Season 9 news (Comic Con, etc.)
- Thread starter Moscow Watcher
- Start date
- Status
Anya2012
Floppy, hoppy, bunnies!
OMG...I was going to say the exact same thing! Maybe they did it that way as a homage to Ringer?
Moscow Watcher
Scooby
About 24 hours till #6... *bites nails* 🙂
According to Buffyfest
http://buffyfest.blogspot.com/2012/02/spoilers-exclusive-buffy-season-9-news.html?
Buffy Season 9 #8-10 arc will be called "Apart (of Me)" and will be written by Andrew Chambliss and Scott Allie with Cliff Richards as artist.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New Buffy #6 review
http://www.theouthousers.com/forum/...w-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-season-t77357.html
According to Buffyfest
http://buffyfest.blogspot.com/2012/02/spoilers-exclusive-buffy-season-9-news.html?
Buffy Season 9 #8-10 arc will be called "Apart (of Me)" and will be written by Andrew Chambliss and Scott Allie with Cliff Richards as artist.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New Buffy #6 review
http://www.theouthousers.com/forum/...w-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-season-t77357.html
Moscow Watcher
Scooby
http://www.whedonopolis.com/article.php?story=20120206233021106
ADVANCED "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9" #6 Review: Mother or Slayer?
ADVANCED "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9" #6 Review: Mother or Slayer?
Moscow Watcher
Scooby
I haven't read the issue yet, but I read the recaps on other boards. I love the sound of them, because the issue has great Spuffy scenes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CBR interview with Scott Allie on Buffy S9 # 6.
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=36854
Scott Allie On Making "Buffy" Bold
As "Season 9" of Joss Whedon's fan favorite franchise continues, Buffy the Vampire Slayer tackles new emotions through her pregnancy, new villains with "zompires" and new mysteries surrounding Spike, Willow and the gang, says Scott Allie.
by Kiel Phegley, News Editor
After a "Season 8" that left many fans reeling from cosmic whiplash, the major theme of Joss Whedon's "Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 9" from Dark Horse Comics was to tighten the focus of the fan favorite franchise on the core cast of monster killers and their emotional status. Now half way into its first year, the core "Buffy" book is already simmering with major moves including an unexpected and mysterious pregnancy for Buffy Summers and a potential mutilation for the girl around the corner if the solicited covers provide any clue.
But through it all, Editor Scott Allie promised that the mission has not changed. Though the stories in "Season 9" may make for hot topics, the bold tone the book is striking will continue to ask the question of "How does this feel?" even as it juggles plots both personal and adventurous.
"There's been a Herculean effort to keep the story moving on multiple levels across this first half of 'Season 9,'" Allie told CBR News in advance of this week's issue #6. "It's kind of crazy, and we said that the rule going in here was that we were going to take it back down to a more intimate level "“ getting away from the more cosmic craziness of 'Season 8' and making it more personal again. When people saw the cover with Buffy getting her arm ripped off, everybody went nuts and thought we were violating the mission, but that's only one part of what's going on.
"With this current storyline with Buffy discovering her pregnancy, we're exploring a young woman who thought the fate of the world was resting on her shoulders "“ and maybe it actually did "“ and taking it her story back to human issues but some of the biggest issues anyone can face. We want to have a good action adventure, pot-boiler, sci-fi story rolling out because that's what 'Buffy' is. But we also really want to make it about her as a young woman "“ a human person finding herself and redefining herself. So splitting the focus between what's happening with the zompires and the cops and what's going on with her personally is a tough balancing act, but I think everybody from Joss to [series writer] Andrew [Chambliss] to me and Sierra [Hahn, my assistant] all understand what purpose the whole story is serving."
One under-discussed aspect of the series in the wake of the controversial pregnancy move has been the so-called "zompires" "“ newly turned vamps who are mindless killing machines due to the destruction of magic on the earth. In issue #6, reformed vampire Spike will take a proactive approach to battling this threat "“ something that's indicative of his expanded role in "Season 9."
"At one point, Joss and I were walking around Santa Monica talking about what titles could comprise 'Season 9.' At that point, we didn't know that 'Angel & Faith' was going to be the name of one of the books. We talked about a Spike book, and Joss said, 'I don't think so. I think he's more fun in Buffy's book,'" Allie said. "And he was right. Spike and Buffy are really fun "“ the way they play off each other, the way they butt heads and the way they're emotionally involved. Whether they're romantically involved or not, it's pretty intricate and interesting. While a lot of Buffy's friends are busy doing other things right now, Spike's going to be the guy who's there to talk to her and to have her back in a fight and all those other things that she needs. So it makes sense to give him a fairly prominent role for what she's facing on both fronts."
The editor noted that the mindless vampires weren't the only change coming due to the end of magic, but they would be one of the most prominent ones for a variety of reasons. "There's more dominos to fall, but the zompire thing is here to stay "“ if not permanently at least for a long time," he explained. "When we had the writer's summit, we spent a good chunk of that day talking about what the loss of magic means. We spent all sorts of time coming up with cool ideas. We had a million interesting conceptual ideas about what's going to be cool about this world with no magic in it, but one of the things we came around to was that we could fill book after book after book with 'This could happen. Nobody's written a really good song' or whatever. But that would take the focus away from the personal. So there were a lot of possibilities for how to demonstrate the changing world, but we didn't want to focus on that. Zompires are different. Other things are different that I think readers understand will be explored in terms of what exceptions exist to our rules and what they are. All of that remains in play, but it remains in play because we didn't want to do a five-issue series just explaining what's different. We wanted to play with the characters and their relationships.
"We're trying to keep what's different about the world consistent between 'Angel & Faith' and 'Buffy,' and in the side series like the short piece Jane Espenson and Drew Greenberg are writing for us, we went 'Oh no!' because we realized they had been out of the loop and not actively engaged since the summit. We had to tell them 'This is what's going on in the world now. This is where the Slayers are at and who Buffy is in relationship to other people.' We laid that all out for them, but I'm glad there wasn't more to explain about the difference in the world. It gets a bit tedious after a while."
Of course, while Buffy confronts the emotional fallout of her pregnancy "“ and readers can find more about that particular turn in this previous CBR piece "“ her friends are strangely absent from the series. While fans know that Dawn and Xander have their own relationship problems to deal with right now, Allie said that the rest of the wayfaring Scooby gang cast have their own reasons for being absent. And those reasons are another of the many ways "Season 9" stands apart from "Season 8."
"It's going to take a little bit before we reveal what's going on with Willow," the editor said. "You're not going to see her in issue #6 or 7, and it'll be a while before we really know what's going on with her. I think the fun of doing 'Season 9' is what we can do different from 'Season 8' and play with different structural things. So having Willow depart in issue #5 and not immediately answering that is hopefully a big part of the dramatic tension of the season."
Allie did reveal that fanboy-ish friend and newly central cast member Andrew Wells would also see his day in the spotlight arrive. "Andrew is going to come back into focus pretty soon and have a significant role to play. Everybody who writes any of this stuff LOVES Andrew. He's great to write, and he's great to write when he's in the mix. When I wrote my arc in 'Season 8,' he would only poke his head in here and there. But once you get to write a few pages with that guy, he's great, and the writers are always looking for good, useful ways to throw him into the action. He gets a pretty good role in the next arc."
Catch the next phase of "Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 9's" new direction with issue #6 tomorrow, and stay tuned to CBR for more behind the scenes looks into the series.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Interview with Joss about the issue.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/comics...e-vampire-slayer-comic-book-series/53002192/1
Buffy the Vampire Slayer faces her biggest challenge
By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY
After years of tackling vampires, demons and assorted "big bads" on TV and now in comic books, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is facing something else extremely daunting: pregnancy.
In the latest issue of Dark Horse Comics' Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, in stores today, Buffy weighs the life of being the "chosen" Slayer against the life she's about to bring into the world. After some soul-searching with the son of another former Slayer, Buffy decides to have an abortion.
There were two key aspects to discussing the hot-button issue, says the comic's executive producer, Joss Whedon: It had to be portrayed as a difficult decision for Buffy, and it had to be treated with respect on the creative side.
"It's not something we would ever take lightly, because you can't. You don't. It's not an easy thing for anyone," he says.
The Buffy TV series, which ran from 1997 to 2003 and starred Sarah Michelle Gellar, became a cult hit and fostered a ferociously loyal fan base in its seven seasons before vampires became all the pop-culture rage.
In two "seasons" of Buffy comics, Whedon has continued the story lines from the television show. But the previous Season 8 issues were too "comic-booky and overblown" for his tastes, so when Whedon and series writer Andrew Chambliss began breaking down stories for the current Season 9, they decided to return to the mission statement of the original TV show, which was to follow the story of a woman at important points in her life.
"Buffy was always about the arc of a life, and it wasn't ever going to be one of those shows where they were perpetually in high school and never asked why," Whedon says. "It was about change. So there's never a time when Buffy's life isn't relevant."
Season 9 finds the character in her early 20s with no idea what she's doing with her life and in free fall while everybody around her seems to be maturing, finding direction and setting up their adult life.
Living in San Francisco with all the magic cut off from the world and zombie vampires lurking in the city, Buffy learns she is pregnant "” with the unknown father possibly one of the guests at a wild party at her place "” and in the new Issue 6, she confides in the anti-heroic vamp Spike of her decision to have an abortion.
Chambliss says Buffy's choice was something that grew organically out of the story. "Given the specifics of Buffy's life at this point in the season "” facing a new kind of vampire threat, barely able to keep a job "” it seemed like it would be dishonest for Buffy to not at least entertain the question of whether she should keep or end the pregnancy."
Whedon had never thought about a pregnancy story for the TV-show character. In comics, though, he has license to do more with magic and creatures, and it has given him the chance to be "a little more on the nose in the grounding of our characters."
Whedon points out that Friday Night Lights is one show that recently tackled abortion with the proper respect. And he concedes there's a little bit of a political jab in the Buffy story line. It's not that women should be on one side or the other, he says, but that people have to make this decision and talk about it.
"It offends me that people who purport to be discussing a decision that is as crucial and painful as any a young woman has to make won't even say something that they think is going to make some people angry."
Though the director of the upcoming movie The Avengers jokes that even he gets tired of staking vampires after a while "” "Who wouldn't? Well, apparently all of America wouldn't" "” Whedon loves the edgy aspect of horror and fantasy that allows him to discuss things in a way that also removes him slightly.
"I don't tend to write straight dramas where real life just impinges," he says. "But because I don't, when I do it is very interesting to slap people in the face with just an absolute of life."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Top 300 Comics Actual--January 2011
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/22085.html
63 BTVS SEASON 9 FREEFALL #5 30,146
106 ANGEL & FAITH #6 17,800
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CBR interview with Scott Allie on Buffy S9 # 6.
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=36854
Scott Allie On Making "Buffy" Bold
As "Season 9" of Joss Whedon's fan favorite franchise continues, Buffy the Vampire Slayer tackles new emotions through her pregnancy, new villains with "zompires" and new mysteries surrounding Spike, Willow and the gang, says Scott Allie.
by Kiel Phegley, News Editor
After a "Season 8" that left many fans reeling from cosmic whiplash, the major theme of Joss Whedon's "Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 9" from Dark Horse Comics was to tighten the focus of the fan favorite franchise on the core cast of monster killers and their emotional status. Now half way into its first year, the core "Buffy" book is already simmering with major moves including an unexpected and mysterious pregnancy for Buffy Summers and a potential mutilation for the girl around the corner if the solicited covers provide any clue.
But through it all, Editor Scott Allie promised that the mission has not changed. Though the stories in "Season 9" may make for hot topics, the bold tone the book is striking will continue to ask the question of "How does this feel?" even as it juggles plots both personal and adventurous.
"There's been a Herculean effort to keep the story moving on multiple levels across this first half of 'Season 9,'" Allie told CBR News in advance of this week's issue #6. "It's kind of crazy, and we said that the rule going in here was that we were going to take it back down to a more intimate level "“ getting away from the more cosmic craziness of 'Season 8' and making it more personal again. When people saw the cover with Buffy getting her arm ripped off, everybody went nuts and thought we were violating the mission, but that's only one part of what's going on.
"With this current storyline with Buffy discovering her pregnancy, we're exploring a young woman who thought the fate of the world was resting on her shoulders "“ and maybe it actually did "“ and taking it her story back to human issues but some of the biggest issues anyone can face. We want to have a good action adventure, pot-boiler, sci-fi story rolling out because that's what 'Buffy' is. But we also really want to make it about her as a young woman "“ a human person finding herself and redefining herself. So splitting the focus between what's happening with the zompires and the cops and what's going on with her personally is a tough balancing act, but I think everybody from Joss to [series writer] Andrew [Chambliss] to me and Sierra [Hahn, my assistant] all understand what purpose the whole story is serving."
One under-discussed aspect of the series in the wake of the controversial pregnancy move has been the so-called "zompires" "“ newly turned vamps who are mindless killing machines due to the destruction of magic on the earth. In issue #6, reformed vampire Spike will take a proactive approach to battling this threat "“ something that's indicative of his expanded role in "Season 9."
"At one point, Joss and I were walking around Santa Monica talking about what titles could comprise 'Season 9.' At that point, we didn't know that 'Angel & Faith' was going to be the name of one of the books. We talked about a Spike book, and Joss said, 'I don't think so. I think he's more fun in Buffy's book,'" Allie said. "And he was right. Spike and Buffy are really fun "“ the way they play off each other, the way they butt heads and the way they're emotionally involved. Whether they're romantically involved or not, it's pretty intricate and interesting. While a lot of Buffy's friends are busy doing other things right now, Spike's going to be the guy who's there to talk to her and to have her back in a fight and all those other things that she needs. So it makes sense to give him a fairly prominent role for what she's facing on both fronts."
The editor noted that the mindless vampires weren't the only change coming due to the end of magic, but they would be one of the most prominent ones for a variety of reasons. "There's more dominos to fall, but the zompire thing is here to stay "“ if not permanently at least for a long time," he explained. "When we had the writer's summit, we spent a good chunk of that day talking about what the loss of magic means. We spent all sorts of time coming up with cool ideas. We had a million interesting conceptual ideas about what's going to be cool about this world with no magic in it, but one of the things we came around to was that we could fill book after book after book with 'This could happen. Nobody's written a really good song' or whatever. But that would take the focus away from the personal. So there were a lot of possibilities for how to demonstrate the changing world, but we didn't want to focus on that. Zompires are different. Other things are different that I think readers understand will be explored in terms of what exceptions exist to our rules and what they are. All of that remains in play, but it remains in play because we didn't want to do a five-issue series just explaining what's different. We wanted to play with the characters and their relationships.
"We're trying to keep what's different about the world consistent between 'Angel & Faith' and 'Buffy,' and in the side series like the short piece Jane Espenson and Drew Greenberg are writing for us, we went 'Oh no!' because we realized they had been out of the loop and not actively engaged since the summit. We had to tell them 'This is what's going on in the world now. This is where the Slayers are at and who Buffy is in relationship to other people.' We laid that all out for them, but I'm glad there wasn't more to explain about the difference in the world. It gets a bit tedious after a while."
Of course, while Buffy confronts the emotional fallout of her pregnancy "“ and readers can find more about that particular turn in this previous CBR piece "“ her friends are strangely absent from the series. While fans know that Dawn and Xander have their own relationship problems to deal with right now, Allie said that the rest of the wayfaring Scooby gang cast have their own reasons for being absent. And those reasons are another of the many ways "Season 9" stands apart from "Season 8."
"It's going to take a little bit before we reveal what's going on with Willow," the editor said. "You're not going to see her in issue #6 or 7, and it'll be a while before we really know what's going on with her. I think the fun of doing 'Season 9' is what we can do different from 'Season 8' and play with different structural things. So having Willow depart in issue #5 and not immediately answering that is hopefully a big part of the dramatic tension of the season."
Allie did reveal that fanboy-ish friend and newly central cast member Andrew Wells would also see his day in the spotlight arrive. "Andrew is going to come back into focus pretty soon and have a significant role to play. Everybody who writes any of this stuff LOVES Andrew. He's great to write, and he's great to write when he's in the mix. When I wrote my arc in 'Season 8,' he would only poke his head in here and there. But once you get to write a few pages with that guy, he's great, and the writers are always looking for good, useful ways to throw him into the action. He gets a pretty good role in the next arc."
Catch the next phase of "Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 9's" new direction with issue #6 tomorrow, and stay tuned to CBR for more behind the scenes looks into the series.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Interview with Joss about the issue.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/comics...e-vampire-slayer-comic-book-series/53002192/1
Buffy the Vampire Slayer faces her biggest challenge
By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY
After years of tackling vampires, demons and assorted "big bads" on TV and now in comic books, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is facing something else extremely daunting: pregnancy.
In the latest issue of Dark Horse Comics' Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, in stores today, Buffy weighs the life of being the "chosen" Slayer against the life she's about to bring into the world. After some soul-searching with the son of another former Slayer, Buffy decides to have an abortion.
There were two key aspects to discussing the hot-button issue, says the comic's executive producer, Joss Whedon: It had to be portrayed as a difficult decision for Buffy, and it had to be treated with respect on the creative side.
"It's not something we would ever take lightly, because you can't. You don't. It's not an easy thing for anyone," he says.
The Buffy TV series, which ran from 1997 to 2003 and starred Sarah Michelle Gellar, became a cult hit and fostered a ferociously loyal fan base in its seven seasons before vampires became all the pop-culture rage.
In two "seasons" of Buffy comics, Whedon has continued the story lines from the television show. But the previous Season 8 issues were too "comic-booky and overblown" for his tastes, so when Whedon and series writer Andrew Chambliss began breaking down stories for the current Season 9, they decided to return to the mission statement of the original TV show, which was to follow the story of a woman at important points in her life.
"Buffy was always about the arc of a life, and it wasn't ever going to be one of those shows where they were perpetually in high school and never asked why," Whedon says. "It was about change. So there's never a time when Buffy's life isn't relevant."
Season 9 finds the character in her early 20s with no idea what she's doing with her life and in free fall while everybody around her seems to be maturing, finding direction and setting up their adult life.
Living in San Francisco with all the magic cut off from the world and zombie vampires lurking in the city, Buffy learns she is pregnant "” with the unknown father possibly one of the guests at a wild party at her place "” and in the new Issue 6, she confides in the anti-heroic vamp Spike of her decision to have an abortion.
Chambliss says Buffy's choice was something that grew organically out of the story. "Given the specifics of Buffy's life at this point in the season "” facing a new kind of vampire threat, barely able to keep a job "” it seemed like it would be dishonest for Buffy to not at least entertain the question of whether she should keep or end the pregnancy."
Whedon had never thought about a pregnancy story for the TV-show character. In comics, though, he has license to do more with magic and creatures, and it has given him the chance to be "a little more on the nose in the grounding of our characters."
Whedon points out that Friday Night Lights is one show that recently tackled abortion with the proper respect. And he concedes there's a little bit of a political jab in the Buffy story line. It's not that women should be on one side or the other, he says, but that people have to make this decision and talk about it.
"It offends me that people who purport to be discussing a decision that is as crucial and painful as any a young woman has to make won't even say something that they think is going to make some people angry."
Though the director of the upcoming movie The Avengers jokes that even he gets tired of staking vampires after a while "” "Who wouldn't? Well, apparently all of America wouldn't" "” Whedon loves the edgy aspect of horror and fantasy that allows him to discuss things in a way that also removes him slightly.
"I don't tend to write straight dramas where real life just impinges," he says. "But because I don't, when I do it is very interesting to slap people in the face with just an absolute of life."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Top 300 Comics Actual--January 2011
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/22085.html
63 BTVS SEASON 9 FREEFALL #5 30,146
106 ANGEL & FAITH #6 17,800
Moscow Watcher
Scooby
ENTERTAIMNENT WEEKLY interview with Joss Whedon and Andrew Chambliss
This post contains SPOILERS for issue #6. BIG SPOILERS!
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http://shelf-life.ew.com/2012/02/08/buffy-season-9-joss-whedon/
'Buffy Season 9': Joss Whedon on why Buffy is getting
This post contains SPOILERS for issue #6. BIG SPOILERS!
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http://shelf-life.ew.com/2012/02/08/buffy-season-9-joss-whedon/
'Buffy Season 9': Joss Whedon on why Buffy is getting
-- EXCLUSIVE
by Adam B. Vary
Any fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer can tell you that its titular heroine has faced her fair share of trials and turmoil that forced the young woman to make some very grown up decisions. But in the latest issue of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 comic series "” which chronicles Buffy's life in San Francisco after she destroyed the seed of all life on earth at the end of the Season 8 comic "” Buffy Summers will face perhaps the toughest decision she's ever had. SPOILER ALERT for those who would rather read about it in the issue itself, "On Your Own, Part 1," out in stores today. Seriously, what you're about to read is one heckuva spoiler:
Buffy is getting an abortion.
Last month's issue, "Slayer, Interrupted," ended with Buffy discovering she's pregnant, and in this month's issue (the sixth in the Season 9 series), she turns to the only person she knows what it means for a Slayer to have a child: Robin Wood (played by D.B. Woodside on the TV series), the grown son of the late Slayer Nikki Wood. By the end of the issue, Buffy comes to the conclusion that she cannot have a child. The decision was so important for Buffy creator and Season 9 exec producer Joss Whedon, that he took time off from finishing his post-production directing duties on The Avengers to talk exclusively with EW about the issue.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When and why did you decide that Buffy would become pregnant?
JOSS WHEDON: When I was first working out season 9, and deciding what it was about "” deciding it was going to be about this period in her life, when she is surrounded by people who are getting their lives together, and she is still at this stage when she is completely in, as [the first issues] are titled, "Freefall." She's been freed from the responsibilities she's had in season 8 and all through the TV show, but then has no idea who she is or what she's doing. That early twentysomething search for identity, where you're making the decisions that are going to eventually choose your path, [becoming pregnant] seemed to be a really important and not uncommon part of that period in your life.
Did you always know that she would be getting an abortion, or did you ever contemplate the notion that she would keep the baby?
No. I think strongly that teen pregnancy and young people having babies when they are not emotionally, financially, or otherwise equipped to take care of them, is kind of glorified in our media right now. You know, things like Secret Life [of an American Teenager] and Juno and Knocked Up, even if they pretend to deal with abortion, the movies don't even say the word "abortion." It's something that over a third of American women are going to decide to have to do in their lives. But people are so terrified that no one will discuss the reality of it "” not no one, but very few popular entertainments, even when they say they're dealing with this issue, they don't, and won't. It's frustrating to me.
I don't think Buffy should have a baby. I don't think Buffy can take care of a baby. I agree with Buffy. It's a very difficult decision for her, but she made a decision that so many people make and it's such a hot button issue with Planned Parenthood under constant threat and attack right now. A woman's right to choose is under attack as much as it's ever been, and that's a terrible and dangerous thing for this country. I don't usually get soap box-y with this, but the thing about Buffy is all she's going through is what women go through, and what nobody making a speech, holding up a placard, or making a movie is willing to say.
Obviously, you couldn't have known that Planned Parenthood would be so in the news when this issue of the comic was in the works, but I imagine you must have known this development would spark some strong debate?
Yeah, I suppose. But there's nothing wrong with debate. I didn't do it as a sensationalist move. I did it as what seemed like a natural part of Buffy's life. And obviously there will be complications to the whole storyline that could only happen in the Buffyverse. But it's not about what happens, it's about that moment of decision, and just articulating what so many people are not saying, but so many are thinking.
Do you know who the father is?
I know everything about it, but will tell you nothing. Except, like I said, it's going to end up being a storyline that is rooted in the Buffyverse. I'm not going to turn comic book into something other than what it is. The whole thing isn't going to be, well, normal. There's not going to be a lot of normal going on, but hopefully there's a certain amount of relatable. We're going to pursue what this storyline means, but not in a way people are going to expect.
Yeah, I can't imagine this plotline is going to play out like an afterschool special or a Lifetime movie.
No.
But I did want to ask about the way she got pregnant "” at the party in the first issue of Buffy Season 9, after Buffy became black-out drunk. Her behavior at that party has already bothered some fans, and to learn she got pregnant there, and doesn't know by whom, will bother some fans even more, especially those who want Buffy to be, well, more responsible.
I think that first of all that they should wait until they have all the facts and they'll learn stuff that they didn't know before. They should find out what happened before they completely judge her. But at the same time, this is also about the time in your life when you do things that are irresponsible, or that you want to hold yourself to account for. She's a person living her life, she's not running for president "” actually, I think those guys have a lot of sex. [Chuckles] She's not living under a microscope. Well, she is, because we're all watching her, be she doesn't know that. And she's going make some wrong decisions. I'm not going to turn it into a Season 6 wrong-decision-a-thon, but at the same time irresponsible and impulsive behavior may occur in your 20s. Consult a doctor.
Finally, what's it been like to be off making fancy blockbusters and have the day-to-day-ness of this comic be more out of your hands than ever?
Well, it's frustrating only in the sense that these stories are important to me, and I want to be a part of them. But I laid out the season very specifically with [writer] Andrew [Chambliss], and he's done an amazing job of moving the story and keeping the voices [true]. And this particular issue, I was very watchful of. But in general, I know that when I walk away, they're getting it done really well. That's the good news. My only probably is that I wish I could be at the party more.
Issue writer Andrew Chambliss on getting into Buffy's head.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When did you know Buffy would be getting pregnant?
ANDREW CHAMBLISS: That was something that Joss had always kind of set out from the beginning of conceiving season 9. It was definitely something we were building towards from day one. The first issue of the season where she's got the crazy party and blacks out at it. It was always something Joss wanted to do. In the season, where we're really trying to push Buffy back to dealing with real world issues that are getting in the way of her slaying, and also where she is in her life, it seems like this what we should make the core of the jumping off point for the season.
How did you come to that decision? The seasons have generally been marking posts for Buffy's development in her life. Was it a big life moment Buffy was going to have to tackle?
Yeah, that was kind of the idea. Just looking at the intention of the season where magic has disappeared, and it's kind of Buffy asking herself, "Do I have a life after slaying? I spend so much time saving the world and dealing with these huge supernatural things, what's my life like if I have to deal with these real things?" Getting pregnant seems like one of the things Buffy can't run away from, as easily as she can run away from a relationship or something like that.
What's it like to have Joss hand you the reigns while he goes off to make big blockbuster movies?
It's been an incredibly gratifying experience. I love Buffy. It's part of the reason that I became interested in writing. It's a lot of fun. I'd worked with Joss on Dollhouse, and there were Buffy alum [writing and working] on Dollhouse. Just to hear them talk about that world, part of me was always like, "I wish I could have been a part of that." So getting that opportunity now is a dream come true.
What's working relationship with Joss?
Before we started working on the season, Joss' house had a big Buffy writers summit. A bunch of part Buffy writers came "“ [comic editor] Scott Allie and the Dark Horse team came down, Cristos Gage who's writing on [spin-off comic] Angel and Faith came as well, and we just had a great brainstorming session, talking about all of the different things it would be cool to do in the season. Taking all of those ideas, Joss and I have had many email exchanges back and forth, and of course phone calls. He's really involved in laying out the map of the season, and we're going to take everything and then from there I just go in and do the more detailed work. Generally, it's been sending him drafts over email, and he'll weigh in along with Dark Horse.
Does he tweak any dialogue? "Xander would say it more this way?"
Generally he's been focused more on the story issues, and when I'm writing I'm having episodes of Buffy on in the background to get the voices of the characters down. Joss's impute is more the story side, making sure the arcs are on track. But yeah, he will throw out a line, because I've come to realize, Buffy, more than anything else Joss does, is so much Joss. He can nail that voice better than anyone else can.
At the writers summit, did abortion topic come up?
I don't think we spoke too much about it there, but as we were getting issues in and approaching the pregnancy reveal, that's when we started talking about what Buffy would do with that. Joss basically wanted to face it head on, and not shy away from it in any way. I think at the summit we might have come up with doing the Nikki Wood flashbacks to try to serve as a counterpoint to where Buffy is, because Nikki's the only other slayer who has ever faced this issue.
I asked this of Joss too: You couldn't have known that Planned Parenthood would be so in the news when this issue of the comic was in the works, but I imagine you must have known this development would spark some strong debate?
Yes, for sure. It's not a topic that anyone takes lightly. There are such a wide spectrum of opinions, and we knew that there would be debate around it. I think the thing, when we were making the story, was to make sure we weren't doing a story just for the sake of being controversial, or trying to get attention. It really is trying to go someplace that a girl in Buffy's position would go, and the questions she'd have to ask herself.
So to borrow a line from the show, "Where do we go from here?" How far reaching will the ramifications be?
We're not talking about it on a super-specific level just because I don't want to spoil too much of the next couple of issues, but there's definitely a huge anchor point for Buffy mentally going through the rest of the season. You think, what are the things in her life that are possible, and what are the things in her life that are difficult, both being the Slayer, but also being a twentysomething girl who has pretty much put her entire life on hold ever since she's been in high school. Thinking about this as placing the seed of that question of making her realize, "Whoa, whoa, there are so many things I never thought about." This is kind of the first thing.
What has your favorite thing to write?
I've got to say, Spike has become one of my favorite things to write. It kind of came as a surprise to me, but he's such a complicated character, and in some ways can be so selfish, but in other ways he's probably one of the most unselfish characters in the series. I think in issue 6, that's kind of what it's all about "” Spike coming to the realization that he still harbors feelings for Buffy, but then realizing in order to be the person he wants to be for Buffy, he can't even tell her that. That's definitely been fun to play around with, with his feelings for her. Unrequited love is always more fun than requited love.
by Adam B. Vary
Any fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer can tell you that its titular heroine has faced her fair share of trials and turmoil that forced the young woman to make some very grown up decisions. But in the latest issue of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 comic series "” which chronicles Buffy's life in San Francisco after she destroyed the seed of all life on earth at the end of the Season 8 comic "” Buffy Summers will face perhaps the toughest decision she's ever had. SPOILER ALERT for those who would rather read about it in the issue itself, "On Your Own, Part 1," out in stores today. Seriously, what you're about to read is one heckuva spoiler:
Buffy is getting an abortion.
Last month's issue, "Slayer, Interrupted," ended with Buffy discovering she's pregnant, and in this month's issue (the sixth in the Season 9 series), she turns to the only person she knows what it means for a Slayer to have a child: Robin Wood (played by D.B. Woodside on the TV series), the grown son of the late Slayer Nikki Wood. By the end of the issue, Buffy comes to the conclusion that she cannot have a child. The decision was so important for Buffy creator and Season 9 exec producer Joss Whedon, that he took time off from finishing his post-production directing duties on The Avengers to talk exclusively with EW about the issue.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When and why did you decide that Buffy would become pregnant?
JOSS WHEDON: When I was first working out season 9, and deciding what it was about "” deciding it was going to be about this period in her life, when she is surrounded by people who are getting their lives together, and she is still at this stage when she is completely in, as [the first issues] are titled, "Freefall." She's been freed from the responsibilities she's had in season 8 and all through the TV show, but then has no idea who she is or what she's doing. That early twentysomething search for identity, where you're making the decisions that are going to eventually choose your path, [becoming pregnant] seemed to be a really important and not uncommon part of that period in your life.
Did you always know that she would be getting an abortion, or did you ever contemplate the notion that she would keep the baby?
No. I think strongly that teen pregnancy and young people having babies when they are not emotionally, financially, or otherwise equipped to take care of them, is kind of glorified in our media right now. You know, things like Secret Life [of an American Teenager] and Juno and Knocked Up, even if they pretend to deal with abortion, the movies don't even say the word "abortion." It's something that over a third of American women are going to decide to have to do in their lives. But people are so terrified that no one will discuss the reality of it "” not no one, but very few popular entertainments, even when they say they're dealing with this issue, they don't, and won't. It's frustrating to me.
I don't think Buffy should have a baby. I don't think Buffy can take care of a baby. I agree with Buffy. It's a very difficult decision for her, but she made a decision that so many people make and it's such a hot button issue with Planned Parenthood under constant threat and attack right now. A woman's right to choose is under attack as much as it's ever been, and that's a terrible and dangerous thing for this country. I don't usually get soap box-y with this, but the thing about Buffy is all she's going through is what women go through, and what nobody making a speech, holding up a placard, or making a movie is willing to say.
Obviously, you couldn't have known that Planned Parenthood would be so in the news when this issue of the comic was in the works, but I imagine you must have known this development would spark some strong debate?
Yeah, I suppose. But there's nothing wrong with debate. I didn't do it as a sensationalist move. I did it as what seemed like a natural part of Buffy's life. And obviously there will be complications to the whole storyline that could only happen in the Buffyverse. But it's not about what happens, it's about that moment of decision, and just articulating what so many people are not saying, but so many are thinking.
Do you know who the father is?
I know everything about it, but will tell you nothing. Except, like I said, it's going to end up being a storyline that is rooted in the Buffyverse. I'm not going to turn comic book into something other than what it is. The whole thing isn't going to be, well, normal. There's not going to be a lot of normal going on, but hopefully there's a certain amount of relatable. We're going to pursue what this storyline means, but not in a way people are going to expect.
Yeah, I can't imagine this plotline is going to play out like an afterschool special or a Lifetime movie.
No.
But I did want to ask about the way she got pregnant "” at the party in the first issue of Buffy Season 9, after Buffy became black-out drunk. Her behavior at that party has already bothered some fans, and to learn she got pregnant there, and doesn't know by whom, will bother some fans even more, especially those who want Buffy to be, well, more responsible.
I think that first of all that they should wait until they have all the facts and they'll learn stuff that they didn't know before. They should find out what happened before they completely judge her. But at the same time, this is also about the time in your life when you do things that are irresponsible, or that you want to hold yourself to account for. She's a person living her life, she's not running for president "” actually, I think those guys have a lot of sex. [Chuckles] She's not living under a microscope. Well, she is, because we're all watching her, be she doesn't know that. And she's going make some wrong decisions. I'm not going to turn it into a Season 6 wrong-decision-a-thon, but at the same time irresponsible and impulsive behavior may occur in your 20s. Consult a doctor.
Finally, what's it been like to be off making fancy blockbusters and have the day-to-day-ness of this comic be more out of your hands than ever?
Well, it's frustrating only in the sense that these stories are important to me, and I want to be a part of them. But I laid out the season very specifically with [writer] Andrew [Chambliss], and he's done an amazing job of moving the story and keeping the voices [true]. And this particular issue, I was very watchful of. But in general, I know that when I walk away, they're getting it done really well. That's the good news. My only probably is that I wish I could be at the party more.
Issue writer Andrew Chambliss on getting into Buffy's head.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When did you know Buffy would be getting pregnant?
ANDREW CHAMBLISS: That was something that Joss had always kind of set out from the beginning of conceiving season 9. It was definitely something we were building towards from day one. The first issue of the season where she's got the crazy party and blacks out at it. It was always something Joss wanted to do. In the season, where we're really trying to push Buffy back to dealing with real world issues that are getting in the way of her slaying, and also where she is in her life, it seems like this what we should make the core of the jumping off point for the season.
How did you come to that decision? The seasons have generally been marking posts for Buffy's development in her life. Was it a big life moment Buffy was going to have to tackle?
Yeah, that was kind of the idea. Just looking at the intention of the season where magic has disappeared, and it's kind of Buffy asking herself, "Do I have a life after slaying? I spend so much time saving the world and dealing with these huge supernatural things, what's my life like if I have to deal with these real things?" Getting pregnant seems like one of the things Buffy can't run away from, as easily as she can run away from a relationship or something like that.
What's it like to have Joss hand you the reigns while he goes off to make big blockbuster movies?
It's been an incredibly gratifying experience. I love Buffy. It's part of the reason that I became interested in writing. It's a lot of fun. I'd worked with Joss on Dollhouse, and there were Buffy alum [writing and working] on Dollhouse. Just to hear them talk about that world, part of me was always like, "I wish I could have been a part of that." So getting that opportunity now is a dream come true.
What's working relationship with Joss?
Before we started working on the season, Joss' house had a big Buffy writers summit. A bunch of part Buffy writers came "“ [comic editor] Scott Allie and the Dark Horse team came down, Cristos Gage who's writing on [spin-off comic] Angel and Faith came as well, and we just had a great brainstorming session, talking about all of the different things it would be cool to do in the season. Taking all of those ideas, Joss and I have had many email exchanges back and forth, and of course phone calls. He's really involved in laying out the map of the season, and we're going to take everything and then from there I just go in and do the more detailed work. Generally, it's been sending him drafts over email, and he'll weigh in along with Dark Horse.
Does he tweak any dialogue? "Xander would say it more this way?"
Generally he's been focused more on the story issues, and when I'm writing I'm having episodes of Buffy on in the background to get the voices of the characters down. Joss's impute is more the story side, making sure the arcs are on track. But yeah, he will throw out a line, because I've come to realize, Buffy, more than anything else Joss does, is so much Joss. He can nail that voice better than anyone else can.
At the writers summit, did abortion topic come up?
I don't think we spoke too much about it there, but as we were getting issues in and approaching the pregnancy reveal, that's when we started talking about what Buffy would do with that. Joss basically wanted to face it head on, and not shy away from it in any way. I think at the summit we might have come up with doing the Nikki Wood flashbacks to try to serve as a counterpoint to where Buffy is, because Nikki's the only other slayer who has ever faced this issue.
I asked this of Joss too: You couldn't have known that Planned Parenthood would be so in the news when this issue of the comic was in the works, but I imagine you must have known this development would spark some strong debate?
Yes, for sure. It's not a topic that anyone takes lightly. There are such a wide spectrum of opinions, and we knew that there would be debate around it. I think the thing, when we were making the story, was to make sure we weren't doing a story just for the sake of being controversial, or trying to get attention. It really is trying to go someplace that a girl in Buffy's position would go, and the questions she'd have to ask herself.
So to borrow a line from the show, "Where do we go from here?" How far reaching will the ramifications be?
We're not talking about it on a super-specific level just because I don't want to spoil too much of the next couple of issues, but there's definitely a huge anchor point for Buffy mentally going through the rest of the season. You think, what are the things in her life that are possible, and what are the things in her life that are difficult, both being the Slayer, but also being a twentysomething girl who has pretty much put her entire life on hold ever since she's been in high school. Thinking about this as placing the seed of that question of making her realize, "Whoa, whoa, there are so many things I never thought about." This is kind of the first thing.
What has your favorite thing to write?
I've got to say, Spike has become one of my favorite things to write. It kind of came as a surprise to me, but he's such a complicated character, and in some ways can be so selfish, but in other ways he's probably one of the most unselfish characters in the series. I think in issue 6, that's kind of what it's all about "” Spike coming to the realization that he still harbors feelings for Buffy, but then realizing in order to be the person he wants to be for Buffy, he can't even tell her that. That's definitely been fun to play around with, with his feelings for her. Unrequited love is always more fun than requited love.
Hale Caesar
Sunnydale Nerd
So Buffy WILL be getting an abortion.
I don't like the idea. I don't think you should kill a baby because you are not responsible, I would prefer if she kept the baby and just gave it up for adoption. Then again, this is just a comic book and not real life, but this is going to make me stop viewing Buffy as a role model
I don't like the idea. I don't think you should kill a baby because you are not responsible, I would prefer if she kept the baby and just gave it up for adoption. Then again, this is just a comic book and not real life, but this is going to make me stop viewing Buffy as a role model
Joan the Vampire Slayer
I'm sorry to hear that. I think hes more admirable than ever.
Moscow Watcher
Scooby
Joss says a very interesting phrase in his interview: "it's not about what happens, it's about that moment of decision". So, I guess, she may reconsider.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A panel from Buffy #7
http://twitpic.com/8hkbji
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v671/MoscowWatcher/Comics_s9/Buffy07page.jpg
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I am good!😀 Or maybe Joss is getting too predictable.
Joss will look like a perfect idiot if after all that posturing for the media he goes with the old Convenient Miscarriage trope.
Moscow Watcher
Scooby
[MENTION=8821]Icarium[/MENTION] - admit it, you've bugged Joss home! 😀
Re: "Convenient miscarriage trope". I expect more genre-wise twist. I thought writers could go in "Underworld: Awakening" direction, with Buffy's baby being the first human-vampire hybrid. But it looks like I was wrong. I thought that Spike's reflection in the water could be a clue, but it turned out that it wasn't written in the script. So, right now I wonder if the mysterious neighbor is pulling a Kyle Reese. Or if Buffy and her doppelganger from #9 will trade places.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An intriguing tidbit was added to the Buffy S9 # 9 solicitation.
http://www.newsarama.com/comics/dar...&utm_campaign=seo+blitz&utm_content=Newsarama
I think it strengthens the possibility that Buffy's doppelganger is a slayer from another dimension.
Re: "Convenient miscarriage trope". I expect more genre-wise twist. I thought writers could go in "Underworld: Awakening" direction, with Buffy's baby being the first human-vampire hybrid. But it looks like I was wrong. I thought that Spike's reflection in the water could be a clue, but it turned out that it wasn't written in the script. So, right now I wonder if the mysterious neighbor is pulling a Kyle Reese. Or if Buffy and her doppelganger from #9 will trade places.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An intriguing tidbit was added to the Buffy S9 # 9 solicitation.
http://www.newsarama.com/comics/dar...&utm_campaign=seo+blitz&utm_content=Newsarama
I think it strengthens the possibility that Buffy's doppelganger is a slayer from another dimension.
Moscow Watcher
Scooby
Scott Allie talks to BuffyFest
http://buffyfest.blogspot.com/2012/...tter&utm_campaign=Feed:+Buffyfest+(Buffyfest)
http://buffyfest.blogspot.com/2012/...tter&utm_campaign=Feed:+Buffyfest+(Buffyfest)
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Joan the Vampire Slayer
Carpe Spuffy!
This is shaping up to be pretty interesting indeed. Franky, I'm relieved that Buffy will be getting an abortion. I think it is the responsible decision considering her situation.
That said, I'm excited for the possibility that this experience will bring Spike and Buffy closer together.
That said, I'm excited for the possibility that this experience will bring Spike and Buffy closer together.
brinkster130
Riley's BFF
I'm still not crazy about the whole abortion story line; but I suppose that could change as the arc continues.
One problem I'm having with this story is the notion that Buffy can't take care of a child. What happened to the Buffy that stepped up and loved and cared for Dawn even knowing that she wasn't her real sister? The Buffy that took over as Dawns guardian after Joyce died? The Buffy we saw as a guidance counseled showing concern for high schoolers? Buffy has faced difficult task time and time again and has proven she is strong and capable; I really don't see why Joss and Scott believe that Buffy couldn't take care of a child if she wanted too.
I'm a little bummed to hear that Buffy knows about Connor and the writers felt it wasn't important enough to share with us. I wonder if Willow and Spike know about it; seems clear that Dawn (and prob.) Xander don't know about it.
One problem I'm having with this story is the notion that Buffy can't take care of a child. What happened to the Buffy that stepped up and loved and cared for Dawn even knowing that she wasn't her real sister? The Buffy that took over as Dawns guardian after Joyce died? The Buffy we saw as a guidance counseled showing concern for high schoolers? Buffy has faced difficult task time and time again and has proven she is strong and capable; I really don't see why Joss and Scott believe that Buffy couldn't take care of a child if she wanted too.
I'm a little bummed to hear that Buffy knows about Connor and the writers felt it wasn't important enough to share with us. I wonder if Willow and Spike know about it; seems clear that Dawn (and prob.) Xander don't know about it.
janas
[No message]
This is where I am at too. And it really really bugs me that no one but Wood is saying that maybe she could raise a child. And I honestly am not comfortable with the fact Buffy is in an undesirable position as being reason enough to have an abortion. I don't believe it is. Of course, that is my own personal belief, on this matter, everyone will have an opinion that is right for them.
Ultimately, I don't believe this story will end with abortion. Either Buffy will change her mind or she won't physically be able to abort the child. Whedon made clear in the EW interview that the importance was on Buffy's decision to have an abortion. Not to mention that the first 7 issues of the season become almost pointless if this is how it ends.
In terms of this interview I think it is telling that SA refused to offer an answer to whether Angel could be the father. My theory lives on! Team Angel Baby Daddy! 😀😛
---------- Post added at 07:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:11 PM ----------
[MENTION=6758]white avenger[/MENTION] said: Aside from any Spike/Angel issues here, Angel fathering a baby is been there/done that. Joss tends to re-use certain plot devices, but I just can't see him using one this obvious.
The Whedonverse does nothing but regurgitate the same stories. Regardless of that I don't believe this would be a retelling but rather a continuation. We were given so little of Angel actually getting to be a father in his own show. I think there is a real story tell there. And I certainly think the comic is doing nothing to suggest it couldn't be Angel's child. A&F's new arc is entitled Daddy Issues...that is no accident.
/fanwank 😛
white avenger
Aside from any Spike/Angel issues here, Angel fathering a baby is been there/done that. Joss tends to re-use certain plot devices, but I just can't see him using one this obvious.
janas
[No message]
ladydorotea
Scooby
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2009
- Messages
- 722
It is my belief that Buffy does not want to believe that she can take care of a child because emotionally she is not there yet. Being stunned into discovering you are pregnant under circumstances she is in, is no picnic. A child is, after all, is supposed to be a fruit of a union between two consenting people ( preferably loving each other, but at the least affectionate). We are led to believe at this point that she found herself virtually impregnated by accident - and nobody on the list of possible daddies she gave, sounded from her PoV like someone she felt deeply affectionate enough towards, to want a child from them. Whatever the argument is, it is seriously problematic to see how in such circumstances instant affection towards unborn child can develop. I am not saying it is impossible, but so far the story itself indicates zero importance on Buffy's side, of who 'of the list' is the daddy. I saw many a commentary on Whedonesque stating that it should not matter to a woman whose child she is pregnant with to be able to insta-love it on the basis of inbred maternal instinct. I disagree with this approach, at least on the case to case basis. To a young person, whose life is all on the balance, this should be of particular importance.
janas
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