So, in case you somehow missed the media kerfuffle - Buffy #12 is out. In more ways than one. (See what I did there?)

But let’s get to that in due course. Issue 12 is written by former Buffy/Angel scribe, Drew “Cloverfield” Goddard - the third writer to tackle Season 8, and the second to come from the TV series to do so. As with Vaughan’s run, the comic doesn’t miss a beat in the changeover, and Whedon’s initial arc remains the weakest. Jeanty’s artwork is looking better than ever - it might’ve taken me a while to get used to his style, but a year down the line he’s really reaching impressive heights, having nicely defined the look of the series.

There are two big moments in this issue that are worth mentioning - the second comes on the last page - the return of the Buffyverse Dracula. Some careful solicitation text, as well as the storyline title “Wolves at the Gate” lead many (including myself) to believe that Oz might returning. While I’m disappointed that he’s not back, Dracula is at least an interesting character to have return, having had only one previous appearance and escaping then without much resolution. Anyway - turns out that a gang of Japanese vampires with an oddly familiar bag of tricks - transforming into animals and smoke - may be connected with the aforementioned Unholy Prince. They broke into the Slayer Castle and took Buffy’s scythe, and she wants it back. Hence, Dracula receives a visit.

Now, as if that wasn’t good enough - the first reveal is actually the more popular one. Having learnt last issue that slayer-in-training Satsu is in love with her, we find out this issue that Buffy has done gone ahead and slept with her. Hoo boy. A bold move by the Whedon camp, that’s for certain, but as a lifelong Buffy fan, something I’m definitely intrigued by. It’s certainly in-character for Buffy to get horizontal with the nearest emotionally available person, and the idea that it might be someone who’s female doesn’t seem outside the realms of possibility, as well as being an appropriate topic for a series about female empowerment.

But that said, it is dangerous ground - dangerously close to fanfic, that is - but from what we’ve seen, it should be a development that works, not because Buffy’s going to be gay from now on, but because it’s being treated merely as something that happened between two adults, not as Willow Season 4-style character redefinement. In any case, it results in a hilarious farce scene immediately afterwards that justifies the act alone, being perhaps the funniest Buffy scene never to make it onto TV.

If there’s any real problem, it’s that this whole thing kind of overshadows the rest of the issue a bit, which is still all good. Xander’s relationship with his own slayer-in-training is certainly getting interesting, though this issue does pretty much kill off the Xander/Buffy hopes that I’d still been harbouring. Oh well. As ever, I cannot wait for next issue.

Another single-issue Joss Whedon story? I thought Christmas was over already! Whedon’s last two single-issues have been the best the series had to offer, and this is no different. It’s a classic, X-Men-style “down time” issue between arcs, with the natural interruption of the season’s big bad at an entirely unexpected moment just to keep you on your toes. It’s not quite the Mayor strolling right into the Library, circa Season 3, but it’s pretty good nonetheless.

There’s some dealing with the blink-and-you-missed-it subplot of Satsu’s feelings for Buffy, which is entertaining and gives some truly excellent material, but it doesn’t really feel like the intricately woven subplot that it could’ve been. Strangely evident in these scenes is that Whedon appears to be writing his Buffy’s voice somewhere around Season 4. There’s far more of the humour and stream-of-consciousness dialogue than the latter Buffy ever displayed, which is good because part of the problem Season 8 had to address was that by the time the show finished, Buffy was no longer the best character in her own series. Giving her some direction and easing the responsibilities slightly seems to have left her far less earnest, mopey and distracted, hence the lighter tone.

Jeanty continues to deliver, though the first decent appearance of actual vampires in the Buffy comic unfortunately shows us that he’s no better at depicting vampires on the page than any other Buffy artist has been. Oh well. Twilight’s fight with Buffy is a nice sequence, though it’s a little bit of a groaner to hear Buffy calling him the most powerful villain she’s ever seen, because that’s the standard, Buffy, “I don’t know if I can fight this!” trick to try and make the villain seem like a threat, and doesn’t really work because… well, she’s Buffy, she’s going to win - don’t make it about whether she will, but about how she will.

The idea of tricking Buffy into believing she’s on the wrong side is a definite move for genius, and once again, the perfect place to go with the story, especially after Buffy’s recent jewel-thieving antics. The “unmasking” scene had me laughing harder than almost anything in the TV series, and sets up my most favourite of all mysteries. WHO’S UNDER THE MASK? Someone Buffy knows - or at least, who knows Buffy. I’m going to say that it’s Ethan Rayne, because he’s one of the least likely candidates, being, y’know, dead and stuff.

I sometimes wonder if I use the word “genius” a little too liberally when describing Joss Whedon. But then I decide that no, I haven’t. So let me reiterate: This is genius. Genius, genius, genius. Genius.

While it has to be said that Whedon’s first Buffy arc had its moments of greatness, the pacing did seem to struggle a little bit with the one comic, one episode format - something highlighted by Brian Vaughan’s second, superior arc.

That said, Whedon’s Issue #5 showed that he’s still the master of his own series, with it’s done-in-one story that managed to be the best thing to come out of Season 8 despite not even featuring the regular cast. Issue #10, another “breather” issue between arcs, is again penned by Whedon, and takes a similar format. The only difference is that this time, it DOES feature the regular cast. The art comes from Dark Horse Buffy Alumni, Cliff Richards, whose pencils are as good as, if not superior to Jeanty.

In traditional style, Willow and Buffy go looking for information on their latest foe, Twilight, from a demonic sage, while Xander finally gets to the bottom of Dawn’s ‘giant’ problem. It’s easily the best issue of the series so far, as well as being the sexiest. I try not to be lecherous but when the story involves Willow and Buffy trading sexual fantasies, it’s… difficult. Still, there’s much more to the plot than pseudoporn. We get a good bit of information on what Twilight is - the end of the age of magic. That’s definitely something bigger than we’ve seen before. Buffy’s fought Vampires, Demons, Gods, Men, the original Evil, and for season 8 Whedon’s come up with a fight that eclipses them all. Something that could shut down Buffy’s world forever.

In fact, one can’t help but stop and wonder if it’s even a foe at all. Willow seems to think so, given the pointed shot of her at the suggestion of the “death of magic,” but as a fan, I’m thinking back to Whedon’s Fray series and the implication that a Slayer, perhaps Buffy, finally banished all demonic activity from the planet. That certainly sounds like Twilight to me. The meeting with the demon predictably doesn’t go well, and Buffy and Willow face some uncomfortable truths about behaviour that both of them have been keeping from the other, establishing a rift that could lead them into a difficult situation.

As much as I dislike the character, it’s good to finally see Kennedy get a look in, and her absence is explained in a way that accomplishes the best of both worlds - it’s a good reason for her to have been gone, and a good reason to keep her gone as well! I know I’m happy.