I just picked up BtVS S8 at the shop and read through it, once. * I'm wondering if they're not setting up something between Buffy and Xander. They've already got Renee set up to be a built in complication, and meanwhile Buffy's having sexy dreams about Xander and Amy is teasing Xander about his kiss waking up Buffy. *

I didn't think the character art was as good in this issue. I wasn't sure I was looking at Buffy in a few places. Because I read here first, I knew Andrew was going to be hard to recognize, but I still didn't really think it was him. He looked more like Jonathan with lighter hair.

I have to read it again before I say anything of substance. I fly through these things in about five minutes. I want one that takes me 44 minutes to read.

Heh. For a split second, Cindy's x-post made me think she had read JLA, and I thought, "Damn -- girl is picking up ALL KINDS of titles now!"

Yeah, I tried to throw my edit in there quickly, because it did look like I was responding to you, Teppy.

I also got Buffy #2 yesterday, and the only way I knew that Andrew was Andrew was because of the dialogue. But then, I also didn't really think that Giles (and, oh, YAY, Giles!!!) looked like Giles, despite the cup of tea.

I'm mostly curious as to who Amy's "boyfriend" is.

And I'm mostly bemused about the appearance of Spike in Buffy's dream/nightmare -- but maybe it'll make the rabid 'shippers on the interwebs happy. (Seriously, after issue #1, my friendslist had more than a few posts bitching about how Spike wasn't even mentioned, and shouldn't Buffy at least have had a grieve-y thought ot two for him? Which -- even if such comments weren't totally missing the POINT -- given that at least 2 years [or is it 3?] have passed in Jossverse time, my feeling is that *Buffy* would be finished grieving Spike, even if the 'shippers aren't. And that's assuming that Andrew didn't tell Buffy that Spike was un-dusted, but I just don't think he could keep that information to himself. Especially for 3 years. [Damn, this is a long parenthetical.])

I grabbed my copy of Buffy Season 8 on the way out to breakfast. My waiter geeked out on me and told me all the other comics I should be reading. The first issue seemed liked just a tease to me, but this one had some substance and made me squee a few times, especially when Willow recalled Giles's "Two To Go" line. Were Giles and Buffy supposed to be in the same location in the beginning or were they talking from different places? I had to go back and re-read all of Andrew's lines as soon as I realized it was Andrew.

Teppy, that's hilarious about your flist bitching, because my stubbornly shippy self immediately read Buffy swearing by Great Muppety Odin that she missed the sex as meaning "with Spike." Not that I care that much anymore one way or the other; I'm so happy to get to spend time again with her and all the (surviving) Scoobies that I really, really don't care whether any of my personal wishes get catered to.

Speaking of which, did anyone else read the letters column at the back? Did anyone else want to never stop screaming after the second-to-last letter?

I kind of hope that they're not going in a BuffyNXander direction, just because I'm already getting rather fond of the new girl who was bantering with Xander in the first issue and bantering about him in this one. Please, please don't let her get all speared to death. Although, again, I'm so happy to see everyone being themselves and speaking with their own true voices that if that's where the writers want to go, I'll follow.

Loved, loved, loved Willow in the Tara outfit repeating Giles's words. So much. Loved, loved, loved Xander's line about the crappy sacrificial dagger. And also Dream!Xander's "The lint is so Scottish" for its sheer lovely randomness. It just feels exactly right for the way Xander would talk in one of Buffy's dreams.

Meh on Giant Dawn if they're not going to have her squabbling with Buffy. Recognized Andrew by his voice, NSM by the art. Want to know NOW who Amy's monstrous boyfriend is.

I think that's it for now. I have to go back and reread 1 and 2 together now.

Speaking of which, did anyone else read the letters column at the back? Did anyone else want to never stop screaming after the second-to-last letter?

Yes, and oh so very much yes.

sj, I'm sorry for our mutual pain, but relieved that it's not just me.

JZ, I meant to comment on both the "crappy dagger" and "lint" lines, which made me laugh like a drain.

I noticed that Xander was sort of angled towards Dawn in the bathing scene, but it was his blind side. Poor Xander (for the blindness not for the lack of naked Dawn seeing).

Is suddenly scared to read the letters page.