Great essay. And you do a good job of addressing those who love the comics and those of us...
Agree with much of what you've said.
You do a great job of highlighting many of the things that have bothered me about the comics. Specifically the bit about how it worked better when Buffy was the only woman with power, and how having millions of women with the same power Buffy did unbalanced things for the poor guys. (That theme makes me wince.) I kept hoping that theme would either disappear, be subverted or changed, but no, if anything it's been reinforced. I don't quite know why.
My guess is somehow or other Whedon incorporated themes from the Wonder Woman script he'd been sweating over for five years into the Buffy one. Or used the Buffy comics as a means of giving a voice to those themes. But I could be wrong about that.
Shrugs.
We even have nicely cryptic foreshadowing like “The important thing is that you rescue the prince.” and “Betrayal. The closest. The most unexpected.” told to Buffy in Anywhere But Here (issue #10).
And neither have been answered. I'd forgotten about the prince one. Is it Spike (he has lots of references to "your majesty") or Angel (who equally has references to being a prince)? Or Giles? And is that the betrayal - her inability to rescue Giles? Confusing.
Far too many riddles and not enough answers. The comics more often than not feel like a rubick's cube or easter egg hunt for fans to debate and mutter over for ever and a day.
no subject
Agree with much of what you've said.
You do a great job of highlighting many of the things that have bothered me about the comics. Specifically the bit about how it worked better when Buffy was the only woman with power, and how having millions of women with the same power Buffy did unbalanced things for the poor guys. (That theme makes me wince.) I kept hoping that theme would either disappear, be subverted or changed, but no, if anything it's been reinforced.
I don't quite know why.
My guess is somehow or other Whedon incorporated themes from the Wonder Woman script he'd been sweating over for five years into the Buffy one. Or used the Buffy comics as a means of giving a voice to those themes. But I could be wrong about that.
Shrugs.
We even have nicely cryptic foreshadowing like “The important thing is that you rescue the prince.” and “Betrayal. The closest. The most unexpected.” told to Buffy in Anywhere But Here (issue #10).
And neither have been answered. I'd forgotten about the prince one. Is it Spike (he has lots of references to "your majesty") or Angel (who equally has references to being a prince)? Or Giles? And is that the betrayal - her inability to rescue Giles?
Confusing.
Far too many riddles and not enough answers. The comics more often than not feel like a rubick's cube or easter egg hunt for fans to debate and mutter over for ever and a day.