"Time of Your Life" (part 2)

Fray, now preferring her given name Melaka, and Buffy soon see eye to eye. The Big Bad Harth, Melaka's twin brother, has found a familiar new playmate. Dawn discovers embarrassment in a whole new way, and the aftermath of the attack on Castle Summers proves to be less fatal than the villains would have liked.

On the forum, several of my colleagues and posters discussed how the second Earth-Two Huntress in the JSA Annual apparently suffered from amnesia within the span of seconds. She forgets that Power Girl, wherever she is from, saved her life, and immediately cries out for her blood with all the other duplicate JSA members when the second Earth-Two Power Girl shows up as their genuine article.

In Buffy the Vampire Slayer the Buffster and Melaka fight for one page. There may have been some fisticuffs between issues, but the fight was still in context likely short.

Melaka, who has access to Watchers texts, has read of Buffy. In her own series Mel was new to the Slayer lifestyle. At this point, she has matured and gained a better understanding of the legacy she now holds. Buffy simply must convince Melaka that she is the bona fide blonde and not a "shifty". Given the evidence, this should be easy to do, and yes, it is.

That, in a nutshell, is why Joss Whedon has gained such a rabid fanbase. With regard to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Whedon's writing doesn't insult your intelligence. It instead stimulates the intellect. It engages in your sense of play. Whedon sees clichés and avoids them. He doesn't make his characters behave in ways that do not fit their personalities, which, in a way, have evolved beyond him. That's what a writer should want. A writer should want to create characters that become so real that they live without him.

Fans know who Buffy is. Whedon and Sarah Michelle Gellar have given them all they need to know. Fans expect Buffy to behave in ways that are inherent to her. They also expect Melaka to act in a certain fashion. Both Slayers are in fine form.

What happened in last week's JSA Annual could not have happened in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Buffy and Melaka are too intelligent to fall into such a trite trap of suspicion. Buffy has clocked in how many hours as a Slayer? Melaka clearly has become more experienced to know the difference between shape-shifter and reality.

With the cordials exchanged, Buffy and Melaka next seek out Melaka's merman contact Gunther to discover who's the Big Bad of the scenario. There's no real surprise here, though Whedon does make you think otherwise a couple of times. I'm not absolutely sure this character is on the side of demons. There may be another motive in bringing Buffy to the future, but we'll see how the story plays out.

When Whedon fades the story back to Buffy's present, the author uses Dawn's transformation to good effect, and I can't believe that he planned this. It's just such a fluid little moment. I'm betting he simply thought it would be hilarious if Dawn turned into a centaur for her second metamorphosis, and then he just saw the serendipitous potential within the context of the plot. Whedon writes so naturally that I can see this kind of flow happening quite easily.

In addition to the genius of Whedon, Karl Moline makes the Slayers ultimate gymnasts. In Moline's hands, the Bond-like opener in which Melaka interrogates a Lurk becomes an Olympian acrobatic routine executed in mid-air between futuristic sky vehicles. He doesn't miss a single beat or waste a panel. Owens inking and Madsen's colors enhances the textures in Moline's pencils. Melaka's hair looks silky, and the purple tinges merge attractively into her natural black. Dawn's mane looks luxurious, and Willow's hair at different turns looks soft and sumptuous.

---

What did you think of this book?
Have your say at the Line of Fire Forum!

---