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May 02 2008

(SPOILER) Buffy 8.14 "Wolves at the Gate", Part III preview. Dark Horse has released a preview of the 3rd chapter of Drew Goddard's current story arc of Buffy Season 8. ETA: Three extra preview pages to read at Newsarama!

A grim but familiar scene for Buffy and crew as they learn of some of the horrible events in Tokyo before they arrived.

KingofCretins | 00:54 CET | 43 comments total | tags: dark horse, drew goddard, joss whedon, buffy

Nice.

Dark. Twisted. I'm digging it.

UnpluggedCrazy | May 02, 01:08 CET

Oh, wow, nice teaser.

crossoverman | May 02, 01:15 CET

Pretty powerful. The third page made me tear up.

TamaraC | May 02, 01:16 CET

Spoiler: Was that SATSU??? Does this occur before or after the Fray hook-up? If it's before, maybe that explains this person's lack of appearance on the Buffy/Fray covers.

Wow.

And, since we don't know what happened to Warren & Amy after the beginning, do you think they are in league with the Japanese vampires? The way Satsu (?)looked could play homage to the style used. (i.e., did Warren string her up there?)

korkster | May 02, 01:35 CET

That's not Satsu. That's the poor wee slayer who lost her powers at the end of last issue.

Simon | May 02, 01:39 CET

Ah, well, of course, I'm still waiting for my #13 issue (should be here by now *taps foot*). Sorry about that, Simon. The hair seems similar, but she was too far away in the pictue for a confirmation.

Okay, well, but what about the Warren possibility? Amy has magic, and she is in league with him. Or did I miss something else?

korkster | May 02, 02:05 CET

It would be cool if Warren and Amy were involved. I want to know what they've been up to.

UnpluggedCrazy | May 02, 02:06 CET

Oh, man. The weight of the world just keeps getting heavier. The art speaks volumes here.

That's the poor wee slayer

Not really so poor or wee, I think. She had Buffy's style a bit, and she seemed fairly tenacious from what we saw of her. Very much a fallen warrior. That was a grisly end, though, so yeah, poor slayer in that sense.

[ edited by Sunfire on 2008-05-01 23:18 ]

Sunfire | May 02, 02:15 CET

Dark. Twisted. I'm digging it.

Couldn't have said it better myself :-)

Valentyn | May 02, 02:38 CET

Woah.

Was it my imagination, or was the scene where Buffy carries Aiko's body silently past all the watching people, a deliberate echo of the similar scene in 'Fray'?

stormwreath | May 02, 02:43 CET

stormwreath - good call because it certainly looks like the scene (*MAJOR FRAY SPOILERS FOLLOW*) where Melaka carries Loo's body into the bar after Urkonn killed Loo.

catalyst2 | May 02, 04:11 CET

Hmm... Didn't catch that. I obviously haven't read Fray enough times. It does bear a respemblance, though.

randomfire | May 02, 05:07 CET

Great preview. Love how the dramatic scenes have no dialogue, really makes it hit hard. Jeanty does a great job. Madsen, however, does not. We need Dave Stewart back as colorist. Fast.

patxshand | May 02, 05:55 CET

Well first of all, I think there WILL be dialogue when the issue comes out. Many times so far during these previews there was no dialogue on them, but ultimately had it in the actual issue. Anyway, That was SO Silence of the Lambsish the way they strung her up like that. MESSED UP! Diggin it though.

Turbofist911 | May 02, 06:15 CET

Holy wow, sorry for a double post, but I just went back and saw that this issue will be 40 PAGES!!! I pray that's true!!!

Turbofist911 | May 02, 06:16 CET

Turbofist911 #1: When was there ever a preview with no dialogue and then the issue had dialogue? I think that the dialogue is already in; it's in the first page, so it would be in the following pages if there were any. From that, as well as the way the pages hit home, the lack of dialogue on the last page is definitely intentional, and won't be filled in later.

Turbofist911 #2: Dark Horse always puts that the Buffy comics are 40 pages. They mean including the ads. Each one since #5 has been listed as such. It's going to be the generic 22 pages.

patxshand | May 02, 06:23 CET

Is there really a need for more dialog in those pages? That was quite moving enough as it was.

I do wonder at the legal implications here, with Buffy having to cut down her own slayer, and bury her. Are there no police in Tokyo? Were the crowd not asking "Why are you disturbing the crime scene?"
But in Japanese.

It does all very much point to Buffy still feeling 'above the law', which opens the door widely for payback in future issues.

missb | May 02, 08:06 CET

"Is there really a need for more dialog in those pages? That was quite moving enough as it was."

Very much in agreement. I'm sure that's the page as it will be in the actual issue.

patxshand | May 02, 08:38 CET

The police in Tokyo are probably as dumb as the police in Sunnydale.

jclemens | May 02, 08:58 CET

Oh a shallower note, the Japanese equivalent of Buffy's Big Honkin' Castle is way cooler than the aforementioned. That third page.. wow.. wonder what SMG would've done with it.

Perseo | May 02, 09:49 CET

Not really so poor or wee, I think.

Welcome to Northern Irish slang :).

Was it my imagination, or was the scene where Buffy carries Aiko's body silently past all the watching people, a deliberate echo of the similar scene in 'Fray'?

I knew I had seen that somewhere before. The slayer strung up reminded me of the "welcome Faith" scene from Angel season 4. Vampires sure do like impress slayers when they come to visit.

Simon | May 02, 10:19 CET

The no police thing bothered me too. It pretty much pulled me out of the story completely.

newcj | May 02, 14:14 CET

That was incredibly moving. Most certainly sets a different tone to the last two issues which have been pretty comedic.

And we've seen more of how Buffy's been spending her stolen money with that slayer base in Japan!

vampmogs | May 02, 15:13 CET

Yeah, it's not like the "First Night" previews where there was clearly internal monologue and narration missing. That's powerful without speech. I called it "familiar" on account of Annabelle and Chloe, but the "Fray" reference is strong as well.

KingofCretins | May 02, 18:02 CET

Welcome to Northern Irish slang :).

Guilty of overly literal interpretation on the internet. Sorry.

I didn't think to mention before-- I had a dream last week where I was reading the next Buffy issue, and the art was all crazy-abstract. Shattered pieces of images all over the pages. I sort of knew what was going on in the story, but it wasn't all that linear.

I like the real version much better so far, not only because I will read it while awake.

Sunfire | May 02, 18:25 CET

I wish we can see this scene on TV with SMG, how moving would that be.

Sosa Lola | May 02, 20:42 CET

That's what I've said about the whole series so far. I'm enjoying the comics, but what I wouldn't give to see it with the cast.

Rowan Hawthorn | May 02, 21:04 CET

I took the liberty of changing the URL to a Newsarama page (as there's 3 extra preview pages to read there).

Simon | May 02, 21:31 CET

Thanks Simon!

Dracula kind of looks like Johnny Depp in the chocolate factory, no?

MadeToLoveJoss | May 02, 21:37 CET

Dracula! Newly super-posh and ultra-snarky. I dig.

Sunfire | May 02, 21:49 CET

Thanks, Simon, for the extra pages! Super! And, yes, Drac is looking goood (I wonder if Xander affects Drac's appearance).

Anyway, did anyone else notice the Mutant Enemy monster in the top left billboard (next to the I09) while Dawn is smashing though Tokyo? And, of course, the Dark Horse image on the right.

Why does Willow have an "acrid stench"? Is it common of witches or is it because that's the leftover smell of evil from Season 6?

korkster | May 02, 22:14 CET

Why does Willow have an "acrid stench"? Is it common of witches or is it because that's the leftover smell of evil from Season 6?

Don't know, korkster, but I love how Willow is so self-conscious after Drac's comment, and tucking her hands in her armpits. I wonder if Drew Goddard's script specified that little detail, or was it a brilliant touch added by Georges?

topolino | May 02, 22:50 CET

Boy,did they nail the Gary Oldman version of Dracula.

Buffyfantic | May 02, 22:53 CET

That's not Satsu. That's the poor wee slayer who lost her powers at the end of last issue.

Oh, thank you so much Simon. I just saw the preview and was ready to FREAK. I'm at school. so that's not exactly allowed here. LOL. Thanks again.

Buffysmglover | May 02, 23:08 CET

Poor Willow... lol

Sosa Lola | May 03, 00:11 CET

Maybe Willow's been experimenting with yack cheese again.

quantumac | May 03, 00:49 CET

Wow, that's one damn crass comment Drac just made. That'll make this alliance with Buffy go much more smoothly.

You know, I still am somewhat mystified by the thrall thing here. Buffy was actually, actively seduced and fed upon by Drac... and yet is totally indifferent to him. *shrug*/*sigh*.

I don't know if I feel reassured or not that Buffy got into her curl-up-into-a-ball place. At face value, it says 'ruh roh', but actually, it's more in line with who she is before "The Gift", and that's just not a bad thing. "Prophecy Girl", "Passion", "The Weight of the World" -- coming unglued used to be part of Buffy's mojo.

KingofCretins | May 03, 01:07 CET

She also calls b.s. on his sense of time at the end of his opening posturing there. I suspect she feels anything but thrall at the moment. He's an ally she needs.

Sunfire | May 03, 01:24 CET

Y'know, this would probably have been the first time in history that I actually felt sorry for Dracula - then he went an' insulted Willow and screwed that up...

Rowan Hawthorn | May 03, 03:52 CET

"Is someone going to finish eating this?"

Excellent.

UnpluggedCrazy | May 03, 07:53 CET

I agree with King, it's very nice that Buffy's went into sad mode instead of "everyone sucks but me speeches." Not only is it better that she isn't feeding her superiority complex, and thus isolating all those who care about her, but she's openly showing her emotions in front of people. And look what she gets in return! Sweet Willow! I like that Buffy's changed her ways, communicating to Xander that she feels disconnected, showing her sadness openly and freely.. that's my little trooper!

vampmogs | May 03, 12:20 CET

Dracula and the gang's reaction to him reminds me of SPike from "Doomed" up thru "This Year's Girl." After discovering he could fight demons, he worked with them but he still ahted them. IT's just too easy, sometimes, to forget that, just because somebody is on your side in the current unpleasantness, they haven't stopped being an abominable eepcray. (Or like how Uncle Joe Stalin was depicted in the English-speaking countries from 1941 to 1946.)

DaddyCatALSO | May 03, 19:53 CET

I think the lack of dialog in the third panel is intentional. At first it was very jarring, but it forced me to really look at the images, and then the sadness of the situation really sunk in. Brilliant tactic, I think. In a weird way it reminds me of how "The Body" didn't have any background music throughout the entire episode.

ShanshuBugaboo | May 04, 09:51 CET

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