Some wheel turning, but also some legitimately good stuff…?
Creative Staff:
Script: Christos Gage
Art: Megan Levens
Colors: Dan Jackson
Letters: Richard Starkings and Jimmy Betancourt
What They Say:
“Triggers”
Buffy and the gang put aside their awkward past and fought together to beat the Big Bad, Archaus. After they shattered his powerful portal-creating artifact and sent him packing, a trio of rival demons—the Soul Glutton, the Sculptor, and the Mistress—got their hands on the artifact’s remains and are now hoping to use it to place themselves in a position of great power on earth. But a quiet moment isn’t too much to ask for, is it? Probably…
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The moment the women’s center came up and the moment Spike walked into the bathroom with Buffy in the room, it was clear what they were alluding to. Its plot / character reason for it being right here, right now aside, it was executed very well. It harkens back to the Buffy of old that was just about Buffy the vampire slayer beating up the supernatural of all kinds.
The incubus is an interesting angle to go about addressing Spike’s rape of Buffy way back in season six (which, by the way, wasn’t even the only huge event in that episode as Warren also killed Tara later). It brings to light an entire representation of a supernatural being whose existence is nonconsensual sex with women. But it also feels a little cheap—like they were just dealing with this because they felt like it needed to be dealt with. The plus: It’s done well. The minus: The thing I just said.
An incubus comes to town and the girl he took advantage of works at a women’s center. She was previously in an abusive relationship for two years, but has since learned to cope with it. Because it never really goes away. It just becomes less prescient. This brings it back in full, but so can the little things like smells. Living with it is just learning the best way to cope with how much it hurts. Buffy doesn’t really understand that—at least not yet—because she just kind of escaped into her slayer work without dealing with Spike’s rape. And that’s important. Because sometimes you need space, and sometimes you need a hug.
Elsewhere in Buffy land, Xander’s feeling down about everything, hasn’t left his room in a few days, and could really use a shave and a shower. Buffy and Spike barge in and tell him to solve a different issue with Giles, given Buffy and Spike are busy with an incubus problem.
The entire storyline was just so Xander could find out that ghost Anya isn’t actually Anya. As such, I’m a little frustrated by it because it could have been Xander embracing fake ghost Anya anyway as a coping mechanism because his relationship with Dawn is very complicated, or at least it is right now.
In Summary:
I half liked this issue and half didn’t like, and it’s obvious which is which I hope. The Buffy half was strong in its execution, even if I felt beat over the head with its message. The Xander half failed not only because it became a B story with not enough space to breath, but also because I feel just as beat over the head without the good execution.
Content Grade: B-
Art Grade: A-
Released By: Dark Horse
Release Date: October 21, 2015
MSRP: $3.50
