The same thing happened with Season 8 of Buffy. I picked it up for a little over a year and then realized I'm really not that big of a Buffy fan. I just am not getting all the references to prior characters and old stories. I like the show and I like the comic, but I just find, at least on a month-to-month basis, I just am not invested and I don't retain Buffy lore. I'm not a studied Buffy fan. I only watched the series once all the way through over about a 10 year span, although in every single case I watched the seasons on DVD and typically in a 4-or-5 day binge. I think Buffy works best in binges like that, where you can gloss over the weaknesses of the show... the acting occasionally, the action sometimes, the scripts here and there, the dated music (often)... and focus on the epic storytelling and bigger-than-it-appears mythology. I admire Buffy, I'm just not that into it.It's why with Season 8 I came back to it in trade (steeply discounted trade from remainder shops and comic conventions mind you) and devoured 8 volumes in less than a week. I've been enjoying Buffy Season 9, including Angel & Faith, and even each of the Spike and Willow mini-series... but it's just too much and I should really know better. I dropped Angel & Faith about 2 months back, I didn't complete the Spike mini, and I only made it as far as the first issue. I burned out. I decided to stick with the central Buffy book only, and I realize, as much as I do like it, I'm burning out here too.
Illyria's back, which is the main reason I've stuck around. I don't know why, because I'm not all that partial to the character from Angel (although I find Amy Acker delightful... so glad to see her in Cabin in the Woods and Person of Interest in 2012, and Phil Noto nails those SMG and AA likenesses on the cover attached, which unfortunately my store was all out of), I guess after binging through seasons 2 through 5 of the spin-off in 2011, I guess I was kind of wondering what happened to her. Here we learn she's joined with some of the remaining most powerful and magical entities left trapped on Earth, forming a power counsel, an Illuminati of sorts, and are asking Buffy to join. Among their members is a talking red balloon, which makes me wonder if this is the red balloon from Mr. Show with Bob and David. (Red balloon will push you down a well/ Red Balloon will send you straight to hell!/ You've got to follow your baloon).
Point being I'm undecided about whether I'm going to stick it out with Buffy as a monthly (8 issues left for this season) or if I'll just throw my hands up and buy it all a second time when it reaches the remainder shelves in trade.
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