Was just about to post this.A couple of points.The caption with the cover says Willow is heading back to Angel & Faith after her miniseries but in the interview Scott Allie says Willow is heading back to Buffy for the climax of season 9.I'm assuming the blurb with the cover at the head of the article is a error at this point.

ETA

CBR has corrected the caption

Also of note is that Scott says if Spike # 5 runs too late due to artistic scheduling problems than the isuse will come out after he arrives in Angel & Faith.

[ edited by Buffyfantic on 2012-12-01 00:50 ]

Buffyfantic | November 30, 21:30 CET

There are two entirely separate issues in the information posted in this article. One relates to the actual storyline. My feeling right now is that Allie sort of protests too much; I've wondered why Willow- after all that has ever happened in Buffy- would get too close to some unknown demon, and here Allie says it is her single mindedness. I am guessing no one will be surprised to find out Marrack is evil. I also find the idea of "Wonderland" offputting. I wish they had simply gone into some unknown land and stayed away from the Lewis Carroll similarities. This takes me out of the story when I read it, because it makes the reader note the relation to a real existing author, and not the fictional world of Buffy, which ought to be self-contained, in my view.

The second issue is related to the world of publishing comics. I am distressed by the constant shifting in and out of authors, inkers, artists and so on. When this happens, at times the newbies are not tied into what has already happened, are not as aware of past histories, etc. Voice changes, art changes, and consistency disappears. And now there is an admission that a scheduling difficulty may affect the totality of the combined storylines. I am sorry, but that simply should not happen. You have a product that you are selling, you need to get your act together. I may be harsh here, but I spent 20 years as an editor without ever missing a deadline. And now the complexity of all these stories, mini-series and so on have become so logistically complicated that some stories might get published before information necessary to explain that story has not yet been published in the companion piece that ought to precede it? What excuse can you offer for that? That's sad.

Dana5140 | December 01, 13:29 CET

Dana, I have a strong feeling that this all started when the Drusilla's mini series went under. That's when, in my opinion, everything went to chaos. Spike was never supposed to have his own mini series. Scott has said that Joss wanted Spike in Buffy's book, that he wouldn't get his own. Cue a few months later and Spike has own mini series. And although I do love it, the build up to it, the way Spike's and Buffy's relationship was handled, was atrocious. Chambliss wrote both characters wonderfully... Then Allie rushed it and missed very crucial beats in the story. As far as I'm concerned, I know WHY Spike left, but there were no motivations as to why he did. Narratively speaking, it makes no sense to bring back a beloved character for the end of season 8 and then just the beginning of 9. It's because it wasn't supposed to happen...

Cue the Willow series. There is no reason why a mini series needs two writers. If Jeff wasn't in the writers summit, (which, if there was always going to be a Willow mini series, why wasn't the writer present?) why is he writing the Willow mini series? If this is so important in the overall arc of Season 9, why bring someone in who isn't as knowledgable about it?

And don't get me started on the cancellation/postponing of the Dru mini series... I was so excited to see a character that has never been in the forefront, but deserves to be, have a mini series. We never even got an explanation as to why...

I still adore Season 9, it just started with such great potential and fell from there, in my opinion. I feel as if they kept the same writers throughout, gave characters a mini series that was always planned not just thrown in at the last moment because Drusilla was post poned, the entire season would've been solid.

Oh, and we need more Joss. Always more Joss.

lisatwingomez | December 01, 20:42 CET

I met Juliet Landau at Comic-con over the summer. First of all... what a wonderful woman. She talked with me for like 15 minutes; so nice.

Anyway, I asked her about the delay of the mini-series. She said it was because she unexpectedly was cast in about three movies and she and Darkhorse decided to just delay the book instead of having another writer take over.

slayerfreak5554 | December 01, 21:46 CET

In one of the recent Slayalive Q/A's,Scott Allie said the Drusilla mini might be published in between season 9 and season 10 now.

Buffyfantic | December 01, 23:10 CET

If out of the 40 something issues that will have been published by the end of the year, only one issue has been postponed I will be quite content. (Anyone remember Fray?)

Sure, it shouldn't have happened at all, but as long as its in a month with at least two other Buffyverse titles, I won't notice too much.

Allycat | December 02, 13:50 CET