[comic fan]

Angel & Faith # 23 comes out tomorrow/tonight and we finally have some preview pages.

Preview :: Dark Horse Comics

[comic fan]

Leyki's spoilerish review of Angel & Faith # 23.

https://leykimayri.wordpress.com/201...u-need-part-3/

The big things that happen in it sounds like are Nadira is killed by Nash helping Angel & Faith and they aren't able stop the baddies from releasing the virus on London.

ETA

Preview pages for Buffy # 23.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?p...eview&id=17045

EXCL. PREVIEW: Chambliss & Jeanty's "Buffy Season 9" #23

Courtesy of Dark Horse, CBR presents an exclusive preview of Andrew Chambliss & Georges Jeanty's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9" #23. On July 10, Buffy will stop at nothing to save Dawn's life.



Dawn’s life hangs in the balance, and Buffy will stop at nothing to save her little sis. Willow, Xander, and Buffy reunite to save the girl they love and begin a journey that reveals betrayal amongst the ranks as they descend into the mysterious Deeper Well, former home of Illyria and many powerful Old Ones.









ETA 2

I have my copy of Angel & Faith #23.Part III of "What You Want,Not What You Need."

I would compare this issue a bit to this month's Buffy # 22.Both were heavy action oriented fight issues but Angel & Faith # 23 worked better for me.I think because I'm more emotionally involved in the Angel & Faith story than what's going on in Buffy.This had some very strong character beats in between the fighting IMO.The showdown with Angel and Whistler,.Nadira entering the fray with Faith's thoughts on it..Not to say that Xander's arc and the emotion of Dawn's plight aren't interesting too but it feels like there more at stake here than in Buffy and Whistler just makes a better big bad I still think than Severin and Simone(I don't consider Pearl and Nash big bads.They're the little bads IMO).The showdown between Angel and Whistler had weight for me given their history and Whistler's goals on basically completing what Angel didn't as Twilight last season.

I also enjoyed the little bits with Giles,his aunts and Alasdair but hope they have a larger role next issue.

As for Nadira,I think most saw her death coming and while I guess there's always hope she survived and it will be seen next isuse.It does not look good.I really did like the character and would love to see her continue on.She acted as another side to the Holtz,Robin Wood triangle in a way.

In regards to the cliffhanger,well it looks like the badies partially succeeded in their plans so far.We'll have to see if this is reversed somehow or spreads farther.

I will say again that I'm not a fan of the idea of a time reversal as has been speculated lately.Not after basically just doing that sort of thing in After The Fall and I wasn't a fan of it than either but will allow that it was handled probably the best it could be.

Even though they said there would be no more crossovers this season,I'm still curious about how what's happening here with magic would impact what's going on with Dawn over in Buffy.

Good issue.

[comic fan]

SDCC13 Panels announced.

Friday Programs | Comic-Con International: San Diego

Friday July 18,2013

3:30pm - 4:30pm Room 26AB

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Delving into Season 8 and 9 with Series Artist Georges Jeanty

Comic-Con special guest Georges Jeanty takes you on an intimate journey through the life of the Scoobys as they continued on seasons 8 and 9 of the cult hit show. Anyone interested in Buffy, this panel is for you! Georges will be discussing his almost 20 years in the comic industry and talking about working with series creator Joss Whedon with stories and a Q&A about how these seasons came together...and maybe a little sing-along!

6:15pm - 7:15pm Ballroom 20

Dark Horse: Joss Whedon

Joss Whedon has rewarded fans the world over with some of the most compelling characters and plotlines in the history of comics, television, and movies. Here's your chance to find out what he has in store next, and get exclusive insight into Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Serenity, and much more!

[comic fan]

Zianna has posted a summary of Buffy # 23 at Buffy forums.

BuffyForums

ETA

I have my copy of Buffy # 23,"The Core Part III of V."

I'm sort of in a rush right now but I did want to say that this issue was better than I thought it would be.I have to admit that after the summary from Zianna that I thought this issue sounded dull but it read better.That might be due to the character stuff in this issue over the plot which is fair but not as exciting as past finales IMO.The thing holding it together for me is Dawn's plight and what will happen to Xander.

Right this second I see two ends to the season.One is the one that others are now speculating on.That Xander is going to become a vampire possibly like Simone has become.A zompire that seems to retain some of it's human elemntsThe other possablity is maybe Buffy becoming a zompire like Simone.Right this second I lean towards the former.It would give Xander a big storyline next season and could be a reason NB is involved in season 10.

I'm still not clear on why Simone even really needed Severin.They're both still weak big bads IMO although now we have The First Vampire element too.

It does seem like Willow could become the new seed although how that jibes with the Willow we saw in Fray's time,I don't know.

Spike calling Xander over Buffy makes sense to me.Buffy is Dawn's sister but Xander really is Dawn's tether and vice versa emotionally.That whole sequence was well done I thought.

So better issue than I thought it would be but I have to admit I'm more invested in what's going on over in Angel & Faith.

[comic fan]

New CBR Behind Buffy S9 with Scott Allie on Buffy # 23.Some Season 10 hints.

BEHIND BUFFY SEASON 9: Red Willow & the Rise of the Vampire Slayer - Comic Book Resources

BEHIND BUFFY SEASON 9: Red Willow & the Rise of the Vampire Slayer

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" editor Scott Allie unpacks the events of issue #23 and hints at ripples leading into Season 10 as forces good, evil and simply misguided collide in The Deeper Well.

Daniel Glendening, Guest Contributor

SPOILER WARNING: This interview features extensive discussion of major plot points from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9" #23.

As "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9" hurtles towards its grand finale, all of the ongoing plot pieces are clicking into place. Forces good and evil are colliding, and the seemingly disconnected plotlines -- the loss of magic, Dawn's slow vanishing act and The Siphon's hunger for power -- are converging inside the mystic catacomb of The Deeper Well.

With "Buffy" issue #23, written by Andrew Chambliss and featuring art by Georges Jeanty, Buffy and her crew have gained access to The Deeper Well. After a skirmish with D'Hoffryn's demon council, the two parties seem to have agreed to disagree -- for the time being. As Buffy and Willow plunge into the Well in search of the magic necessary to save Buffy's sister, D'Hoffryn leads the charge against Severin, The Siphon.

Unfortunately, things are quickly complicated, as it's revealed that Severin's accomplice, Simone, has some big plans all her own.

For this installment of "BEHIND BUFFY SEASON 9," Comic Book Resources spoke with Dark Horse Comics Editor-in-Chief Scott Allie for an in-depth look at the events of the latest issue and how the repercussions might play out during the tail end of Season 9 and beyond.

CBR News: As "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9" #23 opens, Simone and Severin have gained entry to the deeper well, and are plunging into its depths. Sev insists he's found his fount of power, but also slips and refers to Simone by his deceased girlfriend's name, Clare. As Simone implies, is Severin cracking up? It seems he may not have really been prepared for the amount of power he's attempting to harness.



Scott Allie: You are absolutely right. It is way too much for him, and he's falling apart. Simone was much more prepared for what's coming than he was, and the bottom line is that she doesn't care how ready he is. Her plan may not include him surviving.




Meanwhile, at the other end of the Deeper Well, Buffy and the gang, along with the Demon Council, are about to take the plunge themselves. However, while D'Hoffryn and the council are focused on stopping Sev, Buffy and Willow have an alternate objective -- saving Dawn. Are these objectives really so mutually exclusive?

They aren't mutually exclusive, but they're not very in synch, either, and with the stakes so high on both sides it doesn't work to have the heroes' focus divided to the extent that it is. And this story is not only about whether they can achieve both things, but where Buffy's going to be able to place her focus.



Simone leaves Severin behind to raise the Old One, Maloker. Has she been using Sev for her own ends from the beginning? What is she really hoping to achieve?

She was definitely using Severin from the beginning. She's more in control of what's happening than almost anyone, and her real agenda is about to come to light. It appears that she was turning slayers into zompires. Her real endgame is revealed by the end of the issue -- revealed, if not spelled out.



As Willow and Buffy venture deeper into the well, Willow finds herself suddenly aglow with magic energy, and feel herself pulled towards what she thinks will be a new source of magic large enough for the entire world. Upon finding the open sarcophagus of Maloker, Buffy and Willow share a great scene of dialogue -- how large a shadow does "Dark Willow" still cast over their relationship?

The Dark Willow angle has changed a bit since the "Willow" mini that Jeff Parker and Chris Gage wrote. Willow has come to realize that there is no Dark Willow, there's only Willow: one person capable of actions good and bad. So she's taking more responsibility for things, and she's more confident and at peace with herself. I know, it's so much less dramatic that way -- but it's good to see our kids conquer some of their demons.

How isolated, or supported, does Buffy really feel? She seems to be far from trusting of anyone at this point.

Buffy has issues. She has an incredible support system, she has these great friends that she loves and she trusts, but when things get tense, her tendency is to think that it all rests on her. Right now, she feels a little abandoned since Willow split right before things got crazy for Buffy at the start of the season, and Xander has been a wreck for a while, and even worse recently. So I don't know that she'd say she distrusts people generally, but she certainly thinks she has to solve these things herself.



Maloker! What sort of inspiration went into Jeanty's design of the sire of vampires?

The design was entirely Georges'. He came up with that, Joss [Whedon] signed off on it -- I don't think there was much back and forth. Georges wanted to get some real bat-like features in there, while not making it look like a bat turned into a guy. I think Georges really loves the opportunity to design monsters and demons in the book.



Xander's been sidelined by D'Hoffryn for aiding and abetting the enemy. While the demons head off to battle, Xander receives a call from Spike and Dawn. Dawn doesn't remember Xander, but the call, along with a key piece of information from Spike, seems to catalyze something in Xander. What does he see as his role in this situation?

You know, that's a good question. He's so mad about so many things, and about his inability to solve these problems. At this point in the story he's trying to settle in and play his part -- be part of the team. He thought he was going to be the guy to solve everything, and by this issue he's recognized his failure. But he's stepping up and being part of the team as best he can.

Xander catches up to Buffy down below in the Deeper Well and tells her that, while he shouldn't have trusted Simone, the situation is a result of mistakes made by everyone -- is he prepared to take responsibility for his own mistakes?

This will be a big part of Season 10. Yeah. He's ready to own up. If anything, he's going to be too hard on himself.



Is it going to come down to Buffy cleaning up the mess, or will we see some real fallout and change in Xander's character?

Xander is doing sort of nothing but catching fallout right now, and into the next season. This and other factors are gonna keep pressing down on him, and you are gonna see some growth from it. But unfortunately he definitely is not in a better place about it before the end of Season 9.



As Xander finishes explaining Simone's plan to raise an army of zomps, the two find Simone's body just in time for her to leap up, having turned herself. She's not your typical magic-less, mindless zompire, is she? Is this a sign of the return of magic?

Is it a sign of that? Too early to tell. But she is truly unique. She's a Slayer, who's been sired in the Deeper Well by the original vampire, or the thing that created vampires. The zompires are subpar vamps because the earth is so disconnected from magic, but here, in the Deeper Well, with Maloker, she's as close to the strong stuff as anyone can be.


Interesting season 10 hints for Xander.It almost sounds like Xander is going to be in a similar place Angel was at the end of season 8 with the next season picking up from that just as Angel & Faith's purpose was for Angel in season 9.

I think it's safe to say Xander surivies the season in some form since he could still be vamped.

Hmm speculating here,I know how the sparks would fly but could we see some Xander and Angel interaction next season?Could they even be in the same series

[BlueWolf]

Originally Posted by comic fan (View Post) SDCC13 Panels announced. Friday Programs | Comic-Con International: San Diego Friday July 18,2013 3:30pm - 4:30pm Room 26AB Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Delving into Season 8 and 9 with Series Artist Georges Jeanty Comic-Con special guest Georges Jeanty takes you on an intimate journey through the life of the Scoobys as they continued on seasons 8 and 9 of the cult hit show. Anyone interested in Buffy, this panel is for you! Georges will be discussing his almost 20 years in the comic industry and talking about working with series creator Joss Whedon with stories and a Q&A about how these seasons came together...and maybe a little sing-along! 6:15pm - 7:15pm Ballroom 20 Dark Horse: Joss Whedon Joss Whedon has rewarded fans the world over with some of the most compelling characters and plotlines in the history of comics, television, and movies. Here's your chance to find out what he has in store next, and get exclusive insight into Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Serenity, and much more!

Is there a way to watch it or read the report from the panel?
I want to know more about the buffy future........there is still so much life in it, not only when it comes to the comics........the buffy universe has still so much potential. Now more than ever with the "new" "hype" about all that monster,zombie ect stuff.

Always was curious about the comics but i never found myself getting one,especially since they dont make better/more use of the whole buffy/spike thing i like so much.

If i remember correctly Joss Whedon will be on one of marvels panels right?

[comic fan]

Originally Posted by BlueWolf (View Post) Is there a way to watch it or read the report from the panel? I want to know more about the buffy future........there is still so much life in it, not only when it comes to the comics........the buffy universe has still so much potential. Now more than ever with the "new" "hype" about all that monster,zombie ect stuff. Always was curious about the comics but i never found myself getting one,especially since they dont make better/more use of the whole buffy/spike thing i like so much. If i remember correctly Joss Whedon will be on one of marvels panels right?

Joss was involved in the Marvel Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D panel this afternoon all about his new series.They also screened the Pilot.

Joss's Dark Horse panel just ended a few minutes ago.Here are two reports.

SDCC13 Joss Whedon's Dark Horse panel Live blogs.

SDCC '13: Dark Horse: JOSS WHEDON - LIVE! | Newsarama.com

SDCC '13: Dark Horse: JOSS WHEDON - LIVE!

by Albert Ching, Newsarama Staff Writer
Date: 19 July 2013



Before Joss Whedon was the writer and director of the massively successful 2012 Avengers live-action movie, he created TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly — which have since endured as comic books at Dark Horse.

The publisher is giving him a platform Saturday evening at Comic-Con International in San Diego, and we'll be there with live coverage. Keep hitting "refresh" for the latest details.

We're starting! Dark Horse editor Scott Allie opens the panel, saying that work has already start on Buffy Season 10.

And here's Joss! Whedon thanks the fans for coming, and for his "white knight" in Season 9 — Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic book series writer Andrew Chambliss.

Whedon says he doesn't really have any announcements — and mentions that Much Ado About Nothing is still in theaters. Looks like he's going straight to audience Q&A.

First question: What was the original plan for Fred and Wesley? Whedon says it was essentially to continue the Illyria/Fred identity issues, and its emotional toll on Wesley.

Next fan up: "We know you lke to kill people. What was your favorite death scene?" Fred's.

Next person up: "You've conquered many things: movies, TV..." Whedon: "Poland." Fan: "But do you think you'll conquer Broadway anytime soon?" "Not anytime soon, because to do something on Broadway takes lots and lots of work, and unfortunately I am already booked for many, many years of work. Would love to and want to, but it's not going to be super-soon. But yeah, duh."

What scene gives Whedon "warm fuzzies"? "Honestly, let's go back to the death of Fred. Because of the work those guys were doing, and the day we had... that whole day was kind of magically exhausting." Whedon says the shawarma scene at the end of Avengers was inspired by the end of that day of shooting.

Does Whedon prefer writing for his own creations, or shared characters? "It's all good," Whedon says, acknowledging that there's a particular "buzz" in writing dialogue for a character like Captain America, but "at the end of the day, it's all good stuff."

Here's a tough question: Why wouldn't Giles be able to fly in for Xander and Anya's wedding? "He doesn't like them that much, let's face it," Whedon says. "He's a continent away. 'Do I really have to?' Plus, he's Giles. He knows Xander isn't going through with it."

What was it like directing a movie he didn't write — Much Ado About Nothing? "It was very relaxing, actually," Whedon answers. "Not only was it not written by me, it was written by that guy," which means he was able to concentrate on other elements of the film.

What was the reasoning behind Dr. Horrible changing his costume at the end of the feature? "He's wearing a white costume, then he's wearing a red costume, which means, he's lost his virginity," Whedon replies. "He went dark, bro. I don't have very complex ideas."

If you could describe Avengers 2 in one word, what would it be? "Movie." He continues: "Remember how Dr. Horrible used to have a white coat? The one word I have for Avengers 2 is 'red.'"

Will SWORD be in a Marvel Studios movie or Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Whedon says he doesn't know, but it's a "really cool idea." Ideal Abigail Brand casting? Whedon said he hadn't really thought about it, but "the first person to come to mind would be Julianne Moore."

Does Whedon have interest in genres other than action/sci-fi? "I love all genres," Whedon tells a fan. "I get stymied by the family drama — I don't necessarily know how to approach that. But besides that, I like many things that don't involve explosions."

What project Whedon pursue with a speculative unlimited budget and access to any property? "If it's anything, we should probably get the crew of Serenity together." That gets a very loud cheer, as you might expect.

Does Whedon have a very favorite character of his to write and/or watch? Whedon mentions Illyria, but says, "at the end of the day, I pretty much fall back into Buffy."

Whedon tells a fan that his role as a consultant on the various Marvel Studios films as a whole is "really fun," because he gets to dip his toe in different Marvel properties beyond Avengers.

A fan asked if Whedon is planning on killing Fits and Simmmons from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Whedon says he has "no intention of killing anyone from the S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot." Someone from the crowd calls him a liar. "I'm going to kill them because you said that." Whedon continues, saying that he doesn't create characters to get rid of them, but sometimes it has to happen for story reasons. He says he killed Wash due to an issue involvin Alan Tudyk's agent, but he then realized it had value to the plot.

"I do like to do it to someone you care about it suddenly, because that's how it's happened to me, that's how it's happened in life, and the fact that you guys give me so much ***** about it — means I'm probably doing something right."

What was it like evolving the Thor/Loki relationship in Avengers from where it was in Thor? Whedon says it was interesting because Loki was in such a different place in Avengers than he was in Thor.

How does Whedon respond to the notion that he can't be a feminist because he's not a female? "I just don't think that's a valid comment," Whedon says. "I think there's a perspective I can never have, and I'm aware of it," but ultimately, it's about "wishing that one-half of the human race could be treated as well as the other half of the human race."

Which one of Whedon's own creations would he put on the Avengers? "It's going to be Andrew," Whedon says, because of the prospect of an Andrew/Thor scene.

How does it feel to have gone from first creating Buffy to being a "god of Comic-Con?" "How does it feel to have succeeded in the things I've wished to do? I feel just fine," Whedon says, but he does say he laments not having enough energy for certain things, like signing items for fans at Comic-Con. But ultimately, he says he's very positive about what he's achived — being a writer who has attracted 5,000 people at the convention to hear him speak. "Beyond my wildest dreams? Yeah."

Whedon says he took too much on which meant that the Dr. Horrible follow-up has been delayed.

Does Whedon have interest in writing and directing an animated feature? "Oh yeah, all my life I've wanted to do that," Whedon answers. "I feel a little bit that all the CGI-animated films are the same film. The rhythms, the sidekicks, and the parent issues — I would love to see one of these movies made as more of a PG-13; a tougher, more adolescent adventure story, that's not, 'We're wacky!" 'We're wacky, too!'" While he does say that some are well-done and beautiful, he feels there is a sameness, and that the "time has come" for grown-ups to get to enjoy animation too, pointing to the work of Hayao Miyazaki as an example. "I'd love to do it. But since I'm busy, someone else should."

What does Whedon geek out over? He says he's mostly "incredibly calm," but a lunch a years back with George Lucas was one of the most surreal experiences of his life at the time. (He also geeked out meeting Bernadette Peters.)

Are there other franchises Whedon would like to take on? Acknowledging the irony of someone who has done both Avengers and Much Ado About Nothing saying this, Whedon says, "I do feel we are in desperate need of new content," Whedon says, continuing that there are too many projects based on not even nostalgia, but "recognition."

Would Whedon consider going back to a Wonder Woman film project? "No," Whedon says, succinctly, before adding, "It's not a total no, but it would be very hard. She's a tough one to crack. I don't like to go back to things, so much, and I also feel like there's plenty of room for a new icon. So let's look to the future."

Will Cobie Smulders be a S.H.I.E.L.D. series regular once How I Met Your Mother ends? "We don't have that planned, but hopefully she will grace us with her presence at some point," Whedon says, and adds that he's not sure she'd want to take on another show after HIMYM wraps, but they're open to her returning if she can.

Does Whedon have any interest in adapting any Dark Horse properties? Whedon says the last comic he read that he felt he really wanted to put his spin on was Wildstorm's Global Frequency, and then found out that a show was already in the works. (A pilot was made in 2005; it didn't get picked up.)

If legal restrictions weren't in place, which Marvel characters would Whedon like to add to the movie Avengers? "I'd take them all. Are you kiding? Spider-Man, Wolverine, Luke Cage. Then I will shoot myself, because I have 20 characters to write."

Fan asks where the idea for Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "Normal Again" came from. "It came from a lot of different places," Whedon says. "We, for years, wanted to do a 'Buffy's in a mental institution, it's all a trick,' just as a teaser. For me, it became fascinating, because it was about the creative process, to an extent. Positing the idea that she had created this world meant that we could examine the world we created."

Whedon discloses that he did have an idea while he was writing Astonishing X-Men for Cyclops — Scott Summers — to mention that he had a second cousin in a mental institution, but he couldn't find a way to make the dialogue work.

How did Whedon make Avengers — with several characters from ostenibly different worlds — work? "I think the appeal of the Avengers is that it doesn't work. Everybody knowing that going in means that we can have the fun of [the characters] knowing it, too... I grew up reading the book, and also read it in my later years, when they did The Ultimates. They were in my vernacular. My favorite books were the team-up books. I think a lot of directors in some superhero movies that don't necessarily work as well have to talk their way into it. 'I guess I could find a way into this... Green Lantern character.' But for me, that step is eliminated. It makes perfect sense to me. All I have to do is get you guys on board, translate that for you. I don't have to create that for myself. The combination just made perfect sense. (Whedon clarifies that he thinks Martin Campbell "kicks ass," but Green Lantern wasn't the right fit for him.)

Whedon says he's "desperate to do another Dr. Horrible," but not as desperate as he is to do something he's never done before. (Though either will likely have to wait until after 2015 and Avengers 2, he says.)

What inspired him to do Much Ado About Nothing? Whedon says the suggestion came from his wife, after him talking about it for 10 years. It was about a month from her bringing it up and production starting, he says. What other Shakespeare project would Whedon want to take on? Hamlet.

Last question asked Buffy's lesbian experience in Season 8 of the comic books. "We thought she's always had this block against romance, and it would be interesting to see a different aspect of it. It might have been a little out of character, but that was the point — she was trying to do something a little out of character."

Whedon wraps things up by thanking the fans. Keep reading Newsarama for more coverage all weekend long.

Comic-Con 2013: Joss Whedon in Ballroom 20 Live-Blog

Comic-Con 2013: Joss Whedon in Ballroom 20 Live-Blog

Will we get 'Avengers,' 'Dr. Horrible' and 'Firefly' teases?

By Daniel Fienberg Friday, Jul 19, 2013



ready for all-Joss all-the-time!

I already live-blogged the panel for "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," in which almost nothing was revealed, but at least we saw the pilot.

And now, the "Buffy," "Avengers" and "Dr. Horrible" icon will be greeting the Ballroom 20 faithful for a solo panel on Friday (July 19) night and we'll be live-blogging the heck out of it. Or I will, though you can't spell "Whedon" without "We" or "Whe."

Keeping in mind that Joss talks in long, long sentences that almost never end where they seemed to be beginning, I apologize in advance for whatever I'm not able to catch perfectly.

Follow along!

6:18 p.m. ET. The head of Dark Horse is introducing Joss. If I'm honestly, it's possible that I'm gonna ignore some of the comics stuff if that comes up.

6:20 p.m. "I'm not exhausted. Why would you even bring that up? That's just rude," Joss begins, unprompted. He greets people both upfront and in the back, calling those of us in the back clearly more important.,

6:21 p.m. There's our first reference to Joss taking too many jobs. That's the reason for the exhaustion. "I apologize in advance if I become incoherent or just sleep. But it'll be cute! I'm cute when I sleep.

6:21 p.m. "Much Ado" plug before he tells us that it's up to us to steer the conversation.

6:22 p.m. The first question is about Joss' plan for Wesley and Fred and "Angel" if it hadn't been cancelled. Or something. It sounds like it would have involved a lot of crying. "And then they'll turn black and white and everything will be better," he says, again plugging "Much Ado."

6:23 p.m. Which death scene was his favorite to write? "It was Fred's. It was my favorite to write and it was my favorite to shoot, because all the pain was there."

6:23 p.m. A questioner asks about the various things he's conquered. He replies "Poland." She then asks if he's going to conquer Broadway. "Not any time soon, because to do something successfully on Broadway, it takes years and years of work and unfortunately I'm already booked for years and years of work," he says. But he ends with, "But yeah. I wear the hands of jazz."

6:25 p.m. Which scene gives him warm-fuzzies? "Honestly, let's go back to the death of Fred," he says. It wasn't the death so much as the group dynamic and that whole day, which he calls "magically exhausting." The schwarma scene at the end of "The Avengers" is, in fact, based on the meal he and Amy and Alexis had after that day of work.

6:26 p.m. Does he prefer creating his own universes or working in something like the Marvel Universe. "It's all good. Ultimately, they get away from you even when you create them." He says that there's nothing like creating your own universe, but it always gets out of your hand.

6:27 p.m. Why would Giles not have been able to fly in for Xander and Anya's wedding? "Well, I'm glad we're finally getting to the heart of things. He doesn't like them that much. Let's face it," Whedon cracks. "You asks the tough questions, you get the tough truths about humanity," Whedon warns us.

:29 p.m. How was "Much Ado" different working with a script he didn't write? "It was very relaxing," he admits. After he did the adapting, there was nothing he needed to worry about on the script. "All I got to do was play with the actors in terms of their interpretation and why they were saying what they were saying when," he says.

6:29 p.m. What was the significance of the change of outfit color between white and red at the end of "Dr. Horrible." It's because he lost his virginity. Something about "the marriage bed of villainy."

6:30 p.m. How would he describe "Avengers 2" in one word? "Movie." He pauses. "Remember how Dr. Horrible used to have a white coat? The one word I'm gonna use for 'Avengers 2' is 'Red.'" See? That's actually a good answer.

6:31 p.m. Ideal casting for Abigail Brand? "I don't have anybody particularly in mind. The first person who comes to mind would be Julianne Moore," he says.

6:32 p.m. Does Whedon plan to do anything else that isn't action-adventure? "I aspire to do anything at all that is in any genre: Comedy, musical, many things that do not involve punching. We can't solve all of our problems through punching. Sometimes we have to sing," he says. "I get stymied by the family drama. I don't necessarily know how to approach that," he says.

6:33 p.m. In the future, if he gets a blank check and access to any character, what would he make? "This is turning increasingly into a game show," he says. After making sure he can do one of his own properties, he says, "If it's anything, we should probably get the crew of Serenity back together."

6:34 p.m. Who is his favorite female character to write and to watch? First he talks about "the crazies," specifically Illyria, Drusilla et all. "It's the closest I ever get to writing free-form poetry," he says. But he ends with, "At the end of the day, I pretty much fall back into Buffy. She says the things that need to be said and then she adds a "y" to the end of them."

6:36 p.m. Is Joss going to take a consulting element to make sure that other Marvel properties get developed properly for when they become part of his Avengers universe? "Nothing's under my control. I do actually have a consulting deal with Marvel. It's not for that reason, but it's part of that. I get involved with all of their movies and a certain TV show," he says.

6:37 p.m. He's asked about Fitz and Simmons, the two British scientists in "S.H.I.E.L.D." and when he's going to kill them. "I have no intention of killing anybody from the 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' pilot," he says. Somebody yells "Liar!" "Oh? It's like that? *******'s gonna get real. I'm gonna kill them because you said that," he says. "I don't create characters so I can get rid of them. I create characters so I can love them," he insists. He reminds us that he killed Wash for contractual reasons. "If I didn't kill him, the number of people that I seem to kill and then bring back would be totally embarrassing," he says. "I couldn't get away with any of that if I hadn't." He adds, "I do like to do it to somebody you care about suddenly, because that's what happened to me and that's what happens in life. And the fact that you guys give me so much ******* about it means I'm probably doing it right."

6:41 p.m. A question about developing the Thor/Loki relationship. Whedon credits Drew Goddard for being a sounding board for the Thor/Loki dynamic in "The Avengers." Whedon says he got to do some work on "Thor 2," continuing to tweak the brother relationship. "I think there's some fun stuff coming up between the two of them in the next one," Whedon says.

6:42 p.m. How would he respond to people saying he can't be a feminist because he's a man. "How do you respond to that? I mean, I can't be a woman, because I'm a man. Or I guess you can..." he says. "I just don't think that's a valid comment. I think there's a perspective I can't have and I'm fully aware of that." He says, though, that it's all about "wishing that one half of the human race could be treated as well as the other half of the human race."

6:44 p.m. Oh no! Our first person calls him "Josh." On "Firefly" were they ever worried about being censored for using Chinese cursing? They were told up-front that they couldn't curse in Chinese, so they... made stuff up? Unclear.

6:45 p.m. A "pastor by trade" tells Joss that he loved "Cabin in the Woods." He wants to know if "Cabin" is a commentary on "substitutionary atonement." "I'm gonna have to say 'No.' And I'm tell you why: I don't know what you just said. I will also say: It very well might be," he says, explaining about the open meaning of things. He closes with, "Maybe, but not deliberately or specifically."

6:47 p.m. Which of his other characters would he put on The Avengers? "Yup. It's gonna be Andrew... Just one Andrew-Thor scene and my life is complete," he says. Heh.

6:48 p.m. He is asked about his journey from writing in college and becoming a God at Comic-Con? He's happy to have succeeded, it turns out. He is, however, a little sad. "I can't walk the floor the same way. I haven't been able to sign anything, because my resources are tapped out," he laments. But mostly he isn't sad. He's happy to be a writer who people care about. "I didn't dream about this, because this didn't exist," he says.

6:50 p.m. How does he find time? "I don't," he says. He refers to the fact that he keeps having to push a "Dr. Horrible" sequel. "I've gotta slow down, or you're gonna notice. 'Didn't he write that already?' And then there's gonna be a cut-down of me on the Internet repeating myself?

6:51 p.m. He's always wanted to write and direct an animated feature. He feels, however, that all of the CG-animated films have become the same film. He wants to see a PG-13 "tougher, more adolescent adventure story." He compares American animation to the more adult animation coming out of Japan. "They're not afraid to say 'Grown-ups want to see animation too,'" he says.

6:52 p.m. Which one of his projects and which one of anything does he geek out about? "I don't really geek out about my own projects. I think that would be even more narcissistic than I usually am," he says. He says that he geeked out at the Saturns with Jonathan Banks and he geeked out the first time he met Bernadette Peters. "In general, I'm incredibly calm. Mostly. Sorry. I should geek out about more things. That would be a better answer," he says.

6:54 p.m. What established property that he hasn't been involved with would he like to be? "I don't have a huge answer to that," he says. He acknowledges the irony of saying it after he did Shakespeare and as he's doing more Marvel, but he says, "I do feel like we are in desperate need of new content. I feel like pop culture is eating itself at a rate that is soon going to become very dangerous," he says. He thinks it's important to create new icons and new messages "so that 10 years from now we can reboot those."

6:56 p.m. At the end of "Buffy" were Xander and Anya back together? "They weren't definitely anything. They had reach some kind of accord," he says. But he says that their story is never really over.

6:58 p.m. Would Joss consider going back to Wonder Woman? "No. Uh... It's not a total no, but it would be very hard... For one thing, I told a story. I never actually told it the way I wanted," he says. He had an outline where he liked the structure and it was rejected. "She's a tough nut to crack. I don't like to go back to things so much and I also feel like, again, there's plenty of room for a new iconic female heroine."

6:59 p.m. "We don't have that plan. We can't afford her. But we do hope to see her again," Whedon says of Cobie Smulders' future on "S.H.I.E.L.D."

7:00 p.m. Would he ever adapt another Dark Horse property? "No. Again, there's a way into any story and those stories have a lot of juice. But is the world ready for a 'Hellboy' movie? I don't think so," he jokes. "I'm not looking at anybody else's properties," he says, noting that "Global Frequency" was the last outside property he wanted to put his spin on.

7:02 p.m. If he didn't have legal issues, which one of the New Avengers might he like to work with? "I'd take them all. Spider-Man. Wolverine. Luke Cage," he says. "Then I would shoot myself, because I'd have 20 characters to write...I just want to write a movie about ONE character," he says.

7:03 p.m. Is he thinking of expanding on the "Firefly" universe with a new TV show or comic series? "Yes. I've thought about it. We've done some comics. Gonna do some more. And I've thought about other TV series that could have been spun off from that," he says. Again, he says that the problem is time.

7:03 p.m. Questioner's favorite "Buffy" episode is "Normal Again." She wants to know where it came from. For years they'd wanted to do a mental institution episode. He enjoyed actually doing it, because it became about the creative process.

7:06 p.m. How does he go from the big ideas to the smaller moments? "A lot of the overall vision comes from the minute, comes from the moments," he says. "For me, I'm really starting small. I'm somebody in that world and I want to know what they're going through, so I actually build from the inside-out."

7:07 p.m. How did he manager to put all of the "Avengers" cast into one film and make it work? "I think the appeal of The Avengers is that it doesn't work," he says. "You're sorta inoculated against the absurdity by the fact that the people in that world recognize that absurdity." People thought "The Avengers" wasn't supposed to work, but through his whole childhood he grew up on stories that didn't seem to go together, but worked. He references the "Howard the Duck" comic as a world that was about how collided worlds didn't work. He never had to be talked into believe this made sense. He doesn't have to create sense for himself. He just needs to make other people believe it. He says he loves Martin Campbell, but that "Green Lantern" wasn't his thing and it shows.

7:10 p.m. Does he have any timetable at all on "Dr. Horrible 2"? "It was supposed to happen this year, but then I made 'S.H.I.E.L.D.'" and while everybody wants to do it, nobody has time. He doesn't have a plan for after May 2015. He says that he's "desperate to do another 'Dr. Horrible,' but not as desperate as I am to do something that I've never done before."

7:11 p.m. If he could do any other Shakespeare work and why? "'Hamlet' and do I really have to explain that?" he says. I'd watch Joss Whedon's "Hamlet."

7:13 p.m. "I do think it might have been a little bit out of character, but that was the point. She was doing something that was out of character," Joss says of Buffy's lesbian romance in the comics.

7:14 p.m. It's time for the panel to end. "You know what matters most... and it's me. If you knew what I actually think of myself. But I do know this: As always, I'm always so grateful to you for coming out and listening to me blather," he says.

That's all, folks....


No season 10 news.Unless some interviews come out from the Dark Horse creative team over the next few days(or something comes out on another Dark Horse panel the next two days),NYCC in October might be where any big Season 10 news hits since that is one month after Buffy # 25,the conclusion of season 9.

There was also a Georges Jeanty panel earlier in the day but I've seen no reports from it yet.

ETA

Comic-Con: Joss Whedon Gets His Own Panel

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/07/...-his-own-panel

Georges Jeanty Interview from SDC12 plus what I think is the final trade cover for season 9.

http://www.whedonopolis.com/comic-co...eorges-jeanty/

Comic-Con 2013: Buffy Season 9 Illustrator Georges Jeanty



As we all know, Buffy Season 9 is coming to a close, but before it does, I got to talk to Georges Jeanty at the Darkhorse Booth here at Comic-Con. First, I have to mention that he is fantastic and friendly, and if it weren’t so unprofessional I’d be smitten. (Please feel free to be smitten on my behalf.) Especially since, while talking about the fandom, he subconsciously switched from a “they” to a “we” perspective.

So the transcription of the entire interview can be found below (click here to jump straight to it), but I’ll give you the short, heavily paraphrased version. Jeanty says that there are times that he’ll question where the story is going, but Joss is always willing to listen because if he doesn’t buy it, the audience won’t either. He says the series is picking up speed and you won’t be able to put it down until the end. And after the end, is there a Season 10? Nothing has been confirmed, but Jeanty suspects there will be.

When not busy with Buffy, Jeanty will be drawing the Joker’s daughter for DC during their Villians month in September. And after that, he’ll be doing more work with Joss for Dark Horse, but he’s not allowed to tell us about it yet.



Full Interview

Whedonopolis: How are you liking Comic-Con so far?

Jeanty: Comic-Con is good. Actually this is the first year I’m invited as a guest and I highly recommend it. If they invite you out on their dime, you take them up on it.

Whedonopolis: How does this compare to some of the other conventions you’ve been to?

Jeanty: Well, this is by far the biggest one and it’s probably the most merchandise heavy. You know, there’s just so much stuff here- whether it’s freebies, giveaways or whatever- there’s just so much of that here that it overwhelms everything else I think. But it’s great! I think, this type of a show is what- there should be this type of show. Not every show should be this type of show. But it’s nice that this type of show is what it is. That’s not getting too- esoteric on you?

Whedonopolis: No. What’s the fan response like?

Jeanty: To me or to Buffy?

Whedonopolis: How about both?

Jeanty: Well, fan response to Buffy is always great. One of the best things about doing the book is the fans. And I know that sounds like such a canned statement to say, “Oh! You know, the great thing is meeting the fans.” And all that. But it is. ‘Cause this is- I think more than anything- Buffy is probably a very fan-driven entity. It only lives because of the fan base. And because of that, they’re just the greatest bunch of people. And I think we’re all on the same wavelength- certainly when it comes to Buffy- that we’re united. Even- we don’t know each other, but as soon as we have that common interest, we are united. As far as for me, uh, it’s good. It’s always good. Every time I can go out, and hang out, and talk and all that stuff I’m more than happy. ‘Cause most of my time- to sort of take away from the glamour of all this- is spent alone. At a table. Looking down. At a paper. Alone. Did I mention the alone part?

Whedonopolis: [laughing]

Jeanty: So this is great!

Whedonopolis: So, how do you feel about how the story line is progressing?

Jeanty: To Season 9?

Whedonopolis: Yeah.

Jeanty: I think it’s very good. A lot of people were complaining that toward the middle there it kind of dragged a little bit. Maybe got a little out of character, but if I can assure anyone, it is that we are back on track. And anybody reading the book now will not be able to put it down until the very last issue.

Whedonopolis: Cool. So, we all know that Joss has his master plan, and you have to follow that of course.

Jeanty: [really good evil villain laughter]

Whedonopolis: How much are you allowed to stray from it? If at all.

Jeanty: Well, as an artist, I don’t necessarily stray as much as I kind of- interpret the highway that we’re all on. In that journey. Because visually, obviously, it’s left up to the artist to do what the writer has created with words. So in that- and this is where Joss is very savvy in my opinion- Joss hires good people to do good work and then stays out of their way. And that, to me, is the best thing anybody who has a franchise or owns something or does something can do. You hire the people and don’t arm wrestle them. Don’t muscle them. If you like what they did- obviously there’s a checks and balances- but if you are confident of what they can do, you just stay out of their way and let them do what they do.

Whedonopolis: Has there every been a time where you thought, “Maybe this should be done a different way?” Like you disagreed with Joss?

Jeanty: Oh, yeah! There have been times I’ve disagreed with Joss. And I’ve actually- it’s funny- ’cause yeah, I’m sitting there going, “Uh, I’m telling Joss Whedon that no, this is not gonna happen.” But yeah, there have been a couple times where I’ve sort of said, “Well, I just don’t agree with you.” And true to his form, he’s very “Okay, well tell me why.” He doesn’t just say “Uh, dude, this is my stuff. Shut up. Do it. Go on.” He’s very, “Well, let’s talk about it. If you are serious about what you’re thinking, tell me why, and if I can convince you, I know I’m convincing the fans as well.” So he encourages you, certainly, to have your own mind.

Whedonopolis: That’s really cool. So, I’ve heard you’ve said before that it takes you longer to draw Buffy characters in particular. [Jeanty smiles at this.] Is there any one that takes really long where you’re like, ok, time to draw this one again.

Jeanty: Well, I get that way when it’s like a crowd scene with all of the established characters. ‘Cause now it’s like, oh damn, I can’t just fake it on one of them. I’ve gotta draw each one of the characters hopefully as the way they look. But I would say- I would really give you more of a blanket statement and say the women are harder to draw because with women, as an artist, you have to draw them with less lines in their faces. Because it’s an unspoken rule: the more lines you put on a woman’s face, the uglier she looks. And you certainly never want Buffy to look ugly, or Willow to look ugly, or whomever. So you have to do it with the least amount of lines possible, and that is very difficult. So the women tend to be a little more difficult being drawn because you have to pick the one or two lines that are going to solidify that expression or that statement.

Whedonopolis: So, Season 9 is coming to a close.

Jeanty: Yes.

Whedonopolis: And is there any news you can share with us about Season 10?

Jeanty: I- you know what? I have no official word that there’ll even be a Season 10. Do I think there’ll be a Season 10? Hell yeah! But as with the TV show, the season will come to an end. They will take a hiatus. Like the summer break as a TV show will. And then they will come back and do whatever they’re gonna do with Season 10. I don’t know any details, unfortunately involving that, but I’m sure it’s a safe bet there will be a Season 10.

Whedonopolis: I’m sure everyone will be happy to hear that.

Jeanty: Oh! Let’s hope so!

Whedonopolis: So are there any other projects you’re working on?

Jeanty: Yes. I am also currently doing a one-shot for DC. Coming in September they’re going to have their villains month. Which is a commemoration of their second anniversary of their New 52 line that they launched, obviously, two years ago. And they’re celebrating that- I believe- with a bunch of one-shot villain issues. And I am doing the Joker’s daughter- one-shot- in that. And then from there, I’m coming right back to Dark Horse and doing some more work with Joss and the Whedonverse. Which I am not at liberty to say what, but I’m doing some stuff there.

Whedonopolis: So we’ll be looking out for that, for sure.

Jeanty: I hope so.

Whedonopolis: And definitely be getting a call from us to talk about it when you can talk about it.

Jeanty: Well, all you gotta do is call, and I’ll come runnin’.

Whedonopolis: And that’s it. Thank you very much.

(This is the part where I shook his hand, and he noticed my TARDIS bracelet, and he showed me his TARDIS watch. I told you, you’d be smitten.)

[BlueWolf]

WoW, thank you very much for that.

[comic fan]

Gerorges Jeanty video interview with Fanboy.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2cUvsm_O8Y

Bullet points

1)Talk a bit about fan reaction improving in recent issues as things pick up.

2)Talk about Dawn's fate.Georges nots that Joss does like to take things away.

3)Georges describes the end of the season as,"Be careful what you wish for because you may get it."They both note that this is similar to the title of the final Angel & Faith arc,"What you Want,Not What You Need."

4)Also Georges decribes the fallout of both finales(Buffy and Angel & Faith) as,"Sometimes when you win you actually lose."

5)Georges says the reaction to the very last page of the end of the season is going to be,"What,what,WHAT,OMG I Got TO WAITUnTILL HOWERVER LONG UNTIL SEASON 10?WHATCH YOU DOING TO ME."

6)Has no info to give on season 10.He knows they've had a summit.It's been outlined.But he has no specific details.

7)Tallks about his Villains issue for DC's Villains Month in September.

8)Joss wants Georges to come back to do more Whedonverse stuff.He is not a librity to say if it's buffy realted or something else Whedonverse.Announcments of what he was told would come here at SDCC or October(probably at NYCC).

Again,tthat's when I suspect the season 10 announcements to hit.At NYCC since that a month after season 9 ends.

9)The interviewer asked if Georges will work with Christos Gage in the future after the interviewer implied he liked Gage's work on Angel & Faith more than Andrew Chambliss's work on Buffy.Georges says he would love to and he and Gage are very friendly with eachother. and have a nice click together.

[comic fan]

Joss talks the Buffy comics.

Joss Whedon talks comics, 'Avengers,' 'SHIELD' | wpri.com

Joss Whedon talks comics, 'Avengers,' 'SHIELD'

Updated: Sunday, 21 Jul 2013

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Joss Whedon is the busiest man at Comic-Con.

The multihyphenate visionary talked television on Friday, film on Saturday and rounded out the four-day geek extravaganza meeting with fans and talking with reporters Sunday at the Dark Horse Comics booth about a new season of his Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic book series, the possibility of a "Serenity" title, and the dual realities of the Marvel film and television worlds.

After saying he can't give too many details about what's going on in all those projects, Whedon did give The Associated Press some insight in a quick interview as Comic-Con swirled around him and fans snapped his picture from afar.

AP: What can you tell us about the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" story?

Whedon: I can't say much about what's going to happen. We're wrapping up Season 9 of "Buffy" and "Angel & Faith," and we've already sort of got a road map for Season 10, which I'm really excited about. Every season we get to come in and find and see a new aspect of what it's like for her and what it's like for anyone that's around her age that's going through life trying to figure it out. She's in her 20s, so she's trying to figure out what the hell she is. We've asked a lot of questions over the last two seasons. Season 10 I'm excited about because it has some very interesting answers for some of them. I can't really say. There's going to be a lot of back and forth between the comics — not so much that if you only like one you won't get what's going on, because I hate that. But they do share a universe, all these characters, and their ability to sort of show up in each other's books is part of the huge fun. And the fact that Giles is now a young boy just makes me laugh and laugh.

AP: You have so much going on in film and TV, you could easily leave the comic books behind. Why do you keep doing them?

Whedon: Dark Horse came to me many years ago and said, "How do you feel about doing new stories with Buffy," and the show had been over for two or three years, and I realized I really really wanted to. Just writing those voices again, remembering that mission statement of let's tell the story of this girl and the trials of having power and trying to keep her friends together. It moves me. I love this medium. I've read comics my whole life. The idea that we got to create our own little comic book universe, it's very heady. I'm very grateful.

AP: Do you have plans to bring "Serenity" out as a comic book?

Whedon: That's the hope, but there's nothing official yet. It's patchy. "Buffy," the way it lent itself to a musical, lends itself to comic books in a very simple way. "Serenity," you've got to have the exact right sort of notion before I'll even let it go forward. Because it was taken away so fast, I was always leery of getting it wrong.

AP: You could revisit the war, take the characters into the future ...

Whedon: There's a lot you can do. I'm a little busy. I have some other stuff to do. But I have some ideas.

AP: Can the new "Marvel's Agents of SHIELD" television series thrive without the presence of already-known superheros from the Marvel universe?

Whedon: The thing is SHIELD itself is kind of an espionage book. They're all basically spies. Just the idea of these people's lives was fascinating in all its aspects, so if it was a situation where we had to have a superhero of the week, I would never have done the show. That would get old super fast. It's part of the Marvel collective, but there's also a lot more: The idea of dealing with not just the new technology, the alien stuff, and just regular people who are caught up in the wake of this world; the idea that "The Avengers" changed the game for the Marvel cinematic universe, which SHIELD is now a part of. The whole world suddenly found out there were superheros and aliens and all kinds of wonderful, terrible things, and that's going to have different repercussions for everybody. So there's a lot of different ways to approach every episode."

AP: Samuel L. Jackson told us yesterday he can't believe he's not involved in the new TV series as "SHIELD" Director Nick Fury. Do you see a role for him in the show?

Whedon: We would love to have Sam in the house. If we could work it out, we'd do it in a heartbeat. He's Sam. What are we, new? But we also have the movies and we have TV and we need to make sure there's some crossover, but not so much that people go, "Well, I don't need to see that movie. I saw it on TV." If we do that (Marvel Studios President) Kevin Feige is going to come after me with a pitchfork.

AP: You brought Agent Coulson back to life for the TV series after his apparent death in "The Avengers." Is it possible he'll return for the film's sequel as well?

Whedon: He could. Right now it's not something I'm pursuing because I have so much going on in "Avengers" 2. Finding out that Coulson is alive would be an entire B story. And I already have too much movie. That's better than the other thing.

[comic fan]

Another interview with Joss talking the Buffy comics.

Joss Whedon on “Buffy” Season 9, “Angel & Faith,” and “Avengers 2″ « Nerdist

Joss Whedon on “Buffy” Season 9, “Angel & Faith,” and “Avengers 2″

by Eric Diaz on July 24, 2013



Joss Whedon had a big Comic-Con. From announcements about Avengers: Age of Ultron to premiering the full pilot for Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD, the writer/director was all over the event. Whedon talked about most of this when he finally guested on the Nerdist Podcast, but when it comes to his child Buffy Summers and the comics based on her, we just had to get a little more in depth.

We caught up with Joss to get all of the details on Buffy‘s Season 9 from Dark Horse, what the Scarlet Witch might look like, and even if he’d be amenable to someone else taking over his Wonder Woman script.

Nerdist: So Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 9 was a more down to earth season for Buffy and the Scoobies; Why did you make the decision to scale it all back from the epicness of Season 8?

Joss Whedon: When we first started Buffy Season 8, I was very excited that we could be a comic book, and work in a grand scale and do anything we wanted, and it became apparent pretty quickly that what our readers wanted was for our characters to interact, and to understand their personal journeys, and so for Season 9, we said very deliberately, ”Okay, the mission statement has to go back more specifically to what the television show was, which is what is it like for a young woman trying to find her way.” And everything was built around that. And in Season 8, we built our mythology in certain classical comic book fashion. There’s some stuff in there that I’m proudest of and that I still love very much, but on the whole, we lost that little bit of character connection to the audience, so this was about getting it back. Because the question of “what’s it like to be the general of an army?” is not something that a lot of young women are dealing with.

N: I have a question about “Billy the Vampire Slayer” (the recently introduced first male vampire slayer in Season 9): I really like this character, and I’m glad there’s finally an openly gay male character in the Buffyverse, but even though he’s a gay guy, I also feel he’s more of a transgender metaphor. I don’t know if that’s deliberate or not, but the idea that he says, “I’m a slayer because I choose to say I am, whether or not biology dictates that I am” seems like a transgender metaphor.

JW: A little bit; When Drew Greenberg and Jane Espenson pitched it, my only interest was to make sure we didn’t take something away from women. I’d always been very deliberate about why there would never be a male slayer. But when they pitched it, they wanted something that resonated on a certain level that would actually be empowering in that sort of spectrum that is all-inclusive, so I think the transgender thing is a little part of it.



N: I think that in comic books, there are so many female characters who emulate male heroes (Batgirl, Supergirl, etc.), and no one thinks twice about it. Since Buffy is essentially a female superhero, I think it’s cool that we have a male character emulate a female hero for a change. I think you’re probably the first person to do that too.

JW: Umm, yeah, I don’t think there’s ever been a male version of a female hero… yeah, not that I’m aware of, although a lot of things I think I’ve done that are original, later, people are like, “oh, they did that on That’s So Raven.”



N: On to Angel & Faith; now Angel, not even on the shows, has ever tried to make up for any one single bad thing he’s done as much as he’s tried to make up for killing Giles (while possessed by Twilight) in Buffy Season 8. Angel trying to bring back Giles — was that your idea?

JW:That was mine.

N: Because honestly… he’s done worse things in his life than kill poor Giles.

JW: Yeah, you know what? He’s done unbelievably terrible things, the whole thing with Giles… he can’t make up for what he’s done, he can’t go and make a checklist like My Name is Earl and go and get it all done. And so in a situation like that, you either kill yourself, or you go micro, and say “if I can do this one thing, it will give me enough focus and purpose to live through dealing through everything else I’ve done.” And as Twilight, that’s all some pretty inexcusable stuff he’s done, not to mention as Angelus, so the only way for him to deal with it… and I think this a real human truth, it’s that redemptive thing, it’s, “if I can just help that one person, if I can take back that one thing.”

N: And a lot of if I imagine is also Angel trying to get Buffy to forgive him, even if he’d never admit it.

JW:She’s part of his agenda…and no, he doesn’t admit it.

N: I also loved that you included Fray (the Slayer from the future, introduced in the 2001 Dark Horse mini-series of the same name) in Season 8; I’ve always loved Fray a lot, and thought it would make for a great animated show. Have you ever thought about it?

JW:I’ve thought about it. People who tend to think Fray would make a great animated show tend to be you and me on this couch. People who make animated shows have never come to me and said “Hey, let’s do Fray!” Right now, animation in America is just aimed at little kids, and I know there is some superhero stuff, and to take specifically young people, and especially young women, and say, “Oh, they’re gonna go and stab a bunch of things in a dystopian future,” they maybe think they’re not going to sell as many DVDs as they’d like.



: Speaking of DVDs, will we ever see Buffy on Blu-ray? I know it’s probably not your decision, but I know there is a demand for it.

JW: People have been asking me that a lot, I have no idea if we’re ever gonna see Buffy on Blu-ray, I don’t have like a guy I can call and be like, “Hey, let’s get that Buffy out on Blu-ray.” I mean, I’m for it, I wish they would un-letterbox it. That offends me deeply, because I shot it for 4×3 frame. I’m not the boss of that. But I think it’s a good idea.

N: Okay, I have to ask an obligatory Avengers question; so will the Scarlet Witch have her head thingy in Avengers? I’m probably the only person who cares. I think the head thingy she wears is fierce.

JW:No. She might wear a headband or something that might echo it. The guys at Marvel, the conceptual artists, are phenomenal, and they are so good at taking the essence of what works and interpreting it for the actual human body, and when they paint something you can not only tell how it’s gonna work on a person, you can even tell what fabric it’ll be. They are very specific, very talented. So I’m excited to see the designs. Obviously we want to echo the look that people know, but there’s the classic look and the Ultimates look, but you have to do it in a way that will work. But it can’t be too old school… she can’t wear a leotard.



: You kind of gave an answer for this on your panel on Friday — you give great panels, by the way, because you know how to joke with the audience without insulting them, which I’ve seen some people do. I’ve seen some meanness.

JWlaughs) Yeah, I’ve seen a couple people that are funny, but then, suddenly, “there is a lot of hostility going on here.”

N: But on your panel, you said you’d never go back to Wonder Woman, but would you be okay with someone else directing your Wonder Woman script (which Warners still owns), someone like, say, Drew Goddard, maybe?

JW:Yeah, I’d be ok with it, but just don’t see any interest from them to do so.


Joss also talks the comics with io9.The relevant parts.

Joss Whedon: “Every kid who hated grownups became a grownup.”

We were lucky enough to have a one-on-one interview with Whedon at the Dark Horse Comics booth, where we could talk to him about comics, writing and the creative process.

Whedon says the tie-in comics for Buffy and Serenity aren't aimed at a niche audience of die-hard fans. "I always thought of it as wanting as many people to read it as watched it," he says. "You always want to write for everybody — I don't want to exclude anybody from the party."

But at the same time, you have a lot more freedom when you're not dealing with a huge TV or movie studio. "If you want to deal with the abortion issue or have a character like Billy — well, that's easier. We don't have studio executives sweating every decision and that's very nice."

Talking more about the Buffy comics, Whedon addressed the "Buffy and Angel **** a universe into existence" storyline, saying, "It's Brad Meltzer who turned the comic into fanfic." He laughs, and adds: "Every writer comes with their own agenda — I think Brad asked how many DC references he could make. Drew [Goddard] did the Japanese arc, which is a big favorite of mine. He loved writing Dracula — the silliness of that, and the giant Mecha-Dawn. We had the most fun breaking that stuff together. Getting their voices into the story is fun. And sometimes you bring the sexy — because we're people."

[comic fan]

Scott Allie video interview with Fanboy Comics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdX_R8q0yoI

The Buffy talk is at the beginning.

Bulletpoints

1)Scott's very happy with Season 9 having redirected after season 8 and stripped it down,digging into the characters and keeping the focus there.Mentions a fan told him that they know people were complaining earlier in the season but things are now really coming together.Scott's really happy with the way they've given all the main characters a story.For example,Xander was absent very much of this season but there was a point to that.Scott hopes they pay that off well in the final arc which is pretty big and strong.They gave space to really get into the characters.Scott thinks the writers summit three years ago for season 9 really helped that.He mentions they just had the writers summit for season 10 and worked out the basic direction of next season.Season 9 is all done for theme and they are at the beginning stages of season 10 and he's really jazzed about where it's heading.

2)Can't give any hints about season 10.He really wants to keep the focus on the end of season 9.Once the dust settles there,they'll start talking about season 10.

[comic fan]

CBR Joss interview from SDCC13.Here are the Buffy parts including more season 10 comments.There is video of him answering questions too.

CBR TV @SDCC: Whedon Talks Staying Busy, "Buffy" Season 10 and Wolverine & Spider-Man - Comic Book Resources

CBR TV @SDCC: Whedon Talks Staying Busy, "Buffy" Season 10 and Wolverine & Spider-Man

CBR TV sat down with "Avengers: Age of Ultron" director Joss Whedon to talk about everything on his very busy dance card, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 10," and adding Wolverine & Spidey to the Avengers.

CBR News Team, Editor

CBR Executive Producer Jonah Weiland left the world famous CBR Yacht to venture into the hallowed halls of Comic-Con International in San Diego to visit one of the most important figures in pop culture today, "Avengers" director and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" creator Joss Whedon. They covered everything from how Whedon manages his insane schedule and the stress that comes with it, how he balances shocking stories with the natural progression of his larger plans, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 10," finding the time for comics, whether he will ever incorporate characters like Wolverine and the Amazing Spider-Man into the cinematic world he's building with Marvel Studios and "The Avengers" and… a "Murder She Wrote"/"Magnum P.I." crossover?

On balancing sensational storylines with those that also advance the plot and larger world of his creations: There's never a headline-grabbing agenda. I did the abortion storyline [in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"] because I was becoming very frustrated with a lot of narratives where people either don't even say the word abortion or have a very facile reason for not going through with it, and two thirds of American women will have one in their lifetimes. It is a part of the reality of our society that people weren't even talking about and a young woman who is no position to raise a child gets pregnant very often has to make that decision. It's not an easy one, it's not fun, it's not something to be taken lightly but it is something that needs to be discussed. It needs to be out there and so I very baldly said, "We're gonna do this because it needs to be done." And we bought it in a sort of, you know, in a "Buffy" way -- "Oh no, I'm not pregnant, I'm a robot." But that wasn't to shy away from it. Because it wasn't about the process, it was about the decision.

On plotting out the upcoming "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 10" comics: It's exciting for me because Season 9 was really -- it's called "Freefall" for a reason. She was free, and she was falling. Season 10 is different. There's some answers in there about what's supposed to be going on in her life. That's something I feel she and the readers will be glad to cling onto. Not gonna be simple, but it feels like it's got a lot of pop and a lot of momentum.

[comic fan]

Preview pages for Angel & Faith # 24.

Preview :: Dark Horse Comics

[comic fan]

Leyki's review of Angel & Faith # 4.Spoilers.

Review, Angel & Faith #24 (What you want, not what you need, Part 4) | Light_Watcher

ETA

Buffy # 24 preview pages

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?p...eview&id=17442



In a last-ditch effort to save Dawn, the heroic trio of Buffy, Willow, and Xander must split up and tackle their own demons, real and imagined. As the season’s Big Bads—Severin and Simone—threaten to turn back time, the mystical council partner with Koh and Illyria to prevent a tragic tear in the fabric of time!









ETA 2

I have my copy of Angel & Faith # 24,"What You Want,Not What You Need Part IV of V."

Well the end is near.One issue to go for this side of season 9.This was a fast pace issue but I really loved all the character moments.

The running commentary between Angel and Whistler was superb in my opinion.I think that is one of the lessons Angel is coming out of the season with in the aftermath of season 8.Acceptable losses aren't acceptable and focusing on people is what what's important not the grand gestures which is a element of the resurrecting Giles plot this season.Granted this also part of the beige Angel arc of season 2 as well.I do wonder if what Angel was saying was getting through to Whistler.It looks like he started to have doubts in this issue.We'll see what happens next issue but it looks like we got the big showdown between Angel and Whistler since unlike with Angel last season,it does not look like Whistler will be talked out of this now.

So we got two deaths in this issue.Nadira and Nash.Nash was expected just as I expect Pearl to buy it next issue.But I love that it was Nadira with what little was left in her got to be the one to do it.I think if she really is dead(and I think she is),she went out on a high note.It also looks like this might be a springboard for Faith going into season 10.At this point, no matter what happens next issue,I'm expecting Faith and Angel to part ways for season 10.That's the way it feels to me.

The letter column is hinting at another death next issue("Next issue....the end.For someone.anyway.").This issue seems to be setting up it being Alasdair or Giles(again).I hope it isn't Giles again.I was against more resurrections but after a whole season buildup of Giles's return,have it succeed but with the twist of him being back as a 12 year old with his mind and knowledge still intact.And then to kill him off again two/three issues later?That would be a letdown.And quite honestly considering all the drama Giles's new status quo brings,it feels like it would be a waste to drop all that potential in season 10 and kill him again.

So I think Giles will make it.I'm going to exclude our remaing vilains Whistler and Pearl since I think either or both could be killed off since they are our baddies without shock or emotion.I guess Whistler would have some emotional heft due to his connection to Angel's story.But I don't think the tease in the letter column is referring to them.

Alasdair is the safe choice.But I think one of the aunts who were great in this issue or Angel and Faith would hsve more impact.Although if it's Angel or Faith,i doubt they will stay dead.

So I can't really guess.

Great issue overall and and can't wait for the finale next month.