I've gotten a little behind on my comic thoughts. I blame school. But it's the last week. Hooray!


I wonder why Dark Horse doesn't make Firefly into an actual comic series. I think there's enough demand out there; just look at how well Buffy Season Eight is doing. Or maybe they're just saving all the really good stories for a sequel. :-D

Reading Drew Goddard's arc has made me realize just how much I miss watching Buffy. His snappy dialogue just brings it all back. But one advantage the comics have over the show: you can go anywhere you want and bring back any character you want (without having to pay the actor).

I really shouldn't check the internet before I leave for the university. But check it out: preview pages for Buffy #16. :-D


'Kay, have to catch the bus now...

Geek Resurrection Month continues! Like I said previously, this month, and for the next two months, all three Joss Whedon shows are back and in the comics. Whoo!

I've gotten behind on my comic book thoughts. Buffy #12 is up first mainly because it's been a year since the series was turned into a comic and I totally didn't realize it. You'd think that after spending $3.50 a month I would be keeping a better track of these things. A year. It doesn't feel like it. I can't even remember what I was doing a year ago. Well, besides going to university. I take it as a good sign that I didn't recall it's been a year. After complaining that these stories can't come fast enough it seems I've become used to seeing a story a month.


And hurray for more new Firefly! It's not the same as having the show back or a new movie, but it works just as well.

I'm just slightly confused on when this comic is set. It's clearly before the movie and before "Those Left Behind". But it's not clear how far after the show "Better Days" is set. The crew has the new mule but Inara and Book are still on board. I assume either Inara hasn't told the crew yet she's leaving or this is just part of the long run around Mal did before dropping Inara off at the Training House.


Next issue looks exciting. And I've said it before, but I'm loving the covers. First, I only have to buy one, and second, it makes a pretty picture of the crew together.

I finally managed to find a copy of issue one of the new Doctor Who comic. The story was okay. It was only the first issue so I'll have to see how the rest of it pans out and whether Doctor Who can make the jump from screen to page as well as other television adaptations.

Hee, all three covers for Serenity: Better Days have now been released. I love it. :-D

I read somewhere the story is set after Serenity: Those Left Behind, but the second cover clearly shows Inara and Book. I can only assume it was an error. I can't wait to read the first issue. It'll be nice to see the crew together and happy and rolling in the cashy money.

While I prefer my Joss Whedon on TV, Joss in comic book form is still just as good. The obvious downside to having Buffy in comic form is length; 22 pages (which can be read in 10 minutes) versus 44 minutes. The fact that Joss can pack in a good storyline into just 22 pages shows what a great writer he is.

Issue #10 is a nice little breather between arcs. Some stuff is revealed and as usual, things get more messed up.


Drew Goddard is writing the next arc and that should be fun. Always nice to see a writer come back. And I'm sure Drew Goddard will be flying high because of Cloverfield when it comes out in a couple of weeks.

Yay for last minute Christmas shopping. I was going to wait until later to buy Angel: After the Fall #2 mainly because I'm lazy and hate crowded malls, but I had to rectify a gift issue, so, comic joy!

So Buffy #9. Bought the Faith/Giles Avengers variant cover because who doesn't love The Avengers? I know some people out there weren't overly thrilled by the art, but personally I loved The Avengers, especially the Emma/Steed era. And hee, there's a reference to them too, so it justifies the cover.

I've come to the conclusion that Joss is writing or involved with too many comics. There's so much to keep track of. Thus, Angel's comic book season six sort of crept up on me. I almost forgot it came out today.

It's sort of ironic that both Buffy and Angel are getting the canon comic treatment. Who would have thought that after all this time we would be reading new stories about these characters. I think if you talked with a teenager today they probably would have no idea about Buffy, let alone Angel. I mean, in Canada no one shows reruns, at least none of the readily available channels. So good to see Angel back even if it's only in two dimensional form.


It's a shame the Buffy and Angel comics are published by different companies. The best we can hope for is a brief appearance. So no Slayers showing up to help out. And likely no mention of Angel's fate over at Buffy. I can see why Joss decided to put season eight a year and a half ahead; you don't have to deal with Angel's situation. Also, no star treatment for Angel. I haven't heard anything about old writers turning up to write an issue. Probably because this is only a mini and not a series. For now at least.

It's my general policy not to read anything that might spoil upcoming plot details for the things I like so I'm usually behind on the news. Like Buffy season eight being set a year and a half, at least, after "Chosen". It appears Joss mentioned this in an interview. It totally blows my mind. A year and a half. That's a long time to be away. So much can happen in a year. So it means Joss and Co One and a Half Year Later-ed. :-D Sorry, doing a One Year Later seems to happen so often it's practically become a verb. DC comics did it, and so did Battlestar Galactica and Doctor Who.

I can't access the interview so I don't know if Joss gave a reason. Maybe he wanted to distance the events happening in the comics from the going-ons over on Angel. I mean, if the comics are set a year into the future you don't have to worry about making sure events line up between the two universes. Because references were made to Buffy more than a few times on Angel. Whatever the reason, it explains so much of what's happening. It would have been nice if one of the characters had mentioned it's been over a year since "Chosen" though. But anyway, a year and a half later explains:


Of course, there is no evidence of a jump forward anywhere in the comic. I can't recall if the gang has been making references to things beyond 2003. I just thought Joss had got his numbers mixed up again. Now this puts a totally different spin on things.

First off, the comic book store I went to today is the best comic book store ever. With the high Canadian dollar they're charging the US price for the comics instead of the Canadian price. Whoo!

So, Buffy #8. Yay, the plot actually went some place. I'm not sure how they'll tie everything up by the next issue though. So much was introduced in this part.


And I'm excited to learn that after Faith's arc is done Joss gets the next two issues and then Drew Goddard gets to start his run. It'll be great to see the old Buffy writers back in the game. :-D

ETA: Okay, I just found out that season eight is set a year and half after Chosen. Year and a half! So there's a year and a half worth of stories just waiting to be told. I had just assumed that three months had passed, as usual between Buffy seasons. Well, I guess this explains how all the Slayers got organized. And I guess within that year and a half stuff happened, perhaps also explaining the attitudes and situations of the gang. Okay, making total sense now.

I forgot to post my thoughts about issue 7, not that anyone really cares. ;-)

This issue was pretty much "meh". It suffers from middle-of-the-arc syndrome: the plot has been set up and the characters established but not much happens because it's still early in the arc. By the next issue I expect major plot developments.


I'm beginning to miss the writers from the show. Not that Brian K Vaughn is a horrible writer or anything, I just want to see what the old Buffy writers will do with the comic format.

I clearly need help. :-D The awesome alternative cover for Buffy #9 by Georges Jeanty was revealed this week. It's on the left there. On the right? My half-assed Photoshop version with the real actors. I haven't a clue how this came to be.

I actually considered buying Buffy #6 while I was on vacation. Then I decided that was too obsessive. :-) But it's still a good issue, even if read a few days late.


And this must be mentioned. The Doctor and Rose make a cameo near the end of the comic. Whoever put that in wins. The two shows totally exist in the same universe. It's canon now! :-D Don't believe me? Here's the panel. Totally recognizable for any Doctor Who fan. Buffy/Doctor Who crossovers aren't so far-fetched now. ;-)

Was suddenly in the mood to make some Buffy icons. The icons cover issues 1, 2, 3, and 6. Vague spoilers.

Teaser:
     

I was all ready to be annoyed that it came out a week early but Scott Allie explained why in the back so I'm less annoyed. In fact, moving on from annoyed and onto impressed. With Buffy being a comic now, Joss can do a lot more things than he could on the show. Besides having bigger and cooler fights and places, it also allows him to tell a different kind of story, like The Chain.


I can't wait for Faith's arc. I also can't wait to see how Brian K Vaughn's style of writing fits in with the Buffyverse. His wit is very similar to Joss'.

First up, another shiny award from ripping_icons. I'm endlessly amused by the fact that the acronym for this award is BOB. :-)



Second, how awesome does Giles look on the cover for Buffy #7?

So bought Buffy #4 on Friday which meant I spent two days avoiding spoilers. Reminded me of the days when Buffy used to be on T.V. Spoilers could pop up anywhere. They were like ninjas. :-)

Now that I've had a few days to think about it, I do see why some people were unhappy with Joss' new interpretation of the show's continuity.


I'm sort of glad the comics have a month off, saves me from having to make a trip to the comic book store, but I want to read more. I want to see what Faith's been up to since the show finished. And Buffy #5 sounds interesting, too. Gah, these things need to be released bi-weekly or weekly.