The Buffy comics are just too awesome. The comics are a wonderful extension of a legendary show. It’s somewhat cyclical with familiar characters and familiar problems. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 10 has fell into old problems more than seasons 8 and 9.
Season 8 was a completely new playing field with an army of slayers and season 9 dealt with putting the world back together again. Season 10, however, has relied the most heavily, I believe, on character and relationships making it the most familiar season. Characters are falling back into old steps, most notably the Angel-Buffy-Spike love triangle.
Defeating Archaeus is the surface reason for the crossover. Archaeus wasn’t even defeated by the end of the crossover and the team spreads out across the globe to alert contacts that the artifact is lost. The true reason for the crossover was to resurrect the love triangle. Spike and Angel nearly kill each other but overcome the odds. They aren’t BFFs but they end on a non-stabby note with the age old “if you hurt her” threat from Angel. What a time to be alive. As Angel leaves for London, he tells Willow that he knows Spike and Buffy can’t last because old habits die hard.
In other reviews I have screamed about how much I love it the love triangle. I have not changed my mind. But the last couple of issues have centered on it so heavily that someone other than pure fanatics could find it tedious.
I think the business with Archaeus was wrapped up a bit rushed, leaving time to stew in the juices of angst and confusion. It was a well written issue with a good pace, but I believe that it would do the comic more justice to read the entire arc all at once instead of reading the issues as they come out.
Rating 8/10
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