At least there's some good confirmation about the Spike series in that... 8 issues is decent enough, and I'm glad with the Angel series they aren't going to go over the top with it leading into Season Eight.

Sad end, but still, IDW did very well for those five years. After the Fall, Only Human, and those other non-canon ones, like Blood & Trenches and the Spotlights. They were all fantastic.

Thanks IDW.

aapac | August 21, 04:45 CET

I think Chris Ryall and Mariah Huehner are two classy and very gracious people.

menomegirl | August 21, 06:08 CET

Very classy interview. Even if some folks suspect that they're being gracious out of necessity (good business sense), what they've said should still put at least some fears to rest.

Kris | August 21, 06:55 CET

Classy and gracious, couldn't agree more.

Allycat | August 21, 08:40 CET

Great interview! I admire their candidness and think they both carry themselves very well. I may not have enjoyed the direction the IDW books have taken but they both appear to be very nice people. I also can’t wait to read the joint Allie/Ryall interview as that should be very interesting.

vampmogs | August 21, 08:53 CET

Join the chorus about classy and gracious people.

Ahem, the joint Allie/Ryall interview: was there any oil involved?

anca | August 21, 09:16 CET

Such a shame. I was really looking forward to more of Brian Lynch's work. Yeah, Armstrong and Willingham's work did not especially please me, but I didn't find their stories as appalling as the spacefrakking issue. It was upsetting enough to have Buffy reduced to that, but now the whole verse will be in the hands of the company that brought us spacefrakking. I am not happy. A little queasy.
I know that logically it should be good news that the verse is back in its creators' hands, but after spacefrakking it is most decidedly not.
In addition there have been so many irritating communications and incidents from Darkhorse over the past several years, I am not happy at all. I wish that Joss would have transferred the whole franchise over to IDW instead. Then again, Joss did bring us the spacefrakking... sigh. This is a sad state of affairs.

Xane | August 21, 14:18 CET

I'm sorry that there won't be a chance for the Spike series to be longer than 8 issues, but I'm sure that those issues are going to be absolutely wonderful. Chris and Maria, gracious as ever.

Shade of Pale | August 21, 14:20 CET

Great interview from Chris and Mariah.They answered a lot of questions I had.Looking forward to that joint Scott All/Chris Ryall interview with CBR.

Buffyfantic | August 21, 14:27 CET

Xane, you took the words right out of my mouth. It's a strange and disconcerting position to be in when you're a Buffy fan, and yet the worst Buffy story you've ever read was orchestrated by Joss Whedon himself. Instinctively I want to like the idea of Joss taking the reins of the Bufyverse, but what we have to show for it in season 8 is simply terrible, and not only that but a betrayal of the characters. And now Angel has been sucked into it too. So...I'm conflicted.

La-la-la-la-la-la-la season 8 is not happening, is my coping method.

Hellmouthguy | August 21, 15:39 CET

Why does this interviewer have to end every interview pertaining to this with a gleeful '..hate Spike..will he get dusted..' I for one don't find that amusing...I know we shouldn't take these things seriously, but I can't help it. I am not looking forward to having my most beloved charactor of all time put in the hands of someone who hates him. I think back to the first issue of Buffy comics and the only thing I remember is the "I hate Spike" letter that was unnecessarily put on the letter page... I mean, Spike wasn't even in the issue, so what was the point? So, it is with a very heavy heart that I say thank you to IDW for all the Spike comics that have come out in the past and I look forward to the one coming out as it might be the last comic book arc I buy.

luvspike | August 21, 15:40 CET

Instead of editing all the profanity out of the joint interview, they should replace it with words like "bollocks" and "sodding". Or possibly "frak".

Just kidding. I'm sure both men have very clean mouths and will leave no opportunity for such shenanigans. Looking forward to reading it anyway.

Kairos | August 21, 15:56 CET

I really don't think Allie hates Spike, and I wish people in all corners would let the subject drop. I'm a huge Spike fan, and I've found Allie to be very pleasant to interact with. Season 8 just gave Spike a huge and wonderful entrance, and I really look forward to seeing his story unfold on Dark Horse. No way Allie 'hates' Spike, and the more that gets repeated the more all Spike fans get subjected to Buffyfest's brand of targeted humor, even though many of us respect Allie and the job he's doing.

Maggie | August 21, 16:17 CET

We ended both interviews with "will Scott Allie dust Spike after IDW" because he'd NEVER dust Spike, so it's funny. It's funny because it's not true.

The guy gets reamed every day by this fandom. If he can't laugh about the situation, he'd probably be a very angry person.

buffyfest | August 21, 16:19 CET

'Eh, profanity and humor tend to have a lot to do with the person talking. Ryall has struck me at least publicly (maybe I'm reading the wrong interviews) that even when in a public forum he understands he's representing his brand. As a result, I've felt most of his comments have been in the realm of safe humor and language.

He may very well have stronger, more inflammatory opinions but he doesn't express them publicly. Which is good, because this issue might actually be playing out in a worse fashion if he wasn't that way.

Luvspike I think Spike is a running gag. In both interviews (the Allie and this interview I've seen) the comic panels show Angel paranoid that Spike is showing up and Spike annoyed that he's going to be around Angel.

azzers | August 21, 16:22 CET

As luvspike said, the very first issue of Buffy season 8 contained an extremely inflammatory anti-Spike letter that was then defended by Darkhorse in a rather nasty way. So I believe it's understandable that Spike fans would be apprehensive about the Dark Horse involvement. And not find it funny in the least.

Xane | August 21, 16:29 CET

Well I'm really bummed that Brian Lynch's Spike series will only be 8 issues. I had so much hope for it to go on forever...ah well. Brian and IDW I will seriously miss you and your great work.
Chris and Mariah...thank you so much for at least putting some of our fears to rest. Spike fans KNOW he is a true hero...but it helps to know that you guys feel he is too.
Lets hope that DarkHorse will treat Spike well and all fans can continue to enjoy these comics for years to come.
Again...thank you for being a real class act.

kathylovesspike | August 21, 16:33 CET

Xane anyone can choose to be apprehensive about anything. Where I draw the line is when we start bashing because of a joke Buffyfest made and Ryall simply ran with that has a reference to something Allie said.

It strikes me as looking to have a problem rather than actually having one. I'm just telling you, as a neutral observer, the line is a callback to the way Joss jokes about killing his characters. That would make it a joke, and not some sort of abusive psychological warfare.

[ edited by azzers on 2010-08-21 17:08 ]

azzers | August 21, 16:44 CET

I have to agree with luvspike about the Buffyfest interviewer ending these interviews with those Spike questions. I find no humor in them whatsoever.

azzers-My perception of the comic panel in this interview is that Spike was showing a little something other than annoyance that he's going to be around Angel. :)

[ edited by menomegirl on 2010-08-21 16:45 ]

menomegirl | August 21, 16:45 CET

I keep wondering what is Buffyfest's problem with Spike fans. I mean I realize they are a Bangelfansite (hard to overlook), but shouldn't they at least pretend to be neutral when doing interviews instead of using each interaction with officials they make to mock/paint Spike fans into some crazy corner (like Maggie pointed out) and/or endlessly repeat questions for Bangel shipper validation in every interview?

I realize shipper talk is not welcome on whedonesque, but when the blog links to a shipper site that displays it's bias so openly I find it a bit hard to avoid.

| August 21, 17:22 CET

If anyone thinks Buffyfest are anti-Spike, then shame. They are just having fun with the absurd notion that Scott hates Spike. And now there's an absurd notion that Buffyfest hates Spike?

Hilarious.

Wyndam_ | August 21, 17:30 CET

If people want to bash other sites then they can do it elsewhere. I'm not having this nonsense here.

Simon | August 21, 17:38 CET

So pointing out bias is considered bashing?

[ edited by Changeling on 2010-08-21 17:41 ]

| August 21, 17:40 CET

As much as I think DH has dropped the ball in almost every conceivable way with the Buffyverse, I really don't think Spike fans need to worry about Scott Allie. The man is a professional even if his PR people aren't, and while we all have our Buffy character faves and biases, and Allie apparently does too, I really don't think Allie will allow his preferences to get the better of the co-writing he's going to be doing. For one thing, it's still Joss's plan, not Allie's. For another, Allie isn't the crazed hardcore Buffy fan the rest of us are; maybe Spike isn't his cup of tea but Allie isn't a ravening shipper (and I don't mean to imply all shippers are ravening by the way. Most, like most Buffy fans, are lovely people. But there is always that small ravening percentage in any fandom or fandom offshoot.) So I think even if Allie isn't a Spike fan he isn't a Spike blood enemy either. Maybe Spike won't get the girl (and we all know who The Girl In Question is) but even though that's the Spuffy shippers's preferred endgame, there are other ways to do right by Spike than have him get the girl. One way might be to have him forget about the girl, as she seems to be a lot of trouble. In fact may I suggest that Joss and Mr. Allie focus on something else in season 9 besides Buffy's frigging love life, as it is the least palatable aspect of this trainwreck of a series.

The bottom line on writing characters you don't personally care for, but whom you know need to be there (and I have a lot of experience with this, as I write Buffy fanfic yet I actively dislike Xander and am not the biggest Spike or Giles fan either): be true to the character. Give him or her a fair hearing. I think Allie will do that. Certainly I think he'll give Spike a better shake than Joss gave Angel, or Buffy for that matter, in season 8.

Hellmouthguy | August 21, 17:40 CET

My gods, this is the only fandom that can get so bent over what was clearly intended as an innocent, and yes, amusing, joke.

The "Scott hates Spike!" meme's been going for awhile now, and it's so stupid and wrong. Making fun of it is BOUND to happen and frankly, it's welcomed.


On a totally different note: How come nobody's angry with IDW for revealing that Spike has a bunch of "space bugs" with him over the past couple days? All this anger at DH for missteps, but IDW gets off free for what seems like a (bizarre) spoiler?

trunkstheslayer | August 21, 17:41 CET

Changeling, we don't criticise other fan sites here. Period. If you have a problem with that then email me.

And as for the Allie hates/loves Spike arguments, it would be nice if that stopped too.

Simon | August 21, 17:42 CET

There should be a TV series called Everybody Hates Spike.

gossi | August 21, 17:44 CET

Pretty sure that show was called Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

(Have you seen the nearly seven minutes clip of Spike and how many times he's tortured, beaten up, mocked and made to cry? If you don't feel bad for Spike by the end of it, you have no soul.)

[ edited by Emmie on 2010-08-21 18:35 ]

Emmie | August 21, 18:35 CET

Thing is, when the humor can't be shared by everyone, and particularly when it's only one group that are the target of that humor, over and over and over, it doesn't seem like humor any more. Not to them. Time to pick another target, maybe?

deborahmm | August 21, 18:44 CET

I gotta say something on this. Buffyfest aren't "targeting" Spike fans. They're satirising something fans are doing.

gossi | August 21, 19:02 CET

How about: Scott, is it true that you're going to sacrifice your son to the comic gods so that he doesn't get in the way of your duties as hall monitor at your facebook site ever again? (No, I don't think that's funny either, but honestly fans say plenty of stupid things; if you want to mock them why not spread the joy around a bit?)

Maggie | August 21, 19:02 CET

This isn't open-mic night at people's expense so if we could stick to the interview then that would be a relief.

Simon | August 21, 19:28 CET

Adding to what gossi said: Satirizing fanboy behaviour is healthy, keeps us humble and further enables/encourages us to not take ourselves too seriously. If we're being ridiculous, we should call ourselves on it (and eachother on it). Through humor especially. Even at the risk of not tickling everyone with that humor, given that comedy is widely subjective.

Re: space-frakking

It happened while Buffy's story was being published by Dark Horse (as opposed to IDW, or while airing on The WB or UPN), but Joss Whedon and Brad Meltzer were fully in control of that. If you hated it, blame the writers, not the publisher (and arguably also don't blame the fact that it's the comic format that did it. Just because it's now a comic book, doesn't mean that specifically had to happen. I have no problem with the supersized sex personally, especially if it's given further relevance in the final arc of Season 8, but for those that do have a beef with that development--and other elements of Season 8--get it right already: your problem is with the writers, not Dark Horse). Be fair. Whether you're bitching just for the sake of bitching or you have legitimate, well-worded/reasoned complaints, at least aim your ire at the correct target(s).

Kris | August 21, 20:54 CET

Adding to what gossi said: Satirizing fanboy behaviour is healthy, keeps us humble and further enables/encourages us to not take ourselves too seriously. If we're being ridiculous, we should call ourselves on it (and eachother on it). Through humor especially. Even at the risk of not tickling everyone with that humor, given that comedy is widely subjective.

Fair enough, but are you really claiming the Spike fans are the only ones whose behaviour merits satire and if not it'd be an easier argument to believe if we saw the mocking mixed up a bit rather than harping on one segment of the fandom all the time.

As for the spacefrakking I absolutely blame Joss Whedon and not Dark Horse or Scott Allie or anyone else for it.

helcat | August 21, 21:11 CET

People still joke about it because it's one of the only real memes we have for the Buffyverse continuations. I think 'spacefrakking' will be one eventually. To become a meme, IMO, something needs to have been 1) notorious (a lot of people saw it), 2) absurd, and 3) easy to remember and reference. I'd say the "controversy" about Scott and Spike fits that definition faster than you can say "boom goes the dynamite" or "my son... I am disappoint".

How much money do you think it would take to have Allie come to SDCC 2011 dressed as Spike? How much *more* to get James Marsters to dress as Spike-dressed-as-Scott Allie? :)

On a more serious note, I can't see how anybody can sustain real anger after these very gracious interviews. Disappointment, yes, sadness, sure -- anger? Outrage? Not so much.

KingofCretins | August 21, 21:21 CET

helcat, trust me, all parts of the Whedonverse fandom are soundly mocked all. the time. See this weekend's number 2 movie at the boxoffice for some examples. Funny stuff! You maybe only notice it when it is directed at something you identify with.

IrrationaliTV | August 21, 21:23 CET