Just realised that there was one other person who should have been on my BtVS S8 wish-list. Who else but Steven S. DeKnight?
I remember Joss Whedon was quoted somewhere (one of the Watcher's Guides, maybe? Topping's Slayer? not sure now) saying that DeKnight's original script for BtVS S5e20 Spiral would have cost about $15 million to make so they had to scale it way back. I like Spiral any way but how good would that original version been? Besides, the guy also wrote AtS S4e7 Apocalypse Nowish (AKA Reign of Fire) so he can clearly write brilliantly, since it was of my all-time AtS favourites! Besides which, he was originally hired by Joss for Buffy:The Animated Series so he must be able to write comic format fairly well.
Yep, DeKnight could definitely fit into BtVS S8 if given a chance.