Spike (IDW Publishing)
Encyclopedia
Spike is a comic book
series published by IDW Publishing
. Written by Brian Lynch, it focuses on the character of Spike, a main character in television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off, Angel
. Uniquely, although this is a spin-off from IDW's larger Angel: After the Fall franchise
, it also serves as a prequel
to Dark Horse Comics
' own Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight
comic book series. As such, it is "canon
" to the overall "Buffyverse
" in which stories take place. Although originally intended as an ongoing series
, the Angel rights transfer from IDW to Dark Horse will see the series end for the time being after eight issues.
Lynch had previously written for Spike in the comic books Spike: Asylum when Buffy and Angel creator Joss Whedon
approached him to write the canonical continuation to Angel, After the Fall, in 2007. For Spike, Lynch is reunited with frequent collaborator, penciller Franco Urru. Because of the circumstances behind Dark Horse's use of the Angel character, Whedon offered Lynch use of a main character in the Buffy franchise, and Lynch adapted the storyline to bridge IDW's After the Fall with Dark Horse's Season Eight.
for a mission refused by Angel. There, he acquires the crew and the ship introduced properly in the pages of Buffy Season Eight arc "Last Gleaming
".
and Angel Investigations
. Spike assembles his own team; Lynch describes these as the people Spike feels will listen to his commands.
For his supporting cast, Lynch had originally wanted to have Lorne as in his earlier Spike: Shadow Puppets
. However, following the death of actor Andy Hallett
, who portrayed Lorne in the Angel series, IDW policy placed Lorne off-limits following John Byrne's send-off comic for the character, Music of the Spheres. Instead, Lynch elected to use the character of Groosalugg
. This allows him to use the dragon and pegasus characters introduced in After the Fall and placed in Groo's care in that storyline. Additionally, Lynch uses his own inventions, the telepathic
fish Betta George (introduced into the Buffy canon in After the Fall) and Beck, a pyrokinetic
girl, first introduced in Spike: Aslyum. Lynch expressed excitement at bringing George back into the comics, as he had proved popular with fans of After the Fall.
When it was leaked earlier that Buffy Season Eight would include Angel in an important role, this came as a shock to IDW editorial and its writers. Then-current Angel writer Bill Willingham
in particular expressed considerable displeasure about their use of his main character. Dark Horse editors and Whedon extended the use of Buffy character Willow Rosenberg
to Lynch after Lynch joked that it would make it okay. Although Whedon stipulated he would have to oversee the character's interactions in Spike, Lynch was excited because writing with notes from Whedon was how they produced After the Fall together. Lynch writes of being a huge fan of Willow and enjoying her interactions with Spike in episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
For Lynch, having Spike as a headlining character makes for a very different writing experience to writing Spike as a supporting character in Angel. Lynch reflects that unlike stories where Buffy Summers
or Angel take the leading role, Spike is no longer there to stand at the sidelines and remark sardonically on the action. As leading man, the supporting characters of the series all work towards servicing him and his storyline. Spike's approach is also markedly different than Buffy's or Angel's; true to his character, he is more passionate and less tactical, making for tonally quite different stories to episodes of the aforementioned characters' shows. For Spike's personal development, Lynch expresses that as leader of the group, Spike has more responsibilities than ever before. For instance, he has to look out for the wellbeing of the team he has assembled. His new leadership role involves people management in addition to saving the world.
Like Los Angeles in Angel and Sunnydale in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Spike has its own setting. Lynch chose Las Vegas as the locale for the Spikes book. In common with the aforementioned locations, Lynch writes of Las Vegas that it "has become more evil than usual, and supernatural occurrences are happening all over town."
:
" story arc of Buffy Season Eight, Spike arrives in a mysterious yellow ship claiming to have a solution. Lynch and Dark Horse editor Scott Allie have both said that the Spike series will introduce the origins of Spike's ship and its crew. In a Q&A on the SlayAlive fan forums, Lynch said himself that the story was set a few months after Willingham's "Immortality for Dummies" arc in Angel, and at Comic-Con he said that although he wanted the comic to be timeless, it was also set "a few months" after the Fall of Los Angeles in After the Fall.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series published by 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...
. Written by Brian Lynch, it focuses on the character of Spike, a main character in television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off, Angel
Angel (TV series)
Angel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffys creator, Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999...
. Uniquely, although this is a spin-off from IDW's larger Angel: After the Fall franchise
Angel: After the Fall
Angel: After the Fall is a comic book published by IDW Publishing. Written by Brian Lynch and plotted with Joss Whedon, the series is a canonical continuation of the Angel television series, and follows the events of that show's final televised season...
, it also serves as a prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
to Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark 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...
' own Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight
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. As such, it is "canon
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
" to the overall "Buffyverse
Buffyverse
The Buffyverse, also known as the Whedonverse or Slayerverse , is the shared fictional universe in which the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel are set. This term, originally coined by fans of the TV series, has since been used in the titles of published works, and adopted by Joss...
" in which stories take place. Although originally intended as an ongoing series
Ongoing series
The term "ongoing series" is used in contrast to limited series , a one shot , a graphic novel, or a trade paperback...
, the Angel rights transfer from IDW to Dark Horse will see the series end for the time being after eight issues.
Lynch had previously written for Spike in the comic books Spike: Asylum when Buffy and Angel creator 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...
approached him to write the canonical continuation to Angel, After the Fall, in 2007. For Spike, Lynch is reunited with frequent collaborator, penciller Franco Urru. Because of the circumstances behind Dark Horse's use of the Angel character, Whedon offered Lynch use of a main character in the Buffy franchise, and Lynch adapted the storyline to bridge IDW's After the Fall with Dark Horse's Season Eight.
Plot
Brian Lynch revealed some of the plot at San Diego Comic-Con International in 2010. The plot of the first arc features Spike travelling to Las VegasLas Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
for a mission refused by Angel. There, he acquires the crew and the ship introduced properly in the pages of Buffy Season Eight arc "Last Gleaming
Last Gleaming
"Last Gleaming" is the eighth and final storyarc of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight series of comic books, based upon the television series of the same name, and is written by franchise creator Joss Whedon and Season Eight editor Scott Allie...
".
Publication history
Originally intended as a truly ongoing series, Lynch outlines his premise as "what would happen if Spike headlined his own TV show"; in this sense, the series aims to be a true Spike title and not merely an Angel spin-off. Lynch feels that the "kinda-sorta-very loose crossover" with Buffy Season Eight makes the comic book feel more like a "genuine Spike event" (rather than another of Spike's self-titled miniseries). Insofar as Lynch aims his series to be the Spike TV show that never was, Lynch cast its characters in the mould of Buffy and Angel respective casts: a team of diverse characters like the Scooby GangScooby Gang
The Scooby Gang, or "Scoobies", are a group of characters in the cult television series and comic book Buffy the Vampire Slayer who battle the supernatural forces of evil. The team consists of Buffy Summers and her friends and colleagues who assist her in her duties as the Slayer...
and Angel Investigations
Angel Investigations
Angel Investigations is a fictional detective agency run by the title character Angel previously on the WB television series Angel . It is sometimes abbreviated as AI...
. Spike assembles his own team; Lynch describes these as the people Spike feels will listen to his commands.
For his supporting cast, Lynch had originally wanted to have Lorne as in his earlier Spike: Shadow Puppets
Spike: Shadow Puppets
Spike: Shadow Puppets is a limited series comic book based on the Angel television series. The Spike centric comic was released by IDW Publishing from June 2007 through October 2007. The four issues were collected together in a single trade paperback in December, 2007.-Continuity:* The continuity...
. However, following the death of actor Andy Hallett
Andy Hallett
Andrew Alcott "Andy" Hallett was an American singer and actor best known for playing the part of Lorne in the television series Angel. He used his singing talents often on the show, and performed two songs on the series' 2005 soundtrack album, Angel: Live Fast, Die Never.-Early life:Andrew Alcott...
, who portrayed Lorne in the Angel series, IDW policy placed Lorne off-limits following John Byrne's send-off comic for the character, Music of the Spheres. Instead, Lynch elected to use the character of Groosalugg
Groosalugg
The Groosalugg, nicknamed Groo, is a fictional character on the WB network's series Angel. He appeared in seasons 2 and 3, and is portrayed by Mark Lutz.-History:...
. This allows him to use the dragon and pegasus characters introduced in After the Fall and placed in Groo's care in that storyline. Additionally, Lynch uses his own inventions, the telepathic
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
fish Betta George (introduced into the Buffy canon in After the Fall) and Beck, a pyrokinetic
Pyrokinesis
Pyrokinesis, derived from the Greek words and , was the name coined by horror novelist Stephen King for the ability to create or to control fire with the mind that he gave to the protagonist Charlie McGee in Firestarter...
girl, first introduced in Spike: Aslyum. Lynch expressed excitement at bringing George back into the comics, as he had proved popular with fans of After the Fall.
When it was leaked earlier that Buffy Season Eight would include Angel in an important role, this came as a shock to IDW editorial and its writers. Then-current Angel writer Bill Willingham
Bill Willingham
Bill Willingham is an American writer and artist of comics.-Career:Willingham got his start in the late 1970s to early 1980s as a staff artist for TSR, Inc., where he illustrated a number of their role-playing game products...
in particular expressed considerable displeasure about their use of his main character. Dark Horse editors and Whedon extended the use of Buffy character Willow Rosenberg
Willow Rosenberg
Willow Rosenberg is a fictional character created for the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . She was developed by Joss Whedon and portrayed throughout the TV series by Alyson Hannigan...
to Lynch after Lynch joked that it would make it okay. Although Whedon stipulated he would have to oversee the character's interactions in Spike, Lynch was excited because writing with notes from Whedon was how they produced After the Fall together. Lynch writes of being a huge fan of Willow and enjoying her interactions with Spike in episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
For Lynch, having Spike as a headlining character makes for a very different writing experience to writing Spike as a supporting character in Angel. Lynch reflects that unlike stories where Buffy Summers
Buffy Summers
Buffy Summers is a fictional character from Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer before going on to appear in the television series and subsequent comic book of the same name...
or Angel take the leading role, Spike is no longer there to stand at the sidelines and remark sardonically on the action. As leading man, the supporting characters of the series all work towards servicing him and his storyline. Spike's approach is also markedly different than Buffy's or Angel's; true to his character, he is more passionate and less tactical, making for tonally quite different stories to episodes of the aforementioned characters' shows. For Spike's personal development, Lynch expresses that as leader of the group, Spike has more responsibilities than ever before. For instance, he has to look out for the wellbeing of the team he has assembled. His new leadership role involves people management in addition to saving the world.
Like Los Angeles in Angel and Sunnydale in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Spike has its own setting. Lynch chose Las Vegas as the locale for the Spikes book. In common with the aforementioned locations, Lynch writes of Las Vegas that it "has become more evil than usual, and supernatural occurrences are happening all over town."
Issues
| Title | Issue # | Release date | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spike #1: Alone Together Now | 1 | October 13, 2010 | |||
| Writer: Brian Lynch | Penciller: Franco Urru | ||||
| No Bad too big in this all-new monthly series! The fan-favorite Angel team of Brian Lynch and artist Franco Urru are back! And this time, it's all about Spike. He's out on his own, away from Angel's watchful eye, and in charge of his own destiny. Lover, fighter, vampire with a soul, he's kick-starting his biggest adventure yet. Damsels, prepare to be saved and wooed! Forces of evil, get ready to be destroyed and mocked! Featuring guest-appearances by Angel, Illyria, and a face from the past seeking to destroy his future! | |||||
| Spike #2: What Happens in Vegas, Slays in Vegas | 2 | November 10, 2010 | |||
| Writer: Brian Lynch | Penciller: Franco Urru and Nicola Zanni | ||||
| Spike takes in all Las Vegas has to offer—the gambling, the women, and a hit new show called Cirque de No Slay. Yes, somebody's made a show about Spike's life, but they're rewriting history. Who's responsible? The answer to that isn't half as shocking as how Spike handles it. Get ready for the ultimate battle of Spike vs. Evil! | |||||
| Spike #3: Everybody Loves Spike | 3 | December 8, 2010 | |||
| Writer: Brian Lynch | Penciller: Nicola Zanni | ||||
| A flame from the past is haunting Spike's present, and wreaking havoc in Las Vegas, which is already pretty overrun with demons and vampires and your garden variety sins and sinners. But nothing is never that simple when Drusilla is involved, and a new player is about to make things very... difficult for Spike and company. | |||||
| Spike #4: You Haven't Changed a Bit | 4 | January 5, 2011 | |||
| Writer: Brian Lynch | Penciller: Nicola Zanni | ||||
| Spike's reunion with Drusilla is nothing short of explosive, especially considering her new lover thinks Spike has something he needs. Meanwhile, Las Vegas continues to deal with even more weirdness as Wolfram & Hart tries to get around Team Spike. Bring on the pyrokinetic and the psychic fish to save the day! | |||||
| Spike #5: Bedknobs and Boomsticks | 5 | February 23, 2011 | |||
| Writer: Brian Lynch | Penciller: Stephen Mooney | ||||
| When the going gets tough, the tough call in a witch. | |||||
| Spike #6: Something Borrowed | 6 | March 16, 2011 | |||
| Writer: Brian Lynch | Penciller: Stephen Mooney | ||||
| Why is Willow out of the Buffyverse and in Las Vegas with Spike? What does she need to help Spike with? How are they going to deal with John and Wolfram & Hart and Drusilla? Plus, spaceships and bugs are coming! | |||||
| Spike #7: Give and Take | 7 | April 13, 2011 | |||
| Writer: Brian Lynch | Penciller: Stephen Mooney | ||||
| That evil dude John is really ramping things up, but Spike has a few tricks up his own sleeve. Well, one, but still. And it all depends on whether he can trust Drusilla. No, really. Still to come...space bugs! | |||||
| Spike #8: Stranger Things | 8 | May 4, 2011 | |||
| Writer: Brian Lynch | Penciller: Franco Urru | ||||
| IDW's last Spike issue! Tears! Terror! Will Spike be able to put his demons to rest (figuratively and literally), or will this final challenge be 'the end' of our favorite vampire, poet, lover, and friend? Hint: It won't. | |||||
Collected editions
The series has been collected into two hardcover volume editions being released by IDW PublishingIDW 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...
:
| Title | Issues # | Release date | ISBN | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spike: Alone Together Now - Volume 1 | 1-4 | May 10, 2011 | ISBN 160010908X (Hardcover) | ||
| Spike: Stranger Things - Volume 2 | 5-8 | September 13, 2011 | ISBN 1613770065 (Hardcover) | ||
Continuity
In the final scene of the "TwilightTwilight (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
"Twilight" is the seventh story arc of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight series of comic books, based upon the television series of the same name, and is written by novelist and comic book writer Brad Meltzer...
" story arc of Buffy Season Eight, Spike arrives in a mysterious yellow ship claiming to have a solution. Lynch and Dark Horse editor Scott Allie have both said that the Spike series will introduce the origins of Spike's ship and its crew. In a Q&A on the SlayAlive fan forums, Lynch said himself that the story was set a few months after Willingham's "Immortality for Dummies" arc in Angel, and at Comic-Con he said that although he wanted the comic to be timeless, it was also set "a few months" after the Fall of Los Angeles in After the Fall.