Panel from Buffy #40

As tweeted by Super @ScottAllie .

Spotting!

An email I received last night from my dear friend in Los Angeles:

"I saw Amy Acker and Eliza Dushku at Trader Joe's the other day - there at the same time, but not there together.  I thought of you...because you are one of the only people (the only?) that would even know who Amy Acker is, let alone how random it would be for both of them to be at the same supermarket at the same time."

My response:
"Omg, that's fabulous! Were they both skinny bitches? Hee!"

Lori: "Hee! Amy was thin - Eliza was a skinny bitch - I don't imagine she ever eats and must be in a bad mood from hunger all the time. Amy was with who I assume were her 2 kids - adorable kids."

If you spot a Whedonverse Alum, send us an email at Buffyfest@aim.com

Sexy Santa Smidge has a Snuggie in the Box.

A very warm and Merry Christmas to all of our fabulous readers and Whedonites everywhere. Thanks for your company these past years. May 2011 be your best year yet!

With love, from everyone at Buffyfest.

Ovation to Broadcast all 15 Episodes of FIREFLY Beginning January 3

Let's start this New Year with some Space Western Style! Ovation network will kick off a week-long, limited run of Firefly beginning Monday, January 3.

Each night, three full episodes will air during primetime, beginning at 8.00 p.m. ET/5.00 p.m. PT with an encore presentation at 11.00 p.m. ET/8.00 p.m. PT. A Firefly marathon will run all day on Ovation on Saturday, January 8. So if you get Ovation in your area, tune in and/or set your DVRs!

In the mean time, check out this behind the scenes clip Ovation has of Joss talking about the Big Damn Show with hair that is absolutely FABULOUS and a beard to match.

About Ovation: 
Ovation is the only multi-platform network devoted to art contemporary culture. The network creates and curates one-of-a-kind programming about all the art people enjoy most, from the popular to the avant-garde and everything in between. The channel reaches a national audience of 43 million households through carriage on cable systems, DirecTV (channel 274), Dish Network (channel 157) and telco systems nationally. Ovation’s programming is also available on video on demand (in both standard and high definition) in the US. Ovation’s popular website (http:// www.OvationTV.com) is a dynamic experience, featuring information about local and national happenings in the art world, as well as a vibrant community of artists who have uploaded over 150,000 pieces of original art.

Whedonverse Ornament Swap 2010 Recap

The 2010 Whedonverse Ornament Swap, our biggest yet, is now over! Thanks to everyone who participated in making this 3rd annual swap another success. Hopefully all of the ornaments have landed at their destinations around the world in time for the Yuletide fun.

I can't believe what I'm seeing in the photos, such creativity this year! A festive Box o' Hush voices? Come on! A Military Xander Nutcracker? Fantastic! I encourage you to click through to the Flickr photos below to see the amazingness for yourself.

Swappers: if you haven't yet posted your pictures to the Flickr group page, please do. See you next year!

P.S. FYI, most, but not all of the photos show up in the group unless you're logged in to Flickr.

This Heather Morris Thing

Where does one get a stake?

If you read this blog, you probably know that I think this Whedonless Buffy Movie is moot and the thing is never going to see the light of day...call it a hunch. But since the world is still a chatter, let's discuss this odd Heather Morris thing that won't die. Apparently, Perez Hilton is getting casting credit on the film as he's the one who suggested Glee's Miss Morris play Miss Summers in the reboot. Originally the reports were denied by all involved, but now the actress claims the "creators" are actually considering her. The whole thing makes her pee on herself. Yeah, us too kiddo!

Sorry to have to share what has to be one of the most boring interviews in recent memory. Most of it has Heather talking to Access Hollywood about Gwenyth Paltrow's children and their ipad apps. I dunno. The Buffy part is in there somewhere. Check it out:

Since she's in Glee and a singer/dancer, maybe they can make the whole Whedonless Buffy a musical? WITH MUPPETS!! Get Jason Segel on there. While we're day-dreaming, can someone make a fanvid out of Heather Morris dancing with Beyonce so that I could brand this post a proper Fanvid Sunday? No? No one feels like doing that? Ugh.:

The Buffyfest Gift Guide 2010

Got a fan on your list? Whether you're buying for a newbie who is just discovering Buffy or a Whedonite so hard-core that he'll justify why we should really be watching Alien: Resurrection at this year's annual Buffyfest Party (Ryan, I'm looking at you), they'll be a treat on this here list to fill their Christmas stocking with or place under their Holiday Bush. And if you want something for yourself on here, throw your loved one a little hint. Simply say "Honey, I was on Buffyfest today and saw so many fantastic Whedon themed gifts on there. I would love it if on Christmas morning, something off their gift guide was under our Holiday Bush!" It's very subtle and really packs a punch.

This is our biggest and bestest Gift Guide ever, but do check out our past Gift Guides as some of that loot is still available too.

With only 10 shopping days to go, behold, the 2010 Buffyfest Gift Guide:

For the Newbie:

Best Prices found this week on all the necessary DVDs:

• Buffy box set - Splurge on "The Chosen Set". That link has it for $92.99 and free shipping.
• Angel: Complete Series Currently $85.99 - A must to complete the full collection.
  
• Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog on DVD and on Blu-ray
  
• They'll need Firefly and it's stunning conclusion Serenity (Collector's Edition)
• Dollhouse: Season One and Season 2 (also available on Blu-Ray)
• Future canon-heads need comics too! Go to TFAW for Dark Horse's Buffy Season 8 and IDW's Angel and Spike books. Don't forget Joss Whedon's Fray for the cherry on top.

For the die-hard Whedonite:

• DYING over these Fruity Oaty Girls statuettes! Your Whedonite will love them too!
• The year wouldn't be complete without hanging a fresh Buffy 2011 Wall Calendar.
• Accessorize your recipient with this Buffy themed tote!
• QMX  and ThinkGeek both have impressive amounts of shirts this season for Whedonites of all flavors.
• Pre-order these Buffy Season 8 Pint Glasses, featuring the gorgeous art of Jo Chen.

For the Spuffy:

• If your Spuffy is crafty try out this  Hot & Steamy Cross Stitch  - only $1.49! 
• For more hot Spuffy action, why not a poster of them making out?
• If your Spuffy likes to emblazon his attire, here's a SPIKE Logo PATCH.
• Electric Tiki Tooned Up Spike  comes complete with two interchangeable heads (human or vamp face) and three interchangeable right hands:  fist, axe-wielding and railroad spike-wielding!
• How about a Spike Clock? Listen, everyone needs to know the time, even Spuffies.

Recession Specials!

• The original 1992 Buffy is available for a discounted $5.46! (you'll need a VHS, which is sad but hey...recession.) 
• If you've earned a PHD in Horribleness, you'll want the pencils to prove it! Only $3 bucks.
• How about a Serenity Ship bumper sticker? Just $5.95!
• The Palz Figure: Angel will run you a mere $1.90. At $6.99, the ToyFare Exclusive Buffy version is a bit more but look, you get he headstone from "The Gift"! So there's that. 
• Joss Whedon's One-shot comic Sugarshock is fabulous and super-cheap at $2.80.
• Finally, why not create your own Whedonverse Ornaments for your fan friend? Check out the Flickr Group from our Whedonverse Ornament Swap for some inspiration. 
•  

Last Minute Larry - downloadable and emailable gifts:

• A Charitable donation to super browncoat fellowship Can't Stop The Serenity is the perfect last minute feel-good gift.
• Download Dollhouse in HD instantly with Amazon Video On Demand, just 99 cents per ep.
  
• A e-gift certificate for Whedonverse comics at TFAW is the instant gift that keeps on giving!
• Pre-order Buffy Motion Comic on DVD or give now instant download style.
  
• For a cheap, last-minute and satisfying gift, $4.00 will get you a phone call from our very own Bitsy. Yell at him for a whole 5 minutes! (Proceeds to go to CSTS.)

For the Super Hard-Core fan who has everything:

If you have a Super Hard-Core on your list like this guy, you may need to think outside of the box:

• Pay for lunch with Buffy writer Jane Espenson (already sold!)
• Give these Beautiful Hand Made Journals in Buffy and Firefly themes. Check out the bindings.
• A Hard-Core wants props. Check out this Original Sunnydale Razorback Pennant used on the show - $1275!
• Holy Hell, who even knew they ever had Buffy GigaPets? $399 will get you this blast from the past.

That's it for this year. Now go get that shopping done and Happy Holidays, everyone!

Fanvid Sunday: Interviewing Ripper Edition (Spoilers)

Well, it's not really a fanvid per se, but while the Whedonverse is still reeling from the events of Buffy #39 I thought it made sense to post this little ditty. Bitsy had the honor of interviewing the dashing Anthony Stewart Head about Buffy Season 8 prior to Giles heart wrenching demise in last week's comic. Little did anyone know at that time how melancholy his choice of question would be. Poor Giles.

From Script to Page: A Behind the Scenes Look at Buffy #39

It’s the last day of Dark Horse Week here at Buffyfest and we’re ending it with a special treat. Here’s a rare look at a portion of the first draft from the now infamous issue #39, written by Joss Whedon and Scott Allie. Scott takes us behind the scenes of the writing process and shares a few initial pages from the script along with some of his thoughts.

(Click below page to enlarge.)

Jeanty and Allie Interviewed

Whedonesque is in mourning.  They say it's because you know who got the chop but, secretly, I think they're all heart broken over the death of Bangel 4 EVAR.  That's just what I heard... when I said it just now.  Rumor mill!

So, anway... Dark Horse Week rolls on and independent agents Newsarama and TFAW are joining in on the fun.  It's entirely possible they have no idea that it's Dark Horse Week but that's neither here nor there.

First up, Newsarama chats with our young Mr. Jeanty as he wraps penciling Buffy #40.  You can check out how he feels about it and what he and Joss talk about other than Buffy right over here.

And out on the left coast, Scott did him a fancy video interview with TFAW which I am going to go ahead and embed right over.... here!

And that's all for now.  We've still got one other item waiting in the wings.  What could it be?  Why so ominous, bits?  Is all the over hyping really necessary?  Yes.  Yes, it is.  You're welcome internet.

Exclusive: BIG Scott Allie Interview about Buffy #39 (MAJOR SPOILERS)

Here we are at the turn of the tide. The penultimate issue of Buffy Season 8 has arrived and if you dare to read the interview below, you probably already know by now the events that have changed Whedonverse fiction forever. You may also be asking yourself "Well, how did I get here?" We're right there with ya, buddy.

So read on fellow Whedonite, as we take a journey with Season 8 editor and Joss' co-writer of the final arc - Scott Allie - and try to make some sense of our pain.

Major Spoilers ahead! Seriously, don't read this if you can help it, spoiler fiend.

Buffyfest: Why in the hell did you guys kill Giles?

Scott Allie: You're gonna spoiler tag this, right?

Buffyfest:  Heh. So, how did the conversation between you and Joss go about this major plot point? Was this something you’ve planned from the beginning?

SA: Revealing too much about this pulls the curtain back on the great and terrible Oz a bit too much. It was planned for a while, but not from the very beginning. I will say this. I've been involved now in killing two beloved characters—Giles, and Roger from Hellboy. And both times it had everything to do with the arc of the character, and in this case, the arc of the killer.

Buffyfest: Even though Angel and Giles have had a very tumultuous relationship, there was always an underlying camaraderie in the sense that they both cared for Buffy ("Prophecy Girl", "Pangs", etc.) Can you explain why Angel was chosen as Giles' murderer?

SA: I'm like you, Michelle—I love these two characters perhaps more than others in Buffy. There are qualities about them as fictional characters that make them appeal to me dramatically, as a reader, or a writer, and that's more about their flaws than their virtues. And I agree that they had a great dynamic. They were equals in a unique sense among Buffy characters. Back in the earliest seasons, they were the adult characters, so to speak. In a sense their dynamic is why it made sense for Angel to kill Giles. They served similar roles in Buffy's life, except with Angel as the lover who couldn't really be her lover, and Giles as the father who couldn't really be her father. But the real reason is that things were building for each character to where it made sense for one to die, and the other to do the killing. If Spike could've been Twilight, it could have made sense for him to do the deed, just a different kind of sense. These relationships are so intense that whoever did the deed, it would have been uniquely meaningful. Even if it were Dawn, it would have changed the world of Buffy in a very particular way.

Buffyfest: Season 8 seems to be the adult version of Season 2. Was that the intention?

SA: No, not the intention, but I think I know what you mean. I love Season 2, and what you're saying wasn't the intention, never anything we specifically decided upon, but there's clear similarities. I think what was great about Season 2 appealed to us in the setup of Season 8, and we ran with those things. But the differences are interesting too. In Season 2, it was fairly easy to say that Angel was not Angelus, but there's more ambiguity here, in terms of how responsible Angel is for Twilight's actions. I like moral ambiguity. I find that more adult.

Buffyfest: Continuing with that thought, was the decision to have Angel snap Giles neck a shout-out to the murder of Jenny Calendar?

SA: Well, yes, that's one of the real concrete similarities. When we set that scene up, Joss said we should specifically reference Jenny's death, visually, distinctly.

Buffyfest: What would you tell fans who are now fully entrenched in the "I hate Angel" club?

SA: I'd tell 'em they've never had more in common with the characters. I could see Willow doing a hell of a lot more than turning him into a frog, if she didn't have her own problems right now. This low point that we've taken Angel to is gonna be good fodder for Season 9. People felt we let him off the hook too easily after Buffy #34, but he's not off the hook. This is interesting, to me, as someone involved in shaping his story. He's a hero, sometimes a romantic lead, who has a long, long trail of bodies behind him. Killing Giles might not be the worst thing he's ever done, but for the readers and for the characters, it's the act we're gonna be most upset about. Angel's crimes have never been brought home as sharply and as viscerally for the fans as they've been brought home this week.

Buffyfest: Where does his story go next?

SA: Season 9. There’s one more issue that will show you were people are at in the wake of all the horror, but I can’t tell you where it goes next, not just yet. We’ll spill some more info when #40 comes out. But for Angel, it is going to be about redemption—that’s sort of what his story has always been, and maybe now he needs it more than ever.

Buffyfest: As a fan, do you hate Angel for what he’s done? Or pity him for being taken over by Twilight and committing this horrible act?

SA: It's not pity, but the second option is closer to how I see him. Twilight didn't take hold of Xander. Angel was the appropriate vehicle for Twilight. So he bears responsibility for being that appropriate vehicle. I don't just mean appropriate because he's a vampire—but because he's a guy who'd sign up for a plan like this. There's a reason the talking dog went to him first, and not Buffy. I've read some interesting fan reactions to Season 8 centering on a wholly dualistic view of free will—either there is or there ain't. In fiction like this, you have to account for a certain amount of mysticism, fate, predestination, etc., because that's the genre. But you also have to allow for free will, for characters to be responsible for their actions. You can have both. You have to, or this stuff doesn't work as good fiction. Even though the gods manipulated the Greek heroes, the heroes' actions were still tragic. So even where fate is involved, predestination, and even possession, there has to be a level or personal responsibility. You can pity Regan in The Exorcist, but you can't simply pity Angel. He's a hero, not a victim. He bears responsibility for his actions, even if that responsibility is unclear and subject to debate. So I do feel sympathy that his own character—who he is, his characteristics—set him up to be in the spot to do this thing, though this specific action was not his choice. If he were another guy—if he were Spike—this would not have happened. Spike would not have accepted the Twilight mission in the first place. Buffy wouldn't have accepted the mission, didn't when presented with it. Ironically, Giles may have. Maybe, if it were framed the right way.


Buffyfest: Does that make Angel less of a hero or more of a human?

SA: I don’t see the two as mutually exclusive, by any means. If he is more human than he was before, he should be more relatable. But he’s certainly a flawed hero, a very challenged hero. That’s what’s so boring about Superman. Not enough flaw. No challenges. A weakness to an extremely rare mineral doesn’t humanize a character, and I like my heroes humanized.

Buffyfest: Buffy and Angel have been challenged since the beginning of the TV show. Will Angel killing Buffy's pseudo-dad be the final stake in the heart of that relationship?

SA: Nope. Buffy #40 is the wedding issue. Because readers unanimously demanded it!

Buffyfest: Georges Jeanty recently said, "Faith does something really remarkable" about forgiving Angel. Care to elaborate on this?

SA: Not yet.

Buffyfest: Is anyone else going to die in Issue #40?

SA: Yes.

Buffyfest: Wait, what? Say again?

SA: Oh, it’s not what you’re thinking. Next?

Buffyfest: OK, speaking of issue #40, will we see a conversation between Buffy and Angel about Giles’ death?

SA: You will not.

Buffyfest: What about Spike? Will we see him again in issue #40 or is he off to the unknown with bug crew?

SA: He gets a scene in #40.

Buffyfest: In this issue, Spike says about Angel “He finally picked a side.” What does Spike mean by this statement?

SA: Well, he says it after seeing Angel punch Buffy through a wall, right? Angel's agenda has been unclear, and he's drenched in moral ambiguity, especially from Spike's point of view. Seeing Angel deck Buffy while the big war is waging above draws the lines in such a way that Spike feels justified in trying to kill Angel, no reason to hold back.

Buffyfest: Willow’s agenda is back to magic being her main focus. Do you think she's learned anything from Season 6?

SA: Absolutely, but what she learned in Season 7 is that there are certain roads to great power that don't destroy you, that are truly good. Frankly, given my interests, what's going on with Willow in #38 and #39 is some of my favorite stuff. There was so much I wanted to do with it, but it's not what the story's about. In the Seed, Willow found a battery for the kind of power she channeled in the empowerment spell. The empowerment was the ultimate payoff of everything she'd learned over the course of the series. It was redemption after Season 6, and it was the ultimate expression of her relationship and partnership with Buffy after seven years. It was a good thing, and it was a contrast to how badly magic had gone for her in Season 6. And the Seed offered her another perspective on that sort of power. I think we'll have time and need to reflect on this in Season 9. But in response to your question, I think we can learn a lot from our experiences and remain subject to our own hubris, and Joss's characters explore that idea really nicely.


Buffyfest: Now that Buffy has destroyed the seed and ended magic, how will this affect Willow and Buffy's friendship?

SA: Not insignificantly.

Buffyfest: More on that, we’ve seen that Willow and Amy lose their abilities to use magic. What other consequences are there to the breaking of the seed?

SA: The events of Season 8 were largely the result of the empowerment spell, and a huge amount of what goes on in Season 9 will be the direct result of the breaking of the Seed.

Buffyfest: So, was the empowerment spell a bad idea in terms of the universe and was this the universe's way of balancing good and evil in the world again?

SA: Not a bad idea, no—the empowerment spell brought great things to the world, but everything comes with a price. The balance swings back and forth, like a pendulum. Things are not in balance at the end of Season 8, but they’ll keep swinging.

Buffyfest: Now that the seed is broken, is the Fray future a certainty? Will we be seeing more of that future in Season 9 (or maybe even in Buffy #40?)

SA: To some degree, the Fray future is here, right? Listen to poor Willow … But I don’t think we’ll be doing a lot more time travel soon. It’s hard. Between Terminator, Season 8, and Umbrella, our heads are spinning.

Buffyfest: We asked you this question two years ago at NYCC and then again at SDCC last year, and we hope we can finally get your answer. What is the theme of Season 8?

SA: Betrayal. And the reason I wanted to be cagey about that, even though a lot of the fans had identified it, is because of a little anecdote from Joss. Joss himself has this running theme about awesome women, right? Smart women? Well, wayyyyy back in the beginning of this thing, he was talking to Kai, his wife. He was talking the story up to her, building to the big finish, "the closest, most unexpected betrayal," and she cut to the chase and said, "Buffy betrays herself, right?" If your theme is betrayal, self-betrayal is the harshest place you can go. So I was afraid that if I confirmed that betrayal was the theme, if I singled betrayal out as where we'd be heading in the climax, and you looked at that panel from #10, you'd figure it out, it'd step on the ending. I've had a couple readers write to me with the theory that Buffy would bring an end to magic, that Buffy would betray herself, etc. And they threw those theories out into the universe, and there was no word from me or Joss or Georges to confirm it, so readers were free to do with it as they pleased, to prioritize it as they saw fit, based on what was presented in the story. To tip the scales, outside of the text of the story, in a way that would promote one theory over another would damage the story worse than the accidental spoilers we leaked over the years.

Buffyfest: You mentioned that you saw a lot of fans had figured out that the betrayal was Buffy betraying herself. Were there any fan theories along the way that you found interesting even though they wound up being incorrect?

SA: Oh yeah, absolutely. I heard some cool ideas that were very much based on an intimate understanding of the characters, and that’s always exciting. The fan speculation about where it was going was rewarding to see, because it showed a pretty sophisticated level of engagement with the story.

Buffyfest: Completely unrelated, but important, what’s your take on the Buffy reboot movie?

SA: They should cast Miley Cyrus. Is there any way we can make that happen? That would be amazing. Only way this idea could get any better.

Buffy #39 Review-ish (BIG TIME HOLLYWOOD SPOILERS)

The Preamble/Review, well salted, with spoilers aplenty and maybe a little soapbox preaching:

Before looking at this, you should read the comic first.  I'm not going to talk about everything, just share the thoughts I had after reading it.  If you've read someone's summation on a forum, you've done yourself a disservice.  There have been many issues I've posted detailed summaries of shortly after their release but none were quite like Buffy #39.  I can't express how disappointed I am that so many peoples' first impression will be based off of a mediocre description written in broken english.




I read this issue about three weeks ago and I'm still in shock.  That's how powerful it is but now there are all these people saying "that sounds stupid".  This will get me in trouble but, for once, I'll really speak my mind.  Read the issue.  Actually absorb it and formulate an opinion of your own instead of parroting what your buddies are saying.  Try to place your shipping preferences aside.  This isn't a competition.  It's not about who winds up with who.  It's about how these characters who, for better or worse, have all made sacrifice after sacrifice to try to save the world, have all failed in one way or another.  It's about how they betrayed each other, it's about how they betrayed themselves.  And for one of them, it's the end.

In a way, it's not until now, as I write this review, that I'm actually feeling the loss.  Rupert Giles is dead.  No alarms, no surprises, no retcons.  You can say what you want about things he may have done wrong, about how he wasn't there for Buffy in the final two television seasons or how he was noticeably absent for much of the comic but, when you look beyond all that,you see the truth. 

Giles is Buffy's dad and now there's just a body.  He'll never talk about the smell of books or drink tea, ever, and he'll never get that confused look on his face or rub his glasses thoughtfully, not ever.  And Buffy will cry but he won't be there to comfort her.

They saved the world but at a terrible cost.  Willow embraced the seed's power, seemingly falling prey to old temptations only to have all magic ripped not just from her, but torn from the whole world.  Xander stood frozen, desperately looking for the one right answer that doesn't exist.  Buffy, with nothing left to lose, destroys the one thing that makes her world everything that it is.  Destroying the seed is like destroying the meaning of life.  It's the soul of the world and it's shattered because she did the shattering.

And Angel.  He can't hide behind Twilight.  He chose his path and, as he becomes fully aware and in control again, he has to accept that he has finally done something that Buffy should never forgive.  There's something hopeful and dreamlike in the idea that there is someone out there for you, who you were born to love and who was born to love you.  But that's not Buffy's world anymore and it was Angel's chasing after destiny that brought it's destruction.

Spike's off chasing monsters.  He wasn't part of the crew this season and, frankly, lucky him.  He's smarter than the rest, though.  He knows that, even though this is tragedy of the highest order, that Buffy will go on living because she has to.  He knows there's more to life than a seed of wonder.  That's why Season 8 wasn't his story, particularly.  The lessons that Buffy and Angel had to learn are ones Spike already knows.

Thus endeth the climax with Buffy writhing on the floor, Angel only becoming aware of what he's done, Xander trying to find a way to pick up the pieces and a broken-bodied Willow going insane.  And Buffy's father, and, in a way, all their fathers, really, lies silent, never to be heard again.

It was heartbreaking.  It was beautiful.  It had a giant vagina monster attacking a lesbian witch but, other than that, it was really, really good.

Breaking Ornament News!

Doot doot dootleydoot doot doot dootleydoot!

We interrupt this edition of Dark Horse Week to remind you to send out your ornaments for the 2010 Whedonverse Ornament Swap, as today is the deadline. Also, don't forget to please post pics to the Flickr group so we can all see the festive fun at http://www.flickr.com/groups/buffyfestholidayswap 

We now return you to your regularly scheduled Dark Horse Week, already in progress.

Dark Horse Week Continues On...

...this time with "Scott Allie Cam!" That's right, Scott Allie is at the TFAW Firefly/Serenity signing, screening and panel  right now and he's sharing with us live pics from his POV at the event. It's like you're there! Except Zack Whedon and Chris Samnee are not actually sitting next to you on your sofa right now. And you're not in Portland's Hollywood Theater. But look! Pics!

"Zack introducing "Objects in Space" at Hollywood Theatre, Portland. Chris's head in foreground."

- Scott Allie Cam

 "Eli, Zack, and Chris between episodes."

- Scott Allie Cam 

 "Zack & Chris at Q&A." 
- Scott Allie Cam

"Trying to do the Skype thing with Browncoats worldwide. It does not work. My lack of faith in tech is again validated. "

- Scott Allie Cam

"Tweeting before the signing."
- Scott Allie Cam

 "Comic shop chaos."
- Scott Allie Cam 

"Beer at a comic shop."
- Scott Allie Cam

"Fruity Oaty Bars and other Firefly cuisine courtesy of @elisabethf"

- Scott Allie Cam

"Signing, and, I think, Chris being asked for money by the homeless guy who came in to eat. Seriously."
- Scott Allie Cam

 "Zack signs a Fruity Oaty Bar for Witchdoctor writer Brandon Seifert."
- Scott Allie Cam

"Sierra was unable to attend and SORELY MISSED!!!!!"
-Scott Allie

"Event over , at the Moon & Sixpence."

-Scott Allie

That's all! This event was sponsored by TfAW, Dark Horse, Bridgetown, Excalibur, and PDX Browncoats! They also helped the Oregon Food Bank as cost of admission was a canned or nonperishable food item.

Thanks for bringing us behind the scenes, Scott!

Hellboy, Hack/Slash and Haikus!!

Devastation.  It's the word Scott Allie used to describe Buffy #39 which comes out this Thursday (damn you, Thanksgiving).  Join us as we continue sweating it out with a week dedicated to Bad Horse's brother from another mother: Dark Horse.  First up, we talk with Super Scott Allie about two projects that are near and dear to his editorial heart:  B.P.R.D. The Dead Remembered, a 3 issue story focusing on Hellboy's Liz Sherman, and "Campfire Stories", a short story which is part of Hack/Slash's Trailer's series.

Also, do you like free stuff?  Well, we're giving away a free copy of Hack/Slash Trailers Part 2 signed by Scott Allie plus a host of Buffyfest goodies to anyone who can create an amazing Dark Horse inspired Haiku.  Here are the rules:

1. Write a haiku about Scott Allie, Buffy Season 8...anything Dark Horse related at all.  Your haiku should be in the form of 17 syllables broken into three lines of five, seven, and five syllables.
2. Post your haiku in the comments section along with what you’re basing it on.
3. Submissions must be received by 1 week from today - Tuesday, Dec 7th - to be part of the contest.

Check out the winner from our previous Haiku contest and see if you have what it takes!  We now give you, Super Scott Allie:

Hellboy

Buffyfest: Hi Scott. Let's get started with your new Hellboy series. How did you and Mike Mignola come up with the idea of focusing on the character of Liz Sherman in the upcoming B.P.R.D.: The Dead Remembered?

Scott Allie: Short answer—I don't remember. We always talk about various ways to further explore the Hellboy world, and we kill way more ideas than we follow through on, by a huge margin. With this, we were doing the Abe stories, written by Mike, and then written by Mike and John Arcudi, where we explore Abe's early adventures as an agent. After all these years—the character was introduced in 1994, with the idea that his character had been active with the Bureau since the late seventies. But we only started doing stories set in his early years as an agent a few years ago, and to date there are just eight comics. We've done 1946 and 1947, which begin to touch on Hellboy's early years with the Bureau. But it struck me that Liz, brought in as a hazard to herself and the people around her, after her powers caused the deaths of her family and neighbors—her transition from that damaged girl, to a teen runaway, into a full-fledged agent must have been very different from the boys'. We talked about the emotional issues we'd explore there for her, and he felt like I had a good take on it. So then the question was what to do with a Liz story, and Mike and I both felt that we were getting too far from traditional horror stories, so the idea was to do that. I get to return to my hometown once more, and deal with the local lore a bit.

Buffyfest: What intrigues you about the character in general? 

SA: The main thing is honestly that Mike has never written her the way female comics characters are written—even the good ones. The fact that she's a woman is entirely incidental. A romance between Hellboy and Liz would have never occurred to Mike. I love that about her. So what particularly interested me about that was how to do that with a teenaged girl. And I can't deny that a big part of what interested me was her similarities and huge differences from Buffy. A young super-powered girl, but one whose abilities are clearly a curse and a burden. And Liz Sherman never would have been a cheerleader.

Buffyfest: Did it bother you when the movies made Liz and Hellboy a couple or were you expecting the romance angle for a main stream movie? 

SA: No, I think adaptations have to do something different with the material. I just watched episode 5 of Walking Dead, and I love the CDC thing. The movie Hellboy is different from the one I work on, but it helped sell a lot of the ones I work on.

Buffyfest: What about the character of Hellboy? What do you love about him? 

SA: Everything. I love the Byronic aspects of him, the noble monster, and I love that in Hellboy there is no self-consciousness, something Byron and the gothic writers never could have gotten their heads around. I love how he can take the piss out of any situation. If people are gettin' too high falutin, he'll bring it all down to earth, if things are getting tense, he'll crack wise. Cracking wise is not unique among superheroes, and I know Mike learned it from Stan, but the combination of how he does it and to whom he does it is unique.

Buffyfest: Can you give us a little bit about the plot of the upcoming 3 issue story? 

SA: Yeah. The name of the book is B.P.R.D.: The Dead Remembered. Liz and Broom—the foster father to Hellboy and to a lesser extent her and even Abe—takes her on what seems like a simple mission to New England, where a priest is suffering a haunting. It involves a woman accused of witchcraft and murdered by a lynch mob, and Liz's own feelings of being judged unfairly. Hellboy's in the first issue for a bit, but mostly it's Liz and Broom.

Buffyfest: For those who never picked up a Hellboy comic, what would a new reader need to know in order to jump into the story right now?

SA: Not much. Someone totally unfamiliar will wonder who this big red guy talking to this little girl is, but again, Hellboy's not in it for that long. Beyond that, there's a note on the inside cover setting up briefly who Liz is, why she's with the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense—and if the name of the organization doesn't tell you what it is, I don't know what to tell you.

Buffyfest: Let's shift over to the art for a minute. Why did Karl Moline and Jo Chen seem like a good fit for this title?

SA: I love Karl's storytelling, and the thing I'm most frustrated with when I write is when an artist can't pull off the character stuff. That's what was so great working on Buffy #37-39. Georges was great. And Karl does really nice character stuff, and he's great with making young girls both cute and heroic and strong, which is what I wanted for Liz. And there's a teenage boy in this that I knew Karl would do right. And the way it worked, if I remember, is that we were looking for something for Karl to do, and I loved his Liz one-shot for War on Frogs a couple years ago. So this came up and the schedule worked. With Jo, similar thing. Who does characters like this better? Mike's been coveting her work on Buffy. And with Buffy winding up, I wanted to keep working with her, so we segued her right into this off the end of Season 8.

Buffyfest: Is there any Buffy character you would compare Hellboy to?

SA: Hmmm. No. Hellboy hides his emotions. Does anyone in Buffy do that? Doesn't everyone wear their hearts on their sleeves? Can I compare him to Mal?

Buffyfest: Yes, please do!

SA: Oh, sorry, I don't really have anything to say on that, but I think there's something there. Still waters that run deep, real working-class approach to what they do. But Mal's emotions are more complex and repressed, whereas Hellboy's are a lot more simple, not a lot of turmoil in there.

Hack/Slash

Buffyfest: The Vampy Cats earn a mention in your Hack/Slash short "Campfire Stories".  Why were they the Season 8 monster you chose to mention?

Scott Allie: The way it worked is that I was writing the story, and I needed a cheap, quick way to link the Big Bird stuffed animal to the girl. Matching T shirts jumped into my head, and then I thought, "We need an adorable icon to link them." I literally started making up my own Hello Kitty sort of thing, and then a light bulb went off over my head.

Buffyfest: If you could write a Buffy/Cassie crossover story, what would it be about and how do you think these two Last Girls would react to one another?

SA: Buffy would laugh at her. She'd start respecting Faith's fashion choices. She would insist Cassie change her clothes. I don't know. I think such a story would be so postmodern it would throw itself on its stake. I was initially attracted to Hack/Slash by some awesome covers by Joe Quinones and Ross Campbell. But then I was put off by the T&A and gore. Then my girlfriend introduced me to Tim, the creator of the characters, and we hit it off, so I started reading. And I realized Hack/Slash is what I love best in B-movies—a bold and simple original idea executed with conviction, insight, and heart—above all else, heart. That's what made Buffy Season 1 rise to the top the way it did. Tim loves these characters. But he loves them within the confines of a genre that often aims at the lowest common denominator, and Tim does not flinch in going for it. Buffy comes out of a similar tradition, but drifts far, far from it. Joss does not write a lot of love letters to the horror genre. He does his own thing. And he'd have to deconstruct Cassie—or someone would—for these two to make sense in the same room.

Buffyfest: You reference a number of popular horror tropes in your story.  What are your favorites?

SA: None of the ones I touch in the story. My friendship with Tim got me to give slasher stuff a second look, which has led me down a long dark path that included a recent Saw marathon climaxing with me and a couple friends ALONE in a Portland theatre watching Saw 3D. I was a heavy-duty horror geek in the 1980s, but I never saw another one of those movies after Halloween III and Friday the 13th Part 3. I never saw any of the Chucky movies, or even Nightmare on Elm St. But in the last couple years I've gone back to watch a bunch of it. And most of it was really  worth missing. A couple things were interesting. Sleepaway Camp [shudder]. But most of it I was glad I'd missed first time around. The tropes that I was referencing in Hack/Slash were more to do with campfire lore than film. When I was a kid at Camp Rotary in Boxford, Mass, we had very vivid stories, and to a ten-year-old they seemed both true and unique. We had the haunted cabin, the hatchet man, and the giant snapping turtle in the lake. I imagine every camp had similar stories—really similar stories. And they were a lot more interesting to me as a kid thinking that they were unique to my experience, rather than simply being Hollywood cliches. Oh, further to that point, on the first page of "Campfire Stories," I reference some Lovecraftian stuff. That's hometown shit to me too. See, Tim had already brought Lovecraft into Hack/Slash, and he'd done it in a really interesting way—a mashup with Archie Comics. See, Riverdale, the town in Archie, is based on Haverhill, a town near where I grew up, just on the other side of Boxford. Haverhill is also just down the street from Salem, Mass., which Lovecraft called Arkham in his stories—and closer to Newburyport, which Lovecraft refers to by name quite a bit in his stories. So Tim saw a great geographical opportunity to mash Lovecraft and Archie. And Lovecraft, by the way, represents a whole bunch of horror tropes that are very close to my heart, and among my favorites. But in general, my favorites are occult horror, supernatural horror. What I'm doing in the Liz series. 

Buffyfest: Steve Niles, Scottie Young, and Robert Kirkman have all gotten the chop in the Hack/Slash story "Comic Book Carnage".  Is Scott Allie next? 

SA: Tim told me he has an idea if he does another one of those. We shall see.

Buffyfest: Who would kill you and what kind of slasher would you be if you came back from the dead?

SA: Horny teenagers, I assume, whichever ones I stumbled across.

B.P.R.D.: The Dead Remembered #1 will be on shelves 4/6/11. Hack/Slash Trailers Pt. 2 featuring a short by Scott Allie is in stores now.