My reaction to Harth kissing Mel was along the lines of "okay, so the Simon/River subtext wasn't enough? You had to make it text with these two?"

That said... such a kickass ending. Wow.

I can't believe Joss actually posted here! Is that high praise for Karl, or what? That last page spread was pretty well done, that's for sure.

About (spoiler) Urkonn's betrayal. I've been running this through my brain, and it really feels like his actions are almost like a hyper-Watcher, in that he was willing to do anything to get the job done. Kind of like Giles killing Ben, but taken to the nth degree.

I went back to re-read the series last night, but only got partway through #1 before I finally had to sleep. It was interesting to note that Karl's highly detailed backgrounds were evident right from the beginning.

(For any Route 666 fans, I thought that a panel of Mel's sister in this last issue really resembled Cassie Starkweather, the heroine of 666.)

This story really does reflect and resonate with the themes developed in Buffy, doesn't it?

WHY did I mail order my copies of Fray? Why? It still hasn't gotten here yet. Might have to break down and just go buy a copy if it isn't here by 2 or so.....and - eeep! Joss!

I saw Karl at Comicon and gave him one of the Scythes that props had made for Buffy. His face was a thing to see.

Awww, nice gesture - especially after all the ding dang tardiness. But you've gotta give props (so to speak) to people who realize your vision. it's not a scythe - it's an axe!

OK, okay...real life is just getting on my nerves. I've been carrying Fray around for a couple days, and haven't yet had a chance to read it. Likewise the tpb of The Watchmen.

Grr.

Argh.

Raquel, leave a bit of time for Watchmen. As with all Alan Moore works, it's pretty dense (but unbelievably good).

And plan to re-read it every year or two.

I've made this point in another thread, but my all-time favorite comic is The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller. This is the Batman franchise at its artistic and creative zenith,IMHO. I love the gritty edge, the Kubrickian, sardonic Cold War allusions, the weapons (the iteration of the Batmobile here is simply awesome, as is reading about Superman redirecting a freakin' ICBM -- and realizing why he sends it where he does), vigilante politics, the slurred, distorted art work and color, the collection of the baddest of Batman's rivals -- and of course, the fight between Batman and Superman.

It's a triumph.

Plus, if you read it retroactively to seeing Buffy episodes, you catch similarities to Buffy's occasional stretches of judge-as-jury thinking. Batman's "Tonight, I am the Law..." speech from that Dark Knight Returns resonates in Buffy's speech in "Selfless" this past season.

I haven't read comics seriously in a number of years, so some new talent may have emerged, but for my money the best in the genre was Miller: Dark Knight, Daredevil and Moore: Watchmen, Miracleman, Swamp Thing, V for Vendetta. There was other stuff I loved, sporadically, (like early Dave Sim Cerebus) but Miller and Moore were the creme. Claremont's X-Men never grabbed me like the other stuff, although there were some great moments.

That Whedon guy's Fray is a pretty good read too. [grin] I do hunt down the Buffy comics when they are written by Buffy writers like Jane E. or Doug Petrie.

And plan to re-read it every year or two.

Yep, that's pretty much a truism. I really need a paper back of V For Vendetta, because I hate digging the individual issues out. Same goes true for all the Sandman I have - those are actually worth something, right?

Oh - Elektra Assassain - fun, fun stuff.