I would have to agree that some of the artistic license taken by the illustrator is a little more "comic-booky" than I would have liked, but the quality of the writing has more than made up for it.

I haven't seen the comics, but I think it's pretty common to lose fans when things like this hop from one media to another (except maybe from TV to movie). A lot of sci fi/fantasy especially does this, going from TV to movie to novels to comics, and each shift gains and loses, but the only constant is that they're never the same.

I used to read a lot of the Star Trek novels when I was a teenager, and it just wasn't the same as the show. Sometimes the authors would go past the point the TV show goes, or there would be a gaping continuity or logic hole, or it would be obvious that they're doing a certain "event" scenario (like crossing over shows, or introducing a character/concept/event from a previous show, etc).

Usually it just doesn't work.

It's interesting how many Buffy threads I found with the search. A lot of scooby-fans out there in indy land I guess. I've been digging the comic - the writing is good and it 'feels' a lot like the show. Not nearly as morose as Season 7 was.

I think the comic book presentation must be pretty close to what Joss' vision would've been like without the budget constraints. Consider the "alternate pocket universe" or whatever it was that Giles and Anya visited in the seventh season to question the one demon/creature about what was going on. If memory serves, it looked as if Giles and Anya were on an abandoned soundstage that trailed off into darkness. I'm pretty sure that if money wasn't tight, there would've been something closer to Dreamworld-type visuals.

As far as Willow's clothing goes, don't forget that Slayer HQ is now located in that castle in Scotland. Dresses like what Willow wears, while not exactly Wal-Mart-common, would still be more easily found. In addition, with Buffy dressing more pragmatically, Willow might subconsciously go for something frillier to set herself apart. (Plus, Tara used to wear dresses like that, and they may remind Willow of her.)

I think the show has implied the power of flight before with Willow, specifically at the end of the fifth season's "Family" (aka the one with the revelation about Tara's demon nature and Oscar-nominee Amy Adams as Tara's cousin). At the end of that episode, Tara and Willow both hovered several feet above the Bronze's dance floor. (That may have just been the show's visual metaphor for how they felt, rather than something that was actually happening, since the other people dancing didn't seem to notice or care that they were flying.)

Would I still be a fan of the TV show if it were more like the comic book has been (so far)? I tend to think no. The budget constraints forced the show to tighten its focus to just the core characters and their relationships. Some may not like it being phrased this way, but it really was like a soap opera that just happened to have monsters & magic. When the show got too "big," as it did with the final season, it not only poorly handled most of the new characters but also fumbled the core cast.

With all this said, I hope they somehow bring Tara back. While I'm kind of upset scheduling conflicts kept Amber Benson from returning in the seventh season's "Conversations with Dead People," I'm mostly happy since it would've been too painful to see her as evil.

That's a good point regarding Willow dressing more like Tara. In that light, it does make sense. Perhaps we aren't giving the series' artist enough credit.

The 'Dawn is a giant' subplot does seem a bit silly, but I'll cut them some slack for now.

Seriously what is with Indy.com all of the sudden being a Buffy the Vampire slayer. Have you heard of IMDB or something? I just don't know what goes through someones head when they see a website dedicated to Indianapolis and feel this would be a good place to talk about a bad TV show that hasn't been on in years. Whatever.

Few things more unintentionally funny than an IU basketball fan suggesting others stop living in the past.

I'm withholding judgment on the 'Dawn the giant' plot thread until it's actually explored. So far, it's only been dealt with in passing during the main stories. I want to see where it goes.

Re-reading Joe's post actually reminded me of something that shows just how out-there 'Buffy: S8' could've gotten with this change in medium. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you 'Star Trek: The Animated Series.' They did things with that show that they never could've done in the live-action show, either due to budget constraints or the limitations of SFX at the time.

Good point. While they don't consider it Trek "canon," that series is really highly-regarded among fans. Plus they got almost all the original voices. I think Walter Koenig--Chekov--is the only one who didn't contribute his voice, and I think they actually wrote him out rather than replace him. I've only gotten to a few episodes of the series, but it is pretty good.

This site became all Buffy when I joined it! Do you know how long I have been looking for people in Indianapolis who watch this show? There're going to be a lot more posts by me now. This place will be the next Whedonesque without Joss if I want it to be. LOL.

Everyone should check out my site:

http://www.btvs-angel-authors.moonfruit.com ( under construction for a little bit as it undergoes a layout change)

And other sites:

http://www.slayalive.com http://www.saveangel.org http://www.slayerlit.us