JOSS WHEDON is NYLON's Master Now!

If you like fashion (albeit mostly pretentious coastal street style) & Joss Whedon you simply must pick up the September 2008 issue of Nylon-themed quite appropriately "The TV Issue"

I haven't seen this many Whedon references since the contentious New Classics issue of EW earlier this summer.

The standout feature for this issue has to be the 8-PAGE Eliza Dushku photoshoot (p.200) most uncreatively entitled "Welcome to the Dollhouse". Somebody should really be giving Heather Matarazzo royalties for this.

But that's not where the Whedonness ends-
There's also a small feature on two other stars from DOLLHOUSE -Enver Gjokaj & Dichen Lachman on p.193 (Though I wouldn't have minded some Tahmoh Penikett love.)

Then there's the whole page dedicated to why BUFFY is the Greatest Show on Earth on p. 164.
(Which I completely agree with. )

Oh and it doesn't end there!
There's also a FIREFLY inspired fashion spread on p.134.
Style Note: I actually don't agree with the dresses they picked since they decided to focus on River's folksy dress shit that always rubbed me of Amy Grant circa "House of Love". But I'm not against pairing motorcycle boots with floaty dresses. That oddly works.

Oh and did I mention that there's an article on p.161 on the ascending popularity of direct to web programming that gives well deserved props to Joss & Co. for the "silly & funny" Dr.Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog.

Add to all that all the nods to Whedon-Friendlies:
Q&A with Matt Colonna (Editor on Dexter) p.160
Q&A Amanda Friedland (Costume Designer for Terminator:TSCC ) p.158
Interview with the ridiculously funny Mindy Kaling from The Office p.156
Why Battlestar Galactica is the Greatest Show on Earth p.165 *Warning: Season 4 Spoiler *
Why LOST is the Greatest Show on Earth p.163
Q&A with Ken Leung & Rebecca Mader from LOST .185

So in total Joss gets Name-Checked 4 Times!
p.161, p.164, p.193, p.200

In addition to these other shout outs-
p.68 (Buffy), p.133 (Firefly), p.134 (Firefly & Buffy & Sarah Michelle Gellar), p.171 (Buffy)

Now that is some serious Joss-love.

EW's Twilight cover Sucks!

Supposedly there has been a major outcry from the Twilight fangirls about the less than flattering EW cover featuring Harry Potter hottie Robert Pattinson and Panic Girl Kristin Stewart.
I say "supposedly" because Twilight falls outside of my realm of fandom. I actually had never heard of the phenomenon until Stephen Colbert used a picture of Angelus himself, David Boreanaz, in a clip about the success of series. In my book it's kind of like the literary Hannah Montana- kid crack.

And if you're wondering I have read a book in the series. I somehow made it through the first book. Looking back I really don't know how I did it. Needless to say I didn't continue with the series choosing rather to bask in the Twilight of ignorance. What was my issue with the book? Well to keep it concise: It's no Buffy. Buffy set the bar ridiculously high for Vampire stories especially Vampire romance stories. Just look at the ashes of the recently cancelled Moonlight. I just couldn't handle the fact that it had none of Buffy's punny-ness, symbolism, or heart.

Well what does this have to do with the EW cover?

Any casual reader of EW will know that their love for Buffy (well actually they're pretty much down with the entire Whedonverse) runs very deep. They're like Buffy fundamentalist. Just look at their "New Classics" issue where there were no less than 4 Buffy mentions. See why I've kept my subscription all these years.

So now let's take a Symbolic tour of the EW cover together!
Shall we see Buffy Bias in action?

Ridicuously pasty Robert Pattinson: I know he's English and plays a Vampire but my god did they have to make him that pasty?! I can only conclude that this is EW's way of saying that Edward Cullen pales in comparison to David Boreanaz's Angel.

Deep Brunette Kristen Stewart: The Yin Yang of Vampire romance? Buffy is a sassy kick-ass Vampire Slayer/Layer who also happens to be EW's favorite blonde. Twilight's Bella is more into whining and should think about leasing her own Batsignal for all the times she needs Edward (and the rest of the Cullen clan) to come to her rescue. Sounds like someone familiar? Yep you guessed it Buffyverse Enemy #1: Dawn. Ever insightful Spike said it best to Buffy in "Wrecked" [S.6.E.10]:"Ever think about a LoJack for the girl?"

Robert Pattinson's Chest: First off- There is no chest hair in vampire romance! Seriously never! From Stuart Townsend's Lestat to Harlequin covers there is simply no place in undeath for chest hair. Come on when you live forever you've got plenty of time to wax so there's no excuse. Buffy's Boys Angel & Spike =Smooth
Second-No chest definition! Not to go into too much mythology, vampires need to be able to catch their food. And in the case of BtVS they need to be shirtless/pretend to be young for as long as possible. That is the way of the WB. So chest definition is not only of aesthetic value but neccessary to a vampire's survival not only in undeath but also on the WB.
Symbolically I'd say that EW is suggesting that he's a weak (synonym:poor) vampire.

Robert Pattinson's Ensemble: Vampires do not wear blue jeans. Leatherpants? Well of course! But never blue jeans. Blue jeans are in the same category of vampire deterrents as garlic, holy water, and trips to Ibiza. Not to mention wearing them with a belt buckle to the side just looks douchebaggy like on Abercrombie models. Could this be EW suggeting that Twilight is more about wide tween appeal than it is about establishing a credible vampire mythology? I'm just saying...

{Disclaimer: I obviously don't work at EW so don't blame them for my Buffy bias}

A Pom a Day Keeps the Doctor Away-Anthony Stewart Head

The man was on two of my all time favorite shows: Buffy the Vampire Slayer & Little Britain.
Is there anything better than watching ASH sing "Standing"?
COMPUTER SAYS NO!


I love when Buffy deflects the dagger with her hand. I've tried the same move but I deflect Vanilla lattes thrown by hostile Starbucks baristas.
---------------------------------
And then there're all the "Standing" Fan Vids. I especially like this BSG Papa & Son Adama one:

The CLOVERFIELD Prequel?

The Inspiration Behind Hud?
[And no, I am not talking about the film with Paul Newman, Melvyn Douglas, & Patricia Neal though you should definitely see it anyways.]

Cloverfield-Haiku Review!!!!Shaky camera
Not good when you're hungover
Yet entertaining

2007:The Year of the Whedon

Why 2007 was definitely
The Year of the Whedon...

1.“You had me at Canon”
When I first saw the EW article about Season 8 I nearly cried (read:did cry). And since then I’ve been lookng forward to the beginning of each month with as much fervor as those gals seeking paternity tests on Maury. But minus the disappointment of course.

2.Trading Spaces-Joss Whedon vs. Brian K. Vaughan
I’m still not convinced that Joss Whedon and Brian K. Vaughan are two different people. I still believe that this is some sort of Garth Brooks/Chris Gaines (or for you youngins Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana) gimmick. So news that Joss Whedon was taking over writing duties on BKV's Runaways wasn't as surprising as it should have been to me. In all actuality, I still can't even really tell the difference. Joss still makes Molly awesome and does the (his?) pop culture reference thing. Meanwhile over at Buffy, BKV was putting Faith in a ball gown and sending her to jolly old England to take down a Queen B (who btw had horrendous fashion sense) by the name of Gigi. Oh and he made Billie Piper part of canon.

3.The best things in life are free.
(And written by Joss Whedon with art by Fabio Moon.)
Dark Horse Presents via the Dark Horse mySpace page launched at Comic-Con with a bang with the announcement of an all new comic book by Joss Whedon. And I mean really new. As in not related to Buffyverse or Firefly. Yeah my jaw hit the floor too. Not to mention it was going to have art by the ridiculously talented and awesome Fabio Moon. And did I mention they offered it for free? Yes we should all give Dark Horse our first born now.

4.Welcome to the Dollhouse
I swear the announcement of Dollhouse came out of nowhere. At least to me anyways. But any news concerning more Joss & Eliza is always a good thing. The fact that the news came out at the same time that the Faith arc was going on just makes it that much sweeter. And just so you know I’m still not over Tru Calling.

5.Angel in America
Season 5 of Angel is my favorite out of the entire series. Mostly because of “Smile Time”, “The Girl in Question”, the addition of Spike & appearances by Dru, Darla, Andrew, & Adam Baldwin. So the fact that Angel:After the Fall picks up exactly where we left our lawful heroes makes me giddy with joy. That the series is being written by Brian Lynch (whose Spike:Shadow Puppets was one of my fave books of 2007) adds to the giddyness. And those brilliant covers by Tony Harris are just gravy. And I’m from the South where gravy is like Holy Water.

6.The Adventures of Miss Kitty Fantastico
The Last arc of Joss Whedon & John Cassaday’s Astonishing X-Men began this year and it still is the best X-Men book out there. For instance, who knew that Piotr could be all romantic & stuff? But knowing the Whedonverse as well as I do, I know that Kitty & Piotr getting physical can really only lead to one thing. Death. And since Joss makes no bones about being a Kitty Pryde fanboy I'm thinking that there'll be White Russians served at the wake. But to me the breakout character award for this arc has to go to Cyclops for dropping the emo routine for a bit and being a hero. Though my favorite dialogue still comes from Emma who's channeling Sunnydale's favorite Cheerleader, Cordelia Chase.
The release schedule definitely requires you to repeat the mantra “Good things definitely come to those who wait”. But good things also come to those who buy anything with the names “Joss Whedon” or “John Cassaday” on it.

7.The Office Space
Joss returns to TV!!! Well sort of. Joss directed two episodes of The Office this past year which (good for NBC) actually made me start watching the show regularly again. I seriously don’t know how I abandoned watching John Krasinski weekly. But I digress. But seriously I’m going to use The Secret to get SMG on 30 Rock. She totally needs to be reunited with her Suburban Girl co-star Alec Baldwin and get back to the funny. When will people realize that she’s a fantastic comedic actress??? Oh Sh*t I digressed again. But you guys know I’m right.
Bonus:The Season 3 DVD has an interview with Joss Whedon for fangirl/fanboy enjoyment.

8.“Talk nerdy to me”
The Collector’s Edition of Serenity came out this past fall with an all new commentary by Joss and cast. Joss's commentary is in it of itself supremely entertaining. And , as with all great pop culture, very quotable. Only those who have acquired a working knowledge of Whedon commentaries have truly reached a higher plane of existence.

Haiku Reviews for Nov 7!!!-Part 1

Buffy Season 8 #8
W:Brian K. Vaughan
A:Georges Jeanty
Cover:Jo Chen

BKV explores
B & F’s issues galore.
G shows Faith the door?




Y-The Last Man #59
W:Brian K. Vaughan
A:Pia Guerra
I:Jose Marzan, Jr.

Hard truths for Yorick
See You Next Tuesday Alter
Why must you conclude?




Criminal #10
W:Ed Brubaker
A:Sean Phillips

A Holiday heist
Still not the end for Tracy
Crime with heart done right





Scalped #11
W:Jason Aaron
A:R.M. Guerra

Poor Mama Bad Horse
trying hard to set things right.
Gritty and Moving

Georges Jeanty on Dexter!!!

Well his art anyway! That there folks is issue 7 ("The Coming Free") of The American Way by John Ridley & Georges Jeanty published by DC's Wildstorm in October 2006. While Michael C. Hall (mmm those henleys!!!) usually shares the screen with Whedonverse vet Julie Benz (Darla, for you poor unenlightened souls!) in this week's episode we get to "see" Buffy Season 8's Georges Jeanty get in on the action.

Dexter goes Geek!

This week's episode was about a aspiring graphic novelist who gets murdered at his comic book store (BTW He ends up dying on a TPB of Powers. Thus validating my "Bendis Kills" theory.). Turns out that the Graphic Novel he was working on was inspired by Dexter's murders. One segment of the episode finds Dexter dreaming about being the character in the graphic novel, The Dark Defender (complete with cool fighting skills). I guess this explains why they were going promo-crazy at Comic- Con. I do love my buttons & bumper stickers. Thanks Showtime!!!

Oh and I'm still not cool with Michael C. Hall not getting an Emmy Nom. His henleys even deserve supporting actor nods!!!

So is Jake Gyllenhaal in this???

So while I was indulging in a preview for Casanova #10 (out this Wed-so pick it up!), I noticed this on Newsrama...

PROOF #1
story ALEX GRECIAN, art & cover RILEY ROSSMO

32 PAGES, FC, $2.99

When FBI agent Ginger Brown got a promotion, she didn’t expect her new duties would involve tracking down the world’s most mysterious creatures. The Loch Ness Monster, Mothman and El Chupacabra are now on her "most wanted" list and her new partner looks an awful lot like... Bigfoot!

If you like THE X-FILES, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER or HELLBOY you’ll love PROOF!

So...

+=

SOLD!

Props to whomever wrote the solicitation!

I'll definitely be checking out this book (and hoping to see Jake Gyllenhaal show up). Plus artist Riley Rossmo is from Western Canada. West Side Represent!!!

Hit Me Baby One More Time

Over at the Comic Foundry blog they've posted the trailer to BSG Season 4 (aka The Final Season). Prepare to get teased!

On a side note if you haven't picked up Comic Foundry do yourself a big favor and buy it. It's like the Hugh Dancy of comic book magazines with tidbits on Pop Colony faves Brian K. Vaughan, Matt Fraction, Brian Wood, Buffy, and Kristen Bell. They even have recipes for 'comic cocktails' with names like The Incredible Hulk. And a fashion spread inspired by graphic novel pages. Finally Marc Jacobs and graphic novels together in a place other than my room! But if all these reasons don't make you get it here's another one: They have a fantastic article about Buffy's legacy in comic books and television and even have a 'slayer status' meter using Buffy heads (though I don't agree with one heroine being compared to B).

Haiku Reviews for Oct 3. Enjoy!!! *Updated*

Buffy Season 8 #7
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Art: Georges Jeanty

Is Faith A new Hope
For ridding bad slayer G?
Find out Read It




JLA Hitman #2
Writer:Garth Ennis
Art: John McCrea

Hitman saves the day
Touching tribute to Tommy
It’s Bueno for sure




Faker #4
Writer: Mike Carey
Art: Jock

People made of goo
Government Conspiracies
Go for the swell art





All-Star Batman & Robin #7
Writer: Frank Miller
Art: Jim Lee

Batman has masked romp
Letting Robin slice faces
WTF Batman?




Here's another one because I like you guys so much...
The Vinyl Underground #1
Writer: Si Spencer
Penciller: Simon Gane
Inker: Cameron Stewart

London Underground
Pretty people solving crimes
Will see how this goes


Do you fine ladies & gents recommend anything?

'Cause you gotta have Faith

BKV, Girl on Girl again? Really?
I'm not going to speak for all women but I don't usually bathe with my friends. No matter how rich that said friend is.

But I guess we should be happy that Faith is connecting with someone. But oh wait, she kills people! Reminds me of a certain father-figure Faith had back in season 3.

The Doctor Who nod was funny. Primarily because it featured Billie "Day & Night" Piper. But Gimli??? I have to draw the line there.


Go and Check Out the Preview for Buffy S8 #8 at Dark Horse
PS: I do hope they fix that 'Part II' on the cover before it hits stores.

Pretty Fly for a White Girl (or How I am Seeing Double)

I guess Joss really likes it when people get all aerial together.
Oh Jo Chen. You Rock. That is all.