We interrupt your regularly scheduled TIFF coverage to bring you the usual Buffy droolage.

Brian K. Vaughan announced recently that he's focusing on creator-owned work exclusively from here on out and that his 4-issue Buffy arc is to be his victory lap around the world of other peoples' characters; so far, so good. The man definitely gets Faith. He doesn't get Giles so well (Giles' Britishisms seem to have de-evolved to the Season One time period since last we saw him). But as usual, the preternatural BKV gift for narrative layering is in evidence in even this inaugural 25% of his till-the-end-of-the-year storyline. There's a fuck of a lot going on here.

Sucks 2B Faith
Robin Wood, Cleveland, killing vampire children, sticking stakes in walls, going apeshit when Giles touched her arm, etc. This is some pretty fucking awesome Faith - and I'm not even talking about the story points, I'm just talking about the dexterity (and economy) with which BKV brings us into Faith the Vampire Slayer's world. He's actually bringing something to the game here, instead of just running around in what's already established. Right on.

Yellow Submarine sweater
Uh... really?

The Great Bearded Wizard of Northampton
No seriously... really?

Genevieve the Vampire Slayer
I couldn't give a toss about Amy, Warren, Evil General, or even Matthew-Fabb-how-did-you-guess Ethan Rayne. But this bitch, I am all about. This is a more interesting way of getting at the whole Twilight thing, too... looking forward to seeing this explored in greater detail. Though I really don't buy the Faith angle on this, yet. She even calls it in the later pages: why school Faith up on being a proper English gentlewoman, when Slayers are a dime a dozen?

Oh and hey: is the "fox" that Genevieve killed someone we're meant to have met before? Cuz if so, awesome. If not... well, it's still awesome.

Punchy Xander and Bedroom Eyes Buffy
The ick factor from Joss' little "are we gonna sleep together" fake-out a few issues back has yet to wear off, so I'd really appreciate it if Georges Jeanty would stop drawing Buffy like she means to jump on Xander and do the gallop/champagne dealie. I mean honestly: if this is where this thing is going, OH MY FUCKING GOD GROSS.

Final line
Yesness.

Joss copping to having forgotten the Warren thing in the letter col
You da man, Joss. Da fanboy-defeating mega-man!