Eh, I liked it... It was actually... happy? Like things actually turned out okay and no one important died? I did not see that coming.
I think S12 exemplified Dark Horse's "reign" on Buffy pretty well. It was fun, not great, with some exceptional moments, character bits, and dialogue, but ultimately simply not as good as the show. S8 was a crap-shoot, S9 was a solid 3/5, S10 was slightly better (apparently some people disagree), S11 was really good but short, and all of the Angel stuff ranged from crap to average (excluding A&FS9, which is A+). Seeing as I've prepared myself for what to expect when it comes to Dark Horse Buffyverse comics, for the last decade, I got exactly what I was expecting to get. I think I'll like and appreciate it more upon a reread, but as of now, even though it I didn't love S12, I'm glad it exists. It was a $16 well spent, and a fitting end to a sometimes beautiful, sometimes frustrating, but ultimately enjoyable run of 111+ issues.
That said, my body is so ready for a fresh new start. There's no reason why the Buffyverse (and the Whedonverse, as a whole), isn't a thriving, mid-level comic franchise with multiple ongoings, mini-series, one-shots, and events. In some ways, I think Dark Horse (and maybe Whedon himself) has been holding the franchise back this whole time. IDW might have went overboard, but they had the right idea with Angel and Spike. Just TRY. Throw stuff out there and see what sticks. See if you can build a proper universe that can then be used to launch other books. Anything's possible, and I think the fanbase has proven that they're going to show up for a quality product.
