Angel Legacy, vol. 1 - Joss Whedon

Angel Legacy, vol. 1

Joss Whedon's Angel Legacy, vol. 1 collects many of the rare and hard-to-find early issues from previous publishers.

© The Weirding, 2019

They Gave-Up on Buffy by Season 7

Joss Whedon recently mocked Buffy the Vampire Slayer when signing an autograph. We have some Buffy material coming up and Whedon is still involved in the monthly production of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic book (Dark Horse), but he does not appear interested in pursuing anything to do with it that could be broadcast. Still, I love Buffy and her whole multiverse or whatever she's got going on over there and I intend to share this love with you all. Eventually.

For now, these pithy observations on season 7 (the final season of the series and one that I am just now getting around to watching) will have to suffice:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended at the right time. For whatever reason(s), the creators involved - including the cast - had kind of given-up on it. I do recall that Angel was disappointing in the ratings, despite having a vocal and supportive following, and the production company was going broke. While that accounts for the lack of SFX in the later seasons, the creative team simply wasn't up to snuff by season 7.

The wit and humor is all but gone; they're stunt-casting with former guest stars and regulars from earlier seasons; and even though they keep adding layer after layer to the legend of the Slayer, most of it is obviously focused on characters they were likely hoping to spin-off into other series. Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 7 simply isn't as good as earlier seasons.

© The Weirding, 2014

On Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Movie) - A Review

Despite being written by creator, Joss Whedon, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a very weak feature film. It has hints of the TV series' comedy, but almost none of its wit. Whedon would have been very young at the time, so it's forgivable, but the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie is a pale imitation of what was to come.

The basic premise is exactly the same: Some chick doesn't know she's destined to be the Slayer, but eventually takes the mantle, and does the best she can. But where the TV show cleverly bounced between drama, horror, and comedy, the movie clunkily bounds between the three and can never seem to make up its mind as to what it wants to be. Kristy Swanson also lacks the charm of Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer has its memorable parts, but it is nothing like the TV series, which really explored everything about the characters and story. It is not even a good introduction to the show, so you can skip it entirely without missing a thing. This is one of those rare cases where the TV series vastly overshadows the original film, and thank God it does!
© C Harris Lynn, 2011

Whedonverse Streaming @ Netflix

One of the first things I learned about Netflix is how hard it is to enjoy a TV series traditionally (one disc at a time, sent through the mail), because there are only 4-5 episodes per disc. It takes a good three weeks or more to see even an abbreviated (13 episode) season. That is why I was so excited when I learned that all of Joss Whedon's work is now streaming at Netflix.

I am notorious for being indifferent to Whedon's work. It truly has nothing to do with Whedon, himself; I am a huge fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, even though this is a recent development (thanks to another streaming service - Hulu), and I have tried everything else in his canon, but Buffy remains the only thing from it I truly dig. Still, this is a great chance for me to catch-up on all the Buffy seasons I've yet to see, as well as give more of Whedon's work a chance.

I found this out earlier this week and meant to post about it, but it's been such a slow news week that I've been focusing my efforts on other projects. I do have a few things to do which are on pretty tight deadlines, so I don't know what to tell you to expect here for the next several weeks, but you know I'll be around - it just may be a bit slower than usual.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Dr. Horrible 2 - The Motion Picture

Neil Patrick Harris told MTV the sequel to Doctor Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog is a go, but not online, and not for free; it is going to be a major, motion picture. Harris said he didn't know the intended scale of the project, though he agreed that too large a budget would defeat the purpose of the first project, which was made in five days without a budget. "Then again," he said, "You don't want it to be so low-brow that it's not worth paying money to see as a movie."

Neil Patrick Harris was also quick to say he was really only guessing. The biggest impedance to the sequel at this point is scheduling, as all of the principals are busy with their own projects (Castle, How I Met Your Mother, The Guild).

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Whedon to Document Comic-Con 'Superfans'

Joss Whedon has apparently teamed with noted documentarian, Morgan Spurlock, to develop a documentary featuring a handful of Comic-Con 'superfans' - what we used to call... "con-goer." Whedon wants to film the chosen participants for the three months leading-up to the event, then follow them around Comic-Con itself.

Gaming and conventioneers have become the popular focus of many recent films, mostly "mockumentaries," which have received mixed reviews. Whedon is a particularly popular feature at the annual Comic-Con, and is thus in a particularly unique position to make this film.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Astonishing X-Men: A Fallen X-Man Returns!

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Dollhouse Canceled

I'm afraid the time has come, Whedon fans: FOX has officially canceled Dollhouse. While we reported just a short time ago that Dollhouse had been renewed for a second season, more recent word had the network's programming director committing to showing all 13 episodes, but not to another season. Most of us had shortlisted it for cancellation even before then.

I've tried to get into everything of Whedon's since Buffy the Vampire Slayer and it just hasn't happened. It may be that Whedon put his all into Buffy and... just didn't have much else to give? It isn't unusual; many bands have one amazing album, then slide slowly into mediocrity - each successful album having fewer and fewer songs worth hearing. But most of them continue booking gigs and making good money off that first, great album, and few have many regrets. It's very possible Joss Whedon has the opposite problem the writers of Eastwick have. It's happened to much better artists/creators, after all.

Whedon himself didn't seem too surprised to hear the news, posting on his blog that he was "grateful" for the chance to air the series and that he was off to pursue internet ventures and binge drinking.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Whedon Gives Fans Reason for Glee

Joss Whedon will direct an episode of the new Fox series, Glee. Glee is a musical comedy that seems to be right up Whedon's alley; he directed the musical Buffy episode, as well as the Web hit, Dr. Horrible. He has also directed a couple of episodes of The Office, which has the mockumentary feel Glee affects from time to time.

Glee is truly one of the better shows on TV and I have enjoyed the episodes I've seen. The last few weeks though, I have been watching ABC's new sit-coms, which dominate their Wednesday night line-up.

Fans on the sites which broke this story are almost unanimous in hoping Joss Whedon brings Neil Patrick Harris to the show, as Whedon is known to be dedicated to his stable of actors.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Dark Horse Joins The Guild (2009)

SAN DIEGO, CA, JULY 24, 2009—Dark Horse Comics and Felicia Day, star of Joss Whedon’s Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, are teaming-up to bring one of the funniest online shows to the pages of what will soon be the funniest comic based on a webisode, ever. Srsly.

Winner of the 2008 Greenlight Award at SXSW, as well as the 2008 YouTube Best Series and Yahoo! Best Series awards, The Guild is an online sitcom of web shorts written by, and starring, Felicia Day (Dr. Horrible, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, House). Since its formation, the show has racked up over twenty million viewers at watchtheguild.com.

The Guild follows six players, AKA “Guildies” (Bladezz, Codex, Vork, Tinkerballa, Zaboo, and Clara), who decide to finally meet in real life after spending months playing together in an online world. Their individual social dysfunctions lead to several problems in the real world, but together, as in the online game, they become greater than the sum of their collected baggage and start to become... well... kinda normal... er.

The online show now stands as one of YouTube’s most-subscribed series. It started as an independent project funded by fan donations via PayPal before being sponsored by Microsoft and Sprint in season 2. Season 3 will debut on Xbox/MSN/Zune on August 25.

The new comic, titled The Guild, was first conceived at San Diego Comic-Con 2008 when senior Dark Horse editor Scott Allie noticed that Day’s sharp wit and diverse talent would transfer well into sequential art. The series will be all-new material that expands on the actual in-game environment never seen on the show.

Allie stated, “Felicia’s amazing, and her writing will translate smoothly into comics. This’ll make a great companion to our line of comics. It’ll fit great alongside our webcomics and our Whedon books. And I’m really looking forward to working with her to get into some areas the show simply can’t because of budgetary reasons.”

The artist of the initial three-issue miniseries is undetermined, but the story will be penned by Felicia Day. Day, a self-proclaimed gaming aficionado, stated, “I’m really excited to work in a new medium and expand The Guild universe. The comics will be a great way for fans to become more involved with the characters, and see the characters interact in environments that we can’t afford to show in the web series. I can’t imagine working with a better company than Dark Horse. It seems like a perfect match for the show. Indie cred to the max!”

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Joss Whedon on Getting DC Characters to the Silver Screen

Joss Whedon gave an interview to Maxim magazine recently in which he discussed the difficulty of getting DC Comics characters to the big screen. He basically said what we have known all along, and what I've discussed here previously, that DC characters are more removed from humanity and therefore do not really "connect" with audiences.

As to his working on the shelved Wonder Woman movie, he explained that he was asked to write a script and then was asked... "not to." In his words, "They didn't tell me to leave, but they showed me the door and how pretty it was. Would I like to touch the knob and maybe make it swing?"

I guess I had seen Joss Whedon before, but having seen the pictures of him in conjunction with this particular piece, I would just like to say, on behalf of nerds everywhere... just "Wow." Now I get why so many geeks "connect" with this guy. He could have walked out of any Advanced Math course in America.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog Now Online

The Whedon brothers' eagerly-anticipated Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is now online. Kinda - as of 10:30am CST, the site was available but the content was not due to high traffic.

The entire feature, conceived during the writers' strike, will be released in three parts and will remain online until July 20^th. Dark Horse is supporting the effort with a webcomic, available on their MySpace page. Kinda - as of 10:30am CST this morning, the site was locking-up browsers and refusing to load (presumably) due to traffic.

Neil Patrick Harris and Serenity and Buffy alumni round-out the cast of the superhero satire from Joss Whedon and brother, Zack. A full DVD will eventually be released with commentary track.

The first part will be available today, with a second part premiering Thursday, and the final installment premieres Saturday.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Whedon Ends Run on Runaways - Sneak Peek!

Angel and Firefly (among many others) creator, Joss Whedon, ends his run on Marvel's Runaways with issue #30, to be released June 25^th.

But I wanted to discuss the art with you:

While the cover is absolutely beautiful - stunning, it's so gorgeous - the interior art leaves a lot to be desired. This is what I am talking about when I say a lot of the artists working in sequential art today are "cover artists."

Don't get me wrong, the art is technically masterful and beautiful to look at, but it's more illustration than sequential art. See how stiff the forms are, how point-by-point the frames are sequenced?

These are all mid-shots! Like, every last one of them!

While I obviously don't have a copy of the script (even if I did get to see scripts in advance, I certainly wouldn't be privy to this one), the art looks to me as though the artist just let Whedon write the entire thing and that never works.

In case you don't know, there are two. distinct "forms" of comic book scripts: traditional and "Marvel." Marvel scripts are basically plotlines and snippets of dialogue here and there. You have "beats" to hit (much like with a TV script - such as, by page #, the fight needs to be over and end the page with a close-up of the main character, yelling, "SNIPPET OF DIALOGUE!") but the whole thing is very freeform, allowing the artist to direct the action, choose the angles, and basically... draw the book. Novel concept, no? This is why everyone liked to work for Marvel.

Traditional scripts are your basic, line-by-line scripts, where the writer dictates everything. And the comics made from these scripts usually suck. (Well, I tried finding one of the scripts they provided at Joe Kubert, but I have no idea where they are, so I'll just make one up.) These read like your basic screenplay:

DAY - INT., OFFICE - MID: Matt Murdock stands in front of Karen Page's desk, holding cane.
Karen Page: You don't look so hot, Matt.
Matt Murdock: INT - I don't feel so hot, Karen.
BAL - I'm fine, just a bit of a cold...
INT - Of all the people in the world, I could always tell Karen anything... but how do I tell her this?

In the dialogue above, INT means thought balloon and BAL means dialgoue balloon. The MID prefacing the scene indicates a mid-shot, often referred to as a "two-shot" in film - as opposed to a close-up, longshot, worm's-eye view, so on. This is a single panel!

Marvel scripts are often drawn from the plot and story and the dialogue is added later. It's a much less formal process, though arguably more difficult, since nothing's concrete until it's done.

That's a bit of an aside, but now you have more to go on when I talk about things like "pin-up artists" versus sequential artists. While all traditional, newsstand comic books are sequential art, some people are just better at the whole thing than others. That's not to say the art is bad - it certainly isn't - it just isn't good sequential art; were these illustrations accompanied by text - which it may well be, but I doubt it - they'd be great, but they'd also be featured on whole pages instead of in panels.

Anyway, while the art itself is good, I find the sequencing and general form stiff and static. I am not familiar with the artist or the comic, but going from these samples, I would expect his freeform work to include lots of two-page spreads, pose panels, and pin-ups.

Remind me to give you The Rundown on Sim's new Glamourpuss.


















© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Whedon's Buffy Philosophy is, Like, So Studied

There is a third Buffy-based academic conference in Little Rock, Arkansas this weekend. What the hell Little Rock and philosophy or education have to do with one another is so far beyond me, I can't even guess, but there it is.

As mentioned, this is apparently the third time such a conference has been held. The three-day conference will be held at the Henderson State University and will examine more than 90 academic papers. According to one of the conference's main people, enough books on Buffy's philosophy surrounding friendship and feminism have been written to fill a 15'-wide bookshelf at the campus.

Whedon's other works will also be discussed, though Buffy will be the focus. Organizers expect about 150 people to attend. Also to be discussed is part of Whedon's lesser-known works: the screenplay for a little movie called Toy Story.

I did not even know Whedon wrote that. While I may not be a big Whedon fan, per se, I am a big animation and movie fan in general and I had no idea as to that. But it's not like I'm a big Toy Story or Pixar guy; I go for the 2-D, hand-drawn stuff.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

New Buffy Boardgame and Tarot Deck!

This is from Dark Horse and 20^th-Century FOX and it's magically official:

MILWAUKIE, OR—Twentieth Century Fox Licensing and Merchandising and Dark Horse Comics are proud to present two magical products that are sure to provide hours of sleepless slumber parties this fall. Joss Whedon's mythology comes alive with the official Buffy the Vampire Slayer Tarot Deck and the Buffy the Vampire Slayer "Conversations with Dead People" Board!

Named for an award-winning episode from Season Seven of the BVS television series—and written by Buffy Season Eight: Wolves at the Gate author Drew Goddard—the Buffy the Vampire Slayer "Conversations with Dead People" Board is a great game for fans, in this world and the next, to communicate with each other about life, death, and other mysteries. In the tradition of the Sunnydale Hellmouth, through which countless entities gained entry, fearless souls can let voices from the other side guide the planchette along the board to spell out the answers to their queries. Folks can channel their inner Willow and hone their witchy skills, providing hours of fun for the whole séance! Accompanying the game board and planchette, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer "Conversations with Dead People" Board includes an exclusive, comic-style instruction book featuring sequential art by Buffy Season Eight guest illustrator Paul Lee!

The Buffy the Vampire Slayer Tarot Deck was written and conceived by renowned tarot writer Rachel Pollack, author of twelve books on the tarot, including the renowned 78 Degrees of Wisdom. She teams with long-time Buffy artist Paul Lee to create this fully painted 78-card deck, drawing on characters, themes, and legends from all eight seasons of Whedon's masterpiece. This special deck was created by Pollack not merely as a collector's item, but as an actual, working tarot deck: the cards come with a book explaining their divinatory meanings and use. The traditional symbols of the tarot are reinterpreted through the vision of Whedon's Buffy universe.

The Buffy the Vampire Slayer "Conversations with Dead People" Board and Buffy the Vampire Slayer Tarot Deck will both be available in September 2008 and retail at $14.99 - 29.99.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1

The previews will follow in a second post. This is a Marvel press release:

Too big for a normal issue, the conclusion to Joss Whedon and John Cassaday's groundbreaking X-Men epic arrives in Giant Size Astonishing X-Men #1! This double-sized issue brings Spider-Man, The Avengers and Fantastic Four into the battle with Breakworld—but will they aid the X-Men in their time of need? And even if they do help, how can the X-Men's newest enemies be defeated in time to save the Earth? Cyclops and his team must put it all on the line—and one of the X-Men won't be walking away from this fight. With a gorgeous wraparound cover by John Cassaday, featuring the Marvel Universe's greatest heroes, and loaded with extras, Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1 is the X-Men comic that no X-Fan can afford to miss!

Wrapping up all the plot threads introduced in the series that changed the comic industry, one of the best selling creative teams of the decade bids farewell the to X-Men in Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1! But just who will make it back from this final battle…and will they ever be the same again? Plus, don't miss the Giant Size Astonishing X-Men Poster, in stores now!

GIANT-SIZE ASTONISHING X-MEN #1 (DEC072218)
GIANT-SIZE ASTONISHING X-MEN #1 INKED VARIANT COVER (MAR088068)
Written by JOSS WHEDON
Pencils & Wraparound Cover by JOHN CASSADAY
Rated T+ …$4.99
FOC—5/8/08, On-Sale—5/28/08

GIANT-SIZE ASTONISHING X-MEN POSTER
24x36 Color Poster…$7.99
On-Sale—NOW!

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Angel News from IDW

This is an official IDW press release:

San Diego, CA (March 18, 2008) - Angel: After the Fall, the continuing adventures of Joss Whedon's Angel that occur after Season Five of the TV series, has been a runaway hit for IDW Publishing. Its first four issues have all sold out: Issue #1 is on its 4^th printing (in stores on March 26); issue #2 second printing is in stores now; issue #3 second printing will be in stores on March 5; and issue #4, which came out on February 21, has sold out and a second printing is headed to stores on April 2.

"The fact that Angel: After the Fall has moved so steadily with each issue has been incredibly gratifying," said IDW's Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Chris Ryall. "Most amazing is the fact that we've printed more of each subsequent issue than the previous one, and have overprinted to a greater degree than usual, and still the issues keep selling out. The sell-outs are quite a testament to the support from retailers and the loyal fan base alike."

Not content to maintain the status quo, however, IDW Publishing is expanding the stories told in this universe with special interlude issues, an all-new spin-off miniseries, and new artistic help to continue the title, too.

Issues 6, 7, and 8 begin a special three-part "stories-within-the-story" adventure, "First Night." These issues feature multiple stories featuring Angel's large cast of characters, as fans finally get a chance to see just how the apocalyptic fight in the alley that concluded the television series affected each character. Issue 6 looks at Spike (featuring art by David Messina), Connor (art by Stephen Mooney) and Lorne (art by industry legend John Byrne). All the stories in this issue and the next two will also feature a framing sequence featuring Betta George (the breakout star of the Spike: Asylum miniseries), illustrated by Tim Kane.

Issue 7, featuring a wraparound cover by Rebecca A. Wrigley and a special variant cover by Mike Oeming, looks at Wesley (art by Nick Runge) and also features the surprise return of a long-absent character from the Whedonverse. The concluding "First Night" tales in issue 8 feature Gwen (art by Fabio Mantovani), the effect on LA being thrust into hell on the city's denizens (art by Kevyn Schmidt) and a heart-wrenching tale of Gunn's fate (art by Mirco Pierfederici).

Issue 9 picks up with the shocking cliffhanger at the end of issue 5, and features an all-new art team, Nick Runge and Art Lyon. Issues 8 and 9 will ship bi-weekly in June, too.

Finally, spinning out of the events of his story in "First Night," Spike will be getting his own miniseries debuting in July, Spike: After the Fall, written and illustrated by the Team that Joss Whedon hand-picked to handle Angel: After the Fall, Brian Lynch and Franco Urru. This special four-part series beginning in July takes Spike from the events in "First Night" and explores his changing relationship with Illyria in the new city, and answers many questions, foremost of which has been "how did Spike end up taking over a certain mansion in Westwood?" Spike: After the Fall debuts in July '08.

ITEM CODES:
Angel: After the Fall #1 Fourth Printing: DEC07 8174
Angel: After the Fall #2 Second Printing: NOV07 8120
Angel: After the Fall #3 Second Printing: DEC07 8118
Angel: After the Fall #4 Second Printing: JAN08 8161

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

MUCHOS New Serenity/Firefly from Dark Horse! (2007)

I know it's heretical, but I didn't get into Firefly. I have yet to see Serenity, but I have honestly sat down and watched entire day-long marathons of the original Sci-Fi series at least twice and just couldn't get into them. I'm not sure if it's because I didn't know the characters well, the story, the whole concept - whatever it was, something just didn't click with me.

But regardless of my personal take on the matter, Serenity/Firefly has almost never been hotter - truly a feat for a canceled series! Just think, Firefly has become far more popular after it was canceled than it probably would ever have been, had it remained on the air. And this official Dark Horse press release has even more great news for Serenity fans:

Friday, November 30, 2007 (Milwaukie, OR) - There's plenty of reason for the Browncoats to look forward to 2008. Dark Horse has a whole lot of Serenity coming down the pipeline! First and foremost is the new Serenity comics series that is due out in March. This three-issue series, Serenity: Better Days, is a step back in time to the early years of the Firefly crew, and the fledgling gang's turbulent attempts to cope with success after they pull off their first successful heist. It features the same creative team as Those Left Behind, with the story by Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews, art by Will Conrad, and Adam Hughes providing all three covers this time.

In conjunction with the launch of the new series, Dark Horse will be releasing a pair of lunch boxes. In 2006 there were whisperings about a Serenity lunch box. It was postponed for further development, much to the dismay of the Browncoats and Whedon fans worldwide. Their voices were heard loud and clear, and in response, Dark Horse not only put the improved lunch box back on the schedule for 2008, but added a second one.

Featuring the traditional Serenity logo that fans have come to know and love, the original lunch box also depicts the ship herself, and is trimmed by a colorful band of Serenity's spacey intergalactic currency. The second lunch box spotlights the anime-style art from Mark Brooks and Peter Gilstrap's Fruity Oaty Bar commercial. This is the seductive video ad that is playing in the club where the crew first discovers River's hidden "talents." Little did anyone suspect that this unusual little commercial had the power to send River Tam into a state of complete abandon, and it is in this pivotal scene that she unleashes her capacity to annihilate anyone in her path. While certainly worlds apart from other Serenity visuals, the iconic cartoon imagery of Fruity Oaty Bar has become an underground favorite, and Dark Horse is happy to present an officially licensed application of it. These new litho-printed tin lunch boxes are slated for April 2008 on-sale.

In case that isn't enough exciting news, fans can get instant gratification because the hardcover edition of Serenity: Those Left Behind hit the shelves on Wednesday, November 7^th. Collectors can pick up their copy at retail establishments all over the world. This is the definitive collector's bookshelf edition, printed larger than the original collection, and featuring an in-depth look at the film production art by comics superstars Leinil Yu and Josh Middleton.

And finally, the print runs have been set at 5,000 each for the Inara's Shuttle and Reaver Ship ornaments. The edition sizes were set according to pre-orders placed in September and October, and there will be no additional production of these limited-edition ships. Inara's Shuttle and The Reaver Ship ornaments will be in stores this February. These are the only three-dimensional versions of these ships available, and were created with the special participation of Zoic Studios, who generously provided digital data from their creations for the film production.

About Serenity

Joss Whedon, the Oscar- and Emmy-nominated writer/director responsible for the worldwide television phenomena Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, applies his trademark compassion and wit to a small band of galactic outcasts 500 years in the future in his feature film directorial debut, Serenity.

Based on Firefly, Whedon's cult hit television series, Serenity expands upon the adventures of the memorable characters launched in the TV series, with the addition of new characters created expressly for the motion picture adaptation, which won new fans and critical worldwide praise following its DVD release on December 9, 2003. Whedon acts as both screenwriter and director, with Barry Mendel (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and The Life Aquatic) producing and Chris Buchanan and Alisa Tager (of Barry Mendel Productions) serving as executive producers. The Serenity cast includes such returning Firefly cast members as Nathan Fillion as Captain Malcolm 'Mal' Reynolds, Gina Torres as Zoarren, Morena Baccarin as Inara Serra, Jewel Staite as Kaylee Frye, Adam Baldwin as Jayne Cobb, Sean Maher as Dr. Simon Tam, and Summer Glau as River Tam.

The film centers around Captain Malcolm Reynolds, a hardened veteran (on the losing side) of a galactic civil war, who now ekes out a living pulling off small crimes and transport-for-hire aboard his ship, Serenity. He leads a small, eclectic crew who are the closest thing he has left to family squabbling, insubordinate and undyingly loyal.

When Mal takes on two new passengers - a young doctor and his unstable, telepathic sister - he gets much more than he bargained for. The pair are fugitives from the coalition dominating the universe, who will stop at nothing to reclaim the girl. The crew that was once accustomed to skimming the outskirts of the galaxy unnoticed find themselves caught between the unstoppable military force of the Universal Alliance and the horrific, cannibalistic fury of the Reavers, savages who roam the very edge of space. Hunted by vastly different enemies, the crew begin to discover that the greatest danger to them may be on board Serenity herself.

The Runaways Race Back to the Future!

Most people might not associate Joss Whedon with comic books, but the TV scribe and producer of such cult hits as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel got his start in comics and has since returned. In fact, his recent work in sequential art has made him something of a legend in Comicdom... well, he already was, I guess, but... okay, I'm not sure where I was going with that. This is an official Marvel press release:

The critically acclaimed “Dead End Kids” storyline continues in Runaways #28! Super-star scribe Joss Whedon (Astonishing X-Men) and rising star Michael Ryan (New Excalibur, New X-Men) have wowed audiences with the first three chapters of this exciting story, but now Runaways are… stranded in 1907? After the stunning revelations thus far, not only are the Runaways seemingly stranded forever…faces from their past are going to make sure the Runaways don't have a future! Critics and fans alike continue to praise this bold new chapter in the lives of Marvel’s most teen team!

Richard George of IGN.Com deemed Whedon and Ryan’s Runaways a “must read,” calling the series “brilliant” and describing Ryan as, “the best artist for Runaways.”

“Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Yes. This is what I’ve been wanting, waiting for, hoping for,” gushed Scott A. Williams of ComiXtreme.Com while also adding, “The artwork is truthfully among the best the series has ever seen.”

With only three issues left of Joss Whedon and Michael Ryan’s landmark run, you can’t afford to miss Runaways #28.

RUNAWAYS # 28 (JUN072182)
Written by JOSS WHEDON
Penciled by MICHAEL RYAN
Cover by JO CHEN
Rated T+ …$2.99
FOC—9/13/07, On-Sale—10/03/07

Whedon Raises $60k for Equality Now!

We told you about how Joss Whedon was auctioning off dinner tickets a while back and we have been supporters of other minorities-based efforts we have heard about, so I thought I would share this official Dark Horse press release with everyone to let y'all know how well things turned out:

In conjunction with Dark Horse, eBay, and Auction Cause, five spots at a dinner table with Joss Whedon were offered on eBay.com/JossWhedon starting Monday, July 2nd, 2007. The ten-day auction proved to be a fierce bidding battle. The winners each paid up to $11,000 in the end. At a final count of the dinner plus auctions for signed Buffy lithographs and customized watches, the total amounted to $61,716.

Funds raised from the charity auction benefit Equality Now. Working with national human rights organizations and individual activists, Equality Now documents violence and discrimination against women and mobilizes international action to support their efforts to stop human rights abuses. Following in his mother’s footsteps, Joss is a large contributor and major supporter of Equality Now.

During San Diego Comic-Con this weekend, Joss will take winning bidders to a swank restaurant for drinks and dinner in a private room. For three hours the lucky guests will have the chance to talk, joke, question, and food fight with their hero, Joss Whedon.

“I’m more or less overwhelmed. The generosity of the bidders—all of them—is greater than I could have expected. Equality Now needs this money for its vital work and I’m thrilled at the amount this event has raised. Thrilled and galvanized: I promise to make this dinner truly memorable. I swear not to nod off (more than twice), not to try to ‘borrow’ the guests’ wallets or set the waiters ‘on fire,’ and to learn gooder English conversating,” muses Joss Whedon. “My grateful thanks to Dark Horse, to MySpace, eBay and Auction Cause—and mad props to the man behind the curtain, Mike Boretz—for making this run so smoothly. And to all the bidders, five of whom are in for a treat—or a least an appetizer.”

Whedon is the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This Emmy and Golden Globe nominated television series gained worldwide cult status throughout its Seven Seasons. Buffy spearheaded an evolution in the depiction of women in mainstream media making room for qualities like power and strength in female characters. The success of the show has created a new universe, the Buffyverse, which has enchanted different mediums with its enlightening and revolutionary characters.

Whedon is also the creator of Firefly, a sci-fi space western that had a short run on Fox. The major motion picture, Serenity, continued the characters’ journey and extended their fictional lives. This canceled series started a worldwide fan club that fights for the promotion and future continuation of the brilliantly constructed ideology presented in the post-apocalyptic setting.

Dark Horse has been the proud publisher of the companion comics for Buffy and Serenity since 1998, and earlier this year brought Buffy back with a direct follow-up to Season Seven of the smash-hit TV series in Buffy Season 8 with executive producer Joss Whedon!