great Mayor Wilken likeness. Kudos Georges

buffycomics | December 04, 22:11 CET

Will the saved slayer slay her or save her?

Pointy | December 04, 23:28 CET

Wow. Those pages with the mayor are fantastic. It's when BKV has her look back on series timeline moments like this that I really hear the Faith voice most strongly.

swanjun | December 04, 23:40 CET

Not bad. What little we get to see here definitely looks like an improvement, artwise.

Haunt | December 04, 23:57 CET

*sigh* My comic shop opens at noon. How many hours until then? ;)

I know this has been said before, but I really wish they'd found another artist for Faith's arc. Jeanty works great for the others, but Faith needs something...different. Then again, BKV's writing more than makes up for it.

Though I'll be kind and agree about the Mayor likeness. :)

deepgirl187 | December 05, 00:13 CET

Faith's reaction to the New York accent comment was priceless. Good thing Gigi didn't ask her if she was a Yankees' fan. The poor girl wouldn't have a face left.

Lady Brick | December 05, 00:34 CET

I think Jeanty is doing a great job, generally speaking. His Faith looks improved and the Mayor is great.

This issue starts out so well. Vaughan is amazing. I'm really worried about Faith's fate, though. I speak from no spoiler knowledge, just from a general feeling of dread and gloom.

phlebotinin | December 05, 01:06 CET

I think we can safely say Faith is gonna win...

Mild Mike | December 05, 04:16 CET

Best. Guest appearance. Ever.

It makes me SO happy to see the Mayor! Yay!

ladygrey | December 05, 04:36 CET

I always got the feeling Joss had plans for Faith, and that she was pretty safe from death, while anguish was a sure thing.

I think the artwork is looking pretty good. I actually like his rendition of Faith.

newcj | December 05, 05:04 CET

Definitely the best art this arc.

Can't wait.

UnpluggedCrazy | December 05, 05:05 CET

I love the parallel they're drawing between Faith/Wilkins and Gigi/Roden.

I think I'll actually miss Gigi if Faith kills her.

ohbejoyful | December 05, 06:07 CET

Wow. This definitely looks like a great issue/episode. I think the flashbacks to the mayor were captured wonderfully. It really makes you feel like you are watching the episode on TV. Nice Job!

sporter | December 05, 09:50 CET

Yeah the art is great and Gigi seems to be loosing the fight. I didn't think Faith would have any fight left in her after her fight with Buffy in the pool, she looked like she'd just given up. I'm glad she's got some spunk back.

vampmogs | December 05, 10:39 CET

Hmmm. Not sure what I think about this.

An insanely distraught Gigi is about to hit her with a battle-axe and Faith takes that dire moment to flash back to the Mayor? Doesn't seem likely.

Leaving aside scene logic, I understand that her experience with the Mayor fits thematically, but do we need another self-referential S3 moment? The parallels have already been well established. It just seems anvilly.

I think I'm bothered because it feels to me that Wilkins is there to service the fans more than the story. It's continuity porn. "Look it's the Mayor and there's Faith in her dress! I loved that scene!" I wouldn't be ticked off by it except that it's far from the first time in S8 that I've felt that.

Also, I was confused by Roden's comment of "At a girl"for the longest time. Shouldn't it be "atta girl"?

Despite all my griping, I know this is a YMMV thing, and I'm fine with most people not agreeing. Anyway, it's not like my reservations are going to stop me from being at the comics store as soon as it opens.

shambleau | December 05, 10:50 CET

Beautifully drawn.

As you predicted, totally disagree with you, shambleau on the scene-logic of the flashback. Not only does it "fit" thematically, but it is what this whole arc is about, and hence hardly gratuitous "continuity porn". These are the very issues that Faith is dealing with and that dealing with Gigi has brought to the front of her mind. Very likely to go through her head at the "dire moment", I think.

The show was always back-referencing the relevant, too. Yes, it's rewarding to the long term follower of the story, because it makes the characters ring true.

toast | December 05, 14:48 CET

Yes, shambleau, it should be "atta girl."

I loved the flashback. My feeling was that it was being experienced literally as an intense "flash" in Faith's mind rather than some extended musing. I don't know what the norm is in comics for representing flashbacks. Maybe a single, stuffed-with-meaning panel would have conveyed the instantaneousness of the flashback better?

I love continuity porn. To me it's never gratuitous. One of the greatest things about the Jossverse was all the back-referencing. A real, deep history was ever-emerging. So many other shows are lazy as hell about that, if they do it at all.

phlebotinin | December 05, 19:41 CET