New Releases in the Dark Horse Digital Store: Free Vampy Sampler & 'Serenity' Digi-Comic!

Sorry guys, don't know how I missed these in the
Dark Horse Newsletter from yesterday, but anyway..

Out right now is a newly released Serenity comic on Dark Horse Digital. A double shot that includes previously released stories "Downtime" and "The Other Half" - $1.99 over at DHD.

"Downtime" depicts the crew of Serenity stranded on an icy planet, described by writer Zack Whedon as a "slice-of-life, day-on-the-ship story". And writer Jim Krueger (Earth X) teams with artist Will Conrad to present an action-packed story of loyalty and trust in "The Other Half." If you didn't get the chance to read these stories the first time around, now would be a great time to add this to your digi-collection. The Jo Chen cover is a beaut.

Also out is a free sampler of Dark Horse's Vampire-related fare. The issue features selections from Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #1, Angel & Faith #1, Baltimore: The Curse Bells #1, The Strain #1, and House of Night #1. Plus, the entirety of a short story entitled "Magical Mystery Tour Featuring the Beetles," a previously unreleased, digital-only retailer exclusive from Buffy S.9.

Go get it, it's free! Whee! And hey, Dark Horse's Vampires don't spaaaarrrkle.

Declare Your Shinyness!

If you're feeling especially Shiny and you want everyone else around you to know it, you'll need this Firefly inspired shirt over FSC Tees. Simple and to the point. I guess you could also wear it sarcastically, if you're feeling more like Shiong mao niao today. Whatever, your call.

Love the fact that it's a mere $15 including free shipping! But get it fast as it's only around for the next 4 days. They also ship around the world so no need to worry about those pesky oceans.

Michelle Trachtenberg and David Boreanaz Together, Creepy.

What the hell?!  We've been talking about the above pic that Michelle T tweeted all week. I'm sorry, we love him but everyone is in agreement here at Buffyfest that David Boreano is looking like a bit of a perv here. It's true, his hotness is currently confusing and falling somewhere between Pauly D and George Hamilton. Why is he so fucking red?? Please stop tanning, love! James Marsters has not preserved his fabulous 50-year old face so well by basking in the rays. This is 'shipper war fuel! And Michelle Trachtenberg is just soooo pale compared to him. Just what in the world is going on in this pic in general? Please ask yourself this question!

And yes, Michelle Trachty's hair is blue at the tips. Why you ask? Well I'll tell you, frightened reader. it's because of her role as a psycho killer in upcoming thriller The Scribbler. Apparently it was all her idea too! Ohhkay! I'm sorry, I love them both to death but you must admit that this pic is creeeeeeepy.

Yeah!

See Michelle's blue tips matching her top in this shot of her and Joss below. Girl has been partying with all her Whedonverse besties this past week! Happy Friday, everyone :)

Buffy Season 8 Library Edition Vol. 1 Out Now!

We originally thought this super awesome "Library Edition" hardcover collection of the first 10 issues of Buffy S.8 was to be released on May 30, but we were wrong! It's out now and looks spectacular. It's a really lovely looking hard cover with dust jacket and ribbon bookmark...what a good gift for someone who has yet to transition to the comics from the show. This deluxe, over-sized edition contains the first two arcs of S.8 (10 issues), plus two one-shots.

It's also chock full of extras! Three page one-shot written by Joss and drawn by Jo Chen (My Space Dark Horse Presents "Always Darkest"), sketchbook by Georges Jeanty, all the variant covers, etc.

The hardcover is selling at TFAW for $26.99 and likely at a comic shoppe near you!

So...Um...That Happened AGAIN.

Joss: "What on earth is happening here?"
Thor: "Oh, I'm sorry I thought you understood.
You see, the hammer is my penis."

The Avengers broke so many more box office records this weekend, it's insane. Joss Whedon's first crack at a blockbuster earned an additional $103.2 million (estimated), which is by FAR the best second weekend ever, beating Avatar's previous record of $75.6 million. I'm not going to use the whole superhero pun staked the vampire thing, but the opening of Tim Burton & Johnny Depp's very cool looking Dark Shadows was definitely overshadowed by our guy. Oh, and The Avengers has already reached 1 billion worldwide.

What. The. Eff.

Other new records include: beating The Dark Knight for best second weekend for a movie that opened to more than $120 million (which is a dumb record but whatever), best opening week, fastest movie to $250 million, $300 million and $350 million, and highest eight-day, nine-day, and ten-day grosses. Finally, The Avengers reaching the $1 billion dollar level on its 19th day in theaters ties Avatar and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 for that record.

Box Office Mojo has a running calendar of the film's daily gross here.

One face...two faces! "Avengers Edition"

I'm sorry, I just can't help it....it's just too freaky and I'm obsessed. This is a sequel to yesterday's post, Avengers Style.

In celebration of another amazing weekend at the box office, check out Scarlet Johannson and Mark Ruffalo's evil siblings. Gwyneth Paltrow (Wortlap Htenywg)/Pepper Potts (Sttop Reppep) is over there too!:

 Natasha Romanov (Vonamor Ahsatan):

Bruce Banner (Rennab Ecurb):

One face...two faces!

I'm kind of obsessed with this website Fassafass, where they take 1 photo of a straight head shot, split the sucker in half and then mirror each half. You kind of get like 2 evil siblings out of each one. Sooo freaky, especially when the photo entails an extreme side part hair style. Hilary Clinton's is especially hysterical for some reason!

Then of course you have your Supermodels who look pretty much exactly the same in each shot, as being perfectly symmetrical is their day job...boooring. Anyway, check out Sarah Michelle Gellar's two faces, or rather "Ralleg Ellehcim Haras" as she's known on the site. One looks like her athletic, pro volley ball playing twin (top) and the other her skinny, bouncy bimbo twin (let's just call her "Buffie" Gellar.) So weird! I can't stop staring.

And Eliza Dushku too (Ukhsud Azile)! Both of her twins are evil and in both shots they looks like they're going to beat me up:

Don't miss Christina Hendricks too!

She's Dead, Jim. 'Ringer' Canceled.

Well, even though it was a guilty pleasure (painfully shameful, really), the CW didn't agree with that notion and decided not to renew Ringer, it was announced today.

Probably for the best since Smidge is preggers now. Since they already used that particular storyline up, there would've been a LOT more coats and strategically placed bags in Season 2 anyway. Then again, the show was so twisty/turny and completely implausible, who knows? Siobhan could've become pregnant with newly gay Agent Machado's Quintuplets via turkey baster method and it wouldn't have seemed unreasonable after an episode or two. Oh, Ringer with your horrible green screen effects, it's time to join your brethren in the afterlife and rest in peace now.

Also on the chopping block was Secret Circle, but somehow Nikita managed to pull through for a 3rd season. Who woulda thunk it?  The CW also picked up 5 new series and renewed the hotties in Supernatural for an 8th season. Yay!

Now Sarah Michelle Gellar and Mr. Whedon, please heed these words: Since the schedules are freed up please consider making a REAL BUFFY MOVIE ALREADY GAH! Is it that fricking difficult?! Joss you probably have a dozen extra million hanging around after Avengers, let's do this!

Joss Addresses Fans!

Even thought he had a very busy week and his little film grossed over 700m at the box office so far, Joss Whedon found the time to write a love letter/self made Q&A to us fans over at Whedonesque in the middle of the night. The question of whether or not he will be involved in The Avengers 2 wasn't addressed, but Wastelanders and Dr. Horrible 2 definitely still seem to be on the horizon. Check out some highlights below!

Dear Friends,

Well, it's been quite a weekend. Someday, long from now, I will even have an emotional reaction to it, like a person would. I can't wait! But before I become blinded by this "emotion" experience, there's a few things I'd like to say. Well, type.

People have told me that this matters, that my life is about to change. I am sure that is true. And change is good -- change is exciting. I think -- not to jinx it -- that I may finally be recognized at Comiccon. Imagine! Also, with my percentage of "the Avengers" gross, I can afford to buy... [gets call from agent. Weeps manfully. Resumes typing.] ...a fine meal. But REALLY fine, with truffles and s#!+. And I can get a studio to finance my dream project, the reboot of "Air Bud" that we all feel is so long overdue. (He could play Jai Alai! Think of the emotional ramifications of JAI ALAI!!!!)

What doesn't change is anything that matters. What doesn't change is that I've had the smartest, most loyal, most passionate, most articulate group of -- I'm not even gonna say fans. I'm going with "peeps" -- that any cult oddity such as my bad self could have dreamt of. When almost no one was watching, when people probably should have STOPPED watching, I've had three constants: my family and friends, my collaborators (often the same), and y'all. A lot of stories have come out about my "dark years", and how I'm "unrecognized"... I love these stories, because they make me seem super-important, but I have never felt the darkness (and I'm ALL about my darkness) that they described. Because I have so much. I have people, in my life, on this site, in places I've yet to discover, that always made me feel the truth of success: an artist and an audience communicating. Communicating to the point of collaborating. I've thought, "maybe I'm over; maybe I've said my piece". But never with fear. Never with rancor. Because of y'all. Because you knew me when. If you think topping a box office record compares with someone telling you your work helped them through a rough time, you're probably new here. (For the record, and despite my inhuman distance from the joy-joy of it: topping a box office record is super-dope. I'm an alien, not a robot.) So this is me, saying thank you. All of you. You've taken as much guff for loving my work as I have for over-writing it, and you deserve, in this our time of streaming into the main, to crow. To glow. To crow and go "I told you so", to those Joe Blows not in the know. (LAST time I hire Dr. Seuss to punch my posts up. Yeesh!) Point being, you deserve some honor, AND you deserves some FAQs answered. So please welcome my old friend and certainly not-on-my-payroll reporter/flunky, Rutherford D. Actualperson!

RDA: So good to see you, young Joss! is it possible you've gotten more attractive since we last spoke, and less fungal in odor?

JW: Thanks for noticing. Let's talk.

RDA: "the Scavengers" is a huge success! Does this mean you have changed the very fabric of existence?

JW: Dude, it's just a movie. Also, yes.


Read the rest here. And congrats to Joss Whedon for making his dreams come true, yet again.

So...Um...That Happened.

The Avengers, written and directed by our Joss Whedon, demolished the record for best opening weekend for any movie, ever, making over 207 million dollars this weekend. This eclipses the previous record of $169M set by the fabulous Harry Potter 7 Part 2. It also received a rare A+ score by audiences in exit polls.

Let me repeat that.

A Joss Whedon project has set THE MOST IMPORTANT ALL TIME RECORD FOR MOVIES, PERIOD.

Like wha??

Since this thing has been 2 years in the making, I didn't think it would be that strange when it was finally opened and was naturally successful shortly after that. But here is the guy who makes the type of weird, niche stuff that other people roll their eyes at when we've been talking them to to death for the past decade. Here is the guy who makes the type of weird, niche stuff that that spawns sites like Buffyfest. Here is the guy who makes the type of weird, niche stuff that constantly, constantly (and unjustly) needs a "Save the Show" petition campaign.

Yeah, so now that it's here it is strange after all. Fact is, not sure we would've started this site if Whedon was always this guy and that fact alone actually makes his career seem very special and unique. He should be very proud of himself, we are.

:)

Update: Actual totals have now been adjusted to 207.4 million, which exceeded the weekend estimates! Whoa.

It's Free Comic Book Day Everyone!

Today is "Free Comic Book Day", a single day—the first Saturday in May each year—when participating comic book shops give away comic books absolutely free to anyone who comes into their stores. Dark Horse has announced some Whedonverse related signings in California (both North and South!) Check out the schedule below, but even if you're not in The Golden State, definitely go pick up your free Buffy/The Guild and Serenity/Star Wars free comics!

Signing Schedule:

Felicia Day (writer of The Guild), the cast of The Guild, and Andrew Chambliss (writer of Buffy) will be signing forBuffy/The Guild at Golden Apple Comics in Los Angeles from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.! Just a couple of hours from now!

Zack Whedon (writer of Star Wars/Serenity) and Georges Jeanty (artist for Buffy) will be signing at Flying Colors Comics in Concord, CA, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.!

All events will have great Dark Horse giveaways: Buffy wristbands, lanyards, and Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi patches, in addition to Free Comic Book Day issues (while supplies last).

Make sure to head to your local comic shop to pick up Dark Horse’s Free Comic Book Day 2012: Buffy/The Guild and Free Comic Book Day 2012: Star Wars/Serenity! 

To find a comic shop near you, call 1-888-comicbook or visit ComicShopLocator.com.

Alyson Hannigan's Big, Big Baby Bump

Alyson Hannigan tweeted that since Jessica Simpson gave birth, does she have now have the "biggest baby bump in Hollywood"? Judge for yourself below. Really, it has to be any minute now. Actually, as amazing she is working it in those 5" platform heels at the American Reunion premiere, that dress is kind of resembling the Mayor after he ascended. Sorry, sorry! But look at Alexis Denisof. 46 years old and as handsome as ever! Actually, neither one of them has aged much at all since Buffy. Which can only mean one thing...

BUFFY MOVIE ALREADY! Sheesh, let's go! After she gives birth to Satyana's little sibling, of course. Let's not get crazy.

Joss Whedon Attends 'ASSEMBLE' Show at 1988 Gallery in Los Angeles.

One of my favorite galleries in LA (and there are a LOT of awesome ones) is 1988 Gallery on Melrose. They often have great themed shows based on all of the pop culture we love. This is the same place that has housed some of Joebot's Whedonverse art in the past.

Anyway, I've been there a bunch of times but really wish I was there last night as their newest exhibit "Assemble" was attended by Joss Whedon and Clark Gregg and featured some fantastic art based on The Avengers!  There was even Avengers themed cupcakes! Sad face and fail. Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub attended the event and has a great recap over on Collider.com, which is where we sourced these photos. Jealous! Check that link out for even more pics.

So if you're in the SoCal area, definitely go check it out. The exhibits usually stay up for about a month. Here are the deets:

1988 Gallery
7020 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(At the SouthEast corner of Melrose and La Brea)
Hours:
Wed - Sun: 11 AM - 6 PM
Mon & Tues: Closed

If you're NOT in LA then fear not! They usually sell prints of many of the original pieces on their website.