Celebrating 20 Years of Buffy: Buffy's Impact of Mental Illness

It's Buffy's 20th Anniversary and you're going to see tons of memories and reflections about the cast/crew and Buffy's impact on society and how amazing she is. Instead of repeating what many will discuss, I want to take a few moments to reflect on Buffy’s impact on me.

Like most people, high school was a strange time for me. Aside from the hormones and figuring out who I am as a person and navigating relationships and friends and all that fun stuff, I was also struggling with severe depression and anxiety. My mental illnesses caused me to miss a lot of opportunities and time. I honestly don’t remember large chunks of that period, but one thing I do remember is Buffy. 

Firefly Withdrawal

As I finished the final issue of the current Serenity comic series, Leaves on the Wind #6, I felt a tear well up in my eye. This was not for the tear jerking moments of the issue, although there were plenty. This was because, yet again, this was over. Once again, the crew of Firefly was not getting a new story to read or another fight to survive. It was an ending, pure and simple.

Over the years, geeks have taken to the scrappy crew of Firefly, riding their emotional ups and down. Still, every roller coaster ride is short-lived; from 13 episodes to a movie to a few comic mini-series and one-shots, all spread out over a decade. Most of the gaps in content are due to the creator himself, Joss Whedon, who has been busy with other projects. Still, the love from fans has kept this crew front and center in the geek world, even with nothing new on the horizon in most years.

Review: Spike: A Dark Place

By Reboot

Spike: A Dark Place TPB collects issues #1-5 of the mini-series of the same name.  Like all of Whedon's properties in comic book form, it is put out through Dark Horse Comics.  As always, Joss Whedon is credited as Executive Producer, and this particular story is scripted by Victor Gischler, penciled primarily by Paul Lee, with chapter break art by up and coming cover artist Jenny Frison whose done covers for Hoax Hunters, Revival, and will be doing one of the Red Sonja covers as well.

This particular story in the Whedonverse takes place in the middle of Buffy Season 9.  For those of you who familiar with Dark Horse, you know that Buffy has continued since it ended with its 8th season in comic book form with Joss' oversight and approval (so it counts!).  In the case of this story, if you aren't well read in the post-TV seasons, you will feel out of place.  There are wise cracking and endearing bug aliens, Spike is on a spaceship, and did I mention the bug aliens?  Do not let this discourage you, Buffy fans!  The same sort of witty exchanges can be found here.  However, in the case of this story, it does fall a little short at times.

2012: The Year of.....

Borrowed from cloudtimes.org

Another year at its end, 2012 brought us a lot of stuff that we celebrated or cried over as the year went on...Disney buying Star Wars, The Hobbit, Marvel Now, and another failed apocalypse. However, some of the best moments came from one persons mind. Yes, you have probably guessed who I am talking about.

[IGH] at the Movies: The Avengers

Yes, we got to see The Avengers early. We are that cool. "Marvel" at our awesomeness. But enough bragging, here is what we thought.

Wilderowens' Thoughts

Marvel has been soundly beating DC on the big screen for the past few years and they just raised the bar.  The Avengers was everything you could want in a superhero flick.

For all of the Joss naysayers, you were so wrong. Our man Whedon stayed true to the characters while adding his own brand of humor in the mix. Each character was explored and had a path to walk through the film.

IGH at the Movies: Cabin In The Woods

Cabin In The Woods is the latest piece from Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard. It's a horror/thriller about five college kids that go stay at a cabin....in the woods. I would give you more to the synopsis, but it would spoil it for you. Really, this film is filled with so much interweaving detail that it is hard to talk about! Basically I can say someone dies.

I tend to get so into movies that I stopped watching horror for my sanity. I only broke this rule because of Joss. So glad I did. This is such a good movie that it was worth the scared feeling. It is a film that I am still thinking about, even days later. CitW just stays with you, like a fungus you have grown to love.

The acting was spot on, with lines delivered right and sold perfectly. My particular faves were Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford. They both stood out in their roles and conveyed varying emotions at the drop of a hat. This film is also jam-packed with Whedon staples, including a brief scene with the intern , played by Tom Lenk!

So go see this, even if you are terrified. (My cure for being scared is watching a few episodes of Community.) Totally worth the money and time to check out the Cabin In The Woods.

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It's Shindig Time!: Can't Stop the Serenity 2011

It is my favorite time of the year because it is time for all the Browncoats to come out and get together!  That's right, because it is Can't Stop the Serenity 2011!  I went to the Browncoats of NYC event this past Saturday and had a blast.  

So, in case you don't know, Can't Stop The Serenity is a fan-run event started in 2006.  It is a chance for fans to get together and re-watch Serenity, the little movie that could.  This event began so fans could thank Joss Whedon for all he has done by raising money for his charity, Equality Now.  

Equality Now is an international women's rights advocacy group that was started by a student of Joss’s mother, so he grew up with this cause.  EN works towards the protection and promotion of the human rights of women around the world. Working with national human rights organizations and individual activists, EN documents violence and discrimination against women and mobilizes international action to support their efforts to stop these human rights abuses.  Since 2006, the Browncoats have contributed over $557,000 to the cause and that number just keeps climbing!

As I said, I attended the NYC event this weekend.  The Browncoats of NYC are such a great group of people, and I had been looking forward to this for weeks!   At each event, the custom is to re-watch Serenity but there is so much more!  Plenty of people come in costume, with music, dancing, crazy food, amazing auctions and Jayne hats as far as the eye can see!  I was pretty lucky to walk into the music of Ramblin Andy and the See Ya Laters.  I said hi to some friends, then I hit the auctions and raffles and my bank account is still crying.  Then as we got ready for the movie, we got a surprise video message from the man himself.

So, next year is a biggie.  Next year, Equality Now will celebrate its 20th Anniversary and Joss is excited.  He sent a video message to every event saying that 2012 is going to make some serious noise and he is leading the charge.  While he doesn't give much detail yet, he is excited and it makes me excited.  *You can kinda hear this video if you watch the streaming feed of California Browncoats event.  

If you are not excited yet, I have no idea what will make a difference.  Go find your local event and show your support for this great cause.  If you don't have a local event, find your local Browncoats and start one for next year!  Just remember, you can make a difference.  People, fans just like you and me, built this event and helped change lives.  If each of us makes the choice for equality, we can spread it like wildfire.

"No Power In The 'Verse Can Stop Us" - Firefly

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All the Buffy opinions are in and we have a highfive!

So the Buffy Reboot news is in and we have learned a few facts:

1 - Kristy Swanson loves the idea and wants in.
2 - Joss = :(
3 - Warner Bros. says they asked Joss first!
4 - Fox had first dibs on reboot and passed
5 - Wait, Wha?!

Yep, that is the one story that fans seemed to miss in all this.

Fox got one right!!!

Yes, they really hurt us with Firefly. The way they handled that was terrible and awful and makes me want to curl into a tiny ball while I wear my Jayne hat. Some fans feel like they hurt us with Dollhouse but I really feel like they protected us. They didn't have to give us season 2 and they did. That says something. But this is a brand new day! They have finally learned what we are worth and that makes me feel loved.

Highfive Fox. You earned it.

From Classic Fun

This is part of our ongoing "Buffy Movie" coverage. You can read our posts here and here.
To see what others are saying about this, check out Action Flick Chick's Reboot Reactions roundup here.

Opinion: What to Do When the Buffy Reboot Comes Out

Ever since it was announced that Warner Bros. was going to go ahead with their cockamamie plan for a Buffy reboot, the Whedonverse fans have been in an uproar. I am among them, and I have been trying to figure out what the best way to deal with this is. Many fans say to boycott the movie. That was my initial reaction, but as I gave it more thought and read more comments across the internet, an idea started to form.

We, as fans, have to decide if we are Whedon fans, Buffy fans, or both. The Whedon fans are those loyal to all things Whedon, while the Buffy fans care more about her than the man who brought her to life. If one is a Whedon fan then it makes sense to boycott the movie. It is absolutely ridiculous to make a movie without its creator, but it has been done before. A perfect example is the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. Wes Craven created him, but he does not own Freddy Krueger, and this led to a lot of problems with most of the sequels. In fact, the sequels that are considered the best of the bunch are the ones Wes worked on, Dream Warriors and A New Nightmare. This is what we are trying to avoid with Buffy. We don't want a new movie that is going to suck so hard Warner Bros. starts clamoring for Joss to come and make a better Buffy movie to wipe away the taint of the second movie. While we would like a Joss made movie, I don't think he would do it. Joss has been screwed over so many times by the industry, I have a hard time believing he'd make a Buffy movie. Maybe in a decade or two, long after the comics have ceased to exist, the fans are going rabid, and an embarrassingly large amount of money is thrown his way.

We are all going to be monitoring the progress of the reboot. We will be critical of casting decisions, who the crew is, and most importantly, the story and how it's written, but ultimately, I think the movie will have to be seen. I do not believe it will be a good movie, but I have to wonder what if Whit Anderson pulls off a miracle and writes an amazing movie? What if she genuinely pays homage to Joss? As a Buffy fan, I think it would be terrible not to experience the movie if it is great, but if the movie is bad, there is no way I am putting down hard earned money for something that is pooping all over a 'verse I love. So, what to do?

I propose we send in designated viewers. We convince one or two of our friends to see the movie and then report back to us. If they deem the movie worthy, we go in droves to support it. If it's unworthy, we get to not only issue a GINORMOUS "I told you so" to anyone and everyone who will listen, including the execs who green-lit the project, but we will be able to explain exactly what was wrong with it, other than Joss' absence.

Warner Bros. does not understand just how intelligent and driven Whedon fans are. They think if it says "Buffy," we will put down money to see it, no matter what the quality is. Once again, they underestimate us. We are the fans who created such a demand for Firefly that it was released on DVD, we got Dollhouse a second season, and we are the ones who brought Serenity to the big screen. There would be no Buffy, Angel, Dr. Horrible, Firefly, or any of the various spin off comics without us. We have made the Whedonverse a lucrative one because we are fiercely loyal, but we will not settle for crap.

So please, don't out right boycott the movie if you are a Buffy fan, but do NOT give a lot of money to the movie until it has proven its worth. Show Warner Bros. they cannot take us and Joss Whedon for granted.

This is part of our ongoing "Buffy Movie" coverage. You can read our first post here.
To see what others are saying about this, check out Action Flick Chick's Reboot Reactions roundup here.

Assemble the troops, we have a demon to fight.

Courtesy of Active Dollhouse

When will movie execs learn not to mess with our favorite characters? While I understand that rebooting a story is cheaper than creating a new one, when it is done poorly, it just brings the whole saga down. Which is why I died a little this afternoon.

Today we learned that Warner Bros. will be rebooting Buffy the Vampire Slayer without Joss Whedon at the helm. More than a few things about this infuriate me, so here they are:

1 - This news is maddening since they say in the press release that:


"There is an active fan base eagerly awaiting this character’s return to the big screen."


As a member of this "active fan base", I just want to say this is not what I want. This is not what my fellow Buffy fans want. We want our slayer to be continued by her creator, Joss Whedon. This is the same person that is continuing the Buffy character right now in comics. Did they miss that?

Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics

2 - Speaking of Joss, what is this statement?


"Warner Bros. Pictures optioned the rights from creators Fran and Kaz Kuzui"


Am I missing something or didn't Joss Whedon create Buffy? They are producers. I will credit them with helping give BtVS a chance to be seen but they didn't create it. They paid for it. I paid for this computer but that doesn't mean that I can say I built it and Dell can go to hell.


3 - BtVS (the show) only ended in 2003. With most remakes happening decades after the end, why rush this? If you really care about the character's development, take the time to work on it. According to the LA Times, this could be out late 2011 or 2012. To work on having it out in 2012, the same time as Joss Whedon's Avengers, seems to be rushed. I wonder why?

Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

4 - To have this written by a complete newcomer also worries me. Whit Anderson has done nothing that I can find. Taking on rebooting a fairly recent story as a first project sounds like a daunting and overwhelming task. Most actors, writers and directors are often scared to reimagine beloved characters, lest bringing the wrath of the fans. As fans, we achieved Serenity from a TV show, Firefly, that was canceled almost immediately. We convinced Fox to give Dollhouse a chance to tell its story. When we have shown our passion for these characters, the industry has taken notice. I wish that Whit Anderson feels that fear and respect for us, for Joss and for this character. We all deserve it.

"Now, we can do this the hard way or... well, actually, there's just the hard way. "

Yes, I can admit, perhaps I am jumping the gun and getting a little too excited about this, but I grew up with Buffy, Xander and Willow. They were a year ahead of me in school. They dealt with things I feared before I did: the Prom, Graduation, College Roommates.... Right now, I feel like my fandom is being tarnished and I don't like it. We need to let Warner Bros. know that this is not what we want and they will have to do it without us and our $$.

Source: For those interested, here is a link to the full release on The Wrap.



*Update* Joss has spoken. As with every other time the industry has screwed him over, he has responded with humor, intelligence, and most importantly, class. For that, Joss, we love you all the more.

Review: Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale

Finally released (after years of impatient waiting) is The Shepherd's Tale by Joss and Zack Whedon. This story answers the questions of the mysterious Shepherd Book, such as how does a preacher shoot a kneecap so well?

Minor Spoilers Ahead!!!!

The story starts on Haven, the planet community that Book starts after he leaves Serenity (the ship). We actually are watching the very scene from the movie where Haven is destroyed, which is kind of depressing but does fill in some interesting backstory. Here is where we get my favorite quote of the book, from the good Shepherd himself:

"Well, if you look at your life as a chain of events, each responsible for the next and caused by the last, where does any story begin?"

As the scene continues and the fight begins, Shepard Book begins to flash back on his life and we jump back in time a few years to Book living on Serenity (the ship), observing the crew we all know and love. We see them through Book's eyes, as he observes them in their daily scraps, such as Jayne being Jayne or Mal fighting with a arms dealer. We can see the sadness in Book's eyes when he goes to his quarters to pray. As he prays for the crew, we jump backwards again to the Abbey he lived in before joining the Serenity. And back and back we go through his life, learning about how that man got to be our Shepherd Book.

This is a powerful story that really tries to explore what makes a man choose a path and how he lives with that choice. I, along with many Browncoats, did predict some of his past but Joss and Zack threw in a few twists that shocked and surprised me. I like surprises. Best of all, this helps to sum up a mystery left hanging for the past few years. I particularly like the one scene when Book really begins to see how the whole universe is connected and how everything depends on each other.

This "tale" was written by Joss and Zack Whedon, with the art of Chris Samnee. The brothers came together to write this, with Joss penning the outline of the story and Zack taking it from there. This has a strong resemblance to the show and really supports this character. I have read that the timeline in the book doesn't exactly match up to the show but in my opinion, it doesn't hurt the story at all. The art takes some time to get used to. At first, it did bother me because it seemed so dark and shaded, but once I began to see the whole book as a memory, it began to feel more comfortable. The story made the art work.

This is the third Firefly/Serenity comic from Dark Horse Comics and they have hinted that there will be more to come. If you haven't gotten it, go already and pick it up!!! This is a great story that everyone (especially Browncoats) should read. It would even make a great TV show...... :(

Musical Friday: Whedon Edition

@Wilderowens here with a Whedon-flavored treat.  With the Dollhouse dvd coming out this week, a new music video was released as a treat for fans.  This is not the only great music coming from actors in the Whedonverse.




This is "Remains" by Maurissa Tancharoen & Jed Whedon.  This video is hauntingly beautiful and such a great tribute to the show.




This is the Macarena sung by Amber Benson, Tara Maclay from Buffy, and Common Rotation, which includes Adam Busch, who we know as skinless Warren.  This video was actually a gift to her fans for posting comments about her book, Death's Daughter.  You can learn more about Amber Benson in this interview.





This is actually a tribute video for "Do You Want to Date My Avatar?" by Felicia Day, creator of The Guild, also know as Vi from Buffy and Penny from Dr. Horrible. This is just funny.


I also wanted to include Christian Kane's new video, The House Rules, but CMT won't let the video embed properly!  You are going to have to watch our favorite lawyer here.  I am not a huge country fan but he adds a little rock in there.  His voice is great and he is so hot.




This is Adam Baldwin singing his Firefly classic, The Hero of Canton. I just love his passion and his hat.




This is Joss singing from Commentary! on This American Life. He is my master.

Why I Don’t Hate Dawn Summers

This summer I was one of the lucky few to attend San Diego Comic Con.  Con ends with a showing of the Buffy Musical.  As a huge Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan, and I mean crazy psycho huge, I was excited to attend this.  I had never done Once More With Feeling in public, unless you count me singing in the subway.  We get there and the musical starts….then the heckling begins.  Not minor teasing heckling, but people are shouting “DIE!” or “Shut Up” every time Dawn comes on the screen!  WTF people!  I admit, Dawn was never my favorite character, but she doesn’t deserve that level of hatred.  This really got to me because it just didn’t seem fair.  I even did some online searches and found a hate listing for Dawn!  In response to this travesty, I have made a list of 7 reasons why we should not hate Dawn.


(WARNING: These are kinda spoilery for the character through the TV series and the comic books.)

Seven Reasons NOT to Hate Dawn Summers

1. Great sister bickering.  Made me feel like my own big sister was there! (Hi KJ!)

2. As the Scoobies got older and Joyce passed away, Buffy needed someone to care for; Dawn provided that outlet.

3. Stop blaming Dawn for Buffy “Walking Through the Fire.”  It was Xander’s Fault!!  Just because we all love him doesn’t mean he isn’t an idiot sometimes.

4. Nice change from Xander and/or Willow being the one who caused all of the trouble.

5. If you were 13 and being cut open on top of a metal structure built by crazy people, you would cry too!  (Don’t lie, I saw you!)

6. She was a giant, a doll and a freaking centaur.  That’s just awesome.

7. Dawn may have been an annoying kid but every preteen is annoying!  Just go to your local mall if you don’t believe me.

What do you think?  What are your reasons?


I may continue this topic with other characters that people hate for no real reason.  If there is a character you want me to defend, leave their name in the comments below.

Can't Stop the Serenity

This past weekend, I attended a Can’t Stop the Serenity event in Plainview, NY.  It was a gathering of local Whedon fans to come together, watch some movies and support a great cause.  CSTS is an amazing event that is totally fan-run and fan-supported all over the globe.  It was started five years ago by @theonetruebix, and has grown to 52 cities in five countries.  Every year this event supports Joss Whedon’s charity of choice, Equality Now.  Equality Now is an international women's rights advocacy group that was started by Joss’s mother.  They work for the protection and promotion of the human rights of women around the world. Working with national human rights organizations and individual activists, Equality Now documents violence and discrimination against women and mobilizes international action to support their efforts to stop these human rights abuses.  CSTS also supports Kids Need to Read, who works to create a culture of reading for children by providing inspiring books to underfunded schools, libraries, and literacy programs across the United States, especially those serving disadvantaged children.

This year, my local event was held at Ravenblood Games in Plainview, so it had a unique gamer feel.  Every person there was interested in supporting the cause and also had fun stories to tell about their own geeky experiences. We had a Dr. Horrible Sing-A-Long Blog screening (which included some first-time watchers!) and a screening of the big damn movie, Serenity.  In between was a fundraising auction, in which I scored a replica axe that River uses in the final fight scene in Serenity.  This particular event was a smaller group of people, but the store owner is excited to make it grow, so I am already excited for next year!

CSTS is near and dear to my heart, and this post doesn’t do it justice.  It is not very often that you can attend a fan event that really makes a difference.  If you have a chance to attend one of these events, do it!  It is a great way to meet local geeks and have a great time supporting a great cause!

To learn more check out www.equalitynow.org, www.cantstoptheserenity.com, and www.kidsneedtoread.org.