Whedonesque : Comments on 21391 : Coming soon - a trailer for the Buffy Season 8 adaption?

I saw it at Slayalive first so they should get the first thanks.

Credit duly assigned :).

Motion Comic seems like to be in fashion lately, but animation would be amazing. Though I still dream of really seeing Felicia Day and Tom Lenk doing that slayer ad live action.

Numfar PTB | August 21, 15:17 CET

If it is true I wonder why it wasn't announced at Comic Con.

Simon | August 21, 15:22 CET

I won't believe it until I see it.

A Buffy anything is low-hanging fruit, a way to make bushels of money at a time when making any money is more important than ever. The fact the "Powers That Be" are still ignoring Buffy demonstrates how much blood flow a posh tie can restrict.

quantumac | August 21, 15:45 CET

Uh, what?

Yes! Please!

shpedoinkel | August 21, 15:46 CET

Being at best an extremely casual fan of comic books, I had to look up what a 'motion comic' is.
The Season 8 comic is drawn to resemble the actors who portrayed the characters on television. I speculate that this hypothetical project will be less interesting to me if they use different voice actors from the ones who portrayed the characters in the TV series. Seeing a Willow drawn to look like Alyson Hannigan but voiced by someone else, for example, would lessen the appeal.

wouldestous | August 21, 15:52 CET

The motion comics I've heard of only have one narrator, so we probably don't have to worry about recasting characters.

scarecroe | August 21, 16:05 CET

It'd be totally badass to hear Joss do the narrating himself.

"Everybody calls me ma'am these days..." - Imagine falling asleep to that!

Jayme | August 21, 16:24 CET

Do we know that this trailer is not merely for the comics themselves?

drnotsobad | August 21, 16:31 CET

I wondered about that but Buffy season 8 is now well over the half way mark and I can't see Dark Horse having the budget to place a promo like this.

Simon | August 21, 16:35 CET

I think drnotsobad may unfortunately be onto something. "Comic book adaptation" to me sounds like they may very well just be referring to the comics themselves. Regardless though, I'd like to see the trailer if anyone who plans on purchasing that DVD set of Bones wishes to upload it somewhere on YouTube! :)

jiggyfly | August 21, 16:36 CET

I wondered the same too,whether it's just an ad for the comics but the way it's worded,it doesn't sound like it to me.

Whatever it is,it's something offically on the DVD if FOXStore also lists it.

This is something definitly to ask Scott Allie about at his next Slayalive Q/A.

He did mention this back in his July Q/A at Slayalive.

37. vampmogs: Recently we've had some talk about a Buffy Animated Series that's supposed to be happening again. Can you tell us anything about that? Were the rumours true or false?

Scott Allie: The rumors are pretty lacking in specifics, and what specifics that are out there are not accurate, but Fox does have something in the works.

At least,we'll know whatever this is by the first week of October.

Buffyfantic | August 21, 16:57 CET

The Wikipedia article mentions this Perez Hilton entry.

quacky | August 21, 19:10 CET

Obviously, I'm hopeful! But hasn't Joss repeatedly said that we'd be the first to hear about upcoming Buffy projects? Or really any Joss projects?

If he is involved, even to the limited extent Perez suggests, I expect we'd hear it straight from him before it got to the trailer stage.

drnotsobad | August 21, 19:42 CET

I'm reliably informed that it's going to be a motion comic.

Simon | August 21, 19:44 CET

Cool, they're like comics but less still. Did the same reliable informant mention voice actor(s) ? With so many female characters it'd take some getting used to if a man narrated it.

Saje | August 21, 19:50 CET

Interesting. I was not a fan of the Watchmen motion comic. I thought the addition of continuous motion, music, and voice acting took away from the subtlety and ambiguity of the story. The magic of comics is that they force the reader to fill in the gaps between panels with his own imagination. You create the story as you read it, becoming all the more invested in its outcome. This whole process is deftly analyzed in "Understanding Comics," by Scott McCloud. He calls it "the invisible art" for a reason, and making it more visible almost always lessens its impact.

That said, Buffy is distinguishable from Watchmen and other bad adaptations in that it is itself an adaptation of an earlier non-comic property. In its purest form, Buffy is a tv show, so perhaps bringing it closer to those roots would be for the best. I'm really not sure. It all depends on the execution.

Regardless, I think we'd need as much of the original cast as possible to make this worthwhile.

drnotsobad | August 21, 19:51 CET

I don't think it needs the original cast, really. But that's just me. (I also doubt they could get many of them).

It was strongly implied (in my mind) this was on the table back during Comic-Con 2008. (Not during Joss's panel).

[ edited by gossi on 2009-08-21 19:53 ]

gossi | August 21, 19:52 CET

My point is that I can "hear" the characters in my head while I'm reading it, and they sound almost exactly like the do on the series. If they had someone narrate it, like in Watchmen, I doubt he or she could come as close to mimicking Sarah, Alyson, et. al. as my mind, so what's the point?

drnotsobad | August 21, 19:56 CET

Well, you can also 'see' them in your head. Does the comic imagery not take you out of the story?

gossi | August 21, 19:58 CET

On the other hand, hearing the spin those specific actors would put on the lines, or just having them in the same "place" all at once again, would make the experiment very worthwhile.

drnotsobad | August 21, 19:58 CET

I totally think if they can get them, then, you know - go for it. I just don't see Sarah, David etc touching it unfortunately.

gossi | August 21, 19:59 CET

Not sure what you mean, Gossi. The comic imagery backs up my own mental image of the characters and, most importantly, gives them motive and direction. (Without the script to guide my imagination, they pretty much just hang out in the library or magic shop.) But bad voice acting, in contrast, would interfere with my mental projection.

I mean, it's not a dealbreaker, and I'll definitely check it out regardless. But I just don't see how it would be any better than the comics themselves, and I can think of a hundred ways it would be worse.

drnotsobad | August 21, 20:01 CET

I'd be okay with good sound-alike actors, as long as they're not all the same actor.

Jobo | August 21, 20:02 CET

I think Sarah's probably off the table, but I bet Alyson, Nicholos, Tony, and Tom Lenk would be on board. I would be ok with a cast similar to the Buffy videogames. In fact, I think the actor from Chaos Bleeds does a pretty excellent Buffy. Close enough without entering the aural equivalent of the uncanny valley.

drnotsobad | August 21, 20:04 CET

I'm sorry. I just don't get the point of motion comics. One piece of Buffy merchandise I'm 100% not interested in. After all, I can READ the comics any time I want. It's honestly the same feeling I have with books on tape. Society is just lazy. Not busy. Just lazy.

didifallasleep | August 21, 20:08 CET

If it's a single narrator, I just hope it's someone good at narrating. Doesn't need to be any of the former cast.

Sunfire | August 21, 20:19 CET

Joss.

gossi | August 21, 20:20 CET

Is that Gossi telling me it's Joss?

Gossi??? Cause if it is...then YAY!

bubblecat | August 21, 20:21 CET

drnotsobad, books on tape are extremely helpful to people with dyslexia or people who don't know how to read. I can also be extremely nice if you are in a long road trip.

geratongs3000 | August 21, 20:22 CET

Erm, nope. I have no clue. That was my good-at-narrating choice. But then I also think he's got good taste in music, and he won't be DJing my birthday party, so.

gossi | August 21, 20:22 CET

Seth Green would do it! And if he did, maybe he could convince Sarah Michelle to do some more voice acting. /hopeless optimism

Emmie | August 21, 20:24 CET

Gera, I didn't say anything to disparage books on tape. I like books on tape!

drnotsobad | August 21, 20:25 CET

Gossi - Ppppppft, well if he isn't DJing at your party then I refuse to come! (Joke)

Sorry - been on my own all day at home feeling cold-ridden. I'm excitement starved!

bubblecat | August 21, 20:31 CET

I'm afraid the next Q&A with Allie won't give us more info about this Season 8 comic adaptation. Apparently Dark Horse is out of the loop on this project. Which is...odd. But yeah, this is all FOX, folks.

Emmie | August 21, 20:33 CET

Sarah's about to have a baby, Alyson just had one and Tony's still in England. I don't think getting the cast is likely or even the point. Admittedly I know nothing about motion comics, but I would think if they were going to get the cast, they'd aim higher. This just seems like a low budget "hey here's something else the fans can buy!"

hacksaway | August 21, 20:33 CET

What exactly *is* a motion comic?

Riker | August 21, 20:38 CET

Voice over work can be done from anywhere.. and it's much more likely to have the entire cast do an animated series than anything else.

That said, I doubt it would happen. :)

Motion Comics

BrownCoat_Tabz | August 21, 20:42 CET

Riker, a motion comic is kind of like a Clutch Cargo cartoon. It has the feel of printed comics cut into individual frames on the page and those frames move as if someone was dragging them across the screen. Obviously it will be much better than my description but try to think of it as a way to make a "book on tape" with something visual to go along with it.

Personally, I'm excited to hear what "Paft" sounds like.

Also, there's very little chance this would be an advertisement for a comic book. Those just dont happen.

An interesting and related point about comic book commercials, in Germany at the end of their weekly airing of The Simpsons, they run a tv commercial for that months The Simpsons comic. In the United States, where they dont run a commercial at the end of the tv episode, they sell about 50,000 copies of the comic on average. In Germany they sell over 10 times that amount at about half a million copies.

Maybe that's something comic book companies should take note of in the battle for readers.

alexreager | August 21, 21:02 CET

Neal Adams' company is producing the Astonishing X-Men motion comic from what I read, so we'll have two Joss motion comics out next year.

Simon | August 21, 21:05 CET

Cool Simon, that Joss Astonishing run should be perfect for a motion comic because it's so arc-y. I enjoyed rereading the story as one long arc more than the first time through with the individual issues.

Plus if Buffy were an X-man, she would be Kitty Pryde. Badass. Come to think of it, I have a hard time picturing SMG as Kitty but I can totally picture Eliza in that role. (SMG would be a great White Queen Emma Frost, imo)

alexreager | August 21, 22:19 CET

I really loved the Watchmen motion comics so I would be down with a Buffy Season 8 one.Would be perfect if they could get some of the cast involved but I would go for this either way.

Although I would love a Animated series/movie version even more.

[ edited by Buffyfantic on 2009-08-21 22:38 ]

Buffyfantic | August 21, 22:22 CET

It's honestly the same feeling I have with books on tape. Society is just lazy.

But books on tape are so great for multitasking! "Read" while you wash the dishes, run the treadmill, drive to work...isn't that kind of the opposite of lazy?

(I don't recommend motion comics for driving to work, though.)

jcs | August 21, 22:43 CET

Audio of someone reading a book aloud are great for driving and so forth. But I do not believe there is any substitute for reading something yourself.

wouldestous | August 21, 22:51 CET

I almost never listen to books on tape because for some reason I have a really hard time keeping plot, characters etc. straight in my head (or even remembering them full stop) when it goes in my ears. Reading it, no problems. Always learned easier from books rather than lectures too, must just be faulty wiring ;).

(I don't recommend motion comics for driving to work, though.)

Nope, cars are better for that ;).

To me motion comics are just like any other adaptation from one medium to (more or less) another, they have different strengths and weaknesses. They're not indispensable to me in the way books are but they offer a slightly different take on something, a "view askew" so to speak.

Saje | August 21, 22:57 CET

If you were going to do it with a single narrator, I'd submit that Anthony Stewart Head would be an ideal choice, both vocally and thematically.

JesterInACast | August 21, 23:08 CET

Motion comics. Hmmm. They seem sort of like a gimmick. But again, I am at best an extremely casual consumer of comic books and do not see that a few moving parts and some noises will matter much.

You know what I would like to see? A Buffy Season 8 pop-up book.

wouldestous | August 21, 23:30 CET

I don't think 'Books on Tape' are necessarily lazy. It's more like going back to the heart of storytelling - the Bard who would tell you stories. Stories predate writing after all.

Emmie | August 21, 23:47 CET

Hear, hear Emmie. I love audio books. Especially those done by the author can really be wonderfull and feel like the intended experience. It takes a bit of patience, but on the other hand you can enjoy a good book a lot longer. Most of the time I tend to read too fast too my own liking (especially when I really like a book it's hard to just put it away) so the longer time it takes isn't really a problem to me. Contrary to Saje I'm also a bit better at catching and remembering all the details when the book is in audio form. I also love to read, I just came back from a holiday on which I brought a crazy amount of books with me, but it was a nice to be able to save atleast some room by putting some books on my IPhone.

The way alexreager describes it, a motion comic sound a bit like a audio book accompanied by a slide show. Which actually sounds like quite nice an idea, when the slide show is just an extra, but when you actually have to watch the slides it seems it could be a bit on the dull side, though with Joss or Tony narrating, that would of course be impossible. Consider me curious. Does anyone have any idea how this would be published?

the Groosalugg | August 21, 23:57 CET

On topic:

I don't understand motion comics. Does any one know of a good one I can have a look of online for free? I know people have mentioned the Watchmen upthread but (a) its not free and (b) I already own the comic I just need to get around to reading it!

A bit off topic:

Audio books are awesome! They just pass the time so quickly when you are doing chores or walking from X to Y. I agree that there are a time and a place for them though, and would always choose reading a book over listening to one if that's the only thing I needed to do.

Even more off topic:

There's apparently substantial evidence, Saje that individuals can respond very differently to the teaching method used to impart information.

An interesting example I heard was that Australian Aboriginals have very good spatial awareness and auditory memory from their tradition of passing down stories and information verbally. In contrast Westerners are much better at learning from the written word. Apparently it has been shown that this can greatly effect the way kids from the two cultures learn, and meant that in the past when Aboriginal children were taught in western schools they didn't perform as well on average because of the way the lessons were taught. When lessons were taught using different techniques the Aboriginal children performed better than the Western children.

Bluey | August 22, 00:12 CET

I love Watchmen and loved the film, but I tried watching the motion comic and it did nothing for me.

redeem147 | August 22, 00:32 CET

the Groosalugg here's an example of a quickie, free motion comic...Watchmen Motion Comic

alexreager | August 22, 01:56 CET

First of all - hip hip hoooooraaayyyyy.

Now, if they need a narrator, and they can't find one within the traditional Whedonverse (yeah, right), I'd be happy to volunteer. Well, maybe I'll accept some form of recompense, but you get the idea. . .

Seriously, I think the idea of a Buffy motion comic is a great idea, and would open some very interesting creative possibilities.

Peanut Noir | August 22, 02:41 CET

I guess I shouldn't of expected something good like a real Buffy cartoon. Motion comics are worthless, and the cast (especially Gellar) would never touch this. Just seems pointless.

GhostsWatcher | August 22, 02:55 CET

I found a couple of specimens by typing 'motion comic' into a search engine. I suppose the concept of a motion comic is interesting in a meta-cultural 'couldnt have done this without the internet' sort of way. They will probably be referred to as 'mocos' once they catch on when everyone knows what they are and wants to use a shorthand expression.

Also, my notion of a Season 8 pop-up book does not seem to be getting any traction. :)

wouldestous | August 22, 04:16 CET

I'm with you wouldestous. Imagine what they could do with a Buffy / The Very Hungry Caterpillar crossover

Let Down | August 22, 04:23 CET

Thanks alexreager!

I checked out a clip of the Watchmen motion comic....not really my kind of thing, so I hope Buffy isn't getting the motion comic treatment...

Riker | August 22, 04:32 CET

If no one mentioned--the new Spider-woman motion comic has a cast of voice actors, not just a single narrator. It has Abigail Brand, a Joss Whedon-created character, from Astonishing X-Men in it, if anyone's interested.

CaptainB | August 22, 05:14 CET

The only book(s) on tape I am currently a fan of are the Harry Potter books, because that narrator is beyond amazing. Unfortunately I have listened to others and pretty much end up daydreaming by the end... middle of it.

I really don't think that the motion comic will catch my attention much unless the narration is amazing.

I am also a very casual comic book reader because the drawings also distract me, and I would prefer to read and form the images in my head. Mostly I read Joss comic books because I like the interesting storylines. But I prefer novels.

VeryVeryCrowded | August 22, 06:35 CET

Not all audio books are for "lazy" people. We have a super fan of Buffy Between the Lines who is physically unable to turn pages of a book (so misses out on the comic books). So a motion comic would be fantastic for people like him!

BrownCoat_Tabz | August 22, 06:48 CET

I actually don't get the point of motion comics either. Like the Spider-Woman one just mentioned has a really neat title sequence and the actress doesn't sound too terrible, but in some cases it's sort of weird hearing voice actors that don't read as you'd expect after a long time of having imagined voices if they get muliple characters. Might as well just pay extra and animate it as a movie they could charge DVD prices at.

Alternatively, it's a bit old school but treating it like a radio show also works for me and then I don't need to deal with the tedium of looking at a comic book panel I've already read. I know this concept is more of a UK thing though, where they can actually get multiple actors back.

As for if this one is done slightly on the cheap... Then I don't really see why they would at all consider a male narrator/reader. That seems a bit patriarchal for us to constantly only expect authoritative male voices to tell us stories.

orangewaxlion | August 22, 09:03 CET

It's not that orangewaxlion, it's just that most of the stuff adapted has many more/more central male characters - if you have to choose one way or another then statistics are on the male side (which is also obviously related to a patriarchal culture, just in a different way). Personally I find it odd - the Watchmen one took a LOT of getting used to - and would rather they at least hire one woman, even if she does all the female parts.

And agreed, radio plays like the Big Finish 'Doctor Who' stuff would be brilliant done by Whedonverse casts and quite quick for them to make too (it's something SMG could do even while heavily pregnant for instance). Probably neither the money nor the demand for it in the US though, pity (there may also be all sorts of contractual issues).

When lessons were taught using different techniques the Aboriginal children performed better than the Western children.

That's interesting and makes a lot of sense Bluey, highlights an important consideration when you're trying to teach kids from different cultures beside each other (and yet it's still essential that we do IMO, splitting folk up isn't the answer). Friend of mine has the same issue with books BTW, he's dyslexic and though he's a keen reader now he still prefers spoken to written - whenever we arrange anything major together (e.g. a bunch of us went on holiday recently) he's always vying to do it in conference phone calls and I always prefer long emails.

... not really my kind of thing, so I hope Buffy isn't getting the motion comic treatment...

Err, you can always just not watch it, why wish it's not happening ? Anyway, Simon seems to have been "reliably informed" it is a motion comic. To me that sounds like someone in a position to know has communicated to him. Or he has an in at GCHQ.

edited for grammar. Why no coffee b4 post ? Bad saje, bad.

[ edited by Saje on 2009-08-22 09:43 ]

Saje | August 22, 09:11 CET

Thanks for the example alexreager, quite an interesting form. Also reminds me I should try out Watchmen sometime. Maybe, if I can find it for free, the motion comic would be a nice way to see if I like it. Though I think I'd prefer the print version if I'm actually going to read it.

VeryVeryCrowded, do you like the HP audio books read by Stephen Fry or by the narrator of Pushing Daisies (ETA: Jim Dale)? I listened to Fry's version of book 1-4 over the holidays and absolutely loved them. I think Harry Potter is written in a way that lends itself really well for a read version, and Fry is a great narrator. Too bad you don't like other audio books though, you need to have a good narrator and à book that's suitable for narration, but there are loads of good ones out there.

[ edited by the Groosalugg on 2009-08-22 13:12 ]

the Groosalugg | August 22, 12:45 CET

If you're going to experience 'Watchmen' as a comic at all (rather than stick to the film) you should really, really read it first thegroosalugg. It's quite a dense book so it's handy to be able to flick back and forth and read it at your own pace.

Not to mention, as I say, the issue with a man doing all the female voices. To me it instantly makes it harder to take the female characters seriously which does the book a disservice.

Saje | August 22, 12:54 CET

Thanks for that link, alexreager. Interesting to hear Moore's take on Rorschach. Just as well he didn't do the actual motion-comic narration, though--might be hard to listen to a whole bookfull of that voice.

I enjoyed the Watchmen motion comic (though I didn't finish it), but I'm used to listening to audiobooks with a single narrator. But that said, Groosalugg, you should definitely follow Saje's advice and start with the book. The pages really deserve to be pored over.

jcs | August 22, 16:42 CET

Audiobooks are a terrific boon for those of us who get carsick reading on a bus. I used to envy my fellow commuters passing the time immersed in a book, until I started loading my iphone with just what I wanted to read..It's almost as exciting as when I got my first VCR back in the day. Actually, ancient as I am, I am still pretty jazzed to be able to watch movies...right in my own house. Yup.

toast | August 22, 21:57 CET

I know what you mean, toast. I still like that I don't have to fast-forward through songs I dont like ever since they started making compact discs. :)

wouldestous | August 22, 22:59 CET

Didn't this come out today?

Riker | October 06, 22:47 CET

Yes but I gather there was no trailer on it.

Simon | October 06, 22:48 CET

August 21 2009