What Dark Horse should do for Buffy season 9

[simon]

A few ideas for how Dark Horse can keep the fandom interested in next season's adventures of Buffy (based on what I've observed this season).

1) Drop more hints about the upcoming issues. The spike in fans' interest for future issues usually comes once a month due to the solicitation info coming out. If it was me, I'd have the Buffy Zone dropping teasers every week as a build up to the next issue's release.

2) The day after an issue comes out, bring out an interview with the writer. Given the interest with the latest issue, an interview with Jane Espenson would have been timely and appropriate.

3) Get the trade paper collections coming out sooner rather than later. IDW did this during the early part of their After The Fall series and it did pay off in dividends. A four or five month wait till a particular arc comes out in tpb format causes interest to be lost. If the volume came out weeks or a month after the arc finishes, then it gives the 'trade waiters' a chance to participate in online discussion.

4) Put the letters page from the issues online. Debate leads to more debate and it's a handy way to get fans chatting about back issues.

5) Keep the spin-offs to a minimum. It distracts from the main storyline.

6) Make it clear that there will be 'Absolute' editions coming out with commentary, extra artwork etc. Comic book fans love that sort of thing and the collectors in the fandom will too.

7) Put the first issue of Buffy season 8 online, it'll get attention.

8) Run polls about the best plot lines, characters etc. People love making with the clickity click.

9) Make sure the fans know how long the series will run for. For a while it seemed that no one knew how long season 8 would last.

10) Have Spike and Angel appear this time for real.

[Emmie]

Great ideas!

A recent interview with Espenson would be awesome. It's odd how long it's been since those interviews amping up the interest in Oz's return.

The month-long wait is hard to bear too, more dropping of hints to keep interest high would be awesome. I also love the idea of running more polls and amping up fandom interest.

Something to add might be another fandom contest like before with Anywhere But Here. Maybe something where Georges draws you in the background or something.

[hitnrun017]

Great ideas! Can't say I disagree with any of them. They'd all be a great way to keep fans interested and excited about the series. It sort of seems like discussions about the issues have died down lately, and these would give them a much needed spark.

[butters]

Good ideas...yep yep

[Smashed]

Bring Tara back!
Who knows, there are so many possibilities. They could have Kennedy/Willow break up, leading Willow to bring her back. They could have Saga Vasuki bring her back. I just need Tara back. This is one of the two things that would make me read these comics again.

Reverse the slayer spell. Only have 2 slayers (Buffy and Faith).
I don't like these girls. At all. Their storylines take away from the main characters that we hardley see. Since season 8 started, the only scenes that don't feel like BUFFY to me are the ones with the other slayers. As soon as this god-awful, shark-jumpy plot-point gets gone is the moment I'm back into the comics.

Bring Angel back for an arc.
He used to stop in for some itty-bitty arcs pn the series. His scenes in 'Forever' were really great! It would be weird to not stop in, make-out, and recap with our favorite slayer. I think B/A's special connection is missed. I love seeing Angel drop by. It shows that he still cares and that the connection is still alive.

Give Faith a spin-off.
The great thing about the Angel comics is that they had so many spin-offs! I loved being able to delve deeper into the stories!

That's it for now.

[nagpo]

Sept 4, 2009 12:05:02 GMT -5 simon said:

10) Have Spike and Angel appear this time for real.

Agreed.

[BlueJay]

I kinda like that neither of them haven't been a big part of Season Eight... yet.
I always thought Spike fit in a LOT better with Angel than with Buffy. And I actually prefer for both of them to be separate series.

[Joe]

Sept 7, 2009 8:26:11 GMT -5 BlueJay said:

I kinda like that neither of them haven't been a big part of Season Eight... yet.
I always thought Spike fit in a LOT better with Angel than with Buffy. And I actually prefer for both of them to be separate series.

A visit from both of them would be nice though for a couple issues.

[Paul]

Sept 4, 2009 18:39:32 GMT -5 Smashed said:

Bring Tara back!
Who knows, there are so many possibilities. They could have Kennedy/Willow break up, leading Willow to bring her back. They could have Saga Vasuki bring her back. I just need Tara back. This is one of the two things that would make me read these comics again.

Reverse the slayer spell. Only have 2 slayers (Buffy and Faith).
I don't like these girls. At all. Their storylines take away from the main characters that we hardley see. Since season 8 started, the only scenes that don't feel like BUFFY to me are the ones with the other slayers. As soon as this god-awful, shark-jumpy plot-point gets gone is the moment I'm back into the comics.

Bring Angel back for an arc.
He used to stop in for some itty-bitty arcs pn the series. His scenes in 'Forever' were really great! It would be weird to not stop in, make-out, and recap with our favorite slayer. I think B/A's special connection is missed. I love seeing Angel drop by. It shows that he still cares and that the connection is still alive.

Give Faith a spin-off.
The great thing about the Angel comics is that they had so many spin-offs! I loved being able to delve deeper into the stories!

That's it for now.

Bring Tara back!
I honestly think this is one of the most creatively bankrupt things they could possibly do. There's just no reason for it to happen, other than fanservice. Tara didn't contribute much to the series when she was alive, being little more than Willow's girlfriend, and I can't see her doing much if she came back. Willow has had great development and stories since Tara's death, we don't need Tara back just for the sake of it.

Reverse the slayer spell. Only have 2 slayers (Buffy and Faith).
Why would the series take such a step backwards? That would undermine two seasons worth of storylines, not to mention the entire premise of the series. With "Retreat", we see the Slayers finding "strength without powers", but to just write them out of the series like they never happened would be insulting. And again, there'd be no reason for it other than to please fans who can't accept the fact that the series has changed over the years. A tighter focus on the main characters in Season Nine would be a good thing, but sweeping the Slayer army under the rug to return to an outdated status quo would be a colossal mistake IMO. These girls need to stay empowered, supernaturally or otherwise.

Bring Angel back for an arc.
I'd be fine with an Angel appearance, but he's already cameoed in "The Long Way Home" and "Always Darkest", so he's hardly forgotten.

Give Faith a spin-off.
I actually agree with this one, although it might be too late. I feel that the spin-off potential at the end of "No Future For You" has been squandered due to Faith's minimal appearances; she's not really followed up on her promise to be a Slayer social worker. A Faith/Giles spin-off would definitely be justified, but I wouldn't want Dark Horse to start releasing IDW-style spin-offs left, right and centre. It waters down the franchise a little.

Btw, Smashed, this probably isn't the right place to discuss this, but I've been meaning to ask you for a while, what's your problem with Dark Willow in "Time of Your Life"? I've seen you criticising this plot point several times, and you say you dropped the title over it. Just wondering... why?

[AndrewCrossett]

You know, usually I have an opinion on everything... but I really can't think of much to say on the question of what to do in season 9.

I'm sure part of it has to do with not knowing what the state of the world/state of the Slayers/state of the Scoobies is going to be when the season 8 carnage is over with. Will there be any Slayers? Even Buffy? Will there be any magic? Who will still be alive and who will have been killed off? Will Willow be around? How can you have Buffy the Vampire Slayer with no vampires and no Slayers?

Plus, I don't know whether or not Joss will be looking at season 9 as the endgame of his Buffy saga, or even as an extended epilogue.

I doubt I'll be able to formulate any coherent opinion until I have #40 (or #41) in my hands. And even then, I assume I'll have to wait a bit until my mind un-blows itself and I get over whatever will inevitably upset me about the ending.

[Paul]

Sept 7, 2009 10:52:48 GMT -5 AndrewCrossett said:

You know, usually I have an opinion on everything... but I really can't think of much to say on the question of what to do in season 9.

I'm sure part of it has to do with not knowing what the state of the world/state of the Slayers/state of the Scoobies is going to be when the season 8 carnage is over with. Will there be any Slayers? Even Buffy? Will there be any magic? Who will still be alive and who will have been killed off? Will Willow be around? How can you have Buffy the Vampire Slayer with no vampires and no Slayers?

Plus, I don't know whether or not Joss will be looking at season 9 as the endgame of his Buffy saga, or even as an extended epilogue.

I doubt I'll be able to formulate any coherent opinion until I have #40 (or #41) in my hands. And even then, I assume I'll have to wait a bit until my mind un-blows itself and I get over whatever will inevitably upset me about the ending.

I agree, I can't really get excited about S9 since we don't know how S8 will end.

This "strength without powers" theme in "Retreat" has my attention. I'd kind of like for Buffy and the Slayers to give up their powers permanently, and then have S9 be about them learning to live regular lives while still being heroes. That would be a great personal arc, and lead nicely into Fray, but where would the danger come from?

[buffyfan21]

Wow, everybody has some great ideas.

[AndrewCrossett]

The "Strength Without Powers" motto almost makes me suspect the Slayers have seen the last of their magical powers, and from now on will have to rely on their own courage, training and skill. Or at least, they're beginning to prepare themselves for that eventuality.

Buffy could go on doing the sort of stuff she does now... it would just be a lot harder. A Slayer slays, and you can slay stuff without magic.

The absence of supernatural enemies and threats would be a problem... it's kind of an indispensable theme in BtVS. I don't think too many people would want to see "Buffy the Taliban Slayer" or "Buffy the Mugger Catcher." You could have a threat/enemy that is science-fictional in nature without using actual magic. Buffy & Co. might even find some sort of tech that would mimic some of the magical abilities they lost.

Or, season 9 could take place in a world or time other than our own. But that seems unlikely. A great deal of the story's appeal has always been that it's grounded in the mundane real world, so we can relate to it.

[Smashed]

Sept 7, 2009 10:22:39 GMT -5 Paul said:

Sept 4, 2009 18:39:32 GMT -5 Smashed said:

Btw, Smashed, this probably isn't the right place to discuss this, but I've been meaning to ask you for a while, what's your problem with Dark Willow in "Time of Your Life"? I've seen you criticising this plot point several times, and you say you dropped the title over it. Just wondering... why?

Well, for me, the season six finale was wrong on so many levels. The ending was dragged out, Willow being the most magical creature in the whole wide world bugged me, just the way Willow was written was incredibly cheesy. That was the point in BtVS that I felt it was completely unrelatable. Season seven had some really nice one-off episodes at the beginning, but I don't feel like the series recovered from the S6 finale...and the S7 finale was worse. Something about "allllllll of the evil in the world as one creature.....that can't touch you" rubbed me the wrong way. I will admit that Ubervamps and the bringers were pretty cool. Anyway, flashforward to...TOYL pt. 3. Here comes the big reveal. It's...it's...it's......The most powerful witch in all the land...IN THE FUTURE!...being mopey and depressed. Everything about that turned me off 100%.

Sorry about the rant. I just don't feel like the time travel story was done well.

For the sake of staying on topic...I hope to god that there is no time-back-and-forthing in season nine.

[Paul]

Sept 7, 2009 22:02:01 GMT -5 Smashed said:

Sept 7, 2009 10:22:39 GMT -5 Paul said:

Sept 4, 2009 18:39:32 GMT -5 Smashed said:

Btw, Smashed, this probably isn't the right place to discuss this, but I've been meaning to ask you for a while, what's your problem with Dark Willow in "Time of Your Life"? I've seen you criticising this plot point several times, and you say you dropped the title over it. Just wondering... why?

Well, for me, the season six finale was wrong on so many levels. The ending was dragged out, Willow being the most magical creature in the whole wide world bugged me, just the way Willow was written was incredibly cheesy. That was the point in BtVS that I felt it was completely unrelatable. Season seven had some really nice one-off episodes at the beginning, but I don't feel like the series recovered from the S6 finale...and the S7 finale was worse. Something about "allllllll of the evil in the world as one creature.....that can't touch you" rubbed me the wrong way. I will admit that Ubervamps and the bringers were pretty cool. Anyway, flashforward to...TOYL pt. 3. Here comes the big reveal. It's...it's...it's......The most powerful witch in all the land...IN THE FUTURE!...being mopey and depressed. Everything about that turned me off 100%.

Sorry about the rant. I just don't feel like the time travel story was done well.

For the sake of staying on topic...I hope to god that there is no time-back-and-forthing in season nine.

While I agree that "Grave" was a flawed episode, particularly regarding Willow's cringeworthy dialogue, I enjoyed the Dark Willow storyline in general. I love the irony of the show's weakest, most pathetic character evolving into it's most powerful. It was the perfect arc for her. And as for "Time of Your Life", I feel that it's necessary to have Willow's darkness hanging over her future. Once you show a character's evil side, you shouldn't brush it under the carpet like it doesn't exist anymore. That makes it a Charmed-style possession-of-the-week with no long-term consequences.

Sorry for the off-topicness.