Just a short time ago, Dark Horse Comics announced a new Buffyverse graphic novel that will be released in June 2016 titled Buffy: The High School Years - Freaks & Geeks. The Dark Horse peeps told us this story will be set in season one (Yay Buffy, Angel & the Scoobs!) and have more of a YA angle. This story is executive produced by Joss Whedon himself. It will be written by Faith Erin Hicks with illustration by Yishan Li and the cover art will be done by Buffyverse veteran Scott Fischer. Check out the cover below, SO 90's!!:
Apparently, this idea was sparked all the way back in SDCC 2013! Long time Buffy fan Faith Erin Hicks had this to say on Twitter:
The Mary Sue has an interview with Faith Erin Hicks. We'll have something from her too as we get closer to the release. Do you know she lives in Nova Scotia? Nova Scotia in the house!
In the mean time, check out some of the adorable sketches by Yishan Li:
And here are some of the preview pages of the book (click to enlarge). Really looking forward to this!
Check out our live blog below for the Whedoverse biggest announcement of #NYCC 2015! NEW BUFFY BOOK ANNOUNCED! (see below for more info).
11:04 Dark Horse PR dude Steve Suno takes the stage! Welcome to the "Dark Horse: CLASSIFIED!" Panel of New York Comic Con 2015.
11:08 On stage is writer Brian Wood, Writer Matt Kindt & new Editor-In-Chief Dave Marshall...so far.
11:12 Announcing "Aliens: Defiance" by Brian Wood and Tristan Jones. "Aliens: Defiance" drops April 2016.
11:16 Matt talks "DEPT.H" his upcoming series created with his wife set underwater.
11:20 Brittney Williams announced as "Legends of Korra" artist and signing at the DH booth Sunday!
11:22 I think to myself "get to the "Whedonverse stuff OMG the suspense is killing me!!"
11:25 Nope, not yet. Next up: "How to Train Your Dragon!" books coming soon. Cute! Love that movie.
11:35 Here we go!! New Buffy Book announced!!
11:37 The graphic novel will be set in Season 1 called "Buffy: The High School Years". To be written by Faith Erin Hicks, drawn by manga artist Yishan Li. Release Date June 2016! Whew! So glad that's out in the open now...
We'll have an updated high-res of this cover and more deets later today.
11:43 Dark Horse president Mike Richardson then takes the stage to deliver a message from James Cameron, who announces a ten year partnership with DH for the world of Avatar. Big stuff at this panel!
I think this is our 8th year covering NYCC as press and it truly gets better and better every year. It's grown so much since our first time attending - between the awesome fans in costumes, kick-ass panels and cute interactive branded things, like the vid made above at the Nickelodeon booth (located right when you walk in). They did facial recognition of my face and morphed it into Spongebob! So fun! If you're attending, definitely do that and also check out the amazing "Cafe 80's" - set to look like the spot from Back to the Future 2 where you can also pick up the coveted, real world version of "Pepsi Perfect". Sooooo good. This convention is the place to be for brands right now.
Now that NYCC is open to con-goers on Thursday (instead of just professionals as in the past) it's totally cray. I mean look at the crowds at 11am on a workday! I'd be shocked if they don't add a Wednesday "Preview Night" to the convention very soon ala SDCC. Maybe even next year?
Instead of waiting on long-ass lines to attend panels in the underbelly of the Javits center, this year Nerdist and Wikia decided to plop a stage right in the front hallway where the proceeded to conduct interviews all day. The same goes for the NYCC Live stage in "The Block" area. These are the easiest panels to get in ever! See our coverage of the panel with Eliza Dushku here.
Speaking of the Buffyverse, Sarah Michelle Gellar made a rare convention appearance at NYCC today. Out of all the conventions we've been to all over the country, we've only ever seen her one time at SDCC, so this was a real treat!
She was there, of course, to appear in the Star War Rebels panel to chat a bit about her new character in Season 2 named The Seventh Sister. During the panel she said her character is “a thinking man’s villain. She’ll toy with you and then kill you.” When asked who her favorite character in the Star Wars universe was she replied she "of course loves Han Solo" but if she could play any character it would be Anakin around the time of the Clone Wars. Sounds like she really is a fan! Finally, during the Q&A someone said to SMG "I’ve been waiting for 15 years. I’ve gone through so much struggle to be independent, and I'll ask myself “What would Buffy do?” In response, Sarah Michelle Gellar gave the girl a hug.
The Dark Horse booth has the usual fantastic Whedonverse display.
A little birdie told me that there is a big Whedonverse related announcement happening at New York Comic Con tomorrow. That little birdie is named Aub Driver, PR Guru Extraoidinaire at Dark Horse Comics, of course and the announcement is a really nice one. I mean just look how excited we are below, we can't even contain ourselves. Stay tuned!
The gorgeous Eliza Dushku took stage just a few hours ago at New York Comic Con 2015 totally rocking Buffy's Red Leather Pants. I'd like to think it was on purpose, especially with Sarah Michelle Gellar showing up at NYCC as a surprise guest in the Star Wars: Rebels panel. Surprise guest to Eliza too! I imagine a conversation that went like "Hey! Are those my pants? I knew I lent them to you and you never gave them back!!" Oopsie!!
Ahem.
Anyway Eliza, along with Ivana Milicevic, spoke quite a bit...mostly about "Banshee: The Final Season", but also some "Buffy" and "Dollhouse" with Nerdist. See the full video below.
Edited to add this photo Eliza with her mother after the panel was over. Mrs. Dushku sat there right across and watched the whole thing...what a supportive mom!
New York Comic Con 2015 is upon us! Tomorrow is day one and we will be there on the ground, in the thick of it, tussling with the geeky masses!
This year proves to be a pretty good one for any loyal Whedon fan. We got an epic Firefly reunion panel, Slayer Faith a.k.a the gorgeous Eliza Dushku, Dr. Horrible's Geek Queen Felicia Day and more! And if you're a little confused as to when and where everything is, as usual Buffyfest has you covered. See our very necessary event schedule below.
Right Click the image below>Open in new tab to enlarge or print the high-res version! Good luck fellow NYCC attendee!
First of all, I feel the need to spread the knowledge of this fun fact: Yoda was originally named Buffy.
Totally not kidding at all.
In the earliest outlines for The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker meets a supernatural entity named Buffy, or Bunden Debannen. Here's how George Lucas described it in the rough script:
Buffy very old — three or four thousand years. Kiber crystal in sword? Buffy shows Luke? Buffy the guardian. 'Feel not think.'"
Then Lucas says Luke will become the chosen one, "the human Buffy." LOL! The human Buffy! It's giggle worthy.
Moving on to the present, as you may know by now, the TRUE Buffy has officially infiltrated that universe. Sarah Michelle Gellar is going to be playing a villain in 'Star Wars Rebels' when the second season premieres on Oct. 14.
Smidge's character is named the "Seventh Sister Inquisitor". She'll be joining her husband, Freddie Prinze Jr., who currently voices Kanan Jarrus.
Nicholas Brendon, our dear Xander Harris, has been arrested 5 times in a not very long period of time and we think he needs some help, love and support!
On Wednesday night, Police charged Nicky with third-degree robbery, a felony, two counts of criminal mischief and one count of obstruction of breathing in Wednesday's arrest in Saratoga Springs, NY. This is all after an apparent altercation with his girlfriend.
From AP: The girlfriend told police officers who were called to a downtown hotel on Wednesday night that she had gone to return property to Brendon and told him she intended to leave, Jillson said. But Brendon objected, grabbed her car keys and then threw her cellphone into the street when she tried to call for help, a police report said. "It sounds like it went downhill from there," Jillson said. "He allegedly grabbed her by the throat and started choking her."
Brendon, who has been arrested multiple times over the past year, was gone when officers arrived but was arrested a short while later a few blocks away. Jillson said alcohol was involved but he didn't know if Brendon was intoxicated. Brendon, who's from Sherman Oaks, California, was released from jail Thursday after posting a $20,000 bond. It was unclear if he had a lawyer who could comment for him, and no telephone number for his booking agent could be found.
Brendon posted bail and is due back in court on Tuesday. Good luck, dude!
