I was looking forward to issue 24 with certain trepidation, because recently I grew fond of Faith and I appreciate Richards' art more than Jeanty's. So, at least, I hoped to get a couple of decent Faith panels.
I got them. Richards' Faith is luscious, edgy, sexy and determined. Another plus is that she looks like Faith would look now. Like Eliza Dushku looks in Dollhouse. My favorite panel is the one on the train, where Faith says that the new slayers have the right to choose whether to fight or to live peacefully.
But the the plotting - or, rather, the concept - is more than clumsy. It goes against everything we know about vampires.
So, Faith and Giles meet a slayer who ran away from her squad. She tells them about a slayer sanctuary in Hanselstadt. Giles decides to find the place. They board a train
Because, and an evil ex-Watcher declares, "the vampire is regret personified. A hunger for life that's been damned to never be satisfied." That's why vampires eschew Hanselstadt.
Huh?
Looks like the further into season 8 we go, the more we stray from the tired premise of vampires as pure evil. Now, vampires personify regrets. I'm curious if this new development was a one-issue plot necessity or a new trend.
The issue is more Giles-centric than Faith-centric.
I wonder if the demon is supposed to work as a social commentary on the demographic situation in Europe where many places have negative natality rate, or, as Shadowcat67
Anyway. What bothers me is how uninspiring - to me - this story looks. Issue #24 is a typical MOTW one-shot. It features the characters I love - yet nothing of it lingers in my mind except a couple of beautiful Faith panels. I think I had the same problem with the previous issue - it was OK but there was nothing compelling in it.
I have the impression that this is the biggest problem with season 8. It's doomed to be either sensational or boring. There is no middle ground. To be compelling it has to be controversial. The comics don't grab me unless Buffy turns out to be a lesbian, or an enemy of humanity, or a bank robber. Or she (arguably) destroys the Fray timeline. Or?...
Writers have to up the ante with every issue to make the story compelling. How long could they do it until it fizzles out ot goes out of hand completely?