[Burning Up A Sun]

New S8 thread to discuss the new season

So far we have 18 issues, which equal six episodes:

The Long Way Home 1,2,3,4
The Chain
No Future for You 6,7,8,9
Anywhere But Here
A Beautiful Sunset
Wolves at the Gate 12, 13, 14, 15
Time of Your Life 16, 17, 18

[Burning Up A Sun]

Recent News

Another SDCC report from the Angel panel. CCI: Angel on the Rise Last week at Comic-Con International in San Diego, IDW Publishing showcased its Angel universe, including the crossover with Peter David's "Fallen Angel" and and the announcement of Bill Willingham as the new "Angel" writer. by Caleb Goellner, Guest Contributor IDW Publishing’s Angel panel got off to an early start at Comic-Con International, quickly introducing its guests and greeting fans. In attendance were actress Juliet Landau (Drusilla on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel," co-writer "Angel" #24/25); Chris Ryall, IDW Editor-In-Chief; Scott Lobdell ("Angel: Only Human"); Peter David ("Fallen Angel"); Brian Lynch ("Angel: After the Fall"); Scott Tipton ("Angel: Auld Lang Syne"); Bill Willingham ("Fables") and Bill Williams (upcoming "Angel"). The panel began by jumping into Landau's "Angel" co-writing stint on issues #24 and #25, which featured art by Franco Urru and Nick Runge. Landau not only contributed the story, but also took new photos to portray an updated Drusilla in the comic book. When asked where her idea for the story in those issues came about, Landau recalled a pretty instant inspiration. "Basically I think the moment I first spoke with you guys, I literally put down the phone and the story just came to me. It was kind of an immediate thing," said Landau. "I thought [Landau] was going to need a lot more guidance in writing, it was really impressive, it was really her show, I kind of, for the first ten minutes helped out and then she just took over," said Lynch. Next the panel focused on Peter David's "Fallen Angel" series, which he's crossed over with former Hellboss Illyria, a character from Joss Whedon's "Angel" franchise. David's new series, "Fallen Angel: Reborn," features artwork by J.K. Woodward, guest stars Illyria and will run for four issues. "I'll be perfectly candid, we were thinking what can we do to introduce ‘Fallen Angel,’" said David, "I realized that Illyria would be the absolute perfect fit [for the series]." David also explained the relatively simple process which led to the permission to have the character cross paths. "It involved me walking up to Joss [Whedon] and saying, 'Hey Joss, I'd like to use Illyria' and Joss saying, 'Yeah, okay," said David. The story takes place during the fifth season of “Angel,” directly after the episode "Time Bomb." David said the story is essentially about a depowered Illyria trying to regain demonic powers that were stolen from her in her previous continuity. "I deliberately designed the series so that if you're new to ‘Fallen Angel,’ the story is told from the point of view of Illyria, so that as she discovers new things, so do you.” David especially complimented Woodward's art, which he credited with giving the book's big sequences the weight of Hollywood special effects. "Every issue of 'Fallen Angel' has a special effects budget of $350 million," said David. Previously published by DC Comics, the character created by David and David Lopez is now published by IDW with David retaining the rights to the character. This transition has made it possible for IDW to reprint the original series in new collections, which will be released in 2010. The slideshow transitioned to a cover image for “Angel” #26 and #27, which featured a picture of an Angel action figure on a G.I. Joe-style blister card. The two-issue story by Brian Lynch and Stephen Mooney recaps the events of Angel's most recent adventures saving Los Angeles from Hell. Since so many screenwriters live in L.A., an action movie director with Michael Bay-like style decides to make a movie celebrating Angel's heroism. To parody the adaptation style rampant in Hollywood, Angel is cast as a kind of Nic Cage and Spike is altered into a blonde female. Angel and Spike go to a Comic-Con-style event to see the movie premier and everyone in costume becomes what they're dressed as – including Spike, who is dressed as Angel, making for a comedic issue full of role reversals. To follow up, the December “Angel Annual” will be a straight comic book adaptation of the fictional Angel film, which IDW joked would be drawn in IMAX. A Spike standalone series was also announced for 2010, by Lynch and Urru that features Spike wreaking havoc in L.A. with a pyrokinetic fan. An adaptation of the Angel episode "A Hole In the World” will be released later this year, which Tipton rationalized as a fun new experience for fans. "There's just something cool about seeing [favorite shows] in comic form, I remember the Star Wars comics I had as a kid, I read them again and again even though I'd see the movies a dozen times," said Tipton. Then came the big reveal of the two writers taking over the series starting with issue number #28 - Bill Willingham and Bill Williams. The writers will team with artists Brian Denham and David Messina. "[IDW] just picked up the phone out of the blue and asked if I'd be interested," said Willingham. Willingham's stories will feature Angel's son Conner taking over for the main protagonist with an army of demons at his disposal. "We're going to have some fun with Angel and pick up where Brian and the others left off. No big changes, well, we're kicking Angel off the book, but no big changes," said Willingham to laughter. “Angel's” main storyline will be complimented by backup stories from Williams. Williams' story will follow the adventures of Eddie Hope, a human left with demon powers after the rest of L.A. had them removed. "When Hell took over L.A. snapped back to normal, everything was back to normal mostly, and thanks to the events of the story, Eddie knows the worst 100 people in Las Angeles so he's taking them out – it's a revenge thing," said Williams. The panel turned back to Landau, who Frison complimented as a natural comic book talent. "One of the best things about working with her is that the voice of Drusilla is the most authentic you can find in comics," said Frison. The panel was asked who their favorite characters to write dialogue for were and most agreed their favorites were Angel and Spike, but others included Wesley, even though he died at the end of the show's fifth season. "We take from the fact that Hell is a huge bureaucracy – a bureaucracy of evil, but still a place where things can fall through the cracks," said Willingham. One character who won't be seeing its own limited series anytime soon is Doyle, who was portrayed by the late Glenn Quinn, who passed away in 2002. When asked about the character, the panel agreed that they wouldn't be printing any appearances out of respect for the actor. A fan asked Peter David what the best part of taking a character from someone else's series and incorporating them into his own continuity. "The best part is bringing in new readers, new people who haven't read the book," said David, "The most challenging part is having [a story element] that seems organic rather than something that's been tacked on." David went on to explain why his characters in "Fallen Angel" were a good fit with Joss Whedon's demon character from the “Angel” television series, saying one character is an angel who fell from Heaven and the other is a demon who rose from Hell. David also acknowledged the benefits of a crossover franchise, but said his focus is on storytelling. "You want to get higher sales, you want to get increased interest, but first and foremost you have to respect the readership and respect their right to a story that works," said David. The panel closed by thanking attendees for coming and welcoming Willingham and Williams to the series, and also thanking Landau for her portrayal of Drusilla.

Juliet Landau interview about Angel #24-25 and other stuff. SDCC 2009: Juliet Landau Talks 'Angel' and 'Bioshock 2' - FEARNet SDCC 2009: Juliet Landau Talks 'Angel' and 'Bioshock 2 With a music video, a documentary, a video game, an animated TV show, and a feature film all in the pipeline, Juliet Landau is easily the hardest working former vampire in Hollywood. But it's her return to Angel, this time as writer of IDW's monthly comic book, that has horror fans most excited. We caught a few moments with the wildly busy Buffy alum at Comic-Con yesterday to get the skinny. On how she came to write Angel… Chris Ryall, editor of IDW, and Brian Lynch approached me and said, "Are you interested in doing a two-issue arc," and I said, "Absolutely." That was the inception of it. Literally, I hang up the phone and I'm in the editing bay – because I co-directed a music video with the band Godhead called "Hero" – so I was editing that and immediately I got the idea for the story and talked to them about it and they loved it and I got it into script form and Brian Lynch and I went to work. It was a really interesting process because I wrote it in Final Draft, sent it to them and they absolutely loved it, Brian Lynch sent me a synopsis for issue one, I reworked it, sent it back. We did the same thing for issue two. He wrote the first five pages, I got them, reworked them, sent them back. We did the same thing for the first thirteen pages and then I got to the full 22. Then I rewrote the synopsis for issue two because I had a real moment of clarity about how I wanted to open it up. So Brian wrote the first five pages of that one, sent it to me, I reworked them and then said, "You know what? I'm just going to continue. And I just went ahead and wrote on to page 22, sent it to him, and he said, "I think we're good. I think that this is fantastic." So it was a really fun process. On whether or not she'll write more comic stories… I've been approached on some other things. I really enjoyed it, it was very creative, and I was also involved in the visuals and the art. I brought a couple artists in as well as working with [them] on the inhouse art. I would definitely be interested, I had a great time. On whether she'll provide the creepy girl voices in Bioshock 2… I did some other characters on Bioshock 2. I didn't do the Little Sisters in Bioshock 2 [like I did in Bioshock 1], I did a character named Eva Tate who's a French movie star. It's actually a really interesting character and voice. And I also did another character, a female revolutionary, very tough and angry and passionate character as well. On her role in the Green Lantern animated film… I play a character named Labella [in the upcoming Green Lantern]. It's beautifully drawn and it's a really different character, and a very different sound than I've ever done before. She wasn't in the original Green Lantern; they created her for the film. She's a character that Hal and Sinestro come to investigate. She's an alien with a little bit of an Amy Winehouse kind of thing going on. When they sent me the script I loved the character and the drawing, and the voice just came to me. On her other upcoming feature film… I'm shooting an adorable kids' movie. It's called Monster Mutt, created by Drac Studios. I'm playing the slinky, blonde, Russian baddie. I've been slinking around in cat suits and being evil. On her directorial work and music recordings… I directed a short documentary film about Gary Oldman that's called Take Flight. We're in talks and figuring out about getting it out there. After the "Hero" music video, I'm recording like four songs with Jason Miller, the lead singer [of Godhead]. We had an appearance in Florida where we showed the video and the behind-the- scenes, and then he had a concert and I sang two songs with him and it was really fun. So we're gonna co-write and do four songs and sell it on iTunes. This other artist, Jude Rawlins, of the Subterraneans, he wrote an incredible song that was based on Drusilla – Spike and Dru – so he wrote this new song and said, "I don't know if you'll be interested in this…" And I loved it, so we're going to record that together too.

Angel releases for October. Steve’s Buffyverse Timeline Angel Comics for October Angel Comics for October Tuesday, July 28th, 2009 IDW’s solicitation info for October is starting to pop up, with the following found over at tfaw.com: Angel #26: Boys and Their Toys #1 (of 2) Writer: Brian Lynch; artist: Stephen Mooney; covers: Stephen Mooney, Nick Runge Somebody has made a movie based on Angel’s adventures in hell! Angel and Spike go to a comic con to see how badly Hollywood has mangled true events, only to find themselves surrounded by supernatural evil at every turn. Can Angel tell the difference between an evil demon and a 14-year-old fanboy dressed as an evil demon? Is there a difference? The Angel: After the Fall team of Brian Lynch and Stephen Mooney throw Angel and Spike into an all-new hell! Angel vs. Frankenstein Writer/artist John Byrne returns to Angel for this special one-shot featuring a new spin on a classic horror confrontation. Out of darkness and nightmare he comes for what he claims is rightfully his-but Angelus is there before him. Two legendary monsters. One goal. Who will claim the prize? Angel: Only Human #3 Writer: Scott Lobdell; artists: David Messina, Mirco Pierfederici; cover: David Messina Another Old One roams the Earth! And don’t think he’s going to go easy on Illyria, his ex. (Considering she’s the one that enslaved him several hundred thousand years ago, it doesn’t look like a reconciliation is in the cards.) All this and a glimpse into Gunn’s past, revealing the very first time he ever met a vampire … in his beloved Grandmother’s kitchen. Fallen Angel: Reborn #4 Writer: Peter David; artist: J.K. Woodward; covers: J.K. Woodward, Johnny Atomic Did you ever get everything you’ve ever wanted? Well, so has Illyria. On the devastated remains of New York City, Illyria stands triumphant. But what of the Fallen Angel? Did she try to stop Illyria…or did she wind up aiding her? And who will wind up having the final victory? Look for the Johnny Atomic cover! Angel: Not Fade Away trade paperback Story: Joss Whedon, Jeffrey Bell; writer: Scott Tipton; artist and cover: Stephen Mooney Before Angel: After the Fall… there was Not Fade Away. The final episode of Joss Whedon’s beloved Angel television series has been adapted into a three-part miniseries that leads to a climactic battle in an alleyway that fans now know was only the end of the beginning! This collection includes the three-part Not Fade Away story, plus the script for the ‘Not Fade Away’ television episode, accompanied by spot illustrations

More preview pages for next week's Buffy Season 8 #27.Retreat part II of V. Newsarama | Exclusive Preview - BUFFY the VAMPIRE SLAYER Season 8 #27 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #27 Retreat part 2 (Jo Chen Cover) Writer: Jane Espenson Penciller: Georges Jeanty Inker: Andy Owens Colorist: Michelle Madsen Cover Artist: Jo Chen Genre: Action/Adventure, Horror Slayers are out. Vampires are in. Mysterious big bad Twilight has just become a bigger bad -- he can zero in on Team Buffy and her army of Slayers by tracking their use of magic. But Buffy and her allies have taken their submarine -- yes, Buffy picked up one of those . . . they're a necessary piece of equip -- straight to the only person she knows with an inside track on suppressing magic: the werewolf Oz. In the yak-filled mountains of Tibet, Oz has found his peace and formed a new life. The butter tea flows freely at the reunion, where -- among other fun reunion-y things -- Buffy learns that suppressing her demon side could be the biggest risk of all . . . 2009 Eisner Award Nominee for Best Cover Artist-Jo Chen. Publication Date: August 05, 2009 Format: FC, 40 pages Price: $2.99 UPC: 7 61568 14111 5 02711

[comic fan]

Originally Posted by Burning Up A Sun (View Post) New S8 thread to discuss the new season So far we have 18 issues, which equal six episodes: The Long Way Home 1,2,3,4 The Chain No Future for You 6,7,8,9 Anywhere But Here A Beautiful Sunset Wolves at the Gate 12, 13, 14, 15 Time of Your Life 16, 17, 18

Actually we are up to issue 26(#27 comes out next week).

The Long Way Home 1,2,3,4
The Chain
No Future for You 6,7,8,9
Anywhere But Here
A Beautiful Sunset
Wolves at the Gate 12, 13, 14, 15
Time of Your Life 16, 17, 18,19
After These Meeseges We'll Be Right Back
Predators and Prey 21,22,23,24,25
Retreat 26


More info from Mooney's blog about Angel #26-27 and unreleased cover.

Moondog -The Moonblog: Angel 26+27 'Boys and Their Toys'

Friday, July 31, 2009

Angel 26+27 'Boys and Their Toys'











What-ho gentle readers!

Can finally talk a bit about the new Angel story arc by Brian and myself, since it was all announced at Comic-con last week.
The official solicit goes a little bit like this:

Angel #26: Boys and Their Toys #1 (of 2)
Writer: Brian Lynch; artist: Stephen Mooney; covers: Stephen Mooney, Nick Runge

Somebody has made a movie based on Angel’s adventures in hell! Angel and Spike go to a comic con to see how badly Hollywood has mangled true events, only to find themselves surrounded by supernatural evil at every turn. Can Angel tell the difference between an evil demon and a 14-year-old fanboy dressed as an evil demon? Is there a difference? The Angel: After the Fall team of Brian Lynch and Stephen Mooney throw Angel and Spike into an all-new hell!

Sounds good, right? Well it is. The issues were finished last week(writing AND art) and I think its some of Brian's very best Angelverse work. When I heard I'd get to illustrate an Angel/Spike 'buddy movie' type storyline I was pretty darn excited, as I loved the episodes of the show where they'd focus on the bickering, sibling-type relationship the boys share.
There's some stuff in these two issues that rivals Cavemen v Astronauts, I **** you not.

Here are my two covers, firstly the B+W version of the 'Action Figure' cover for issue 26(as I didn't do the colours) and then two versions of the cover for 27(which I DID colour).

The first version of 27 is the one that everybody's seen already, but the second is new. It shows our boy Groo(who features pretty heavily in this storyline, with his funniest dialogue yet) seperating the two sides of the Spangel head.
Chris and Brian quite liked the Groo version, but felt that it may be a tad mis-representational in the grand scheme of things. I agreed, and also felt the image was just more immediate without The Groosalugg in there muddying up the concept.

I think the lads were right to pick the simpler version, and so my mission to get Groo onto one of my covers goes on!
Posted by Moondog at 4:05 AM

[ashleyt]

Thanks for the new thread

[comic fan]

Both Buffy Season 8 #27 and Angel #24(Part 1 of the Dru two parter) are out today as is Fallen Angel:Reborn #2 guest starring Illyria.

[wilywiccan]

I've been talking nonstop about the BtVS S8 graphic novels everywhere but in the thread devoted to it. ha ha

I'm still trying to figure out who Twilight is. Shocked that Riley betrayed Buffy. Giddy that Buffy slept with a woman. Even more giddy that she had a threesome fantasy about Angel and Spike. I've been looking through dream books to decipher all of her dreams. Still annoyed at PodGiles. I knew that Willow wanted Buffy! It was cute how she was asking Satsu what Buffy is like in the sack. No power on this earth will make me believe that Buffy would ever rob banks or be afraid of the dark or heights.

I want Buffy's next fling to be with Captain Jack from Doctor Who/Torchwood. Or maybe with the Doctor!

[comic fan]

I have Buffy Season 8 #27.Retreat Part II of V.And I really enjoyed it.This issue definitly give more hints that Twilight is someone we and Buffy knows.Also it seems Warren,Amy etc were unaware of this fact(that Twilight knows Buffy).

Amy:They drowned

Twilight:Your bowl is lying.I know Buffy too well..to believe she'll be silent when she dies!

shatters Amy's bowl

Warren:He knows Buffy?

Also thought the running Spike joke throughout with Riley and Twilight in the issue was funny.How when there operative talks about seeing a pretty big spike in magic usage in order to pinpoint Buffy and the slayer's location,both Riley and Twilight first thought is,"Spike?"

Which would indicate that Twilight knows or knows of/heard of Spike.

Operative:Sir?They used magic when they got away.Lots of it.And I think I see where they went.

The next couple of pages return to Tibet and Buffy,Oz and the gang.But then we cut back to Twilight,Riley and the bad guys.

Operative:It's a pretty big Spike.

Riley(surprised):Spike?

Operative:A Spike in magic usage.Like if they teleported themselves out of there.Don't you see it?

Riley:Looks like random noise to me.Yeah,see,mountains make the signals bounce around.I wouldn't...

Twilight:What is it?

Operative:It's a Spike.

Twilight(surprised):Spike?

Operative:See?Like something just burst into existence in Central Asia.

Riley:It's an artifact.It's not real.

Twilightinpoint the location.We'll go take a look.

And at the end of the issue after Twilight,Riley,Amy and Warren realize they went to the wrong place.

Twilight:Is this it?

Amy:They should be here.

Riley:I don't see anything.

Twilight:This isn't it.They're probably not even in Mongolia.

Warren:Ha!I'm not the only screwup.

Amy:Shut Up.

Riley:I told you.There's interference.There just isn't enough data to be this precise.

Twilight:This will not stand.

Warren:How are we going to find them?

Twilight:They can't help what they are.They'll make a mistake.We'll watch and we'll wait and we'll be ready.Kill the man that found this,"Spike."This battle doesn't end with Buffy laying down her sword,It ends with her turning that sword against herself.

end of issue

Pretty ominious ending especially based on what spoilers we have coming up in regards to issue 30 and 31 plus Brad Meltzer's arc


Also enjoyed Willow's reaction to Oz being in love with someone else and having a baby/being a father(actually enjoyed all there reactions.).

Oz:This is Bayaramaa.Bay.She's...She's the rest of me.We've been together a while.You should all meet the baby.

Giles.Dawn,Xander::BABY?

Willow:I'm fine with that.

Willow,Buffy,Giles,Dawn and Xander look at there dog.

Oz:Yeah,no.See that's the dog.This is Kelden

Bay bringing in the baby.

Willow isn't jealous that Oz has moved on.As she says in the issue,"she's fine with that" but she is a little jealous that Oz has something she dosen't...a life and a future.Oz has a family now.

Oz to Willow later in the issue:We're not okay are we?

Willow:We will be.It's not...It's not what you think.Later.

Then later

Oz:I should of written.Told you about her.

Willow:Oh Oz,it's not her.It's the baby.You have a life.You have a future.You have what I want and I'm being jealous and hateful and I'm so sorry.

And Oz's backstory about what he has been up too was interesting too.

Also this was the first issue where I got a Xander/Dawn vibe.Particularly when the gang is crossing the lake and walking accrossed the stones and Xander mentions the stones being slippery.Dawn basically catches him and helps him across and tells him that she's got him.Just their interaction in this isuse is the first time I really noticed what some have been noticing the past few issues.

Overall all,great issue.


I also have my copy of Angel #24.Part 1 of the Dru two parter and enjoyed it.I'm unclear on what the storyline is per say.I'm sure that will come next issue as this issue is basically setup and next issue will be payoff.I tend to find two part stories in comics read better for me when I can read both parts together where longer arcs have more give due to the format being more spread out..Atleast we know Dru is still a vamp.

I'll try to post more details later on Angel #24.I've been focused more on the new Buffy issue right this second.

[comic fan]

Chris Ryall and Mariah Huehner(new Angel editor) interview about the Angel line.Announces the Spike monthly will launch in January.

Buffyfest: Exclusive Interview with IDW Editors Mariah Huehner and Chris Ryall

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Exclusive Interview with IDW Editors Mariah Huehner and Chris Ryall

In the wake of SDCC 2009, we at Buffyfest thought now more than ever would be the perfect time to catch up with the fine folks at IDW. We talked about all the big news from the con along with a few things that had yet to be talked about. It was really exciting getting to hear from Mariah since she's the new editor of all the Angel properties at IDW. Without further ado, here's what we discussed:



How did Bill Willingham and Bill Williams get involved in the Angel ongoing?


Mariah: When I’d been at IDW for a little while, and it became apparent that I was something of an obsessive fan, Chris Ryall asked me about Bill Willingham as a possible new writer. I thought it was basically the best idea anyone has ever had, ever. I’ve also known Bill a long time now, I worked on Fables at the beginning of my editorial career, and I’d always hoped we’d get to work together again. So we talked to Bill, who was really enthusiastic about the Angelverse and getting to play in that world, and it just kind of fell together. Due to the fact that Bill is a really busy writer, he mentioned that it would be great if his colleague Bill Williams could help out by writing a parallel story that would eventually be folded into the main arc. We got the Eddie Hope idea and the first script, and knew this was going to be a lot of fun. They both really “get” the characters and have some pretty fantastic ideas of where to take their respective stories.


And what aspects of Angel and Co. do you think Willingham will bring out that we haven't seen so far?



Mariah: The great thing about Angel is that the characters are so layered and the world is so dense, there are still plenty of stories yet to be told. Bill as a writer has a very delicate eye when it comes to character development, so I think we’ll be seeing a lot of subtle explorations, as well as some major shifts. It’s all about consequences in Angel, and our little band has a lot to work out in terms of team dynamic, leadership, and operating under the new pressures of fame. I think we’ll be seeing a lot of tension, a lot of redefining of assumptions, and of course, that trademark Willingham wit.


Willingham's involvement was definitely one of the most exciting pieces of news I heard from SDCC. How will his and Williams' stories weave into one another?


Mariah: Basically, they’ll parallel each other. Each story is taking place at the same time with a similar trajectory. Although they may seem separate at first, the new character of Eddie Hope will turn out to be part of one of the larger story arcs and will eventually be melded into the “main” story. But that’s a ways away. Rather than thinking of them as entirely unrelated, they’re really two parts of the same whole, which will gradually unfold and shed light on a lot of the issues facing the rest of L.A. now that the Fall is over.



Will we see two comics per month once this arc begins? What's the tentative schedule for Angel and Spike books for the next six months?


Mariah: The main Angel storyline will include the Eddie Hope back up, so each monthly issue of Angel will be the same 32 pages. The first issue, #28, will be out in December. As for Spike, I’ll let Chris tackle that one.


Chris: We’ll be talking more about Spike soon enough, but the plan is for that to be a monthly comic as well, launching in January and handled by Brian Lynch and Franco Urru.


Speaking of Brian, now that he is moving on to do a Spike ongoing, do you think we'll ever see him return to write for Angel again?


Chris: He’ll actually return before he’s fully left – his final issue of Angel is 27, in November, but spinning out of that will be the first Angel Annual in December, also by Lynch and Mooney. And beyond that, I don’t think there’s any way we’ll see him stay from the character of Angel forever.


You've brought a lot of talent to the Angel books already, but what other writers and artists would you love to see tell an Angel story?



Mariah: Anyone who really loves these characters. I know, that’s probably too broad. Honestly, with Bill tackling this universe, that’s pretty much my ideal writer. Which is not to say there aren’t a lot of other talented folks who would do a wonderful job with this pantheon. I’d love to see someone like Mike Carey or Brian K. Vaughan take a whack, for instance.



I’ve got kind of eclectic artistic tastes, so I’ve love to see anyone from Guy Davis to P. Craig Russell bring their talent to Angel. And our current team is really doing a fantastic job. Brian Denham is bringing his A game, and David Messina is tackling the Eddie Hope back ups. It’s a nice juxtaposition of styles that compliment each other, without taking over.


And what made you think Scott Lobdell would be the right author for Only Human? Whose idea was it to bring back the Scourge?



Chris: The Scourge was Scott's idea, which was one of the reasons he seemed well-suited to handle this series. He seemed to really grasp the similarities between post-After the Fall Gunn and Illyria that Brian Lynch and Joss had set up, and had some interesting ideas as to how to move their story forward.



How did John Byrne pitch Angel vs. Frankenstein? What version of Frankenstein will this be? Will we continue to see Angelverse characters go toe to toe with Universal Monsters in the future?



Chris: As Byrne was completing his World War I-era Angel story, Blood and Trenches, he mentioned that he'd been kicking around the idea of Angelus running up against Mary Shelley's Frankenstein's monster. Which sounded like a great Halloween tale to me, so we jumped at it and it's now coming out in October. This will be very much Shelley's Frankenstein's monster, so the only tie the creature has is to her version. No movie-era neck bolts here. But the interesting thing is that as this is written, the monster just might end up being the hero of the tale. Angelus was a bit monstrous himself during that time period.



It seems like the Angel cast has really scattered to the wind. Between that and all the different Angel comics coming out in the next few months, how do you keep a cohesive thread to the story when there are so many different books coming out?


Mariah: What’s great is that Willingham’s run will be bringing a lot of old familiar faces back together, as well as introducing some new ones to the fray. It’s always a challenge to keep things streamlined, but that’s part of the fun. There are so many great characters in the series, it would be a shame not to let them branch out on their own once in awhile. But we do know that Tall Dark and Broody needs his friends, so we do our best to balance whatever other stories we’re going to tell with the main arc. It’s a lot like juggling. You just keep the momentum going and make sure nothing drops.


Now that Illyria has crossed over with Fallen Angel, what other IDW properties could you see mixing it up with the Angelverse?


Chris: I actually don't want to see too many of these crossovers (which is good, since neither does Joss Whedon). The Illyria story is one Peter has been wanting to tell for years and it makes sense to the story he's telling in Fallen Angel. So for now, I think this one will have to suffice. Until we can convince anyone else that Ghostbusters/Wesley makes good sense...



Bustin' would totally make even scruffy, crazy, and depressed Wesley feel good! Alright, enough gushing. Now for a biggie: the question of canon keeps coming up with regard to IDW's Angel series; is this just a very vocal minority we're hearing from or does canonicity or the lack thereof affect the sales of the Angel books? If so, how do you deal with something like that?



Mariah: Well, After the Fall is canon, plotted by Joss Whedon himself, so there’s that. IDW has done some non-canon books based on the Angelverse, but other than Betta George (and who doesn’t love a psychic fish!), they haven’t crossed over in any way. I do, as an editor, take canon into careful consideration, though. I have a break down of the entire series by episode, all the characters from majors to minors, and what we like to call a “bible” that outlines all the storylines. It’s as much for us as it is for any writers that come on board, so we’re all speaking the same language. I think we do pretty well, considering the story has spanned five TV seasons and, to date, five collections of the continuing story.


What IDW books do you think Angel readers could get into?


Mariah: All of them! But, more specifically, I’d say Locke & Key, Groom Lake, The Dreamer, Tank Girl…I could go on.




Our thanks to both Mariah and Chris for taking the time to answer all our questions. Don't forget to pick up Fallen Angel and Angel this week. I'll be beardedly vlogging on Friday to give you my full review on both those books and more.










The last piece is new and from The Crown Prince Syndrome.

[comic fan]

Preview pages for Angel:Only Human #1 out next week.

Newsarama | Exclusive IDW Preview: Angel: Only Human #1

Exclusive IDW Preview: Angel: Only Human #1

07 August 2009

Angel: Only Human #1

Scott Lobdell (w) • David Messina, Mirco Pierfederici (a) • Dave Dorman, Messina (c)

Spinning out of the events of Angel #23, Gunn and Illyria embark on their very own four-part miniseries. Fully restored in body if not in mind, Illyria—infected with humanity—and Gunn—infected with darkness—hit the road in an attempt to find redemption, or die trying. By Scott Lobdell (Galaxy Quest) and David Messina (Star Trek: Countdown)!
Ships August 12, 2009

[comic fan]

Scott Allie's Slayalive Full Q/A For Buffy Season 8 #27

SlayAlive: A Buffy Forum - Scott Allie Q&A for #27 *In-Progress*

Scott Allie Q&A for #27

Dark Horse Editor, Scott Allie, and writer of Exurbia and Solomon Kane is back for another Q&A to celebrate the release of Buffy Season 8 #27 Retreat - Part II written by Jane Espenson and penciled by Georges Jeanty.


Remember to please submit one question per post and do not submit another question til the pending one has been answered.


If you want to participate, but you're not interested in registering at this time, you can e-mail your questions at emmie@slayalive.com and I'll submit them for you with credit. Again, we'd really love people to actively join in, but I'm hoping to encourage any fan out there with a great question to feel free to share it.


If this is your first time participating in the Q&A, please take a look at past Q&A's as your question might have already been answered. Thanks!

1. Ben Marston: Other than the Willow one shot coming in December, are there any more oneshots lined up before the conclusion of season 8 (including any Myspace Darkhorse Presents treats)?

Scott Allie: The only other thing planned currently is a very short bit on MDHP in our next issue. There's been some shakeups at Myspace in the last couple months that forced us to do the July issue on Darkhorse.com, but we're working on getting July and August up by the middle of this month. All I'll say is the short is written by Jane and takes place concurrent with her current arc on Season 8.



2. bamph: Is Joss's co-writer of the Willow one-shot someone Whedonverse fans will know or is it a name comic book creator and when will the co-writer be offically announced?

Scott Allie: We're not sure yet. He's written the first 5 pages himself, but was planning on bringing someone in to help, because of time. But it seems like he's gonna do it himself now. Which is of course great.



3. hitnrun017: Any chance we'll be seeing Harmony again this season? Or was her starting her own reality show it?

Scott Allie: A little. Yes.



4. butters: How about a Dark Horse Buffy PVC Figure set like the recent Umbrella Academy Figure set?

Scott Allie: That'd be great. I'll mention it to the merch people.



5. CowboyGuy: Was the Conversations With Dead People Board profitable enough to warrant future new merchandise?

ScottAllie: Yes, absolutely. But a lot of parts of the Buffy properety are carved out for other licensees, which is how we wound up doing odd bits like the ouija board and the the ill-fated tarot cards.



6. AndrewCrossett: It's clear that by the end of "Retreat," the intensity factor will be turned up to 11. From that point, there's still a year's worth of issues until the end of the season. Has it been a challenge figuring out how to maintain that level of intensity for that long, when you only have 22 pages of story every 4 weeks to work with?

Scott Allie: No, it's harder to cover everything we need to in the number of issues we've limited ourselves too. We've got plenty of story to do in these issues, and that's how you keep the intensity up.



7. Wenxina: An editing question: Was the switch from "magick" to "magic" a conscious decision? The word was spelled "magick" in the last issue, and more than once, the "k" was dropped in #27.

ScottAllie: It's different usages, but we may have made a mistake. I don't have it here to look at. I personally hate the K, but it's a Buffy thing. I roll with it.



8. buffycomic: I realize Season Nine is a whiles away, but are you guys planning to use a different series artist instead of Georges Jeanty to give it a distinctive look from Season 8? For covers, I hope Jo Chen will be staying on as cover artist, but for the alternate covers, hope you would consider bringing back Brian Horton and Paul Lee.

Scott Allie: I'd like to keep Georges and Jo, but I'm not sure what Georges will want to do.



9. vampmogs: Lately there’s been a lot of discussion about Twilight’s identity and whether or not it could live up to the hype. Are you able to promise two things? The first that it won’t have continuity issues (as for example, if it were Xander why is he at two different places at once? Etc) and that it will live up to the hype? Or do you feel it’s been overblown and there may be some issues?

Scott Allie: There won't be continuity issues. However, I'm sure people will say it was overhyped, that it's the best thing ever, that it's a letdown, and that it makes no sense. Nature of the beast. I'm excited to see what people think about it.


10. AndrewCrossett: Just out of curiosity, about how many people in the world right now know the full story of season 8 and its outcome?

Scott Allie: All the writers, Georges, Jo, me and Sierra, Katie Moody, Joss's wife. Maybe his assistant. At least, these people all know the biggest events, the main point of it, but as the story has evolved, some of the earlier writers have not been kept in the loop.



11. Wenxina: Re: The continuity error in #26 with Warren and Andrew, has a resolution been reached as to how to rectify it? Will it merely involve a quick change of a line in later prints, or will it require something more extensive?

Scott Allie: The fact that Warren took credit for something the First did when disguised as Warren? Yeah, there's a small way in which we're addressing that.



12. Emmie: I've been wondering if Dark Horse follows the demographics of the Season 8 readership. It's been accepted for a long time that most comic readers are male, but BUFFY seems like the title to bump that trend and turn it on its ear. Do you have any idea what the gender demographic breakdown is for Buffy Season 8 readership?

Scott Allie: I don't know details, I only know anecdotally, but yes, Buffy brings in more women, and more younger readers than mainstream superhero comics. But Dark Horse gets more female readers than DC and Marvel in general, too.



13. nixennacht: Do you know by now, if there's a chance that we'll get the "Always Darkest" webcomic on paper in one of the collected volumes of Buffy? What about the "Tales of the vampires" will it be in a trade volume too?

Scott Allie: The short story will be printed at a certain point down the road, and the Tales oneshot will be in a collection.



14. vampmogs: Can you tell us the idea behind this month's Chen cover? A lot of us expected the issue to be very Xander & Dawn centric but it wasn't. Why did Chen choose these two particular characters for the cover?

Scott Allie: Joss makes the decisions about the covers, actually. Part of it is that despite the market, we don't want the covers to always be Buffy. If I recall, the idea evolved from the desire to put the sub on the cover, and then trying to think of who could figure around the sub, and wanting to give those two a moment together.



15. skytteflickan88: Is it illegal to post transcripts of the comics online?

Scott Allie: I'm not sure. Internet copyright laws are still evolving. Comics authors don't like it, since it seems to seek to replace the comic itself, like any other form of piracy.



16. buffycomic: The flashback in this issue shows what happened to Oz after he left Sunnydale, which is somewhat different than what that Oz mini-series by Christopher Golden & Logan Lubera that came out years ago... when the Retreat arc was being planned, did you guys consider using the story set up in the Oz mini-series for the flashback, or was it decided to rewrite the events for Season Eight?

Scott Allie: Season Eight is the only canonical work in comics, so there was no thought to how it might contradict those stories. Chris and Logan were trying to work around ideas hinted at in the TV series, which is why that mini is as close to the flashbacks in Retreat as it is, but that stuff doesn't hold any influence over Season Eight.



17. bamph: I thought the developments for Oz in issue 27 was cool.How did Bay and Kelden come about?Was it more Joss's idea or Jane's?

Scott Allie: Giving Oz a family was Joss's idea, I believe, although all this stuff comes about through conversation, and it's often hard to remember who first threw out what.



18. Joe: Could you give us a description of the Retreat TPB cover? Or at least, what characters are on it?

Scott Allie: You guys haven't seen it yet? It's Buffy, Giles, Oz, Kennedy, Satsu, Faith, Xander, and Twilight. The concept was Joss's idea, I believe, and we gave Jo a slightly longer list of characters, gave her some freedom to choose who to draw.



19. trunktheslayer: Something of a curiosity question really: We know Robin's role in Anywhere But Here was expanded after Joss read the winning entry. My question is what would her role have been before? Just a quick cameo or....?

Scott Allie: Yeah, it may only have been a cameo, a Slayer who gets a walk-on line, that sort of thing. The terms of the contest required very little of us, but he got inspired.



20. jashiel: Are we going to see more of the vengeance demon's this season?

Scott Allie: I don't think so.



21. Ben Marston: You have previously stated that you already know the framework for season 9. Does this include a guess-timate at the amount of issues this will contain? (Minus any one shots that might pop up along the way)

Scott Allie: Nope. Remember we thought Season Eight was gonna be 25 issues when we started. So I'm not in any hurry to try to figure out the length of Season Nine until we can really outline the story and figure out some basic logistics of it. When I say it's likely gonna be shorter than Season Eight, that's only because what we know of the story so far seems smaller in scope, but you never know.


22. AndrewCrossett: Is there a title selected yet for Brad Meltzer's arc and/or Joss's issue #31? (Not sure whether 31 will be a standalone or part of the arc.)

Scott Allie: Nope. And #31 is standalone, separate from Brad's arc.



23. edwardcullenus: How bad have things gotten? It's been hard over the past few books to figure out just how bad things are for the Slayers. Like, are all of Buffy's people with them in Tibet now, the ones that are left? If so, how many is that, ball park? The book said they started with 500 or so, so are they down to, what, 50, 100, 200? And what about the others that aren't with Buffy? I guess if I was going to make it a single question it would be are Slayers already almost extinct in Season 8?

Scott Allie: Not yet.



24. woundeddwarf: In "After these messages", Angel tells Buffy that you can't change a persons past. Are we to assume that Angel knows that statement to be a truth of the laws of the universe?

Scott Allie: I think it's safe to say that that's a simple fact. Angel certainly wishes he could change his past, and can only try to make up for it.



25. Wenxina: As far as you know, will the Scythe plot point come back into play? A big deal was made about it in the "Wolves at the Gate" arc, and the end of that arc pretty much sent us into the next arc, with Buffy going to NYC in hopes of learning something new about the Scythe. Since then, the Scythe has pretty much been forgotten, and I was wondering if anything else would happen with it, instead of it becoming another forgotten plot point. Unless the "vision Mickey" as Kennedy put it was just to lure Buffy to the future, and the Scythe was just a convenient way of luring her to the right place at the right time.

Scott Allie: Sorry, no spoilers ...



26. gonzalo84: Does the tech guy with glasses has a name?

Scott Allie: Devon. Oh, wait, that's BPRD. No, I don't think so.



27. bamph: This is going to be a long winded way to get to my very simple question.


I don't know if you can answer this.It could very well fall under the,"sorry,no spoilers" category and if it does,I certainly understand if you can't answer without spoiling things.But I figure it can't hurt to ask.Some of this has been touched on before closer to the start of season 8 but lately there has been a lot of very interesting discussions going on in fandom about how much Buffy knows about the events of Angel season 5 and did Andrew's orders in Damage as well Andrew's,"No one in our camp trusts you"actually come directly from Buffy or could they of come from someone else like Giles without Buffy's full knowledge.The same question for whether Buffy knows that Giles refused to help Angel save Fred in Shells.It's not the first time Giles has gone behind Buffy's back.He even just did it again in season 8 during No Future For You with Faith.

So far Angel's three appearances in Buffy's dreams(issues,3,20,Always Darkest) have shown pretty fond views of Angel with no hints of distrust or malice.We know from issue 1 that Buffy was in fact unaware of the little detail of the significance of her decoy being with The Immortal.But Andrew sure did,finding it pretty funny, and neglected to mention that significance to Buffy.And finally Buffy's reaction to Andrew mentioning he met Angel in issue 23 seems intentionally vague.You can't tell what Buffy knows about Andrew's meetings with Angel or if she actually knew that Andrew had met Angel before.

So with this topic getting a lot of heat right now in fandom,will it ever be addressed at some point in the season 8 comics or season 9 about what Buffy knows or doesn't know in regards to Andrew/Giles and the way Angel was treated by them in Angel season 5 or is this a subject matter that won't be touched on ever?

Again,I realize anything related to Angel or Spike usually falls under the no spoilers category but I ask in the off chance you can say whether or not this specific matter has any hope of being addressed at some point.

Scott Allie: It may be addressed later, but I think it's fairly beside the point. Bad storytelling to have characters sit around going, "Oh, I heard that you ran into Angel, who has nothing to do with our current story, in Italy a couple years ago." "Yes indeed, that happened." As you say, it's nothing Giles hasn't done before—although when he did it more recently, it was relevant, and did drive the plot—and I don't think Andrew's interactions with Angel are of that much concern to Buffy. Sure, she might be interested that anyone interacted with him, but I think she's been comfortable, for a couple years anyway, that Angel goes on living, so to speak, and doing things in his world without her.



28. nickb123: In the Fray comics, there's the big talk about the battle that completely ends magic - and obviously that links heavily with what Twilight is trying to do. But Willow uses what magic she has left to show Fray something in the future, and in the Fray comics Harth uses relics left over from before the death of magic to help him summon a demon. If the sealing of magic event was to happen in Season 8 hypothetically, would you guys explain the specific rules around it cause it seems kind of confusing and not a 100% blackout?

Scott Allie: Explain the specific rules? No. But you're right, looking backward from Fray's time, it does not appear to be a 100% blackout, although it will appear to be that for probably more than 99.9% of people.



29. henzINNIT: "The fact that Warren took credit for something the First did when disguised as Warren? Yeah, there's a small way in which we're addressing that."

As glad as I am to hear that you are working to fix this problem, could I ask whether you're also going to address the issues that the error created with Andrew? He was shown to be well aware that the first was behind things in season 7, so it's also a problem that he seems to play along in #26. Sorry to grill you on this, but it's rare for fans to get a chance to help iron out continuity like this and I'd be so much happier to see this totally cleaned.

Scott Allie: Probably not gonna happen to your total satisfaction. I think you guys know by now that this is not the most important or fascinating aspect of the storytelling for Joss. We talked about various ways to address the complaint, and settled on the one that Joss, Jane, and I thought was best, all things considered, which will probably not be what you guys would do.



30. Simon: I see that Buffy is going to be on the front cover of an upcoming issue of Wizard Magazine. Is there going to be any other big media events for Brad Metzler's arc?


Scott Allie: Yeah. When you guys rise up and assassinate us, we're counting on that being in all the papers.



31. trunktheslayer: Ok, I'll be the begger then. When asked about the cover for the Retreat TPB you seemed sort of surprised that we haven't seen it yet. Any chance you could show us then? [/begging]

Scott Allie: It's up to my marketing department to decide when that goes out, but let me prod them.

32. Jay: You made it clear that one book cannot completely hold all of Season Eight and the special features. So I got a suggestion. Do you think you guys can release a box to hold the collected volumes, so it resembles one big book?

Scott Allie: Yeah, maybe. We love doing those, but they usually don't sell that well. What we'd do is around the time of the final collection, we'd release a boxed set of the entire season, and also make the empty box available. But very few people buy the complete boxed set, because they already have at least a few of the existing books; and then retailers don't know how to sell the empty boxes. But maybe with Buffy it'd be different. You guys are more smart and eager.



33. bamph: Is Bay actually Oz's wife or are they just lovers/together and is Kelden a boy or a girl?It was hard for me to tell in the issue.

Scott Allie: I'm pretty sure Bay and Oz are married, can't remember if we specify in the book, but we all refer to her as his wife in conversation. So I'm about 98% sure of that. And Kelden is a boy, something we also might not specify in dialogue, but do elsewhere.



34. AndrewCrossett: Okay, your little hints about the future of the story are officially scaring the crap out of me. (Mission accomplished, I know.) Can we safely say that season 8 is intended to be the most emotionally difficult season of Buffy so far for the fans?

Scott Allie: I don't think that's the goal. I think the comics format has just opened Joss up to bigger changes, bigger chances, and I think fans have a hard time with change.





35. Rowan Hawthorn: Kennedy was conspicuously absent through the whole issue. Finding it a little too awkward to be hanging out with Willow's ex, I suppose? Or trying to make it less awkward for Willow?

Scott Allie: With any ensemble story, the problem comes up that you don't have something for everyone to do. So much **** going on in this story, there's just nothing for Kennedy to be doing right now, so she's been written into the background. But one could infer from that that it has to do with Oz and Willow's history.



36. bitsy: It seems like most of the world is against the Slayers at this point but there's no such thing as an issue all people universally agree upon. What sort of people do you think still perceive vampires as evil and slayers as good other than people who actually know the truth? Left wing, right wing, religious, atheist, terrorist, pacifist?

Scott Allie: I don't think too many people who don't have first-hand knowledge would know the truth—I think mostly people would believe the hype, if they don't have good reason to know better. The Slayers aren't out there trying to put the real message forth, which they probably should do, if they weren't fighting for their lives and trying to stay hidden.



37. Stephanie: I know people keep bothering you about this juicy story line Xander has in Season 8. In the past you've said that, a lot like Dawn, his story is far from over. Considering he's kind of been in the background for most of the season since Wolves at the Gate...my question is, now that we've seen the cover for #29, is it safe to assume that his arc is going to start to pick-up in that issue? Like are we going to get this mysterious "hook-up" in Jane's arc? Or is it another case of, "well we figured Xander would be a cool homage cover," (sort of like with deciding to put him and Dawn on the sub for issue #27), and you are going to make us impatient fans wait until Brad's arc to start dealing with Xander's "emotional state"?

Scott Allie: Is #29 the Sgt Rock cover? Yeah, that one was all about the cool homage, just that Xander fit well in that. To whatever degree Xander has been in the background, his story HAS been progressing, something you'll understand by the end of Jane's arc. Remember that with these writers, a character's story doesn't progress simply by how much time he spends fighting bad guys. Xander's been in the background as far as that goes, but what's he been doing in the background? You'll see that by the end of Jane's arc, but you won't get any real insight into his emotional state for a little while. That'll come a little later.



Thanks, everybody. I think we're gonna have MDHP back on Myspace in a couple weeks, and we'll repost #23 with Always Darkest as well as posting #24 at the same time, with a new thing from Jane and Karl Moline. Both issues will go up at the same time, to inaugurate the new life for MDHP. I'll talk to you all again when #28 comes out.

[comic fan]

Covers and info for Buffy Season 8 #30.Retreat Part V of V out in November.

Comics Continuum: Dark Horse Comics for November

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #30

Written by Jane Espenson, penciled by Georges Jeanty, inked by Andy Owens, colored by Michelle Madsen, covers by Jeanty and Adam Hughes.

"Retreat," part 5 of 5. The war between Twilight's minions and Buffy's army rages in the Tibetan mountains. Bereft of their magic, the girls‹Wiccans and Slayers‹face an epic battle in which they have no hope of victory. Buffy has already done the retreat thing once, plus also put herself and her army into hiding . . . What can she do now that there is no magic to help them escape from another losing battle?

40 pages, $2.99, in stores on Nov. 4.






Angel:Only Human #1 is out tomorrow.

[comic fan]

Georges Jeanty Q/A for last month's issue 26 is finally complete.

SlayAlive: A Buffy Forum - *COMPLETE* Q&A with Georges Jeanty session 4

*COMPLETE* Q&A with Georges Jeanty session 4


Hey all!

We're back for another round, after taking a month off (since Georges didn't pencil the Tales one-shot).

Rules are simple: Maximum of three (3) questions per member until your previous questions are answered. This is to account for the possibility that there may be a delay. Keep it clean, keep it civil. Simple right? Entries are welcome until I post a closing post.

I'm starting this a little early to gain some momentum.

Anyone who's reading this and not a member, I'm accepting questions at wenxina@slayalive.com. Feel free to send me your questions and I'll add them to the queue with credit to you.

Alright... GO!

*NOTE: Before you ask your question(s), you may wanna check back here to make sure that that they haven't been asked before.


1. wenxina: Housekeeping question here. How far along are you in terms of pencils for S8 at the moment?

Georges: I am halfway through issue 29 at the moment. Dark Horse is trying their bestest to keep me on schedule, and at the moment it seems to be working. Keep your stakes crossed that it stays that way!



2. wenxina: You mentioned a while back that you had adopted a storytelling style in which you usually try to show a switch in location by giving us a vertical panel of the new location. Have there been any new additions to your repertoire that allow you to better tell a story in your art?

Georges: I said that more in refernece to the story I was telling. I by no means stick to one method of story telling. That would be boring. I read the scripts and ask myself what kind of story is this. With the Faith arc I tried to adopt a Frank Miller storytelling style like he did on Daredevil. Or more subtle things like in issue 27 when the gang is all in Tibet, you'll notice that for those scenes the panels bleed off the page. I tried this to suggest the vastness of the country side. Little things like that.



3. AndrewCrossett: In "Living Doll," was it your decision to use Jeremy from "Yellow Submarine" as the gremlin in the tree, or did Doug Petrie specify that?

Georges: Yeah, that was my idea. I ran it past Doug to make sure he was cool with it. When I read the script I immediately thought of Lord of the Rings and something I could put in from that, but then I thought, why not get more obscure? I bought those Yellow Submarine figures years ago and that little Nowhere Man came with it and it's sitting in my studio and I thought why not? I also put that Glove from the film in a prior issue (maybe that was too obscure because nobody's said anything about that yet). Again, one of the quirky things I like to put in my work. Good looking out.



4. bamph: Last month we got Scott Allie's reaction to the news of the Whedonless Buffy rebooted movie by the Kuzuis.What are your thoughts and reactions about the news that has rocked the fandom and has Joss himself or any of the season 8 writers commented to you about it?

Georges: I could have sworn I read something where Joss was asked that question and he replied he wished them luck with it. I don't see how a movie like that could come out without Joss's involvement! I mean c'mon! There's a no brainer if ever there was a no brainer. I would love it if this lit a fire under Joss to do the Buffy film. Speaking strictly as a fan, I would love to see a film version as I'm sure everyone else would. I have this dream that Joss gets in touch with me and he says that they're going ahead with the movie and they're taking chunks of Season 8 and putting it together and he wants me to come on as a consultant or something! Hey, a guy can dream can't he!



5. bamph: Retreat Part 1 has some big moments in it.Everybody coming together finally,the reunion between Andrew and Warren,Buffy and Giles reconnecting and the return of Oz to name some.What was your favorite moment in the new issue to draw?

Georges: Seriously? While it was a gas and a personal strain on my drawing hand to include all these characters together at last (and there's even more togetherness next issue) I really enjoyed the conversation Giles and Buffy have towards the end of the issue. I mean I really choreographed that. It just felt like a really tender scene with these two who haven't been together since season 8 started! It was really nice. But just to show you what a obsessive I am with this book and doing things just right. I must have labored for a day on exactly how Giles should hug Willow and Buffy when they all meet up. I really put some thought into that because to me it was very telling how he displayed his affections for these girls. That's the little stuff that seems to take up so much of my time on this book!



6. bamph: Retreat is supposed to be a big turning point in season 8 and you've hinted at some big shockers coming up.Is there any specific issue number coming up in the next four parts of the Retreat arc that we should brace ourselves for in regards to jaw droppers?

Georges: Hmmm. Yes there are some shockers coming up and you want me to tell you about them? Okay come closer. A little closer. At one point, get this at one point something happens (he looks both ways) and when this something happens people are shocked, but not really surprised... okay, not the shocker you were wanting, huh? Sorry. I couldn't resist. There's a lot of juicy stuff coming up don't you want to be surprised? Isn't that half the fun, not knowing what's going to happen? You will not be disappointed, trust me. Especially with Twilight.



7. Emmie: Was the inclusion of the Wicked book on Willow's nightstand in Retreat Pt 1 a specific direction from Joss or Jane, or was that your own addition to the issue?

Georges: That again was me, shameless I admit. It just seemed like a no brainer. I've been wanting to put that in this season somewhere I just haven't found a good place for it. I was also toying with the idea of doing a cover inspired by the musical's poster with Glenda whispering into Elfaba's ear, but have it be Willow and Buffy. Who knows, maybe it will still get done. I can't tell you how many times I have listened to the sound track to the musical while I've been drawing this book. Like Joss, I love musicals!



8. vampmogs: Are there any big scenes coming up that were intimidating to draw?

Georges: Uhh, just like every issue that Jane has written! Seriously, There's a big war brewing and I don't think I'm all that good with Military gear, so that has been a challenge. I'm always intimidated when I have new characters to draw repeatedly, so Oz has been an effort. I love the challenge, but it aint easy!



9. AndrewCrossett: There's a rumor out there that a "motion comic" is going to be made of season 8... basically the comic pages with limited animation added in, like they did with "Watchmen." Is this true and if so, are you involved in the process at all?

Georges: I haven't heard that but I'd be the first one to reserve my copy! That would be fun to see, of course it would be even funner (funner..?) to See a major Motion Picture based on the events of Season 8.I have this fantasy that Joss tells me he's got the green light to do the movie and he wants to bring me on as a consultant. When I dream, I dream big! The only thing remotely close to that that I was a part of was when DC did a series of 3-D Comics and I was made aware that what I drew was going to go through a 3-D process so try and put a sense of perspective more that usual.



10. AndrewCrossett: On the same panel where Buffy and Giles are hugging, in the background we see Faith saying hello to Willow and Kennedy. Willow smiles at her, but Kennedy is frowning and shooting daggers with her eyes. Was this your way of showing Kennedy's usual protectiveness of Willow, or was it in the script?

Georges: That particular bit of business was in the script. Jane Espenson is writing that arc and she secretly told me recently when we were doing a signing, how much she loved the little things that I put in. She loved that what she wrote, like"Faith waving at Willow and Kennedy not having it.." made it in because it was a small thing that we weren't going to call attention to.



11. wenxina: As someone who has already read way ahead of us, would you consider the "Retreat" arc to be the climax of S8, or is that honor reserved for the next arc? I get the impression that this is the climax of the season, since you've mentioned "war" and "military gear" a couple of times now, which leads me to believe that an epic showdown is upon us soon.

Georges: Yeah, I would say that "Retreat" is more the PMS before the full blown Period! (Drawing nothing but women for the last few years makes you think this way!) Everyone gets together and everything changes, but what and how much become the crux of the arc. The show down between Buffy and Twilight is the climax, no question. That will be the next arc... and you really want to be there for that!



12. wenxina: Style question: Great job so far on switching up the clothes a lot, but is there any chance that we'll see Buffy with a new hair-do again soon? Earlier on, you switched her hair about quite a bit... I actually quite liked the braided pig-tails in "A Beautiful Sunset". As a fan of Buffy's S7 hair-dos, it's mildly unsettling to see Buffy constantly in a ponytail. Wasn't Satsu supposed to help Buffy with her hair?

Georges: Well, since they broke up, Satsu just doesn't have time to do Buff's hair anymore! Kidding. I love to switch up her hair style as well, but there comes a time when reason wins out and you think if Sarah Michelle were running around with superpowers, in truth most of the time her hair would be pulled back to stay out of her face when she's kicking slayer butt. I try to have her hair different if I think it's a apropriate. Given that there's this big battle coming, it just makes sense that Buffy has her hair pulled back. Sorry. As soon as we switch scenes and things have calmed down her hair is the first thing I'm paying Attention to!



13. Emmie: It's always fun to hear personal anecdotes about the Buffyverse creators (yourself included!) and you've now had a chance to work closely with Joss, Drew Goddard, Jane Espenson, Doug Petrie and Drew Greenberg. Is there anything you've noticed about their different styles that they bring to the table? Perhaps something that you read in the script that's unique to the different writers?

Georges: Not so much different style as such.They all have a way of writing no doubt, BUT I'm WILLING TO BET NOT HAVING READ ANY OF THE TV SCRIPTS,THAT IT'S DONE IN THE SAME VEIN. the SCRIPTS ARE ALL WRITTEN OUT WITH THE DIALOG ALREADY ATTACHED, WHICH IS GOOD FOR ME SO THAT WAY i CAN AFFIX THE PROPER facial expressions to the characters talking. It has been a joy reading the scripts when I get a new issue because I read it like a fan. I feel lucky that the scripts I get may have been seen by like 4 other people. A very exclusive club at first! I know the writers have said that they enjoy the fact that there aren't all these people they have to go through when they write a script. Like the production company the studio the wardrobe, actors, technicians etc. It's just me. Very cool.



14. AndrewCrossett: I assume you know how season 8 ends. Would you say it's going to be as big in scope and consequences for the Buffyverse as the TV series finale was?

Georges: It's not as big an ending as say Sunnydale falling into itself, but there's so much that happens that it has inspired Joss to do a Season 9, which is cool. I mean just with the reveal of twilight and what happens at the end of issue 30 will invite debate for many a fan site! I haven't read the last few scripts but I'm told there is a lot of juicy stuff to stick around for!



15. stormwreath: In Season 7, Willow usually went scary-black-eyed whenever she used magic. In Season 8, she seems to do that much less often - maybe four or five times in the entire season so far, despite casting some pretty powerful spells.

Is this something deliberate that we should be paying attention to, or is it just a coincidence/artist's license? Was it something Joss discussed with you?

Georges: This was something that Joss and I talked about in the beginning of Season 8. He gave me the back story that Willow was away from the rest of the gang for a while and in that time she was working on her magic whether it was apprenticing with some other Wicca or learning on her own. She's a lot stronger and is more in control of her magic. To that end the black eyes still occur but with less frequency. And she's not done yet....



16. Jay: I know this is gonna sound awkward...but....

...how do you pronounce your last name?

At first I've been saying it like JEEN-tee, but now I pronounce it like G-N-T.

Georges: At first I've been saying it like JEEN-tee, but now I pronounce it like G-N-T.
It's French, so at first thought it would be more like Jean-ty like Captain Jean Luc Picard. but I live in the South and Jeen- tee is the closest I'm going to get to that. As with the first name Georges it's more like Shorge, but George-s is fine with me.
It's Funny, when I was in France everyone there said it correctly but I hadn't herd it pronounced like that that I kept wanting to correct them.



17. Wyndam: People seem pretty happy at the return of Oz's original Werewolf look. On your cover for #27 (and possible future interior work) did you get to decide which Werewolf look to use, or was that something relayed to you by Joss, since Season 8 doesn't have any more budgetary concerns like the show did?

Georges: This was something else I talked to Joss about. I thought Oz had a pretty defined look in the TV show and I thought he wanted to stay with that and he was like no, that was just something we had to go with because of the money we had. He fancied the wolves would look more like wolves in the Howling. And since Oz isn't the only werewolf anymore we could make them more proper looking instead of like cute tiger-things.



18. Erebus: In the Buffyverse (/Whedonverse), fans have come to expect a rash of character death towards the climaxes of seasons. So far, Season 8 has taken everything we come to expect from Buffy to the extreme. Should we prepare ourselves for some serious hardship this season (induced by character death)?

Georges: Hmm. You're not satisfied by all the death that has already happened? What was that speculation that characters close to Buffy don't always end well? There is by no means an end to all the killing that's going on but I'm not at liberty to say who...



19. sosa lola: You did a wonderful job capturing Oz, is there a new character in the future that is hard to draw? You don't have to give the name of the character.

Georges: Yes! I'm still working on Oz, and thank you by the way for saying that I've captured him. I am trying my hardest to get Riley down as best as I can, and while not an actual member of the Buffyverse but in the Whedon world, I've been using Dollhouse's Sierra Dichen Lachman for Oz's wife Bay. SO I get to look at her all day, which ain't bad. I usually throw in some girls that I know as slayers when there's a group of them. Future characters... hmm Twilight, once unmasked, will be interesting to draw...

[comic fan]

Two preview pages for Buffy Season 8 #28.

Preview :: Dark Horse Comics

[comic fan]

Scott Allie video interview.Talks Willow one-shot in it.

YouTube - Scott Allie Introduces Buffy and Dr. Horrible One-Shots

He says the Willow one-shot is crucial to Buffy Season 8 and will show why Willow isn't the same character she was in Buffy Season 7.

[ashleyt]

Great updates