Whedonesque : Comments on 13048 : Brian Lynch's Angel comics poll.

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April 25 2007

Brian Lynch's Angel comics poll. Brian Lynch, co-author of the upcoming Angel season 6 comics from IDW, has posted a poll at the IDW publishing boards that he would like answered.

Answer here or answer at the IDW boards.

1. SHADOW PUPPETS question. You know that Spike and Lorne get puppetized...who else in all of the ANGELverse would you like to see as a puppet? Trust me when I say your opinion WILL count on this one.

2. Favorite character introduced in ASYLUM?

3. The black borders in the ANGEL and SPIKE comics...yay or nay?

4. SEASON SIX question. Any characters from IDW's run on the books, from OLD FRIENDS to AULD ANG SYNE to the spotlights to ASYLUM to SHADOW PUPPETS, are there any characters from those books that you wouldn't mind being picked up and plopped, official-canon style, in SEASON SIX?

5. Favorite big bad from ALL the BUFFY or ANGEL seasons.

6. Most underappreciated character from ANGEL. I'm not talking Wesley or Lorne, I'm talking about someone largely ignored by the IDW books or the fanbase in general.

angeliclestat | AtS | 17:36 CET | 47 comments total | tags: angel

For my part:

1/Illyria - would be perfect. Gunn of course would be another good choice, but Illyria would be hilarious.

2/ Betta George/ Beck

3/ Yay

4/Good, but hard question. It's probably best not to drop any of them into the season 6. But if Asylum could be canonised into season 5 then Beck would be a good one to bring back for Spikes story.

5/Angelus was great - but I'd love for there to be an investigation into the origins of the Wolf Ram and Hart

6/Well I love Gwen Raiden, but her story might be over. I'd also love to see more Gunn - and hope he hasnt been killed!:) Looking forward to finding out.

angeliclestat | April 25, 17:51 CET

1) Groo

2) I liked the receptionist.

3) I really didn't notice the borders.

4) No. I think it would be too confusing. It would be like Dark Horse trying to integrate old Buffy comic book characters into the season 8 comic book. Just wouldn't work. Keep canon Angel and non canon Angel universes separate.

5) The Mayor.

6) Lilah or Holland Manners.

Simon | April 25, 17:58 CET

#6 - Whistler. You can't get much more ignored than he was.

barboo | April 25, 18:01 CET

1. Illyria

2. Beck

3. Yay

4. I think that just for Asylum,Shadow Puppets story an exception can be made. The quality of Asylum is above any previous Spike,Angel story. And plus for me they kinda already are canon, season1 Spike. So i would love to see Beck,Biv,Betta George, in short the three B's.

5. I don't really have a favorite, i would say a bigbad that is more intelligent than Angel and a better fighter then Spike. So both will be challenged in their area of expertise.

6. Dana.

Vergil | April 25, 18:25 CET

/waits patiently for Saje to reply Saje to all 6 questions :) (p.s. - I can be bribed to do the same, Malteasers or HobNobs would be a start, I'm just saying...)

zeitgeist | April 25, 18:37 CET

6. David Nabbit. I loved all of his scenes.

Mayhem | April 25, 18:49 CET

4. None really. It would be better to keep non-canon characters out of the series, imo.

5. Angelus

6. Lilah, she was sorely missed in season 5.

maje | April 25, 19:01 CET

1. Illyria's reaction would be priceless.

2. Eagerly awaiting te trade.

3. No strong opinion either way, but a bit of variation can of course be used to contrast scenes and such.

4. No one specifically comes to mind (although I am, as mentioned, behind and waiting for trades). But I have no problem with having any character used--as long as Season Six fits in perfectly with the character's earlier appearance, otherwise it might be confusing.

There's lots of characters with pasts in Angel, and in a well-written story it shouldn't matter if that past was on TV or in comics.

5. Oh man... They're all so different and wonderful. If pushed to pick one, probably Angelus.

6. I'm gonna go with Landokmar of the Weathwok Clan, just because I would love a return to Pylea, but Dana and Gwen also had potential.

Maybe Dana after all. Psychos are just interesting. :-)

Niels | April 25, 19:25 CET

I can really only answer five and six, haven't gotten around to reading the IDW comics yet.

5. The Mayor. To this day, I don't think there's anyone who can really top him (except maybe Angelus, I think they run neck and neck).

6. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say Gunn. I think that for many seasons, they really didn't know what to do with his character (which was reflected in the series; he didn't know what to do with himself). Gunn didn't really get many arcs to himself (with the exception of season five maybe). There's a lot of untapped potential there, and I hope that they try to expand on his character in the comics.

deepgirl187 | April 25, 19:37 CET

1. Saje. Come on, look at those ears ! That nose ! He's practically made to be a puppet. And so's the comic character.

2. Saje. "Such elan, such panache" ... "Like a young Gandalf but evil" ... "Sex in a cloak". I can't even print the rest of Joss' quotes but let's just say 'illegal in most states' and leave it there.

3. Saje (Turkish for 'Yay' though admittedly parts of that aren't true).

4. ~~Ah, but is it canon though ?~~ Saje.

5. Saje (though strictly he wasn't bad, just really misunderstood).

6. Saje (IMO the character was criminally underused, to the extent he wasn't even on Angel).

zeitgeist, if you can edit all the posts and Brian Lynch's mind there's a family box of Maltesers and a double packet of HobNobs in it

(some crazy maniac has actually posted as 'saje' - yeah, right, like we'd fall for that one - on the IDW forum after apparently seeing it on the .org and I he went with these options:

1. Illyria
2. Betta George.
3. Yay.
4. Beck or Biv
5. The Mayor
6. Gwen or Dana

Clearly, a troubled soul. I mean none of those are saje, what was he thinking ?)

Saje | April 25, 19:49 CET

1.Harmony has certain qualities which bring to mind classical period Ms. Piggy
2-3 dunno-haven't read 'em yet, but I'm going to get the compilations
5. The Mayor, no question
6.Dana

toast | April 25, 20:17 CET

1. Faith.

2. Haven't read it.

3. Haven't read it.

4. Holtz, perhaps. My answer used to be Faith but she'll be in Buffy.

5. Me.

6. Holtz, the vampire hunter.

[ edited by themayor on 2007-04-25 17:31 ]

themayor | April 25, 20:22 CET

1.who else in all of the ANGELverse would you like to see as a puppet?

Connor, but mainly because I'd love to have stories with Connor and Spike interacting. They could have a lot to talk about. Drusilla or Faith would also be interesting.

5. Favorite big bad from ALL the BUFFY or ANGEL seasons.

Mayor Wilkins

6 Most underappreciated character from ANGEL.

Groo

yourlibrarian | April 25, 20:27 CET

1. Illyria or Harmony
2. Beck.
3. No opinion one way or another.
4. Can't think of any.
5. Glory.
6. Harmony.

I am so excited about these comics!! Brian, I am so glad you are the one writing this comic as I love how you portray Spike, I think you love him almost as much as I do!! Thanks.

luvspike | April 25, 20:27 CET

1. Any of them would be cool, I guess, but for some reason, the thought of Lindsey as a puppet strikes me as particularily high amounts of fun.

2. Beck.

3. No real opinion.

4. Beck again, I think. And possibly the villainess of "Auld Lang Syne", whatever her name was again, she was interesting.

5. Holland Manners on Angel, Mayor Wilkins on Buffy. And, of course, Angelus.

6. Kate the cop. And maybe Nina the werewolf.

Loki | April 25, 20:50 CET

In my opinion the most under appreciated character in Angel (and here evidently) was Anne. Ever since she first showed up in Buffy's 1st season as a Vampire wanna-be, and then at the beginning of the 3rd season as a homeless girl, I've cared a lot about her and rejoiced in seeing her again. I would love to know about her early family life (since she seemed so cut off and alone), and I would like to be reassured about her future (but I was very grateful that Gunn spent his last day helping her out at the shelter).

embers | April 25, 21:02 CET

1. Oh God...definitely Illyria...she...he...it??? would be soooo pissed and I have to agree that a god-king puppet would rock!!!
However...Harmony would also be totally hysterical.

2. Beck...or Betta George!!

3. Doesn't matter.
I really didn't notice since I was concentrating on Spike!

4. I would LOVE for Beck to come back from time to time. I think she's got a nice little crush on Spike, and I'd love to see how Illyria would handle anyone else's affection for her 'pet'.
For Angel's sake I would like to see what Nina is up to. Is she cured and what does she do to protect herself and others now that her 'safe house' at W&H is gone????

5. Glory was a fun baddy, but I think Holtz would be a good one to bring back....or maybe even have our heroes deal with Dru.
It might be better to have a whole new Big Bad though...one that is going to take a lot of power to defeat. Maybe some ancient power that only Illyria would have known about...or as someone else said an investigation into the origons or W&H would be good.

6. I can't beleive no one has said Cordelia....I really loved her on ATS.

kathylovesspike | April 25, 21:08 CET

Cordelia is under-appreciated? News to me, I thought we all rather liked her. ;)

Loki | April 25, 21:11 CET

1. Illyria
2. Didn't read.
3. Don't care.
4. I'm with those who want to keep canon and non-canon separate. I don't want to be forced to read non-canonical comics to find out the backstory on the character.
5. I never can answer this question, as I change my mind all the time. For the moment, Lilah.
6. I have to agree with embers: Anne.

palehorse | April 25, 21:36 CET

Imagine the chaos if I did mass-edit these posts! And imagine how sacked I'd be :)

ETA - maybe no Cordy mention as people feel it would really cheapen her arc to bring her back now?

zeitgeist | April 25, 21:37 CET

1.In all of the Angelverse, Harmony, Illyria and Nina
2.Beta George
3.yay!
4.Beta George!
5.Glory
6.Nina Ash, there was room to explore a werewolf character from a different side, and Gwen Raiden, because she had really interesting powers, and potential as a member of the fang gang.

Fred, her coming back but having illyria around as well would be so cool.Not Cordy as Zeitgeist said I think it would cheapen her story, it finished, I like to think she is some ethereal presence for the PTB.

feigenbaum7 | April 25, 22:03 CET

Ahhh good point about Cordy in that respect...I kinda glossed over the unappreciated stuff...my bad. I guess what I was going for was a return of Cordy...sorry for the misunderstanding.

I'll have to think more on the underused part then...maybe Groo...or actually Whistler might be interesting. In reality maybe Nina and Dana both fit best into this category rather than where I had Nina even though she was with Puppet Angel.

kathylovesspike | April 25, 22:20 CET

I'm with palehorse on #4, and would like to add that any new characters made I'd like made new for the series and not plopped in from another source.

Dan Corson | April 25, 22:21 CET

Embers, great thought. It would be awesome to see Anne return and grow.

Palehorse, why would you be "forced to" read the earlier stories? That's like saying anyone picking up Joss's Astonishing X-Men is forced to pick up all the X-Men comics from the previous 30 years. If the characters are well-used, you'll understand them and their role from just the Season Six story--and you can still go read more about them if you want to.

(No, wait, it's like saying anyone reading a comic featuring this "Saje" character is forced to have read all of Whedonesque.) ;-)

Niels | April 25, 22:43 CET

1. Illyria or Harmony would be great as puppets.

2. Haven't finished it yet but Betta George was so cool.

3. Meh, neither here nor there about the borders.

4. Dana. I'd love to see what Joss does with her story.

5. The Mayor.

6. Connor or Lilah.

punkinpuss | April 25, 22:52 CET

(No, wait, it's like saying anyone reading a comic featuring this "Saje" character is forced to have read all of Whedonesque.) ;-)

Ssshh, if the PTB hear you they might retcon me out of existence for sales reasons ! ;-)

Imagine the chaos if I did mass-edit these posts! And imagine how sacked I'd be :)

Yep, anarchy, chaos, centres not holding, there could even be slouching. Basically, it'd be bad. Still *waves disc of oaty heaven* Hobnobs though ... Just sayin' ;).

And yeah, great call embers. Anne was just one of the 'little people' but she ended up doing big things (and her bit in NFA was excellent). In a way, she stood for all the women Buffy inspired (what with the Buffster figuratively giving her part of herself) but it was up to Anne what she did afterwards.

Saje | April 25, 23:04 CET

1. Harmony
2. Betta George
3. Doesn't really matter to me.
4. Not really, I'd like them kept separate.
5. Is Lilah a big bad? If not, Glory.
6. Harmony/Lilah/Kate/Gwen

And I do really like the idea of Anne making an appearance.

hitnrun017 | April 25, 23:13 CET

1. Illyria absolutely. Imagine her fury!
2-4 I'm waiting for the TBP of Asylum. Comics newbie, but I've heard so many good things about Asylum that I'll definitely be buying it.
5. The Mayor was my favorite, but I don't really want him back (he was kind of package with Faith, who's going to be in Buffy). If we're talking about bringing a baddie back, I'd most like to see the Senior Partners, because there's potentially a lot more to learn about them. And they didn't die. Don't want to overdo the resurrecting.
6. Well, I wouldn't mind finding out what's been happening with the telekinetic girl from Season 2. Loved Gwen on TV, but she seems a little too comic-booky for a comic book (if that makes any sense), and I think Dana should be with Buffy & co. (but I would like to see her again). Anne was a great character, but I do have a weakness for people with superpowers.

jcs | April 25, 23:30 CET

1. Puppet!Harmony would be a lot of fun, I think.

2-4. I am a bad person and have not yet read them. I blame my lack of a comics store.

5. Angelus followed very closely by the Mayor.

6. Hmm. Possibly Dru, though she did get quite a bit of attention. I'm actually rather curious about Kathy, Liam's sister.

Meltha | April 25, 23:52 CET

5. Glory. Dru would be great as an enemy for Angel. An encounter between Illyria and the first would be interesting too.

6. Whistler, David Nabbit, Bethany (telekinetic girl from season 2), Ann, Gwen, Kate and maybe even Justin.
*could be cool if Ann or Kate became Slayers.

urkonn | April 26, 00:11 CET

Mmm, oaty heaven... I mean, hey, everybody! :) I heard the "slouching" part in Nathan Fillion's voice a la "There could be tears."

zeitgeist | April 26, 00:20 CET

Heh ;). BTW, the link 404s currently and IDW's homepage is just an empty directory. Hope that wasn't us stampeding over there with our big, clumsy (if well meaning) size 5166 feet.

Saje | April 26, 01:42 CET

hahaha. this site is ridiculous! now we're bringing entire publishers down... I'm sure if we put our heads together, we could rob a bank or two... topple a few governments, that kind of thing. :)

daylight | April 26, 01:53 CET

i might have missed something... are these season six comics confirmed now? we're going to have some new Angel canon comics soon?

aapac | April 26, 05:04 CET

1. Illyria or Gunn
2. Betta George - loved him. Runners-up: Beck, heck the whole therapy group, and Malposo Angra Mazda Ormazd Yazatas Mainyu (yes, I cheated and looked up her name in Issue #4) - what's her back story? (Oh, also loved the little spiny demon from the showers - brief appearance but drawn so well I still remember it).
3. Yay!
4. See #2 above. I don't think it would be confusing. Stories bring in new characters all the time, so it would be easy to introduce these ones into canon. Besides Spike: Asylum was so well written & drawn that I felt like I was watching an episode on TV so it's like canon to me. Can't speak to the characters in Shadow Puppets since it's not out yet.
5. Lilah & the concept of Wolfram & Hart as embodying enduring, pervasive evil.
6. Gwen, David Nabbitt, Whistler, Anne. There's also the woman who came to close the portal Connor punched open when he first returned. She was on for only a little bit - but she was intriguing.

MacGuffin | April 26, 07:23 CET

Whistler's dead though. Shot in the head, he was. (Or, wait, maybe he isn't and I'm just the only one in the universe subscribing to the ridiculous Whistler-was-really-Skip-in-disguise-theory)

Loki | April 26, 14:34 CET

I'll be honest, I haven't read any of the IDW Angel comics. Not because I doubt the quality of the product but simply because I only ever follow the "official" continuity of any story. I won't even bother with the Ultimate Marvel books as I'm far too attached to the original versions. For me, if the story isn't officially made part of the continuity of the storyline I follow then I don't bother with it. That being the case I really can't answer the first four questions with any authority, other than to say that I tend to think that Smile Time was one of those events that worked amazingly well when they first did it but that going back to the "make them into puppets" well too often is a mistake.

As for the last two questions, right up until the end of Buffy's seventh season I would have answered the question about the best Big Bad with the Mayor without a second thought. Now it's a very close call between him and the excellent Caleb (although I'm not entirely sure he would qualify as a Big Bad, technically).

Most underappreciated? Toss up between Gwen and Bethany. Either of them would rock as slayers. Electro-Slayer or TK-Slayer? Soooo much potential there.

Buffysmglover | April 26, 14:58 CET

Broken Soul You should give them a look. I think they are very well written and I have to be honest here and say that so far I've enjoyed Brian Lynch's series far more then the 'official' Buffy season 8 comics. Sorry Joss. :(

sueworld2003 | April 26, 17:38 CET

I actually have considered giving them a read, sueworld2003. It's just a case of finding the spare cash to pick them up. My cd buying habit consumes much of my spare income and the rest tends to go on the comics and DVDs that I'm really looking forward to, so the non-canon IDW Angel series just aren't high on the priority list, especially when you factor in that they are quite expensive titles. The Angel season 6 series, however? That is must-buy material, regardless of cost.

Buffysmglover | April 26, 17:47 CET

If I was going to recommend just one non canon mini-series, I'd go for Peter David's Spike vs. Dracula. It's very good indeed.

Simon | April 26, 18:04 CET

Ya Spike vs Dracula was great. I would also recommend the Angel:Spotlight Illyira, Asylum, Lost and Found and the most recent Angel mini Auld Lang Syne:)

angeliclestat | April 26, 18:17 CET

Funnily enough, both the Spike vs. Dracula and Asylum series have been recommended to me before. I may just have to pick the trades and see what I think.

Cheers, guys. Between the three of you any possibility of having a little left over cash this week may have just disappeared. If my girlfriend complains I'm blaming you. ;)

Buffysmglover | April 26, 18:37 CET

Gotta say, you probably should doubt the quality Broken Soul, they can be a bit patchy IMO. 'Spike vs Dracula' and (especially) 'Spike: Asylum' are good though - Asylum is out in trade next month and is probably the best place to start since it seems, judging from the poll, that it's at least possible one or more characters from it may be crossing over into the canonical stuff.

I also liked the Spike one shot with Halfrek (Spike: Old Times). Of the Angel stories, Auld Lang Syne is my fave so far.

ETA: OK, simul-post BUT i'm not one of those three so don't sic the SO onto me ;).

[ edited by Saje on 2007-04-26 15:38 ]

Saje | April 26, 18:37 CET

Really, Saje? My lack of interest in the IDW books has largely been down to my preference for canon material, as I said before. I've not heard that many complaints about the content, with the possible exception of the Connor one shot. I can't remember a single positive comment about that one, although I didn't hear that many comments about it at all, good or bad, which isn't the best sign of a quality comic.

That said, I guess it's all down to taste, same as anything else. I'll start with the titles that seem to be popular and work my way down the list. Thanks for the warning though and don't worry, the SO doesn't bite. Well, maybe just me if she's in that kinda mood... :D

Buffysmglover | April 26, 18:50 CET

Sorry Broken Soul. You can blame me:)

The Asylum TPB is out in May and the Auld Lang Syne is in June - so you can space it out:)

My girlfriend is well used to my Angel spending. Like when I spent nearly 200 euro on an item in the FOX VIP prop auctions. Im slightly obsessed - but in a cute 'aww isnt he sweet and crazy' kinda way. Or so I like to think.

Funny how 3 years after the show and nearly all my spending money still goes on all things Angel related!

angeliclestat | April 26, 19:30 CET

My girlfriend has similar (although perhaps not quite as obsessive) tastes in television and music as I do so I get away with a lot more than I probably would with most girls. She is a Firefly/Serenity fan first, followed by Angel with Buffy bringing up the rear in the Whedon show rankings. Probably something to do with the fact that I have a Buffy reference or quote for pretty much any occasion. Sad but true. Yet she still adores me. Thankfully I've got good looks to hide my geekness. ;)

Buffysmglover | April 26, 21:46 CET

I'd like to answer number six if I may...

6) Most underappreciated character from ANGEL? How about David Nabitt, Merle (RIP) and Clem? (Yeah, I know... Clem is from 'Buffy'. But he easily could have gone to LA when everyone abandoned Sunnydale. And he and Spike were buddies...)

Haunt | April 27, 01:06 CET

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