Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine
Encyclopedia
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine is the sequel to the Season Eight
comic book series, a canonical
continuation of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Joss Whedon
announced that the current series will continue in Season Nine.
The Season Nine brand also incorporates a new Buffy spin-off series Angel and Faith, which like the main series will last 25 issues (roughly two years). While Whedon shares writing duties with Andrew Chambliss
on the main series, Christos Gage
writes London-based series Angel and Faith. In an interview on the SlayAlive forum, writer and editor Scott Allie
stated that Season Nine will consist of multiple titles, explaining there would likely never be a month with fewer than two issues released; additional titles will be limited series
. The stories falling under Season Nine will focus more on the core characters than those of Season Eight. At the series' start, for instance, the focus is on Buffy's life in her new San Francisco residence, in a world now without magic. Angel and Faith, on the other hand, pursues several plot threads from Season Eight.
In an interview with Buffyfest, Scott Allie confirmed that the license to Angel comics would move from IDW Publishing
to Dark Horse, and titles revolving around Angel and his supporting cast would be part of Season Nine.
Confirmed at the 2011 Emerald City ComiCon
, Season Nine will span two years consisting of 25 issues. The Angel series will also consist of 25 issues. The first issue of the new Angel series will be released in the last week of August 2011, while the first issue of Buffy Season Nine will be released in the first week of the following month. A tenth season of Buffy was also confirmed.
On April 1, 2011, the production staff confirmed that the new Angel series also focuses on Faith Lehane
and is titled Angel and Faith, set mostly in London
and the surrounding area, and cover art was revealed for both series.
The 25 issues of Angel and Faith will be written exclusively by Christos Gage
. Buffy Season Nine will be exclusively written by Joss Whedon and Andrew Chambliss
, with Whedon writing the first issue and then co-writing the rest of the 25 issues with Chambliss.
In August 2011, a mini-story featuring Spike titled Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9: Magical Mystery Tour Featuring the Beetles, written by Jane Espenson, was released as part of Dark Horse's Digital Retailer Exclusive program.
' Kelly Thompson summed, "Joss Whedon has managed the impossible yet again, somehow reinventing and reinvigorating these beloved characters and putting them on entirely new paths and adventures." Entertainment Weekly
s Adam Vary gave the first issue of Season Nine a positive review, stating "Watching Buffy act like a normal twentysomething screw-up is adorable, and a refreshing reminder that, even without the weight of the world on her shoulders, our heroine’s life can still be a bit of a mess." Vary commented that this sort of storytelling alone would make an interesting contrast to Season Eight, but noted that Whedon had set up several supernatural plot threads as well, adding "I hope that as Season 9 unfolds, Whedon et. al. allow the relative simplicity of Buffy’s life to reflect more in the storytelling itself. As any Buffy fan knows, the woman is plenty captivating just on her own." Grey Scherl gave the episode a 9.5/10, writing for Inside Pulse. He praised Jeanty's artwork, although added the caveat "That isn’t to say it’s perfect, and there are times when he feels a bit rusty at it; some characters look off at times, especially Dawn." His main criticism was directed to the appearance of Riley
, who was his least favourite character in the television series. "It’s a really fun issue, but it’s not something that the uninitiated is going to understand. Whedon brings these characters back to the core of what works, and makes waiting a month for the next issue far more irritating than week between episodes ever was."
WhatCulture's Dean Threadgold gave the first issue of Season Nine 3.5/5. Threadgold praised Whedon's trademark humour, and for delivering "a script that is both witty and fun yet, like the best episodes, full of emotional subtext", despite Season Eights set-up. Threadgold commented that the series' first issue was "very effective, neatly setting up the new status quo and at the same time sowing the seeds for the rest of the series." However, reservations were directed towards the art: "Georges Jeanty, who is usually top notch with his pencils, displays a few too many inconsistencies with the various characters". Threadgold was also skeptical whether Whedon's decision to share writing duties with comics-novice Andrew Chambliss would bode well for the series.
Several critics felt the series had improved on Season Eights relative failures. Scherl felt Season Eight "was too big, too grand in scale and scope, and while the characters were still the ones we know and love, there was something lost in not letting them be in situations that suit who they are." Threadgold wrote "A big criticism of Season 8 was that it failed to be about anything deeper, yet already Season 9 seems eager to rectify that problem," and Vary was eager for the series not to lose sight of its intimate start, commenting "If the 24-page issue was just about this party... it would have been a fascinating, human-scaled change of pace from the fast-paced phantasmagoria of Season 8."
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight is a comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics. The series serves as a canonical continuation of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and follows the events of that show's final televised season. It is produced by Joss Whedon, who wrote the...
comic book series, a canonical
Buffyverse canon
The Buffyverse canon consists of materials that are thought to be genuine and those events, characters, settings, etc., that are considered to have inarguable existence within the fictional universe established by the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer...
continuation of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
announced that the current series will continue in Season Nine.
The Season Nine brand also incorporates a new Buffy spin-off series Angel and Faith, which like the main series will last 25 issues (roughly two years). While Whedon shares writing duties with Andrew Chambliss
Andrew Chambliss
Andrew Chambliss is an American television writer best known for working on series such as Dollhouse and The Vampire Diaries.- Career :...
on the main series, Christos Gage
Christos Gage
Christos N. "Chris" Gage is an American comic book writer and screenwriter.-Early life:Gage is the son of author and journalist Nicholas Gage. He was born in New York, and grew up in Athens, Greece, and then North Grafton, Massachusetts...
writes London-based series Angel and Faith. In an interview on the SlayAlive forum, writer and editor Scott Allie
Scott Allie
Scott Allie is an American comics writer and editor, currently the Senior Managing Editor for Dark Horse Comics.-Career:Scott Allie is the author of The Devil's Footprints and the editor of the Hellboy, Conan, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Serenity comics, as well as the founding editor of Dark...
stated that Season Nine will consist of multiple titles, explaining there would likely never be a month with fewer than two issues released; additional titles will be limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
. The stories falling under Season Nine will focus more on the core characters than those of Season Eight. At the series' start, for instance, the focus is on Buffy's life in her new San Francisco residence, in a world now without magic. Angel and Faith, on the other hand, pursues several plot threads from Season Eight.
Production
Production is said to start shortly after Season Eight ends.In an interview with Buffyfest, Scott Allie confirmed that the license to Angel comics would move from IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing, also known as Idea + Design Works, LLC and IDW, is an American publisher of comic books and comic strip collections. The company was founded in 1999 and has been awarded the title "Publisher of the Year Under 5% Market Share" for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 by Diamond Comic...
to Dark Horse, and titles revolving around Angel and his supporting cast would be part of Season Nine.
Confirmed at the 2011 Emerald City ComiCon
Emerald City ComiCon
The Emerald City Comicon is an annual comic book convention taking place in Seattle, Washington. Originally taking place at the city's Qwest Field , the venue changed to its current home at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center since 2008...
, Season Nine will span two years consisting of 25 issues. The Angel series will also consist of 25 issues. The first issue of the new Angel series will be released in the last week of August 2011, while the first issue of Buffy Season Nine will be released in the first week of the following month. A tenth season of Buffy was also confirmed.
On April 1, 2011, the production staff confirmed that the new Angel series also focuses on Faith Lehane
Faith Lehane
Faith is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Played by actress Eliza Dushku in the TV series and by Whitney Thompson in the motion comic series, Faith was introduced in the third season of Buffy and was a focus of that season's...
and is titled Angel and Faith, set mostly in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and the surrounding area, and cover art was revealed for both series.
The 25 issues of Angel and Faith will be written exclusively by Christos Gage
Christos Gage
Christos N. "Chris" Gage is an American comic book writer and screenwriter.-Early life:Gage is the son of author and journalist Nicholas Gage. He was born in New York, and grew up in Athens, Greece, and then North Grafton, Massachusetts...
. Buffy Season Nine will be exclusively written by Joss Whedon and Andrew Chambliss
Andrew Chambliss
Andrew Chambliss is an American television writer best known for working on series such as Dollhouse and The Vampire Diaries.- Career :...
, with Whedon writing the first issue and then co-writing the rest of the 25 issues with Chambliss.
In August 2011, a mini-story featuring Spike titled Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9: Magical Mystery Tour Featuring the Beetles, written by Jane Espenson, was released as part of Dark Horse's Digital Retailer Exclusive program.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9
| Title | Issue # | Release date | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Freefall, Part I" | 1 | September 14, 2011 | |||
| Writer: Joss Whedon Joss Whedon Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures... |
Penciller: Georges Jeanty Georges Jeanty Georges Jeanty is an American comic book penciler best known for his work on The American Way, an eight-issue American comic book limited series produced under DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint, and the Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics.-Early... |
||||
| Season 8 ended with a bang when Buffy cut the world off from the hell dimensions and all supernatural influence. Great, right? Except Buffy has left her best friend, Willow, powerless, and ended the long line of vampire slayers, leaving her hated by the hundreds of girls who recently stood behind her. Newly relocated to San Francisco, Buffy can count on a fresh start, and focus on what she’s good at—slaying. | |||||
| "Freefall, Part II" | 2 | October 12, 2011 | |||
| Writer: Joss Whedon and Andrew Chambliss Andrew Chambliss Andrew Chambliss is an American television writer best known for working on series such as Dollhouse and The Vampire Diaries.- Career :... |
Penciller: Georges Jeanty | ||||
| Buffy continues her nightly patrols while trying to cobble together a sensible life... Willow’s adopted a new look, while Dawn and Xander celebrate the comforts of a magicless world. The fun and games come to a halt when mysteriously marked bodies start appearing. As Buffy starts to investigate she captures the attention of San Francisco police detectives who have taken notice of the unnaturally gifted Slayer. | |||||
| "Freefall, Part III" | 3 | November 9, 2011 | |||
| Writer: Andrew Chambliss | Penciller: Georges Jeanty | ||||
| Spike has heard rumblings. Someone, or something, is coming for Buffy—and now, after she recklessly slipped out of police custody, the SFPD is certainly looking. When Buffy’s family and friends deny her refuge from the cops, she turns to the streets and slaying, where she discovers there’s a new kind of vampire slayer in town... | |||||
| "Freefall, Part IV" | 4 | December 14, 2011 | |||
| Writer: Andrew Chambliss | Penciller: Georges Jeanty | ||||
| As Xander, Dawn, and Willow retreat into their own complicated lives, Buffy finds herself drawn more closely to her new friend Severin, a mysterious crime fighter in his own right, and a snappy dresser to boot. Together they take on a new kind of vampire threat while Buffy's not-in-the-know roomies start snooping through her unslept-in bedroom. Now what could they possibly find? | |||||
| "Slayer, Interrupted" | 5 | January 11, 2012 | |||
| Writer: Andrew Chambliss | Penciller: Karl Moline | ||||
| Buffy’s dreams have become all too real lately as she deals with a magicless world. She's still fighting creatures of the night, as Willow and Xander grow distant and nightmares plague the Slayer. But something is telling Buffy that there is more to her dreams than meets the eye... and that her greatest fears may yet become reality! | |||||
Angel and Faith
| Title | Issue # | Release date | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Live Through This, Part I" | 1 | August 31, 2011 | |||
| Writer: Christos Gage Christos Gage Christos N. "Chris" Gage is an American comic book writer and screenwriter.-Early life:Gage is the son of author and journalist Nicholas Gage. He was born in New York, and grew up in Athens, Greece, and then North Grafton, Massachusetts... |
Penciller: Rebekah Issacs | ||||
| Left in a near-catatonic state following the events in Buffy Season 8, Angel will need a seriously rude awakening if he’s to make amends for his ill-conceived deeds. Enter rebel Slayer with a cause—Faith Lehane. Together they’ll have full access to the Watcher files and opportunities to make amends for all they’ve done... and will do. | |||||
| "Live Through This, Part II" | 2 | September 28, 2011 | |||
| Writer: Christos Gage | Penciller: Rebekah Isaacs | ||||
| Following some bad—many would say unforgivable—choices as Twilight, Angel needed to hide away and wallow in his guilt. But with a little TLC—courtesy of his only remaining ally, Faith, Angel is back to fighting the good fight and taking demons down one by one. With the Watcher files at their disposal, Angel comes up with the ultimate plan for redemption. | |||||
| "Live Through This, Part III" | 3 | October 26, 2011 | |||
| Writer: Christos Gage | Penciller: Rebekah Isaacs | ||||
| Giles’s personal Watcher files lead Angel and Faith to what Angel believes will be his true redemption—at least for a portion of his unforgivable sins. In the underbelly of London, where demons are coping with the lack of magic and the resulting changes to the natural hierarchy, Angel and Faith follow the first major lead in Angel’s quest... forcing him to reflect on his earliest days in Los Angeles. | |||||
| "Live Through This, Part IV" | 4 | November 30, 2011 | |||
| Writer: Christos Gage | Penciller: Rebekah Isaacs | ||||
| As Angel continues his quest to resurrect the dead by following leads he digs out of the Watcher’s Files, Faith has second thoughts about supporting his seemingly impossible venture. A new ally warns her to weigh the consequences—good and bad—of Angel’s endeavor. Meanwhile, amidst clubbing, mentoring, and slaying, Faith has her own concerns counseling a damaged and vengeance-seeking Slayer! There’s pressure from all sides. Can Faith handle it? | |||||
| "In Perfect Harmony" | 5 | December 28, 2011 | |||
| Writer: Christos Gage | Penciller: Phil Noto | ||||
| It's a dark and foggy night in London, and Angel and Faith are about to encounter a most unexpected visitor. Superceleb vampire Harmony Kendall returns! When a stalker threatens to expose one of Harm's misdeeds, she solicits the help of wayward heroes Angel and Faith. With her little pups, her friend Clem, and her Hollywood entourage by her side, Harmony is taking the UK by storm! | |||||
| "Daddy Issues, Part I" | 6 | January 25, 2012 | |||
| Writer: Christos Gage | Penciller: Rebekah Issacs | ||||
| A mysterious illness is plaguing the streets of London and turning everyday humans into emotionless killers. The Watcher’s Files, which may be the key to unraveling this mystery, have led Angel and Faith to seek out a demon from Giles’s past for answers. Meanwhile a peculiar friend and foe returns to London and to Angel’s inner circle. | |||||
Buffy
Reaction to the new series has generally been positive. Comic Book ResourcesComic Book Resources
Comic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
' Kelly Thompson summed, "Joss Whedon has managed the impossible yet again, somehow reinventing and reinvigorating these beloved characters and putting them on entirely new paths and adventures." Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
s Adam Vary gave the first issue of Season Nine a positive review, stating "Watching Buffy act like a normal twentysomething screw-up is adorable, and a refreshing reminder that, even without the weight of the world on her shoulders, our heroine’s life can still be a bit of a mess." Vary commented that this sort of storytelling alone would make an interesting contrast to Season Eight, but noted that Whedon had set up several supernatural plot threads as well, adding "I hope that as Season 9 unfolds, Whedon et. al. allow the relative simplicity of Buffy’s life to reflect more in the storytelling itself. As any Buffy fan knows, the woman is plenty captivating just on her own." Grey Scherl gave the episode a 9.5/10, writing for Inside Pulse. He praised Jeanty's artwork, although added the caveat "That isn’t to say it’s perfect, and there are times when he feels a bit rusty at it; some characters look off at times, especially Dawn." His main criticism was directed to the appearance of Riley
Riley Finn
Riley Finn is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Portrayed by Marc Blucas, Riley was introduced in the 1999 season four premiere episode, "The Freshman", and Blucas was part of the series credited cast for the second part of season four...
, who was his least favourite character in the television series. "It’s a really fun issue, but it’s not something that the uninitiated is going to understand. Whedon brings these characters back to the core of what works, and makes waiting a month for the next issue far more irritating than week between episodes ever was."
WhatCulture's Dean Threadgold gave the first issue of Season Nine 3.5/5. Threadgold praised Whedon's trademark humour, and for delivering "a script that is both witty and fun yet, like the best episodes, full of emotional subtext", despite Season Eights set-up. Threadgold commented that the series' first issue was "very effective, neatly setting up the new status quo and at the same time sowing the seeds for the rest of the series." However, reservations were directed towards the art: "Georges Jeanty, who is usually top notch with his pencils, displays a few too many inconsistencies with the various characters". Threadgold was also skeptical whether Whedon's decision to share writing duties with comics-novice Andrew Chambliss would bode well for the series.
Several critics felt the series had improved on Season Eights relative failures. Scherl felt Season Eight "was too big, too grand in scale and scope, and while the characters were still the ones we know and love, there was something lost in not letting them be in situations that suit who they are." Threadgold wrote "A big criticism of Season 8 was that it failed to be about anything deeper, yet already Season 9 seems eager to rectify that problem," and Vary was eager for the series not to lose sight of its intimate start, commenting "If the 24-page issue was just about this party... it would have been a fascinating, human-scaled change of pace from the fast-paced phantasmagoria of Season 8."
External links
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer at Dark Horse ComicsDark Horse ComicsDark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...