Post by Emmie on Dec 22, 2009 19:59:15 GMT -5
Looks like we're getting a special Christmas present after all, SlayAlivers! Scott's very kindly offered to continue our tradition of having Q&A's on the issue release dates. I decided to start this one a day early to give everyone a heads up that we will be having our usual Q&A this month - so let's make this holiday session a great one!
Dark Horse Editor, Scott Allie, and writer of Exurbia and Solomon Kane is back for another Q&A to celebrate the release of Season 8's "Goddesses and Monsters", a oneshot featuring Willow written by Joss Whedon and penciled by Karl Moline.
In stores now.
Remember to please submit one question per post and do not submit another question till the pending one has been answered.
If you want to participate, but you're not interested in registering at this time, you can e-mail your questions to emmie@slayalive.com and I'll submit them for you with credit. Again, we'd really love people to actively join in, but I'm hoping to encourage any fan out there with a great question to feel free to share it.
If this is your first time participating in the Q&A, please take a look at past Q&A's as your question might have already been answered. Thanks!
The floor is now open!
1. Hellbound Hyperion: Are plans still in the make for one-shots in-between Meltzer's arc and Joss's arc? Is there any progress on that front as to story, possible fill-in artists if necessary, etc etc?
Scott Allie: There will be at least one oneshot between #35 and #36. It's the Wash oneshot that I think we've been talking about for a while. You guys know about that, right? We're gonna pop that in after #35, and then, depending on schedule, there might be another oneshot right after it. The schedule has been difficult.
2. Smashed: If the Willow one-shot sells well, is there any chance of her getting a spin-off series? Or any chance of ANY spin-off series?
Scott Allie: Still no plans for any spinoff series. I know you guys would like more, and I appreciate the interest, but our focus is really to just tell the stories Joss wants to tell. I've got ideas I'd like to do for spinoffs, but I don't want to do anything he doesn't have time to be work on himself.
3. Rebecca: Where are you in terms of S8 script completion?
Scott Allie: We are cutting it close! We just got #34 done! It's really close. Joss got buried in Dollhouse. It's hard for me to see ANY good in what Fox did with Dollhouse, but I do hope that it makes our schedule a little bit easier.
4. AndrewCrossett: There seems to be some confusion as to whether the Twilight reveal will take place in issue #33 or #34. In which issue will we definitively know who the man behind the mask is?
(I need to know which Wednesday to take a personal day from work... I'll need to be at the comic shop the moment the issue hits my pull box.)
Scott Allie: It's in #33. I think the only confusion is that we didn't put Twilight's face on the cover of #33—some people have decided that means that we don't show him until next issue. No, guys, just that we don't want to show him till we get to that page. And I read where someone said—as if they had any idea whatsoever—that the reveal will happen on the last page of the issue, and that you'll have to wait a month to see what it means. It will not; you will not. It happens pretty much dead center in the issue. You get to see the initial reaction, the fallout.
5. alexykrycek: In the Q&A column of TOYL Part 1, there's several questions about Marci Ross, who happens to be a word that rhymes with... Blinvisible and a possible return due to the military connection. Might this assassin make waves in the final few issues of season 8?
Scott Allie: Well, General Ross is her uncle, and he chases the Hulk to Tibet, and so Marci gets called in to ... well, to be invisible.
No. Marci Ross is not Twilight.
6. wenxina: I noticed that like in Fray, the colorist was switched at some point in S8. Between the two same people. Why did you decide to switch from Dave Stewart to Michelle Madsen in the middle of an on-going project? Was Dave only contracted for a certain number of issues (10, in the case of S8)?
Scott Allie: In both cases, Dave got busy with other things. With Fray, the schedule went so astray he just moved on to other things. Got busy, and when it was time to wrap things up, I hired someone else to do it. With Buffy, conversely, he didn't want to keep up with the monthly schedule. I work with Michelle on a lot of things, and almost everything I do is colored by one of the two of them. Michelle is actually a much bigger Buffy/Serenity/etc. fan.
7. bamph: Now that we're in the last stage of season 8,would you say your job as editor gets easier or harder as we enter the end game and how?
Scott Allie: Getting harder for a lot of reasons. Biggest is schedule. And keeping a secret that feels like it's swelling behind my eyeballs. But also, there are so many threads dangling in this thing, there's some effort in dealing with that.
8. wickedgoodwillow: During Jane's arc the removal of Willow's power has a greater potential consequence than that of the potential slayers losing their's. Does this mean that the future in which Willow is killed by Buffy has now been altered? By the way, the season has been amazing, no complaints!
Scott Allie: Thanks. Potentially. But you've still got ten issues to read, so god knows what can happen before this is over.
9. CourtneyDax: Is there an iota of a chance that Willow will break off her relationship with Kennedy, and possibly have Kennedy get together with Satsu?
Scott Allie: An iota, but I don't really see that happening.
10. Charles P.: According to Buffy, she said they (the slayers) and the faerie (or Fey, the woodland creatures) had signed some sort of agreement or treaty or what not back in the Living Doll issue.
Was that built on the foundation of the events of "The Chain" or something that occurs because of the battle in the woods with Dawn and Xander vs the Lizard creatures?
Scott Allie: Not sure, but I believe it predates all that.
11. AndrewCrossett: There's been a lot of puzzlement about the preview pages for #31, which show Buffy's friends free (and in possession of some of Twilight's wounded men) rather than prisoners, as shown at the end of #30. Will there be a flashback explaining this, or is something weirder going on?
Scott Allie: I think it'll make sense when you read #31. Some of her friends are prisoners, not all.
12. Hellbound Hyperion: Wash one-shot? Hm, I sorta forgot about that. But since you brought up Serenity, what's up with Book? Is his one-shot still on the docket, or is it once again lost to the ether?
Scott Allie: That will be a graphic novel later in the year. We're still working on the creative team, so not ready to really announce it yet.
13. bamph: I just got my copy of the Willow comic. I need to give the issue more time to think over, but I do want to ask what your thoughts were about Tara's appearance in the issue when Joss told you about it or when you found out and what are your thoughts on how it was handled?
Scott Allie: It's good to see her pop up in the story, to see how Willow feels about her, without forcing her in to the book in some bigger way to better appease fans. I personally felt that Tara was very much in the past for Willow—while fans don't like Kennedy, I think Willow really loves her, and Tara's been dead a while. So I see her appearance here as acknowledging the lingering wish to have her back, but saying that that time has passed.
14. Skytteflickan88: Do you know if Karl Moline has a official webpage?
Scott Allie: pretty sure he does not.
15. Emmie: "Goddesses and Monsters" was incredible entertainment, but the issue ends on a note of mystery - it feels more like the first installment of a mini-series, leaving questions unanswered. Will these mysteries bear fruit in the main story of Season 8 and perhaps even the upcoming Twilight arc?
Scott Allie: Well, in a way you could look at this as the first issue of Season 8, in that it does take place before the real #1. Will these mysteries bear fruit in the remaining issues of Twilight? Only a bit. But what was hinted at here, and what we've seen a little bit of through Season 8, will come back at you in Season 9.
16. Hellbound Hyperion: In a previous Q&A, questions were asked regarding Faith and the Scythe and whether or not they would play into S8's storyline. At the time (I think it was a Retreat Q&A, but I can't remember exactly) you gave the ol' "No spoilers" answer, so my question is this: is part of Season Eight's overarching story an expansion of the Slayer mythos, far beyond what has already been explained to this point?
Scott Allie: Absolutely.
17. Joe: In a previous question you said Willow and Oz appeared not captured in #31 preview was because not all of of Buffy's friends were captured by Twilight's army but at the end of #30, Willow was clearly with Dawn and Giles and the rest of the slayers being led away by the army.Was this an unfortunate error, or is there gonna be an explanation?
Scott Allie: I don't have the issues handy to check. There may have been a mistake, but wait and see #31, then let me know what you think.
18. Emmie: Any significant development for Kennedy on the horizon? (And just so you know, Season 8 has made a lot of people Kennedy/Willow fans largely because of Kennedy's portrayal in Time of Your Life - not everyone is against this pairing. Many feel it's the best and most enjoyable pairing of the entire season.) She seems shrouded in mystery, both her mystical death before Long Way Home Part I, and in what she does or doesn't know about Willow's connection with Aluwyn, Saga Vasuki. Will we see more development for her regarding these?
Scott Allie: Not really. Things are heating up so much right now that the only real character development, the only big changes, will be with the main characters.
19. AndrewCrossett: Did Buffy retrieve her Scythe after she woke up in the snow?
Scott Allie: She did not.
20. bamph: Actually, I've grown to really like Kennedy and Willow/Kennedy in season 8.In season 7, I didn't like or dislike Kennedy and was indifferent to the Willow/Kennedy pairing.Didn't care either way. Season 8 has pushed me over to being a Kennedy fan and really enjoying Willow's relationship with her. In a previous Q/A, I even asked why you thought more people have been warming to her now and the pairing and if there is something different in the way Joss is approaching Kennedy and the relationship this season. My next question though is about how much of what we saw in the Willow comic would of made it into season 8 if you hadn't asked Joss for this one-shot? Was this backstory for Willow in the issue always in Joss's season 8 cards and would it of shown up in some form in the monthly if there had not been a Willow comic?
Scott Allie: I think he would have found a way to fit some of it in, but I'm really glad he chose to write this one shot himself. If it didn't exist, or even if he had someone else write it (as I originally suggested), we wouldn't have seen this sort of thing. This backstory was always there, but it wasn't necessarily ever planned to be on the page, so to speak. This is the sort of thing I mean when sometimes I don't want to answer questions that maybe I could. There were questions about Aluwyn, back when you only knew her as Saga Vasuki, but I think it's better to let the questions linger, and then if the storytelling opportunity presents itself, it becomes something more than a couple details or statistics coughed up in a lettercol or blog. Obviously, the Willow oneshot leaves a lot unanswered. I don't think it'll be answered in Season 8, but I think it will be dealt with down the road.
21. stuffyireland: Has Georges signed on to pencil Buffy Season 9, and if not, what would a new artist have to do to get your attention?
Scott Allie: He has not, but we haven't had a conclusive conversation about it yet. He might be playing hard to get. You've seen how he dresses. A provocateur. That's what a prospective artist would need to do. Come up with a flashier style. Of dress.
22. VampSlayer: Every Buffy fan has a 'shipping'(couple) they favorite over others; So, do you have a favorite couple? Which ones do you like, and why?
Scott Allie: Xuffy. Because I my wish for Buffy is that someday she has a nice boring life in a small town, and I think her and Xander could do that really well, if they could put all the saving the world thing behind them.
23. wenxina: Hey Scott. Happy holidays and all that, and thanks for continuing to do this.
Nice of you to clarify a couple of things, like the Twilight reveal (just for the record, the confusion stemmed from the release of the solicitation for #33, which said "In this issue, Buffy finally confronts Twilight one on one, setting the stage for Twilight’s unmasking in Buffy #34!" Also, that's cool that we're getting a Wash one-shot. Firefly-fans will definitely be happy.
Now for the actual question: The other possible one-shot that you mentioned, would that be a Buffyverse one-shot? Since scheduling is tight at the moment, an extra one-shot would give you and everyone involved with the S8 production a little breathing room. Not much, but some.
Scott Allie: Yeah, sorry about that with the solicitation copy. I dunno how that happened. But I'm happy to set it right. And yes; my initial thought for another oneshot would be a Season 8 oneshot. This Wash thing is I think the first time I've broken stride to drop in something other than Season 8, but there is one other thing I'd like to do if I can line everything up just right. We shall see.
24. Hellbound Hyperion: Now that Dollhouse is almost complete (last day of filming was last week), do you think Joss will have a more intense focus on his arc, the final one in S8? I expect he's been quite busy between developing a sequel to Dr. Horrible, managing the development of Cabin in the Woods as it goes to 3-D, and filming Dollhouse almost weekly, so I'm guessing right now you don't hear from him too often, so I'm curious if you think he'll be 'heard' more in the area of comics now that he's siphoning off his TV duties.
Scott Allie: Absolutely. We've talked about that—during the summer we talked about how whenever Dollhouse did end, he'd have more time for me. So the timing is good. For us. I feel bad looking on the brightside of the cancellation. We need him to start writing that final arc for us.
25. neowhobaz: Would you consider Willow's soujourn a trip to the astral plane? or is it something more specific like to another dimension?
Scott Allie: I think Joss would probably say another dimension. A couple other dimensions.
26. collex: I was reading (again) the Buffy Omnibus last week and I was wondering: would non-Season 8 Buffy Story be possible? I'm thinking of something like adaptation of old episodes with Dawn added in, or maybe what-if comics (remember the Star Wars Infinities comics? Well, like that, but for Buff).
Scott Allie: We did that False Memories arc, which included bits with Dawn inserted into old scenes from the show. I like the idea of doing what you're talking about, but I don't know that there's a lot to add. I mean, I don't know that doing that would say a lot new about the characters or the world. If something came up that did give us that, I'd definitely be into it, because I personally find it fascinating that stuff we all saw happen on the show is different in the memories of all our characters. For them, Dawn would've really been there through pivotal scenes. When Angel was hanging outside Buffy's window, I betcha anything little sister Dawn would have known more about what was going on than Joyce did.
27. bamph: We've got the rest of season 8 to go and we already know that there will be a season 9.But do you see a day where Joss writes the last Buffy story and decides to more or less end the Buffyverse and specifically closes Buffy's story?And if that day comes,do you think he would bring in the Angel characters in a major way?And I don't necessarly mean just Angel and Spike either although they are naturally included.But some of the rest of that supporting cast as well such as Gunn,Connor,Illyria and that side of the Buffyverse which is usually off in its own little world?
Scott Allie: I was just talking to someone about that the other day. I don't know. I don't think so. Other guys I know who see an end for their character, tend to talk about that end. I haven't had those conversations with Joss. I imagine for Joss, her story is somewhat open ended. But yeah, I think if he were to do a big finish, he'd pull everything together. I personally love that stuff, would really enjoy it if we did that in Season 10, wrap the story up, give her the epic finale she deserves.
28. Sosa Lola: Will the break between #35 and #36 for the Wash One Shot be the only one? And will #41 be the last? Or you decided against it and you will end the season with #40?
Scott Allie: It's not much for me to decide which issue we end with, but Joss. At one point we were thinking Brad's arc would run an issue long, and that that would push the series to #41. Now it doesn't look like that'll happen, so Joss should end at #40. We are looking at the possibility of a two-month break between #35 & 36, to ease pressure on Joss and Georges, but we only wanna miss another month if we can find something good to put there.
29. AndrewCrossett: Way back in "Anywhere But Here," Robin the Minder tells Buffy and Willow that "the important thing is that you rescue the prince." That's still as obscure now as it was then. Does it refer to something that will indeed be important in season 8?
Scott Allie: There are a lot of things like that floating out there. I'm trying to make sure it all adds up. We're trying to be real careful. I don't think Joss has a spreadsheet someplace.
30. Smashed: Are the "elementals" that appear with Willow in LWH and "Goddeses and Monsters" supposed to represent different parts of Willow? And if they do, what exactly do they represent?
Scott Allie: They're external entities. They are, in fact, goddesses.
31. Hellbound Hyperion: Scott, how was working with Zack on Dr. Horrible? I imagine he operates on a different creative level than his brother. How are they different? And would you like to have Jed/Maurissa write something for you at some point? The Whedon family seems to have quite an eye for comics, as well as a love. Could make for some unique Dark Horse material.
Scott Allie: Great, but I haven't worked that much with Zack. I edited the first couple short stories, but Sierra took over, and did the oneshot entirely without me. I love his scripts, though. Terminator #1 reads great, and their plan for the first two arcs is terrific. I'd love to get Jed and Maurissa on board. I'm sure we will at some point. I've suggested them if we ever do anything with Dollhouse, of course. As for differences between Zack and Joss, their personalities couldn't be much more different. The main difference I'd point out in working with them is that Joss's sense of humor behind the scenes tends to be pretty over the top, and Zack is much more understated. But they're both real thorough in their scripts.
32. Sosa Lola: Since you're going to take a two months break after #35, how about another One Shot? There are so many fans who'd like to know how S8 started, maybe a prequel to S8; why/how did Buffy decide to rob a bank? Why did they choose a castle in Scotland as their hide place? Or maybe an introduction to the new Slayers: Satsu, Leah, Renee and Rowena, the first day they met Buffy, why did they decide to leave their normal lives and isolate themselves from the world for the greater good? Or maybe start right from Chosen, show us Buffy and Xander mourning Spike and Anya -so many fans would love that. (Personally, I'd really like a one shot issue about Satsu, Leah, Rowena and Renee's backgrounds and why they agreed to join the squad.)
Scott Allie: Yeah, maybe. Like I said, we MIGHT do a two-month break, and we'll probably only do it if we can come up with another good oneshot. I've thought of doing a Tales of the Slayers thing, but what I'd probably want to do, more than examine the girls you name, is to deal with other girls currently NOT in the series, and what their lives are like out there in other parts of the world. I think there'd be something to that.
33. Nixennacht: In case George Jeanty doesn't sign up for season 9, which artists would you, or would Joss consider to work on S9 with?
And if he does sign up which guest artists would you like to hire?
Scott Allie: We haven't started talking about who'll draw Season 9, but it's not good to talk about those things in public before talking to freelancers. I'd love to get Cassaday in to draw an issue, that'd be amazing. And maybe we'll get Jo to draw some more. And if Georges were not to draw the whole season, he'd definitely have to jump in for a fill in.
34. Smashed: What are the chances of Cliff Richards doing another issue? I love his work!
Scott Allie: this point in Season 8, probably not, but maybe in Season 9. I love his work too.
35. AndrewCrossett: Would you describe Joss's final arc as more of an emotional denoument to the season, or as a balls-to-the-wall white knuckle ride full of thrills and spills and amazing reversals? I'm leaning more toward the latter, myself.
Scott Allie: More of the latter.
36. Emmie: There seems to be a hierarchy in the other dimension(s) that Willow went to where she met with the Goddesses. The Elementals seem to be the most powerful. Where as Aluwyn, Saga Vasuki, seems to be underneath them. Did Joss talk about this world he was creating and could you answer this: would she be considered a minor goddess, but still a goddess in her own right? And is this dimension of goddesses only accessible by women - both goddesses and witches (not warlocks)?
Scott Allie: Joss is pretty loose about that sort of thing. Frankly, I'm always turned off by comics pitches that spell out elaborate mythologies. Usually means they don't have a proper focus on character. Joss focuses on character. So those goddesses and other spirits have various levels of power, but they don't have rankings and all that. We didn't talk about the sort of mythological aspects you're asking about.
Dark Horse Editor, Scott Allie, and writer of Exurbia and Solomon Kane is back for another Q&A to celebrate the release of Season 8's "Goddesses and Monsters", a oneshot featuring Willow written by Joss Whedon and penciled by Karl Moline.
In stores now.
Remember to please submit one question per post and do not submit another question till the pending one has been answered.
If you want to participate, but you're not interested in registering at this time, you can e-mail your questions to emmie@slayalive.com and I'll submit them for you with credit. Again, we'd really love people to actively join in, but I'm hoping to encourage any fan out there with a great question to feel free to share it.
If this is your first time participating in the Q&A, please take a look at past Q&A's as your question might have already been answered. Thanks!
The floor is now open!
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. Hellbound Hyperion: Are plans still in the make for one-shots in-between Meltzer's arc and Joss's arc? Is there any progress on that front as to story, possible fill-in artists if necessary, etc etc?
Scott Allie: There will be at least one oneshot between #35 and #36. It's the Wash oneshot that I think we've been talking about for a while. You guys know about that, right? We're gonna pop that in after #35, and then, depending on schedule, there might be another oneshot right after it. The schedule has been difficult.
2. Smashed: If the Willow one-shot sells well, is there any chance of her getting a spin-off series? Or any chance of ANY spin-off series?
Scott Allie: Still no plans for any spinoff series. I know you guys would like more, and I appreciate the interest, but our focus is really to just tell the stories Joss wants to tell. I've got ideas I'd like to do for spinoffs, but I don't want to do anything he doesn't have time to be work on himself.
3. Rebecca: Where are you in terms of S8 script completion?
Scott Allie: We are cutting it close! We just got #34 done! It's really close. Joss got buried in Dollhouse. It's hard for me to see ANY good in what Fox did with Dollhouse, but I do hope that it makes our schedule a little bit easier.
4. AndrewCrossett: There seems to be some confusion as to whether the Twilight reveal will take place in issue #33 or #34. In which issue will we definitively know who the man behind the mask is?
(I need to know which Wednesday to take a personal day from work... I'll need to be at the comic shop the moment the issue hits my pull box.)
Scott Allie: It's in #33. I think the only confusion is that we didn't put Twilight's face on the cover of #33—some people have decided that means that we don't show him until next issue. No, guys, just that we don't want to show him till we get to that page. And I read where someone said—as if they had any idea whatsoever—that the reveal will happen on the last page of the issue, and that you'll have to wait a month to see what it means. It will not; you will not. It happens pretty much dead center in the issue. You get to see the initial reaction, the fallout.
5. alexykrycek: In the Q&A column of TOYL Part 1, there's several questions about Marci Ross, who happens to be a word that rhymes with... Blinvisible and a possible return due to the military connection. Might this assassin make waves in the final few issues of season 8?
Scott Allie: Well, General Ross is her uncle, and he chases the Hulk to Tibet, and so Marci gets called in to ... well, to be invisible.
No. Marci Ross is not Twilight.
6. wenxina: I noticed that like in Fray, the colorist was switched at some point in S8. Between the two same people. Why did you decide to switch from Dave Stewart to Michelle Madsen in the middle of an on-going project? Was Dave only contracted for a certain number of issues (10, in the case of S8)?
Scott Allie: In both cases, Dave got busy with other things. With Fray, the schedule went so astray he just moved on to other things. Got busy, and when it was time to wrap things up, I hired someone else to do it. With Buffy, conversely, he didn't want to keep up with the monthly schedule. I work with Michelle on a lot of things, and almost everything I do is colored by one of the two of them. Michelle is actually a much bigger Buffy/Serenity/etc. fan.
7. bamph: Now that we're in the last stage of season 8,would you say your job as editor gets easier or harder as we enter the end game and how?
Scott Allie: Getting harder for a lot of reasons. Biggest is schedule. And keeping a secret that feels like it's swelling behind my eyeballs. But also, there are so many threads dangling in this thing, there's some effort in dealing with that.
8. wickedgoodwillow: During Jane's arc the removal of Willow's power has a greater potential consequence than that of the potential slayers losing their's. Does this mean that the future in which Willow is killed by Buffy has now been altered? By the way, the season has been amazing, no complaints!
Scott Allie: Thanks. Potentially. But you've still got ten issues to read, so god knows what can happen before this is over.
9. CourtneyDax: Is there an iota of a chance that Willow will break off her relationship with Kennedy, and possibly have Kennedy get together with Satsu?
Scott Allie: An iota, but I don't really see that happening.
10. Charles P.: According to Buffy, she said they (the slayers) and the faerie (or Fey, the woodland creatures) had signed some sort of agreement or treaty or what not back in the Living Doll issue.
Was that built on the foundation of the events of "The Chain" or something that occurs because of the battle in the woods with Dawn and Xander vs the Lizard creatures?
Scott Allie: Not sure, but I believe it predates all that.
11. AndrewCrossett: There's been a lot of puzzlement about the preview pages for #31, which show Buffy's friends free (and in possession of some of Twilight's wounded men) rather than prisoners, as shown at the end of #30. Will there be a flashback explaining this, or is something weirder going on?
Scott Allie: I think it'll make sense when you read #31. Some of her friends are prisoners, not all.
12. Hellbound Hyperion: Wash one-shot? Hm, I sorta forgot about that. But since you brought up Serenity, what's up with Book? Is his one-shot still on the docket, or is it once again lost to the ether?
Scott Allie: That will be a graphic novel later in the year. We're still working on the creative team, so not ready to really announce it yet.
13. bamph: I just got my copy of the Willow comic. I need to give the issue more time to think over, but I do want to ask what your thoughts were about Tara's appearance in the issue when Joss told you about it or when you found out and what are your thoughts on how it was handled?
Scott Allie: It's good to see her pop up in the story, to see how Willow feels about her, without forcing her in to the book in some bigger way to better appease fans. I personally felt that Tara was very much in the past for Willow—while fans don't like Kennedy, I think Willow really loves her, and Tara's been dead a while. So I see her appearance here as acknowledging the lingering wish to have her back, but saying that that time has passed.
14. Skytteflickan88: Do you know if Karl Moline has a official webpage?
Scott Allie: pretty sure he does not.
15. Emmie: "Goddesses and Monsters" was incredible entertainment, but the issue ends on a note of mystery - it feels more like the first installment of a mini-series, leaving questions unanswered. Will these mysteries bear fruit in the main story of Season 8 and perhaps even the upcoming Twilight arc?
Scott Allie: Well, in a way you could look at this as the first issue of Season 8, in that it does take place before the real #1. Will these mysteries bear fruit in the remaining issues of Twilight? Only a bit. But what was hinted at here, and what we've seen a little bit of through Season 8, will come back at you in Season 9.
16. Hellbound Hyperion: In a previous Q&A, questions were asked regarding Faith and the Scythe and whether or not they would play into S8's storyline. At the time (I think it was a Retreat Q&A, but I can't remember exactly) you gave the ol' "No spoilers" answer, so my question is this: is part of Season Eight's overarching story an expansion of the Slayer mythos, far beyond what has already been explained to this point?
Scott Allie: Absolutely.
17. Joe: In a previous question you said Willow and Oz appeared not captured in #31 preview was because not all of of Buffy's friends were captured by Twilight's army but at the end of #30, Willow was clearly with Dawn and Giles and the rest of the slayers being led away by the army.Was this an unfortunate error, or is there gonna be an explanation?
Scott Allie: I don't have the issues handy to check. There may have been a mistake, but wait and see #31, then let me know what you think.
18. Emmie: Any significant development for Kennedy on the horizon? (And just so you know, Season 8 has made a lot of people Kennedy/Willow fans largely because of Kennedy's portrayal in Time of Your Life - not everyone is against this pairing. Many feel it's the best and most enjoyable pairing of the entire season.) She seems shrouded in mystery, both her mystical death before Long Way Home Part I, and in what she does or doesn't know about Willow's connection with Aluwyn, Saga Vasuki. Will we see more development for her regarding these?
Scott Allie: Not really. Things are heating up so much right now that the only real character development, the only big changes, will be with the main characters.
19. AndrewCrossett: Did Buffy retrieve her Scythe after she woke up in the snow?
Scott Allie: She did not.
20. bamph: Actually, I've grown to really like Kennedy and Willow/Kennedy in season 8.In season 7, I didn't like or dislike Kennedy and was indifferent to the Willow/Kennedy pairing.Didn't care either way. Season 8 has pushed me over to being a Kennedy fan and really enjoying Willow's relationship with her. In a previous Q/A, I even asked why you thought more people have been warming to her now and the pairing and if there is something different in the way Joss is approaching Kennedy and the relationship this season. My next question though is about how much of what we saw in the Willow comic would of made it into season 8 if you hadn't asked Joss for this one-shot? Was this backstory for Willow in the issue always in Joss's season 8 cards and would it of shown up in some form in the monthly if there had not been a Willow comic?
Scott Allie: I think he would have found a way to fit some of it in, but I'm really glad he chose to write this one shot himself. If it didn't exist, or even if he had someone else write it (as I originally suggested), we wouldn't have seen this sort of thing. This backstory was always there, but it wasn't necessarily ever planned to be on the page, so to speak. This is the sort of thing I mean when sometimes I don't want to answer questions that maybe I could. There were questions about Aluwyn, back when you only knew her as Saga Vasuki, but I think it's better to let the questions linger, and then if the storytelling opportunity presents itself, it becomes something more than a couple details or statistics coughed up in a lettercol or blog. Obviously, the Willow oneshot leaves a lot unanswered. I don't think it'll be answered in Season 8, but I think it will be dealt with down the road.
21. stuffyireland: Has Georges signed on to pencil Buffy Season 9, and if not, what would a new artist have to do to get your attention?
Scott Allie: He has not, but we haven't had a conclusive conversation about it yet. He might be playing hard to get. You've seen how he dresses. A provocateur. That's what a prospective artist would need to do. Come up with a flashier style. Of dress.
22. VampSlayer: Every Buffy fan has a 'shipping'(couple) they favorite over others; So, do you have a favorite couple? Which ones do you like, and why?
Scott Allie: Xuffy. Because I my wish for Buffy is that someday she has a nice boring life in a small town, and I think her and Xander could do that really well, if they could put all the saving the world thing behind them.
23. wenxina: Hey Scott. Happy holidays and all that, and thanks for continuing to do this.
Nice of you to clarify a couple of things, like the Twilight reveal (just for the record, the confusion stemmed from the release of the solicitation for #33, which said "In this issue, Buffy finally confronts Twilight one on one, setting the stage for Twilight’s unmasking in Buffy #34!" Also, that's cool that we're getting a Wash one-shot. Firefly-fans will definitely be happy.
Now for the actual question: The other possible one-shot that you mentioned, would that be a Buffyverse one-shot? Since scheduling is tight at the moment, an extra one-shot would give you and everyone involved with the S8 production a little breathing room. Not much, but some.
Scott Allie: Yeah, sorry about that with the solicitation copy. I dunno how that happened. But I'm happy to set it right. And yes; my initial thought for another oneshot would be a Season 8 oneshot. This Wash thing is I think the first time I've broken stride to drop in something other than Season 8, but there is one other thing I'd like to do if I can line everything up just right. We shall see.
24. Hellbound Hyperion: Now that Dollhouse is almost complete (last day of filming was last week), do you think Joss will have a more intense focus on his arc, the final one in S8? I expect he's been quite busy between developing a sequel to Dr. Horrible, managing the development of Cabin in the Woods as it goes to 3-D, and filming Dollhouse almost weekly, so I'm guessing right now you don't hear from him too often, so I'm curious if you think he'll be 'heard' more in the area of comics now that he's siphoning off his TV duties.
Scott Allie: Absolutely. We've talked about that—during the summer we talked about how whenever Dollhouse did end, he'd have more time for me. So the timing is good. For us. I feel bad looking on the brightside of the cancellation. We need him to start writing that final arc for us.
25. neowhobaz: Would you consider Willow's soujourn a trip to the astral plane? or is it something more specific like to another dimension?
Scott Allie: I think Joss would probably say another dimension. A couple other dimensions.
26. collex: I was reading (again) the Buffy Omnibus last week and I was wondering: would non-Season 8 Buffy Story be possible? I'm thinking of something like adaptation of old episodes with Dawn added in, or maybe what-if comics (remember the Star Wars Infinities comics? Well, like that, but for Buff).
Scott Allie: We did that False Memories arc, which included bits with Dawn inserted into old scenes from the show. I like the idea of doing what you're talking about, but I don't know that there's a lot to add. I mean, I don't know that doing that would say a lot new about the characters or the world. If something came up that did give us that, I'd definitely be into it, because I personally find it fascinating that stuff we all saw happen on the show is different in the memories of all our characters. For them, Dawn would've really been there through pivotal scenes. When Angel was hanging outside Buffy's window, I betcha anything little sister Dawn would have known more about what was going on than Joyce did.
27. bamph: We've got the rest of season 8 to go and we already know that there will be a season 9.But do you see a day where Joss writes the last Buffy story and decides to more or less end the Buffyverse and specifically closes Buffy's story?And if that day comes,do you think he would bring in the Angel characters in a major way?And I don't necessarly mean just Angel and Spike either although they are naturally included.But some of the rest of that supporting cast as well such as Gunn,Connor,Illyria and that side of the Buffyverse which is usually off in its own little world?
Scott Allie: I was just talking to someone about that the other day. I don't know. I don't think so. Other guys I know who see an end for their character, tend to talk about that end. I haven't had those conversations with Joss. I imagine for Joss, her story is somewhat open ended. But yeah, I think if he were to do a big finish, he'd pull everything together. I personally love that stuff, would really enjoy it if we did that in Season 10, wrap the story up, give her the epic finale she deserves.
28. Sosa Lola: Will the break between #35 and #36 for the Wash One Shot be the only one? And will #41 be the last? Or you decided against it and you will end the season with #40?
Scott Allie: It's not much for me to decide which issue we end with, but Joss. At one point we were thinking Brad's arc would run an issue long, and that that would push the series to #41. Now it doesn't look like that'll happen, so Joss should end at #40. We are looking at the possibility of a two-month break between #35 & 36, to ease pressure on Joss and Georges, but we only wanna miss another month if we can find something good to put there.
29. AndrewCrossett: Way back in "Anywhere But Here," Robin the Minder tells Buffy and Willow that "the important thing is that you rescue the prince." That's still as obscure now as it was then. Does it refer to something that will indeed be important in season 8?
Scott Allie: There are a lot of things like that floating out there. I'm trying to make sure it all adds up. We're trying to be real careful. I don't think Joss has a spreadsheet someplace.
30. Smashed: Are the "elementals" that appear with Willow in LWH and "Goddeses and Monsters" supposed to represent different parts of Willow? And if they do, what exactly do they represent?
Scott Allie: They're external entities. They are, in fact, goddesses.
31. Hellbound Hyperion: Scott, how was working with Zack on Dr. Horrible? I imagine he operates on a different creative level than his brother. How are they different? And would you like to have Jed/Maurissa write something for you at some point? The Whedon family seems to have quite an eye for comics, as well as a love. Could make for some unique Dark Horse material.
Scott Allie: Great, but I haven't worked that much with Zack. I edited the first couple short stories, but Sierra took over, and did the oneshot entirely without me. I love his scripts, though. Terminator #1 reads great, and their plan for the first two arcs is terrific. I'd love to get Jed and Maurissa on board. I'm sure we will at some point. I've suggested them if we ever do anything with Dollhouse, of course. As for differences between Zack and Joss, their personalities couldn't be much more different. The main difference I'd point out in working with them is that Joss's sense of humor behind the scenes tends to be pretty over the top, and Zack is much more understated. But they're both real thorough in their scripts.
32. Sosa Lola: Since you're going to take a two months break after #35, how about another One Shot? There are so many fans who'd like to know how S8 started, maybe a prequel to S8; why/how did Buffy decide to rob a bank? Why did they choose a castle in Scotland as their hide place? Or maybe an introduction to the new Slayers: Satsu, Leah, Renee and Rowena, the first day they met Buffy, why did they decide to leave their normal lives and isolate themselves from the world for the greater good? Or maybe start right from Chosen, show us Buffy and Xander mourning Spike and Anya -so many fans would love that. (Personally, I'd really like a one shot issue about Satsu, Leah, Rowena and Renee's backgrounds and why they agreed to join the squad.)
Scott Allie: Yeah, maybe. Like I said, we MIGHT do a two-month break, and we'll probably only do it if we can come up with another good oneshot. I've thought of doing a Tales of the Slayers thing, but what I'd probably want to do, more than examine the girls you name, is to deal with other girls currently NOT in the series, and what their lives are like out there in other parts of the world. I think there'd be something to that.
33. Nixennacht: In case George Jeanty doesn't sign up for season 9, which artists would you, or would Joss consider to work on S9 with?
And if he does sign up which guest artists would you like to hire?
Scott Allie: We haven't started talking about who'll draw Season 9, but it's not good to talk about those things in public before talking to freelancers. I'd love to get Cassaday in to draw an issue, that'd be amazing. And maybe we'll get Jo to draw some more. And if Georges were not to draw the whole season, he'd definitely have to jump in for a fill in.
34. Smashed: What are the chances of Cliff Richards doing another issue? I love his work!
Scott Allie: this point in Season 8, probably not, but maybe in Season 9. I love his work too.
35. AndrewCrossett: Would you describe Joss's final arc as more of an emotional denoument to the season, or as a balls-to-the-wall white knuckle ride full of thrills and spills and amazing reversals? I'm leaning more toward the latter, myself.
Scott Allie: More of the latter.
36. Emmie: There seems to be a hierarchy in the other dimension(s) that Willow went to where she met with the Goddesses. The Elementals seem to be the most powerful. Where as Aluwyn, Saga Vasuki, seems to be underneath them. Did Joss talk about this world he was creating and could you answer this: would she be considered a minor goddess, but still a goddess in her own right? And is this dimension of goddesses only accessible by women - both goddesses and witches (not warlocks)?
Scott Allie: Joss is pretty loose about that sort of thing. Frankly, I'm always turned off by comics pitches that spell out elaborate mythologies. Usually means they don't have a proper focus on character. Joss focuses on character. So those goddesses and other spirits have various levels of power, but they don't have rankings and all that. We didn't talk about the sort of mythological aspects you're asking about.
~Finis~
