Beard's Vloggy Demise: Only Human Review

After last week's totally bearded takeover there was only one thing left to do: shave that bad boy off and reclaim my authority as vlog reviewer du jour on this site we call Buffyfest. And so I did... on camera! Oh and, also, I reviewed some comic or whatever. Let's go to the videotape!

Between you and me (and I take you in the ultimate confidence here) I think that beard was a little bit of a brown noser. Well never you fear, Buffy peeps, because from here on out it's the straight dope because me and my side burns are all about the horrible truth. We're also about being stupid hot but, let's face, that's almost painfully obvious.

Shiny! Get Crafty for Charity.

The Austin Browncoats are looking for crafty volunteers for charity! Fun! I'm totally making some Kaylee Parasols and I might even get crazy and knit a Jayne hat (much to Michelle's amusement, I'm sure.) See below for the deets:

Call for Knitters

"The Austin Browncoats need some knitting help. Many of you heard about our knit-a-thon at Dragon*Con 2008. Claudia knit 12 hats during the course of booth hours, which is an impressive feat. The hats are so popular that we have pre-orders coming in weekly. We're looking for individuals that are interested in helping us knit hats for charity. For more information about the charities we support, visit: Austin Browncoats Charity .

We will provide you with a starter kit, that will include the pattern or pattern and yarn (according to if you want to donate your knitting time or your knitting time AND yarn). We will provide receipts to all knitters to document time, as well as monetary donations.

We are in need of knit wool and acrylic hats, but are not in need of crocheted Jayne hats currently. We are working on being able to provide acrylic yarn, but as of right now, we can only provide wool yarn.



Parasols

We are also in need of folks to help paint some of those shiny, rainbow colored parasols as seen carried by our favorite mechanic, Kaylee. We'll provide the parasols, but as a volunteer, you will need to provide your own paint and, of course, painting skill! We will need some parasols completed in time for Dragon*Con (September 4-7th), so the sooner you can work your artistic magic, the better!"

If you are interested in any of these positions, please write to volunteer@austinbrowncoats.com

I'm Ready to Help the Helpless...or the Hopeless!

Yes, it's all true - I've trekked across the country and transplanted myself over to the left coast. Doesn't mean I love my East Coast roots any less and definitely doesn't mean I've lost my Buffy addiction. In fact, I'm now about 2 hours from Sunnydale (per Buffy's instructions) and living in the same town as my most favorite vampire with a soul.

Thanks to all for the comments and warm wishes and to my fellow Buffyfest Bloggers, I can't begin to express my gratitude to you for holding down my end of the fort for these past few weeks. You are truly the best.

What's the Sitch?: Last Week's Other News

We try to do a sort of News-that-fell-through-the-cracks-of-the-Hellmouth recap every Saturday. Well, that didn't happen this past weekend, but rest assured that from now on you'll find everything we don't cover during the week in a new segment called "What's the Sitch?" on Saturdays. Until then, here's the Monday After edition.

In this amazing interview, Joss not only says that Angel would "kick the shit" out of Edward Cullen's, he basically says that David Boreanaz would kick Robert Pattinson's ass. Hot.

Joss and Co. have the Dr. Horrible sequel story. He tells MTV "We're really excited about what it is. More, I cannot say." I'm sure their fears are as large as ours so let's just all hope for the best. Faith in Joss, Buffyfest...Faith in Joss.

In related news, Doc Horrible just won a Hugo Award. Next stop, Australia Domination.

After seeing these shiny ass "Fantasy Buffy Movie" posters, Captain Elias wonders why Joss doesn't shut down Dollhouse production and just get on with it already? We tend to agree. Go over there and check 'em out.

Emma Caulfield's new webcomic Contropussy. Enough said.

We got a tip about a cool sounding play that is going on in Washington, DC. It is called Living Dead in Denmark, and apparently has a lot of Buffy references and Whedonish language. If in your in the area, go over here for the deets.

Oh, make sure to listen to the latest episode of the Joss'd podcast. Besides the usual podcasty fun, you'll hear an especially awesome and familiar jingle throughout the ep.

fanvid sunday: potpourri edition

Tom Lenk is hilarious. As a result I'm awarding him this honorary spot here on fanvid sunday. Congratulations, Tom. You... you've earned it.



As an added bonus, please also check out the first chapter of Mikey's ongoing video series, Cellar Door. It's shaping up to be scary fun.



Hope you enjoyed both of these as much as I did. Happy Sunday, Buffyfesters!

Bitsy's Beard Vlogs Again: Angel and Buffy Comic Reviews

Yes, gentle reader, 'tis I, the Beard. I have achieved sentience and, with follicle glee, have read Angel #24, Fallen Angel: Reborn #2, and Buffy # 27. What does this newly conscious facial hair make of the week's offerings? Why not watch for yourself to find out.

Bitsy's note: My beard's views do not necessarily reflect my own. Why must you slowly take over my face and, subsequently, my thoughts, beard? Help! This beard is gnawing at my very soul it's... oh, oh my god no... AIEEEE!

OM NOM NOM ...mmm... tasty soul. Nothing to see here, folks. This is the Beard, signing off.

Exclusive Interview with IDW Editors Mariah Huehner and Chris Ryall

In the wake of SDCC 2009, we at Buffyfest thought now more than ever would be the perfect time to catch up with the fine folks at IDW. We recently spoke with Chris Ryall and Mariah Huehner about all the big news from the con, along with a few things that had yet to be talked about. It was really exciting getting to hear from Mariah since she's the new editor of all the Angel properties at IDW. Without further ado, here's what we discussed:

How did Bill Willingham and Bill Williams get involved in the Angel ongoing?

Mariah: When I’d been at IDW for a little while, and it became apparent that I was something of an obsessive fan, Chris Ryall asked me about Bill Willingham as a possible new writer. I thought it was basically the best idea anyone has ever had, ever. I’ve also known Bill a long time now, I worked on Fables at the beginning of my editorial career, and I’d always hoped we’d get to work together again. So we talked to Bill, who was really enthusiastic about the Angelverse and getting to play in that world, and it just kind of fell together. Due to the fact that Bill is a really busy writer, he mentioned that it would be great if his colleague Bill Williams could help out by writing a parallel story that would eventually be folded into the main arc. We got the Eddie Hope idea and the first script, and knew this was going to be a lot of fun. They both really “get” the characters and have some pretty fantastic ideas of where to take their respective stories.


And what aspects of Angel and Co. do you think Willingham will bring out that we haven't seen so far?



Mariah: The great thing about Angel is that the characters are so layered and the world is so dense, there are still plenty of stories yet to be told. Bill as a writer has a very delicate eye when it comes to character development, so I think we’ll be seeing a lot of subtle explorations, as well as some major shifts. It’s all about consequences in Angel, and our little band has a lot to work out in terms of team dynamic, leadership, and operating under the new pressures of fame. I think we’ll be seeing a lot of tension, a lot of redefining of assumptions, and of course, that trademark Willingham wit.


Willingham's involvement was definitely one of the most exciting pieces of news I heard from SDCC. How will his and Williams' stories weave into one another?


Mariah: Basically, they’ll parallel each other. Each story is taking place at the same time with a similar trajectory. Although they may seem separate at first, the new character of Eddie Hope will turn out to be part of one of the larger story arcs and will eventually be melded into the “main” story. But that’s a ways away. Rather than thinking of them as entirely unrelated, they’re really two parts of the same whole, which will gradually unfold and shed light on a lot of the issues facing the rest of L.A. now that the Fall is over.


Will we see two comics per month once this arc begins? What's the tentative schedule for Angel and Spike books for the next six months?


Mariah: The main Angel storyline will include the Eddie Hope back up, so each monthly issue of Angel will be the same 32 pages. The first issue, #28, will be out in December. As for Spike, I’ll let Chris tackle that one.


Chris: We’ll be talking more about Spike soon enough, but the plan is for that to be a monthly comic as well, launching in January and handled by Brian Lynch and Franco Urru.


Speaking of Brian, now that he is moving on to do a Spike ongoing, do you think we'll ever see him return to write for Angel again?


Chris: He’ll actually return before he’s fully left – his final issue of Angel is 27, in November, but spinning out of that will be the first Angel Annual in December, also by Lynch and Mooney. And beyond that, I don’t think there’s any way we’ll see him stay from the character of Angel forever.


You've brought a lot of talent to the Angel books already, but what other writers and artists would you love to see tell an Angel story?


Mariah: Anyone who really loves these characters. I know, that’s probably too broad. Honestly, with Bill tackling this universe, that’s pretty much my ideal writer. Which is not to say there aren’t a lot of other talented folks who would do a wonderful job with this pantheon. I’d love to see someone like Mike Carey or Brian K. Vaughan take a whack, for instance.


I’ve got kind of eclectic artistic tastes, so I’ve love to see anyone from Guy Davis to P. Craig Russell bring their talent to Angel. And our current team is really doing a fantastic job. Brian Denham is bringing his A game, and David Messina is tackling the Eddie Hope back ups. It’s a nice juxtaposition of styles that compliment each other, without taking over.


And what made you think Scott Lobdell would be the right author for Only Human? Whose idea was it to bring back the Scourge?


Chris: The Scourge was Scott's idea, which was one of the reasons he seemed well-suited to handle this series. He seemed to really grasp the similarities between post-After the Fall Gunn and Illyria that Brian Lynch and Joss had set up, and had some interesting ideas as to how to move their story forward.


How did John Byrne pitch Angel vs. Frankenstein? What version of Frankenstein will this be? Will we continue to see Angelverse characters go toe to toe with Universal Monsters in the future?



Chris: As Byrne was completing his World War I-era Angel story, Blood and Trenches, he mentioned that he'd been kicking around the idea of Angelus running up against Mary Shelley's Frankenstein's monster. Which sounded like a great Halloween tale to me, so we jumped at it and it's now coming out in October. This will be very much Shelley's Frankenstein's monster, so the only tie the creature has is to her version. No movie-era neck bolts here. But the interesting thing is that as this is written, the monster just might end up being the hero of the tale. Angelus was a bit monstrous himself during that time period.


It seems like the Angel cast has really scattered to the wind. Between that and all the different Angel comics coming out in the next few months, how do you keep a cohesive thread to the story when there are so many different books coming out?


Mariah: What’s great is that Willingham’s run will be bringing a lot of old familiar faces back together, as well as introducing some new ones to the fray. It’s always a challenge to keep things streamlined, but that’s part of the fun. There are so many great characters in the series, it would be a shame not to let them branch out on their own once in awhile. But we do know that Tall Dark and Broody needs his friends, so we do our best to balance whatever other stories we’re going to tell with the main arc. It’s a lot like juggling. You just keep the momentum going and make sure nothing drops.


Now that Illyria has crossed over with Fallen Angel, what other IDW properties could you see mixing it up with the Angelverse?


Chris: I actually don't want to see too many of these crossovers (which is good, since neither does Joss Whedon). The Illyria story is one Peter has been wanting to tell for years and it makes sense to the story he's telling in Fallen Angel. So for now, I think this one will have to suffice. Until we can convince anyone else that Ghostbusters/Wesley makes good sense...


Bustin' would totally make even scruffy, crazy, and depressed Wesley feel good! Alright, enough gushing. Now for a biggie: the question of canon keeps coming up with regard to IDW's Angel series; is this just a very vocal minority we're hearing from or does canonicity or the lack thereof affect the sales of the Angel books? If so, how do you deal with something like that?


Mariah: Well, After the Fall is canon, plotted by Joss Whedon himself, so there’s that. IDW has done some non-canon books based on the Angelverse, but other than Betta George (and who doesn’t love a psychic fish!), they haven’t crossed over in any way. I do, as an editor, take canon into careful consideration, though. I have a break down of the entire series by episode, all the characters from majors to minors, and what we like to call a “bible” that outlines all the storylines. It’s as much for us as it is for any writers that come on board, so we’re all speaking the same language. I think we do pretty well, considering the story has spanned five TV seasons and, to date, five collections of the continuing story.


What IDW books do you think Angel readers could get into?


Mariah: All of them! But, more specifically, I’d say Locke & Key, Groom Lake, The Dreamer, Tank Girl…I could go on.


Our thanks to both Mariah and Chris for taking the time to answer all our questions. Don't forget to pick up Fallen Angel and Angel this week. I'll be beardedly vlogging on Friday to give you my full review on both those books and more.

Guest Blog Post - Welcome Danner!

While Michelle has been moving cross country, we've decided to have a few guests over for virtual cocktails here at Buffyfest. Our first guest will be having sodas she's underage, though. Oh, alright...she can have a nip! Let's just not develop any "Beer Bad" type binging problems, mmkay? Foamy!

Aaanywho, please give a warm welcome to our fandom friend Danner, who's joining us to write about her young generation's introduction to the Whedonverse. ::applause::

"A majority of Buffy fans these days are ones that began watching the series when it first aired on television, but there is also a fairly large portion of them that recently joined the fandom. People that jumped on the bandwagon a tad too late were often the ones that relied on DVD sets to get their Buffy fix. A great number of this new generation of Buffy fans are in their teens and are making strides in the online Buffyverse communities.

I joined the fandom late as well. Originally, I had only picked up the show on a whim. I knew very little about the plot and characters, though I had heard good things about it when I was younger. I was thrilled when I found that my local library had all seven seasons! I quickly made my way through all of the seasons on DVD and then began to watch Angel as well. When I finally decided to join online Buffyverse communities, I was startled to see that so many of the members were around my age (late teens and early 20s). The show has such a wide range of appeal that it is still attracting new people to the fandom years and years after the show first aired.

I think that the reason for this lies within the characters. They are very easy to relate to, no matter what age you are. For younger fans, the show makes the perils of high school seem insignificant when compared to the obstacles that Buffy has to face. The Scooby Gang is plagued with relatively 'normal' problems as well. The internal struggles that Buffy and the gang face are ones that everyone goes through at some point in their lives.

For some, Willow's struggle to fit in might be particularly hard-hitting. Buffy and Angel's forbidden love may echo personal experiences, or Xander's difficulties with girls might reflect the audience's. The relationships formed in Buffy are very realistic and create situations that draw viewers into the story even further. Though the clothing and technology might seem a bit dated to those unaccustomed to 90s culture (I know I was thrown for a loop when I saw the computer that Willow used in “I Robot, You Jane”!), the messages and dynamic nature of the characters remain completely intact. I hope that this stays the same for future generations that decide to join the fandom.

The number of fans is expanding as people share Buffy and the rest of the 'verse with their friends and family. I've introduced a few people to it, myself. How many young people do you know that have recently gotten into the Whedonverse?"

                                                                                -Danner

Buona Fortuna, Michelle!

I don't know if it shows that we've been one brain short this past week, but the reason for that is our long time friend and Buffyfest co-founder/blogger has decided to leave our east coast for the west. That's right folks, Michelle and Ivan have moved to Hell-A.

No one panic. Michelle will still live here, of course. Because home is where the heart is...and this here blog is the place all three of us call our internets home. Besides, this site wouldn't go on without her. So we're looking forward to west coast Buffyfests, Cali conventions and stories of Michelle running into Whedonverse celebs in Hollyweird. Love you Michelle, can't wait until you're settled in and back in Buffyfest business. Until then, buona fortuna!

fanvid sunday: footlose edition?!

How is it nobody told me about this??? Buffy with a dash of Kenny Loggins! Get down with your bad self, 80's.



Whew! I'm spent. Happy Sunday, Buffyfesters!

Can we talk about True Blood for a moment?

Look, I like the show. I just really don't know what it's about. I must enjoy it to a certain extent because when it's on the DVR I think "Yay! True Blood! it's entertaining! Let's watch True Blood!" Yet every time I have the same basic questions I had from the beginning:

"Why does Sookie love Bill and vice versa?"

"Why are there vampires? Are they hell spawn?"

"Do they have a conscience, guilt and/or a care of consequences?"

These are the things that should've been covered in the first episode. I'm still wondering why I'm rooting for these damn vampires at all. They are straight up killers. Bill is a killer. Why has the world embraced them instead of banding together to rid the world of them? No explanation. We just get the constant parody of Jesus freaks, hicks and political bullshit. Sure, it's cute, it's funny, but it's getting a little empty. Maybe the accusations are true. That I'm tainting by the goodness of Whedon's vamp stories and can't see past them. Excuse me if I like substance.

Bottom line is this. These vamps are flippin' evil. In Buffy's world she'd have little choice but to band together with Pastor Steve and Sarah Newlin of the Friendship of the Sun church and combine her slayer army with the little vamp-killing army they're building. Sometimes I even find myself slightly rooting for them! Now that can't be right. Wonder if the Buffster would like FOS's wooden bullets, thoguh? Seems more like Faith's type of thing. zing!

Bitsy's take:

True Blood and Buffy Season 8 are very similar in that, in both cases, vampires have recently "outed" themselves. The difference, of course, lies in the perspective from which we see the story unfold. In the case of Buffy, it's primarily from the Slayers' perspective while in True Blood it's from the vampires'. What's so confusing is that yes, even though we are meant to see the True Blood vampires as being good guys, they never quite seem so innocent. In fact, it remains completely in their nature to use humans for their own amusement at best and as dinner at worst. Even Bill Compton who is meant to be reformed (Tara's note - for some unknown reason) has a tendency towards some rather violent and murderous behavior.

What's meant to be painted as a cultural difference still seems an awful lot like watching hunters and prey do their wild, one eats the other, sort of dance to me. Obviously the mythos of Buffy extends much further given far less wiggle room on the nature of vampires. They're evil and soulless monsters (except those two hot guys). I wonder what the Buffy story would look like if they spent an arc doing all the telling from the perspective of the vampires. I bet it'd look an awful lot like True Blood. That's my two cents on it anyway.

Amber Benson's Next Book Gets Release Date

It looks like the sequel to Amber's book Death's Daughter titled Cat's Clawhas been given a release date of February 23rd of next year! Click that link to pre-order on Amazon. Thanks to Adam Busch via twitter for the heads up!

oh, and click here to follow us on twitter too!

Pitch your Own Dollhouse Episode

It's a slow news day, Buffyfesters so I'm whipping out a question I asked on twitter: If you had one chance to write a Dollhouse episode, what would your episode be about. Bonus points if you can do it in 140 characters. My idea was: The dolls are imprinted with the personalities of characters from an unfinished story to help the author figure out his ending. What's yours?

Christopher Golden joins Twitter

The title says it all. Well what are you waiting for, Buffyfesters? Follow him quick or he'll transfrom into OMG SAD PUPPY d'awe!

MSN Interviews The Guild

We got word that MSN did some very fine coverage of SDCC which included a few videos featuring our favorite kids from the Guild. Here's a video where they talk about the connection they've made with the fans thanks to the healing power of Twitter.

<a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&amp;brand=msn video&amp;playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:449bfb75-5d95-4f31-8f57-00436e7bbcb0&amp;showPlaylist=true&amp;fg=MsnEntertainment_ComicCon_player" target="_new" title="Comic-Con 2009: &#39;The Guild&#39;">Video: Comic-Con 2009: &#39;The Guild&#39;</a>

I really agree that Twitter is a great invention. I feel like it's the modern version of answering fan letters not to mention it's just plain fun, kind of like crack! Too much? Anyhoo... check out the rest of the videos at Msn here.