In the final analysis, it won't matter that there was a clan of nifty Japanese vampires who had stolen Dracula's powers, or that Dracula himself came out of a self-imposed, self-pitying retirement to help defeat them. People might forget that a giant-sized Dawn smashed her way through downtown Tokyo and battled it out with an equally large robot version of herself as a slayer army clashed with the vampire clan on the brink of losing their enhanced abilities. Even the death of a secondary but memorable character might be overlooked when all is said and done.

No, what people will remember from Wolves at the Gates is that this is when Buffy was, for an instant, bi-curious. Twice. And, so far as we can tell, very thoroughly.

That short, strangely hilarious scene amid the rumpled sheets with Satsu, a fellow slayer, was a minor plot point so far as the overall story developed -- although it did have a few ramifications later in the book -- but it was certainly a sticking point for a great many fans who apparently believe that the Willow/Tara and Willow/Kennedy relationships already meet or exceed the series' gay-girl quota. To them, I say -- get over it.

Is Buffy's brief sapphic encounter necessary to the story? Of course not. Does it detract from the story, as some have claimed? Absolutely not in any way that I can see. Is it simply there to titillate young male readers who have nothing better to do than to visualize a couple of female comic-book characters in bed together? Well, maybe. Although to be fair, our heroines in this scene remain fairly modest, even though those sheets look pretty flimsy.

God, I can't believe my parents are probably reading this. Hey, guys, I'm an adult, OK? An adult who likes comic books! And there's nothing wrong with that.

Anyway, the big question here is, does this unexpected twist add to the story in any measurable way? Sure. It's fun. It's funny. It boasts some of the show's trademark situational comedy and witty banter. Heck, it was worth it simply for the later conversation between Buffy and Willow, as well as Willow's probing exchange with Satsu much later in the story:

Willow: What's she like in the sack? ... Do you know how long I've wondered about this? Don't hold out on me, sister.
Satsu: I'm not telling you anything!
Willow: Oh, yes you are! Did she make that high-pitched squeal? I call that her "shoe-sale noise..."

Even better is Buffy's exchange with Satsu immediately -- and I do mean immediately -- after the fact:

Buffy: Did I do something wrong? Because I'm flying blind here. It's not like they make instruction manuals for these sorts of things.
Satsu: Actually, they do.
Buffy: Okay, but I haven't read them. I didn't get a lot of prep time here and I think that should be taken into consideration before final grades are given.

There is also, among all the rest, an oddly touching peek into the master-manservant relationship that has grown up between Dracula and Xander.

Bottom line, this is a good, solid entry into the ongoing canon of Buffy's illustrated Season Eight. It's a fine story and, if anyone is so terribly offended by what a couple of young girls do in their spare time, stick to reading Betty & Veronica. You know those two never do anything more dire than sharing a milkshake -- with separate straws, of course.