jenzun's review
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
libraryanned's review
3.0
While I am not sure that any ending would be satisfying, I feel like there would be many that would definitely be more satisfying than this one. I walked away just feeling let down, even though it was technically a "feel good" type of conclusion. Oh well. It's about the journey.
hebrideanreader's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
vylotte's review
4.0
I expected more of the Buffy comics same, but I didn't expect a full on sequel and wrap up to Fray. Definitely worth the read.
hollycandlerhiggins's review
3.0
Overall, the comics’ finale was a bit like the comics themselves, a mixed bag. There’s a sense of being underwhelmed, because there’s just no match to the cinematic sense of hope and change “Chosen” had, or even the dramatic heartbreak and sacrifice of “The Gift”.
But, the way season 12 was heading, with a dude taking all the Slayer powers, it could have gone a lot worse. I do love the details in the ending tableau.
But, the way season 12 was heading, with a dude taking all the Slayer powers, it could have gone a lot worse. I do love the details in the ending tableau.
crloken's review
1.0
So apparently Dark Horse has lost the rights to Whedon properties which doesn't really explain No Power in the Verse since that had a cliffhanger suggesting that they expected to write more, but it does explain this mess of a comic.
I picked this comic up because it's the last one and promised to end the Fray story, although it's only doing that along with all the other stories they had going so it felt almost like an afterthought. This is a conclusion to Fray, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Angel, and it's four issues long so that's a pretty tall order. Was there some reason this was only four issues long? I understand that they lost the licence, but they were able to release this. It felt like it was a 6 or 7 issue long story squeezed into 4.
I haven't read the Buffy comics for about 5 years, so there was a lot that annoyed me here that I expect is left over from those comics, such as Angel being in a relationship with Illyria, and Dawn and Xander having a kid together, and other things such as Dawn now being able to open doors to other worlds. So I forgive it for the baggage that other writers left it with. I don't forgive it for all the terrible choices it makes on its own.
Harth, Fray's evil brother, has suddenly acquired the ability to travel backwards in time and has decided to do so to take advantage of the even that robbed magic from the world (I thought that happened already) and seize it all himself. So Buffy and a whole bunch of other characters travel into the future where they run into Harmony who gives them a quick 8 page plot exposition. It turns out that Dawn opened a portal that sucked all the demons into Hell and Buffy had to go too for reasons. The characters decide to go back and not let this happen.
So I have questions: All the problems with the future were because Buffy was gone? But I thought the demons were gone too so the problems had more to do with humanity sucking. And how exactly can Faith become a police officer with her criminal record? And why did Harth kill the demons? And why is Gunther still a mutant if the dark future didn't happen?
This was really bad. I know I should not expect much from comic books based on 90s tv shows, but this is really bad. Buffy's had a half dozen endings now and the first one (season 5) is still the best one. Also I still like to think that the whole cast of Angel
It still would have been bad if it was longer, but it would have been less bad. Whedon plotted this, which I think shows that eventually the original creators have no idea what to do with their properties.
EDIT: I've been thinking a lot about why this comic is so bad, and I stand by all my earlier assessments, but I was flipping through it and I realized the other thing about it that bothers me; it's an ending. Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer both end on points of uncertainty, because life doesn't have endings. Buffy the Vampire Slayer ends with Dawn asking Buffy what they're going to do next, and she smiles. Angel ends with the aforementioned alley. The comic's ending changes that into a simple happy ending with everything turning out perfectly. This might be the ending these characters deserve, but I don't believe for a second that it's the one that they get.
I picked this comic up because it's the last one and promised to end the Fray story, although it's only doing that along with all the other stories they had going so it felt almost like an afterthought. This is a conclusion to Fray, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Angel, and it's four issues long so that's a pretty tall order. Was there some reason this was only four issues long? I understand that they lost the licence, but they were able to release this. It felt like it was a 6 or 7 issue long story squeezed into 4.
I haven't read the Buffy comics for about 5 years, so there was a lot that annoyed me here that I expect is left over from those comics, such as Angel being in a relationship with Illyria, and Dawn and Xander having a kid together, and other things such as Dawn now being able to open doors to other worlds. So I forgive it for the baggage that other writers left it with. I don't forgive it for all the terrible choices it makes on its own.
Harth, Fray's evil brother, has suddenly acquired the ability to travel backwards in time and has decided to do so to take advantage of the even that robbed magic from the world (I thought that happened already) and seize it all himself. So Buffy and a whole bunch of other characters travel into the future where they run into Harmony who gives them a quick 8 page plot exposition. It turns out that Dawn opened a portal that sucked all the demons into Hell and Buffy had to go too for reasons. The characters decide to go back and not let this happen.
Spoiler
So they go back in time and fight Harth and the mayor for some reason. They decide to do the hell thing but to do so they now have to give Buffy the powers of all slayers, but Harth takes them and everyone acts like this is really bad. In the next issue they defeat Harth in about a page because having the powers drives him crazy. Apparently slayer powers always drive men crazy, a detail they announced a few pages before doing it. Then he dies. And all the demons are gone because Harth killed them for reasons I wasn't clear on. Then Fray goes back to the future and sees that it's all shiny now. And Buffy and Faith become police officers.So I have questions: All the problems with the future were because Buffy was gone? But I thought the demons were gone too so the problems had more to do with humanity sucking. And how exactly can Faith become a police officer with her criminal record? And why did Harth kill the demons? And why is Gunther still a mutant if the dark future didn't happen?
This was really bad. I know I should not expect much from comic books based on 90s tv shows, but this is really bad. Buffy's had a half dozen endings now and the first one (season 5) is still the best one. Also I still like to think that the whole cast of Angel
Spoiler
died in an alleyIt still would have been bad if it was longer, but it would have been less bad. Whedon plotted this, which I think shows that eventually the original creators have no idea what to do with their properties.
EDIT: I've been thinking a lot about why this comic is so bad, and I stand by all my earlier assessments, but I was flipping through it and I realized the other thing about it that bothers me; it's an ending. Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer both end on points of uncertainty, because life doesn't have endings. Buffy the Vampire Slayer ends with Dawn asking Buffy what they're going to do next, and she smiles. Angel ends with the aforementioned alley. The comic's ending changes that into a simple happy ending with everything turning out perfectly. This might be the ending these characters deserve, but I don't believe for a second that it's the one that they get.
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