Comments on: Over-Seasoning Buffy

By: James

James — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 06:07:44 +0000

That is a very interesting perspective. I have felt they have been doing more than they ever would in a TV season. I just read an article here: http://bit.ly/cdTWR1 which has some interesting perspective. Specifically, how do they reconcile Angel being the big bad with Angel having his own comic?

By: marco

marco — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:53:48 +0000

I agree, basically, with the article. JW is supposed to have said somewhere recently that when he agreed to do Season 8 it didn’t dawn on him that 40+ issues meant nearly four years of continuity. Not sure I buy that, but … .

I _have_ bought all the comics so far. But I would have much preferred to have had the thing end at 22 issues, with each comic representing the value of a TV show in that format.

It would have insured quality throughout, instead of the up-and-down experimentation fans have been subjected to for three years running. The fault for that sits at the publisher’s desk, IMHO.

BTW, I think the script is in good hands now.

By: baturalp gülbay

baturalp gülbay — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:20:19 +0000

i think comics are not good enough.they should write a really good book about season 8

By: ern

ern — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:27:14 +0000

You’re right. This has always been a forty issue (+/- a few) series from the beginning. I don’t understand this complaint about an “infinite series of arcs.” Each arc is like an episode, with a beginning and end, and each arc leading us to the conclusion. The weird thing about this complaint is that the end *is* in sight. It’s only a handful of issues away. Did this person even bother to do any digging before making themselves sound like an idiot?

By: Faith

Faith — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:31:25 +0000

I miss SPIKE! Lots of insignificant characters made appearances on Season 8 (as the least-fan favorite Riley, Warren and Amy), but not Spike who was one of the main characters on the tv show… that’s not fair! I’m a fan of that show and of Joss Whedon mainly because of Spike. Spike is my all-time favorite vampire with a soul. He was a true champion, not Angel. He sacrificed himself for Buffy and for the saving the world. Not having Spike on Season 8 is a big lapse, so that I’ve dropped the comics…

By: jasontab

jasontab — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:52:56 +0000

the season is uneven, really good points but overall it would rank near S4 and S6 in the overall judgment of the show.

By: Matt

Matt — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:15:01 +0000

Joss Whedon and Scott Allie (editor of the Buffy comics) have been saying for years now that Season Eight has been planned as a run of 40 issues, with eight distinct arcs (and a few one-shots). While I agree that the structure of a TV show doesn’t lend itself to comics perfectly, I think Buffy has been incredibly successful in their transition. In fact if you count each arc and one-shot as a seperate episode, you end up with around 20 unique stories, which is about the length of a standard TV show anyway.

By: Just a little too much paprika in the Buffy mix, Joss? « Fangirl's Handbag

Just a little too much paprika in the Buffy mix, Joss? « Fangirl's Handbag — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:59:45 +0000

[…] a link to the article: Overseasoning Buffy by the excellent Avi Santo. Tags: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Comics, Joss Whedon, Television […]

By: Matthew Fabb

Matthew Fabb — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:28:49 +0000

As others have pointed out Joss Whedon had a beginning and an end in mind for season 8. It’s just the middle has expanded outwards in that time, as I think originally editor Scott Allie said Season 8 would be 20 issues and now it looks like it’s going to be around 40 or so issues. I was going that’s something you don’t find in tv, but then I realized, you do with some shows getting 13 episodes for a season before being picked up for more episodes pushing a season over 20 episodes.

Also apparently similar to a tv season, there apparently will be a gap between season 8 and 9. Whedon apparently wants several months off from the comic and he also wants time to regroup with the writers involved to see what they want to do within his season 9 storyline. There’s also been talk that Dark Horse also might wait for a few issues get be finished before releasing the first issue of season 9, so that if they fall off schedule, they will have a bit of buffer rather having to delay an issue.

By: Hannele

Hannele — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:24:29 +0000

While it may not make sense in terms of the usual financial model for selling comic books, I see no reason that the comic book form itself is somehow incapable of telling stories in a season-ish format.

Personally, I find many comic books (and television shows, for that matter) annoying precisely _because_ they have no end in sight. Without an overarching story, eventually it always becomes a game of “who haven’t we hooked up yet?”, or “this new bad guy is even badder than the last one, we swear!”, or “this new problem will be solved via this new and exciting superpower!”, which quickly gets old.

Mainly, though, it just makes me sad when a favourite show (or what-have-you) goes out on life support rather than on a quiet and dignified conclusion.