Also, from that review linked upthread:

"And I have to say I'm getting increasingly impatient with [Andrew]. I mean, he's apparently straight, yet in being surrounded by a legion of hot women he seems to make nary a move for them."

Did this guy even watch the last two seasons? Andrew is NOT straight.

DeKnight and Goddard seemed to reclaim him for heterosexuality in "The Episode of Which We Will Speak No More. Ptui!The Girl in Question."

More power to them, as at least he now only represents a grave insult to me via the condemnation of his geekhood, rather than including condemnatory stereotypes of gay men as frivolous and weak.

That was my "favorite" part of the "review" as well, Sean.

Giles was totally Ethan Rayne, and he still is. Joss is just waiting until issue mumble, mumble, mumble to unveil it!

Also, and this is just a thought, if the ghost of Anya or whatever is kicking around Buffy's head, perhaps they can get away with having Xander break the "TWU WUV SPELL" on his own, without mucking things up with Spike, Angel, Reilly, Parker, Scott Hope or whomever.

ETA: OK, maybe if her true love were Owen ...

Oh, surely he's been eaten, or knifed, or run over by a slow-moving delivery truck whose way he lacked the sense to get out of by now .

Honestly, other than the Joss quote, I don't see any evidence in the 2 issues so far to point to anything Anya-esque, inside Buffy's head or otherwise. For Joss to say it's all about Anya sounds like a flippant, facetious comment, which I'd expect from him, frankly.

Or perhaps I have no magic in my heart.

I think you're right, Tep. I just enjoy reading the smoke signals from victor's crack pipe.

I don't think Xander will be the one to wake Buffy. I just don't get that vibe. And I hope that Amy has more plan than she's revealed. I am strangely incurious as to the identity of the boyfriend. I'm a terribly excited to have another Buffy dream to think about. My favorite!

I want any interaction between Buffy and Angel or Spike to include a serious but gentle reminder that she's got a career and is busy leading an army of teenage girls against the forces of darkness and doesn't have time for past boyfriends.

I won't rule out Xander sex, though.

But that could just be me.

As for Xander watching Dawn bathe, I believe that he was looking over his eye-patchy shoulder. Since his peripheral vision is curtailed on one side, I call non-pervy.

aw, guys! There's so many people in the comics thread! This is really exciting!

The three people in front of me at the comics store yesterday were all buying Buffy s8. And at the comics shop in Leeds, where I was on Saturday, they had a big poster of the painting on the cover of issue two! And fialka and I were like, whoa! That's some swashbucklin' sexy, there, Mr Xander.

I have #2 in my hands, but haven't had the chance to read it yet.