Motion Comic Episode 1: The Long Way Home - Released 07/20/2010 - (iTunes/Amazon)

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I just finished watching the Buffy Season 8 Motion Comic Episode 1 - The Long Way Home!

Yesterday the Buffy Season 8 motion comics (BS8MC) appeared on iTunes with a free trailer. The trailer was removed shortly after it appeared in iTunes because there were problems with the pitch in the audio. BS8MC have not reappeared in iTunes yet so I was forced to watch it on amazon.

I don't particularly care for amazon because you can only download the video for a Windows PC or a Tivo. I use a mac so this is inconvenient for me. One other thing that I noticed on iTunes is that you have both SD and HD options for the series, I didn't see this option on amazon.

I hope that it will return to iTunes soon, that is where I will be watching from here on out. The SD season pass is $14.99 and the HD season pass is $29.99

Anyway, on to the episode. I didn't take the time to go frame by frame from the actual comic to see if all of the content was identical but it looked like it on first viewing. The run-time for episode 1 is about 11 minutes.

The style of the motion comic is fantastic. they have done some crafty animation of the still frames from the comic to really bring things to life. I have seen a few other motion comics before, this was by far the best in terms of entertainment and bringing a true sense of action to the comic.

The voice actors I thought did a pretty good job. I can tell you already that Kelly Albanese who voices Buffy is going to be the subject of endless debate. For so long many of us have associated Buffy with the voice of SMG and so it is going to be a difficult transition. Personally, I thought she did a pretty good job. Her performance lacks a little bit of that wit and snarkiness that SMG brought to the character but she seems to have a good handle on Buffy's personality and keep in mind this is episode 1, things will only get better.

I thought the casting for Dawn and Xander was excellent. The first line that Xander spoke in the comic I thought for a moment that Nickolas Brendon had signed on, throughout the episode it became obvious that it was a different actor but it still sounds just like Xander overall.

Dawn didn't sound at all like Dawn from the series, she sounded like an older Dawn which makes sense because she is now a college student, no longer barely a teenager in high school.

The music, much of which was scored by Christophe Beck, did an amazing job of adding another layer to the story unfolding on the screen.

Whether you have been following season 8 in the comics or not, you need to be watching the motion comics, I emphasize you need to see this. The story is fantastic and the for all of you who miss seeing the series on TV, this is a wonderful outlet to get your Buffy fix.

As usual, Joss in his masterful wisdom is changing the game. First Buffy, and the rest of the core TV Whedonverse, then Dr. Horrible the internet sensation and now the Season 8 motion comics. This could very well be the medium to successfully continue any and all of Joss' creations in a fun, new way. Who knows at some point they may even find a way to make them interactive in some way.

I loved it!

This changes everything...
 
This is the first Motion Comic I've ever seen. I loved the format! Sure, it can't hold a candle to the show, but then I don't especially like the standard comic format. Had it not been for BS8 & AtF, I probably could've gone my life without ever reading one.

The only reason I'd say it's a mixed bag is because the voices are not the real ones. In my head, it's Sarah & co's voices, where these aren't even close...
 
The Ferg
The Ferg
I'm in the same comic situation as you. Because of BS8 and AtF I have branched out a little more though.
I won't be buying it. Maybe if they'd put forth the little bit of effort to do actual animation, and if the voice actors would actually put some feeling into their words rather than just reading them cold off a script...

Honestly... in 2010, why is something like this considered worth paying for? Flash animation isn't that hard or expensive to make.
 
T
ToShanshuInLA
I generally dislike motion comics myself but I'm going to give episode 1 a chance.
Thanks for the review!!! I have never read any of the comics so I am so happy they are doing this because now I will be able to catch up with what has happened!!
 
I won't be buying it. Maybe if they'd put forth the little bit of effort to do actual animation, and if the voice actors would actually put some feeling into their words rather than just reading them cold off a script...

Honestly... in 2010, why is something like this considered worth paying for? Flash animation isn't that hard or expensive to make.

I just read an Allie Q&A and he feels the same way. It does kind of sucks, but I just have a feeling that for now this is the best we're going to get. Sadly I sometimes think the Buffyverse is underrated and Fox isn't really willing to put fourth any effort towards the Franchise. Let's hope that the motion comics do well enough for them to reconsidered. Plus being out a couple bucks isn't too bad. I kinda don't think.
 
I actually really liked it! Yeah, the actors take away a helluva lot from the experience, but other than that, it was really legit. I've watched Watchmen, Astonishing X-Men, and BS8 in this format, and I can honestly say BS8 is leaps and bounds ahead of the other two.
 
I just read an Allie Q&A and he feels the same way. It does kind of sucks, but I just have a feeling that for now this is the best we're going to get. Sadly I sometimes think the Buffyverse is underrated and Fox isn't really willing to put fourth any effort towards the Franchise. Let's hope that the motion comics do well enough for them to reconsidered. Plus being out a couple bucks isn't too bad. I kinda don't think.

I was really interested by this statement he made in that interview (which is here)

We're working on some new stuff now, including something we're gonna unveil on the Dark Horse panel at the show. This is more ambitious stuff, work in progress that could be the next step in motion comics.
 
I paid a dollar, it was worth it. An enjoyable 11 minutes and it made the first issue new again after three years.
 
Paid my $.99 and I've gotta say, it was probably the most entertaining dollar I've spent in quite a while. I know it's gonna take a bit to get used to the voice acting, but I rather liked it as a whole. The way it played out was kinda neat, as I'm not into motion comics really, but this was different. Hope we don't have to wait too long in between "episodes".
 
The Ferg agrees: I'm in the same comic situation as you. Because of BS8 and AtF I have branched out a little more though.
Oh, I have too! I've read all of the recent Buffyverse stuff, but I branched out into The Return of Bruce Wayne and the new Batman Beyond miniseries. I don't hate comics by any means, but compared to film, TV, animation, or legitimate books, comics are far-and-wide the worst, imo.

Sadly I sometimes think the Buffyverse is underrated and Fox isn't really willing to put fourth any effort towards the Franchise.
I don't really think the Buffyverse is underrated. I think Joss lucked out with SMG & co...

If you compare the Buffyverse to DC, you can see that "Batman" can be a strong character with a million different writers and actors. I don't think the same is true for Buffy. While Joss & Sarah's "Buffy" is one of the greatest characters ever, I don't think "Buffy" can stand without them.

I think the same is true for most of the Buffyverse characters, especially one like Spike, who honestly would be laughably bad coming from any actor except for James...

---------- Post added at 02:16 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:00 AM ----------

I won't be buying it. Maybe if they'd put forth the little bit of effort to do actual animation, and if the voice actors would actually put some feeling into their words rather than just reading them cold off a script...

Honestly... in 2010, why is something like this considered worth paying for? Flash animation isn't that hard or expensive to make.

Well, it's only $1 to be fair. But I've been bemoaning for years wondering why they can't get Bruce Timm to produce one of his ~$5m HD Animated gems. Based on BS8 sales, they'd certainly turn a profit. And, aside from SMG, the big Buffyverse stars have already worked on Timm's projects. Boreanaz, Marsters, Fillion, Baldwin, Denisof, Acker, and Baldwin have all done work with Bruce Timm's animated works.
 
D
dan k
In agreement about the actors being integral to the show, For me Spike is James Marsters, Buffy in SMG etc
NY State of Mind
NY State of Mind
Yeah and maybe he could bring back Batman animated cause the newer series is weaker
Just downloaded it. Thought it was awesome! I agree that the acting is only average and sound nothing like them. How long do we have to wait until the next one?
 
I had a glitch with my computer while I was trying to download. 🙁 I'm working on getting it redownloaded, and as soon as I do I'll be sure to watch and let you guys know what I thought. 😀
 
NY State of Mind agrees: Yeah and maybe he could bring back Batman animated cause the newer series is weaker

Actually, Bruce Timm's newest Batman movie is being released this week! It stars Bruce Greenwood, Neil Patrick Harris, Jason Isaacs and Jensen Ackles. I caught an early showing, and it's easily his 3rd best Batman movie.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2c9MsP3OVs"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2c9MsP3OVs[/ame]
 
Actually, Bruce Timm's newest Batman movie is being released this week! It stars Bruce Greenwood, Neil Patrick Harris, Jason Isaacs and Jensen Ackles. I caught an early showing, and it's easily his 3rd best Batman movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2c9MsP3OVs

I'll watch it cause of the red hood but they should get Conroy to do the voice of Bats again
 
I'm going through the credits and imdb'ing the actresses that play Renee, Rowena, Leah and Satsu. I find it really interesting if they are what Joss wanted the comic book characters to look/sound like.
 
S
Skytteflickan88
Dark horse had nothing to do with the motion comic, so I doubt Joss vision was taken into account.
I'll watch it cause of the red hood but they should get Conroy to do the voice of Bats again

Well, while not technically canon to the DCAU, Bruce Timm's film Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009) used the same writing team and cast as the original. Conroy, Daly, and even Clancy Brown. It's not bad, and its sequel, Superman/Batman: Doomsday comes out in two months (same cast as well).

Timm & Conroy also did Gotham Knight together, which is set in the Nolanverse (Batman Begins and The Dark Knight). It fills in the 6-month gap between the two Theatrical Movies. Personally, I didn't care for this one. Stylistically, it was a fusion between the Timmverse & Nolanverse, but it turned out far weaker than either.

Plus, Conroy & Hamill have been working with Paul Dini on the Arkham video game series, which is supposedly excellent, but I haven't seen that myself.

Back on topic 🙂, who actually produces the BS8 motion comic? Because I've only seen Dark Horse billed, and Scott Allie says Dark Horse has zero involvement...
 
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