Season 9: What We Want

[bitsy]

Apologies if there's already a thread for this.

Since Season 9 is going to consist of multiple titles and multiple artists, I was wondering what characters people wanted to see get their own books and who they'd like to see draw them. I posted my thoughts here:

buffyfest.blogspot.com/2010/09/buffy-season-9-draft-picks.html

I'm hoping that will get the conversation going. I love talking about what artists would be good for what book and what kind of stories we think individual characters could go in if they had their own title.

[SOMNAMBULIST 2.0]

I agree with mostly every single thing you said

[bitsy]

Sept 9, 2010 7:59:21 GMT -5 SOMNAMBULIST 2.0 said:

I agree with mostly every single thing you said

Hooray!

[SOMNAMBULIST 2.0]

Yep, haha. I can't wait for season nine and I hope both of our expectations will be in it, as well as everyone elses.

[patxshand]

What I Want: I want "Angel" to not be under the Season Nine banner. It's incredibly stupid and indicative of how Dark Horse sees the character (just a cog in the BUFFY machine).

[Eric]

Sept 9, 2010 8:18:50 GMT -5 patxshand said:

What I Want: I want "Angel" to not be under the Season Nine banner. It's incredibly stupid and indicative of how Dark Horse sees the character (just a cog in the BUFFY machine).

I think having the entire franchise under one banner is kind of a good thing for the most part, but I agree that it shouldn't be called Season Nine. It seems kind of disrespectful to all the work that went into five seasons and more than 40 issues of Angel just to shove him and his supporting cast into Buffy's series.

[Skytteflickan88]

Nice article.

I myself would love if several characters got their own mini series. The main series should be about the group as a whole, and "the mission", instead of having Predators and Prey arcs. And be divided into smaller arcs with minor Villains (10 issues per villain). No Big Bad that it takes years to reveal, so tired of that.

Actually, I would settle for a few one shots stuck into the main series, just not several Predators and Prey shots that takes us away from the main story. Maybe simply telling the "Big Story" from different character's perspective. Xander get's one comic, Dawn another, Buffy etc etc, but without losing focus.

The characters I think deserve a mini series the most would be Dawn & Xander. Their relationship is newn and undefined, and I think there's lots of potential for a Buffy, Xander & Dawn mini series focusing on the fact that Xander used to love Buffy, and now Buffy might love Xander and Dawn being mad at Buffy for truing to steal Xander.

Other than that, A Robin one shot might be needed, but I'd rather have Giles get one.

I haven't read the latest Angel issues, so I can't tell which of those characters that deserve a mini series or one shots.

About artists:

I don't know many artists, but I would love to get Stephen Mooney to do something with IDW, maybe a more serious Giles story. And that Dawn/Xander/Buffy arc should me made by Jo Chen. It feels like the serious, emotional mood and story would fit her kind of art.

I also don't want to lose Jeanty. Maybe not as a main artist (I would actually like to see a new artist for every arc), but he definitly needs to do more in the Buffy/Angelverse. Would be interesting to see his style light up the darker Angelverse. I'd love to see his Lorne.

[wenxina]

There would be no "main artist" for S9, not in the way that S8 had one. If Jeanty were to get on board, he would be assigned a book/arc/series, while another artist worked on the others.

[Skytteflickan88]

Do you mean that no one will get the entire Buffy series? Not just that the Angel & Buffy series will get different artists?

Or do you mean that several series have been confirmed, not just those two? I'm out of the loop lately.

[patxshand]

I'm good with losing Jeanty. He did a decent job in most of the issues, but I think it's time for someone new.

[AndrewCrossett]

I already mentioned in the Buffyfest comments how I'd love to see Amanda Conner and Pia Guerra work on season 9, and I'd most like to see Amanda draw a miniseries based on the New Slayers... Satsu, Leah, Rowena, and maybe some others.

I don't know who's gonna die this season or otherwise be removed from the field of play, so I'm going to just pretend everyone comes back. If so, I think they should structure the season this way:

* Start off with a 6-issue arc that features everybody who's going to be in season 9, setting up the story and giving the background for each character arc.

* Then split off into two rounds of 6-issue miniseries. Three series to run concurrently for 6 months, then another three series to run concurrently over the next 6 months. Maybe a few one-shots scattered in there.

* Then bring everything back together for a concluding 6-issue miniseries to finish the season.

(This would add up to 60 or more issues, but it would all be done in only two years, rather than five.)

Georges Jeanty could draw the opening arc and the closing one, with other artists brought in for the middle ones.

I'd like to see another Faith/Giles miniseries from Brian K. Vaughan, with his "Y: The Last Man" collaborator Pia Guerra doing the art. And a Nu-Slayers mini (the Satsu, Leah, Rowena thing) written by Palmiotti & Gray with art by Amanda Conner. Nicola Scott is another artist I'd like to see... drawing one of the miniseries that feature Buffy.

We've been told season 9 will have fewer characters than season 8. I expect the Slayer Army (assuming they still have their powers at all) will be broken up and functioning as small independent squads or lone Slayers with Watchers or their own "Scooby Gangs." It would be cool to see Satsu, Leah and Rowena having to deal with Simone and her gang.

I think most fans want to see Buffy, Xander and Willow together more next season (if that's possible given the outcome of this season). Faith/Giles is also a popular pairing, and Spike and Angel (either together or separately). I'd like to see Brian Lynch write an Angel and/or Spike miniseries, but I'm not sure about the likelihood of that.

Of the Buffy and Angel TV writers who haven't written for the comic yet, Ben Edlund is probably the one I'd most like to see brought in. More Drew Goddard would be good, too.

But the most important thing is... wait for it...

More Batsu!

[wenxina]

Sept 9, 2010 8:34:00 GMT -5 Skytteflickan88 said:

Do you mean that no one will get the entire Buffy series? Not just that the Angel & Buffy series will get different artists?

Or do you mean that several series have been confirmed, not just those two? I'm out of the loop lately.

I think it'll really depend on how they break down the story, and who they have lined up. Some artists can't commit long-term, since they have other obligations. So they'll probably pop in for a short arc. My impression of S9 was that there would be more than just a Buffy book, and an Angel book. When Scott said that there would be two books a month, I don't think he was limiting S9 to just 2 series, but rather, at any given month, there'd be two books coming out. The reason I inferred this is because Scott has talked about Simone a few times now, stating that unlike S8, if there wasn't room in the main story of S9 for her, then there would be a spin-off to tell that story. But details of S9 are still sketchy at best. Mostly because they're still working out the details. But planning is under way.

The Buffy and Angel books will of course get different artists. There are very few people who can successfully manage drawing two books in a month ("success" being the operative, but extremely subjective term here). And Jeanty has indicated that if he were to return, it would likely be on the Buffy side of things.

[Glósóli]

You read my mind with the Willow series drawn by Terri Moore; I think he is the best one for the job. About the writer, I would like either Jane or Christopher Golden to do it. However, I don't think Willow should get her own long term series. It should be more like a six issue miniseries in my opinion, simply because I don't want to live in a world where Buffy, Willow and Xander are not on the same book.

I think other characters that definitely deserve their own series are Faith, Giles and Spike; and I would love to have a Satsu book as well.

I'm really exited about Season 9. I love that they are being ambitious, comparing it to an "early Marvel Universe", it makes me think that we may have decades of Buffyverse comics to come.

[Shane]

Sept 9, 2010 13:14:47 GMT -5 Glósóli said:

I'm really exited about Season 9. I love that they are being ambitious, comparing it to an "early Marvel Universe", it makes me think that we may have decades of Buffyverse comics to come.

Um... Golden Age?

So "Season Nine" is like a crossover event and not (just) the name of the main Buffy title? That's awesome!

I want an ongoing with Buffy, Willow and Xander and some others. They'd sort of be The Avengers of Buffyverse. (Spike can be Spider-Man.)
And another ongoing with Angel, Connor, and some other Angel characters.
And a miniseries for Satsu, Kennedy and other Slayers. Faith and Giles could spend some of their time with them and some with the Scoobies.

Jeanty should get to start off Buffy's title. Not sure about the ending, though. Depends on how the story goes.

I wanna see if Meltzer can come up with some ideas for Angel.

Not too particular on the rest. I think I'll be fine with whatever Joss and Scott choose.

[Dorotea]

Mostly , I just want as much Joss' involvement as possible. For me the rest of it is hugely irrelevant. I want Joss to be the one who picks the writers and the artists, who has the final say at assigning the particular artist or writer to particular arc of a particular book. His artistic vision and preference is what is making the comic something outstanding. If he is not involved or involved sparsely , well, it does not matter how good the artists are - the story would not be quite the same.

[The Girl In Question]

I'd like to see more Core 4 togetherness. We got a few Willow/Xander/Buffy moments, but I can't recall barely any Willow/Xander/Buffy/Giles moments. More, please! I'd also like to see a more scenes where the Scoobies are just hanging out because they're buddies, not just because they fight evil together.

I'd like to know where the hell Robin is in all this. He doesn't need to be a major character, but he is in charge of his own squad...so where is he? Maybe a reference or having him in more than just one panel would suffice (maybe he could be in the theoretical Giles/Faith issue for instance).

Also, I want Dander to break up (sorry, Sky >.<).

[wenxina]

Sept 11, 2010 15:43:52 GMT -5 The Girl In Question said:

I'd like to know where the hell Robin is in all this. He doesn't need to be a major character, but he is in charge of his own squad...so where is he? Maybe a reference or having him in more than just one panel would suffice (maybe he could be in the theoretical Giles/Faith issue for instance).

Robin's in Cleveland. Textually indicated in #6 (NFFY #1).

[The Girl In Question]

^^Yeah, I know. But after that we got no info about what h';s doing with his squad, or how they're affected by everything that's been happening in season 8. I'd like to see him in more than just a couple of panels, or just a clue about what's up with his squad.

[Jaz ♀♀]

More Willow and Vasuki.....More Willow. Period. ;D

Also what others said, more core scoobie interactions.

And more Joss involvement and I would like for Jo Chen to continue with cover art.

[Smashed]

I would like to see more "villain of the week" or arc, if you will. I really enjoyed LWH (Amy and Warren), NFFY (Gigi and Roden), and WATG (Japanese vampires), but when Fray started I lost interest.

I want to see the supernatural used as metaphors, as it was in the first 6 seasons. It was used as a metaphor for bad relationships and drugs, and that's why I loved Buffy. Season 7 got too big and forgot about the roots of Buffy, IMO.

I also want to see Tara back alive. Tara coming back would be the only way that I would buy season 9.

I don't want any time travel. I find it a plot device that is cheesy and lame, and I don't want to see the end of magic.