Oh, you must read Joss' run of Astonishing X-Men. It's by far my favourite thing he did post Buffy and Angel, and I include Firefly in that (though I'm very fond of Firefly). It's what makes me optimistic for the Avengers film, because it proves he can handle an ensemble of established characters not his own (with the editorial fiats from other people that come with the territory) and that this might even be good for him one in a while. I loved his original characters to bits as well, and they proved so popular that Marvel kept them once Joss' run was over. I wrote extensive meta on AXM (and, um, one of the essays was read and commented on by the man himself), so forgive me my effusiveness.
(This is also why whenever people say Joss can't write comics because of the Buffy comics I sigh in frustration. AXM is so great, you know, and I realised early on the Buffy comics weren't for me - not least because I didn't need them, I was happy with Chosen as an ending for the Scoobies - and thus didn't read them. Also I think based on the few early copies I read it showed that Joss & Co. were exhausted of stories to tell after seven years, which didn't surprise me in the least. Whereas he approached AXM with a fresh eye.)
Buffy - Angel - Darla: I agree with all of this, and would add this, that Darla made him (as Angel himself put it - "You made me"), whereas he remade himself into someone Buffy might love. Of course, that's half the problem and why you can make a case that Buffy never knew Angel as much as Wesley or Cordelia did; she knew what he wanted to show her plus the unplanned exposure to his Angelus side at its worst. Anyway, what I planned to say was that Darla had the emotional power in the relationship, including the power to end it, right until "Reprise", from the moment she sired Angel. Whereas Buffy had it sometimes in the relationship, but, the Angelus interlude excepted for special circumstances, arguably not anymore after they had sex. For all the constant breakups and get togethers through season 3 it took Angel at his most condescending and I'm-the-adult-here to really end the relationship.
no subject
(This is also why whenever people say Joss can't write comics because of the Buffy comics I sigh in frustration. AXM is so great, you know, and I realised early on the Buffy comics weren't for me - not least because I didn't need them, I was happy with Chosen as an ending for the Scoobies - and thus didn't read them. Also I think based on the few early copies I read it showed that Joss & Co. were exhausted of stories to tell after seven years, which didn't surprise me in the least. Whereas he approached AXM with a fresh eye.)
Buffy - Angel - Darla: I agree with all of this, and would add this, that Darla made him (as Angel himself put it - "You made me"), whereas he remade himself into someone Buffy might love. Of course, that's half the problem and why you can make a case that Buffy never knew Angel as much as Wesley or Cordelia did; she knew what he wanted to show her plus the unplanned exposure to his Angelus side at its worst. Anyway, what I planned to say was that Darla had the emotional power in the relationship, including the power to end it, right until "Reprise", from the moment she sired Angel. Whereas Buffy had it sometimes in the relationship, but, the Angelus interlude excepted for special circumstances, arguably not anymore after they had sex. For all the constant breakups and get togethers through season 3 it took Angel at his most condescending and I'm-the-adult-here to really end the relationship.