Post by Emmie on Apr 1, 2009 12:22:46 GMT -5
Hello Buffy comic fans! Dark Horse Editor, Scott Allie, is back for another Q&A to celebrate the release of Buffy Season 8 #24 Safe written by Jim Krueger and penciled by Cliff Richards.
Remember to please submit one question per post and do not submit another question til the pending one has been answered.
Also, Scott will probably not be giving away spoilers so keep that in mind when you're posting - please try to avoid asking spoiler-filled questions. The Q&A will last as long as it's fruitful, so let's make it a great one. Feel free to join in and if you're not a member yet, this is a great time to join and submit a question. Everyone is welcome.
If you want to participate but you're not interested in registering at this time, you can e-mail me your questions at 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 the past Q&A's as your question might have already been answered. Thanks!
1. Emmie: Has there been any discussion of potential writers/artists/plans for Season 9? Anything you could share?
Scott Allie: Nothing yet, sorry ...
2. patxshand: Can you give us any information on the Joss Whedon/Jo Chen story that was said to be appearing in an upcoming Dark Horse Myspace Presents?
Scott Allie: That hasn't been scripted yet, so no news, but Joss did say he'd be jumping on it soon.
3. bamph: Since we are past the halfway point,are plans firmed up for the back half of season 8 now such as how many issues the remaining arcs will be, anymore potential one shot stories in the season and whether Joss will actually be able to write the last arc himself?
Scott Allie: Plans are pretty final, but not completely, not ready to announce new info. The plan is forty issues, Joss on the last arc, Brad Meltzer on the second to last, but some details remain to be ironed out. There may be a oneshot in there.
4. skytteflickan88: The Harmony-add that was in a few non-Buffy issues, can I upload them to my blog to show people, or is that illegal or frowned upon?
Scott Allie: It's frowned upon. I could go on, but you probably don't wanna hear it.
5. Tyler "tiewashere": Will the events shown at the end of #24 play a part in the overall arc? Or it will it not be referenced again?
Scott Allie: You mean the fight for the village? Won't be referenced again. Faith and Giles's next move is what matters.
6. AndrewCrossett: Will we again be seeing, or hearing anything about, that odd group of goddesses/spirits that Willow's consciousness took refuge with while she was being tortured by Warren?
Scott Allie: No spoiler ...
7. tiewashere: Can a Buffy issue ever go over 22 pages? I know they've added one or two pages before, but I mean something like 28? I'm currently reading Watchmen and every issue is 28 pages so I was just wondering. And yes, it was all done by the same artist throughout the 13 issue story. If the pages WERE added, would it raise the price of the comic?
Scott Allie: Buffy Season Eight issues have been as long as 25 pages, I think, without raising the price. If we were regularly doing 28 pages per issue—raising our costs approximately 25%—I'd probably have to raise the price. There's market pressure to raise the price as it is. Watchmen was priced higher than regular comics at the time. Our stories are conceived as 22 pages, but sometimes they need more room. Watchmen was conceived from the get go to be longer, with the extras. And yes, Watchmen was actually twelve issues, and those were drawn over a period of about two years, meaning an average of less than 20 pages a month. Regardless of page count, I don't think Joss would argue that Alan crammed a lot more story in an issue of Watchmen than we do in an issue of Buffy. Different comic, storytelling style, different game plan. We want the book to come out monthly; fans have indicated that that's not frequent enough, so we certainly don't want to drift from that. Page count directly affects Georges' ability to get the book out monthly, so going as high as 28 would pose a couple problems.
8. trunkstheslayer: Any update on the 'Sheperd's Tale' story in the way of it either progressing or being nixed? I'm assuming the latter, given Joss's currently insane workload.
Scott Allie: Not nixed. We were just talking about it the other day. Still waiting on an outline, which Joss has written in his head, so he just has to find the time to get it written on paper. Or, you know ... screen.
9. buffycomic: Any further talk of a Buffy Animated comic series similar to the Star Wars animated comic Dark Horse did?
Also, be it in Season Eight or Season Nine, please consider bringing back Brian Horton, his covers with Paul Lee for the Buffy Omnibuses were not enough!!
Scott Allie: Yes, still trying to work it out. I hope to talk to some freelancers about it at Emerald City in Seattle this weekend. I'd love to bring Brian back, like we did Paul Lee. I love their work. He doesn't have time for a whole comic, though, and Jo and Georges have dibs on the covers. If Jo needs another break, I'd definitely consider Brian.
10. sosa lola: Are the slayers isolated completely from the outside world? I mean, did they ditch school/their families for Buffy, or do they still have a life outside of the castle/Buffy's organization?
Scott Allie: The ones with Buffy in Scotland ditched everything for now. But there are a lot of potentials who aren't in cells, and still living their lives. See Tales of the Vampires in June, for more on that.
11. Skytteflickan88: Other than The Final Cut and a line or two in Season 8, what other Buffy/Angel single comics have been re-made(coloring, misspelling, etcetc) when they've been re-printed for the tradepaperbacks and omnibuses?
Scott Allie: I really don't remember. We don't do it that often, but if something didn't work, you try to fix it. It's happened a few times. I supposed there'd be market value to drawing attention to it, but who has the time. There was one thing in The Long Way Home, where Dawn stomped on Amy—compare that, between the comic and the trade. Andy misread something in the inks, and it was a tricky job to fix it, but in the trade, it's how Joss wanted it to read.
12. AndrewCrossett: At the end of #20, after Buffy wakes up from her dream, Willow mentions to her how Andrew had to run off to Spain AGAIN to deal with a vamp nest that was bigger than expected, AGAIN. Buffy responds, "Why do you keep saying AGAIN?"
This seems odd, because Buffy should remember the first time this happened (at the beginning of #1), but Willow shouldn't, because she hadn't arrived yet. Could this be a hint that Buffy's time-travelling has caused subtle changes to the timeline?
Scott Allie: It's not. Buffy does remember it, Willow was told about the earlier event, and Buffy's just commenting on the way Will's speaking, not questioning the fact that it happened before.
13. bamph: Courtney,introduced in this weeks issue,seems like an interesting new supporting character that Faith could mentor.Will we be seeing her again in season 8 in upcoming issues or was she just a one-shot character for Safe?
Scott Allie: I don't think we'll see her again. She's staying where they were, not going with Giles and Faith, whose next stop is Berlin.
14. Just Willow: Is there any chance of Kennedy dying? Or at very, very least, breaking her up with Willow?
Scott Allie: We all die eventually.
15. Nicholas: Is there a reason as to why Faith and Giles didnt really get that much character development in 24 or will this be explained later on in S8?
Scott Allie: No, it was just a real plot driven story, not a lot of growth for them there. We just wanted to check in with them, and show the plight of Slayers worldwide, before bringing them back into the main action in the next arc.
16. parabola: The expanded letter column was a good read ... I think it nicely covered the spectrum of opinions after Buffy & Satsu's hookup in issue #12, and it was interesting to revisit. After more than a year, are you still getting many comments/questions about this turn of events from fans & the media?
Scott Allie: Fans, yes, media, no. The fans still have strong reactions to it, but the media have moved on to the next story.
17. Tyler "tiewashere": When will we see the cover for "Retreat"?
Scott Allie: Pretty soon. I'll try to get it up on the Jo Chen DH gallery.
18. wenxina: In a recent Q&A with Jeanty, cheryl asked what he anticipated would be the fan reaction to Twilight's identity when it was finally revealed. Georges said: "Shock. Surprise. Panic. Anger. Shame. Delight. Disbelief. Take your pick (I’m not kidding)."
Do you agree with his assessment? Or is there anything you'd change in the list?
Scott Allie: I dunno, "Economy" seems to be a pretty consistent buzzword, so I'll try that.
19. skippcomet: Between this five issue series of one-offs and the upcoming five-parter reintroducing Oz, it seems like this year's worth of Season Eight is made up of writers focusing too much on secondary and recurring characters and neglecting the main trio of Buffy, Willow, and Xander. I understand that it's Buffy's comic, and the return of Oz will no doubt have some spotlight on Willow as well, but I'm wondering exactly how long we have to wait for some actual focus on Xander that is actually, well, about Xander and not some other character.
Scott Allie: You're talking about six comics you haven't read yet. A few of the one shots got pretty far from the main characters, but the next arc brings it right back. As I've said every time, it doesn't follow Oz the way No Future for You followed Faith.
20. Skytteflickan88: The short prologue to Haunted, will it be included in Omnibus 7?
Scott Allie: I don't remember. We talked about maybe not including it for various reasons, and I can't remember what we decided. So, funny you should ask. Sorry, I'm in a hotel room in Seattle for Emerald City Comic Con, and I can't check.
21. AndrewCrossett: In "Safe," when Faith rams her crossbow into the Regret Demon's head, it seems to explode in a huge fireball that can be seen from outside of town, yet Faith isn't harmed at all by this. What caused it to explode and how did Faith escape being burned? (Maybe that was just "demonic essence" or something and not actual fire?)
Scott Allie: Yeah, not actual fire, more energy. And Faith's from Boston, so she's impervious.
22. bamph: When Giles and Fillworthe are talking in the new issue,it is mentioned by Fillworthe that he and Giles are the only remaing two members of the Watchers Council left.But Wesley's father Roger Wyndam-Price was shown as being alive in the last season of Angel.Wesley called and spoke to him to make sure he was okay at the end of the episode, Lineage after encountering the fake cyborg Roger.So was this just a continuity flub in the issue,are Fillworthe and Giles unaware that another Watcher in Roger Wyndam-Price is still alive or is Roger considered retired from the Council and so is not considered a member anymore?
Scott Allie: Fillworthe meant active Watchers.
23. marcos.damata: Are the hardcovers only coming out once the season is over?? Are there any plans to make it one big huge book (hope not, too heavy to carry), and could we expect something deluxed extra-sized, like the Hellboy Library (please say yesss)?
Scott Allie: I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Getting close to settling on a format, but it'll be a while yet. And all I can say for sure at the moment is that the hardcovers will contain more than one trade paperback, but no single hardcover could hold all eight trades. I'm trying to decide between two 20-issue collections, or four 10-issue volumes.
24. cheryl: I noticed that Faith called Giles "G" in the comic and in the live series this is something that Xander called Giles, not Faith. It would be the same with Xander using Faith's famous phrase "5x5" earlier in the comics. Is this intentional or are the writers getting mixed up on who said what, in the live series?
In short, the 5x5 phrase is part of Faith's story, not Xanders. The "G" reference for Giles belongs to Xander, rather than Faith. There are more examples of this happening but I hope you get my point. Why the switch up?
Scott Allie: I'm sorry, still at the convention, and don't remember all of this well enough to answer thoroughly. Faith calling Giles "G" just sounds so right I never would have caught it as "wrong." Apparently neither did Joss. I don't specifically remember the Xander "5x5" comment, but I'd assume it was in a somewhat ironic context, no?
25. AndrewCrossett: Can you give us any information on the groups that are providing the Slayers with the legitimate part of their funding? Are they well-informed enough to stay loyal to Buffy and her girls during this time of bad publicity?
Scott Allie: Things are falling apart rapidly for the Slayers.
26. marcos.damata: I don't know if it's too much off-topic here, but is Joss still involved with Angel comics? After the Fall was obviously canon, since Joss was plotting it. But in Aftermath, it doesn't seem to have any Joss input in there. In case Angel/Spike comes to guest in Season 8 (or 9), will the events of Aftermath be considered (that is, assuming that the events of Angel After the Fall and Spike After the Fall will)?
Scott Allie: Not for me to say how involved Joss is with Angel anymore, or whether or not the new story is canon. Chris Ryall and I were writing back and forth this weekend while I'm at this convention, talking about the practicality of keeping our storylines separate. I think canon is something we'll only all be able to really understand in hindsight, as we pursue our separate storylines.
27. sosa lola: Will we get a scene where the core four (Buffy, Xander, Willow, and Giles) share one panel together? One whole scene with only those four in it? 'Cause I miss them all together so much.
Scott Allie: Can't say. You'll see them all together again soon, but I can't recall if there's a scene of JUST the four of them. But they get very much involved in each other's lives again.
28. parabola: In my nerdiest, detail-obsessed voice: when Willow & Tara - Wilderness was released, the inside cover said it took place *during* Season 6. In Omnibus 7, the table of contents (according to scan on Amazon) shows it placed before Buffy's resurrection. Just wondering if this updated timeline placement was indeed intentional? (not that it's really important, but I'm a curious person!)
Scott Allie: When we were putting together the Omnibuses, it was tough figuring out the sequence of stories that would make the most sense and read the best. The Willow Tara stories were particularly difficult. When I did the comics in the first place, it made sense to put that one simply sometime during Season 6, but that didn't address how it related to the other comics. In putting together the Omnibus, we felt it added some drama to show the characters living their lives without Buffy around. We didn't see anything IN the stories that contradicted that notion; we didn't take the inside cover into account, but I think that's okay.
29. snizapman6294: Can you give us any hint as to what the Brad Meltzer arc is called or who it centers around?
Scott Allie: We haven't discussed a title yet at all. It'll focus on the main cast, Buffy generally.
30. trunkstheslayer: Since we have the title for 26 (Retreat) I've got a dual-question: Assuming that's an issue title and not the name of the whole arc, can we have 27's title? Or is it actually the arc's title?
Scott Allie: Retreat is the arc. Every actual arc has had a single title, and that's this one. Retreat Parts 1 - 5.
Thanks, gang! #25 at the beginning of May—I had dinner with Georges and Becky and Vasilis tonight up here in Seattle, talked a lot about the series, and Becky and V. explained to Georges what their one shot is all about. We had a great time, even though the wait staff at Von's at the Roosevelt hotel kept throw things at us. Becky said: "It's like a friggin' water park in here!" Beware, when in Seattle!
Scott
Remember to please submit one question per post and do not submit another question til the pending one has been answered.
Also, Scott will probably not be giving away spoilers so keep that in mind when you're posting - please try to avoid asking spoiler-filled questions. The Q&A will last as long as it's fruitful, so let's make it a great one. Feel free to join in and if you're not a member yet, this is a great time to join and submit a question. Everyone is welcome.
If you want to participate but you're not interested in registering at this time, you can e-mail me your questions at 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 the past Q&A's as your question might have already been answered. Thanks!
1. Emmie: Has there been any discussion of potential writers/artists/plans for Season 9? Anything you could share?
Scott Allie: Nothing yet, sorry ...
2. patxshand: Can you give us any information on the Joss Whedon/Jo Chen story that was said to be appearing in an upcoming Dark Horse Myspace Presents?
Scott Allie: That hasn't been scripted yet, so no news, but Joss did say he'd be jumping on it soon.
3. bamph: Since we are past the halfway point,are plans firmed up for the back half of season 8 now such as how many issues the remaining arcs will be, anymore potential one shot stories in the season and whether Joss will actually be able to write the last arc himself?
Scott Allie: Plans are pretty final, but not completely, not ready to announce new info. The plan is forty issues, Joss on the last arc, Brad Meltzer on the second to last, but some details remain to be ironed out. There may be a oneshot in there.
4. skytteflickan88: The Harmony-add that was in a few non-Buffy issues, can I upload them to my blog to show people, or is that illegal or frowned upon?
Scott Allie: It's frowned upon. I could go on, but you probably don't wanna hear it.
5. Tyler "tiewashere": Will the events shown at the end of #24 play a part in the overall arc? Or it will it not be referenced again?
Scott Allie: You mean the fight for the village? Won't be referenced again. Faith and Giles's next move is what matters.
6. AndrewCrossett: Will we again be seeing, or hearing anything about, that odd group of goddesses/spirits that Willow's consciousness took refuge with while she was being tortured by Warren?
Scott Allie: No spoiler ...
7. tiewashere: Can a Buffy issue ever go over 22 pages? I know they've added one or two pages before, but I mean something like 28? I'm currently reading Watchmen and every issue is 28 pages so I was just wondering. And yes, it was all done by the same artist throughout the 13 issue story. If the pages WERE added, would it raise the price of the comic?
Scott Allie: Buffy Season Eight issues have been as long as 25 pages, I think, without raising the price. If we were regularly doing 28 pages per issue—raising our costs approximately 25%—I'd probably have to raise the price. There's market pressure to raise the price as it is. Watchmen was priced higher than regular comics at the time. Our stories are conceived as 22 pages, but sometimes they need more room. Watchmen was conceived from the get go to be longer, with the extras. And yes, Watchmen was actually twelve issues, and those were drawn over a period of about two years, meaning an average of less than 20 pages a month. Regardless of page count, I don't think Joss would argue that Alan crammed a lot more story in an issue of Watchmen than we do in an issue of Buffy. Different comic, storytelling style, different game plan. We want the book to come out monthly; fans have indicated that that's not frequent enough, so we certainly don't want to drift from that. Page count directly affects Georges' ability to get the book out monthly, so going as high as 28 would pose a couple problems.
8. trunkstheslayer: Any update on the 'Sheperd's Tale' story in the way of it either progressing or being nixed? I'm assuming the latter, given Joss's currently insane workload.
Scott Allie: Not nixed. We were just talking about it the other day. Still waiting on an outline, which Joss has written in his head, so he just has to find the time to get it written on paper. Or, you know ... screen.
9. buffycomic: Any further talk of a Buffy Animated comic series similar to the Star Wars animated comic Dark Horse did?
Also, be it in Season Eight or Season Nine, please consider bringing back Brian Horton, his covers with Paul Lee for the Buffy Omnibuses were not enough!!
Scott Allie: Yes, still trying to work it out. I hope to talk to some freelancers about it at Emerald City in Seattle this weekend. I'd love to bring Brian back, like we did Paul Lee. I love their work. He doesn't have time for a whole comic, though, and Jo and Georges have dibs on the covers. If Jo needs another break, I'd definitely consider Brian.
10. sosa lola: Are the slayers isolated completely from the outside world? I mean, did they ditch school/their families for Buffy, or do they still have a life outside of the castle/Buffy's organization?
Scott Allie: The ones with Buffy in Scotland ditched everything for now. But there are a lot of potentials who aren't in cells, and still living their lives. See Tales of the Vampires in June, for more on that.
11. Skytteflickan88: Other than The Final Cut and a line or two in Season 8, what other Buffy/Angel single comics have been re-made(coloring, misspelling, etcetc) when they've been re-printed for the tradepaperbacks and omnibuses?
Scott Allie: I really don't remember. We don't do it that often, but if something didn't work, you try to fix it. It's happened a few times. I supposed there'd be market value to drawing attention to it, but who has the time. There was one thing in The Long Way Home, where Dawn stomped on Amy—compare that, between the comic and the trade. Andy misread something in the inks, and it was a tricky job to fix it, but in the trade, it's how Joss wanted it to read.
12. AndrewCrossett: At the end of #20, after Buffy wakes up from her dream, Willow mentions to her how Andrew had to run off to Spain AGAIN to deal with a vamp nest that was bigger than expected, AGAIN. Buffy responds, "Why do you keep saying AGAIN?"
This seems odd, because Buffy should remember the first time this happened (at the beginning of #1), but Willow shouldn't, because she hadn't arrived yet. Could this be a hint that Buffy's time-travelling has caused subtle changes to the timeline?
Scott Allie: It's not. Buffy does remember it, Willow was told about the earlier event, and Buffy's just commenting on the way Will's speaking, not questioning the fact that it happened before.
13. bamph: Courtney,introduced in this weeks issue,seems like an interesting new supporting character that Faith could mentor.Will we be seeing her again in season 8 in upcoming issues or was she just a one-shot character for Safe?
Scott Allie: I don't think we'll see her again. She's staying where they were, not going with Giles and Faith, whose next stop is Berlin.
14. Just Willow: Is there any chance of Kennedy dying? Or at very, very least, breaking her up with Willow?
Scott Allie: We all die eventually.
15. Nicholas: Is there a reason as to why Faith and Giles didnt really get that much character development in 24 or will this be explained later on in S8?
Scott Allie: No, it was just a real plot driven story, not a lot of growth for them there. We just wanted to check in with them, and show the plight of Slayers worldwide, before bringing them back into the main action in the next arc.
16. parabola: The expanded letter column was a good read ... I think it nicely covered the spectrum of opinions after Buffy & Satsu's hookup in issue #12, and it was interesting to revisit. After more than a year, are you still getting many comments/questions about this turn of events from fans & the media?
Scott Allie: Fans, yes, media, no. The fans still have strong reactions to it, but the media have moved on to the next story.
17. Tyler "tiewashere": When will we see the cover for "Retreat"?
Scott Allie: Pretty soon. I'll try to get it up on the Jo Chen DH gallery.
18. wenxina: In a recent Q&A with Jeanty, cheryl asked what he anticipated would be the fan reaction to Twilight's identity when it was finally revealed. Georges said: "Shock. Surprise. Panic. Anger. Shame. Delight. Disbelief. Take your pick (I’m not kidding)."
Do you agree with his assessment? Or is there anything you'd change in the list?
Scott Allie: I dunno, "Economy" seems to be a pretty consistent buzzword, so I'll try that.
19. skippcomet: Between this five issue series of one-offs and the upcoming five-parter reintroducing Oz, it seems like this year's worth of Season Eight is made up of writers focusing too much on secondary and recurring characters and neglecting the main trio of Buffy, Willow, and Xander. I understand that it's Buffy's comic, and the return of Oz will no doubt have some spotlight on Willow as well, but I'm wondering exactly how long we have to wait for some actual focus on Xander that is actually, well, about Xander and not some other character.
Scott Allie: You're talking about six comics you haven't read yet. A few of the one shots got pretty far from the main characters, but the next arc brings it right back. As I've said every time, it doesn't follow Oz the way No Future for You followed Faith.
20. Skytteflickan88: The short prologue to Haunted, will it be included in Omnibus 7?
Scott Allie: I don't remember. We talked about maybe not including it for various reasons, and I can't remember what we decided. So, funny you should ask. Sorry, I'm in a hotel room in Seattle for Emerald City Comic Con, and I can't check.
21. AndrewCrossett: In "Safe," when Faith rams her crossbow into the Regret Demon's head, it seems to explode in a huge fireball that can be seen from outside of town, yet Faith isn't harmed at all by this. What caused it to explode and how did Faith escape being burned? (Maybe that was just "demonic essence" or something and not actual fire?)
Scott Allie: Yeah, not actual fire, more energy. And Faith's from Boston, so she's impervious.
22. bamph: When Giles and Fillworthe are talking in the new issue,it is mentioned by Fillworthe that he and Giles are the only remaing two members of the Watchers Council left.But Wesley's father Roger Wyndam-Price was shown as being alive in the last season of Angel.Wesley called and spoke to him to make sure he was okay at the end of the episode, Lineage after encountering the fake cyborg Roger.So was this just a continuity flub in the issue,are Fillworthe and Giles unaware that another Watcher in Roger Wyndam-Price is still alive or is Roger considered retired from the Council and so is not considered a member anymore?
Scott Allie: Fillworthe meant active Watchers.
23. marcos.damata: Are the hardcovers only coming out once the season is over?? Are there any plans to make it one big huge book (hope not, too heavy to carry), and could we expect something deluxed extra-sized, like the Hellboy Library (please say yesss)?
Scott Allie: I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Getting close to settling on a format, but it'll be a while yet. And all I can say for sure at the moment is that the hardcovers will contain more than one trade paperback, but no single hardcover could hold all eight trades. I'm trying to decide between two 20-issue collections, or four 10-issue volumes.
24. cheryl: I noticed that Faith called Giles "G" in the comic and in the live series this is something that Xander called Giles, not Faith. It would be the same with Xander using Faith's famous phrase "5x5" earlier in the comics. Is this intentional or are the writers getting mixed up on who said what, in the live series?
In short, the 5x5 phrase is part of Faith's story, not Xanders. The "G" reference for Giles belongs to Xander, rather than Faith. There are more examples of this happening but I hope you get my point. Why the switch up?
Scott Allie: I'm sorry, still at the convention, and don't remember all of this well enough to answer thoroughly. Faith calling Giles "G" just sounds so right I never would have caught it as "wrong." Apparently neither did Joss. I don't specifically remember the Xander "5x5" comment, but I'd assume it was in a somewhat ironic context, no?
25. AndrewCrossett: Can you give us any information on the groups that are providing the Slayers with the legitimate part of their funding? Are they well-informed enough to stay loyal to Buffy and her girls during this time of bad publicity?
Scott Allie: Things are falling apart rapidly for the Slayers.
26. marcos.damata: I don't know if it's too much off-topic here, but is Joss still involved with Angel comics? After the Fall was obviously canon, since Joss was plotting it. But in Aftermath, it doesn't seem to have any Joss input in there. In case Angel/Spike comes to guest in Season 8 (or 9), will the events of Aftermath be considered (that is, assuming that the events of Angel After the Fall and Spike After the Fall will)?
Scott Allie: Not for me to say how involved Joss is with Angel anymore, or whether or not the new story is canon. Chris Ryall and I were writing back and forth this weekend while I'm at this convention, talking about the practicality of keeping our storylines separate. I think canon is something we'll only all be able to really understand in hindsight, as we pursue our separate storylines.
27. sosa lola: Will we get a scene where the core four (Buffy, Xander, Willow, and Giles) share one panel together? One whole scene with only those four in it? 'Cause I miss them all together so much.
Scott Allie: Can't say. You'll see them all together again soon, but I can't recall if there's a scene of JUST the four of them. But they get very much involved in each other's lives again.
28. parabola: In my nerdiest, detail-obsessed voice: when Willow & Tara - Wilderness was released, the inside cover said it took place *during* Season 6. In Omnibus 7, the table of contents (according to scan on Amazon) shows it placed before Buffy's resurrection. Just wondering if this updated timeline placement was indeed intentional? (not that it's really important, but I'm a curious person!)
Scott Allie: When we were putting together the Omnibuses, it was tough figuring out the sequence of stories that would make the most sense and read the best. The Willow Tara stories were particularly difficult. When I did the comics in the first place, it made sense to put that one simply sometime during Season 6, but that didn't address how it related to the other comics. In putting together the Omnibus, we felt it added some drama to show the characters living their lives without Buffy around. We didn't see anything IN the stories that contradicted that notion; we didn't take the inside cover into account, but I think that's okay.
29. snizapman6294: Can you give us any hint as to what the Brad Meltzer arc is called or who it centers around?
Scott Allie: We haven't discussed a title yet at all. It'll focus on the main cast, Buffy generally.
30. trunkstheslayer: Since we have the title for 26 (Retreat) I've got a dual-question: Assuming that's an issue title and not the name of the whole arc, can we have 27's title? Or is it actually the arc's title?
Scott Allie: Retreat is the arc. Every actual arc has had a single title, and that's this one. Retreat Parts 1 - 5.
Thanks, gang! #25 at the beginning of May—I had dinner with Georges and Becky and Vasilis tonight up here in Seattle, talked a lot about the series, and Becky and V. explained to Georges what their one shot is all about. We had a great time, even though the wait staff at Von's at the Roosevelt hotel kept throw things at us. Becky said: "It's like a friggin' water park in here!" Beware, when in Seattle!
Scott