Just wanted to drop in and say "Thank God we got rid of Marts." An evil, petty man with an enormous hookah and a smelly, writhing bag of toads. He's the worst thing to happen to the X-men since, well, me.

Truth be typed, Mike has been a great editor and a sweetheart of a guy. Marvel's loss is D.C.'s gain, and affects Oni press in no way. Mike helped me do a hell of a lot of catching up on the X-verse, was always patient with a)my confusion and b)me. A gent. Now I read some folk bashin' 'cause of X-continuity issues but that is not Mike's fault. It's not even mine. X-continuity is a statistical impossibility. Too many books, too many schedules, too many cross-overs -- that's why my stuff tends to take place all in one day or way out of town. Mike couldn't tell you if my stories come exactly before or after certain things and neither could I. So let that lie. I'm just gonna miss a cool colleague.

(Bag of toads? Hell was that about?)

And since I haven't posted (anything real) in some time let me bring y'all up to speed. The Brothers Warner HAVE read Wondy Gal, and are arranging a meeting to tell me that it is a perfect crystalline gem and I must not change a word, nay, not a syllable. I'm certain that's how it will go. I'm pounding away on X-men #18 and Buffy #2 and having a blast. Like a "close the blast doors" sized blast, especialy after I saw my first page of Georges Jeanty's Buffy art. That cute little sketch on his website? No, no, silly british man. The real thing is SO deeply cherry. It makes the fun I'm having revisiting these characters increase tenfold. For you Goners folk out there, just know I'm fine-tuning the script, feeling increasingly passionate about it, and I'm anxious to start dribbling out cryptic, frustrating hints. Soon.

Some other little irons in the fire, when they're hot I'll pull 'em out and brand you. Keep the faith, spread the love, take the red pill, smell the coffee, fight the power, do the hustle, mow the lawn, eat the rich, Mott the Hoople, kick the can, bag the toads and If They Move, Kill 'Em. xoxo -j.

joss | August 25, 04:06 CET

Don't forget to sleep Joss.

delirium_haze | August 25, 04:11 CET

Joss is such a classy guy... even if he does kill off wonderful characters willy nilly. ;)

Seriously, though. Nice to see you sticking up for Mr. Marts. Being an editor in the X-offices has got to be one of the most impossible and thankless jobs in the universe.

And I'm going to cling in pathetic desperation to your use of the phrase "keep the faith" and pretend that it's a hint at one of your little irons in the fire. *hint hint*

Haunt | August 25, 04:23 CET

Mow the lawn? Joss, do I really gotta? Can't I just sit here and worship you instead?

Motting the Hoople right now though, Mr Whedon, sir.

Gill | August 25, 04:31 CET

I went to check the comments on the post and saw the first one and thought, wow, this guy really has some thoughts about mike marts leaving marvel. This guy is a bigger geek than I am. Then I saw the purple joss and I knew that my initial thought was correct.

theyarescientists | August 25, 04:32 CET

Yeah. The sleep thingy. Dont forget to sleep. My wife tells me i am bad tempered, sloppy and inefective at work the times i dont sleep. No, wait. That is when i am drunk. I dont drink. I sleep a lot. Maybe its just me... Dunno.
Just you should sugest some changes in the script, Joss. Not that i think it may need it, no. Just for a change you know. I am sure the Warner Siamese will apreciate it. After all, we see al those movies, you know, Altman tipe movies, bashing Hollywood as the modern gomorra (or was it sodoma? Is God still angry? What was the adress again?) an impossible place for true and faithfull artist to develope their visions, and then, what? Everything is candy? No, no. Whe cant let Altman and co down. We have to make at least look like living hell. For the sake of the sinfull dreamers that dream, since their childhood, to sin there, and for the sake of al those filmakers who make all those movies, those satires, those... We cant kill a genre for the sake of beein faithfull to reality, can we? I mean, that, that would be Hollywood.
Good luck with the sleeping. If you sleep. Do artist sleep? Or do they bark to the moon at midnight and have congregations with the beast? I think that was witches. Bad witches. Endora, not Samantha. Ok. Ill...just...you know... shut it. Yeah. Right. Sorry. My fault. You see?

PD: I am sorry. I have to say it. I have to. I have no choice. The voices of my conscience compell me to it. There it goes. Forgive me. Eight seasons. More than one witch in it.A show full of culture references. AND NOT ONE REFERENCE ABOUT TWITCHING NOSES! Or did I not see it? Could i have been so blind? Could I have faied so? Ok. Sorry. I had to say it. Melodrama and i, you know, best of friends. I would have watched passions with Spike to, yes. My fault. Just burning inside me. God i have to let go of the caffeine...

Darkness | August 25, 04:35 CET

Yee haw. I am now anxiously awaiting cryptic, frustrating hints.

holymother | August 25, 04:37 CET

Goners! yeah Goners! Keep us posted on how the Wonder Woman meeting goes although I don't doubt that you have hit the nail on the head once again in how the meeting will go.
And kudos to keeping it all straight. If twere me, I'd have Mia appearing in Buffy and Xander flying the invisible jet while Kitty tracks down the llamas we hear are eating pie in Goners.

Lioness | August 25, 05:19 CET

...and If They Move, Kill 'Em.

Unless it's the Captain, of course. :)

gt0163c | August 25, 05:35 CET

Unless it's the Captain.

Lioness | August 25, 05:42 CET

I hope they LOVE his WW! I want to see her on our screens very soon! It is about time!

He sounds very excited about his comic, so am I. It is great he loves revisiting Buffy.

Donna Troy | August 25, 06:04 CET

Thanks for the updates Joss. But let me ask you a question: Why do you keep writing such strong female characters?

kidding....

okay, now for the neverending show-biz connection cicle.
Mike Marts who edited Joss and John on AXM, is leaving Marvel for DC (weee, for DC), which is owned by Time Warner.

One of the comic lines, Marts will be editing at DC is the All Star line, which includes All Star Wonder Woman.

All Star Wonder Woman will be written and drawn by Adam Hughes, who's a big Joss fan, and did the TPB cover the Serenity comic (even contributed to the Serenity movie campaign), and also did all those drawings for "Once More, With Feeling", from the poster, to the face drawings we can find in the CD booklet. Adam also did the first teaser poster for the Warner Bros announcement of the Wonder Woman movie.

Wonder Woman movie is written (well, now we know is really written, and if the peeps at Warner Bros. approve everything at the said meeting, it's REAAAALY written) and directed by Joss Whedon.

Maybe sometime later in the line we'll see the complete circle with Adam Hughes writing and John Cassaday on pencils for the Wonder Woman Comic Book Movie Adaptaion (which will definetely come out for the movie release), from Joss Whedon's script and edited by Mike Marts.
That's a big circle cycle thingie and I didn't even threw Laura Martin's name in the game.

Just rambling, anyway. Let me get some sleep, cause I gotta wake up early tomorrow. So if what I just wrote, read like gibberish, blame the lack sleep.

Numfar PTB | August 25, 06:29 CET

Well thank goodness for something cryptic, we're all really tired of the big obvious spoiler filled posts you like to leave us Goners.
;)
PS hooray! Buffy! WW!! Xmen!
PPS Other irons!?!

[ edited by mifeng on 2006-08-25 04:36 ]

mifeng | August 25, 06:35 CET

I wonder if some of these other little irons could be future Marvel Comic work once he wraps his X-Men run.Didn't Joss a while back mention wanting to do more with S.W.O.R.D.?I still would love to see a Spider-Man story from the Joss man.

Looking forward to WW,Goners,Buffy season 8 and other projects from Mr.Whedon.

Buffyfantic | August 25, 06:51 CET

Mike Marts is sitting at home saying, "I finally get a freaking post about me, and that stupid Joss Whedon had to go and steal my thunder."

theyarescientists | August 25, 07:11 CET

Do get some rest, Joss. Great to hear about the progress of the projects. :D I'm so excited about every one of them!

non sequitur | August 25, 07:41 CET

I swear (by my pretty floral bonnet), so far we are having such a Joss-filled week, with 200% more vitamin-Whedon (serenthium) than in the past two months put together! We humbly thank the creamy and delicious James Gunn for helping jump-start Joss out of being "Our Favourite Anchorite" and also possibly the moaning and pissing and low rumblings of discontent here on WHEDONesque: The BLOG (who says no one pays attention to the interwebs?) But mostly we thank Joss's kindly nature.

"...silly british man..." -- could this be narrowed down for us Yanks? There are potentially so many folks this could be. *ducks*

The status-update on Wonder Woman, dribbling Goners crypto-hints (nice point, mifeng), fire irons, Buffy-love redux, and bags and bags of writhing, smelly toads -- it's just the delightful casserole of hints and torment and possibly illicit amphibians we've come to expect from He Who Gives This BLOG Its Name.

I'm sure we're all looking forward to the branding. And I'm going out right now and eat some delicious rich people just a stone's throw away over in Bev Hills. I wish they tasted more like chocolate.

Thanks so much, Joss-Boss. Bang the gong, get it on, and give 'em hell, Harry. (And thanks to the always on-the-ball Lioness for her heads-up over at Goners. You rock on toast, bigtime.)

"If nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do."

QuoterGal | August 25, 08:06 CET

Such a great post from Joss, I have absolutely no snark available in me to say anything but the most sincere "Thanks for keeping us posted on Wondy and Goners and the comics and all those other fiery irons, Boss!" Oh, and, "Please keep rockin' extremely hard!" :-)

I'm just having trouble deciding whether to fight the power or eat the rich. I suppose doing the first makes the second easier, what with the rich having been fought and all. ;-)

billz | August 25, 08:08 CET

May the forces of the universe rain sanity upon the people in your meeting, Joss.

Good luck to Mr. Marts on his new endeavors as well.

newcj | August 25, 08:09 CET

Bless your brain and your heart, joss. And the rest of you. Thanks for the great update and the love.

shinygroovyj | August 25, 08:52 CET

I hope that means you'll come visit us soon. We have pie! :)

cabri | August 25, 09:54 CET

Wow, no one has yet written something about "other irons" and "keep the faith" in the same sentence! I mean, clearly he's getting ready to brand Eliza Dushku! Come ON, people! It's so obvious.

I volunteer to protect her.

crossoverman | August 25, 09:55 CET

crossoverman, I thought it was a bit too easy to go there. Seems like a red herring if I ever saw one.

IrrationaliTV | August 25, 10:09 CET

Do you ever think you have too much to write, Joss?

havok | August 25, 10:33 CET

Wow, no one has yet written something about "other irons" and "keep the faith" in the same sentence! I mean, clearly he's getting ready to brand Eliza Dushku! Come ON, people! It's so obvious.

Hey, *I* went there way up there at the top of the thread.

I thought it was a bit too easy to go there. Seems like a red herring if I ever saw one.

Yeah, well I'm not above taking the easy shots.

Haunt | August 25, 10:41 CET

I'll keep my fingers crossed that your Warners Bros meetings goes like a dream.

Simon | August 25, 10:42 CET

Hey, *I* went there way up there at the top of the thread.

I apologise, Haunt. Clearly I over-estimated Whedonesque readers :-p

I don't think it means anything. But then I've read essays about the Cheese Man that convince me that everything means something. And still I don't think irons/faith means anything :-)

Just thought it funny.

crossoverman | August 25, 11:05 CET

More cryptic dribblings, more cryptic dribblings ! And more irons too ! OK, sleep then more. OK, sleep then create more great stuff then more. OK, sleep, create, meet Warners then build time machine then more ... actually, maybe you should build the time machine first.

Re: Warners meeting. Easy, just offer to take out the huge multi-company legal minefield cross-over fight involving Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Planetary, Tara Chace and JR Ewing. You did include that just so you could offer to take it out, right boss fella ?

Editor is indeed a thankless role it seems to me. Loads of the hassle, none of the kudos. Also, Joss has probably tried to kill the entire X-team about 5 times over only to have Mike Marts draw in the reins and suggest stuff like 'Hey, why don't you bring someone back from the dead this time ?' so I, for one, am thankful ;-).

Saje | August 25, 12:43 CET

For you Goners folk out there, just know I'm fine-tuning the script, feeling increasingly passionate about it, and I'm anxious to start dribbling out cryptic, frustrating hints. Soon.

Cryptic, frustrating and often wrong hints are where my bed is. (No, don't read the subtext in THAT folks). My me-mail address is my profile if anybody from the 'versal want to get in touch. Although they totally have me on their contacts list filed under 'Dude, this person is such a NERD!'.

gossi | August 25, 14:47 CET

Finally we get some good solid news about Joss projects and their status from the man himself. I hope the Wonder Woman meeting goes well, I'm loving Astonishing X-Men right now, looking forward to the Buffy comic and can't wait to hear more about Goners. Just don't die from exhaustion before you finish at least a few of these projects.

Derf | August 25, 16:00 CET

Or don't die at all. Become a supremely brooding being who lives forever, saving puppies and other such original ideas.

gossi | August 25, 16:08 CET

just realized that this will start another meta-whedonesque cycle. *smirks*

Numfar PTB | August 25, 16:24 CET

Today, SuperHeroHype.com and a daily column on ComicBookResources.com are linking to this thread as part of their news updates on Wonder Woman.

CaptainB | August 25, 17:15 CET

CanMag also links to this thread.

gossi | August 25, 17:20 CET

YAY Goners! We were getting lonely over there.....huzzah! And Buffy! And WW! I may burst from inner sunshine!

ETA: And Dragon*Con in a week! *boom*

[ edited by Charmuse on 2006-08-25 17:03 ]

Charmuse | August 25, 19:00 CET

Hands up who is going to Dragon*Con with Goners llama tshirts? I've heard rumours.

gossi | August 25, 19:50 CET

I AM STOKED! He's working on Buffy #2!!! That means number 1 is done and there will be more to come! YAY YAY YAY!

Oh and yeah, good luck Marts, way to leave the house of ideas for the house that mind-wiped Batman. (jk--you'll love it there--I hear they have their own snow-cone machine)

alexreager | August 25, 19:51 CET

Oh I forgot to take the red pill! It always lifts my day to have a Joss post, and I am really getting impatient for Wonder Woman and Goners to be filmed; if it weren't for the comic books I would be going through Joss-withdrawal.

embers | August 25, 20:25 CET

Good luck on the WW meeting. I'm sure you'll be glad to have her moving out of your house -- unless she's now using her invisible airplane to run errands, like grocery shopping.

Really looking forward to the movie and the Buffy comics. Thanks for all your hard work. We enjoy watching or reading what you create.

MacGuffin | August 25, 21:07 CET

OOh! OOh! My gang will have them on! Free Tootsie Pops to Whedonesquers that say hi!

Charmuse | August 25, 22:37 CET

Well some of us will be at SFX with Morena and (possibly) Christina Hendricks instead.

Lioness | August 25, 22:53 CET

Wonder Woman? I heard Kate Beckinsdale is going to be Wonder Woman. I read it on the Internet so it HAS to be true...

:)

wouldestous | August 26, 00:33 CET

I'm so surprised that more people aren't posting/haven't posted in here about Joss's update & such -- I think it might be because they just don't see the addition to the link & wouldn't expect a Joss-post so soon after his last.

And soon it shall be off the front page... alas...

QuoterGal | August 26, 04:41 CET

It is somewhat curious but, hey, that's the way the cookie crumbles. There are those that read every single link and comments thread - and there are those that don't, and sometimes miss things.

As you all may or may not know, all Joss's contribs are accessible by http://whedonesque.com/tag/joss+post, which link is also permanently situated on the front page.

I'm a bit miffed that the mentions on both comicbookresources.com and superherohype.com refer to this page as "Joss's message board," as though Whedonesque is some kind of voice mail system. Caroline definitively rejected that misbegotten notion way back in the day. Feh.

SoddingNancyTribe | August 26, 04:57 CET

My guess it that they just don't know, and didn't do any research, SNT. Maybe the link you just provided will help to rectify that. One can only hope.

Speaking for myself, and maybe quite a few others here (?), Joss posts never cease to thrill, though maybe we don't feel as though we have anything substantial to contribute to a particular topic, and would rather sit silent than appear as giggly fanpersons.

Anyhoo...

Willowy | August 26, 06:04 CET

As exciting as that little discussion was, I don't believe that Caroline actually said that Whedonesque is not some kind of voice mail system. One might infer it from what she wrote, and as far as I know, there is no sound, but I don't have any real objection to the notion that Joss drops by and leaves a message once in a while. I can generally hear him in my head as I read what he writes, anyway.

Lioness | August 26, 06:05 CET

Willowy: "...though maybe we don't feel as though we have anything substantial to contribute to a particular topic, and would rather sit silent than appear as giggly fanpersons."

Mebbe. Although given the fact that over the past year, when Joss's post is the original link, the comments tend to number in the hundreds, and when he posts within a thread, the comment number tends to drop down substantially, one can't help but wonder if possibly members don't tend to notice such comments as easily.

Is all I'm saying. No giggling required.

QuoterGal | August 26, 09:30 CET

I guess your reward is equal to your effort. If you really explore this blog, you will find many treasures. If you just look at the front page or the subjects that interest you, there is still great stuff, but you might miss something that is from the frontlines of awesome. :-)

billz | August 26, 10:57 CET

I linked to it on the sidebar so it'll be on the front page for a while.

Simon | August 26, 12:44 CET

WOW, Joss is already on # 2 of the Buffy comic. I can not wait to get my hands on it. Truly exciting.
WW and Goners will be awesome. We have so much goodness coming at us soon with everything that Joss has going and everything that SMG has going. Life it good for sure.

cheryl | August 26, 16:07 CET

I'm a bit miffed that the mentions on both comicbookresources.com and superherohype.com refer to this page as "Joss's message board," as though Whedonesque is some kind of voice mail system. Caroline definitively rejected that misbegotten notion way back in the day. Feh.

It comes down to how people personally define things again, similar to people thinking Serenity is a right wing movie. That's their right, like Joss can call this a blog if he wants. Personally I refer to WHEDONesque as Bathe-de-People. I don't know why.

gossi | August 26, 16:42 CET

"As exciting as that little discussion was..."

Didn't mean to bore you Lioness. And I don't think anyone was saying that they "object" to Joss dropping by and leaving a message once in a while. Quite the opposite.

Willowy | August 26, 18:43 CET

Smashing idea, simon, I think it's a good move. *nods while getting stuff together to go down to WorldCon in Anaheim for the day.*

Woo-hoo! and other sounds of giggling fandom. Notes to follow tomorrow or soon in an appropriate thread.

"I think ultimately the difference is that what my fanbase is responding to is the work itself... For me they’re responding to the fiction. It has nothing to do with me. People don’t yell when they see me. I’m not sexy. I mean I’m wicked sexy, but only if you’re well, me. It doesn’t mean they’ll all rush out to see the movie or that they’ll all love the movie because they love my other work. It does mean that when my fanbase gets rabid it’s not about 'Oh my God I saw him walk down the street' it’s about 'There’s a story that I love hearing and seeing.' " -- Joss Whedon, suicidegirls.com interview with Daniel Robert Epstein, Sept., 2005

QuoterGal | August 26, 21:05 CET

Willowy, I was referring to the Caroline/Joss discussion. If you look, we were posting at the same time.

Lioness | August 27, 01:35 CET

Don't make me turn this thing around... I'll make you all walk home!

zeitgeist | August 27, 01:52 CET

She started it! Or, she thought I started it, but I didn't! We'll be good. Honest.

Lioness | August 27, 02:37 CET

Ok, kids, so long as you all behave now :)

zeitgeist | August 27, 02:57 CET

Sorry dad, and to you to Lioness, for the misunderstanding. Please don't take away our bucket! :)

Willowy | August 27, 04:07 CET

Joss, Is there any possibility that you might re enter into the tv world again. Like really, really soon? Please with a cherry on top? (But no toads) There is a huge gap!! TV is so boring without you.

tofegari | August 27, 06:16 CET

little irons? little hot, fiery things? like...um...fireflies???

:: bends over for his browncoat branding :: ;)

Shiny_ | August 27, 06:56 CET

Uh, okay... ew.

And not to mention Ouch.

Willowy | August 27, 09:51 CET

OK, damn.I move house, have to go on dial up and miss a Joss post! Thanx to (whomever) put this link on the front page. You my dear ROCK me some!!!

Oh, also...good news on WB Joss! I for one am looking forward to all the new comics.

nixygirl | August 27, 19:29 CET

Joss, you're the only man I've ever loved. Keep it up.

Anasazi | August 27, 22:46 CET

Re Goners:

and I'm anxious to start dribbling out cryptic, frustrating hints. Soon.

And it was ever thusly so. (Still scarred from the Lederhosen reference from the past)

Yes, we want your meeting with the suits re WW to go smoothly but we're all on Slimy Tenterhooks wondering who will play the Goddess. Maybe you could dribble some cryptic about that?

[ edited by Tonya J on 2006-08-28 06:35 ]

[ edited by Tonya J on 2006-08-28 17:23 ]

Tonya J | August 28, 08:31 CET

"Motting the hoople."
I looked it up on google and still dont know what it means. Sigh. I wonder if it's a generation thing or a Joss thing. Either way, it's got three "O"s and quite pretty looking.

Grin!
Love, Peace, Delian.

Sania Delian | August 29, 06:07 CET

Joss was here again??? And I missed an opportunity to fawn over his greatness? WHY AM I ALWAYS THE LAST ONE TO KNOW ABOUT THESE THINGS? I do have an email address, y'know! Sheesh! Somebody coulda told me! I am completely underappreciated in my time!

ZachsMind | September 07, 22:02 CET