[comic fan]

Some tweets from Christos Gage about Angel & Faith # 10.

https://twitter.com/#!/Christosgage

ChristosgageChristos Gage

The ANGEL & FAITH #10 cover & solicit revealed! Newsarama | Exclusive Dark Horse Cover Reveal: ANGEL & FAITH #10 Page 1 Guest artist @ChrisSamnee ! Characters from RIPPER! Pre-order now!
11 hours ago

ChristosgageChristos Gage

I am beyond thrilled to work with @ChrisSamnee again on ANGEL & FAITH #10! Putting the band back together! (You've read AREA 10, right?)
11 hours ago

Christosgage

And the "two mysterious ladies" in ANGEL & FAITH #10 are characters Joss originally planned to use in the RIPPER TV show!
11 hours ago

ChristosgageChristos Gage

Me too! RT @ChrisSamnee: Likewise, Chris!!! This issue has been a complete blast for me!! SO glad we were able to do this.
10 hours ago

ChristosgageChristos Gage

@SlayAliveForum It's a one shot, called "Women Of A Certain Age". But the new characters will be sticking around.
10 hours ago


1)This is our second one-off of Angel & Faith

2)The title is,"Women Of A Certain Age."

3)The two new female characters were created by Joss for the aborrted Ripper BBC series.They'll be used here instead.

4)These two new characters will be staying around in the book.

These two women are most likely the two women from the portrait at the end of in issue 1.

ETA

Covers And Sollictation for Buffy S9 # 9.

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/02/...over-spoilers/

Buffy Season Nine Issue 9 Cover (SPOILERS)

Written on February 2, 2012 by Rich Johnston



The cover to issue 8 of Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Nine caused considerable stir. And we still don’t exactly know how that’s going to play out, although I suspect a Skywalker apporach. But, trying not to spoil anything, the covers to Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Nine #9 appear to show a Buffy who is, well, less likely to be on her way to Venus de Milo status.

Of course there are two of her on Phil Noto’s cover. I really hope this isn’t one of Xander’s weird dreams. Are these Buffys that could have been? Here’s the solicits if you can garner some clues from that. The comic is on sale May 9th.

Andrew doesn’t always make the best choices (see Season 6). And now Buffy finds herself and the very course of her life profoundly affected by one of Andrew’s over-the-top, idiotic . . . hair-brained . . . schemes. Together with Andrew and Spike, the worried Slayer will have to confront herself and her comrades, as well as a long-standing annoyance, the number-one Buffy hater of all Buffy haters: Simone, the gun-toting Slayer.

Packing the punch into Buffy Season 9 are series writer Andrew Chambliss and guest artist Cliff Richards (Dollhouse)!




Phil Noto's cover makes me think of a possible nod to SMG's show Ringer.Also Buffy(s) have both her arms on each cover.

ETA 2

Tweet from Scott Allie about Noto cover for Buffy S9 # 9.

https://twitter.com/#!/ScottAllie

@ScottAllie Is Buffy#9 cover a Ringer homage/parody?
1 hour ago via web

ScottAllieScott Allie

@MoscowWatcher More homage. Trying to visualize the idea of the life choices before her.
35 minutes ago

[comic fan]

Preview pages for Angel & Faith # 7.

EXCL. PREVIEWS: "Angel & Faith," "King Conan" & More - Comic Book Resources

EXCL. PREVIEWS: "Angel & Faith," "King Conan" & More

Courtesy of Dark Horse, CBR presents exclusive advance looks at new comics hitting stores Wednesday, February 29, including "Angel & Faith" #7, "Usagi Yojimbo" #144 and more.

Courtesy of Dark Horse, CBR presents exclusive advance looks at new comics hitting stores Wednesday, February 29, including "Angel & Faith" #7, "King Conan: The Phoenix on the Sword" #2 and more!

Click the covers to read the previews...



Horrors across the London landscape have led Angel and Faith to a certain hot new vampire in the underground scene . . . Drusilla. She is back in her homeland and feeling better than ever!

While Angel indecisively deals with Dru, Faith must sort out an unexpected guest of her own who promises to rile up her inner turmoil with stories from the past.










How indeed.

So we finally see more in full what Angelus did to torture Dru before he turned her.

ETA

Some Buffy news coming Monday? Tweet from Scott Allie.

https://twitter.com/#!/ScottAllie

@ScottAllie Thank you! Fascinating cover. When do you plan to reveal the title of Buffy #9?
4 hours ago via web

ScottAllieScott Allie

@MoscowWatcher Monday.
3 hours ago

[comic fan]

CBR's Behind Buffy Season 9 with Andrew Chambliss on Buffy's S9 # 3-5.

BEHIND BUFFY SEASON 9: A "Slayer, Interrupted" - Comic Book Resources

BEHIND BUFFY SEASON 9: A "Slayer, Interrupted"

Writer Andrew Chambliss joined us for another round of BEHIND BUFFY SEASON 9, an in-depth look at the life-changing events of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9" thus far.

by Shaun Manning, Staff Writer



SPOILER WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9" #3-5, in stores now.]

Just as Buffy Summers began to find new footing in San Francisco, events unlike any she's faced before have thrown her life into disarray once more. After Buffy destroyed the Seed to save all of reality at the end of "Season 8," all magic was banished from this plane of existence, with the exception of some inborn traits such as a Slayer's power. Without the threat of evils from another dimension, Buffy hoped to establish a new, quieter life as she dealt with the fallout of her actions, but now zombie vampires ("zompires"), altered demons, and other individuals with a unique grudge have come to upset the apple cart. And then came the revelation in issue #5 -- Buffy is with child.

Welcome back to BEHIND BUFFY SEASON 9, a regular feature in which we discuss the highlight reel of recent issues with the creators behind the series. Writer Andrew Chambliss joins us for the first time to talk about the Slayer's choices, her shifting cast, and what to look for as the season rolls on.



CBR News: Andrew, welcome to BEHIND BUFFY SEASON 9! I'd like to start with a bit of "big picture" discussion for this season. When "Season 9" launched, there was very much a sense of starting a new era in Buffy's life, and now we're starting to see more concretely what this phase will entail. After eight seasons -- one in comics -- why was it essential to make this leap now?

Andrew Chambliss: I think for everyone involved -- Joss, Dark Horse, etc. -- this just seemed like the natural evolution in Buffy's life. Settling down, trying to figure out who she is, and what she's going to do. In "Season 8," she faced what might be the biggest thing a Slayer could face -- the creation of a new universe at the expense of our own -- that it seemed like it was time to scale things down to something a little more human-sized. It'd be hard to go bigger than "Season 8." I also think that Buffy's age played a big part in Joss' decision to try to iris "Season 9" down to Buffy rebuilding her life in a world without magic. She's in her 20s, which I think is a time when a lot of people realize that they actually need to figure out who they are and what they're going to do with their life. I also think it's a time when reality starts to set in, that all your dreams might not be possible, or at the very least that you might have to choose one over the other.

I think Buffy's got to face these questions now -- whether she can be a Slayer and have a life outside of slaying, especially because all her friends are making these decisions. Is she going to grow with them? Or is she going to be left behind trying to hang on to the way her life used to be?



One of the themes of the series so far seems to be the idea of power -- both having it and losing it. In issues #3 and #4, we get to know Severin a bit, who seems to be the manifestation of this. Though they've gotten off to a bad start, could he potentially be an ally for Buffy? Might his powers allow Buffy the thing she's always wanted?

Having power and losing it is a theme that will play out across the season. Both on the character level, and on the world level. Severin's an interesting villain -- a guy who felt cheated by the loss of his girlfriend and didn't quite understand his powers when Simone recruited him. So I think his loyalties are definitely up in the air, but I don't think that means we should expect to see Buffy and Severin kicking ass and taking names together any time soon. We will see him again this season, and I think he will have had some time to reflect on the choices he made in the first arc -- but where that reflection leads him is something that I don't want to give away.

Now, the idea of Buffy being vulnerable to losing her power is something that will definitely be in play. But it's a complicated questions because no matter how much a part of her wants to have a normal life, so much of her identity is tied up in being a Slayer. Going to Sev to be depowered wouldn't be something she'd come to easily.

As "Buffy Season 9" and its sister title "Angel & Faith" progress, we're starting to see more and more what it means that magic has departed the world. Buffy notes that Sev's power "isn't exactly magic," Angel is encountering problems with certain demon panacaea, and even the nature of vampires is changing. Does Buffy realize yet herself how drastically she's altered things, or is it left to people like Willow to spell it out for her?

Buffy is definitely aware that she's changed the world, but she's only starting to peel back the first layer of what that means. Sure, she knows newly sired vampires are now zompires, and Sev was her first taste of a villain who was operating in the magickless world -- but she doesn't know how deep these changes are going to go -- at least not this early in the season. There will be people like Willow and Koh to help spell some of these changes out for her -- but even these characters aren't entirely in the know about just how much the loss of magic is going to ripple through the world. Buffy's going to have to live in the world and see the changes happen firsthand to really understand what's happened. And some of the changes are going to take time as old power structures topple and new orders are established.

Pretty much every arc that we have mapped out for the season is based on exploring a further development of what happens when magic disappears -- right now, I'm working on an arc that's fairly demon-heavy and exploring exactly how a certain group of demons is trying to skirt this issue.



You mention Eldre Koh, the Nitobe demon who wants to be Buffy's new best friend even as everybody else is on her case. Of course, they don't even have time for introductions at their first meeting. Will they get a chance to sit down and have some coffee pretty soon?

It's funny you ask the questions in that way, because Buffy and Koh's first real sitdown does occur over a cup of coffee -- just maybe not in the circumstances we'd all expect. Buffy and Koh are going to have an interesting relationship. Koh has been locked away for so long that the world is unfamiliar to him, and he also is indebted to Buffy because she's the one who freed him -- but there's a bit of a catch-22 here because Koh's life will definitely be affected by the lack of magic. He may have his innate demon powers, but the world that he remembers -- the world that existed a long time ago when he was locked up -- was one that still had magic, and he may be thrown by the new way the world works.

Koh mentions at one point that Buffy is becoming "more difficult to find." Does this tie in to the question of her identity as the Slayer, which comes into focus in #5?

Koh's statement about Buffy becoming more difficult to find was purely a practical matter. Since she was on the run from the police, he was going to have a much harder time to find her and deliver the warning about the Siphon.

Buffy's activity as the Slayer has now gone public, which brings the police into the picture and makes things difficult for her roommates. From the writing side, how does this change the sort of things you're able to throw at Buffy and friends?

As a writer, it's fun to think of the real world consequences Buffy would face for doing what she's doing. How would the police react to a vigilante killing vampires? How would the police try to deal with vampire problems? What gray area does Buffy's slaying fall into? What happens if Slayers try to make money off their talents? The answers to these questions lead to tons of story possibilities. For instance, an upcoming storyline with Dowling came out of asking what would the police do after discovering the giant nest of zompires at the end of issue #4? Who would Dowling recruit from the Scoobies to help him learn about zompires and Slaying?

Speaking of Detective Dowling, it looks like he's starting to play a larger role in Buffy's life. Can we expect a sort of Batman/Jim Gordon relationship between the two?

Buffy and Dowling will continue a relationship going forward. It's not that far off from Batman/Commissioner Gordon relationship. The SFPD is going to need some help dealing with the zompire population, and Dowling already has a friendship with Buffy based on his actions in at the end of #4 so he kind of seems like the natural go-between for the SFPD and Buffy. The characters also seem like a good fit in my mind because they're such interesting counterpoints to each other. Buffy is a character steeped in the supernatural who is now learning to live in a world that's lost most of its magic. Dowling, on the other hand, is a character who barely knew vampires existed until the surge in the zompire population, and now he's got to learn how to deal with them. They're both on opposite trajectories, but they both have a lot to teach each other. And I'm not just talking practicals, like how to slay or how to be a cop -- they have a lot to teach each other emotionally as well.




One of the intriguing subplots simmering away is Xander and Dawn's tiff; it's severe enough to send Xan to the couch for several issues, but not so bad that he's being kicked out (and they're still bantering). They've known each other forever, but are fairly new as a couple. How do you see their relationship at this point?

Dawn and Xander are still figuring out exactly what their relationship is. It's been a long time since either of them wasn't dealing with some sort of supernatural problem night and day so I think a lot of this season will be about the two of them figuring out who they are in this new world as individuals -- and as a couple -- so naturally there will be some friction between both of them. The tiff that had Xander sleeping on the couch is pointing to a storyline that we'll explore later in the season. It's definitely there for a reason.



Moving on to issue #5 -- the biggie! Willow and Buffy have reconciled, at least to a degree, but a shared dream-quest sends Willow on a journey with the mystical scythe to restore magic. Scott Allie has said this takes Willow out of the picture for the foreseeable future -- what was the thought behind removing her from Buffy's chessboard at this crucial moment?

This seemed like the perfect time to send Willow off -- just when Buffy needs her most. Willow would have been the first person she'd have gone to with the pregnancy news. The whole idea behind the pregnancy was to knock Buffy back on her feet -- to make her face something real in a way she hadn't before -- so having Willow off on a magical quest is really going to push Buffy to reach out to some people for help who she might not normally have considered talking to right away. We also wanted Buffy and Willow to be in a good place when Willow left, and by good place I mean a place where Buffy understands why Willow needs magic so much. I think it probably would have been too much of a whammy for Buffy to have lost Willow on bad terms and then to have found out she was pregnant. And just because Buffy is okay with Willow leaving, doesn't mean that she's not going to wish Willow were around during her absence this season.



Karl Moline stepped in as guest artist for this very personal issue. How does his visual style and direction punch up those pivotal moments with the First Slayer, Willow's goodbye, and that last page reveal?

Karl did such a tremendous job with the last page of issue #5 (not to mention the rest of the issue). It was a such a big moment -- and so important for the season -- and it seemed like something that should play with as little dialogue and as few captions as possible. So the challenge was capturing all this emotion in those two panels. The uncertainty, the anxiety, the fear, the surprise... that's a lot to capture in two panels on Buffy's face. But Karl did, and I absolutely love that last page -- I really feel like I'm inside Buffy's head in the first two panels, and then -- boom, I see what she sees in that last panel -- the positive pregnancy test!

Regarding the pregnancy, I spoke with Scott Allie about this development, but I'd love to hear your take on what this means for Buffy.

I'm not going to say too much about the pregnancy because I don't want to spoil the upcoming issues, but what I think is important about Buffy facing a pregnancy is that it's going to force her to really think about who she is, what's important to her, and what being a Slayer means. This isn't something she can run from or ignore. I also think it's something that is extremely relatable -- one of those things that so many people have been through -- that makes them reassess where they are in their life and where they want to be. I'm also not going to say anything about the father, but Spike, along with some of the Scoobies, will play a role in helping Buffy deal with all the recent events.



The First Slayer (or a reasonable facsimile) tells Buffy, "You are not the Slayer." Does this play into the power/loss of power throughline?

The First Slayer's line is definitely something that will come back to haunt Buffy this season. I don't want to give it away, but what the First Slayer is telling Buffy isn't confined to issue #5.

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9" #6 goes on sale February 8.


ETA

Third Buffy S9 # 6 advanced review.

http://therealmcast.com/22456/review...er-season-9-6/

Review: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SEASON 9 #6

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Dawn Cordero



In this part one of a two part story arc, Buffy has a hard a decision to make and needs guidance so she calls on and old friend who tells her about growing up with a slayer as a mom. Spike is back and helping Detective Dowling of the San Francisco PD to quell the zompire numbers and has a startling revelation regarding Buffy. Gorgeous cover by new regular cover artist Phil Noto. Written by Andrew Chambliss, art by Georges Jeanty, coloring by Michelle Madsen, still executive produced by Joss Whedon.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 Issue #6 is available on 2/8/2012.

[comic fan]

New tweets from Christos Gage about Angel & Faith # 7.

https://twitter.com/#!/Christosgage

ChristosgageChristos Gage

If you missed it last night, here's the preview for ANGEL & FAITH #7 Preview: Angel & Faith #7 - Comic Book Resources featuring Drusilla and a Darla cameo!
3 hours ago

ChristosgageChristos Gage

My favorite thing about the ANGEL & FAITH preview is that I now know how much it mortifies @rebekahisaacs to draw sex scenes.
3 hours ago

ChristosgageChristos Gage

BTW fair comments that the A&F flashback doesn't provide new info. I feel it tells us Angel's thought process behind choosing Dru...
3 hours ago

ChristosgageChristos Gage

...she is someone who is the opposite of what Angel/Liam was and Angelus wants to destroy that. But that may have already been clear to most
3 hours ago

[comic fan]

More Tweets from Christos Gage.

https://twitter.com/#!/Christosgage

farwell3dBrian Fowler

@Christosgage So, is Drusilla having been at the Mosaic "true" in A&F?
3 Feb

ChristosgageChristos Gage

@farwell3d I am trying to invalidate everything @BrianLynch ever did, so no. Kidding, it's neither ref'd nor contradicted so as you please.
3 Feb

ChristosgageChristos Gage

For ANGEL & FAITH with stuff that's not Joss-approved canon I try to stay ambiguous. i.e. Faith's Dad's name. I used "Pat"...
3 Feb

ChristosgageChristos Gage

...whereas the Faith novel had his name as, I think, George Patrick Lehane. So it could be he goes by his middle name, or ignore the novel.
3 Feb

ETA

Christos Gage tweet about current issue he's writing.

https://twitter.com/#!/Christosgage

ChristosgageChristos Gage

Writing a massive battle between Angel, Faith and undisclosed allies vs. a hugely powerful foe. It's quite fun.
5 hours ago

ChristosgageChristos Gage

I am writing badass dialogue for Faith today to tap into that @elizadushku mojo, then sending it to the PATS who are going to WIN 37-30.
5 hours ago

[comic fan]

Fourth advanced Buffy S9 # 6 review.

Advance Review: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #6 : The News Stand - The Outhouse - The Greatest Comic Book Forum

Advance Review: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #6

An advance review of the newest Buffy book!

Credits & Solicit Info:

Story by Andrew Chambliss
Art by Georges Jeanty, Dexter Vines
Colors by Michelle Madsen
Cover by Phil Noto, Georges Jeanty

The uptick in the zompire population has the SFPD on Buffy's trail again—but this time, they need her assistance. However, Detective Dowling must settle for a little help from the bleached-blond vampire Spike, as Buffy has become distracted by a rather personal problem that will lead her to Robin Wood.

Review:

After the direction that season eight of Buffy went, I personally wasn't looking forward to season nine. However, I'm glad I picked it up; and to the disappointed fans, I seriously recommend picking up the first trade when it's out to see what I'm talking about. For those disillusioned by the last season, the current storyline is much more grounded than its predecessor. Instead of following the slayer army and big crazy monsters, the focus returns to the Scooby Gang. Between the new Buffy volume and Angel and Faith, the Buffyverse is firing on all cylinders; and this sixth issue of the latest season is no different. A warning to those who want to be surprised about Buffy's major life developments- there will be spoilers, so don't read any further if you want to be surprised.

This issue primarily deals with the fallout from the shocking development of last issue, i.e. Buffy is pregnant. The issue jumps back and forth from Buffy's life in the present, and Nikki Wood's life in the past. We learn that Nikki was one of the few (if not the only) documented case of a woman who gave birth to a child while being the Slayer.

The issue's writer, Andrew Chambliss, does a great job of showcasing the similarities and differences between Buffy and Nikki. The most striking difference is the amount of support in their lives; while Nikki was essentially alone, Buffy has her friends and family. The issue also shows how ill prepared for "real life" Buffy is. Sure, when it comes to slaying, she's the best there is, but everyday things? Not so much.

Another good thing is the treatment of Nikki's son Robin, whom longtime fans will recall from the last season of the television show. Buffy uses him as a resource in this predicament- and if anyone would know what it's like to be the child of a Slayer it'd be him- and the execution works well. I won't spoil the whole ending, but the last page has a cliffhanger I definitely did not see coming.

Georges Jeanty's artwork is amazing, as always. The characters all clearly resemble the actors from the show, yet there is enough of his personal style in it to make them his own. He does a great job of conveying the emotions the characters are experiencing, yet at the same time he can still depict amazing action sequences.

Overall, the Buffy comic FINALLY feels like the television show. The intimate focus on only a few characters is what makes Buffy great, and this issue was no exception. It's also great to get some more development of both Nikki and Robin Wood. I look forward to seeing where the story goes.

For those of you who were turned off by Season 8, I urge you to give Season 9 a chance. This issue in particular was the best so far- I definitely recommend it.


ETA

Buffyfest has major details on the next arc of Buffy Season 9(issues 8-10).The covers we've seen already.

http://buffyfest.blogspot.com/2012/0...on-9-news.html

Monday, February 6, 2012

[Spoilers] Exclusive 'Buffy' Season 9 news!

A couple of interesting tidbits here but please click away if you're spoiler sensitive!

We have it on good word that the Buffy Season 9 #8-10 arc will be called "Apart (of Me)" and will be written by Andrew Chambliss and Scott Allie with Cliff Richards as artist!








1)So the next arc which is issues 3-10 is called,"Apart (of Me)"

2)Scott Allie is co-writing the arc with Andrew Chambliss.

3)Cliff Richards is the artist on this arc.

[comic fan]

Fifth advanced Buffy S9 # 6 review.

ADVANCE "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9" #6 Review: Mother or Slayer? - Whedonopolis

ADVANCE "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9" #6 Review:
Mother or Slayer?



The last issue of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9 left us with quite the cliffhanger, and this issue does not disappoint. While readers desperate for details of how Buffy ended up in her predicament will be left wanting, writer Andrew Chambliss continues his stellar performance as the current Buffy scribe, while artist Georges Jeanty flaunts the amazing talent that got him the job! Talk about a dream team!

MINOR SPOILERS BELOW

The Good

Mommies, Daddies, and the return of Nikki Wood! I can’t go into too much detail, but, while writer Christos Gage is currently exploring fatherhood in the Angel & Faith series with the return of Drusilla and the appearance of Faith’s father, Chambliss almost seems to be writing a companion piece that explores both slayerhood and motherhood. While I’m not sure it’s a coordinated effort on Dark Horse’s and the writers’ parts, it makes the two series feel that much more intertwined and real. Chambliss also seizes this opportunity to bring back Nikki and Robin Wood, which is a great move. The unique relationship between Nikki and Robin is something that was barely touched on in the television series, and this chance to dive back into that meaty territory will be much appreciated by fans. And, who doesn’t love a reappearance by that badass slayer from the ‘70s, Nikki Wood? Finally, the ending to this issue is almost as big of a cliffhanger as last issue, and it literally made me freeze in place when I read it. It’s bold, it’s challenging, and a good number of fans may be outraged, but, once again, I’m happy to see that Chambliss and Whedon are not playing it safe this season.

Vampire with a space ship. Spike has a short, yet hysterically brilliant, scene involving his bug-ship and Detective Dowling. I love it when they make me laugh out loud!

The Bad

Nada. This book is that good. You’re reading it, right? RIGHT?!?!?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9 #6 is out in comic book shops on Wednesday! Do not miss this one, Scoobies!

’Till the end of the world,
-Bryant the Comic Book Slayer


ETA

CBR interview with Scott Allie on Buffy S9 # 6.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?p...ticle&id=36854

Scott Allie On Making "Buffy" Bold

As "Season 9" of Joss Whedon's fan favorite franchise continues, Buffy the Vampire Slayer tackles new emotions through her pregnancy, new villains with "zompires" and new mysteries surrounding Spike, Willow and the gang, says Scott Allie.

by Kiel Phegley, News Editor


"Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 9" #6 is on sale this week.

After a "Season 8" that left many fans reeling from cosmic whiplash, the major theme of Joss Whedon's "Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 9" from Dark Horse Comics was to tighten the focus of the fan favorite franchise on the core cast of monster killers and their emotional status. Now half way into its first year, the core "Buffy" book is already simmering with major moves including an unexpected and mysterious pregnancy for Buffy Summers and a potential mutilation for the girl around the corner if the solicited covers provide any clue.

But through it all, Editor Scott Allie promised that the mission has not changed. Though the stories in "Season 9" may make for hot topics, the bold tone the book is striking will continue to ask the question of "How does this feel?" even as it juggles plots both personal and adventurous.

"There's been a Herculean effort to keep the story moving on multiple levels across this first half of 'Season 9,'" Allie told CBR News in advance of this week's issue #6. "It's kind of crazy, and we said that the rule going in here was that we were going to take it back down to a more intimate level – getting away from the more cosmic craziness of 'Season 8' and making it more personal again. When people saw the cover with Buffy getting her arm ripped off, everybody went nuts and thought we were violating the mission, but that's only one part of what's going on.

"With this current storyline with Buffy discovering her pregnancy, we're exploring a young woman who thought the fate of the world was resting on her shoulders – and maybe it actually did – and taking it her story back to human issues but some of the biggest issues anyone can face. We want to have a good action adventure, pot-boiler, sci-fi story rolling out because that's what 'Buffy' is. But we also really want to make it about her as a young woman – a human person finding herself and redefining herself. So splitting the focus between what's happening with the zompires and the cops and what's going on with her personally is a tough balancing act, but I think everybody from Joss to [series writer] Andrew [Chambliss] to me and Sierra [Hahn, my assistant] all understand what purpose the whole story is serving."

One under-discussed aspect of the series in the wake of the controversial pregnancy move has been the so-called "zompires" – newly turned vamps who are mindless killing machines due to the destruction of magic on the earth. In issue #6, reformed vampire Spike will take a proactive approach to battling this threat – something that's indicative of his expanded role in "Season 9."

"At one point, Joss and I were walking around Santa Monica talking about what titles could comprise 'Season 9.' At that point, we didn't know that 'Angel & Faith' was going to be the name of one of the books. We talked about a Spike book, and Joss said, 'I don't think so. I think he's more fun in Buffy's book,'" Allie said. "And he was right. Spike and Buffy are really fun – the way they play off each other, the way they butt heads and the way they're emotionally involved. Whether they're romantically involved or not, it's pretty intricate and interesting. While a lot of Buffy's friends are busy doing other things right now, Spike's going to be the guy who's there to talk to her and to have her back in a fight and all those other things that she needs. So it makes sense to give him a fairly prominent role for what she's facing on both fronts."

The editor noted that the mindless vampires weren't the only change coming due to the end of magic, but they would be one of the most prominent ones for a variety of reasons. "There's more dominos to fall, but the zompire thing is here to stay – if not permanently at least for a long time," he explained. "When we had the writer's summit, we spent a good chunk of that day talking about what the loss of magic means. We spent all sorts of time coming up with cool ideas. We had a million interesting conceptual ideas about what's going to be cool about this world with no magic in it, but one of the things we came around to was that we could fill book after book after book with 'This could happen. Nobody's written a really good song' or whatever. But that would take the focus away from the personal. So there were a lot of possibilities for how to demonstrate the changing world, but we didn't want to focus on that. Zompires are different. Other things are different that I think readers understand will be explored in terms of what exceptions exist to our rules and what they are. All of that remains in play, but it remains in play because we didn't want to do a five-issue series just explaining what's different. We wanted to play with the characters and their relationships.

"We're trying to keep what's different about the world consistent between 'Angel & Faith' and 'Buffy,' and in the side series like the short piece Jane Espenson and Drew Greenberg are writing for us, we went 'Oh no!' because we realized they had been out of the loop and not actively engaged since the summit. We had to tell them 'This is what's going on in the world now. This is where the Slayers are at and who Buffy is in relationship to other people.' We laid that all out for them, but I'm glad there wasn't more to explain about the difference in the world. It gets a bit tedious after a while."

Of course, while Buffy confronts the emotional fallout of her pregnancy – and readers can find more about that particular turn in this previous CBR piece – her friends are strangely absent from the series. While fans know that Dawn and Xander have their own relationship problems to deal with right now, Allie said that the rest of the wayfaring Scooby gang cast have their own reasons for being absent. And those reasons are another of the many ways "Season 9" stands apart from "Season 8."

"It's going to take a little bit before we reveal what's going on with Willow," the editor said. "You're not going to see her in issue #6 or 7, and it'll be a while before we really know what's going on with her. I think the fun of doing 'Season 9' is what we can do different from 'Season 8' and play with different structural things. So having Willow depart in issue #5 and not immediately answering that is hopefully a big part of the dramatic tension of the season."

Allie did reveal that fanboy-ish friend and newly central cast member Andrew Wells would also see his day in the spotlight arrive. "Andrew is going to come back into focus pretty soon and have a significant role to play. Everybody who writes any of this stuff LOVES Andrew. He's great to write, and he's great to write when he's in the mix. When I wrote my arc in 'Season 8,' he would only poke his head in here and there. But once you get to write a few pages with that guy, he's great, and the writers are always looking for good, useful ways to throw him into the action. He gets a pretty good role in the next arc."

Catch the next phase of "Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 9's" new direction with issue #6 tomorrow, and stay tuned to CBR for more behind the scenes looks into the series.

[comic fan]

Fuill spoilers for Buffy S9 # 6 by Maggie.

BuffyForums

Lots of interesting stuff in this issue. It's hard to process.

The first three pages are the ones we had for the preview. Nothing really redeems that clunky line from Nikki.

The segue was exactly as predicted, to Dawn asking Buffy who the father is. Dawn has come riding to the rescue with PJ and snacks to see Buffy through the crisis. In their conversation there's no hint at all that Buffy feels like she was raped or whatever. Just irresposible. Dawn's not worried about it either.

Buffy says that it had to have happened at the party because there was no other action lately. She gives Dawn a list of who she could remember: "It's a little hazy, but Riley, who's married. Andrew, whose name I'm not sure why I'm saying. Root, who doesn't shower. Tumble, who showers infrequently. The shut-in neighbor, whose name I can't remember. And then there's Spike." Dawn: "Is a vamp baby daddy even possible." Buffy: "Normally, I'd say no... but since I destroyed the seed, the vampire rule book is being rewritten." Buffy goes on to say those are the guys she knew at the party, and that no matter who it is she's on her own. Dawn gives her a big hug and says she's got her and Xander. Buffy wants to know how to get a hold of Willow. Dawn says Willow's cell was disconnected. Buffy decides to call Robin.

Comments: This scene was practically written to address all our discussions this last month down to the Willow cell phone question. As already mentioned, rape is a non-issue. Spike is not off the list of potentials on account of being a vampire.

It's great seeing Dawn being so loving and supportive. Buffy looks rueful through the scene.

We cut to Spike and Dowling going out zompire hunting. Spike arrives in his ship and has to start by explaining that not all vampires have space ships. There's a segue box "you must have some idea who the father is..."

We cut to Nikki and Crowley. Nikki doesn't know who the father is, when she blows off steam she doesn't always collect names. Crowley warns her that if she goes through with this she'll only hurt the child. He's patching up her wounds from battle during this conversation. Nikki says she got strength from the baby. Crowley says she shouldn't put that burden on a kid. Segue to Robin.

Robin tells Buffy that it was a hard life. He hardly got to see his Mom. She came home late and he was always worried about the time she wouldn't come home. One night she didn't come home. Buffy says "the night Spike killed her." Buffy says it's obvious what she should do. Robin says he doesn't think so. He thinks Buffy should consider having the baby.

Shift to Nikki battling vampires and Crowley helping her with the battle. She wants to know why he's out patrolling. He wants to know why she is. She says it's the mission. He talks about arrangements he's made for her to get away and that he'll cover for her until she decides to give him to a family who could provide him with a better life.

Shift to Spike and Dowling. Spike's wearing a police vest. He starts to give Dowling vampire lessons. Dowling wants to know about him and Buffy. Spike tries to avoid the question, but then answers: "I tried to kill Buffy, I failed, I had a chip implanted in my head so I couldn't, I had a thing with a robot Buffy, then I had a thing with the real Buffy, I got my soul back, and Buffy and I went our separate ways."

Dowling they're going to have to schedule another ride along (to hear the whole story). Dowling wants to know if Spike and Buffy still have a thing. Spike "Buffy only comes to me when she needs dark. Why you asking? You fancy her? Cause there's nothing I'd like more than to see her with someone like you. Clueless about things that go bump in the night." Dowling says Buffy shouldn't date a cop because of the bad stuff he'd bring home. Spike says Dowling's the one who should be worried about on that score, not Buffy.

Cut to Robin and Buffy. Buffy wants to know why Nikki didn't give Robin up for adoption. Robin says that Nikki could have walked away from slaying. Cut to Crowley and Nikki where Crowley is explaining how Nikki could walk away. He's set her up with passports and such Nikki beams down at baby Robin and says they're going to be a family.

Buffy wants to know why Nikki didn't take that out. Robin says she did, for a while, but she couldn't overcome the urge to slay so they ended up back in NY. Buffy can't figure out why Robin would encourage her to have the baby. Robin says that Buffy had doen so much as a slayer, and that's why he thinks she can handle it. The difference between her and Nikki is that Nikki shut people out, but Buffy has people who'd help her. Buffy tells Robin she won't do the baby by herself.

Cut to Spike getting a text from Buffy. Dowling drives him over. On the way Dowling wants to know whether Spike is going to tell Buffy how he really feels or keep bottling it up until Buffy is too old to care. Spike pretends to not know what Dowling is talking about. Dowling says he can read people, and he knows that Spike isn't over Buffy and that he's just not telling Buffy how he feels because he's afraid he'll hurt her.

Spike and Buffy at the pool.

Spike (off screen): Everything Okay?

Buffy: How was the ride along?

Spike: Dowling's a good bloke. If a bit nosy.
(He crouches beside her) Buff... there's something I need to tell you.

Buffy: Can I go first? I need to say it before the words disappear. I want to do something. And I think it's going to be hard. So I was hoping you could help me.

Spike: Anything for you, luv.

Buffy: Spike -- I'm going to have an abortion.

(Spike is knocked back on his arse)

Spike: You're pregnant?

Buffy: Robin told me how Nikki tried to run away from slaying after he was born. I thought I could do what she couldn't. I thought I had everything that Nikki didn't. Dawn, Xander, Willow. You... I was ready to ask you to run away with me. But then I realized... I'm barely able to hold onto a job. I live with roommates who are about to kick me out. And I can't even hold my alcohol well enough to remember who got me pregnant. I can handle the slayer stuff. I can do what Nikki couldn't. But everything else? I'm not ready. At least not now. It's not the slaying. It's me. Will you come with me when I do this? (Close up of Spike with tears in his eyes).

(Spike stands up and then reaches out a hand to lift up Buffy)

Spike: Yeah.

***
On all of that, I'm prossessing....

I thought about the Xander omission. But that'd be unbelievably harsh given that his name doesn't come up in the context of Dawn being super-supportive of Buffy. I honestly hope they don't go there. Also, unless Buffy is a heck of a liar, she had sex at the party, and that doesn't seem likely to have involved Xander.

The case for Spike as Dad is as follows: They open the door with the explanation; there's at least one segue from who's the daddy to Spike; Dowling diagnoses Spike with being afraid of hurting Buffy; Spike's reaction at the pool is consistent with being devastated to learn that he did hurt Buffy (by getting her pregnant during the sex she can't remember). Them having had sex, but then Buffy not remembering it is also consistent with Spike's resolution to keep his distance. She made it clear at the end of #1 that she didn't want to be reminded of anything that might have happened.

Not sure how I'd feel about it if it was the case.

I'm on the fence about whether Buffy goes through with the abortion. I agree with King that it's a heck of a lot of work to set up something that wouldn't seem to be a part of the larger story going forward. It also doesn't fit the scenario that seems to be being set up with Buffy losing an arm going into a battle Spike has warned her off of. (Why else would he be protective like that). OTOH, that USA article reads like abortion is a happening thing. So who knows. I'm pro-life. But this is the poster case for why abortion is considered to be a good thing. It'd be kind of weird for Joss to write Buffy choosing to have a baby in this scenario if he's strongly pro-choice.



Interview with Joss about the issue.

Comic-book Buffy faces her biggest challenge: Pregnancy – USATODAY.com

Buffy the Vampire Slayer faces her biggest challenge

By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY

After years of tackling vampires, demons and assorted "big bads" on TV and now in comic books, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is facing something else extremely daunting: pregnancy.

In the latest issue of Dark Horse Comics' Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, in stores today, Buffy weighs the life of being the "chosen" Slayer against the life she's about to bring into the world. After some soul-searching with the son of another former Slayer, Buffy decides to have an abortion.

There were two key aspects to discussing the hot-button issue, says the comic's executive producer, Joss Whedon: It had to be portrayed as a difficult decision for Buffy, and it had to be treated with respect on the creative side.

"It's not something we would ever take lightly, because you can't. You don't. It's not an easy thing for anyone," he says.

The Buffy TV series, which ran from 1997 to 2003 and starred Sarah Michelle Gellar, became a cult hit and fostered a ferociously loyal fan base in its seven seasons before vampires became all the pop-culture rage.

In two "seasons" of Buffy comics, Whedon has continued the story lines from the television show. But the previous Season 8 issues were too "comic-booky and overblown" for his tastes, so when Whedon and series writer Andrew Chambliss began breaking down stories for the current Season 9, they decided to return to the mission statement of the original TV show, which was to follow the story of a woman at important points in her life.

"Buffy was always about the arc of a life, and it wasn't ever going to be one of those shows where they were perpetually in high school and never asked why," Whedon says. "It was about change. So there's never a time when Buffy's life isn't relevant."

Season 9 finds the character in her early 20s with no idea what she's doing with her life and in free fall while everybody around her seems to be maturing, finding direction and setting up their adult life.

Living in San Francisco with all the magic cut off from the world and zombie vampires lurking in the city, Buffy learns she is pregnant — with the unknown father possibly one of the guests at a wild party at her place — and in the new Issue 6, she confides in the anti-heroic vamp Spike of her decision to have an abortion.

Chambliss says Buffy's choice was something that grew organically out of the story. "Given the specifics of Buffy's life at this point in the season — facing a new kind of vampire threat, barely able to keep a job — it seemed like it would be dishonest for Buffy to not at least entertain the question of whether she should keep or end the pregnancy."

Whedon had never thought about a pregnancy story for the TV-show character. In comics, though, he has license to do more with magic and creatures, and it has given him the chance to be "a little more on the nose in the grounding of our characters."

Whedon points out that Friday Night Lights is one show that recently tackled abortion with the proper respect. And he concedes there's a little bit of a political jab in the Buffy story line. It's not that women should be on one side or the other, he says, but that people have to make this decision and talk about it.

"It offends me that people who purport to be discussing a decision that is as crucial and painful as any a young woman has to make won't even say something that they think is going to make some people angry."

Though the director of the upcoming movie The Avengers jokes that even he gets tired of staking vampires after a while — "Who wouldn't? Well, apparently all of America wouldn't" — Whedon loves the edgy aspect of horror and fantasy that allows him to discuss things in a way that also removes him slightly.

"I don't tend to write straight dramas where real life just impinges," he says. "But because I don't, when I do it is very interesting to slap people in the face with just an absolute of life."


ETA

Full summary of Buffy S9 # 6 by zianna

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #6: "On Your Own" Pt 1 - Page 9

OK, here's the summary

The issue begins with the flashbacks that we've seen from the preview pages. Nikki is fighting a vampire. We're in New York in 1973. Nikki is weak and the vampire is ready to kill her. It can understand the sedatives and it can also smell the blood of someone else, it knows that Nikki is pregnant. But that was his mistake, talking about her baby and threatening both of them only gave Nikki the strength she needed to fight back and dust him. Nikki's watcher comes, telling her that she shouldn't have done the cruciamentum. But Nikki is all about the mission, that's what's important, and all the slayers do it on their 18th birthdays. She shouldn't be am exception to the rule just because she's pregnant. The vampire threaten her baby and that gave her the strength to fight it as she tells her watcher. But she's still not sure what she'll do with her pregnancy.

We then go to Buffy herself. She's with her sister talking to her and telling her the news. Buffy has no idea who the father is but Dawn asks her to narrow it down by giving the list of the potential fathers. But the problem is that list has everybody who was at Buffy's party in #1. Dawn believes that maybe it wasn't that night, but Buffy is clear about it. She hasn't had any non-slayer action lately, she got pregnant the night of the party when she blacked out. Dawn is very supportive, she understands that people do stupid things while getting drunk, besides she herself ended up a giant, a centaur, a doll and she asks her sister if she remembers being alone with someone at the party. Buffy tells her about all the people she remember being alone with, Riley who's married, Andrew that she can't be sure why she even thinks about his name, Root who doesn't shower, Tumble who showers infrequently, the neighbor whose name she can't remember and Spike. Buffy is very surprised when she hears Spike's name, but Buffy tells us that with the seed now broken every vampire rule we've known is bing rewritten. And those are only the guys she knew at the party, so she understands that she's on her own. But Dawn is very supportive hanging her and reminding her that she got her and Xander. Something that reminds Buffy of Willow, but Dawn says that her mobile was disconnected last time she tried to call her and she offers to stay with her and miss her courses until they figure it out but Buffy has another plan and she makes a call.

Dowling is at the embarcadero waiting for Spike who arrives with his spaceship, something that leaves Dowling speechless. He has a lot to learn about vampires but of course not all vampires have a spaceship, as Spike tells him. But let's leave them for the moment and go back to 1973 where Crowley asks Nikki about the father telling her that maybe the father can raise the baby. But Nikki has seen a lot of bad stuff and when she blows off the steam, she doesn't ask for names. And if she goes through it she'll end up hurting the baby. On the other hand though, that baby gave her strength to fight the vampire and kill him when she was powerless so maybe that baby is her reason of fighting. But as Crowley says, if she puts that burden on the child, it will always blame her.

So we return to present time and we see Robin himself talking to Buffy. He doesn't have any easy answer to give her. But all that Buffy wants is to know what's like to grow up and to have a slayer as your mother. So Robin tells her. He knew about demons and vampires when other children of his age believed in the tooth-fairy. He was closer to Crowley than he was to his own mother. And if he was lucky, she'd take him to patrols or else he had to wait for her to return, if she would return again. And waiting for her was hard and it always took longer than he expected, but she always came back until the night that she faced Spike and he killed her. Buffy is sad, she understands what she has to do, Robin grew up resenting his mother for what she did to him. But surprise, Robin actually reminds Buffy that he is alive and there talking to her because Nikki decided to have him. He believes that she should consider giving birth to the baby.

Back to Nikki. She's fighting vampires, killing most of them but one. Thank God her watcher is there to help her and he dusts the one that almost kills her. Two more vampires attack, each of them getting dusted by Nikki and her watcher. It's the first time that he follows her to patrol, and it's because she's pregnant. He has trained himself so he can help her. He can't believe that she went out to patrol, he has rented her a cabin to stay there, but for Nikki only the mission counts. Nikki is worried that the council will find out about her pregnancy when there will be nobody to fight the vampires. But her watcher assures her that he'll cover for her until the baby is born and that the council will never know about the baby until Nikki decides to give him to a family so he can grow up safely.

Back to Spike and Dwoling who obliges pike to wear a strait jacket. After all, it's the department's policy. And he wants to know more about vampires than already been dead as Spike informs him while wondering why he must wear the strait jacket. Dowling wants to know how to dust vampires and wants to find a nest so he can practice. But Spike is clear about it, he's not even close of being ready to even see a nest. They can wait for something nasty to come and feed itself and then they'll attack. So, Dowling unable to dust a vampire and wanting to know more, he asks Spike how a vampire is a slayer's friend. Since he must learn everything about them, it's obvious that this kind or relationship between Buffy and Spike surprises him. In just a cloud Spike tells him about their story, he wanted to kill her, he failed, he had the chip, he had a thing with the Buffybot, a thing with the real Buffy, then he got his soul and they went separate ways. And Dawling asks him if they still have something going on, and Spike replies that Buffy only goes to him when she wants something dark and wonders if Downling fancies her. There's nothing he would love more than seeing her with a guy like Dowling who has no idea about what's going on during nights. Dowling believes that dating a cop is not the best thing, he have seen so many things and bringing them home is not the best thing. But Spike informs him that he has seen nothing compared to Buffy, there is nothing that Dowling has seen that Buffy can't handle it. Probably Dowling is the one that won't be able to handle it.

Back to Buffy and Robin. Buffy wonders how come Nikki didn't give him for adoption. Robin informs us that Nikki put up walls with everyone she came contact with. And after he was born, Nikki couldn't stay with a guy more than 2 weeks. And it would have killed Nikki to stay away from Robin but all she had to do was to stay away from slaying. When Nikki gave birth to Robin, she told her watcher that she didn't want to go back to slaying. And Crowley promised her that he'll deal with the council. We learn that Nikki had been already a slayer for 3 years until the moment she gave birth and most of the slayers don't last half that long, that she'd killed countless vampires and saved thousands and Crowley told her to walk away and do that for her son. Crowley gave Nikki new passports and tickets to take her son and go away to start her family. For a while she lived with her son in South America and in Mexico but only for a year or so. She went baqck to New York because she couldn't stay away from slaying. And some time passed before Robin realized why his mother wasn't coming back the nights...she was patrolling. She was a Chosen One, just like Buffy is. She couldn't ignore her calling no matter how hard she tried. But as Robin tells her, Buffy isn't Nikki. She has done things that Nikki hasn't, she has saved the world many times, she has raised Dawn when her mother died, she led an army and he believes she can raise the baby. There is a big difference between Nikki and Buffy, and that's that Buffy let people help her. And Buffy smiles at him. Before saying goodbye, Robin gives her a final advice not to raise the child alone if she decides to keep it. And Buffy promises not to.

Back to Spike and Dowling. Buffy sends a text to Spike and he wants to go to her asking Dowling to drive him. Dowling finds the chance to tell him to talk to her about his feelings before Buffy gets too old and it's too late for them. He understands that Spike isn't over her, something that Spike tries to deny telling him that he's over her ever since they first had sex in "Smashed" and brought down a house. But Dowling is a cop and he understands people. He knows that the only reason why Spike doesn't admit his feelings is because he's too scared of hurting her. But he also reminds Spike that Buffy is a big girl and she can handle anything, Spike told him that about her just some minutes before.

So Spike goes to Buffy's place and finds her at the pool. She has her legs in the water and she looks sad..she' thinking. She asks him how were things with Dwoling, Spike says he's a nice guy but he's nosy. Spike decides to talk to Buffy about his feelings, but she wants to start talking first before the words disappear. She wants to do something very hard and she asks his help. And Spike promises her anything she needs. What she wants is to have an abortion, news that totally surprise Spike. Buffy thought that she could do what Nikki couldn't, she thought that she could walk away from slaying, she thought that she had everything that Nikki hadn't, Dawn, Willow, Xander, and Spike. She was ready to ask Spike to run away with her. But the problem is that she is not ready for a baby yet. She is the best in slaying, but when it comes to real life, she isn't. She can't hold on to a job, her roommates are ready to kick her out, she can't control alcohol and the proof of that is that she got pregnant because of it and she can't remember the daddy, she is not ready for a baby. The problem is not the slaying, the problem is her. And with tears in her eyes she asks Spike to go with her to have an abortion and to be there next to her. And Spike tearful, gives her his hand helping her to stand up and says "Yeah".

To be continued.


ETA 2

Buffy And Abortion | Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movies and TV News and Rumors

Buffy And Abortion

Written on February 8, 2012 by Rich Johnston

USA Today reports that in today’s issue of Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 9 from Dark Horse Comics, Buffy shares her newly discovered status as a pregnant woman with her family and friends. She presumes that the vampire on-again-off-again lover Spike is the father, although there’s some plot-purposeful indecision about that. And hey, it may just turn out that there’s some mystical energy inside her or something. I’m sure there’s plenty of supernatural oddness to come.

But more controversially, the comic explores her decision to have an abortion.

The preview that USA Today show isn’t that reflective of the whole issue however, the article talks about the decision process. In the comic, we see Buffy talking to her friends, and indeed the child of a previous slayer, and the decisions she makes after talking it through with as many as she can.

Of late, mainstream comic books have become a lot more comfortable with topics including race, gender, homosexuality, drug use and all manner of topics that may once have been problematic. Abortion, however, is not a topic that’s come up of late, especially not a protagonist deciding to have one. For all their progressive changes of late, I don’t expect, even in their future fantasies, to see Betty or Veronica going to the clinic on the cover of Live With Archie. Today’s Wolverine and The X-Men also has a pregnant Kitty Pryde, which is handled in a very different fashion.

But it remains a major debating point in America, And in an Election Year in the USA, it’s just the time for abortion to become a hot trigger topic again. And for Buffy The Vampire Slayer to try and at least explore some of the complexities that accompany such a decision when it’s away from the media spotlight.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 9 #6 is published today. Comics are courtesy of Orbital Comics in London, UK. They are currently exhibiting the original art of Mary Talbot and Bryan Talbot’s Dotter Of Her Father’s Eyes.


There's panels from the issue over at the link for those who haven't read the issue yet.

ETA 3

Another article on today's issue.

Buffy makes controversial decision in latest issue | Robot 6 @ Comic Book Resources – Covering Comic Book News and Entertainment

Buffy Makes Controversial Decision in Latest Issue

In today's "Buffy: Season 9" #6, the Slayer deals with her pregnancy head on and confronts a topic readers have been debating since last issue’s big revelation: whether Buffy will have an abortion.



When Editor Scott Allie told Comic Book Resources that Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 would take Buffy’s story “back to human issues … some of the biggest issues anyone can face,” fans knew he was alluding to her mysterious pregnancy. But with Issue 6, in stores today, the Slayer deals with her new situation head on, answering a question readers have been debating since last issue’s big revelation.

Spoiler warning: The following addresses a major plot point from Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #6.



Following some serious soul-searching, Buffy confides to Spike that she’s decided to have an abortion, a subject creator Joss Whedon assures will be treated with respect in the Dark Horse series.

“It’s not something we would ever take lightly, because you can’t. You don’t,” Whedon, executive producer of Season 9, tells USA Today. “It’s not an easy thing for anyone.”

Abortion is a very personal decision, continuing the shift in focus from what Allie has described as “the more cosmic craziness of Season 8” to the more human elements of Season 9. That move has been emphasized by the deliberate paring-down of Buffy’s supporting cast, leaving her with just one person to confide in: popular vampire anti-hero, sometimes-romantic partner Spike.

“Given the specifics of Buffy’s life at this point in the season — facing a new kind of vampire threat, barely able to keep a job — it seemed like it would be dishonest for Buffy to not at least entertain the question of whether she should keep or end the pregnancy,” writer Andrew Chambliss tells the newspaper.



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Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine #6 Comic Review | Fandomania

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine #6 Comic Review

Posted by Kimberly Lynn Workman



Issue: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Nine #6
Release Date: February 2012
Writers: Andrew Chambliss
Pencils: George Jeanty
Inks: Karl Story
Colors: Michelle Madsen
Letters: Richard Starkings and COMICRAFT’S Jimmy Betancourt
Cover A: Phil Noto
Cover B: Georges Jeanty with Dexter Vines and Michelle Madsen
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

Can a Slayer be a mother? And more importantly, is Buffy even ready to welcome motherhood? She’s got a lot of thinking to do and even more soul-searching before she can come to a decision. It’s going to take a lot of support, but maybe the path has already been chosen for her.

When last we left our Chosen One, Buffy had just discovered she was pregnant. And now she’s got to figure out what to do about it. There has been a Slayer who had a child before, and that would be Nikki Wood. So, this issue we got some great flashbacks to mirror Nikki’s story to Buffy’s. Three years before Spike killed her, Nikki was a Slayer who was pregnant. Not a safe option in her line of work, but she was a determined woman who knew what she wanted. It didn’t matter that she was unaware of the father, this was her child and she could take on the responsibility. However, she didn’t have to carry to burden alone because her Watcher, Crowley, was willing to support her for whatever she needed.

Like Nikki, Buffy is clueless as to who the father of her baby is. She’s got it narrowed down to the house-warming party, but there were a ton of guys there and a period of alcohol-induced blackouts, so it’s anyone’s guess who got her pregnant. But Spike’s on that list of potentials and I am screaming in hopes that he’s the father. Their love story is so tragic. Both love and care for the other, but are hesitant to admit it. While a child being brought into the world filled with supernatural threats isn’t ideal, it would make me so happy if that were to occur. A Slayer and a vampire mated is one thing, but to have those roles served by Buffy and Spike would be glorious.

At the moment, Spike’s doing a ride-along with Detective Dowling, trying to teach him the art of killing zompires. And it’s not the training that was as important that night as was the bonding. Yes, Dowling and Spike bonded! At first Spike was trying to convince Dowling to get with Buffy because the detective would be good for her. My favorite vampire was willing to sacrifice his own love and step aside to see Buffy with someone who would be safe and not bring home even more evil than she’s already forced to deal with. This is why I love Spike. He’s a good man.

But Dowling saw through Spike faster than I would have given him credit for. I was amused at Spike’s short-version recounting of his and Buffy’s relationship. It’s hilarious when you condense it that much, but the truth shines through. Buffy keeps coming back to Spike when she needs darkness, or so he thinks, and Spike keeps holding onto Buffy because he still loves her, even if he won’t admit it out loud. With a little prodding from Dowling, Spike’s finally at a point where he might be able to admit it to the woman he loves. And, so, with a call from Buffy sending him running, he’s at the point where he can make the admission if given the chance.

While Spike was doing his patrol, Buffy’s been busy herself. Who’s the one person she could go to for advice on being a Slayer and being a mother? Robin Wood, Nikki’s son. He knows better than most the sacrifices that one has to make as a Slayer and what consequences there are for trying to balance motherhood and destiny. What surprised me, though, was that it was Robin who was trying to talk Buffy into keeping the baby. Here’s a man who lost his mother to the dangers of being a Slayer, who saw her escape for a year only to be drawn back by her calling, and yet he thinks Buffy is strong enough to have a child. Unlike his mother, Buffy doesn’t have to do this on her own. She could make it work, and I believed that she knew that, too. And, yet, the dangers of the fight were what weighed on her mind the most.

As we end this issue, there were a number of revelations made. Just as Spike was ready to admit his love for Buffy, she tells him that she’s going to have an abortion and needs his support to help her through the process. Spike was literally knocked off his feet. Buffy’s pregnant. She doesn’t think she should have the child. Where does that leave the two of them? I get Buffy’s reasoning for her choice, but I want it to be Spike’s baby and I want them to do this together. They deserve the chance. We’re left to wonder whether she will go through with the abortion or if something will come up to force her to change her mind. Perhaps it is indeed a Slayer/Vampire child and is protected because of that, but we’ll have to wait until next issue to find out for sure.

Rating: 4 / 5 Stars


ETA 5

Another article

Buffy Considering Abortion? | The Mary Sue

Dark Horse’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine #6 Covers A Big Issue, in an Anti-Twilight Way [SPOILERS]

by Jamie Frevele | February 8th



a Very Special Issue of Dark Horse‘s Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic, the titular ass-kicker makes a very serious decision about her future: she considers having an abortion. Is this proving to be an easy decision for her? Of course it isn’t. And this plotline is a good look at everything Twilight got wrong in Breaking Dawn, when Bella refused to end a pregnancy that was literally killing her, but then it all turned out okay in the end, because of vampire magic. Yeah. Buffy knows that’s not real, and that there are actual consequences to consider when this happens. SPOILERS after the jump.

Something that always seems to be missing from the abortion debate is a rather key element: the woman who is pregnant. People who oppose abortion believe that the health of the unborn child comes first, and many think that women think nothing of the fetus growing inside of them and come to the decision to end their pregnancies as easily as they’d get rid of a pair of shoes.

We all know this is very, very far from the truth. And that’s something that Buffy ponders in Season 9, issue #6 in the comic continuation of the series. For one thing, she is uncertain of the father, but is leaning towards Spike. But as she says in the panel below, if she can’t even pull herself together enough to figure that out, then that’s just one reason she shouldn’t become a mother right now.



However, this was not the whole story in issue #6. She also speaks to Robin, whose mother Nikki was another Slayer. And when Nikki found herself pregnant, she made the decision to raise her baby. And, as Robin points out in the panel up top, he wouldn’t be here today, sitting in front of Buffy as a friend, if not for that decision.



This is such an important part of this story. Many of the people who subscribe to the “baby-killer” myth of abortion do not consider that women weigh their options repeatedly, and it is gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, and not at all easy. Imagine the added emotional layers of a woman impregnated after being raped. But many don’t seem to think the woman’s feelings are a factor in this.

And that’s what is wrong with Bella’s pregnancy in Twilight: Breaking Dawn. Sure, she chooses to continue her pregnancy. This was her decision, as she told Edward when he asked her to get an abortion, and she was sticking with it. But was she considering her own health? Clearly not. Was she considering the fact that this demon baby inside of her was actually, physically killing her? No — what Stephanie Meyer did was tear Bella apart from the inside, repair her with vampire magic when she was near death after the gruesome birth, and then it was all okay in the end. In other words: “See? It all turned out okay! We fixed you! And now you have a baby and you’ll be with Edward forever!”

tl;dr — What Buffy goes through, despite the supernatural aspect of her life, is what most women go through when they consider abortion. What Bella goes through is what it seems anti-choice people think might happen. In their dreams.

(via Bleeding Cool)

[comic fan]

Another article on the issue.

Buffy Summers Faces Her Biggest Challenge Yet In Issue 6 Of ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season 9′ | Pink is the New Blog

Buffy Summers Faces Her Biggest Challenge Yet In Issue 6 Of Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season 9

MAJOR Spoiler Alert Warning

In January of 2011, in the wake of the death of a MAJOR character in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer universe, Joss Whedon gave an interview to Entertainment Weekly magazine where he discussed the ending of the comic book series Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8 and spoke a bit about what was to come in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9. The 9th season of BtVS is already in full swing as Issue 6 hits newsstands today ¡* and you are NEVER going to guess the challenge that Buffy Summers faces in this new issue of the comic book series. At the time of his interview last year, Joss revealed that BtVS: Season 9 would be more like the television show ¡but the subject matter of the newest Buffy comic was NEVER featured in the Buffy TV series. The revelation below is a MAJOR SPOILER if you have not read the new comic book yet so proceed with caution. I will tell you that Buffy faces a challenge that she has never faced before* and it is a challenge that is arguably more formidable than any Big Bad villain she has ever faced. Read on to find out more.



After years of tackling vampires, demons and assorted ¡°big bads¡± on TV and now in comic books, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is facing something else extremely daunting: pregnancy. In the latest issue of Dark Horse Comics Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, in stores today, Buffy weighs the life of being the chosen Slayer against the life she's about to bring into the world. After some soul-searching with the son of another former Slayer, Buffy decides to have an abortion. There were two key aspects to discussing the hot-button issue, says the comic's executive producer, Joss Whedon: It had to be portrayed as a difficult decision for Buffy, and it had to be treated with respect on the creative side. It's not something we would ever take lightly, because you can't. You don't. It's not an easy thing for anyone,¡± he says.

The Buffy TV series, which ran from 1997 to 2003 and starred Sarah Michelle Gellar, became a cult hit and fostered a ferociously loyal fan base in its seven seasons before vampires became all the pop-culture rage. In two seasons of Buffy comics, Whedon has continued the story lines from the television show. But the previous Season 8 issues were too comic-booky and overblown for his tastes, so when Whedon and series writer Andrew Chambliss began breaking down stories for the current Season 9, they decided to return to the mission statement of the original TV show, which was to follow the story of a woman at important points in her life. Buffy was always about the arc of a life, and it wasn't ever going to be one of those shows where they were perpetually in high school and never asked why, Whedon says. It was about change. So there's never a time when Buffy's life isn't relevant.Season 9 finds the character in her early 20s with no idea what she's doing with her life and in free fall while everybody around her seems to be maturing, finding direction and setting up their adult life. Living in San Francisco with all the magic cut off from the world and zombie vampires lurking in the city, Buffy learns she is pregnant with the unknown father possibly one of the guests at a wild party at her place and in the new Issue 6, she confides in the anti-heroic vamp Spike of her decision to have an abortion.




Chambliss says Buffy's choice was something that grew organically out of the story. Given the specifics of Buffy's life at this point in the season facing a new kind of vampire threat, barely able to keep a job it seemed like it would be dishonest for Buffy to not at least entertain the question of whether she should keep or end the pregnancy. Whedon had never thought about a pregnancy story for the TV-show character. In comics, though, he has license to do more with magic and creatures, and it has given him the chance to be a little more on the nose in the grounding of our characters. Whedon points out that Friday Night Lights is one show that recently tackled abortion with the proper respect. And he concedes there's a little bit of a political jab in the Buffy story line. It's not that women should be on one side or the other, he says, but that people have to make this decision and talk about it. It offends me that people who purport to be discussing a decision that is as crucial and painful as any a young woman has to make won't even say something that they think is going to make some people angry I don't tend to write straight dramas where real life just impinges, he says. But because I don't, when I do it is very interesting to slap people in the face with just an absolute of life.

Wow. Well it's something new for Buffy the Vampire Slayer. To be honest, a storyline like this probably seems more controversial because it's being featured in a comic book (then again, telling a story in comic book terms is also more freeing because comic books have a smaller audience than a national/syndicated television show does). But as we have learned from recent issues of Archie Comics, real life issues such as same-sex marriage and interracial marriage can be showcased alongside the usual, more mundane comic book fare. It seems to me that the BtVS comic book series has alienated a lot of longtime Buffy fans who don't consider the comic books to be a real extension of the TV series. IMHO, I am just absolutely thrilled that Joss and his longtime team of Buffy collaborators are creating new stories for Buffy and her friends ¡* no matter how much they differ from the TV series that we all know and love. I'm of the mind that if Buffy the Vampire Slayer was still in television production today, Joss would put the characters thru many of the same paces that he has put them thru in the comic book series (er, except for all the flying around by Super Buffy). It doesn't seem at all out of the realm of possibility that this abortion storyline would show up eventually if BtVS was still on the air. It's a very sensitive subject but when has Joss shied away from tackling sensitive subjects before? I have to admit, I'm quite a few issues behind on reading Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9 but now that I know what to expect in Issue 6, I'm really curious to get to reading so I can learn how Buffy got herself in this predicament.

So, Buffy fans, what do y'all think of this development? Have you been keeping up with the comic book series? If not, what do you think of Joss's decision to bring this storyline into the Buffyverse?

[Source]


Kairos's summary and review

kairosimperfect: Buffy Season 9 #6 Summary and Review

Buffy Season 9 #6 Summary and Review

Three pages of Nikki flashback in New York. The page turn after Crowley asks "Will you at least tell me..." morphs into Dawn asking Buffy "...who the father is?" They're in Buffy's bedroom. Buffy replies, "I have no idea."

Dawn coaxes her into going through the list of potential fathers: Riley, Andrew, Root, Tumble, the shut-in neighbor, and Spike - or someone at the party who she didn't know. She says it must have happened at the party when she blacked out, as she hasn't been getting much action otherwise. Dawn reassures her that everyone makes booze mistakes and that she and Xander are there for her, and that she's prepared to stick around until they figure something out. Willow is unavailable, but Buffy says the fewer people she talks to about it, the better. She gets out her phone to talk to "someone else."

Page turn. Dowling is in his car, calling Spike, who is apparently late for a planned ride along. As he's leaving his message, the bug ship lands in the parking lot across the street and Spike jumps out. "There's a lot I don't know about vampires," says Dowling, and Spike replies, "Oh, we don't all have spaceships."

Segue back to Nikki and Crowley. He's patching her up in her apartment and suggesting that the father raise Nikki's baby. She says she doesn't know who it is, and he says that if she goes through with this she's going to hurt that child. She counters with the possibility that the baby could be her reason to fight, and Crowley says that's putting a burden on the child for which he'll blame her for the rest of his life. Cue Robin's appearance, speaking with Buffy at a restaurant.

He says he can't give her an easy answer and she says she doesn't want one. She asks what it's like to grow up with a Slayer mother. He's blunt: he learned about scary things young, he was closer to Crowley than to his own mother, and when she didn't take him on patrol, he'd have to lie awake wondering if she wouldn't come home that night. And of course, that one night she didn't.

Buffy responds with "I guess it's obvious what I should do," because she doesn't want to raise a child who resents her. Robin disagrees: he's here because Nikki decided to have him, and he thinks Buffy should consider the same. The page returns to Nikki, this time fighting a group of vampires. She's in danger from one until Crowley shows up and stakes it, wearing a metal brace on his arm that seems to be a nifty seventies-era vampfighting weapon. More vampires attack, and they continue to take them out until they're alone together and Nikki asks Crowley why he's taken up arms. He turns the question back on her: he's rented her a cabin, unbeknownst to the Council, where he wants her to stay until the baby's born. Nikki refuses to stop patrolling; she's set on the mission. Crowley insists that he'll cover, "...until you decide to give him to a family who can provide him with a better life."

We return to Spike and Dowling. Spike's teaching him about vampires, but says he's not ready for a nest, so they're going to wait in the alley until a zompire shows up. In the meantime, Dowling inquires about Spike's history with Buffy, which Spike is reluctant to divulge but then sums up in a few sentences, ending with "...and Buffy and I went our separate ways," after Dowling insists that a Slayer/vampire alliance is relevant to what they're doing.

Dowling asks if they're still ellipses, and Spike asks if he fancies her, adding that he'd be happy to see her with someone as un-supernatural as Dowling. Dowling's answer to this is that Buffy shouldn't date a cop, who tends to bring the "bad stuff" of his job home, and Spike points out how ridiculous that is in comparison to what Buffy's been through. "On second thought, you're the one I'd worry about."

Back to Buffy and Robin. She asks why Nikki didn't give him up for adoption, and he explains that she had set up walls inside herself and wouldn't allow any attachments to people until he was born. She couldn't give up what her baby gave her, but Robin points out, she didn't have to - she could have given up slaying instead. The scene cuts to Nikki in the hospital, with baby Robin in her arms, and Crowley standing at her bed. She says she doesn't want to go back, and Crowley says that she doesn't have to, and that he'll deal with the Council. He thinks she's earned her right to walk away for Robin's sake, and has even brought her passports and tickets. "When the doctors let you out of here, don't come back. Just leave. Be a family." Nikki's smiling at Robin.

Back in the present, Buffy asks Robin why Nikki came back. He says that when he was a baby, they moved around a bit, but she "got an itch" and soon they came back to New York, where she continued to patrol. Eventually he understood that it was because she was Chosen, like Buffy, and she wasn't strong enough to ignore the pull of her calling. Buffy asks why that would make him think that she should keep her own baby, and he says that she's a different person than his mother, and that she's capable of what she isn't, because she allows others to help her. As she gets into a car and buckles in, he tells her that if she decides to have the baby, not to do it by herself. "Don't worry. I won't," she says, smiling at him.

Spike and Dowling are still in the alley when Spike gets a text and asks Dowling for a lift; Buffy needs help. It's not zompires, she just wants to talk - so Dowling asks if he's going to talk to her about how he really feels. "You aren't over her." Spike denies it, but Dowling says that he's only saying that because he doesn't want to hurt her, and that Buffy can handle it.

Spike finds Buffy alone, soaking her feet in the pool. He asks if everything's okay, she asks how his ride along was. He says there's something he needs to tell her, and she asks if she can go first. "I want to do something. And I think it's going to be hard. So I was hoping you could help me." He accepts. She tells him she's going to have an abortion.

She explains that she thought she could do what Nikki couldn't, and stay away from slaying. She thought she had everything that Nikki didn't: "Dawn, Xander, Willow...you..." She was going to ask Spike to run away with her until she realized that she could barely hold onto a job or apartment. She thinks she can do the Slayer stuff, but she's not ready for everything else.

Both of them have tears in their eyes when she asks him if he'll come with her when she does this, but he says "Yeah" and offers her a hand up.

*

I suspected this when the early reviews talked about a cliffhanger at the end. I didn't and still don't really believe that she'll go through with it, but some of my irritation over the plot taking this turn has dissipated now that I've read the issue. There are a lot of ways this could be done disrespectfully, but on the whole, and considering that we all know what Whedon's personal feelings are, it wasn't.

A lot of that is thanks to Robin Wood. I'm not only elevating him to one of my current favorite characters; I'm going to start petitioning for an annual Robin Wood Appreciation Day. We'll probably never see him again. I wish this series had a face I could punch.

Recall that Buffy's history with Robin is not all that placid, and that he appears to be out of the game entirely and has had barely any contact with any of our major players in the last forty-eight issues. Yet when Buffy asks to talk to him about an extremely sensitive problem in her own life, he's there, he's honest, he's wise, and he gives her the most salient and accurate appraisal of her character that anyone in her life could: "When things get tough, you let people help." That's absolutely crucial to who she is, and he's absolutely right that it sets her apart from Nikki and gives her a fighting chance, not just in this but in anything.

Plus, he's just a great guy. Jeanty did a fantastic job with him, I think - it's been ages since I watched S7 but I could definitely feel the character in this portrayal. I love how solemn he looks throughout his arc. He's intelligent, able, and realistic, and he sticks to his convictions. It's not said outright that he (or Nikki) has a specific position on abortion, but that's appropriate for this situation: Buffy doesn't deal well with religious or sociopolitical stances. What she needs to hear is how this applies to her and her future, and get an outside perspective on whether this is a good time to trust her heart.

Which, incidentally? She wants the baby. I don't think there's even a question about that. All of her inquiries are about what kind of life the child would have, and when she finally decides against it, you can see her heart breaking. If nothing else, I'm glad we got that much out of this issue.

There's also the flashbacks. Nikki is amazing and in my opinion the reveal of what Buffy has that she lacks doesn't take away from that at all. She loves her baby and she loves her world, and if she finds she can't turn away from the one for the sake of the other, you know what? She's the only Slayer there is. Crowley might claim that he'll take care of everything, but he can't replace her and she knows it. Robin might have grown up resenting her, but as an adult, he's grateful. He knows how special she was. (Crowley knew too. What a super great fantastic Watcher.)

I might be imagining this to some degree, but I think there were some neat tricks of the art regarding Buffy and Nikki, too. Seeing them drawn in the same style and taking some of the same expressions really gave them a similarity in appearance, in spite of their obvious differences, that I wouldn't have expected. Something resonated about the respective background art, too. Nikki's wrist-deep in a fountain after fighting vampires, and at the end, Buffy's ankle-deep in the pool. Water symbolism?

This is the Dawn I loved and missed. So so glad that she was the first person that Buffy talked to, and that she's being so supportive. One has to wonder why Buffy would want Spike to go with her for the abortion rather than Dawn, though, and that might point to something a little surprising about Dawn's beliefs. We'll see.

Spike was...I guess he's kind of done with unpredictability? He still wants Buffy, he doesn't want to talk about it, he's there for her when she needs something. Shipper-wise, yeah, still not feeling very threatened. I'm glad she can so easily talk to him. He's very supportive in his usual blind way: note his automatic acceptance of her choice as compared to Robin's thoughtful analysis.

SPIKE: I'll tell Buffy how I feel. She can handle it. Buffy can handle anything.
BUFFY: I can't handle being a mother.
SPIKE: You're right.

There's going to be a lot of debate surrounding this issue, and I'm just going to note here that I will not be taking part in it. I'm happy to discuss everything in terms of the content and Buffy's character, but you have plenty of options for where to throw down your personal views on abortion; you don't need this one.


I have my copy of Buffy S9 # 6,"On Your Own Part I of II"

First of all,I loved all the Nikki and Crowley flashbacks.That was a real highlight of the issue for me.And it's interesting seeing another Watcher like Giles in a way who deeply cares for his slayer.As I mentioned with the preview pages,Nikki is interesting since sh'es more buy the book.

I also really liked all the Buffy and Robin scenes.I thought he gave good advice and I really like his interaction with Buffy,something I liked too in season 7.I really hope he shows up again this season and even better I would love to see him drop by Angel & Faith at some point too.

The Buffy Dawn stuff I thought was gold and really loved seeing her be there for Buffy.I'm sure Willow would be there too and her absense is felt in this situation.As for the choices of the daddy.

I guess if Buffy is throwing Spike as a possiblity due to the loss of magic re-writing the vampire rule book then anything I guess is possible and you can write it off as a mystical explanation.So fans speculating that Angel is the father somhow via the Buffy S8 # 34 sex have that loophole that Buffy speculated on(loss of magic changing the rules/mystical nature).If you create one loophole via loss of magic you can create any loophole to suit the story.That would be a big gotcha to pull.

The Buffy/Dawn talk does really make wonder if Buffy is aware of Connor since that's proof of a vampire conception via mystical means even before the loss of magic.It's happend once before.

And Buffy facing motherhood once again makes me really wish Connor would crossover to Buffy after Angel & Faith.I know Scott said that's not currently in the plans but damn,I wish that would change and happen.

I did notice that Xander wasn't mentioned by Buffy in her talk with Dawn.Pretty obvious why Buffy wouldn't say anything but that would be a gotcha too and a pretty destructive one for the Buffy/Dawn/Xander relationships.It would give Xander and Dawn a big storyline in relation to Buffy but at a pretty big cost to all three.

For me though,I'm still thinking the daddy is Buffy's mysterious shut in neigbor,Heinrich.That's still my pick

I'm really liking Dowling and I liked his dynamic with Spike.

As for the big cliffhanger ending.Abortion is a touchy subject for many.And I certainly don't want to get into the debate of pro or against.It's an understanble subject to bring up and I can see why that option is something Buffy would consider.Adoption is another considerationton.Something Buffy discusses with Robin.

But as far as abortion goes,It's a subject that deserves to be brought up as a consideration and not something you usually see in comic books But I really think this is just a cliffhanger ending and Buffy will change her mind,delay the decision or something will prevent it especially given solicitations for upcoming issues.Did it seem though that Buffy wanting to abort seems jarring/sudden given her last panel with Robin where he sees her off?

As for the Buffy and Spike interaction.I'm not a fan of the Buffy/Spike pairing and yes,that aspect of season 9,I'll admit,I'm not enjoying(two characters now trying to play matchmaker has shades of Fred and Lorne in season 3 of Angel with Angel/Cordelia IMO) but I'm glad Buffy has someone to be there for her at this time(once again,I'm glad Dawn is there too).

So we'll see how this plays out going forward.Good issue overall.

One final thing,something I saw someone else bring up on a forum.Has anybody noticed both Buffy and Angel & Faith are telling two sides of being a parent?

Buffy's book has Buffy dealing with becoming a mother and we learn more about Robin and his relationship with his mother.

Based off Georges Jeanty's tweets from a few weeks ago,Dru will be coming to Buffy after the, "Daddy Issues" arc in Angel & Faith.

So we'll probably have Spike dealing with his vampire mother in Dru coming up

While Angel & Faith has Faith coming up dealing with her father.Giles relationship to his father in the flashbacks.Angel dealing with his vampire daughter in Drusilla(So vampire father/daughter relationship with Angel/Dru and vampire mother/son relationship with Spike/Dru) and Angel will be dealing with his son,Connor at some point in the near future.

Buffy Season 9 theme = Parenthood?

Buffy = dealing with the mother aspects

Angel & Faith = dealing with the father aspects

Scott said that like season 8(Betrayal and Self Betrayal),he couldn't reveal the theme of season 9 at the start of the season because it would give too much away.Given the current and upcoming known info,

I do wonder if the theme of season 9 is Parenthood and what that means from the mother side in Buffy and the father side in Angel & Faith.And I think on the Angel & Faith side I think that extends to Angel being the father of Twilight which is a factor in that book still and some of the speculation/rumors about Giles role in that story.

[comic fan]

Big EW interview with Joss and Andrew Chambliss about Buffy S9 # 6.Some major stuff in it.

Buffy getting an abortion: Joss Whedon on the big decision -- EXCLUSIVE | Shelf Life | EW.com

'Buffy Season 9': Joss Whedon on why Buffy is getting [SPOILER] -- EXCLUSIVE

by Adam B. Vary



Any fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer can tell you that its titular heroine has faced her fair share of trials and turmoil that forced the young woman to make some very grown up decisions. But in the latest issue of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 comic series — which chronicles Buffy’s life in San Francisco after she destroyed the seed of all life on earth at the end of the Season 8 comic — Buffy Summers will face perhaps the toughest decision she’s ever had. SPOILER ALERT for those who would rather read about it in the issue itself, “On Your Own, Part 1,” out in stores today. Seriously, what you’re about to read is one heckuva spoiler:

Buffy is getting an abortion.

Last month’s issue, “Slayer, Interrupted,” ended with Buffy discovering she’s pregnant, and in this month’s issue (the sixth in the Season 9 series), she turns to the only person she knows what it means for a Slayer to have a child: Robin Wood (played by D.B. Woodside on the TV series), the grown son of the late Slayer Nikki Wood. By the end of the issue, Buffy comes to the conclusion that she cannot have a child. The decision was so important for Buffy creator and Season 9 exec producer Joss Whedon, that he took time off from finishing his post-production directing duties on The Avengers to talk exclusively with EW about the issue.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When and why did you decide that Buffy would become pregnant?
JOSS WHEDON: When I was first working out season 9, and deciding what it was about — deciding it was going to be about this period in her life, when she is surrounded by people who are getting their lives together, and she is still at this stage when she is completely in, as [the first issues] are titled, “Freefall.” She’s been freed from the responsibilities she’s had in season 8 and all through the TV show, but then has no idea who she is or what she’s doing. That early twentysomething search for identity, where you’re making the decisions that are going to eventually choose your path, [becoming pregnant] seemed to be a really important and not uncommon part of that period in your life.

Did you always know that she would be getting an abortion, or did you ever contemplate the notion that she would keep the baby?
No. I think strongly that teen pregnancy and young people having babies when they are not emotionally, financially, or otherwise equipped to take care of them, is kind of glorified in our media right now. You know, things like Secret Life [of an American Teenager] and Juno and Knocked Up, even if they pretend to deal with abortion, the movies don’t even say the word “abortion.” It’s something that over a third of American women are going to decide to have to do in their lives. But people are so terrified that no one will discuss the reality of it — not no one, but very few popular entertainments, even when they say they’re dealing with this issue, they don’t, and won’t. It’s frustrating to me.

I don’t think Buffy should have a baby. I don’t think Buffy can take care of a baby. I agree with Buffy. It’s a very difficult decision for her, but she made a decision that so many people make and it’s such a hot button issue with Planned Parenthood under constant threat and attack right now. A woman’s right to choose is under attack as much as it’s ever been, and that’s a terrible and dangerous thing for this country. I don’t usually get soap box-y with this, but the thing about Buffy is all she’s going through is what women go through, and what nobody making a speech, holding up a placard, or making a movie is willing to say.

Obviously, you couldn’t have known that Planned Parenthood would be so in the news when this issue of the comic was in the works, but I imagine you must have known this development would spark some strong debate?
Yeah, I suppose. But there’s nothing wrong with debate. I didn’t do it as a sensationalist move. I did it as what seemed like a natural part of Buffy’s life. And obviously there will be complications to the whole storyline that could only happen in the Buffyverse. But it’s not about what happens, it’s about that moment of decision, and just articulating what so many people are not saying, but so many are thinking.

Do you know who the father is?
I know everything about it, but will tell you nothing. Except, like I said, it’s going to end up being a storyline that is rooted in the Buffyverse. I’m not going to turn comic book into something other than what it is. The whole thing isn’t going to be, well, normal. There’s not going to be a lot of normal going on, but hopefully there’s a certain amount of relatable. We’re going to pursue what this storyline means, but not in a way people are going to expect.

Yeah, I can’t imagine this plotline is going to play out like an afterschool special or a Lifetime movie.
No.

But I did want to ask about the way she got pregnant — at the party in the first issue of Buffy Season 9, after Buffy became black-out drunk. Her behavior at that party has already bothered some fans, and to learn she got pregnant there, and doesn’t know by whom, will bother some fans even more, especially those who want Buffy to be, well, more responsible.
I think that first of all that they should wait until they have all the facts and they’ll learn stuff that they didn’t know before. They should find out what happened before they completely judge her. But at the same time, this is also about the time in your life when you do things that are irresponsible, or that you want to hold yourself to account for. She’s a person living her life, she’s not running for president — actually, I think those guys have a lot of sex. [Chuckles] She’s not living under a microscope. Well, she is, because we’re all watching her, be she doesn’t know that. And she’s going make some wrong decisions. I’m not going to turn it into a Season 6 wrong-decision-a-thon, but at the same time irresponsible and impulsive behavior may occur in your 20s. Consult a doctor.

Finally, what’s it been like to be off making fancy blockbusters and have the day-to-day-ness of this comic be more out of your hands than ever?
Well, it’s frustrating only in the sense that these stories are important to me, and I want to be a part of them. But I laid out the season very specifically with [writer] Andrew [Chambliss], and he’s done an amazing job of moving the story and keeping the voices [true]. And this particular issue, I was very watchful of. But in general, I know that when I walk away, they’re getting it done really well. That’s the good news. My only probably is that I wish I could be at the party more.

NEXT PAGE: Issue writer Andrew Chambliss on getting into Buffy’s head. PLUS, an exclusive excerpt from “On Your Own, Part 1″



ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When did you know Buffy would be getting pregnant?
ANDREW CHAMBLISS: That was something that Joss had always kind of set out from the beginning of conceiving season 9. It was definitely something we were building towards from day one. The first issue of the season where she’s got the crazy party and blacks out at it. It was always something Joss wanted to do. In the season, where we’re really trying to push Buffy back to dealing with real world issues that are getting in the way of her slaying, and also where she is in her life, it seems like this what we should make the core of the jumping off point for the season.

How did you come to that decision? The seasons have generally been marking posts for Buffy’s development in her life. Was it a big life moment Buffy was going to have to tackle?
Yeah, that was kind of the idea. Just looking at the intention of the season where magic has disappeared, and it’s kind of Buffy asking herself, “Do I have a life after slaying? I spend so much time saving the world and dealing with these huge supernatural things, what’s my life like if I have to deal with these real things?” Getting pregnant seems like one of the things Buffy can’t run away from, as easily as she can run away from a relationship or something like that.

What’s it like to have Joss hand you the reigns while he goes off to make big blockbuster movies?
It’s been an incredibly gratifying experience. I love Buffy. It’s part of the reason that I became interested in writing. It’s a lot of fun. I’d worked with Joss on Dollhouse, and there were Buffy alum [writing and working] on Dollhouse. Just to hear them talk about that world, part of me was always like, “I wish I could have been a part of that.” So getting that opportunity now is a dream come true.

What’s working relationship with Joss?
Before we started working on the season, Joss’ house had a big Buffy writers summit. A bunch of part Buffy writers came – [comic editor] Scott Allie and the Dark Horse team came down, Cristos Gage who’s writing on [spin-off comic] Angel and Faith came as well, and we just had a great brainstorming session, talking about all of the different things it would be cool to do in the season. Taking all of those ideas, Joss and I have had many email exchanges back and forth, and of course phone calls. He’s really involved in laying out the map of the season, and we’re going to take everything and then from there I just go in and do the more detailed work. Generally, it’s been sending him drafts over email, and he’ll weigh in along with Dark Horse.

Does he tweak any dialogue? “Xander would say it more this way?”
Generally he’s been focused more on the story issues, and when I’m writing I’m having episodes of Buffy on in the background to get the voices of the characters down. Joss’s impute is more the story side, making sure the arcs are on track. But yeah, he will throw out a line, because I’ve come to realize, Buffy, more than anything else Joss does, is so much Joss. He can nail that voice better than anyone else can.

At the writers summit, did abortion topic come up?
I don’t think we spoke too much about it there, but as we were getting issues in and approaching the pregnancy reveal, that’s when we started talking about what Buffy would do with that. Joss basically wanted to face it head on, and not shy away from it in any way. I think at the summit we might have come up with doing the Nikki Wood flashbacks to try to serve as a counterpoint to where Buffy is, because Nikki’s the only other slayer who has ever faced this issue.

I asked this of Joss too: You couldn’t have known that Planned Parenthood would be so in the news when this issue of the comic was in the works, but I imagine you must have known this development would spark some strong debate?
Yes, for sure. It’s not a topic that anyone takes lightly. There are such a wide spectrum of opinions, and we knew that there would be debate around it. I think the thing, when we were making the story, was to make sure we weren’t doing a story just for the sake of being controversial, or trying to get attention. It really is trying to go someplace that a girl in Buffy’s position would go, and the questions she’d have to ask herself.

So to borrow a line from the show, “Where do we go from here?” How far reaching will the ramifications be?
We’re not talking about it on a super-specific level just because I don’t want to spoil too much of the next couple of issues, but there’s definitely a huge anchor point for Buffy mentally going through the rest of the season. You think, what are the things in her life that are possible, and what are the things in her life that are difficult, both being the Slayer, but also being a twentysomething girl who has pretty much put her entire life on hold ever since she’s been in high school. Thinking about this as placing the seed of that question of making her realize, “Whoa, whoa, there are so many things I never thought about.” This is kind of the first thing.

What has your favorite thing to write?
I’ve got to say, Spike has become one of my favorite things to write. It kind of came as a surprise to me, but he’s such a complicated character, and in some ways can be so selfish, but in other ways he’s probably one of the most unselfish characters in the series. I think in issue 6, that’s kind of what it’s all about — Spike coming to the realization that he still harbors feelings for Buffy, but then realizing in order to be the person he wants to be for Buffy, he can’t even tell her that. That’s definitely been fun to play around with, with his feelings for her. Unrequited love is always more fun than requited love.


1)It sounds like Buffy is going to go through with the abortion.

2)Joss knows who the father is and the complications of the pregnancy plot and who the father is, is rooted in the Buffyverse.It's very comic booky and not normal but hopfully still relatable.

ETA

http://io9.com/5883462/buffy-tackles...r-life-forever

Buffy tackles a polarizing subject — that could change her life forever

The latest issue of the Buffy The Vampire Slayer comic book grapples with some unusually serious subject matter — even for the often-controversial Buffy series. But instead of glossing over the difficult decision making process that comes along with this topic, Joss Whedon and his writers dove into the mind of Buffy Summers.

Spoilers ahead...



In January we discovered that the the Chosen One was pregnant. And now it's time to for her to deal with that revelation. In the latest issue of the comic (out today) Buffy weighs the obligations of the Slayer versus the responsibilities of being a parent.



From the panels revealed today, Buffy is seen telling Spike (who many suspect is the father of the baby, although the true identity is unknown) that she is going to get an abortion

In an interview with USA Today executive producer (and Buffy creator) Joss Whedon explained the two most important details he wanted this issue had to convey were that this decision would be portrayed as a difficult one for Buffy, and that it would be handled with respect creatively:

"It's not something we would ever take lightly, because you can't. You don't ... It offends me that people who purport to be discussing a decision that is as crucial and painful as any a young woman has to make won't even say something that they think is going to make some people angry."



The last statement appears to ring true, since the comic shows a range of emotion from Buffy. As you can see in the dialog in this panel between Buffy and past character Robin, whose mother Nikki was also a Slayer. Nikki's decision to keep Robin meant that he's now a part of Buffy's world.

While we're still waiting to read the issue before sharing our thoughts on Buffy's decision, we agree with The Mary Sue that the actual illustration of the conversation and decision making process is a great thing. Especially as contrasted with the conversation in Twilight where an uber-aggressive Edward demands that Bella get an abortion — and when she refuses, she's ripped in half by the child inside of her and later saved by magic. Of course, we understand asking for realistic conversations in a supernatural world might seem silly, but at least the Buffy comic seems to be pulling it off, judging from these panels.

http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/0...aby-pregnancy/

Feb 8th 2012 By: Laura Hudson

SPOILERS: Buffy Makes a Very Big and Very Personal Decision in 'Buffy' #6



In Buffy the Vampire Slayer #6, on stands today, there are huge developments and huge decisions in store for the Buffy Summers, the heroine of the cult-favorite television show that has continued as a Dark Horse Comic book since its small screen finale. Consequently, huge spoilers follow.

Buffy Summers is pregnant. In the early pages of the issue, the Slayer confides the news to her younger sister, Dawn, who asks the obvious follow-up question: Who's the father? "I don't know," replies Buffy. She suspects that conception took place at her recent housewarming party, where she blacked out while drinking, and has no way of knowing who might be responsible.

The next question isn't posed directly by any of the characters, but it hangs over nearly every page in the comic: What will Buffy decide to do about the pregnancy? She is not only a single woman facing the prospect of having a child without the support of a partner, but also a Slayer who faces tremendous danger on a daily basis, and having a baby would not be a simple decision or a safe one. Buffy spends much of the issue working through the issue in conversations with her friends, and in the final pages of the comic, she reveals her decision: She is going to have an abortion.



It's a plot point that nonetheless seems tailor-made for controversy, and somewhat intentionally so. As Buffy series creator Joss Whedon told USA Today, he hopes the issue promote will honest discussion about a topic that is sometimes seen as too hot to touch. "It's not something we would ever take lightly, because you can't. You don't. It's not an easy thing for anyone," said Whedon. "...It offends me that people who purport to be discussing a decision that is as crucial and painful as any a young woman has to make won't even say something that they think is going to make some people angry."

While abortion is one of the most politicized issues in our culture, and one of the most divisive, on a human level it is also one of the most personal. Buffy's situation is one that millions of women across the country face every year; while the rate of teenage pregnancy is now at its lowest level since 1972, a recent study indicated that nearly half of the 6.7 million U.S. pregnancies in 2006 were unplanned, and of those, more than four in ten ended in abortion.

Although Buffy has her own unique set of circumstances -- she slays vampires! -- many of the concerns that inform her decision are precisely the factors that so many women face: financial difficulties, the absence of a supportive partner, lack of stability and uncertainty about the future.

"Given the specifics of Buffy's life at this point in the season --- facing a new kind of vampire threat, barely able to keep a job -- it seemed like it would be dishonest for Buffy to not at least entertain the question of whether she should keep or end the pregnancy," added series writer Andrew Chambliss.



Both the pregnancy and the decision to end it are huge developments for the character, but ones that seem natural in the context of the larger series. The core metaphor of Buffy, at least initially, was that high school is hell, and that surviving it is a battle. The personal struggles of the characters were always at the heart of the action, and the literal demons that Buffy were never as important as the metaphorical ones.

That was always part of the appeal of Buffy; we got to see this incredible girl -- and later woman -- punch vampires through walls with super-strength, but we also got see her burst into tears when a boy she liked blew her off the morning after they slept together. She was always allowed to be both strong and vulnerable, to make mistakes or struggle, and to still be a hero. In short, she was far more human than she was superhuman, and that's what made the character and the series resonate with so many people.

Over the years we've watched her lose her virginity under tragic circumstances, get her heart broken, find her mother's body after her death from a brain aneursym, take legal guardianship of her younger sister, start a dark, quasi-abusive sexual relationship with someone she hates, and drop out of school in dire financial circumstances to work soul-crushing night shifts at a fast food restaurant.

It hasn't always been easy, neat, or pretty, and Buffy's decision to have an abortion -- and to really deal with it in adult terms as a complex, difficult decision -- makes the comic book feel more congruent with the original television series than it has in years, and takes an honest look at a difficult situation that has no simple answers.


http://www.comicbookresources.com/?p...review&id=4433

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #6

by Kelly Thompson, Reviewer

"Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season Nine" #6 is a bold comic. Full stop.

The people in charge of this book -- creators, editors and behind-the-scenes puppet masters (that's you, Joss Whedon) -- deserve huge credit for tackling the sensitive and controversial subject of abortion with unflinching honesty and realism. Like many fans, I worried when Buffy was revealed to be pregnant in last month's issue. I worried that the creators would avoid the potentially polarizing "A-word" as even an option. Instead, they did exactly the opposite, attacking the topic head on and devoting an entire issue to Buffy considering all her options, including abortion.

By the end of this issue, Buffy decides to get an abortion. Whether she actually will remains to be seen (many women change their minds between making the initial decision and seeing it through). The interesting part of the story is not the decision she ultimately made, or the paternity, which remains unknown, but why she made the decision she did. Though her Slayer lifestyle is an obvious reason for Buffy to be hesitant about having a child (and she gives much weight to this consideration), in the end, Buffy decides she's not ready because the woman part of her, not the slayer part of her, is not yet ready for motherhood.

Buffy takes a hard look at her life in this issue, even the arguably normal parts, and realizes it's a mess. She lives with roommates (who want her to move out), has an unstable low paying job (that I seriously doubt comes with health care) and not much of a future plan beyond "slayer". In short, she's still figuring out who she is, what she should be doing and where she should be headed. Buffy's decision is a considered and adult one, one she does not make lightly and one the story does not judge her for. Regardless of anyone's personal feelings on abortion, it would have been a huge betrayal of the character and of the powerful feminist icon she has become not to address it. Her decision is handled smartly and respectfully and with exactly the right tone. As a result, this is a comic that makes me proud to be a fan of the character and the Buffyverse at large.

So why isn't this a five-star comic book? Primarily because Buffy's story is intercut with a flashback story of Nikki Wood, the only slayer we know of that's had a child, Buffy's friend and ally Robin Wood. Nikki's story makes a natural parallel with Buffy's situation, but it's not well handled on the whole and comes off feeling like an after school special. It's easy to understand why the creative team wanted to use the story to offset a largely talking heads issue, but the angle is tired, playing on cliché without subverting it. For such a bold issue in so many other ways, the use of Nikki feels obvious and banal in comparison.

Regardless of that misstep, "Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season Nine" #6 is a comic to be reckoned with. If the creative team can continue to be this true to Whedon's characters, we're in for a run of powerful stories, indeed.


ETA 2

Preview panel for Buffy S9 # 7 from Scott Allie.

http://slayalive.com/showthread.php/...s-Nexus/page63

I loved this panel the minute georges penciled it. I took the version from the comic and brightened it.
S





Larger version here.

http://zamolxis.tumblr.com/post/1731...icon-and-asked

[comic fan]

Added bit to the Buffy S9 # 9 sollictiation.

Newsarama.com : Dark Horse Comics' MAY 2012 Solicitations

• Executive produced by Joss Whedon!
Slayer vs. Slayer vs. Slayer!

[comic fan]

Buffyfest interviews Scott Allie on Buffy S9 # 6

Buffyfest: (SPOILERS) Exclusive - Scott Allie talks Buffy Season 9 #6

Monday, February 13, 2012

(SPOILERS) Exclusive - Scott Allie talks Buffy Season 9 #6



So Buffy Season 9 #6 happened. It got a bit of a reaction aka tons of major media outlets were all over it. That's both good and bad. It's great to see our girl in the limelight, but it's hard to swallow how politicized what's happening with her has gotten.

If you didn't know, the end of the most recent comic concluded with Buffy telling Spike she was getting an abortion and that she wanted him to be there for her when she did it. Abortion is a topic not often genuinely dealt with in popular media, so there's been a very strong reaction from both fans and creators now that this part of the story is out in the world.

We reached out to Scott Allie to see how he feels about the big questions floating out there. Here's what he had to say.

BUFFYFEST: Scott Allie, who the frick is the father??

SCOTT ALLIE: All will be revealed soon ... Pretty soon.

BF: In terms of Buffy's controversial decision to have an abortion, there has been surprisingly less backlash than we expected. But in terms of "backlash" or "polarization" how do you feel about people saying they wish Buffy showed her usual strength they've come to expect and decide to keep the baby or give it up for adoption?

SA: I understand people having that feeling. I don't think I've actually heard anyone say it quite like that, but I'm sure it's out there. I think she showed a lot of strength in making the decision to have an abortion. I don't think this is an easy decision for any one. Whichever way you go with this issue, a person making their own decision about such a huge question reveals strength of character.

BF: In TV history, abortion story lines are pretty rare. Joss has stated it's frustrating to be held back in that way, do you agree from a writing standpoint?

SA: Stories are about characters making choices. Drama comes from characters making decisions that define them. Willow made decisions to slip more deeply into the world of magic, even when there were clearly self-destructive aspects to it, and that allowed Joss and his crew to explore ideas about addiction. Stories need to be able to tackle any choices that characters are faced with in their lives, and this is a big one.

BF: The comic industry seems to be a bit more willing to delve into hot topics. Do you think it's easier to handle Buffy's situation in a comic? Or are retailers as touchy about abortion as networks seem to be?

SA: Oh yeah, definitely easier in comics. It's hard to broach this stuff under any circumstances, I did worry about retailers. The book came out on Wednesday and on Thursday I flew to Texas for a big retailer conference. But I got no negative feedback from the retailers. They remain ver supportive of Buffy and of Joss. Whatever the case, these aren't easy stories to tell, but one of the things I love about comics is that we can tackle this sort of thing without the kind of interference we'd get if we were a TV show. We don't have to worry about our advertisers yanking their support, or the corporate entity coming down on us.

BF: Any resistance from FOX?

SA: Oh, right. No. None at all. Fox is a great partner for us on this stuff. They give Joss a lot of room to do his thing. No grief about Satsu, no grief about this.



BF: How do you feel about comments accusing Joss and Dark Horse of simply bringing this whole subject up as a PR stunt?

SA: That's ridiculous. When the pregnancy was first revealed in #5, I saw someone post a comment that maybe Buffy would decide to get an abortion, and another reader said, "No, Dark Horse and Joss would never do that unless they want to sacrifice their cash cow," which I think refers to the divisiveness of the issue. Critics are better off accusing us of being political, to the potential detriment of PR. However, I don't think Buffy's choice is a political one, it should not be a political one, but a completely personal one. Unfortunately we live in a world where this very personal thing is heavily politicized. It shouldn't be. These are very personal, human matters, and that's exactly the stuff that artists should always be free to explore in their stories, without being accused of being partisan or some frigging thing. We didn't bring this up as a PR stunt. We brought it up because we care about the question, the difficulty of it, just like we care about friendship and gender and individual personal empowerment, and all these other human conflicts.

BF: Buffy's decision seems to have come at a really interesting time with the Planned Parenthood controversy last week. Were you surprised by the timing?

SA: Yeah, that was a big thing. That was surprising. I wish Planned Parenthood didn't have the problems they have. We live in a crazy world where people kill doctors, try to shame vulnerable young women, seek to block health care.

BF: Besides Sierra Hahn, you are pretty much a boy's club over there. Was it intimidating to take on an issue that affects women first?

SA: Dark Horse has the best mix of men and women of any editorial staff in comics, something I'm very happy to be a part of, something I've put some effort into. We have seven women and eleven guys, which is probably a more balanced ratio than we'd see in our readership, so I think it's pretty good. We have women in key positions throughout the company, and it informs what we publish and how we publish it. Robert E Howard's stuff is generally thought of as pretty sexist, so I thought it was interesting to assign his Kull series to Sierra, one of the strongest women I know. Diana Schutz is handling all the Milo Manara material we're publishing, including the erotica series. When we were doing Green River Killer, I gave that to Sierra, and her point of view affected how some of the potentially exploitive content was handled. Freddye, Sierra, Rachel, all our female editorial, management, and marketing staff inform the vision that we present to the world. Compared to other entertainment companies we do a good job in terms of representing a balanced perspective. Was it intimidating to take on this issue? Would it have been nice to yank Jane Espenson in for an issue? I can see that, but Andrew knocked it out of the park, Joss had a heavier hand on this script than the last few. And as far as Georges goes, no one can convey so much behind Buffy's slightly furrowed brow than him. I believe this crew is coming from solid ground in terms of presenting Buffy to the world.

BF: Where do other characters stand on the issue of abortion? Is anyone anti-abortion? How will Xander feel?

SA: Um, on the one hand, that's not entirely what the story is about, on the other, I want to leave that to the story.

BF: Are we to assume that Buffy doesn't know about Connor's existence? It's suggested in the issue that she's pretty much written off the possibility of a "Vamp Daddy" in any instance other than the breaking of the seed. So does she STILL not know that it's happened before?

SA: She knows about Connor. I've had some questions about that—all the tricks of false memories and erased memories and all that from the course of the show ... for expedience, we're proceeding as though the characters have had off-panel conversations sharing general info like that. I would not want Season 9 to be about something that was concealed three seasons ago—it would distract from the forward motion of the story. I think it's pretty reasonable to assume these conversations have taken place. I know some people think that's lazy, or that we're skipping over potentially dramatic scenes, but we think this is the right way to go.



BF: In fact, there is no mention of Angel at all in this issue. We know Buffy considers Spike as a possible father, should she even be considering Angel as a possibility at this point?

SA: Gotta leave that for now.

BF: Could Buffy be lying about knowing who the father is given that she was talking to Dawn at the time and Xander was uncharacteristically absent all issue?

SA: That's a possibility.

BF: Buffy's pregnant and Angel's book is dealing with "Daddy Issues". Is it a coincidence that both titles are dealing with the issue of parenting right now?

SA: One of the most important things a person does in their twenties is to define themselves as an adult. In your teens, you rebel against your parents in certain ways, but in your twenties you have to define what sort of adult you're going to be, and often that's in terms of your parents. Are you going to become your parents, or are you going to become their opposite—or where in the middle do you fall? There's a concept called First Saturn Returns—Buffy is a little bit young to be there, but it relates to what she's going through, what Faith is going through, and it calls the idea of parenthood and one's own parents into the conversation.

BF: You're now writing the next arc, are you excited or nervous to tackle the aftermath of this decision?

SA: Both. Andrew had the hard part, though. No, we both have tough jobs ...

BF: Any other comments you'd like to add?

SA: I want to thank the readers who've supported the book over the years. And I want to thank everyone who's given us really great support with the latest issues. To everyone upset about it, I understand where you're coming from, I know this is a deeply personal thing, and I'm sorry if Buffy's decision alienates anyone. I respect where everyone's coming from, and that there are many ways to see this thing, not just two, not just the one from which those of us working on the comic come from. But that's why it's worthwhile story material, appropriate subject matter for a book like this. It's something that will and must be addressed at all kinds of levels in the culture. This is considered a political issue because of the legislative battle. But abortion it's not only a political question. It's a personal one, and so I'm glad that I work with Joss, and that he wanted to put this out there in this way. It's an honor to be a part of it. Every once in a while I feel like what I'm doing is worthwhile and taking some responsibility for the world I live in, and very often it's working on Joss's stuff that gives me that feeling.


1)We're going to find out who the father is very soon.

2)Scott doesn't want to the story to become how every character feels about the pregnancy/abortion subject.But he does back off on answering how Xander will feel and wants to leave that to the story.

3)Buffy knows about Connor.Buffy learned of Connor off-screen at some point.

4)When asked about Angel possibly being the father(since Buffy considered Spike as a possibility),Scott seems to leave that door open with his refusial to answer that question.

5)It's possible Buffy knows who the father is.The question is brought up in relation to Buffy leaving Xander out as a possiblity when talking to Dawn.

[comic fan]

CBR's Behind Buffy Season 9 #6 With Andrew Chambliss.

BEHIND BUFFY SEASON 9: Andrew Chambliss Discusses Buffy's Choice - Comic Book Resources

BEHIND BUFFY SEASON 9: Andrew Chambliss Discusses Buffy's Choice

With Buffy Summers' life taking new and unexpected turns in the wake of a positive pregnancy test, writer Andrew Chambliss takes us once again BEHIND BUFFY SEASON 9 for a discussion of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" #6.

by Shaun Manning, Staff Writer


Andrew Chambliss returns for BEHIND BUFFY SEASON 9 to discuss controversy and conversation over issue #6

This interview contains major spoilers for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9" #6, on sale now.

Joss Whedon and the team behind "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9" don't do anything by half measures. Following the surprising last-page reveal in issue #5 that Buffy is pregnant -- and further courting controversy by indicating that the father's identity is unknown, due to the Slayer's drunken blackout in issue #1 -- last week's "Buffy Season 9" #6 saw the indomitable heroine dealing with the fallout. After crying on Dawn's shoulder and consulting Robin Wood -- Season 7 ally and son of previous Slayer Nikki Wood, whom Spike killed -- Buffy makes a fateful decision about her future. She decides to have an abortion.

And with that, Comic Book Resources takes you once again BEHIND BUFFY SEASON 9 for another chat with series writer Andrew Chambliss, who spoke with us about what this issue is, what it isn't and what fans on both sides of the abortion debate can take away from the story.

CBR News: After the revelation of Buffy's pregnancy last issue, fans expected the issue of abortion to come up. But there are a lot of ways this could have gone down -- what was the thought behind sending the story down this avenue?

Andrew Chambliss: When Joss and I were talking about how to handle Buffy's pregnancy, we knew Buffy -- given the unstable nature of her present life -- would have to seriously consider abortion as an option. But we didn't want it to be an easy answer. We really wanted to have a story that was about Buffy making the decision. Weighing all the options. Both on a practical level and on an emotional level. To say that this isn't something anyone decides easily or on a whim. It requires some deep soul searching and introspection. The idea was to try and take readers along with Buffy on that journey -- have them be with her while she asked the tough questions -- and, at the very least, understand why she made the decision she did.

You have to know, of course, that you're stepping into a cultural-political whirlwind by having Buffy make this decision, whether or not she ultimately follows through. Is there a risk of permanently alienating fans with a strong anti-abortion belief?

Sure, there's always a risk. But Joss and I really talked about approaching this story in a way that dealt with Buffy's decision on a personal level, something that was organic to her character's journey this season. It's not meant to be a polemic, but rather a story that can put readers inside Buffy's head as she makes the decision.

However it plays out (and yeah, I'm going to play this close to the vest) -- Buffy has been forced to examine her life under a microscope. She may be a Slayer who has saved the world countless times. She may be a total badass when it comes to slaying zompires. But she's now got to face the fact that there are some fundamental areas of her life that she's ignored for too long. Her decision has really highlighted the fact that she can barely support herself, that she's never really thought about building a future for herself that doesn't involve slaying, and that she really has no idea what she wants out of life. All these thoughts are kind of inescapable for Buffy at the moment, and going forward, they're definitely going to be a major driving force in the series.

Part of why fans reacted so strongly to the pregnancy itself was the character's relatability, that we have a sense that Buffy, for all her Slayer-ness, is "like us" -- and some fans thought she should not have got herself into this situation, where she doesn't know who the father is. Is there an opportunity here, though, to humanize and personalize the decision for those who see it as a black-and-white issue?

I think it's understandable that people who relate to Buffy would, at first blush, say she would never have gotten herself into her current situation. But I think that's the point. I don't think Buffy ever thought she'd be facing what she is right now. I don't think anyone expects to find themselves pregnant, not sure who the father is -- but life happens, and we have to face unexpected challenges. Buffy was just as shocked and surprised at the positive pregnancy test as a lot of the fans were, and I think it can humanize her situation in a way that makes it seem less black-and-white.

The first person that Buffy tells about her pregnancy -- at least that we see -- is Dawn. This would be a natural choice, of course, but what sort of perspective is Buffy looking for from her sister?

I don't think Buffy's going to Dawn expecting to get an answer from her -- or any advice at all. After all, Dawn hasn't faced anything like this before. She's going to her sister some non-judgmental comfort and to be able to say out loud all the things that would be too scary and lonely to think about by herself.

Buffy spends a lot of time in this issue speaking with Robin Wood, and we see some flashbacks about his mother, the Slayer Nikki Wood, and the decisions she made. How does their discussion ultimately lead Buffy to her choice?

NIkki's story serves as a good counterpoint to Buffy's situation. She's the only Slayer Buffy knows who has tried to raise a child and slay at the same time, and Buffy sees how she could fix the mistakes that Nikki made as a mother. But ultimately Nikki's story really only tells Buffy how to handle the Slayer part of being a mom. The genre stuff. The answers Buffy doesn't get from her talk with Robin is how to handle everything else -- all the practical, real world things that haven't even entered Buffy's head yet -- all things that ultimately lead Buffy to make her decision.

Spike's reaction to the news and Buffy's decision is both shocking and touching -- it's very subdued. It's a great scene. Take us inside Spike's head for a minute. Given what Buffy means to him, that she's trusting him with this, and the one-two punch of what she's saying, what's going through Spike's mind?

Spike enters the scene prepared to tell Buffy he's harboring feelings for her so he's completely blindsided by the mere fact that Buffy's pregnant. What I like about Spike in this scene is that he just listens -- he doesn't try to tell Buffy what to do, what's best for her, or even ask who the father is. He knows this can't be a decision that Buffy came to easily so he's just there for her. And that's exactly what Buffy needs at the moment.

Given this comic's ability to stoke conversation, what do you hope people take away from this issue?

Well, first off -- conversation! The more people think, the better. There's been a tremendous amount of debate on the message boards, and that kind of back-and-forth is a good thing to see all sorts of perspectives. But, secondly, I hope people spend some time trying to put themselves in Buffy's shoes and think about what it must be like to be her age, facing an unexpected pregnancy, all alone, and simply ask themselves -- what would I do?

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9" #6 is in stores now.

[comic fan]

First Advanced review for Angel & Faith # 7.

Review - Angel & Faith #7 Daddy Issues Part Two | BAMFAS.com :: Entertainment*Gaming^Food-Music+Life

Review – Angel & Faith #7 Daddy Issues Part Two

By Jenny– February 19, 2012



Script: Christos Gage
Art: Rebekah Isaacs
Colors: Dan Jackson
Cover: Steve Morris
Alternate Cover: Rebekah Isaacs with Dan Jackson
Executive Producer: Joss Whedon
Published By: Dark Horse

With the nutty and always entertaining Drusilla (Mother Superior) back in London, we begin this issue with a mini flashback showcasing some of the evil Angelus did to Dru which would eventually cause her to become who she is today. Even though we are told nothing new in the flashback, I always love to see them because they do a really good job reminding us of what Angel used to be. This flashback also has another familiar face in it as an added bonus! Back to present day, where Angel and Dru are getting…reacquainted? More to the point, a changed Dru is getting into Angel’s head (which only seems fair considering their past) while Angel tries to figure out how and why this has happened. Dru explains that she has decided to take a page out of Angel’s book and start “helping the helpless”, but of course, she is doing this in only the way Drusilla would.

We also see that Faith has a surprise of her own. Her father has come to town and has hopes of reconnecting with his estranged daughter. However, Faith is none too happy about this and essentially blows him off. Despite the fact that Angel’s hands are full with the wackiness that is Drusilla, he persuades Faith to give her dad a chance (again) but will this be the relationship that she hopes for?

This issue was excellent from start to finish. Anything involving Drusilla is always entertaining. The new Dru is very different from any Dru we have ever seen in the past. Faith’s Dad’s storyline also looks like it’s going to be a very interesting one and it will be great to see where it will go and how Faith will deal with the many potential outcomes. The art is fabulous as always, Rebekah Isaacs captures Dru perfectly. With both Angel and Faith dealing with demons (both figuratively and literally) from their past, this could be a really amazing story arc!

Release Date: February 29th, 2012

[comic fan]

Second advanced review for this week's Angel & Faitn # 7.It confirms some things so spoilers.

Comic Review of Angel and Faith: Daddy Issues, Part Two | Toonari Post - A News Mash Up!

Comic Review of Angel and Faith: Daddy Issues, Part Two

Parents lie, and parents regret. This is a fundamental concept that takes on new meaning in Angel and Faith- Daddy Issues, Part Two. Feeling emotion both positive and negative is the driving force between the first and second part of Daddy Issues. In the first part of the issue, readers saw the surprising twist at the end where Druscilla, Angel’s Daughter, enters the picture.

The London crime fighters not only have to deal with Druscilla, who can think normally, but also with Faith’s father, who just dropped into the picture as well. Now, we will see what new tricks and treats lie beneath the surface of Daddy Issues, Part Two.

From the mind of Joss Whedon, this Angel and Faith comic is also excellently scripted by Christos Gage, who delves into an expected treachery, which hurts that much more, in a parent and child relationship. The art, and one of the Variant Covers, is done by Rebekah Isaacs, while Dan Jackson handled the colors excellently. As with part one, Richard Starkings did the lettering with help of Jimmy Betancourt from Comicraft. Steve Morris was responsible for the primary cover.

Often forgotten, the father of Faith, George Patrick Lehane, was an alcoholic as well as afraid of his daughter. He expressed concerns that he had been hallucinating due to D.T.S, which indicates that he might have suffered alcohol-withdrawal related ‘Delirium Tremens’ also known as ‘the shakes’.

He shows improvement with battling alcohol and is even calling Faith pet names that she does not hate. This gives the reader welcome insight into her past, her disbelief at his sobriety as well as the desperate welcome hug that she gives him. Now, if only his entire story was not just a trick, Faith would have less daddy issues of her own.

Druscilla, a beautiful and elegant woman, possessed a purity of evil so dark that only talking to her could reveal her true nature. She is powerful, not because she is stronger than Angel, but because she is unpredictable. Her power to see into the future has led her to find Angel again. She recognizes in him parts of his past that bring Angel shame and wants to help him return to his former guilt-free self. Her control of the Lorophage Demon has given her, not only an occult following, but also returned a semblance of sanity to her broken mind.

Angel laments the pain of his past dealings with Druscilla in his role as both the killer of her entire world and as the Vampire who sired her. He knows that he broke her mind and her spirit, then raised her into an immortal vampire. He alone takes the blame for unleashing her special brand of insanity against the world, having once called her his ‘Masterpiece’.

In London, the city that has haunted him after many years, he is confronted by the deeds of his past on a constant basis, shaping both him and the story.

The city of London itself is ever present in his memories with brief flashes of Angel’s history in his Angelus persona, with Darla and Druscilla’s history playing out along side his own. In these memories, Angelus is seen systematically removing every solid support within Druscilla’s life, everything from religious faith to family is gone.

Flash forward to reality for Angel, as he visits the site where he destroyed Druscilla’s family, and the reader is confronted by the insane vampire herself. Here, in her home, she tries to do her version of good and remove Angel’s guilt.

Through all this, fans find out that there are indeed multiple parts to Angel’s growing personality as he evidently exhibits small traits from Rupert Giles. Sharp-eyed readers will recall past issues of Angel and Faith where Angel, a supreme predator, sports glasses and asks for a spot of tea. Much of Part Two is spent exploring the issues regarding Angelus’ masterpiece gone wrong and Faith’s similarly treacherous father.

The next issue is sure to push the series forward as the true reason for George Lehane’s appearance is revealed, and the soul fragments of Giles inhabiting Angel’s body shape the series in new and unexpected ways. The Angel and Faith series, as a whole, makes the reader really think about the characters as people instead of as abstract characters, giving them depth, life, and real responsibilities.

Daddy Issues, Part Two continues to delve deeper into the past of both of the leading characters, proving that as we grow older, sometimes parents need help, too, despite the issues we have with them.

Overall Score: 4/5


1)It seems the Lorophage Demon is the reason Dru is sane now.

2)Confirmation of soul fragments of Giles inhabiting Angel as the reason for Angel's more Giles like behavior(the glasses, tea and being able to invite Harmony in).

ETA

Preview pages for the Buffy FCBD Issue.

http://www.freecomicbookday.com/Home...emID=STK459375



Publisher: DARK HORSE

(W) Andrew Chambliss, Felicia Day (A) Jonathan Case, Dexter Vines (CA) Georges Jeanty & Various

(W) Andrew Chambliss, Felicia Day
(A) Georges Jeanty, Jonathan Case, Dexter Vines

Buffy has never needed a vacation so badly as she does now - with the world overrun with zompires and other fallout from Season 8. Luckily, Spike has got the perfect solution: a "spacecation"!

Having lost their regular real-life meeting place, the Guildies are having a little trouble finding a new location they can all agree on. A little in-game battle becomes the deciding factor, and the circle follows the decree of the winner: the beach?!


There's a download link for the preview page's pdf at the site in the above link.

They're definitely aping Alien in the opening pages.That first panel is directly lifed from Alien as well as the bug silhouette looking like the xenomorph.

Looks like we've got a zompire space bug.

ETA 2

Covers and solictiation for Buffy S9 # 10.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?p...ticle&id=37215

FIRST LOOK: "Buffy Season 9," "Ragemoor," "Conan the Barbarian" Covers

Dark Horse has provided CBR with an exclusive First Look at Michelle Madsen's cover for "Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 9" #10, Richard Corben's cover for "Ragemoor" #4 and Massimo Carnevale's cover for "Conan The Barbarian" #5.

Earlier this month, Dark Horse Editor Scott Allie spoke to the long-term goals of "Buffy Season 9," teasing the future developments for the vampire slayer.

"With this current storyline with Buffy discovering her pregnancy, we're exploring a young woman who thought the fate of the world was resting on her shoulders -- and maybe it actually did -- and taking it her story back to human issues but some of the biggest issues anyone can face," Allie told CBR News. "We want to have a good action adventure, pot-boiler, sci-fi story rolling out because that's what 'Buffy' is. But we also really want to make it about her as a young woman -- a human person finding herself and redefining herself. So splitting the focus between what's happening with the zompires and the cops and what's going on with her personally is a tough balancing act, but I think everybody from Joss to [series writer] Andrew [Chambliss] to me and Sierra [Hahn, my assistant] all understand what purpose the whole story is serving."

Check out the covers and solicits below.


Michelle Madsen's cover for "Buffy Season 9" #10

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SEASON 9 #10
Andrew Chambliss (W), Scott Allie (W), Cliff Richards (P), Andy Owens (I), Michelle Madsen (C), Phil Noto (Cover), and Georges Jeanty (Variant cover)
On sale June 13
FC, 32 pages
$2.99
Ongoing

While Buffy is undertaking an away mission with Spike and Andrew, the SFPD is starting to really feel the effect of the rapid zompire population growth . . . With Buffy out of town, as the only Scoobies in the vicinity, Xander and Dawn have been approached for guidance. Buffy needs to get herself back together and home to SF quick, but facing Slayer Simone and her unexpected ally is going to make it a rough job!

Zompires attack the SFPD!
Executive produced by Joss Whedon!


Point Man at BF assembled the floaty sentences.

http://www.buffyforums.net/forums/sh...ad.php?t=18588

Only you could lose your own body
Why don’t you own a car?
You can’t even pour a decent cup of coffe
You’re crashing on a ship with giant cockroaches
Even Spike deserves better than you
Anaheed and Tumble are looking for a new roomie
You drove Willow away
Where’s Willow?
Spike’s bugs are grossed out by you
Do you even have money to pay the rent?
When was the last time Xander and Dawn wanted to see you?
You couldn’t even keep the scoobies together
Are you really going to wear that?
I’m surprised Root hasn’t fired you yet
We’d be better off if Severin had syphoned your slayer power
It’s your fault Zompires exist
I have no idea why Spikes acting so piney over you
You can’t throw a party without blacking out
Poor collector demon probably lost his job because of you
You live with someone named Tumble?
Those college loans aren’t going to pay themselves


Here's the Jeanty cover for Buffy S9 # 10 at Newsarama

http://www.newsarama.com/php/multime...id=4067&page=3



It's a homage to Crisis on Infinite Earths # 7 which was The Death Of Supergirl.



Also the solicitation and Rebekah Isaacs cover for Angel & Faith # 11 is at Newsarama too.

http://www.newsarama.com/php/multime...id=4067&page=2



Angel & Faith #11 (Variant)
Christos Gage (W), Rebekah Isaacs (A/Variant cover), Dan Jackson (C), and Steve Morris (Cover)
On sale June 27
FC, 32 pages
$2.99
Ongoing

When yet another unexpected visitor shows up on Faith and Angel’s doorstep, the pair are pulled into a quest that has the potential to give Angel everything he’s been looking for—you know, if they succeed and survive.

• First issue in a new arc!
• Executive produced by Joss Whedon!
• Angel returns to Los Angeles!