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bethanechol's review
4.0
My favorite line from anything ever might be "Yeah. No. See. That's the dog."
brendalovesbooks's review
4.0
I have read these before as they came out in comic book, so this is a re-read for me. It's nice to be able to read them all at once though.
princessrobotiv's review
2.0
I loved seeing Oz again and LOVED that he's got a family now. The discussion of duty / obligation vs. freedom to pursue a normal life is such a warranted one for all our main players.
But like many of the other great themes introduced in this comic, this one was never given room to breathe. It was quickly stifled by the flimsy, frustrating, chaotic plot. We were thrown right into a literal war with not only heavy weapons and tanks but manifestations of southeast asian deities, and it all felt ridiculous. Please just let me spend time with the characters!!
I did appreciate the Riley reveal, though. Not so for the Xander and Dawn development. It's not even an age thing, I just don't dig them together, idk. I feel Xander would have been more interesting with Buffy, honestly (I say as I tap my foot and look impatiently at my watch, waiting for the moment my man Spike returns.)
But like many of the other great themes introduced in this comic, this one was never given room to breathe. It was quickly stifled by the flimsy, frustrating, chaotic plot. We were thrown right into a literal war with not only heavy weapons and tanks but manifestations of southeast asian deities, and it all felt ridiculous. Please just let me spend time with the characters!!
I did appreciate the Riley reveal, though. Not so for the Xander and Dawn development. It's not even an age thing, I just don't dig them together, idk. I feel Xander would have been more interesting with Buffy, honestly (I say as I tap my foot and look impatiently at my watch, waiting for the moment my man Spike returns.)
ailishsreads's review
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
dreaming_ace's review
3.0
This was ok. I enjoyed that Giles was back and it was fun to see oz. I will say the plot became a bit convoluted and confusing.
bookwormneedsbooks's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
dembury's review
3.0
2.5 rounded up.
Well…that wasn’t what I was expecting. Or necessarily wanting? This whole plot felt much sloppier than previous Season 8 plots, and like it wasn’t fully thought out. On the plus side, I liked seeing Oz again, and felt like his return felt natural. I’m glad to see his growth and how he’s chosen to deal with his own personal situation. Also, the Giles/Buffy moments and conversations in the first part were very nicely done!
But there was so much other stuff that felt off. It seems to me super unlikely that Buffy would turn so easily and quickly to having everyone give up their Slayer powers/magics, especially when that power is something she knows makes them who they are and also KEEPS THEM SAFE…as we see pages later when she’s like “Omg we need our powers!” It was kind of an interesting idea to explore, but this didn’t seem like the right time for it.
Also the artwork takes a noticeable downturn in this volume! It’s been good, even enjoyable at times, up until now. The close-up drawings are decent, but figures in the background look like literal aliens half the time. The rest of the time it’s a bit of a guessing game to figure out who is who; I kept thinking Kennedy was Faith, and Dawn looks like she went through another Thricewise transformation.
And what’s with the random side story about Monroe?! Talk about a page waster! NOTHING about that was important to the bigger picture and it was boring either way.
It was fine. “Retreat” wasn’t ~terrible~, but it was DEFINITELY not the strongest. Actually it’s the weakest in all of Season 8 so far. It’s just frustrating to read and all I can do is hope it gets better again!
Well…that wasn’t what I was expecting. Or necessarily wanting? This whole plot felt much sloppier than previous Season 8 plots, and like it wasn’t fully thought out. On the plus side, I liked seeing Oz again, and felt like his return felt natural. I’m glad to see his growth and how he’s chosen to deal with his own personal situation. Also, the Giles/Buffy moments and conversations in the first part were very nicely done!
But there was so much other stuff that felt off. It seems to me super unlikely that Buffy would turn so easily and quickly to having everyone give up their Slayer powers/magics, especially when that power is something she knows makes them who they are and also KEEPS THEM SAFE…as we see pages later when she’s like “Omg we need our powers!” It was kind of an interesting idea to explore, but this didn’t seem like the right time for it.
Also the artwork takes a noticeable downturn in this volume! It’s been good, even enjoyable at times, up until now. The close-up drawings are decent, but figures in the background look like literal aliens half the time. The rest of the time it’s a bit of a guessing game to figure out who is who; I kept thinking Kennedy was Faith, and Dawn looks like she went through another Thricewise transformation.
And what’s with the random side story about Monroe?! Talk about a page waster! NOTHING about that was important to the bigger picture and it was boring either way.
It was fine. “Retreat” wasn’t ~terrible~, but it was DEFINITELY not the strongest. Actually it’s the weakest in all of Season 8 so far. It’s just frustrating to read and all I can do is hope it gets better again!