Dave Richards has a chat with the mighty Joss Whedon on Comic Book Resources, discussing the imminent arrival of an ‘eighth season’ of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in comic form from Dark Horse this March. Joss discusses how the comics format allows for more freedom in respect of budget – some scenes and effects that would have been prohibitively expensive for a TV series (like the leaping from a chopper pictured below) simply don’t have that restriction in the world of comic books. Most of our favourite characters will be there, including our favourite bad-girl Slayer Faith, who gets centre stage in the second issue under the fine penmanship of Brian K Vaughan (doesn’t that get you all excited? Brian K Vaughan working with Joss Whedon on Buffy?!?!).
(Scene from the first issue of the new Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic, from the previews on Dark Horse’s website)
Of course, since this is set a year or so after the events at the end of the final TV season there are ‘what happened after this?’ questions to be answered, such as how the authorities explained away the complete destruction of Sunnydale and their attitude to the fact there are now thousands of women who are fully powered-up Slayers (not too happy about this, apparently); the Scooby Gang also have to work out how to organise this new army of Slayers, as Joss says:
“They’re still trying to figure out how to run this thing. They had all these girls from college and gradually we get to see more of how they built their organizations and the ways in which they’re working and the ways in which they’re really not. They’re a ragtag team of misfits. It always sounds good when you say it. They’re a bit like the A-Team. They do pity fools.”
All in all it sounds like the new comic series will have a similar mix of drama, humour and characterisation (not to mention damned good writing) that made the TV show such a joy to work. Sharpen up your Mr Pointy, friends, Buffy is coming back to town.
Fri, Feb 16, 2007
Comics and cartoons, Film, TV and radio, Interviews