This is a new one for the pop culture history books - a prof writer and editor have switched places

[shadowkat]

[ETA: Home from work...with a splitting headache. Work related headache. I wrote the below on the fly at lunch, folks, after reading it several places on lj. At any rate, after posting - people in the comments gave me a different take on it. Which added to my headache. So I'm going to edit this post to include their takes, because you know I'd hate for people to take what I say as gospel, and let you guys figure out which is the correct version and whether you are going to waste spend more time and money reading this shitty comic.

Apparently at the San Diego Comic Con - Joss Whedon announced that he was too busy (now that he's directing the Avengers) to write the last five issue of Buffy, so his editor at Dark Horse, Scott Allie is going to write them instead, and Whedon is just going to tweak some dialogue. [Actually it appears from someone who was there: He said that Allie was going to be co-writing the final arc. *crickets* Then he described Allie coming down to LA to sit with him and break down the story, which sounds like the "writer's room" method. (I personally have no idea what was said at Comic Con, I wasn't there. Interpret that however you want.)

Then this interpretation of the above: Joss has already plotted out the rest of the BtVS S8, and has written all the dialogue, but there is a function in the process of making comic books which is called writing script... but it has a very specific meaning that has to do with the detailed notes to the artist. Joss did this same thing w/the Serenity comic books, he plotted it and did the dialogue, but didn't want to go through the extra labor of 'writing the script' so that was all done by Brett Matthews. It has to be done well to make sure the page breaks happen correctly and all, but it isn't really the creative writing part.

So you tell me what that means? Sounds to me like he's basically written the teleplay but let Scott Allie write the actual script and co-direct the episode with George Jeanty much the same way he did with Brian Lynch/Frank Urru over at IDW for Angel After the Fall.]

Not sure what that means...because, hello, comics are all dialogue.

So...what we have here is an established writer, a big name one in pop culture circles, switching places with a comic book editor - and a piss poor comic book editor at that. (The Buffy comics are the worst paced and have plot gaps that a truck could drive through, not to mention loads of factual and story inconsistencies - all of which can be fixed by a good editor, as most fanfic writers are aware of.)

Alrighty then. Haven't seen that one done before.

Whedon is essentially editing his own story, while his editor is writing his story?? Can you imagine, as a writer, giving your baby to your editor to write? While you occassionally pop in to edit it? Granted Whedon started out as basically a story editor - so this could work, assuming of course this has not been what he's been doing all along.

Mindboggling.

So folks - are you willing to buy a story written by Scott Allie and tweaked by Whedon? Curious minds want to know?

Comments

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Since I haven't bought it with Whedon 'supposedly' at the helm, I don't tend to think much has changed.

The whole thing will continue be the sad, overly-long burial of a franchise.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Apparently there's some disagreement over what he actually said? See comments below. I reposted/clarified above.

I don't know...I lost interest after issue 35. My interest in comics is waning.

[londonkds.livejournal.com]

I think the only appropriate response is something along the lines of "eat a bowl of dicks".

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

I'm wondering why he's even bothering at this point...although according to the comments - apparently,
he's written the dialogue and the plot, but handing the whole thing over to Jeanty and Allie to direct/edit/produce/and write script for.

[norwie2010.livejournal.com]

What shipperx said.

A good Whedon story? Yeah, i'll give it a shot.
A Scott Who story? Nah, not interested.

[buffyannotater.livejournal.com]

I'm so over Joss Whedon at this point (sad to say) that this is yet another disheartening nail in the coffin for me.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Well, according to the comments...he is co-writing, basically the dialogue and the plot, that's it. Sort of like writing the teleplay, but not directing/producing/casting or writing script for the episode. Which is really odd coming from a guy who refuses to let anyone direct episodes he hasn't written or doesn't have script approval. Here - he's more or less handed that over to someone else - near as I can figure. I don't know, have too big a headache from work to make heads or tails of it.

Can't say I disagree with you. I'm over Whedon myself. Farscape was a much better series on numerous levels.

[ponygirl2000.livejournal.com]

It's even worse because comics writing isn't just all dialogue, it's essentially like a screenplay with a breakdown of panels and descriptions of images etc. From the scans I've seen of the comics it doesn't seem the artist has much of a visual style of his own, so setting these two loose without even the illusion of Joss control is going to be a bit of a disaster.

Is it wrong that I'm looking forward to all the internet snark to follow?

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Well, it's confusing - according to the comments below he's co-writing it and did most of the dialogue and the plot. It sounds to me like he wrote the teleplay, and is letting Scott Allie and Jeanty produce/direct/and write the script? Apparently there's a script function with comics -where the writer sends notes to the artist - explaining what they want and how the action should be portrayed, but he is forgoing that function due to lack of time. (Odd coming from a guy who refuses to let anyone direct any tv show or movie he's written any longer and has been burned by letting people do it.)

I don't know, have a headache from work - so your guess is as good as mine.

From the scans I've seen of the comics it doesn't seem the artist has much of a visual style of his own, so setting these two loose without even the illusion of Joss control is going to be a bit of a disaster.

I agree. If it were Brian Lynch and Urru...it would be one thing.
I honestly don't see these comics being anything other than a colossal train wreck. Although what they can do that could be any worse than issues 34 and 35, I've no idea. ;-)

Is it wrong that I'm looking forward to all the internet snark to follow?

Hee. Nope. I am too. Except, I think most of the snarkers have given up on them in disgust. I know I have. It will take a lot for me to pick up an issue at this point - such as a really glowing review on my flist that sparks my curiousity. And from the spoilers I've seen? That's unlikely. Issue 36 looks atrocious. Angel's wandering about talking to a dog.

[rebcake.livejournal.com]

I was actually there, and that's not what he said. He said that Allie was going to be co-writing the final arc. *crickets* Then he described Allie coming down to LA to sit with him and break down the story, which sounds like the "writer's room" method. Response from the crowd was not warm, but nobody booed him off the stage. I suspect that is because so many people have already given up on the comics. Sales figures do not lie.

Perhaps Joss has made clarifying comments since that talk, but at that point it was not as topsy turvy as you present it. I did hear an interview with Allie where he assured people that all the dialogue would be 100% Joss, but that does not make the opposite true (i.e. that everything not dialogue will be 100% not Joss).

Sigh. I am not happy. I do not think that Scott Allie is a good communicator. However, it's bad enough without overstating the case.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Sorry, bad mood. It was a bad day at work.

Thank you for the clarification. I edited the post above to include it.

Doesn't change my mind about reading the comics or Whedon though.

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think that rebcake has it right: Joss has already plotted out the rest of the BtVS S8, and has written all the dialogue, but there is a function in the process of making comic books which is called writing script... but it has a very specific meaning that has to do with the detailed notes to the artist. Joss did this same thing w/the Serenity comic books, he plotted it and did the dialogue, but didn't want to go through the extra labor of 'writing the script' so that was all done by Brett Matthews. It has to be done well to make sure the page breaks happen correctly and all, but it isn't really the creative writing part.

Having said that, I do agree that it is typical Joss to drop the ball with comic books... He pretends that he is committed to the comic book form, but everything else always comes first (that is why it took two years to finish 'Fray' and why he had big delays on 'Astonishing X-men').

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the interpretation. Gave me a headache. But thanks.