Buffy Season 9: On Your Own Part, Two Review

What started out as a good run so far and an even interesting second arc, this issue definitely took a slide down to both confusing and irritating.  "Buffy" comics have very much been hit and miss since its debut in 2007 and it ended on an interesting premise and, so far, I have been happy with what they've been doing with this series. Going back to its roots with the characters coming first and the supernatural coming second, it seemed that the characters we had loved were slowly coming back.  Dawn had finally stopped being a whiny little sister and seems to have become a mature young woman (though her relationship with Xander is still slightly…ick worthy).  Willow has disappeared to find out how to bring magic back and Buffy was once again trying to balance a normal life with her slaying responsibilities. And to add on to these responsibilities is the revelation in the last issue that Buffy has found herself pregnant.  And with this revelation, Whedon has decided to delve into an issue that many tend to avoid entirely.  That of whether or not to have the child or to have an abortion, a word many can barely say, let alone hear a heroine consider and in the end, actually decide to do. So it's in this second issue that we find that Buffy has decided to move in with Spike on his strange bug-ship (which I am extremely curious to find out how he acquired) before actually doing the procedure.  Honestly, we can't fault Buffy's choice in this.  Throughout the show's run and even the comics, Buffy has always had challenges with balancing her two lives.  Add on the later seasons of the show, Buffy has found that slaying will sometimes always have to come first over her personal responsibilities (see killing Angel, and all of seasons 7 and 8 apparently).  Plus, she only needs to look at Robin Wood, the daughter of the late Slayer Nikki Wood, to see that a child of a Slayer is not an easy life and that at any moment, she can ripped away, leaving the child alone. I applauded the bravery of tackling this issue and even more so that, in this issue with Buffy once again running to Spike in her hour of darkness, that Spike calls her on both.  I've never been a Buffy/Spike lover and was glad to hear Spike admit that, despite Buffy caring about him, she is only really with him when she is in a dark place.  But then things got ridiculous: Buffy's arm was ripped off by a a zompire and it was revealed that she is a robot. Can anyone else say what the (insert word of your choice)?  I certainly didn't see it coming as I stay far away from spoilers and I can honestly say it brings into question the entire series of events I've seen unfold so far.  I know that in Slayer, Interrupted the pixie made a comment that Buffy wasn't the Slayer and, if Buffy's been a robot since that issue, than does that mean the entire time we've seen Buffy that it's been a robot?  And, if it has been a robot than how about that dream?  Since when do robots dream? This whole thing has thrown me for a loop but, needless to say, I am definitely picking up the next issue that will hopefully answer some of these questions.  As a diehard Buffy fan, I'm not gonna give up yet. But if only this series could keep up with the awesomeness of the Angel & Faith comics, I would be happy Whedonverse fan. Rating:  C-