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by Josh Roth @ 8:43 pm December 18th, 2008
A few months ago the spec pilot for Buffy: The Animated Series leaked onto the web, stirring interest in the dead project. Jeph Loeb, famed TV and Comic producer/writer, worked with Joss to bring Buffy back to our screens starting in 2001 and continuing through 2005. Most the cast were ready to reprise their roles (expect Sarah Michelle Gellar who was too busy making Japanese horror remakes and Scooby Doo), and many of the original series writers were on board. But surprisingly no network wanted to ‘risk’ picking up the series…well their loss and our eventual gain. This week’s Buffy comic is a small preview of what the series would have been like, and it is simply wonderful. Loeb is able to capture the charming nature of the first few seasons and spice it up with bits and pieces of Season Eight goodness. Nothing in this week’s comic really propels the overall season arc along…but that’s OK, because what it does offer is a delightful look into the realm of what could have (and what maybe someday will possibly) been.
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by Josh Roth @ 3:26 pm December 14th, 2008
As an enormous fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and in fact all things Whedon, I was ecstatic to discover that it had returned in comic book form. I’ve been following each arc as it hits store shelves, I buy both the individual issues and the paperback trades, anything to support Buffy. So far I’ve quite enjoyed the comic books, Season 8 does exactly what every Buffy fan should want, it brings the show to new heights, doing things the show couldn’t possibly do on a television budget. Drew Goddard takes full advantage of the comic book medium, with shape shifting vamps, sending the slayers to Japan in an effort to retrieve the Scythe, and a few other surprises. Goddard is a fantastically talented writer, and is well versed in writing for the Whedonverse. He got his start in TV writing with Buffy’s last season, and went on to work on Angel, Alias, and Lost. More recently he wrote the J.J. Abrams feature film Cloverfield, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Full of both dramatic and hilarious moments Wolves at the Gate takes Season Eight to new and wonderful heights, setting a high standards for the other writers. Beware of spoilers ahead.
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by Josh Roth @ 11:26 am July 24th, 2008
Runaways is one of the most surprisingly fun and clever books I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. I first heard of Runaways after Brian K Vaughn did an arc of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 (titled “No Future For You”, and currently available in trade paperback). The story synopsis alone was enough to catch my interest, but the fact that Buffy creator Joss Whedon had worked on an arc of Runaways made it a must read for me. I got a chance to check out the first trade hardback today, just before Comic-Con. Brian K Vaughn’s brilliant writing, combined with some of my all time favorite comic artwork by Adrian Alphona make Runaways an incredible must read. It combines the quick wit of Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer with another of my loves, the world of Marvel superheroes and supervillains.
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by Josh Roth @ 3:49 pm July 11th, 2008
Guillermo del Toro is a true artist with a camera, and a cool guy to boot. Del Toro is a huge fan of the Hellboy comics, written by Mike Mignola, so when he brought Hellboy to the big screen, it was a perfect adaption to the comics. Hellboy 2: The Golden Army picks up where the last one left off, with Hellboy (Ron Perlman), Abe Sapien (Doug Jones), and Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) (John Myers is MIA because the actor, Rupert Evans was busy with the stage) kicking supernatural out of the BPRD in New Jersey. I was a huge fan of the first Hellboy, thanks to its perfect mix of sci-fi and fantasy. Then del Toro brought us Pan’s Labyrinth, which blew most people away. I definitely enjoyed it, but meh. And now Hellboy 2, which gives us the best of Hellboy and Pan’s Labyrinth, del Toro’s brilliant vision is perfectly executed in this excellent sequel to one of my favorite sci-fi films.
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by Josh Roth @ 8:02 pm June 23rd, 2008
ABC Family, for some reason, picked up the comic book series The Middleman and hired the writer of the comics, Javier Grillo-Marxuach to pen the new show. The MIddleman turns out to be some serious super hero fun, but I can’t help but feel it would be better suited on the Sci-Fi Channel. The show follows the adventures of the milk drinking wise cracking Middleman played by Matt Keeslar, and his sidekick Wendy Watson (Natalie Morales).
