Wow, I forgot about the eye-patch! It's been so long. I miss these characters. Can't wait to see them on the printed page, at least.

crossoverman | October 17, 10:36 CET

Sarah Michelle Gellar's nose. I could rhapsodize about it. But: dignity. Clutching the last teensy thread thereof.

Pointy | October 17, 10:38 CET

I was hoping something like Spike's vamp face is so hard to draw would slip out. Ah well.

Oh and I reckon Sarah has a great nose too.

TwisTz | October 17, 11:42 CET

Wow...the 10th anniversary of Buffy. I've been thinking about it myself, but to see it in print...wow.

And to think I've only been a fan for five years!

UnpluggedCrazy | October 17, 12:10 CET

You think Spike's gonna be in it somehow, even though at that point in time he's supposed to be in LA with Angel and the gang and Buffy doesn't even know he's alive? I don't know. Would be cool if Angel and co. were somehow included though, although I don't really see how it could be done without creating inconsistencies with ATs season 5.

[ edited by Storyteller on 2006-10-17 10:42 ]

Storyteller | October 17, 12:42 CET

Well Angel season 5 did have tie-ins to what was going with Buffy and her gang. I hope we'll see Giles speaking to Angel on the phone and the gang telling Andrew to go to Los Angeles.

Simon | October 17, 13:10 CET

It is even possible for Angel and company to appear in the Buffy comics? IDW has the Angel rights, and Buffy is Dark Horse; seems like a potential copyright tangle.

Now that the TV movies appear to be a dead issue, I'd love to see some canonical info on Angel and the gang, whether in the Buffy comics or the Angel comics proper.

And I can't say for certain of course, but I was under the impression that the Buffy season 8 comics are not necessarily taking place in the timeframe that corresponds directly to Angel S5. Could be wrong, though.

[ edited by jlp on 2006-10-17 11:22 ]

jlp | October 17, 13:18 CET

Angel and Spike could theoretically appear... in the background of the Italian night club where Buffy goes with the Immortal. Eh?

Also, when Buffy does find out Spike is alive, there is definate potential for flashback. Would be great to see how she reacts to the news.

Love's Bitch | October 17, 13:58 CET

I think the position is that Angel and Spike can not appear but there can be references to them. Much in the same way that the IDW Angelverse comic books made references to the Slayer.

And the official Dark Horse line from what I remember is that the comic books are set a few months after the end of Chosen.

Also the comic books were supposed to tie in with the TV movies so it'll be interesting to see what the plot arcs are like.

Simon | October 17, 14:08 CET

my question: after Joss's 4-issue-run he'll review the thing closely, as, let's say the way: "there's nothing in the panels I didn't approve of (is this the right preposition, and is it necessary?)..."

because he's the master of the universe, and never forget - ldp

bookworm | October 17, 14:24 CET

I can't believe it's been almost ten years since I fell in love with BtVS. Truly one of the longest-lasting relationships I've ever had.

Reddygirl | October 17, 15:01 CET

I would hope that IDW would be willing to come to some sort of arrangement with Dark Horse if Joss or one of the future writers ever needed to use Angel or Spike in the canon series. They have already established that the IDW Angel books are not to be considered canon so it isn't as if there is any worry of continuity between the two series.

When the major comic book companies can agree to share their characters from totally separate universes to do crossovers I can't imagine why a deal couldn't be hammered out to allow for a little character exchange somewhere down the line. Especially if Joss were to ask nicely! ;)

The Watcher | October 17, 15:33 CET

Well, IDW have probably paid to have Spike and Angel exclusively at a guess.

From what I recall, JW said he had kept several of the 'verse characters out of the comics, to be available in the D2DVD project.

gossi | October 17, 16:47 CET

I'm certain that IDW do have exclusive rights to Angel and Spike, gossi. Even so, there is still no reason why the two companies cannot negotiate a deal that suits them both. Maybe IDW would like the chance to use some of the Buffy characters for a future project themselves. Given the right conditions it's far from being out of the question.

The Watcher | October 17, 17:41 CET

It may have to involve 20th Century Fox as well. Which could muddy things beyond belief.

Simon | October 17, 17:43 CET

Actually,I believe it's the other way around.I think the issues are more on Dark Horse's side.They and possibly Joss himself are the ones who don't want crossovers at this time.Yeah,IDW do have the exclusive rights to Angel,Spike and the Angel characters but I think it's Dark Horse who wants to keep things separate for now more so then IDW and I think Joss himself has a hand in that decision.Story wise,that makes sense to me as well since this is supposed to be starting just a few months after Chosen and run parallel to the fifth season of Angel.

As Simon suggested,maybe we might have some tie-ins to Angel season 5 with a few light references to some of the events going on in L.A. such as a one-sided phone conversation on Giles part or some stuff with Andrew.I think that's as far as it will go though.

I can't wait to see some more of Georges Jeanty's artwork for this.

Buffyfantic | October 17, 17:46 CET

In the upcoming issue of Buffy Magazine (Nov.), I interview Scott Allie about the cross-over issues and let's just say, it's all Joss' playground and he has ultimate creative say. Plus, Joss will reference the Buffy references from Angel S5 in the comic. Lots of details in the full article!

TaraDi | October 17, 18:20 CET

At the end of Chosen, so far as Buffy knows, Spike is dead. I can't see any real reason for the series to delve into him being alive, since my feeling is that this is not the direction Joss wants to go; he wants to explore what happens with the Scooby gang as they move past the events leading to Chosen. Spike is later resurrected with Angel, but has only a limited shelf life there as well, given what happens at the end of S5 Angel (and yeah, who knows whether he is alive). But it likely that Buffy S8 will be ocurring during the same time as Angel S5, making it unreasonable to have hiim present, save for when they have Buffy find the Immortal. And that is really a one-off.

Also, there are already a lot of characters to deal with. Main ones include Buffy, Willow, Xander, Dawn, Faith, and Giles; there is also Kennedy to address. So that makes 6 main story lines, and if the series hews to canon we know that Buffy visits Italy, Willow and Kennedy go to Rio and Xander ends up in Africa. At least for a short while. That's getting complicated and in order to make sure this all makes sense in terms of continuity and interest (so that we do not suffer from Lost syndrome- too many stories, not enough time), I think they have to keep it lean and mean.

[ edited by Dana5140 on 2006-10-17 16:25 ]

Dana5140 | October 17, 18:23 CET

Well, given that Joss had all intentions of doing another Spike project I'd have to assume that he considers him still alive and kicking after Not Fade Away.

That said, I have to agree that, given the fact that season eight of Buffy is planned to run along the same time frame as season five of Angel, the crossover issue isn't something that needs to be dealt with in the immediate future. However, I'd really hate for any future storylines that Joss wanted to tell (say if a Buffy season nine series were to go ahead) to be adversely influenced by something as annoying as which company owns which characters.

Now that there is less chance of seeing anything happen on screen it looks like we are going to have to settle for what happens in these canon comics to show us the future of the Buffyverse and I don't know about anyone else but I really want to see the events of when Buffy, Spike and Angel cross paths again. Not to mention the canon details of what happened after Angel ended. Maybe not straight away but eventually. As much as I'm looking forward to seeing Joss fill in the blanks of the little we learned about the Scoobies during the last year of Angel, I'm hoping to see what really happens beyond that even more.

The Watcher | October 17, 18:43 CET

Well, given that Joss had all intentions of doing another Spike project I'd have to assume that he considers him still alive and kicking after Not Fade Away.

Or he's particularly malevolent dust, intent on avenging Gunn and Wesley's deaths and protecting the innocent. That could work. I'm picturing a sort of 'Kung-Fu' only instead of railway enforcers he'd battle possessed Hoovers and demons wielding Dustbusters in a threatening manner.

That sounds promising TaraDi. As Buffyfantic mentions above I reckon IDW would probably be willing to grant Joss a bit of leeway, especially if he gave shout-outs to their Angel S5 stories in his arc (and in the related interviews and other publicity). If Joss' arc became an Angel story then they'd (quite rightly) probably kick up more of a fuss. I don't see references to characters etc. necessarily being a problem though (hopefully).

Saje | October 17, 19:05 CET

I think once the season 8 series is finished,then you might see all sides open to doing a full fledged crossover.

Buffyfantic | October 17, 19:58 CET

Saje - Or he's particularly malevolent dust, intent on avenging Gunn and Wesley's deaths and protecting the innocent. That could work. I'm picturing a sort of 'Kung-Fu' only instead of railway enforcers he'd battle possessed Hoovers and demons wielding Dustbusters in a threatening manner.

Of course, you realise that if somebody at Fox happens to see that idea, removes the Buffy related details and uses it as a pilot for a midseason replacement that it will be your own fault, right? ;)

The Watcher | October 17, 22:22 CET

Wasn't it made clear at one point that Spike had NOT told Buffy that he was alive? That obviously changed, as she heard from Andrew but for some time anyway, Buffy would be in ignorance about Spike's continued existance.

Lioness | October 17, 22:27 CET

Yep, true Lioness, I guess until we know exactly when S8 is set we can't really judge the crossover potential. So long as it doesn't contradict anything from the shows it's golden, IMO.

(if it could also not contradict the various IDW series that'd be perfect but, good as some have been/are, they're not canon so for me it's not essential)

Damn, The Watcher, forgot you can't copyright an idea. I foresee much malevolent dust mid-season. If one hits, next year's schedule will be full of evil sand, nasty sugar and slightly naughty salt (Fox will try to jump on the bandwagon but just miss with their 'cranky ping-pong balls' show). Or, y'know, not ;).

Saje | October 17, 22:59 CET

Saje: "Or he's particularly malevolent dust..."

Oh, man, I wanna write something called "Malevolent Dust." Saje, can I steal use that?

QuoterGal | October 18, 00:48 CET

Heh, steal use away QG, it's in the wind now, anyway ;).

Saje | October 18, 01:01 CET

This thread is bringing whole new meaning to the term Dust Devil.

I see a potential franchise being born before my very eyes.

The Watcher | October 18, 01:07 CET

Malevolent Dust: A Heartbreak in Three Stanzas
By Quoter DeGal

THE SOUL selects her own society,
Then shuts the door;
On her divine majoritymalevolent dust
Obtrude no more.

Unmoved, she notes the chariot’s pausing
At her low gate;
Unmoved, an emperor is kneeling
Upon her mat malevolent dust.

I ’ve known her from an ample nation
Choose one;
Then close the valves of her attention
Like stone malevolent dust.

* with apologies to Emily "Malevolent Dust" Dickinson

QuoterGal | October 18, 01:20 CET

From Georges Jeanty to Emily Dickinson. A "six degrees" that nobody thought possible. Until now.

The Watcher | October 18, 01:29 CET

Perhaps more possible than one might initially think:

Remember Never Kill a Boy on the First Date? Who is Owen's favourite author?

[ edited by gorramit on 2006-10-17 23:57 ]

gorramit | October 18, 01:57 CET

Emily Dickens. *grin*

QuoterGal | October 18, 02:00 CET

"Dickinson"

"She's good also."

jlp | October 18, 03:11 CET

The more that comes out about these Buffy comics, the more excited I get. I can't wait to see what Joss has in store for our favorite gang.

cheryl | October 18, 15:08 CET