Spontaneous Musings

I picked up and read Buffy S8 Issue 5 entitled The Chain today. Not bad. In some ways I liked it a little better than the four issue arc, which is odd. Although consistent, Whedon's stories that do not directly deal with the characters on the tv series he created are more appealing to me for some reason. Maybe because I don't believe Whedon has anything more interesting to say about his television characters? Outside of retreading old ground? Don't know. (Shrugs)

At any rate, I read someone else's review about this issue online - can't remember who it was, star-something or other. And... I think we must have read completely different versions? I definitely liked it better than they did.



In their review : They are happy to see a lot of Giles (he appears in two frames that's it). They rant about a page devoted to Andrew, and I still have no idea what they were talking about. Looked through the book three times. Where is Andrew in this issue? I could not find him. Unless ..he's the guy in the 1950's style tv commericial? Must be. It's the only section that has anyone in it that looks anything remotely like Andrew. If so, what's the problem? I couldn't tell if it was him or some other guy to be honest. He's not referred to by name. He could be anyone. And the tv commericial was just an intriguing analogy to female menstruation. Whedon in interviews has stated that he equates the male fear of women with their ability to give birth or the menstruation cycle - I think he got this idea from about 1000 years of myths and folktales surrounding the "mother goddess".

It's an old idea. I studied it in a great deal of depth in undergrad, even wrote two papers examining that theme - one comparing the characters of Caddy Thompson in Faulkner's Sound and the Fury with Molly Bloom in Joyce's Ulysess, the other comparing female images in Celtic jokes, folktales, and stories collected around North, West, and South Wales. So, I tend to be a little more sensitive to metaphors relating to this topic than most. Although the 1950 style tv commericial was a bit obvious. Included even a handbook. And when the girl in the issue gets struck by the "power" - she is discussing sex as if it is a foreign entity. Passes out. Then is shown films. And sees a counselor to discuss how she is feeling.

Later, our slayer is instructed by Rona, at least I think it was Rona, (let's see same warm fuzzy attitude, and bright cheery outlook...so yep, Rona - I was being sarcastic, Rona has, believe it or not, become even more bitchy and even less warm and fuzzy with age - was never a fan of Rona but I digress), that new slayerette must take on Buffy's likeness, dye her black hair blond, and go deep into the earth to fight demons and have no human contact.

She is not told why she was chosen to do this. Remember this is Rona. Nor is she really given a choice in the matter. Much like a solider who is given a covert and dangerous mission to infilterate an enemy camp.

The book talks about how it isn't about choice or truth, so much as giving into the tug of the chain that connects us to one another. Giving your life for your sisters. One of the major themes. Possibly the central one of this series. (Not sure I agree with it - sounds a tad fatalistic, but what do I know.)

Underground, which is drawn like a huge primoridal cavern, making me think of a giant womb -the Slayer makes friends with slug-people - who only accept her after they've draped themselves over her naked body, and fairies - who have laid eggs in her inner ear canal. The slug people - make me think of sperm. The fairies - eggs. OR maybe it's vice versa. When the demons attack, she fights alone - backup not arriving until far too late. And no one knows her real name - she's the only one. Everyone underground calls her Buffy. It is Buffy they love. It is Buffy they see. She is the name, she represents the name. She is not herself.

The story - reminded me of why I've never really been that interested in analyzing Whedon's slayer mythos. It's a tad disturbing if you think too much about it and says some, ahem, disturbing things about Whedon that I'd really rather not think about. Every time he starts talking about his slayer mythos, girl power, and the meaning of the hellmouth - I start to back away very slowly. And cringe innwardly. Can we say, serious Mommy and Oedipal issues?

But, if you ignore all that and you can, the story is fun and somewhat tragic. These themes are only blatant to me because I studied them. And they are by no stretch of the imagination the only themes touched on. Whedon also touches on how war affects us and the cost of war. How individuals are called to serve and remembered. And how we are all part of one another, and all important, even if no one knows or remembers our name.

Overall not a bad a issue. Whether you like it or not depends on what you are looking for.
At this point I've more or less accepted the fact that Whedon is not interested in exploring the emotional and inter-relationships of his five main characters, but is actually more interested in plot and theme and the overall mythology of his world. In short, he's more interested in the slayer mythos and not really the character's relationships or emotional growth. Not that there won't be any of that - there will, just not any more than what is absolutely necessary to further the plot, theme and/or mythos.
The series was a little looser - due to the fact that Whedon was not completely in control of everything and feeling his way. I liked the looser format, but I know it bugged a lot of people. But even though it was looser - the same principle was at work - the relationships of the characters and emotional arcs served the theme and slayer mythos solely. They were only explored to the extent that they added weight to that, and what we saw on air was meant to further those themes, sometimes at the expense of the characters. Whedon put plot and theme above character in his storytelling. His characters served his story, not the other way around. Nothing wrong with that - most writers write that way. And of the one's who do write like that, Whedon was one of the few who cared about his characters and actually did write about their emotional arcs within that formula. Which is why I love to read and watch him in spite of the fact that some of themes make me little itchy.


The other comic I picked up was The Girl's Guide to Guy's Stuff by assorted female artists and writers around the world under Friends of Lulu, a national not-for-profit organization geared toward getting more women and girls involved in comics as both professionals and readers. The comic presents a wry look at masculinity from a woman's perspective. More than 50 female cartoonists profess their love for everything male, from action movies to sports, to men themselves.

It lets us girls get our male geek on. A nice counter-point to the Buffy Comic. When I read the letter's page, I was struck by something - all the letters are written by men. Granted there aren't that many. But ALL men? Come on. I know women are reading it. That's a huge problem within the industry - it's so male dominated. But it is changing. The comic book shop in my neighborhood is evidence of that.