Here's the C2E2 Dark Horse panel report from Newsarama.It has has a couple season 9 bits.

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/c2e2-dark-horse-panel.html

Buffyfantic | April 13, 23:17 CET

Hmm, pure speculation based on one or two things that Scott said there but I'm wondering now if Spike might not be heading over to the Angel & Faith book after his own series concludes. Hope so. Not only because I love the dynamic between both Angel and Spike and Spike and Faith, but also because I'd imagine that Rebekah draws an awesome version of Spike!

Five Horizons | April 13, 23:18 CET

I am very excited/happy about Spike's mini-series and future development. Whenever he is in Buffy's orbit, he ends up being a 'convenient' (in multiple different ways) sidekick, but outside of that (like Angel S5) he becomes a truly interesting, empowered character.

baxter | April 13, 23:27 CET

I like that we are finally seeing some of these minis they talked about before S9 started, (I actually thought we'd be getting more than we are. What happened to Jane E's project?) but it does seem a bit like they have gutted the Buffy book. Willow gone. Spike gone. Xander and Dawn are pretty much background noise these days and their "storyline" isn't going anywhere anytime soon....

None of the new character's they've introduced have really popped for me either. Who the hell is Buffy going to talk to?

Kaan | April 13, 23:48 CET

JE's season 9 work I believe is a arc in Buffy.She recently confirmed that she's finished writing the arc and the artist was working on it.

Buffyfantic | April 13, 23:56 CET

^ Oh yeah I do recall something about that.

Kaan | April 13, 23:58 CET

You know, I'm actually really missing Giles these days. I feel like he's been the missing link (actually since back in season 6) and with Willow and Spike out of the picture for a while, Giles having a nice meaty storyline would've been refreshing. :(

Sorry to be a downer!

buffyfest | April 14, 00:02 CET

You're gonna make me cry buffyfest.

Kaan | April 14, 00:06 CET

Haha, sorry Kaan. I;m really missing him now!

buffyfest | April 14, 00:15 CET

Me too, buffyfest. Giles' absence is really noticeable at the moment, moreso than in seasons 6, 7 and 8 when you knew he could be back at any time. Now he has (Angel's plan aside...) gone for good it's clearer than ever just how important his role in the story was. He provided stability. You knew that no matter how crazy things got for the gang, he would be the calm at the eye of the storm. Not to mention being, more often than not, the glue that held the gang together. It wasn't a coincidence that the preferred choice of Scoobie meeting place was usually Giles-centric. The library, his apartment, the Magic Box. All roads would lead back to Giles. I think a large part of what is missing in season 9 right now, and the reason that Xander and Dawn especially seem so distant, is that without Giles around to keep everyone on the same heading, they fall apart. It happened in season 4, and then to a lesser degree again in season 6 after he left. Now it's happened again.

Five Horizons | April 14, 00:19 CET

Re: gutting it, I think it's a hard call. Buffy's book is Buffy's book. We'll always follow her, even if Will is doing crazy exciting things. I think mini's are a great way to do subplots like the TV series. Stories for them simply wouldn't exist otherwise. Plus Xander, Dawn and everyone else definitely needs a turn after sitting out for almost 10 issues!

Jaymii | April 14, 00:20 CET

Very well said, Five Horizons. Yes, knowing he could pop in at any moment would give the current mini-series arrangement an anchor. As is stands, there's just a Giles shaped hole in the story.

Plus, who is going to save the world from Willow if she's going to go all "black-eyes-of-magic-is-a-drug" again in her mini?

buffyfest | April 14, 00:30 CET

Perhaps Kennedy will.

menomegirl | April 14, 01:22 CET

I would hate Spike to join the A&F title. Really hope that doesn't happen.

Reddygirl | April 14, 03:05 CET

I hope Spike and Willow go back to Buffy's title after they've finished their own adventures **fingers crossed**

tranquillity | April 14, 04:20 CET

Buffyfantic, thanks for the newsarama article.

Drusilla's mini maybe not happening is not so cool news :(

anca | April 14, 05:35 CET

FiveHorizons, I think Giles could come back at any moment this season. But if he does, I'm betting he'll probably be the Big Bad rather than providing stability. Which probably doesn't cheer you up any ...

And agreed, Reddygirl, I don't want to see Spike join A&F. I don't think he'd add anything to that story. But then I always liked him on Buffy, and don't really care for S5 of Angel.

erendis | April 14, 05:38 CET

I am excited about having these two minis - For Spike, I think that it is very good time to have him spend time away from the SF location - gives the characters and the fans a little time to recover from what happens in issue 10. Plus, will make for a great point to begin another phase of the season and to develop whatever is being planned for Spike and his position in the Buffy comic books. I had the feeling for a while now that Spike would be leaving; how that happened I had no idea. I would not have even been surprised if the character had been phased out of the Buffyverse entirely.

Willow, also needs her own story and to have that story not be restricted by what happens in SF and having to develop her story with that of Buffy.

I would also hate Spike going over to the Angel&Faith - I don't see how he would fit in there. The problem with Spike is that he became such a strong character - it makes it difficult for the character to be in any of these comic books unless he has a significant part to play. He, IMO, could never be a "drop in" character - he either has to be important to story or he should not be there at all.

I don't suggest that he would have parity with Buffy, we know that this is not the Buffy & Spike series. I always felt like Spike would be filling in the role that Giles played; supportive as fighter but also helping with gather needed information.

nmcil | April 14, 08:30 CET

I think that the reason it's hard to see Spike fit into Angel's story, be that on television or in the comic book, is that we see him and Angel as being almost interchangeable, without being the same character. Spike was brought into Buffy initially as a replacement for Cordelia but eventually ended up more closely taking over Angel's position in the Scoobies. As such the two characters seem to fill the same role in a television show, especially after Spike got his soul back. They even played up the idea of them essentially being exactly the same character in Angel season 5, what with the whole Shanshu debate, which I think is why Spike often seems almost superfluous around Angel. We've got one vampire with a soul in the story. Why do we need two?

I don't really see them that way though. To me, their situatiion is very much like that of Damon and Stefan Salvatore, or Bill Compton and Eric Northman. Two vampire with such opposite and conflicting personalities that they actually work best when they are together. Stefan and Bill being on their respective shows doesn't take anything away from the characters of Damon and Eric, in fact I tend to think the scenes they share tend to be some of the most character defining in both cases. The same goes for Angel and Spike. They have a love-hate brotherly relationship that is pretty unique within the Buffyverse. I'd like to see more of it.

The IDW books showed that this relationship can work in comic form too, although it was less evident in the limited time they had together in season 8, but then that didn't feel much like Angel anyway. Now that Angel is back to being his old broody self, I think it would be a shame to not have them have a few adventures together again. Especially if that means there might finally be some discussion of what happened after season 5 of Angel in the Dark Horse books. I know that they don't intend to focus on the IDW stuff too much but frankly right now it seems like a massive elephant in the room. As if we know that things happened to Angel and Spike between Not Fade Away and the first issue of Buffy season 8 but we're just not supposed to talk about it. Hush hush and all that. I'd like it at least acknowledged in more than just a single panel flashback mention at some point and a conversation between two characters that were actually there would be a great way to do that.

Five Horizons | April 14, 12:18 CET

Especially since Angel got cancelled, I would LOVE to see more of the Angel and Spike dynamic explored! That's why Season 5 of Angel was my favorite!

And since the main setting of A&F is London, it would make sense.

And @anca, who said the Dru miniseries might be cancelled in stead of just delayed?

FangedFourLover | April 14, 13:56 CET

I found the IDW comics dreadful and the Angel/Spike relationship very poorly done.

By the end of AtS season 5, Spike was being used well, not just as a foil for Angel. But I was very disappointed in the first half of the season in Spike's portrayal.

The more I read about the Spike mini the more depressed I get. The newest info makes it sound really bad.

Reddygirl | April 14, 14:07 CET

Fair enough, . Can't agree with you about the IDW comics though. Some of the later artwork aside (which in some cases was really poor towards the end of the run), I really enjoyed them.

As for the new Spike series, I've heard nowhere near enough about it to make my mind up, so I'll wait and see.

Five Horizons | April 14, 14:19 CET

Absolutely no idea how but I managed to delete your name in that first sentence before posting my comment, Reddygirl. Sorry about that! ;)

Five Horizons | April 14, 14:23 CET

Given 1- the way Willow was shown mooning over a picture of Saga Vasuki not very long ago (coincient with ehr dumping Kennedy) 2-the flat statement from Joss about "supporting" the Fray universe (which coudl eman several things, so why did he feel he had to say it?) 3- seeing GrayWillow during Buffy's little time trip, this truly makes me nervous.

"Go back to heaven, Tara, and let me get on with this."

DaddyCatALSO | April 14, 20:48 CET