of that seems a moot point when she is stopped from leaving by Aelara. While readers may have had their suspicions about her for a while, it seems that Willow is finally going to get to see the more sinister side to this mysterious witch, as she blocks the two young witches from leaving. Perhaps Aelara is aware of Willow’s untapped potential and her power, particularly as our favourite redhead has just apparently vaporised a pack of wolves who apparently have been sent to stop Willow and her new friend from leaving town. Perhaps Willow’s earlier name-drop of Giles has tipped Aelara off to the fact Willow knows the Slayer, or they can sense that she had previously been part of a soul-tie, or had saved Angel in the Hellmouth. Or perhaps it’s simply that Willow is bright and eager to learn, and would be a good fit for the town. With all that being said, the sinister side of Abhainn is quickly coming to light, and I cannot help but worry their plans for Willow tap more into the dark Willow than the light one.
While this issue set up more questions than it answered, it very much feels like it’s on track when you look at how a similar thing happened with Hellmouth. While both miniseries left a lot of questions to be answered in their final issues, Hellmouth pulled it off with ease and I have no doubt the same will be true for Willow. Despite not feeling completely grabbed by this series at the start, now I find I cannot wait to delve into the final issue...
Buffy issue 18
Perhaps the first thing to note with Buffy issue eighteen is that yet again we have a different artist. At this point, a part of me is getting used to the roulette wheel of artists the comics have been spinning, but another part of me is feeling like it’s all a little bit too ‘lucky dip’. As artists go, the illustrations for the latest issue aren’t terrible, but I certainly don’t love them, and I can’t help but pine for the likes of Dan Mora, or Julian Lopez, both of whom did fantastically in earlier issues. For me, everybody’s faces feel that little bit too soft, that little bit too round, leaving them feeling more childlike than they perhaps should be. It’s a tricky subject too, because I probably wouldn’t be fussed were this a comic based on completely original characters, but when you’re writing a comic connected to a television series where the actors are so recognisable, artwork becomes that little bit more scrutinised. Another minor quibble I have is a simple case of getting character’s heights right. It may seem a silly thing to complain about, but you have to be certain you’re being consistent with the characters, particularly when you’re rotating illustrators like these comics.
With my minor frustrations over the illustrations out of the way, let’s move on to the story. As I’ve already mentioned, Covid has done a number on the comic release schedule, leaving me a little adrift and uncertain of Willow’s motivations seeing as she’s simultaneously trapped in Abhainn in her own miniseries and back in Sunnydale in the main series. While it doesn’t make things too complicated- after all, we knew Willow would return to the main series after her little break-out- it is mildly frustrating to be reading the aftermath of her adventure before the final chapter of the adventure itself. That being said, this issue was a good one for starting to integrate her back into the Scooby gang while also addressing the changes that have happened. We get confirmation that Kendra and Rose are now a couple, with both of them being relieved that Willow has no desire to rekindle her relationship with Rose. We also get to see Buffy and Willow struggling to reconnect after months apart, and Buffy’s relationship with Wood is definitely interfering with her time spent with Willow. While Willow is a little uncertain by that, it seems that she also is accepting of the fact things have changed while she was gone, and although I feel like the rift between the two may continue a little bit longer, I can’t see it being a huge problem.
This issue also helped pull together the elements of Vampire Xander’s plan. Firstly, we got confirmation that Jenny Calendar is indeed alive, and it seems that Xander is taking a leaf out of Spike’s book and enlisting her to perform some sort of love potion á la Lover’s Walk. While I didn’t think it was likely Jenny would die so early on, it’s a relief to have confirmation, as well as a relief to see that the Xander storyline isn’t simply rehashing that of Angelus from the show. The second element we saw being pulled in was the idea that Xander is very hung up on someone. We are well-versed in his crush on Buffy now, with it playing a key part in his turning, and so his words that he will prove this person will love him very much sounds at first look like his pining for Buffy. Even Jenny seems to think this, but we’re soon informed that Buffy is simply collateral to him, and really he’s after somebody else. Who else could it be except for a certain redheaded witch who’s just returned to town?
I’ll admit, I’m still uncertain about the whole Vampire Xander thing. While I was concerned before about it being too similar to the Angelus storyline, I’m now growing concerned about the switch to Willow. Are the comics going to try and set the two characters up like in the show? I really hope not, and hope that the love Xander speaks of is platonic.
I am a little confused by Xander’s decision to send people after both Buffy and Joyce, however, with him supposedly sending some thugs to Revello Drive to attack the Slayer and her mother. With both of them out, it falls to Eric to defend the house, and while I’m a bit uncertain what the whole reasoning behind the break-in was, I do like the fact Eric’s back. I also liked the fact that Buffy’s reaction to seeing the police cars was to rush to Eric and hug him, as it really helps to cement the fact their relationship has improved a great deal, and gives me hope for Eric becoming a slightly more central figure in the story.
Following on from the Revello Drive attack, Buffy, Joyce, and Eric are forced to relocate to a hotel, where Buffy later invites Wood. While I’m sure there’s little to be wary about, her telling Wood she wants him to spend the night feels a little eerie to me, and I can’t shake the feeling it’s going to have dire consequences. Perhaps it’s just because it feels similar to her decision to sleep with Angel following a fight, but I cannot help but be suspicious of what might go down. And while Buffy and Wood are busy getting it on, Willow manages to locate Jenny with magic, where she is greeted by a grinning Xander. I have a very strong feeling that both Willow’s and Xander’s scene and Buffy’s and Wood’s are going to lead to something big and bad in the next few issues...
Overall, this issue was a good one even if the change in schedule made it a slightly odd read. I’m not a huge fan of the art, but it’s something I can live with, and while we’re still missing Cordelia and Anya from the set, it’s nice to see Eric and Jenny once more. Things are still feeling fragmented and distant between the group, but I’m sure it’s not going to be long before all the pieces start coming together...
Comments
Post a Comment