Are you still a fan?

[Skanky Vamp]

Long after Buffy-Boards stopped doing their BBTV on Saturday nights I continued it for a good while with private viewings (which has subsequently stopped) I was still interested in "Buffy"; still partook in episode discussions. But it really has all changed now- within me its different now. The comics did this to me.

I can no longer look at the show and enjoy it for what it was, without thinking of the comics. I am not enthused for the series (though the movie I am!) because it all feels somehow.. cheaper to me.

I was wondering if I am alone; is anyone else going through this (and granted I stopped reading the dreadful things when they made

Spoiler

robotic giant Dawn in Japan

but have been following it on the forum) or has anyone gone through it already and is it just temporary?

The idea of watching a Buffy/Angel episode now... I just cringe. And that is wrong.

 

[xaphania]

I'm definitely still a fan. I take the comics with a pinch of salt and so their existence does nothing to tamper with my enjoyment of the show.

That said, your view is one I've seen a lot recently in other areas of fandom (noticeably livejournal) - people are leaving or drifting away from the fandom because of the comics. And that's sad. 🙁

 

[Username]

I just read issue 39 earlier today and I am not that upset about it, I'm just disappointed that this is what it's all been leading up to.. But even though the comics are as f#cked up as they are I can still watch my DVD's with no problem, I'll always be a fan!
I ignore the comics.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

I take the comics with a pinch of salt and so their existence does nothing to tamper with my enjoyment of the show.

I did not think it would either, because (and I dont mean to offend anyone) they are just comics. But something changed and I dont know if it will fade away. It's kinda sad too.

 

[msfantastico87]

The comics did nothing to me. I haven't read all of them, but so far from what I've read, tis a bit ridic! I don't think of it as canon and I am definitely still a fan, even if I don't agree with the comics.

 

[BuffyElevated]

Even after all this time, I'm still a fan. I love these characters so much. I've never fell in love with a show and with the characters before then way I did with BtVS, and it will forever hold a special place in my heart. Kinda like my dad with "Gunsmoke", I can watch these episodes over and over again and still be just as entertained now as I was when it was on first-run. 🙂

 

[Taake]

I'm definitely still a fan. I take the comics with a pinch of salt and so their existence does nothing to tamper with my enjoyment of the show.

That said, your view is one I've seen a lot recently in other areas of fandom (noticeably livejournal) - people are leaving or drifting away from the fandom because of the comics. And that's sad. 🙁

Really? That is sad 🙁

I'm in the same boat here, I'm still a fan and only take the comics with a pinch of salt. They don't affect me much though certainly there are events in them that have irked me considerably.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

I don't think of it as canon

But how can you do that? It doesnt work that way to me. I mean, like Wizard of Oz, people still say she really went there but obviously she didnt.. 'but I still think she did' thats well and good, but according to the movie, she did not. So I dont see how not thinking of something as canon works, when it clearly is. I cant just turn that off so easily.

I cannot separate the comics 'world' from the (umm) real world of Buffy the Series... oh. But I just thought I would be fine with the movie.. thats because (for the most part) different cast and characters. Thats maybe it. Maybe its the fact that its the same characters... I dont know. I really am confounded by this!!

 

[Kean]

Honestly? I don't know.

I find it very hard to watch an episode of either show, and have done for years. I can't blame that on the comics though. I think what has actually killed my interest is fandom. OK, that sounds really bad but let me explain.

The more I analyse or read analysis of the show, the less I enjoy it. I can't just sit back and enjoy and episode of tv for what it is. In my head I'm deconstructing it. And what I find more than anything is that the more I tear it apart, the less I like it. Any of it. The writers, the seasons, the characters...everything. As well as that fandom got really not fun for awhile, to the point where it was a burden and that's just crazy to me, so I pulled way back.

So, you may ask, what the Hell am I doing here when I don't really watch the show anymore and find fandom too much? Well, honestly? The fandom.

As bad as it gets, it's the Other people, the people who make it AWESOME that keep me discussing the characters and stories. The people who I look for in threads because I enjoy their posts. The people that remind me, every now and again, how amazing the shows actually were.

So the reason I want to leave is the same reason I need to stay. Go figure.

I kinda hope that eventually I will feel the need to get back into the show and can enjoy it again. It's strange to say it but not liking the show anymore almost feels like losing a really close friend.

 

[The Unspoken]

Comics are a different format and therefore different rules apply; the medium helps shape the story after all. Buffy would be a completely different tale if it had started out as a comic.

While I enjoy them, the comics are so out there that I don't have any trouble separating them from the show, though I take them with a truckload rather than a pinch of salt.

 

[xfivebyfive]

But how can you do that? It doesnt work that way to me. I mean, like Wizard of Oz, people still say she really went there but obviously she didnt.. 'but I still think she did' thats well and good, but according to the movie, she did not. So I dont see how not thinking of something as canon works, when it clearly is. I cant just turn that off so easily.

I cannot separate the comics 'world' from the (umm) real world of Buffy the Series... oh. But I just thought I would be fine with the movie.. thats because (for the most part) different cast and characters. Thats maybe it. Maybe its the fact that its the same characters... I dont know. I really am confounded by this!!

Well in the Wizard of Oz books Dorothy returns. She did actually go.

But I think for some people, like myself, its easier to not think of the comics as canon because you don't see the actors doing the things in the comics. A tv show has a lot more impact then trying to visualize it like with comics or books.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

blah blah

That is kinda almost BANG-ON where I am at... in fact, your comment about fandom REALLY hit home as I mentioned something about that to OMIII earlier..

Right on.. at least I know I am not alone.

Screw that.. its not kinda almost.. I would say it is EXACTLY. Wow. I never thought that would happen.

 

[SupportOGal]

I too am having issues watching the series due to what's been happening in the comics. I can't convince myself it isn't canon, because whether I like it or not, it is.

I've tried to console myself by watching the series, but I can't help but think about how all the characters have been ruined for me. It's like, knowing where the journey is going, how nuts things get, and knowing how the characters have either not changed (or changed for the worse) makes it really depressing.

For me, the comics almost make it seem like all the growth throughout the series was for nothing.

 

[Kean]

That is kinda almost BANG-ON where I am at... in fact, your comment about fandom REALLY hit home as I mentioned something about that to OMIII earlier..

Right on.. at least I know I am not alone.

Screw that.. its not kinda almost.. I would say it is EXACTLY. Wow. I never thought that would happen.

Never thought what would happen?

And yeah, you're not alone. As Xaphania mentioned, you'll find quite a lot of people on LJ who feel the same. Although, there does seem to be an undercurrent of bitterness too, with some people. That's something I want to avoid, if I can.

I almost use this as a cautionary tale and purposely do not seek out fandoms for other shows that I'm crazy about. For example, I'm pretty much in love with The Walking Dead right now and I know I could fan that show so hard but I'm not going to because I really don't want to ruin it.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

I'm pretty much in love with The Walking Dead right now and I know I could fan that show so hard but I'm not going to because I really don't want to ruin it.

Same with Sons of Anarchy and Justified. Do you think its because until you 'fan it', its a more personal one-on-one and once you 'fan it', you became a part of the machine?
Rage baby! Rage!!

---------- Post added at 03:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:37 PM ----------

Xaphania mentioned, you'll find quite a lot of people on LJ who feel the same.

But that was about the comics being the catalyst and I think it is more fandom related..

 

[Kean]

Same with Sons of Anarchy and Justified. Do you think its because until you 'fan it', its a more personal one-on-one and once you 'fan it', you became a part of the machine?

Pretty much.

I mean, I am SO excited about TWD right now and a lot of that is because I have a show that is as intelligent and compelling as anything I've seen but also, because I really love having it to look forward to. There is just something about sitting down in front of the tv and for that hour it's just you and the characters. You don't have to justify your reasons for liking/not liking something. You don't have to tear it apart to find out how it ticks. You're not burdened with the close readings that fandom is built on. It's just pure entertainment.

That's what BTVS and ATS used to be for me, way back before I even knew fandom existed.

So honestly, I'm really protective of that show, especially from my own influence. lol

---------- Post added at 08:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:47 PM ----------

But that was about the comics being the catalyst and I think it is more fandom related..

My bad, but I meant fandom weary folk, though.

 

[zobothehobo]

I treat the comics like canon when I'm reading them. But when I'm not, they're not canon and out of my mind. For me, Buffy the show ended at Chosen... the comics are a fic written by Joss and co. They're half canon but not really. pseudo canon. As close to canon as we can get without getting there. I'm still very much excited by the series. Of course, I am a new fan. I watched for the first time in June/July and I don't feel I've had time to BECOME a fan. I've developed opinions and this and that... but I don't feel I've had enough time to have that kind of change in my thinking about the show.

 

[racheltng]

I'm still a fan, but I'm in pain after the events of issue 39. I've long defended the canonicity of the comics, and I can't bring myself to abandon that position now, even if it would make things easier.

I still want to be in fandom. I'm excited about making fanvids and writing fic, but for the last week and half I've had trouble watching the show. I'm trying to reconcile everything that has happened with my long-held beliefs about the show and its meaning. I'm hoping issue 40 will bring a little closure. Until then, I'm just waiting it out. It will pass, hopefully.

 

[prophecygrrl]

It depends on my mood...if I'm liking the comics, they're canon. If I don't like how it's going, they're not. I'm fickle that way. 😛

it it helps at all, (I just stated this in another thread) for academic reasons the comics can't be considered canon at all, no matter what Joss or fandom says because one cannot change mediums and still keep text integrity. The actors, for example, were as much a part of the execution of the tv show as the writers and producers were. A lot of the nuance, message, and subtext achieved was because of their work- erase them, you get a different product. Season 8 and the upcoming Season 9 are spin-offs at best, but still not quite canon.

 

[Abbeycat]

For me, I don't really even count the comics as apart of the show. Because I started reading the comics and then stopped. I'm just not a comic book reader. I'm more of a fan of the tv shows than the comics.