What's Old Is New: How Buffy Season 10 Flourished by Being Itself in an Evolving Age of Comics
After two
narrative-pushing story arcs, “Love Dares You” (#11-13) finds
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 10 in a relaxed state that harkens
back to the television show's lighter toned Monster-of-the-Week installments. It's a mode that was as pivotal and often used in the TV
series as its season-length story arcs and mythology building
episodes, but have taken a back seat during the show's canonical
comic book revival.
One of the challenges faced with adapting a TV series into an ongoing comic format is accommodating to the differences in form. A 22-episode TV series can move between series-arc and episodic adventures smoothly, because of all they can accomplish in a 43-minute episode. A comic season can't juggle the two modes quite as easily. A 22-page comic isn't the story-telling equivalent of an hour-long episode, so a classic episode such as “Pangs” or “Band Candy” cannot be told with the same clarity in just a single issue of a modern comic. I say modern, because comics today feature less panels-per-page than the comics of the Golden Age, Silver Age, even very early Modern Age (unless you're George Perez, who continues making very-'80s-aestheticized comics today). Look at any issue of Amazing Spider-Man by Stan Lee and Steve Dikto from the 1960s, for example. It contains a lot more textual information than the majority of issues you'll find on the new release stands today. One of the growing changes in the form is the gradual placing of more emphasis on art, resulting in larger panels, which means less panels, which means less story can take place in the same number of pages as before. Silver Age comic stories were largely episodic, and telling those exact same stories today would be done in multi-issue story-arcs. I'm not taking a pro or con stance on this, it's simply how the art has changed and I accept that (for the record, I love equally the comics of old and the comics of today), but with these changes certain storytelling modes have been minimized; one of those being the comic book equivalent of the character building storylines that often existed on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. So it's been a welcome change of pace recently in Season 10 for the comic to hearken back to that lighter side of the television series, which has largely been ignored by Season Eight and Season Nine.
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| Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 10 |
Episodic comics are still being made today,, but
usually find themselves sandwiched – or used as transitions –
between story arcs, or connect together to form loose story arcs. As
an example: Charles Soule plotted She-Hulk (2014-2015) as a 12-issue
story, but the series is a collection of one-offs which build off one
another, transitioning into longer multi-issue stories towards the
end of the run that expand upon the issues that didn't focus
exclusively on the larger narrative at hand.
Christos Gage split his 25-issue run of Angel & Faith (2011-2013) into five story arcs of four issues a piece, with a one-shot story transitioning each one (the very last of the arcs is five issues long). The five arcs piece together to form a cohesive, intentionally plotted five act narrative. 21 of the series' 25 issues are devoted to one continuous narrative. This is more reminiscent of the 13-or-less episode-season shows you find on HBO, Showtime, AMC and Netflix than it is of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. The evolving television landscape is having an influence on the storytelling structure of these Buffyverse comics, which are based on TV shows from a different era. Only four issues from Season 9's Angel & Faith series can be considered MOTW, and those issues are notably lighter than the rest of the series; especially the bubblegum-pop Harmony issue, which is almost jarring in contrast with the rest of the comic. It's jarring by no fault of that comic by itself, however, which is a delightful little read. It's because Angel & Faith is so focused on its large narrative that it rarely has the time to sit back and 'have fun'; to tell a story of no consequence; to place its characters in a situation that doesn't force them to endure constant physical and/or emotional hardships. Angel & Faith is an excellent comic, but in structure it does not resemble the shows on which it is based.
The creative team of Christos Gage and Rebekah Isaacs was so acclaimed on Angel & Faith that Dark Horse not only kept them together for another round, but 'promoted' them to the main Buffyverse book: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 10.
Christos Gage split his 25-issue run of Angel & Faith (2011-2013) into five story arcs of four issues a piece, with a one-shot story transitioning each one (the very last of the arcs is five issues long). The five arcs piece together to form a cohesive, intentionally plotted five act narrative. 21 of the series' 25 issues are devoted to one continuous narrative. This is more reminiscent of the 13-or-less episode-season shows you find on HBO, Showtime, AMC and Netflix than it is of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. The evolving television landscape is having an influence on the storytelling structure of these Buffyverse comics, which are based on TV shows from a different era. Only four issues from Season 9's Angel & Faith series can be considered MOTW, and those issues are notably lighter than the rest of the series; especially the bubblegum-pop Harmony issue, which is almost jarring in contrast with the rest of the comic. It's jarring by no fault of that comic by itself, however, which is a delightful little read. It's because Angel & Faith is so focused on its large narrative that it rarely has the time to sit back and 'have fun'; to tell a story of no consequence; to place its characters in a situation that doesn't force them to endure constant physical and/or emotional hardships. Angel & Faith is an excellent comic, but in structure it does not resemble the shows on which it is based.
The creative team of Christos Gage and Rebekah Isaacs was so acclaimed on Angel & Faith that Dark Horse not only kept them together for another round, but 'promoted' them to the main Buffyverse book: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 10.
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| Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight |
Season Eight (2007-2011) and Season Nine (2011-2013) struggle to
form a cohesive whole, each suffering their own flaws, and both
unable to satisfyingly replicate the MOTW/series-arc juggling that a
TV series can perform with ease. Season Eight starts off with a
string of successful stories, each one pushing forward the status-quo
and series narrative in exciting directions (“No Future You You”,
“Wolves at the Gate”, “Time Of Your Life”). It then breaks
into an intermission of sorts, with five consecutive one-shots. The
season's series arc takes a brief pause with these five MOTWs, which
is the only downtime Season Eight allows itself to have. Even at a
colossal run of 40 issues, the title rarely allows itself to tell
smaller, inconsequential stories. The placement of the MOTWs is
bizarre, causing such a lengthy break in action. When the series arc
resumes, the comic begins to collapse under its own ambitions,
rewriting its mythology in carelessly dubious fashion. Season Eight's
final 15 issues make up one disastrous endgame, as Buffy loses all
sense of its reality and tries to tell a Marvel or DC styled Event
Comic.
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| Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Nine |
The reception to late-era Season Eight was so
disastrous that Joss Whedon himself penned a sorta-apology letter to
fans. Season Nine clearly had some tidying up to do, but maybe out of
fear of stepping out of line again, it also holds itself back. This
is a season of little risks. This season also has no time at all for
Monster-of-the-Week installments. Even individually titled issues such
as “Slayer, Interrupted” (#5) and “The Watcher” (#20) clearly
belong to the longer stories they bookend, functioning as
transitional issues. There's nothing wrong with a season that scraps
one-off instalments to tell a continuous story, either. Angel &
Faith is proof that the approach can create terrific results. That
is a comic with great focus, however. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season
Nine awkwardly jumps from one story-arc to another with only the
loosest connections. The pregnancy storyline in “On Your Own” set
up what was about to become the most poignant and emotional saga in
Buffy's entire comics universe*, only to immediately chicken out,
retconning itself with grand stupidity in “Apart (of Me)” and
then switch gears to something utterly pointless (not to mention
out-of-character for Buffy) for three issues with “Guarded”. It
regains some focus in the later half and executes a serviceable
though unmemorable endgame. Season Eight, ever ambitious, takes big
risks and fails. Season Nine doesn't try to do much of anything, while resting on the
show's still staggering popularity, and being content with delivering
comics that essentially didn't mean much in the larger context of
Buffy, which is curiously the opposite approach of Angel and Faith
whose engame ramifications set the scene for Buffy Season 10.
Season 10's opening five issue story-arc makes severe changes to the mythology, with the rulebook on vampires and magick being wiped clean, giving the Scoobies the task of creating the new universal laws of all things supernatural (on top of rules that were made beforehand, such as newly sired vampires being immune to daylight and having the ability to transform into animal-vampire hybrid creatures).
After a game-changing season opener, Season 10 has settled into a mode that combines the essence of the season-arc with the Monster-of-the-Week. “I Wish” (#6-7) is a two-parter that pushes the main narrative forward regarding the book of magick and changes the living situation of the Scoobies (they now live Friends-style, with Buffy/Willow/Dawn in one apartment and Xander/Spike as their next door neighbours). The Big Bad in “I Wish” is a one-off villain, the result of an exorcism gone wrong, and there's a climatic fight scene that has no standing on the series' bigger narrative plans.
Season 10's opening five issue story-arc makes severe changes to the mythology, with the rulebook on vampires and magick being wiped clean, giving the Scoobies the task of creating the new universal laws of all things supernatural (on top of rules that were made beforehand, such as newly sired vampires being immune to daylight and having the ability to transform into animal-vampire hybrid creatures).
After a game-changing season opener, Season 10 has settled into a mode that combines the essence of the season-arc with the Monster-of-the-Week. “I Wish” (#6-7) is a two-parter that pushes the main narrative forward regarding the book of magick and changes the living situation of the Scoobies (they now live Friends-style, with Buffy/Willow/Dawn in one apartment and Xander/Spike as their next door neighbours). The Big Bad in “I Wish” is a one-off villain, the result of an exorcism gone wrong, and there's a climatic fight scene that has no standing on the series' bigger narrative plans.
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| Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 10 |
“Return
to Sunnydale” (#8-9) finds Buffy and her friends traveling to
Sunnydale (which is now just a hole in the ground) to retrieve the
stolen Vampyr book, and find themselves caught in the annual
Hellmouth Halloween rave. It features guest pages illustrated by a
master of horror comics, Richard Corben, and the comic's villain is a
Cthulhu-looking monster. This story definitely has the light tone of
an episodic adventure, while also expanding on the overall mythos,
continuing the narrative with the Vampyr book, and even makes some
large advancements in character development with Willow and Andrew in
key scenes.
“Day Off, (Harmony In My Head)” (#10) is the comic's lightest story to date. Christos Gage calls on Harmony for a second time to offer a breezy one-off, and she feels much more at home here than she did on Angel & Faith. Harmony's spunky personality and vibrant Land of Ooo aesthetic clashed with the tone of the latter comic, a series that was almost always in a serious mood. Buffy Season 10, on the other hand, juggles the light and dark of the Buffyverse with grace in nearly every issue.
“Love Dares You” (#11-13), the most recently completed story arc, is the most relaxed multi-issue story Season 10 has told to date. The central narrative takes a back seat as the series devotes these three issues almost entirely to the love lives of its cast. Relationships and potential relationships are explored, from Buffy and Spike, Xander and Dawn, Willow and Alywyn, and Giles and Olivia to Andrew coming out of the closet, years after the entire Buffyversey and fanbase had assumed his homosexuality. “Love Dares You” is unlike any story arc that Buffy-in-comics has ever done, and it's the closest the comics seasons has come to following in the tradition of relationship-based episode one-offs such as “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered”, “Lovers Walk”, “Something Blue”, “Crush” and “Him”. A simple scene like Buffy speed dating fits the comical nature the TV series explored on a regular basis, that's often forgotten in the comics seasons. In external plotting as well as tone, this story arc and those episodes are more MOTW than series-arc, but they also further interpersonal relations and substantially add to the character development of nearly every main cast member.
“Day Off, (Harmony In My Head)” (#10) is the comic's lightest story to date. Christos Gage calls on Harmony for a second time to offer a breezy one-off, and she feels much more at home here than she did on Angel & Faith. Harmony's spunky personality and vibrant Land of Ooo aesthetic clashed with the tone of the latter comic, a series that was almost always in a serious mood. Buffy Season 10, on the other hand, juggles the light and dark of the Buffyverse with grace in nearly every issue.
“Love Dares You” (#11-13), the most recently completed story arc, is the most relaxed multi-issue story Season 10 has told to date. The central narrative takes a back seat as the series devotes these three issues almost entirely to the love lives of its cast. Relationships and potential relationships are explored, from Buffy and Spike, Xander and Dawn, Willow and Alywyn, and Giles and Olivia to Andrew coming out of the closet, years after the entire Buffyversey and fanbase had assumed his homosexuality. “Love Dares You” is unlike any story arc that Buffy-in-comics has ever done, and it's the closest the comics seasons has come to following in the tradition of relationship-based episode one-offs such as “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered”, “Lovers Walk”, “Something Blue”, “Crush” and “Him”. A simple scene like Buffy speed dating fits the comical nature the TV series explored on a regular basis, that's often forgotten in the comics seasons. In external plotting as well as tone, this story arc and those episodes are more MOTW than series-arc, but they also further interpersonal relations and substantially add to the character development of nearly every main cast member.
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| Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 10 |
Buffy
the Vampire Slayer's canonical revival in comics has been a learning
experience for all involved. Season Eight gets the season-arc spirit
of the TV series right for a while, then collapses under the weight
of its mythology rewriting. Season Nine comes close to striking gold,
but backs away from achieving anything noteworthy, sticking itself
with a middling season-arc that makes us wish for the return of Adam
and the Initiative. Angel & Faith perfected the season-arc
format, with an astonishingly well plotted narrative that rivals any
of Buffy and Angel's season-arcs in television. With the absence of
MOTWs, though, it just doesn't feel like the Buffy and Angel shows.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 10 is the elder sibling of the
Buffy-in-comic seasons; mature and experienced, has a firm grasp on comedy, but most importantly,
has a better understanding of what makes the Buffy TV series work so
well and knows how to carry that over into the comics medium. Buffy
the Vampire Slayer: Season 10 isn't just a great comic or a great
Buffy comics-season, it's a great Buffy season in general. It is
Buffy.
*this two-parter dealing with Buffy's pregnancy and decision to get an abortion is still maybe the very best thing to come out of Seasons Eight, Nine or 10, and the decision to negate it with Buffy being a robot leaves a worst taste in my mouth than even the Season Eight endgame nonsense.
*this two-parter dealing with Buffy's pregnancy and decision to get an abortion is still maybe the very best thing to come out of Seasons Eight, Nine or 10, and the decision to negate it with Buffy being a robot leaves a worst taste in my mouth than even the Season Eight endgame nonsense.
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