[comic fan]

Full Scott Allie Slayalive Q/A for final issue of Buffy Season 8.

[SA24] SPOILERS: Scott Allie Q&A for #40 *Complete*

[SA24] SPOILERS: Scott Allie Q&A for #40 *Complete*
We're back, Buffy fans!

Scott Allie, Dark Horse editor and Buffyverse comics writer (other writing credits include Exurbia and Solomon Kane), is back for another Q&A to celebrate the release of the final issue of Season 8, Last Gleaming Part V, written by Joss Whedon and penciled by Georges Jeanty. Thank you, Scott!

Of course, it's January 19, so we're also celebrating a certain Slayer's birthday!

The Rules

•Please remember to ask one question per post and do not ask another question till the pending one has been submitted. I'll be sending the questions along in batches of ~ten, so you'll get the chance to ask several questions throughout the session.

•The SlayAlive moderators have contemplated enforcing a strict No Shipping Rule for this Q&A session because the questions became overwhelmingly shipper-oriented after the release of Issue 33. I'm uncomfortable mandating what fans choose to care about in the Buffyverse--relationships are important to the story and it's natural for fans to care about them. However, this was a serious problem in the past, so please use your judgment wisely. If this Q&A begins to read like a 'Validate My Ship' affair, I will begin to actively moderate which questions are submitted.

•If you want to participate, but you're not interested in registering at this time, you can email your questions to me (emmie [at] slayalive.com) and I'll submit them for you with credit. I will only be accepting questions for the duration that this Q&A thread is in progress.

•If this is your first time participating, please skim through past Q&A's as your question may have been answered already.

Everybody ready? Steady? Go!

1. Enisy: Out of curiosity, how much of #37, #38 and #39 was you (rough percentages)? Were there any scenes that were overwhelmingly written by you, or overwhelmingly written by Joss?

Scott: We did the outline together when I was at his office in May, and then I wrote the scripts. He gave me notes, and I rewrote some scenes, tweaked dialogue here and there; then when we were getting it lettered, he rewrote some of the dialogue. So it's hard to say how much of the story was mine or his—if you asked, I could probably tell you if any given bit was his idea or mine, but my memory may not be perfect. But in the end the dialogue was probably a bit more mine than his, but a lot of him. And the stuff that was mine wasn't necessarily my first draft, so to speak.


2. Moscow Watcher: Are you already working on season 9 and if yes, do you already have an overall plan of the season - i.e., do you know the main events, settings, confrontations, the ending, etc.? And - at which point of working on season 8 Joss has completely changed his plan for season 9?

Scott: We are working on it, but it's still just taking shape. I'd say we know the themes and geography, we know where everyone is, and we know the basic directions for all the principle characters, and their chief obstacles. The order of those obstacles remains to be seen, to some degree. And I think we abandoned the initial Season 9 plan around issue #28 or so, something like that.


3. Morphia: Could you explain Joss's reasoning behind writing Buffy's decision not to invite Spike into her apartment? It seems pretty harsh that she's seems to be pigeonholing him mentally in the same box as Angel. Is this a story point, as in, Buffy wants to get some perspective about vampires and therefore wants to keep Spike at a distance too? Or is it simply that Dawn and Xander don't want to extend the invitation and she's abiding by their wishes?

Scott: I don't see how she's pigeonholing him in the same box as Angel. I don't think there's an Angel comparison there. I'd say it's more of your latter option—Xander of all people probably doesn't want Spike in his house. But this isn't meant to be Buffy issuing a big rejection of Spike.


4. Maggie: Hi Scott, I love this issue a lot. I have a lot of questions, but I only get one for now. So it's just a point of clarification about #37. In what panel did Buffy's fantasy start? Or is it meant to be ambiguous? Thanks!!

Scott: Meant to be ambiguous. That sort of gag often plays ambiguously, but it's especially right for it to be ambiguous in this case, to reflect Buffy's confusion about the important facts of the situation. I should mention that that part was entirely written by Joss—despite my answer above, my cowriting didn't kick in until page 7 of that issue, I believe.


5. AndrewCrossett: Was Willow simply wrong with her theory that Buffy was getting her powers from dead Slayers?

Scott: Yeah. We had some fun with that—the idea that Willow was landing on significant wrong answers. She's normally so darn smart.


6. Bamph: So who was the Prince?

Scott: Sorry, next!


7. drywallman: Why did Xander go down into the Hellmouth in issue 39, and more importantly why did the story need him to go down there?

Scott: I'd say the former is the more important part of the question. At one point, we imagined EVERYONE down there in that final scene, and then as it got writing, we realized everyone would be really really busy. I'll say in my opinion, Xander went down there because at the end of the day, at the end of the world, he's the one who most needs to be there by her side. But his specific reason for going back down there was to help Buffy, in whatever way she needed, not realizing how totally impossible that would be for him. We didn't really need him to be down there—as you can see, he doesn't really do anything. Well, not that you can see...


8. bonnaleah: Was the information that Whistler gave to Angel about saving the world correct, or was Whistler an agent of Twilight?

Scott: The info was not entirely correct, in that it was distorted and spun, to leave out the bad parts. Whether Whistler was a willing spin doctor, or he bought into the spin is a question that you're left to ponder, probably until we revisit the character. But the information was not entirely correct. Angel bought into the Twilight business without know all the facts. He's still responsible for going along with it, but he didn't sign on for doing exactly these terrible things that he wound up doing.

9. Danny: Who is 'the woman I'll never meet again' that Willow references? Is it Aluwyn as the panels suggest, or Tara, or does it perhaps regard both of them?

Scott: Huh. That's a great question. I got an answer, but I think it's wayyyyy better if it's open to the interpretation you threw out.


10. Morphia: Joss says in his letter to the fans at the end of the issue that he thinks letting the current slayers keep their powers upholds the positive message of female empowerment at the end of Chosen. However, since the story seems to be saying that empowering all those women upset some sort of balance and caused all kinds of trouble, I'm not sure I agree with him. It seems to me more like the story tells us that empowering women is a bad thing. What's your reading of it? Is Joss suggesting that compromise is the most we can hope for?

Scott: You can read it that way, sure, but where does it say that empowering women is bad? The way I see it, you do something that big, and it causes ripples you can't control. We talked about it, and what he specifically said there was the decision. Empowering all those women DID upset the balance. And it almost led to the end of the world, but it didn't. We discussed the possibility that magic leaving the world would rob the Slayers of their powers, but felt that THAT would undermine the empowerment message too much. Just having nothing bad come of the empowerment would show say that you can get something for nothing, which isn't very dramatic.


11. Uncannyslayer: Some of the more heated discussions about Season 8 have been related to the little amount of information given about Angel's motivations. Will Season 9 give us more insight to this or will it be moving on to new stories from the start?

Scott: Yes. The former, I mean. We will reflect on that some. I think it's due.


12. Michamon: Are we going to see Giles again in any form (ghost, flashback, etc.) or is he lost once and for all?

Scott: Flashbacks, probably.


13. Bamph: A year ago Twilightgate hit, and God has it been a full year from that, but anyway when that hit there were many interviews. In one of them with Comic Book Resources, I think, Joss said that the reason Angel wore a mask as Twilight was to not screw things up for IDW and buy them three more years of telling Angel stories before having to deal with season 8. That if Dark Horse had the Angel licence still than Angel would never had been wearing the mask. Joss said that he didn't want to step on IDW's toes who were just trying to produce good Angel comics. Do you have any ideas about how Angel as Twilight would of been done differently without the mask since you would lose the mystery aspect of who was under that mask? And do you think this would of improved the story or hurt it?

Scott: I don't know. I don't remember Joss saying quite all of that, but maybe he did. We definitely did certain things to prevent trouble for IDW—mission accomplished, right? clap clap clap. But yes, the story would have been way different without the mask. I think it might have made some people happier, in that his motivation would have been explained much more.

14. Enisy: Was Buffy still affected by the glow after her departure from "Twilight"? Can her controversial "bestest weirdest best day" speech be attributed to it, or is that all her?

Scott: There's some of that in there, yeah.


15. ThatEvilLawFirm: Hey Scott! I'm a big fan, thank you so much for doing this. I haven't had a chance to read 40 yet, but my question is about the events of 39.

So I'm probably in a really unique group, I think the scythe is AWESOME, and I was sad when it was destroyed (not as sad as watching Giles die...). My question for you is, was the scythe the only thing that could destroy the seed? It seems to me that Giles went specifically looking for it to take back to try and break the seed. If so, how did Giles know that it was needed to break it?

Scott: I don't like saying the scythe was the only thing that could destroy the Seed, because that really makes it like a video game, but the scythe was uniquely able to do that. Maybe other things could do it, but Giles knew the scythe had a purpose in all this. Remember Giles had been looking for the Seed, in secret? He knew a great deal about the scythe and the Seed.


16. Maggie: Here's an open-ended question. In #38 you had Dawn say that a lot of people had missed major plot points (or something to that effect). That read to me as a little bit of fourth wall breaking. Have there been confusions in at least some of the fandom about what's going on that have surprised you? If so, what are the major plot points that at least some of us seem to have missed? Are there any major plot points that you think should have been more clearly presented?

Scott: First, yes, that was me embracing some meta stuff. Not my normal comfort zone, but I thought it worked in this world. And yes, I've been surprised and confused by some of the fans' complaints, but I try to see that as my fault, not theirs, and learn from it. I don't remember right now, though, which ones there are, but generally, yes, whenever a large number of readers miss something, I wish we'd done it more clearly. But I also don't want to spoonfeed, or dumb it down. It's a tough balance, and my judgment in there isn't perfect.


17. Zamolxis: If all the magic in the world is destroyed how come vampires still need an invite in someone's home?

Scott: 'Cause with magic the authors get to make the rules, and we're saying that these things are characteristics of the individual creature, trapped in this non-magic world. So Slayers have their powers, their strength. That big C'thulhu thing Spike was chasing could fly. Vampires drink blood to live and can't go out in sunlight. And need an invite.


18. Bonnaleah: What was the point of Angel and Spike arriving through portals?

Scott: They were elsewhere. Read Spike #8 from IDW!

19. Emmie: I have to say, the hardcover collection of "Tales of the Slayer" is a gorgeous book and, of course, it's made me eager to own a hardcover deluxe edition of Season 8. Any movement on this front? When might we expect the hardcover release? Any hint of the specials to be included?

Scott: Movement, yes, schedule and teasers, no. They're still a ways off. But they will generally be in the mold of Tales.


20. Uncannyslayer: Again about Season 9 speculations, and sorry if this has been asked before... Is it planned to use characters like Illyria, Connor or even some of the characters created by IDW? I would of course assume that you have complete freedom to use the characters from the Angel show, but it is unclear to the public whether the deal between Dark Horse and IDW includes their characters.

Scott: Legally, any characters created as part of the license become the property of Fox, and we're licensing it all from them. This is how we were able to reprint all the old Marvel Star Wars comics, and use the ridiculous green rabbit from the Marvel run in one of our Star Wars comics recently. That's not to say that we will do it, but we do have the freedom to do it.


21. MikeB: Is the reason why Illyria -- and Connor -- wasn't in Season 8 because they are Angel characters and therefore DarkHorse simply couldn't use them? Or was it more about not wanting to have to explain who these characters are? It'd seem that Illyria, Groo, and Connor would have been useful in the fight in Season 8.

Scott: We could've used anyone we wanted, but we didn't want to screw with IDW. We had to screw with them because Joss's plan hinged on Angel as Twilight, but we didn't want to trot everyone out just to do it, or just for fan service, if it would just lead to reader confusion. Enough of that thanks to Angel and Spike. The characters you mention could have been useful in a fight, but I don't know that they would have been useful to the story—they would have just further distracted from the core four.


22. AndrewCrossett: Is it true that with the end of magic, the two biggest mystical dilemmas in Angel's life... the "true happiness" curse and the Shanshu Prophecy... are no longer in effect? (Not that true happiness looks to be anywhere on Angel's radar right now.)

Scott: Standby for Season 9. As you'll see from one of my answers above, we reserve some freedom to interpret the new rules of magic.


23. Wenxina: In response to your response to Moscow Watcher's question (the bit about abandoning the initial Season 9 plan), does that mean the plan involving "multiple dimensions" is down the toilet? Or are major elements of that being tweaked to fit within the scope of a more conservative season?

Scott: It means it's changed. The plan is down the toilet, but as no one but us knew what the plan was, no one don't know what exactly is down the toilet. Some of the ideas will remain, and yes, the goal is a more conservative, small season, focused on the characters. But it's also going to be a complex season, with various threads spinning out of it.


24. leyki: Hello. Why didn't anyone notice that Mr Jeanty accidentally created an extra character? I am talking about the general. As a matter of fact, here is what Mr Jeanty told us


AndrewCrossett: Do you know why General Voll (from Long Way Home) disappeared, and this new nameless General took his place? He seems to sound quite a bit like Voll when he talks.
Georges Jeanty: Yeah. That was my bad. I had no idea that those two guys were one and the same. Major blunder on my part! Sorry. He just disappeared forever and when he resurfaced I thought he was someone else.

Scott: It's complicated. It's partly a side effect of the multiple writers. Sorry. Lame answer. Just not going into it ...

25. Zamolxis: Spike said that Buffy was "attacked and controlled by forces no one could comprehend" and Buffy didn't deny it. Is this what Buffy also believes now and what we are also to believe: that she was controlled by Twilight (through the glow and the superpowers)?

Scott: She was under an influence. I think we've answered this a lot now, right? You've got to be willing to interpret it yourself, but we've made the drug analogy, some of you have made the drug analogy. More that than possession, but a little of each. She was influenced. What exactly that means, how much personal responsibility it leaves on her, is up to your point of view. On TV the other night I heard someone say an alcoholic under the influence kills a person in their car, it is their fault, not their addiction's, not the fault of the alcohol. I agree with that. There might be a sliding scale of readers' perceptions of personal responsibility. If we just said that everyone was possessed, that'd be a strong case for saying that no one was responsible for anything they did. I think that'd make a lame story.


26. Veiriti: As a huge fan of Spike I’d like to know more about Spike’s role in Season 9 and his interaction with the other characters (Buffy, Willow, Faith, Angel) and about the possibility of his own mini (or outgoing) titles.

Scott: Nothing to share at this time, and that is not a question. I am certain you do want to know those things.


27. Sosa Lola: Now that Xander and Dawn left the slaying life, does that mean they won't get arcs related to Buffy's mission next season?

Scott: To be determined. They'll be in Buffy's book; they could possibly get spinoffs. Unknown exactly how the side series will roll out, at this point.


28. Morphia: I enjoyed the Willow and Riley one-shots filling in some of the blanks in the story. I didn't feel I really knew what was going on with Willow until I read the one-shot. Any chance that any other blanks could be filled in in season 9? Buffy learning for the first time that Spike was alive, for instance (I know Georges Jeanty has lobbied Joss for such a scene)?

Scott: Do you guys really think that narratively, that's a good scene to go back to? I can see how it will help putty in the little wedges in continuity, but does it really need to be done? Depending on what goes on with them in Season 9, it MIGHT be relevant, I could see Buffy and Spike having a conversation where he calls her on her callousness and she says, You know how I found out you were alive ...? But unless it's pertinent to something going on in Season 9, we probably won't go back to it.


29. Neil: Hello Scott, thanks for an amzing season 8 ride. Can´t wait for the next season to start, which leads up to my question. I would like to know if you could explain what Joss meant when he said in the letter: Some adjustments had to be made along the way, particularly when I completely changed my plan for Season 9. I would like to know if you could share the story, as long as it doesn´t interfere with the actual planned storyline for season nine, of course.

Scott: Nope, sorry. Joss will possibly spill it at some point, but I don't want to go into more detail about the abandoned Season 9 plan than he already has.

30. angeliclestat: When it was first announced that 'Angel' was coming back to DH, it was said the title would be under the Buffy:Season 9 banner, which was obviously upsetting to fans of 'Angel the Series'. However I have noticed in recent interviews that there seems to be a clear separation between the 'Season 9' and 'Angel' titles. Can you confirm that Angel will be it's own series with it's own name (i.e. Season 6 or whatever), or is it still part of Buffy:Season 9?

Scott: Our Angel title won't be Season 6, it will be part of the Season 9 program as a whole. There will be at least two regular, ongoing titles in Season 9, and Angel will star in one of them. Calling anything we do Angel Season 6 would be way too confusing—it'd negate everything IDW has done, which is not our intention. And it'd lead readers online to argue about whether Season 6 must happen concurrent to Season 8, and blah blah blah, I cannot even predict the ways in which calling it Season 6 would not work. The reason all these books will be part of Season 9 is that Season 8 massively changed the world for these characters, particularly Angel. The comics we launch next year will be referred to under the banner Season 9, in that they follow Season 8. If there is a Willow title, it will be part of Season 9, even though Willow has never had a single season of her own, much less eight of them. We are blurring the lines between the titles, because we see the characters all as existing in one world. Fortunately it's a big world.


31. Enisy: What happened to Twilight in #39, after Buffy broke the Seed? Did he disappear when the magic was abolished? But he wasn't magical; he was a new universe.

Scott: Nothing really happened to him. What did the readers call him? Miss Kitty Twilight? Please continue to use that name, if I've got that right. When the Seed broke, the gateways to the other realms were cut off, and Miss Kitty Twilight was stranded in his soulless, orcless world.


32. Bamph: It feels like this season tore a lot of things down and tore a lot of the characters apart. Would you say that next season then is about building things back up and rebuilding in general?

Scott: I don't know if I'd say it, but you wouldn't be wrong if you said that. I don't know that that's what it's about, but there's gonna be a certain not-small amount of that.


33. ThatEvilLawFirm: So my next question is also about the scythe, but it's a bit complicated and possibly spoilery, so feel free to be as vague as you want. We know that Buffy smashed the scythe in her time, but we also know that at some point in Fray's time she is given the scythe, and that Buffy also gets her smash on with that scythe. Will we see an explanation for this, or is it possible that Buffy drastically altered the future, but that at least some parts were inevitable? (i.e. we know that Erin and Melaka remember Buffy being in the future and that their world didn't end, but is it possible now that the Magicks are gone that they have no memory of Future Dark Willow Being there, or that she really wasn't there?)

Scott: All those things are possible. Sorry, but stuff like that we'll figure out as the story needs it, and then we'll do whatever's best for the story. But I am forever wanting to do more with Fray.

34. Emmie: Issue 40 was surprisingly hopeful considering the ramifications of breaking the Seed. In "Chosen", Buffy says that "being the Slayer [is] a burden we can't share." The message to me was that Buffy's burden was relieved when she shared her power because she wasn't alone, she was no longer the Chosen One. Season 8 changed this by isolating her through fame and her leadership role, and now she's the only Slayer because Faith is following a different mission and the other Slayers have renounced the name. With Buffy, it always comes back to solitude, a condition seemingly enforced by her ever-changing situation, something she can't escape. And yet there's hope. Only in "Last Gleaming" that hope is embodied in her alone and to my understanding, the empowerment of "Chosen" was not merely that the Potentials became strong, but that they became many. The hope of one became the hope of many. How do you reconcile the final messages of "Chosen" and "Last Gleaming"?

(It seems to me that the hope of "Chosen", of a bright horizon with endless possibilities, has bowed down to the bleakness of Fray's future. I'm left to wonder: Is a story of women's empowerment really so bleak?)

Scott: The story poses the question. It's for you guys to answer. I don't know that either story can simply reduced down to a message, and that those messages need to be reconciled; I think the stories present ideas, and that each idea multiplies the other's complexity. These girls are many, they are strong. They are not a monolith, although they gave that a shot.


35. Sosa Lola: I'm really excited about S9. I'm especially excited because we're going to get a lot of character moments and interactions. As a huge Xander fan, I was a little disappointed that most of his interactions had been just with Buffy and Dawn in S8. Will he get more interactions with other characters like Spike and Faith and Willow? I'm especially excited about him and Spike, lots of witty banter and here's hope for growing respect and a reluctant friendship.

Scott: The approach to Season 9 is definitely intended to give more room for the classic character interaction, which was limited this season because there was so much plot. So vaguely, yes, but I'm not addressing specifics.


36. AndrewCrossett: Satsu was my favorite new character of season 8. I know Joss has written off the Buffy/Satsu pairing as a "college fling," so there won't be any more of that (much to my disappointment), but will Satsu be a factor in season 9, maybe along with Leah and Rowena as well?

Scott: Satsu will still be around in Season 9, but I can't say how important she'll be, or how directly involved with Buffy and the core characters.

37. Bonnaleah: In the TOYL arc, Future Willow says that the most important thing about death isn't who dies, but who kills them. Is there something significant about that statement, or was that just thrown in because it sounds cool?

Scott: It was really significant to her, at that moment—she'd survived centuries, in part because the only person who had the stones and the right to kill her wasn't there to do it. But it's very true—That we will die is the nature of life, it doesn't mean that much. It doesn't matter who dies, because no one won't die. Giles was gonna die eventually. But the most memorable thing about his death is who killed him, because of what it means. Who killed him will redefine the world for a lot of people. Nikki the Slayer died. They all do. But Spike killed her—the boyfriend of a Slayer that hadn't been born yet. That will forever color who Spike is, and it gives Nikki a significance in Buffy's life beyond just any other Slayer. On Dexter, Rita died, which is terrible—but for Dexter, I think the worst part must be that the guy who did it was someone he could have stopped much earlier. And when Jenny Calendar died, Giles was very depressed—but the fact that Angel killed her changed the group dynamic forever—defined that dynamic. Because of what it meant, for Angel to do that. But yeah, it does sort of sound cool.

38. Bamph: It's been said that season 9 will be sort of like the early Marvel Universe with characters interacting occasionally more fluidly between books. I'm a long time comic book reader going on nineteen years now. I enjoy the big company wide events like The Blackest Night and Civil War.That sort of thing wouldn't work for Buffy since it's is own universe. But since there will be more of a Marvel Universe feel and interconnectivity via the events of season 8, I was wondering if we could eventually see during season 9's run, a smaller scale one or two month crossover between the two monthly season 9 books and any other miniseries or maxiseries that is introduced? An example of what I'm talking about is the upcoming "War Of The Green Lanterns." It will be running through Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corp and Green Lantern:Emerald Warriors. Would something like this work under the season 9 format on occasion?

Scott: It would, but it's probably not what we're gonna do. The notion of crossover definitely applies to Season 9, but it's gonna be fairly fluid in many ways, and natural, whereas the way crossovers are done today are so stunt oriented. These are just characters living in the same world, although some of them are separated by distance. So all they have to do to interact is get together. It could be for earth-shattering stuff, or it could simply be convenient. And it's gonna go beyond crossovers, which I think of as one title character getting together with another title character. If Andrew appears in Buffy one month, and a different book the next month, is that a crossover? Because that sort of thing might happen a lot.


39. Tyler Austin: I was reading somewhere that "Angel: After the Fall" was written out as "not canon" (it was in the same article that had Joss's interviews about the final issue). Do you know anything about this? I loved the AFTER THE FALL story and I would kinda be upset to see character development/a story planned by Joss ignored...especially when it was advertised as the "continuation of the T.V. show." So, IS After the Fall part of this Buffy Season 8 universe?

Scott: I don't remember Joss saying After the Fall isn't canon. Anything Joss laid out for the characters is canon.


40. Maggie: You've been working closely with Joss on this story for several years now, with a special intensity this year co-writing Last Gleaming. How has your understanding of the 'verse changed during that time? A top three would be great.

Scott: Ha, top three. Yeah, that's too big a question to answer. It's all changed. Coming to understand a few key characters, Spike included, has been a great experience. Understanding what matters to Joss, what's seen as unimportant, has been an eye opener, and will affect my writing on other projects. I think he has a great perspective on that, a better articulated version of a perspective that I share. I don't know ... maybe that doesn't really feel like three things, but trust me, it's way more than two.


41. Wenxina: In your interview with Buffyfest, you mentioned that Joss will be taking a more hands-on role than originally anticipated. It doesn't sound like the beginning of Season 9 will be delayed (inferred from your interview with IGN). How are guys making this work, with Joss being busy with The Avengers?

Scott: Joss is kind of superhuman. I believe this will work. We've got a new thing going on that we'll be announcing before too long, and we think great things will come of it. But basically how we're making it work is that as soon as #40 was done, ideas started pouring out of his head about what Season 9 needs to be, so we're laying ground work now, faster than we'd initially imagined we would.

42. Tiger Fan: I understand that this last issue was a way to wrap things up and set up for S9. But like much of S8, I was worried that Xander's actual storyline would be pushed to mostly background growth and now with the last issue I get see the set up for Buffy, Willow, Spike, Angel and Faith, which is great, but Xander seemed to be on a don't blink alert. Many are worried that we'll be seeing Xanya 2.0 in that he'll be sidelined with his relationship with Dawn much like he was with Anya. Plus, I have to admit its a little frustrating to see how far Xander has grown but not having the fun of watching the growth unfold as we have with say Willow, Faith, Spike, Angel, etc. So my question is will he get a storyline outside of his relationship with Dawn and that is about him and not how he reacts to other characters storylines and not background growth?

Scott: Too early to tell.


43. Emmie: Are we saying goodbye to Kennedy in this issue? Or will we see her again in Season 9?

Scott: We'll see her again.


44. Tyler Austin: One of the things that's always kinda bothered me was when curse words within the comic are covered with "%$#$." I'm not a regular comic book reader so I don't know if you have to do that or not. I feel as though they sort of take me out and remind me that its a comic book and kinda seems kiddish to me. If you want the characters to say the word, why can't we, the readers, read the word? Willow says "dumb ass" which is alright. It just seems strange to me. If it's just going to be covered up, then what was the reasoning to put in there in the first place? Buffy had to watch it's language for seven years. Just wondering.

Scott: Yeah, I have very mixed feelings on this. But because of the ridiculous inconsistent standards of this country, we can't put certain words in here without having to slap a Mature Readers warning on it, and preventing retailers from selling it to anyone under 18. Stores have gotten into tons of trouble because some troubled parent has been mad about a four-letter word in a funny book. So we wind up being kind of conservative, in sad ways. But some of us who grew up on comics, Joss included, have some affection for that anachronistic %$@#ing device, and so we use it with small pleasure. Sorry it bumps.

45. VampSlayer: Can we expect to see the Angel characters in his new title in Season 9? The characters - Such as Connor, Illyria, Gunn, Lorne - weren't mentioned in Season 8, and I'm beginning to worry about them. It seems Angel will be hanging out with Faith in Season 9, but I don't want to see his other pals lost in the shadows.

Scott: We're making decisions about all of them, one by one, in terms of how they fit into it. We'd love to use all of them, we're definitely going to use a lot of them.


46. Bamph: Season 8 has concluded and we got season 9 coming which will run for the next few years although everything we've heard is that it won't run as long as season 8. Joss clearly had more stories to tell after the ending of the T.V. shows and since he could never get some type of live action continuation going for various reasons,he did it via comics. But do you think there is going to be a point where Joss says that is it? This is the end of Buffy's ,Angel's and these specific characters stories? This is the last season and the canon story is done? We have Fray which season 8 has now led the road to but in your mind do see Joss building to an eventual ending for Buffy herself as well as Angel, Spike, Willow, Xander and the core characters and would Dark Horse be okay with Joss eventually closing out Buffy's story?

Scott: I assume there'll be a time when Joss says that's it, but I'm excited by his level of interest now. We gave him every out to leave Season 9 up to us and his writers, but he just started pouring out ideas, because he's really into the characters. But I think of all stories as finite, and so I'd love to be a part of the end of her story, and would obviously respect the hell out of his wishes to close it down. It'd be bad for Dark Horse's bottom line, but you gotta do what's right.


47. ThatEvilLawFirm: I think I've read somewhere that you basically had Season 8 "mapped out, but not definitively scripted" or something along those lines, and the same for Season 9. Is there anything you wanted to do in Season 8 that you didn't get to, and will that alter your original plan for Season 9? I am literally begging you to be as specific as you can, just fyi, I'm really curious to know what could have been!

Scott: Ummmm ... around the time we started Season 8, we knew the major points of how it ended, and so we had a reallllly general idea of what Season 9 would be. But we never got specific about that. As Season 8 unfolded, we eventually mostly scrapped that Season 9 concept. Not because of what we didn't get to do in Season 8, but because we wanted to take the story down in scale for the next season. And the original plan was pretty broad. Wow, all those words, and I gave you know specifics. Sorry, but I am getting really good at this ...

48. Maggie: In #33 Angel told Buffy that his plan was to keep casualties to a minimum, but also to push her to become what she became. But the pushing seemed to involve, among other things, defeating her army by killing a lot of slayers (and also letting a lot of relatively innocent misled human soldiers get killed). How do we reconcile those two aims?

[Emmie adds: Scott, this might sound familiar, like you've answered this before, because the topic is related to a question I asked six months ago that you said we'd need to ask again later on.]

Scott: How you reconcile those two things is you write Season 9. The most looking back that we'll do in Season 9 will probably have to do with Angel and what he did, the choices he made. In the flashback portion of #36, and in the Riley oneshot, you see Angel starting down a slippery slope that led to a vertical chasm made of ice. Mostly I DON'T want to look back, gotta move the story forward, but they're not mutually exclusive.

49. AndrewCrossett: Is Dawn still the Key?

Scott: Remains to be seen. Also remains to be seen if it's relevant to the next part of her story. It's been a while since her being the key was really relevant to the story, in my opinion, and so it's likely that won't change in Season 9. I know a lot of people hoped that when magic left the world, she'd blink out like Warren splashed out, but you know Joss isn't gonna say goodbye to HER that easy.

50. Bonnaleah: Can we look forward to Jo Chen's beautiful artwork gracing the covers for S9? Please, Please, Please, say yes!

Scott: Jo will be involved, but the extent is undecided.

51. Dorotea: About our intelligent Universe , of course (whose final goal of evolution seemed to have been glorious self-destruction), was it the correct interpretation that our local Universe was geared toward self-destruct eventually via selecting two champions? If so, would you say it will try to do it again - say in another 300 years after the Slayer line is reinstated?

Scott: As George Harrison said, All Things Must Pass, and I think George might have been our universe's favorite Beatle. And the question of whether we have anymore pending apocalypses becomes an interesting question in a world without magic. One that we may address.


52. Morphia: Buffy has a tendency in the show to mentally separate the people she loves from the bad stuff they did by apportioning that bad stuff to an evil alter ego. She did it with both Angel and Spike, though both insisted they were the sole ones to blame. 'There's no one else,' Spike said, and Angel didn't differentiate himself from Angelus.

I understand why Buffy does this, but if it means she's taking more than her fair share of the blame it's not very healthy. In no 39 and again in no 40, she refers to Angel as 'Twilight.' Is this an indication that she's doing it again?

Scott: My read on it is that at this point she can't stand to be in the same room as Angel. So she might be doing a little bit of rationalizing for the sake of her mental health, but he ain't off the hook.

53. Neil: I was wondering how the Angel title will work within Season 9. Will the two titles run parallely like back then the Tv shows did, with different overall storylines and probably big bads?
Or melts the Angel title into the overall Season 9 story like Angel fitted into Buffy in the first three seasons, that means that they share the overall storyline and/or Big Bad.

Scott: More like the two separate TV shows. But the world has been drastically changed, and so those changes to the world will affect both titles. And in the shows, actors had contracts that put them on one show or the other, and there are limitations like that that won't exist for us.


54. Stormwreath: What did Angel actually think he was going to achieve in Season 8? I know he was misled and deceived and all that, but what did he expect to happen?

I ask because a lot of people are interpreting his plan as "I'm going to destroy the world so that Buffy and I can become gods in our own private paradise"; but surely that's utterly selfish and evil and out of character for him. Unless he was possessed all along? Or having some sort of suicidal existential breakdown? But if that wasn't his intention, what was it? Did he not even know the world would end - he just thought it would carry on as normal while he and Buffy found paradise - and he was taken by surprise? Or did he think the apocalypse was inevitable and inescapable, so he was just being fatalistic and salvaging what he could from it? Or did he originally think that he and Buffy would somehow be saving the world - or starting a new one that would be just like the old but better - rather than being the cause of its destruction?

Scott: He was not possessed all along. Like I said, some of this will be covered in Season 9. He bought into a vision of this thing that was painted a little more rosey for him than the reality of the situation would turn out to be.

55. ThatEvilLawFirm: How many of the empowered slayers are upset with Buffy? People like Rona, Chao An, Vi, Rowena, Satsu, Leah, all of these girls were in Buffy's very close group, if not inner group, and so I can see them being pissed and wanting space from Buffy for now, but I find it hard to believe that they would turn COMPLETELY against her and want to take her down like the random slayers/wiccans in 40. Will we be seeing any of the named slayers again?

Scott: We will see at least some of those Slayers again, and you're right, they are not all of one mind. But pretty much none of them are happy about stuff, they're just not all uniformly or equally unhappy.

56. MikeB: Was Buffy slaying after 8.39 or did Giles through his will giving Buffy the “Vampr” book and/or Faith telling Buffy that she’s the one Slayer and always has been and/or Dawn pretending to be having sex with Xander result in Buffy going out to slay for the first time since 8.39?

Given Spike was providing her information and was her only ‘Scooby’ and didn’t mention anything about “Hey, Buffy, you still not slaying?”, and just the general circumstance of Buffy for some reason deciding not to slay for 6 months, it seems obvious that Buffy was slaying and that maybe the Giles and Faith things made Buffy decide that she’s THE Slayer again not that she hadn’t been slaying at all since 8.39.

Scott: She has been slaying from time to time, yes. And it's been pointed out that the chronology of the events in #40 are not crystal clear, which is entirely true.


57. Emmie: Fans have been speculating that the "Vampyr" book that Giles bequeathed to Buffy is actually the Slayer Handbook Giles mentioned way back in Season 2, but as far as I know, canon has never definitively linked the two. Is the "Vampyr" book supposed to be the Slayer Handbook?

Scott: [Emmie adds: answer pending]


58. AndrewCrossett: How much awareness did the general population have that something very big and very bad was going on during the Apocalypse? We were told about massive global environmental catastrophe and hordes of demons pouring in from multiple portals, but things seem to have been pretty calm there in Venice where Amy and Warren were, and everything is back to normal by the time of issue 40. Buffy, the leader of the dreaded Slayer Army, is able to work more or less anonymously in a coffee shop under her real name. Did the legendary cluelessness of Buffyverse civilians extend to cover even this apocalypse?

Scott: People know big ****s went down, but the demons weren't everywhere at once, so not everyone knew it was happening while it was happening. It wasn't over head in every city, and people in the plaza in Venice have way better stuff to do than look at Twitter. Afterward, not all details were known to the public, and some things were worked out with the government(s), after the world was more or less saved by our intrepid adventurers.


59. Wenxina: First things first, heartiest congratulations to Sierra on her promotion to editor. On that note, will she and Freddye Lins continue to work with you on Season 9? Considering that you'll have multiple books running at the same time, I'm assuming that the editorial team will consist of more than just you pulling triple duty (though if you did, I'm awash with respect).

Scott: We're all in this together. It's possible we'll bring a fourth into our unholy trinity, but we'll remain the core of it. Sierra's been working in the capacity of a full editor for a long time, and now it'll be official, and now some of the titles will be more hers, and some will be more mine, but we'll continue to do it all together, with Freddye keeping us sane and mostly on time.


60. Nathan: Can you give us a rough estimate as to how many issues there will be in Buffy's ongoing series and Angel's? (Separately, if you can.)

Scott: Twenty-five each.


61. Bamph: What would you say was the biggest failure and biggest success of season 8 as a whole?

Scott: I don't know, it's not a sporting event, so I don't so much think in those terms. The whole thing was a victory of the human spirit, yet it ain't nearly perfect. The next one will be different, and hopefully better, because you always hope. But I guess maybe the biggest failure is that one or two readers are really fuzzy on the plot mechanics of the whole twilight event and the way Angel and Buffy got powered up.


62. Maggie: Scott, first off -- thanks for taking the time to answer our questions. Your efforts in reaching out to fans and/or being available to them is much appreciated. So my last question.... I'm really fuzzy on the plot mechanics of the whole twilight event. What was going on with the way Angel got powered up and the way Buffy got powered up? He arrives in this world with power, she needed to be brought low to receive that power. Is there a parallel in that he was low before he got here, or is there a reason why they got their powers in asymmetric ways?

Scott: I'm glad you brought that up, Maggie. Yes—he was brought low in his adventure previous to arriving back in this world, and that's how he got to the place where he was ready for the power. He was transformed. Buffy needed to go through a transformation, and the failure in Tibet gave her that. Um, I don't supposed Bamph would accept the massacre in Tibet as the biggest failure of Season 8...? Not what s/he was talking about...? Damn.

Okay, thanks everyone, have a great summer, see you next season!

[comic fan]

Apocalypse? We've All Been There: Comic-Book Buffy Gets a Season Finale : Monkey See : NPR

Apocalypse? We've All Been There: Comic-Book Buffy Gets a Season Finale

by Glen Weldon



In issue #40 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, released this week, Buffy Summers embraces her destiny and saves the world.

Still, again, some more.

It's being called a season finale of sorts, as it sets out to end a story arc begun in issue #1, all the way back in 2007.

Understand: Sheaves and sheaves of Buffy spin-off titles have been produced over the years, both during the television show's seven-season run, and after it ended in 2003.

But this series was different. This one was written by Buffy creator Joss Whedon (or writers — many of whom worked on the TV show — that he duly deputized). He went so far as to dub it Buffy: Season Eight, and declared that it was the in-canon, no-foolin', straight-up, honest-to-Glory continuing adventures of Buffy, the Scoobies, and the Buffyverse.

On the TV show, Whedon loved introducing Big! Shocking! Plot Twists! and really committing to them — letting his characters stew in the ramifications for weeks, even years at a time. (Read: Okay, yes, we know, they pulled you out of Heeeeeeaven, we GET it.)

So, too, this comic-book incarnation. Issue #1 found Buffy up to her stylish-yet-affordable boots in danger, as she dealt with the aftermath of her actions in the television series' finale: Sharing her fighty-fight Slayer powers with every potential Slayer across the globe.


In interviews surrounding the launch of the Season Eight comic, Whedon talked about seeing the book as granting him access to the unlimited special effects budget forever denied him by network television.

On this, he delivered: Buffy and her army of Slayers took up residence in a remote Scottish castle. Giants, gods and monsters showed up. Exotic locations, a trip to the future, furious bloody battles against evil hordes, pain, death, apocalypse, all brought to four-color life (or in the case of vamps, un-life), in Georges Jeanty's panels.

I was on board, at first. The dialogue had the familiar lilt and snap I so missed, the surprises felt legitimate, the cameos welcome (I LIKE ANDREW. THERE I SAID IT.), the menace — in the form of a mysterious hooded figure called (snerk) Twilight — was palpable.

But as the storyline stretched on, and Whedon brought other writers in for mini-arcs, I began to lose my grasp on the series. Much of this, I suspect, has to with the implicit expectations that accrete around the word "season."

"Season" — particularly when used in a Buffy context — implies a linear progression of events leading to a narrative payoff. Beginning, middle, end. Digressions are permissible, but of necessity brief — during every season of the TV series, individual episodes built directly or indirectly on what came before.

But television episodes are (mostly) weekly events; comics are monthly. A television season lasts 22 episodes and is over in a matter of months; the "Season Eight" comics series stretched over nearly four years.

As the characters, locations and plot points increased, the pace slackened, and with it, my month-to-month retention of just what the frilly heck was going on. Toward the end, when [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] created an entirely new universe simply by [REDACTED] one another other silly, it seemed, well: Silly.

Now, yes, it'll read better in trade. Of that, I'm nearly certain. And in this EW interview, WHICH YOU SHOULD NOT READ IF YOU'RE AT ALL INTERESTED IN READING THE SERIES BECAUSE IT GIVES AWAY A CHARACTER DEATH, Whedon allows that indulging in the gee-whizzier aspects of comics may have caused him to lose sight of the fact that Buffy's larger-than-life conflicts are metaphors for the smaller, universal, relatable struggles of growing up.

Buffy: Season 9 will start up in a bit. Whedon intimates that the actions Buffy took at the end of Season 8 will have long-lived repercussions, and that he'll spend time focusing on the more intimate, character-driven stuff that drew so many of us to the character in the first place.

Now, call me crazy, call me irresponsible, but I strongly suspect that many Monkey See readers can be counted upon to harbor some opinions about Buffy the show and/or Buffy the character.

My question(s): Any of you read this series? If so, did you stick it out through thick and thin and the [REDACTED] That Created Paradise?

Or are you waiting for the trade? Or are you one of those who is happy to preserve your memory of Buffy where the show left her?

[comic fan]

IDW Angel books for Aprill 2011.

Comics Continuum: IDW Publishing for April

ANGEL #44

Written by David Tischman & Mariah Huehner, art by Elena Casagrande, covers by Jenny Frison, Nick Runge.

In 2005, IDW launched Angel: The Curse #1, kicking off a half-decade of Angel tales. Now, it all culminates in this final issue. Story threads dating back to After the Fall #1 all tie together in this explosive last hurrah for Angel and his team. A your chance to say goodbye to the original vampire with a soul before he heads off into the twilight...



SPIKE #7

Written by Brian Lynch, art by Stephen Mooney, cover by Nick Runge . That evil dude John is really ramping things up, but Spike has a few tricks up his own sleeve. Well, one, but still. And it all depends on whether he can trust Drusilla. No, really. Still to come–space bugs!

32 pages, $3.99.



ANGEL 100-PAGE SPECTACULAR

Written by Jeff Mariotte, Brian Lynch, Scott Tipton, art by David Messina, Stephen Mooney, cover by Nick Runge.

Don't cry over Angel's departure just yet! This specially priced comic re-presents some of the best Angel stories in IDW's tenure, from the very first Angel story we produced to a special comic convention overrun by Spike, Angel and assorted monsters! The first of three special Angel-related 100-pagers as we say our long goodbye to the vampire with a soul.

100 pages, $7.99.



SPIKE, VOL. 1 HC

Written by Brian Lynch, art by Franco Urru, cover by Jenny Frison.

It's Vegas, baby! Spike heads out to the city of sin for a special mission, taking Betta George and pyrokinetic "hot" girl Beck along for the ride. But between giant demon Elvis, a run in with an old flame, and the appearance of a certain witch... this is Spike as you've never seen him before.

104 pages, $21.99.

[comic fan]

Illyria #3 preview pages.

Buffyfest: Illyria #3 Preview Pages

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Illyria #3 Preview Pages



by: Mariah Huehner, Scott Tipton, Elena Casagrande, Jenny Frison

The Deeper Well-something about the name fills everyone with dread, even Illyria. The last time she was there, she was entombed in essence only, a prisoner. Now she must face the new protector of the well and its minions and she won't stop until she gets the answers she's looking for...

release date: 26 January 2011

price: $3.99









*Please note, previews are not final. Any errors will be corrected for the physical release.


Dark Hores is releasing a Angel Omnibus in July collecting their previous Angel stories as a lead up to the new Buffy Season 9:Angel monthly.

Dark Horse to collect their Angel stories into an Omnibus in July | Robot 6 @ Comic Book Resources – Covering Comic Book News and Entertainment

Dark Horse to collect their Angel stories into an Omnibus in July

Posted on January 25, 2011 - by JK Parkin


Angel Omnibus

With Joss Whedon’s Angel returning to Dark Horse Comics later this year, the publisher plans to collect previous Angel comics into an Omnibus in July.

Dark Horse previously published Angel, first as a monthly then as a miniseries, from 2000 to 2002. The Angel Omnibus will include Angel #1–#14 and #17, Angel: Long Night’s Journey #1–#4, Dark Horse Presents #153–#155: “Hunting Ground,” Dark Horse Extra #25–#28: “Angel,” and Angel: Point of Order. Issues #15-16 of the ongoing Angel series were a crossover with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and were previously collected in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Past Lives.

IDW Publishing acquired the rights to the property in 2005, and since has released numerous miniseries and an ongoing series. Dark Horse will publish new Angel comics again later this year, when the “ninth season” of Buffy the Vampire Slayer kicks off.

Check out the solicitation text after the jump.

ANGEL OMNIBUS
Joss Whedon (W), Christopher Golden (W), Brett Matthews (W), Tom Sniegoski (W), Eric Powell (P), Mel Rubi (P), Christian Zanier (P), Paul Lee (P), Brian Horton (P), Andy Owens (I), and others
On sale July 20
FC, 480 pages
$24.99
TPB, 6″ x 9″

Heralding the return of Angel to Dark Horse Comics!

Collecting all of Dark Horse’s Angel comics to date, this single volume features stories by series creator Joss Whedon, Brett Matthews (Serenity: Those Left Behind), and Christopher Golden (Baltimore). Set during seasons one and two of the Angel television series, favorite characters appear—Cordelia, Doyle, Wes, Gunn—as the investigations of LA’s vampire detective agency delve into all that is dark, grotesque, strange, and unexplainable. Angel faces demonic rats, bizarre deaths from spontaneous combustion, Hollywood demons encountered courtesy of Cordelia, angry spirits, zombies, and more!

Before you take a look at the upcoming Angel comic series and the aftermath of Buffy Season 8, take a step back and remember Angel’s LA saga!

• Featuring Joss Whedon, series creator of Angel!
• Chronicles the earliest adventures in the Angel saga!
• A collection of the first published Angel comics! Angel #1–#14, #17, Angel: Long Night’s Journey #1–#4, Dark Horse Presents #153–#155: “Hunting Ground,” Dark Horse Extra #25–#28: “Angel,” and Angel: Point of Order.
Angel™ & © 2011 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.

[lunas_borednow]

Ohh Squidies!

[comic fan]

I have my copies of Angel #41 and Illyria:Haunted #3 of 4.

Angel #41

Things are starting to come together.Stuff from After The Fall,Aftermath,Willingham's run are starting to be pulled together as well as I think hints about Angel's road to Twilight in Buffy season 8.

First of all,where the preview page cuts out.



What Angel sees is a statue of himself. and he doesn't like how the hair looks.lol

Connor with Laura goes to Wolfram and Hart on the James front(Gunn and Poly stay put).It seems James's threat has even the Senior Partners scared.We find out a lot more about James and where he and his sister came from and this brings it back to After The Fall.When Wolfram and Hart turned back time to undo Hell-A, it opened a door for James and his sister to pass through.

Laura:When Wolfram & Hart took Los Angeles back in time,to UNDO the devastation it created with the apocalypse---that action opened doorways to parts of the universe that had been sealed for a thousand millennia---we believe James or Myr,came through one of those doors,but our knowledge of the old ways is limited.That is what brings us to Wolfram and Hart.

As for what James is.

Singh(the wolfram and Hart Lawyer):James is a kind of user---entity,from before the dawn of time.(talks over a shot of the birth of the universe)"His kind,what you might think of as gods,'Watched when the universe was made.He seems to be all powerful and eternal.But we think he may be VULNERABLE in this human form."

Laura:Think?May?Are we talking Illyria-Level "God" or what,here?

Singh:At this kind of level,'God" or 'Old' is essentially meaningless.And to be perfectly frank,this is all theoretical.He simply is.What we do know:He has an insatiable hunger for power and destruction and he is having demons birthed here on earth at astronomic rate..

Wolfram and Hart offers Connor and Laura a few gifts to help them stop James but we don't get to see what they are except their bright.

Back in the future,it does look like the female figure we saw last issue is Illyria and I assume the end of the Illyria miniseries ties into her role here.

The end of the issue ends on a menacing note.We learn what Connor is evolving into and Gunn plans to take him out.

Poly:Charles

Gunn:Shut up ,Mr P!I just Anne to sleep.

Poly:My apologies,but I believe I now understand what's happening to Connor..The sisterhood's ritual seems to have triggered a genetic DORMANOU in Connor.If not for the shift that occurred when Wolfram & Hart "dialed back" time.It would not have come to fore.

Gunn:I don't CARE about the hows and the whys,Mr. P.Just tell me WHAT he is.

Poly:He is a....POWER.Or he will be,at least,once the transformation is complete.

Gunn: Does that make him anything like James?

Poly:Remarkably close.Their origins are different,but their physiology is almost identical.

Gunn:Including the ATTITUDE.

Poly:Actually,whether Connor becomes Megalomaniacal with plans of multi-dimensional control has yet to be seen.

Gunn:But you said the process isn't complete.

Poly:Absolutely not.For now,Connor is still HUMAN.He just has very INHUMAN moments.

Gunn:We can't take that chance.If he's still human,that means he can be KILLED.

To be continued

Oh Gunn,this isn't going to turn out well and I think we are getting a idea now about Angel's road to Twilight.Good issue overall.

Illyria:Haunted #3 of 4

Great issue.We meet the new guardian of the Deeper Well.A little old demon woman.She sets a pair of Yastigilian Hounds(those octopus things) on Illyria and Illyria tames them making them her pets.We also see them in Angel #41 in the future with the mystery woman who is clearly Illyira there.

Illyria goes down to the Deeper Well and touches a crystal on her tomb after destroying things over not finding the answers she wanted.When she touches the crystal she has a Revelation and becomes whole.That's the best I can describe it.The problem is when she had her temper tantrum,she accidentally released another Old One from The Deeper Well too.

The issue was good but I'm not clear on what has happened to Illyria other then she found what she was looking for and is whole now?

Espenson and Kessler on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales" - Comic Book Resources

Espenson and Kessler on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales"

Whedonverse veteran Jane Espenson and novelist Jackie Kessler spoke with CBR about "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales," an oversized hardcover collecting stories of Slayers and vampires beyond the usual cast.

by Shaun Manning, Staff Writer


"Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales" is in stores now

Coinciding with the end of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8," Dark Horse recently released a deluxe 300-page hardcover collection of stories from around the Slayerverse. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales" includes pre-Season 8 "Tales of the Slayers" and "Tales of the Vampires" stories written by Joss Whedon, Jane Espenson, Amber Benson, Drew Goddard and others, with art by Leinil Yu, Tim Sale, Ted Naifeh, P. Craig Russell, Gene Colan, Karl Moline and more. In addition to these, it also features "Tales" from Season 8 by Becky Cloonan with Vasilis Lolos and Jackie Kessler with Paul Lee. CBR News caught up briefly with Espenson and Kessler to get their thoughts on the oversized tome.

Kessler's story, "Carpe Noctem," originally ran in two eight-page installments on "MySpace Dark Horse Presents" and appears in print for the first time in "Buffy: Tales." It was also recently collected in the sixth and final volume of "MDHP." Asked how fans of her novels received her "Buffy" story, which featured two female vampires out on the town in a world that no longer hates and fears them, Kessler said, "So far, no one has told me that it was horrific and now they need therapy. So that's good. Actually, most of the response was, 'Wow, you're writing something in the Buffyverse -- that is so cool!'"

As for seeing her story for the first time on the printed page (and in such a deluxe edition), Kessler was more than a little amused. "I giggled like a little girl when I read the introduction and saw my name," she said. "I had such a good time doing the comic book, and seeing it as part of this amazing package of slayer and vampire tales was just astounding. (And I couldn't believe how bigthe hardcover was!)"

Asked whether she might like to return to her character Ash or perhaps explore a new vampire tale, Kessler said, "To quote 'Trading Places,' 'Can't we have both?'"


Jane Espenson, a veteran writer and producer of the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" television series as well as "Battlestar Galactica," "Firefly," "Dollhouse," "Angel" and many other shows, was responsible for a significant portion of the material in "Tales." Her Harmony Kendall stories, which feature the flighty vampire as a television personality, are not included in this edition, though they are very much of a piece with some of her pre-Season 8 comics. Asked what appeals to her about venturing out amongst the vampires of the Slayerverse, Espenson told CBR, "I love world-building and I love moving the POV. Taking a story with a secondary character as the focus -- as in the Harmony story -- or taking a story set in the same world but in a different time or place, like my 'Dust Bowl' story. All of these require a believable universe.

"And they create a believable universe, too. They keep the 'verse from feeling insular and from folding in on itself, and they help the readers/viewers see the Buffy characters as existing in a real world."

Another benefit offered by the "Tales of the Slayers" and "Tales of the Vampires" stories is the freedom they allow, the writer added. "I love that these stories have so few parameters -- you can change styles and break narrative forms," Espenson said. "One of my favorite pieces for 'Tales' is the one called 'Spot the Vampire,' an illustrated, humorous poem with a sort of twisty joke at the end. Not at all something you could ever get the chance to write for television. You can also explore the textures that different artists bring to the work, and you can play around with things that would simply be impossible to do, production-wise, on a show."

Revisiting her material for the collection's release entailed a few surprises, Espenson told CBR. "I'd remembered 'Spot the Vampire' as a tiny two-page spread, but there's more to it than that. And I'd forgotten all about the story called 'Father,' which I'm very very fond of. And of course, just looking at the work of my colleagues at the time -- Doug Petrie, Rebecca Kirshner, etc. -- I started remembering all the fun we had discussing what we wanted to do and finding artists for ourselves. We realized at the time that this was something special that other staffs didn't get to do."

Espenson worked with some of comics' top talent on her "Tales," including Jeff Matsuda, Gene Colan, Craig Russell, Scott Morse and others. "I love the way P. Craig Russell and Jeff Parker absolutely captured the different periods and styles of 'Presumption' and 'Dust Bowl.' And 'Father,' with art by Jason Shawn Alexander, does a great job with a dark and moody story. I think the end of that story works really well," Espenson said. "I do like a chilling twist, and I think all the artists did a great job of supporting those twists so they hit with maximum impact." But, she added, things did not always run smoothly. "I always smile ruefully at the mistake in 'Broken Bottle of Djinn' -- Doug Petrie and I split that one and we failed to coordinate on one crucial point. The girl in his half of the story clearly seals the bottle with gum, but in my half of the story, it has an ordinary stopper. Totally my fault. It's a sickly smile -- I hate making mistakes like that."

Seeing all of these stories now collected in a giant hardcover volume, Espenson, much like Kessler, was thrilled at their presentation. "I love it! It looks so gorgeous! I got three free copies in a box from the great people at Dark Horse and I'm just sitting here touching them and smiling at how beautiful they are!"



Pages from the P. Craig Russel illustrated "Presumption"



The Kessler-scripted "Carpe Noctem" sees print for the first time in the hardcover collection

Illyria #3 Interview With Mariah Huehner at Buffyfest..

Buffyfest: Illyria #3 Micro Interview with Mariah Huehner

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Illyria #3 Micro Interview with Mariah Huehner



Buffyfest: We get to see lots of new and unique creatures and demons in this issue. What was the inspiration for them?

Mariah Huehner: I think the first thing we wanted was to open up the world a bit. When you revisit something like The Deeper Well you can't just rehash what's come before. Even though it's a place with a very painful history, it had to offer something new or it would look like a cop-out. So it was really important that we give it a new dimension, a new atmosphere in certain ways, which included new creatures.

Characters like the Cephaladogs (that's what I call them, anyway) were mostly inspired by my ridiculous love of octopi and squid, Henson creatures from shows like Farscape, and a whole bunch of deep sea doc's I'd been watching. I figured making creatures that would be connected to Illyria and allow her new dimensions was a fun way to blend my absurd admiration for squidly octopi and a very necessary character arc. Plus, since Illyria's Old One form had tentacles, it made for a nice call back and a way to make them distantly "related".

Buffyfest: The new Keeper of the Deeper Well is not what Illyria (or the audience) might expect. Would you tell us a little bit about her, who she is and where the idea for her came from?

MH: She's kind of a blend of Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty (one of my all-time favorite characters), my grandmothers, and Miss Marple (the knitting, spectacles, and tea are all a nod to her). I wanted to have the new Keeper be something completely and entirely different than The Drogyn, with a unique attitude and style. Physically, I wanted her to be the polar opposite of Sally from issue #2 and be exactly the sort of creature Illyria would underestimate along with the audience. We never tell you what she is, or even who she is (she's never named). She's mysterious on purpose, to keep you wondering. Especially about how it is she knows the things she does. What was really incredible, though, was how perfectly Elena drew her. It was like she read my mind, although obviously I did describe her in the script. But I'd done a sketch of her myself that I never showed Elena, of the characters face, and it's a dead ringer. Getting those pages in was a delight.

The other thing I wanted to avoid was being obvious with the new Keeper. Which would have been to make it some kind of warrior Illyria had to fight. I think that's really easy with Illyria and gets in the way of her development sometimes. As much fun as it is to see her break things, I'd rather she do it with some kind of purpose. And since this series is about her needing to address her place in the world, it seemed important to me that she interact with different personalities without always punching things. Between Sally and the new Keeper we get two very distinct female characters, too. And they both help Illyria in their own ways.



Buffyfest: Let's talk feminist subtext. The only speaking characters in this issue are two women (for lack of a better term). Was that intentional?

MH: Yes, it definitely was. I wanted to have an issue that would pass The Bechdel test, where there are two main female characters who talk about something besides men. Usually that's in film, but I thought it would make for a good challenge here. We've very rarely seen Illyria in a context that doesn't involve one of the male characters, and usually her story revolves around them in some way. Which makes sense in the main series since everyone revolves around Angel to some degree, but, I wanted this to really be -her- story. And while I know she's this kind of amorphous, not really gendered character, she appears in a female body to the world. So some of how she's perceived has to do with the shell she's in, and it influences how other characters treat her. Which then influences how she views them.

This feeling of otherness is one of the main themes I wanted to explore in the series, from a feminist perspective. Feeling out of place in the world, alien in your own body, somehow inherently wrong. Illyria commented in the series about feeling like the wrong size, for instance, and being cut off from the world she understood. Those always felt like metaphors to me, while also being literally true for the character. Obviously not just women feel that way, but it's one of the ways I identify with the character and one of the core issues she's been dealing with since the beginning. So it felt right to make it a major element of her arc.

Buffyfest: Illyria speaks in another language here. Was this language derived from anything that already exists?

MH: Yes! The big influence is Elvish, although phonetically, I didn't attempt to spell anything like Tolkien did. I love the lyric quality of that language so I based a number of words loosely on how certain Elvish ones sound. There are also a lot of anagrams, such as Tirmek! That's Kermit with the letters rearranged. Because he's my favorite muppet and I love him dearly.

Buffyfest: There's a huge shift in Illyria's character that's expressed mostly in half thoughts and Elena's art, would you elaborate on what's happening to Illyria during this sequence?

MH: It's really two things. 1. A profound realization of who she's been, who she could be, and who she actually is. What it cost, why it matters, and what's to come. It's a moment of sort of excruciating insight, of bringing everything together that she's been feeling, dreaming, and questioning. 2. A reclamation, but you won't know of precisely what until #4.

When she reaches out to touch the stone she's mirroring what Fred did in A Hole in the World (which has been a theme throughout) and the curiosity that partly led to her death. I wanted to show Illyria having some of that same curiosity, being drawn to something beyond herself, and experiencing an emotional shift and a certain kind of "ending". It's deliberately abstract and vaguely poetic, since I don't think you can describe something like that in any kind of linear, clear way. Illyria is a bit of a self-important character, which makes her perfect for expressing your own existential dread. Not to mention the subtle physical alterations that indicate the inner changes visually.

What I hope the scene accomplishes is the idea that Illyria's awareness has shifted, or is at least starting to. She sees herself and the world in a different way, which culminates in issue #4. And it's these moments combined that shape her arc.

[comic fan]

Buffy Season 9 News Thread. - Page 15 - BuffyForums

Found the EW article transcribed at Bloodeshedverse's forum - thread about the comics

EW has a short article in the current mag:

The acclaimed (oc)cult TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer went off the air in 2003 after seven seasons. But for nearly four years, Buffy's story has lived on in creator Joss Whedon's "Season 8" comic book series, which finished its 40-issue run Jan. 19. Whoa, boy, did things go down. (Warning: Spoilers follow.) Buffy became a god, warred with her ex Angel, and watched him kill mentor Giles. And then she effectively destroyed the seed of all magic on earth.

Whedon tells EW exclusively that Buffy "Season 9" should debut in the fall, and that the end-to-magic twist was an attempt to get back to basics. "I got very excited when I had a comic book with the idea that I could do absolutely anything," he says. "We just sort of said, 'Wheee!' Ultimately, 'Wheee!' caught up with us in a cavalcade of mythology. It became clear that people really liked when Buffy's adventures reflect what we're going through in our lives at that age. Not a lot of people are leading armies."

To that end, expect Buffy to face more human-scale drama, while her BFF Willow obsesses over trying to get her magical powers back in her own comic miniseries. In fact, the end of "Season 8" tees up a series of Buffyverse comic books through publisher Dark Horse, including a new title about Angel. And all of this is going on while Whedon preps to direct the mega Marvel movie The Avengers. "I haven't worked this hard since I had three shows on the air," he laughs.

How does he feel about the recently anounced plans for a Buffy reboot movie without his involvement? "It doesn't not offend me," he admits. "But the fact that Buffy has made enough of a mark that somebody would want to do that speaks well of the work we did. I'm more just curious. After they rebooted Spider Man - which genuinely shocked me - something like this really doesn't."

Written by Adam B. Vary

[comic fan]

CBR's Behind Buffy #40 with Scott Allie.

BEHIND BUFFY SEASON 8: Finale - Comic Book Resources

BEHIND BUFFY SEASON 8: Finale

Editor Scott Allie returns to CBR for an inside look at the final issues of Joss Whedon's "Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season 8" as the cast deals with recent deaths, fights Slayer uprisings and prepares for "Season 9."



Sometimes, a series can go out with a bang and a whimper. Over the course of Dark Horse's canonical "Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 8," series creator Joss Whedon and his creative cohorts have made more than a few explosive changes to the world of Buffy Summers, but in the classic Slayer style, those changes have been followed by some emotionally intense character work.

Which brings us to the hit series' finale as CBR is back with the final installment of BEHIND BUFFY SEASON 8, our monthly column featuring interviews with the creators and staff behind the creation of Buffy's last two stories, highlighting the questions being answered, the characters thrown into crisis and the future of the entire Buffy franchise. This week, "Buffy" editor extraordinaire Scott Allie stops by to dig into issue #40 -- the fith and final part of the "Last Gleaming" arc -- discussing Buffy's new life in San Francisco, the status of the still-powered Slayer girls, the ways everyone from Willow to Spike view the series heroine and how all of this will factor in to the Fall's "Season 9" launch!



CBR News: Scott, we've talked in the past about the origins of this final arc, so when you got to the point where there was one issue left for Joss to handle things solo, was there much you needed to do as the editor, aside from get out of the way and let him work his characters in the classic Buffy sense?

Scott Allie: No, for the most part. With this one, it's a little bit different because when we did our get together in May and blocked out the last arc, we weren't really thinking of issue #40 as a stand-alone. We thought of this as a five-issue arc rather than four-plus-one. We didn't know then that I'd be writing anything, so we thought we were just working together to lay it out, and then he'd go write the whole thing. Back then, we had an idea of what issue #40 needed to be, but because of the changes, this is the first time I've ever had to front load my editing with Joss since we broke it together. Then the decision was made that I'd co-write the final arc and he'd write this issue himself.

But yeah, when he turned in a script for "Season 8," for the most part Sierra [Hahn, my assistant] and I had a really light touch. Joss would break the story with another writer, and then that writer would do a first draft that only Joss saw. By the time I got my hands on any script, whether Joss wrote it or not, it'd already been through the Joss process of approval. Every so often, I would come back to him with a note, but generally a script he wrote I'd have nothing to say about and ones he didn't write I'd have very little on. There wasn't much script editing, and I'd imagine "Season 9" will continue in a similar vein.



Speaking of "Season 9," you'd told us that this issue felt like the first issue in that run as much as it did the end of "Season 8." There was an awful lot here that was forward looking, but the first big emotional scene between Buffy and Willow felt much more like a coda to what had happened. Did you guys talk about wrapping up some of those character threads as being a priority?

That's funny that you just used the word coda -- in our notes back and forth, we referred to this issue as "Coda." That was because as we were breaking the last five issues together, we weren't sure where the death from part four would fall, and we weren't sure where Buffy was going to break the Seed or when magic was going to get sucked out of the world. At various points along that journey of breaking the last five issues, this coda was only five or six pages because all the action was going to span #39 and 40. I think at one point we thought the character would die on the last page of #39 and then most of 40 would be the fallout. That was a terrible idea that was never going to work, but in terms of the bigness we needed to accomplish for the action part of the story, we thought we'd need more space.

But as we started to cover what we wanted in the coda -- Buffy's in San Francisco with Willow, we know where Angel and Faith are, there's going to be a funeral to some degree without doing it -- we realized we needed a lot of space to do that stuff. That's the stuff the series has been missing, and we didn't want to just jam it into the last five pages. While this is a setup for "Season 9," it's also a necessary coda to 8. I think it would have been dreadful if this season would have ended with a dead body on the floor, Angel just starting to realize what he's done and then us going, "Oh crap...curtain!" Then people have to wait eight months? We couldn't have done that the way some seasons of the show ended on that kind of a moment. We really needed to get to everybody because we'd taken them to this crazy place with a battle in a giant crater that used to be Sunnydale. We needed that room.

So this is a coda and an epilogue, but we couldn't have waited to do it in August or September even though it's definitely a part of "Season 9."

And Willow's realization about how she feels for Aluwyn. Is that the end of her story for "Season 8" or more something we'll be seeing grow into next season?

That's definitely going to factor into "Season 9."



Later, we get an element that's obviously going to loom much larger in the next season starting with the murder of the general. How will this feed into the incoming status quo?

Partly, this is here because we set Simone up from the very beginning of "Season 8." Simone was in the first arc and since around then or the second, she's been a problem hanging out there. They way it worked out, our story didn't really go there in "Season 8." We returned to her a few times and kept her out there, but we just couldn't turn our attention to her plot. Every time we made the decision not to go there, we went, "Well, there's always 'Season 9.'" So we wanted her here to tie up this loose end but also to touch base with the character and show we haven't forgot her. She would have been a distraction from the main story of this season, but we know she's still out there.

With the growing story later in this issue about the entirety of the Slayer population turning against Buffy, this feels like more of a piece with what's to come after Twilight than anything else this season.

Yeah. In "Season 8," the Slayers were all together, and Simone was the wild card. In "Season 9," as you can see, the Slayers have no solidarity, and Simone is maybe the worst example of that.

The final panel here is probably one of Georges most powerful character moments in the series.

The bloodshot eyes! [Laughter] Man, poor Buffy. That poor girl cannot catch a break.



Speaking of terrified looks, two pages later we find out where Angel is. We know "Angel" as a series is on its way to Dark Horse again. Will that pick up in the past timeline of that show, or will he be this messed up the next time we see him?

Everything moves forward. We're not going back, so we will be picking up from here. The one thing I can promise you is that he will have washed that **** off his face by the next time you see him. [Laughter] I don't know why he hasn't got the blood off yet, so he'll have a clean face next, but he'll still be dealing with a lot of what's happened.

And the other element from a ways back that's returning to the Buffy-verse soon is this book bequeathed to her. What kind of significance of that object moving forward?

The book's not just here to insult her. It's not just "All you get is a book, stupid!" [Laughter] The book will come up again.



In this scene, Spike is the one person giving Buffy a little credit and seeing her side of things in a sympathetic light, and it's almost like she can't even deal with that...

[Laughs] Yeah. That's her!

Is a factor in that her history with Spike, or if Willow or someone was saying these things to Buffy, would it really make any difference in how she feels about herself?

That's a really interesting point. I think depending on who's saying it, that can really make a difference. But where we're at right now, Spike is the only one who can say it. Spike's the only one who can back her without holding back. He has unconditional support, and I think there is a place for your friends to call you on your bull****, and Spike will do that for Buffy. He will point out where she's being psychotic, but he's always going to have her back. As good as her other friends are -- and ultimately they want the best for her -- they're not above bad feelings. Spike's maybe the only one who can be completely behind her and completely ready to move to the next chapter. That's what you're seeing here. He just wants to face stuff, and that's partly because he wasn't stuck in the middle of "Season 8" and dealing with these things. He wants to move forward, and she completely cannot.

We get a hint here, as he's not invited in, that the rules we know of how vampires and magic work will still apply even after the destruction of the Seed?

Yeah. I did another Q&A with one of the fan sites, and that question came up. It's magic and vampires and witches and demons, and whenever you're playing with that stuff, you've got to make up your own rules. JK Rowling made up her own rules for magic and came up with interesting stuff. Joss had his own ground rules for magic before, but now that we've changed everything, there needs to be new rules. One of the rules Aluwyn spelled out to Willow was that the Slayers get to keep their powers because those powers are integral to them. A witch draws on powers that she has access to, but a Slayer taps within herself. So vampires are not allowed to go in without an invitation? That's carried within them. And the vampires left behind and the demons inside them are here, so certain aspects of those rules remain in this world even though magic has shut off.

We've talked about different demons or magical creatures in the Buffy world and how their powers are going to work or not work in this new situation. As we've worked out the stories for Buffy and Angel in "Season 9," some of those questions have come up, and the way a storyteller handles those questions is to ask what's best for the story. If you start with what makes the most sense...well, it's magic anyway. It's all made up stuff. So we look to what works best for the story.



Like I said, the status of the current Slayers -- even the one who won't be called that anymore -- is the big hook for "Season 9" that we've seen so far. But I can't imagine that's the only group we'll be dealing with coming up. Is part of the story moving forward going to be about the fractioning of the Slayer army?

All of that is true, but most of all it's not just a fractioning, it's all fractured. The Slayer army is no more, but there are all these girls out there. They've got to decide who they are and what to do with their power. The one thing that's certain is that there's no central organization or hub holding them all together. You've got all these girls with these abilities, and some of them are really mad about all that went down. But some of them have some different feelings.



This scene seems to be the "let's throw as many teasers as possible out" page. Did you and Joss have these key players in mind before this issue was written, or did they all come out of the most recent talks around "Season 9"?

That's exactly what it is. As for what we had worked out going in, some of it we had, totally. There are a couple of panels that we've known forever were going to be part of "Season 9" and some of it is more recent things we've found out. This page and the next page is really all about "Coming Up Next!"

And is San Francisco the backdrop for this new direction?

I can't answer for sure because that kind of stuff is totally subject to change, but right now, the mission statement for "Season 9" is, "Get it small and keep it personal." And right now, that seems like we don't want to do a lot of moving around. Moving around makes it global and big, but in the show they never left Sunnydale. I don't know if we'll be that limited, because there are no practical considerations except what the story needs. But the feeling now is that what the story needs is a focus on the characters. I imagine we're really going to milk this San Francisco setting. San Francisco is a gorgeous place to draw, and there's a lot there. I don't know that Buffy will have to leave. There's been some stuff we've been talking around that might have Buffy go around California, but there won't be any, "In this arc...we're in Japan!" I don't think there'll be much of that.

That's a wrap for CBR's BEHIND BUFFY SEASON 8! Check back in the months ahead for all the news leading up to "Season 9!"

[comic fan]

Scott Allie talks Whedoneverse comics.

The Whedonverse In 2011: Scott Allie On ‘Buffy: Season Nine,’ ‘Dollhouse,’ And ‘Serenity’ Comics

The Whedonverse In 2011: Scott Allie On 'Buffy: Season Nine,' 'Dollhouse,' And 'Serenity' Comics

by Rick Marshall



I spoke to Dark Horse Comics editor Scott Allie earlier this week about his upcoming "Star Wars: Jedi" miniseries, but many comic book readers know Allie as the caretaker of the publisher's successful line of comics based on the creations of Joss Whedon.

With "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight" concluded, this year will likely be full of new beginnings in Dark Horse's corner of the Whedonverse, from "Season Nine" and the newly acquired "Angel" license to new comics based on "Dollhouse" and other fan-friendly properties.

While Allie indicated that the launch of "Season Nine" is occupying just about all of his waking hours these days, the continuing adventures of Whedon's vampire slayer isn't the only big project in the works for 2011. Keep reading for a rundown of some of the major Whedonverse properties developing at Dark Horse and what we can expect from them this year.

"Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season Nine"

"That's my life right now," laughed Allie, who attended a writers' summit at Joss Whedon's house a week ago to discuss the big picture for "Season Nine" comics. "We broke down the big ideas and sort of ratified a lot of things. We also decided that we weren't going to announce anything for a while."

"We did this planning session, though, and things are moving along," he said of the progress they made at the summit. "Writers on the main titles are working on outlines now, and we've got a second draft of one of the outlines. We're moving toward first scripts, which we expect to start rolling in by February and March. We already have a small stack of covers for the first bunch of issues, so we're moving along. . . I feel good that it's not yet February and we're talking about books that will launch in August and September."

As for the "Season Nine" story arc, Allie was understandably guarded about giving anything away early — though he did say their plan involved "doing something no one's done before" with the "Buffy" lines.

"The world was changed so significantly by the end of 'Season Eight' — literally, the world was changed . . . and 'Season Nine' will proceed from the end of 'Season Eight' for all of the characters," he said. "If you watch the television show, they always had a clean break between seasons, but you had to watch the last season a little closely to really get 'Season Eight,' and with 'Season Nine' I think that will be equally true. . . And if Angel has his title and Buffy has her title, the two will complement each other, but you won't have to read both to understand either one of them."

"Dollhouse"

"We have the 'Dollhouse' one-shot coming out, and then we're rolling into a five-issue series right out of that," he said of their plans for the continuation of the 2009-2010 television series. "But work is well under way on the 'Dollhouse' five-issue series, and that one's coming along well and marked a major change in the Whedonverse for us."

"Serenity" and "Firefly"

"When we had the summit, we talked about the possibility of more 'Serenity,'" he said of their plans for the over-too-soon television space saga that lives on in comics. "We're at a point where we know what the parameters are and what is open to us, and we just have to break down a story that works for everybody and get rolling on it. Right now, our energies are so focused on getting 'Season Nine' rolling, and I wish I could set aside a day each week for 'Serenity,' but I can't. There's no way we can get 'Serenity' out this year, sadly."

Still, that doesn't mean there isn't a plan in place for the "Serenity" universe when they're able to return to it. According to Allie, the success of prior miniseries like "Shepherd's Tale" — and the creators involved with them — make a return to the sci-fi epic a certainty.

"We know what we want to do with more 'Serenity,'" he said. "We know we want [writer] Zack Whedon to write it. I was blown away by what he did on 'Shepherd's Tale,' and even more so on that USA Today eight-page story ['Serenity: Downtime']. He's amazing. He only had eight pages, but he had nine characters. It's really hard to make that sing, but it was great."

"Wash only had one or two lines in 'Downtime,' and in those one or two lines, he's purely and essentially Wash," he said. "Zack did something in eight pages that was essentially the show. So now we have to do something where he really gets to do it — something where he really gets to open it up with a page count that justifies nine characters. We're really looking forward to working with him on this stuff."

And there you have it, folks: a slice of the Whedonverse for 2011. Make sure to keep it locked to Splash Page for more news about "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Nine," "Dollhouse," "Serenity," and the rest of Dark Horse Comics' Whedonverse tales.

Oh, and stay shiny!

Let us know what you think of the news, and what you'd like to see from the Whedonverse, in the comment section or on Twitter! You can also follow me, Splash Page editor Rick Marshall, on Twitter!

[comic fan]

Georges Jeanty confirms involvment in Buffy Season 9.Has drawn an Angel cover but will be more involved in the Buffy side of season 9 specifically.From his twtter.

Georges Jeanty (KabaLounge) on Twitter

Just finished the alternate cover for the new Angel series coming out in the fall...from Dark Horse
12:14 PM Jan 24th via Twitter for iPhone

@KabaLounge Are the rumors true you won't be doing the art for Buffy Season 9? Are you moving on to Angel?

@Spirit_Girl no. I am not moving onto Angel...
12:20 PM Jan 24th via Twitter for iPhone in reply to Spirit_Girl

@KabaLounge But you are leaving Buffy?
12:24 PM Jan 24th via RockMelt in reply to KabaLounge

@Spirit_Girl no. Not leaving
12:34 PM Jan 24th via Twitter for iPhone in reply to Spirit_Girl


@KabaLounge I hope you stay very involved in Season 9, people on the internets keep saying that you are moving on to DC exclusively.
12:35 PM Jan 24th via web from Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles in reply to KabaLounge

@jellymoff yeah... I heard that myth too...
12:50 PM Jan 24th via Twitter for iPhone in reply to jellymoff


@KabaLounge Does that mean you're going to be working on the Angel book?
1:11 PM Jan 24th via web in reply to KabaLounge

.@SlayAliveForum I just did the cover for that particular issue
1:12 PM Jan 24th via Twitter for iPhone in reply to SlayAliveForum

[comic fan]

The X List: Top 10 Good Things About BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER - SEASON 8 comics Assignment X – The Pop Culture Entertainment Magazine for Movies, TV, DVD, Blu-ray, Video Games, Books, Comics and Technology – News, Interviews, Reviews, Pho

The X List: Top 10 Good Things About BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER – SEASON 8 comics

Sex, Slayers, Dark Witches and More! Oh My!


Buffy and the Slayers from BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SEASON EIGHT

By SEAN ELLIOTT
Posted: February 3rd, 2011

When approaching a list with the title: “The top ten good things about BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER – SEASON 8 comics,” a person has to stop and really consider the subject matter. A normal season of a television show is just that: one season, or a year, or 23 or so episodes.

Well, BUFFY – SEASON EIGHT started in 2007 and just finished in 2011. That’s a long storyline to keep track of with lots of BUFFY alum scribes, and other comic writers coming and going to keep the stories fresh and interesting. For the most part “Season Eight” has some interesting moments, and some revelations that make you do a double take.

But, now everything is wrapped up with 40 issues and some one-shots. Before “Season Nine” starts, and before Spike and Angel move to Dark Horse Comics from IDW, let’s look at some of the favorite highlights for our resident Slayer and her Scooby Gang.

1) Buffy the Vampire Slayer Returns!
Who would have thought that several years after the show went off the air, that fans would have a cannon continuing story to follow, much less one involving Joss Whedon and a lot of the BUFFY scribes? This was a triumphant return of a much loved universe, and good or bad, people went crazy for it.

2) Buffy and Fray Crossover


I personally enjoyed the future slayer story that Joss crafted a few years back for Dark Horse. Set in a dystopian future Fray ends up being the first Slayer called in forever, and she posses the Slayer’s axe that Buffy had in Season Seven. So to bring Buffy herself into that universe was great to see, and it tied everything together nicely.

3) Buffy + Angel + Spike Sex Dream


I think that one speaks for itself.

4) Dark Witch Willow Supreme Being


In the future where Buffy has to team up with thief and Slayer Fray, the Big Bad is none other than my favorite Dark Witch Willow. Willow has been around for a long time in the future time line, and she is even darker than before. A further twist on the lovable character. Plus Dark Witch Willow has always been a warm fuzzy for me.

5) Giles and Faith Together Again For the First Time


Never the best of friends, Giles and Faith end up taking on missions together after Buffy essentially has any use for either of them. This created some nice new dynamics for these two, and Giles even leaves everything to Faith in his will.

6) Buffy Under a Fellow Slayer’s Umbrella


Buffy explores her bi-sexual side with a fellow slayer. An interesting plot twist that turned heads, and made lots of news.

7) A Revisiting of the BUFFY ANIMATED SERIES


One issue (mainly in the form of dream sequences) came back to the ill-fated BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER ANIMATED SERIES. This stand alone comic gave fans a taste of what the show might have been like.

8 ) Harmony Gets a TV Show


Everyone’s favorite dingy vamp came back into the mix just long enough to bother Buffy and the Slayers and in the process ended up with her own TV show. Just a small piece of inspired brilliance during the comic run.

9) Super Human Buffy


It was kind of just cool to see Buffy with all manner of new powers akin to those of Superman. You will believe a Slayer can fly.

10) Spike and Angel Return to the Fold

Some of the Spike and Angel comics over at IDW have been brilliant, but it was still nice to see them return to the Buffy Universe proper. Even though Angel was Twilight and Spike showed up in a spaceship piloted by big bugs.

AGREE? DISAGREE? LET US KNOW WHAT YOU LIKED ABOUT THE BUFFY SEASON 8 COMICS

[comic fan]

CBR interview with Georges Jeanty about Buffy #40.

Georges Jeanty: The Process of "Buffy" - Comic Book Resources

Georges Jeanty: The Process of "Buffy"

CBR News spoke with series artist Georges Jeanty about illustrating the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8" finale, from thumbnails to pencils and working with inker Andy Owens and colorist Michelle Madsen.

by Shaun Manning, Staff Writer



The end credits have rolled for Dark Horse's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8," and "Season 9" -- now with Angel -- looms large for an as-yet unannounced season premiere. With the release last month of issue #40 by "Buffy" creator Joss Whedon and series artist Georges Jeanty, readers got a taste of the Slayer's new life in a world without magic and without a longtime friend and ally. The fallout from Buffy's confrontation with the Twilight-possessed Angel in the penultimate issue reverberates in unexpected ways -- the Slayer Army, of course, is no more, but this dissolution of other relationships could prove even more painful.

CBR News caught up with Jeanty to get his thoughts on drawing several pages from the series for which he has become known.

CBR News: First, congratulations on the "Buffy Season 8" finale! Your run on the series is quite an accomplishment. How does it feel to reach the end of this particular road?

Georges Jeanty: It was certainly something I never thought about when we first started this adventure! I do feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment with this book -- it is the longest project I have ever been associated with, and one I am so proud of. I wasn't originally aware of the overwhelming history that followed the "Buffy" lore, and it was only after I was working on the book for some time that I started to understand how important this book was and what it meant for a lot of people, not the least of which was me!







I'm hoping you can walk us through your thought process in developing this final cover. It looks like the "sans Dawn" version was created at the coloring stage, but did you realize it was a possibility when you were illustrating it? Were you told to arrange the characters so that she could be easily blacked out?

If I remember correctly, the editors and Joss wanted all the characters on the book because the Jo Chen cover was just to have Buffy. As I do, I'll come up with several designs for the covers and this was one of the designs that they settled on. I thought to put everyone in black because I was kind of sad that this was the last issue, and the fact that Buffy had traveled back to Sunnydale made it obvious to put some sort of marker that they were back home, hence the road sign. I was unaware at the time of Giles' fate, and the elimination/reappearance of Dawn was more of a publicity stunt. There was talk that Dawn was going to be the one to die, and advance viewings of the issue 40 cover wanted to hint at that. Ironically, I was unaware of the stunt or of Giles' fate when I did the cover. I find it eerily fitting that he stands in the back from everyone, almost displaced. That was not intentional.






Page 2 reveals that Buffy has returned to a somewhat "normal" life. There's also a lot of information packed into this page -- Buffy's a waitress, but we see from the background that we're in a hip coffee-shop-bookstore. What was your thought process in designing this page in such a way to be able to get everything across?

That was all Joss. He laid down all the things he wanted for Buffy's new working environment for "Season 9." It was a book store/coffee shop in San Francisco called "Pick Me Up." The irony of Buffy being a waitress will not be lost on longtime fans, and Joss wanted to play with that. But this time it's not so terrible -- it may even seem cool where she is now. We will see a lot more of the Pick Me Up in "Season 9."

From layouts to pencils, Buffy's expression changes from a question to a smile. What led you to change this, and what do you feel it accomplishes?

Getting the tone right has been the most paramount thing for me on this book, more than any other that I've done. The "Buffy" TV show in general was so steeped in melodrama that the comic should follow through with that. Getting the right expressions for me has been an arduous ongoing process that I face with every issue. Most people who read the Buffy books have never read a comic before, and I feel it's my job to make that transition as smooth as possible. And as you know, you can say so much with the right expression.






On the next page, we get an establishing shot of San Francisco and an interaction between Buffy and her new coworker. I'm not sure how important this guy's going to be as we enter "Season 9," but I'd be curious to hear your thoughts as to why you designed him the way you did.

When I was drawing the bartender, Joss had asked for someone "nice and crunchy." Being from Atlanta, Georgia, I had no idea what "crunchy" meant. Editor Scott Allie went on to tell me that's what they call the pseudo-hippies up there. From there, I just looked up residents of western America with a more "hippie" flare. I don't know how he fares in "Season 9," but I do know there will be more of him.






On page 4, because of the shift in tone in panel four and the amount of shadow we get on Kennedy, it looks like you're giving inker Andy Owens a workout. What does your working relationship look like at this point? Do your pencils reflect that you know it's Andy who will be inking them?

A penciler and inker relationship should be symbiotic. It's a marriage of sorts, and after a while you begin to understand the strength and weaknesses of that "marriage." Andy has been in the business for a while and he's no stranger to blacks on a page, having inked Scott McDaniel for years now. I really liked the way issue 40 came out, and if there are any criticisms it's about my own work because I'm always so critical.

Same question regarding Michelle Madsen. What does her specific style of coloring bring to your art?

I love when Michelle takes the initiative with color; that's when I think she shines the best. I have had a closer relationship with her on this book than I have with other colorists because, with "Buffy," it's always about the little things. I've probably stayed on top of Michelle with the way these girls dress in the book more than anything else. I have become very fashion conscious about drawing women's clothing in "Season 8!"

[comic fan]

Buffyfest Editorial:Angel in season 8.

Buffyfest: Angel is a Cheese Doodle

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Angel is a Cheese Doodle



Before you go scratching your heads, please let me explain. You see, I was having a conversation with my fellow bloggers about the direction Angel's character has taken in Season 8 and the discussion ended with this quote by me: "Angel has become the cheese doodle that fell into the couch cushion, could have been enjoyed, but destroyed by the asses that now sit upon him."

It's a simple analogy really and comes with a kind of light heartedness that can only derive from (hyperbolic) loss and pain. I was a huge Angel fan. I loved everything about this character - story, conflicts, hotness. Even when Angel was at his worst, he was at his best to me. It was the hope that kept me hanging on. I liked that no matter what line was crossed, Angel the Vampire was ready to dust off his duster and try again. It was life in a nutshell to me - the idea that we all have a chance to do better the next time. Angel made a lot of mistakes, sometimes for the greater good and sometimes for his own selfish reasons, just like we do. Yet, he strived to be a better man from the moment he first met Buffy in an alleyway to the moment he faced off with hoards of demons in yet another alleyway.

Please take notice of the past tense here. That's because I'm not sure how to feel about Angel right now. Trust me, it feels like horrible betrayal as I write this. I'm an Angel fan - I'm supposed to stick by his side, right? Well, for some reason, I can't quite stay on board with the character this time. Do I feel sympathy for him? Sure. Do I think he got himself wrapped up in yet another fate vs. free will mess? You betcha. But, there's a difference here...I'm not sure I care anymore. Maybe it has to do with Giles' death or maybe it's something else that will come to me later, but all I know is I've just become apathetic and this my friends is worse than hatred.

Now, I could easily blame Mr. Whedon for this debacle and claim that "My Angel" would never do that, but that's not how I view fiction. To me, Angel is Joss and therefore, he would do that and anything else his creator inks on the page. I'm just holding on to the hope that Angel's new book can change my mind. I'm hoping I can love Mr. Tall, Dark and Broody again. If not, I'll just resign myself to remembering when....

So, here I am. Instead of eating a delicious, bright orange, finger-staining cheese doodle, I'm stuck looking for itty-bitty crumbs hidden under the sofa cushion. Sigh.

Posted by Michelle

[comic fan]

Angel #42 preview pages.The issue is out tomorrow.

Angel #42 � Kitty's Pryde

Angel #42

February 15th, 2011 at 10:00 am - ANGEL #42(of 44)

David Tischman, Mariah Huehner (w) • Elena Casagrande (a) • Jenny Frison (c)

Illyria finds Angel in deep trouble, and Angel finds Illyria… altered. The two of them must confront Wolfram & Hart, and the Big Bad, if they have any hope of rescuing L.A. Of course, it’s not nearly that simple, and Illyria must make a sacrifice so Angel can do what he does best: be a hero.

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

[comic fan]

I have my copy of Angel #42."The Wolf,The Ram And The Heart Part IV of VI."

It was a good issue.In the present day,Gunn is biding his time in dealing with Connor after Anne talks Gunn out of doing anything.As she points out,now is not the time to deal with that and whether Connor will become like James.They're taking on James right now and need all the help they can get.

Speaking of Anne.She reveals that she's pregnant with a demon spawn as part of James demon farming project.So now they are on a time table to try to stop James and get whatever is in Anne,out of her.

Team Connor attacks James forces with weapons supplied by Wolfram & Hart but lose the element of surprise with James teleporting in a bunch of warrior demons to take care of Connor and his team.

Back in the future,Illyria lets Angel go.She promises that she will be there for Angel if he truly loses his way.

Illyria to Angel:Well,he doesn't know you like I do.But I do....care for you,Angel.I will only step in if I feel you have truly lost your way.

My first thought is,boy,where was Illyria when Angel becomes Twilight?I hope Illyria is a part of Angel's season 9 series helping Faith after what Illyria said here.

Angel notes how much Illyria has changed and is different now.He really wants to find out how that happened when this is over(and we'll find out the rest of that story in Illyria #4).Angel,Illyria and Darrow confront James in the future only to find him killed(decapitated) by his sister,Rowant.Angel's final thoughts as the issue closes is that James is one of the most powerful beings he's ever faced and if she took him out,their in big trouble.