Just wondering.

[elisi]

These last few weeks lots of people wrote to Scott Allie (and awesome letters they were too), so I was wondering - has anyone written to him about #34 and told him that now we're caught between going 'wtf?' ('cause NONE of it makes sense) and laughing our heads off, because the 'porn' is fugly as hell and so tame it could probably go on ff.net?

ETA: Oh - and how is Joss reconciling this 'canon' thing he keeps talking about with the very clear re-boot he's performed? If you're going to change the whole mythology, at least be upfront about it. Or maybe he conveniently *forgot* seven years worth of continuity... Wouldn't put it past him to be honest.

Not sure why I'm writing this. Mostly I think that this whole sorry affair should be renamed The Emperor's New Clothes. Except clearly 'Tee-hee, look they're naked' is what they're now going for... Hm. A better name would probably be 'Buffy: The Porn Star Years'. 'Cause nothing says female empowerment like taking off your clothes! (The more I think about it, the more it bothers me. Of course the art is too ugly for words, but the objectification is deeply unpleasant. I don't care that it might be 'subversive' - it's still *there*. Also, I love my mood theme. Go Ianto!)


Re. why Joss is writing this, then paratti has the best theory so far.

Comments

[flake-sake.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking about doing it, and someone probably should, but I'm not sure I can pull it off, without being mean and the whole thing was just so immensely ridiculous.

[elisi]

Yeah, those were my thoughts too. I can't even hate it, it's too stupid for that. And I'm not sure how I would formulate that. Ridicule is not a pleasant thing.

[flake-sake.livejournal.com]

I tried to compose one, but I'm still not quite happy with it. I pm'ed it to you, maybe you'd like to have a look at it.

[elisi]

Ooooh, thank you! *runs off to look*

[eilowyn.livejournal.com]

I love that you specifically may write a letter, and I'd love to see it, but I'm pretty sure my new sleeping pill is making me hallucinate about bunnies (don't tell Anya), so you won't be getting any constructive non-drug-induced criticism from me tonight. OOh, the last bunny was yellow!

[shapinglight]

I honestly wouldn't know what to say. And in fact it would be hard to say anything without being horribly mean about the art, and since Georges Jeanty always comes across as such a nice man I wouldn't want to upset him.

[elisi]

Yeah, that's it. And mostly I just want to go 'Oh my God and you twelve?' which isn't exactly constructive feedback...

[eilowyn.livejournal.com]

Any letter I write (and I actually have to write a letter to the editor for my argumentation class . . . . the comics are a serious enough subject, aren't they?), will come with the caveat that I appreciated the panel with Spike and Buffy fighting side-by-side: it was beautifully done, so kudos for that and for reminding people that Angel wasn't Buffy's only love. He's just the one who thought godhood and cataclysmic fucking to end the universe was a good idea.

Then the snark would begin. Desexed Barbie and Ken Do The Kama Sutra-- Now With More Universe Retconning Exposition!

[elisi]

I appreciated the panel with Spike and Buffy fighting side-by-side: it was beautifully done, so kudos for that and for reminding people that Angel wasn't Buffy's only love.
Dear DH: We appreciate the crumb! (Especially since the crumb appears fairly untainted by the crack...)

Then the snark would begin. Desexed Barbie and Ken Do The Kama Sutra-- Now With More Universe Retconning Exposition!
LOL! :D

[flake-sake.livejournal.com]

Dear DH: We appreciate the crumb! (Especially since the crumb appears fairly untainted by the crack...)

Bwahahahah.

[prophecygirrl.livejournal.com]

The objectification issue has been bothering me a lot as well. It bothered me on Dollhouse, where rape and rape metaphors were used to titillate even as they used it to demonstrate the evilness of the Dollhouse's nature.


And now, I've spent way too much time trying to parse Meltzer's statement of intent in a recent interview:

I actually wanted it to be more than just titillating crap. I wanted to be sexy and beautiful. And one of the best compliments we've gotten by e-mails and all over the place was where people said they went to read it again in a dark room. There's something immensely disturbing about that, but full credit again to Georges for getting to that moment where we're trying to turn people on. That wasn't the full goal or what we set out to do, but if you're going to do this and tackle it in this way, you better at least do that.

O_O There is so much double-speak in there, that my head may explode. And yes, it angers me. But at this point, unless you are vitriolic, the answer is always going to be "wait for the next issue" or "wait for Joss to explain it all", and if you do not ascribe to the church of Joss (irony intended), you'll not be taken seriously. And if you are vitriolic, you'll not be taken seriously. And if you let any 'shipper sensibility leak through, you'll not be taken seriously. There has to be a way, but I don't see it right now.

[elisi]

*blinks*

O_O indeed. I'm kinda speechless to be honest. Mostly because it's just creepy and distrubing (and partly that THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO FIND IT HOT?????) - but mostly just... ew.

(Did you watch this clip that I posted yesterday? That's how to do it!)

There has to be a way, but I don't see it right now.
Calling Buffy a porn star and telling him that it's made all of LJ shake with laughter?

[prophecygirrl.livejournal.com]

I didn't mean a way to do the porn that wasn't awful. I meant a way to write a letter that someone at the comics would actually be unable to dismiss. One way to do that would have to be to speak to their original intent, and this statement is just....

I'd have to write it for myself, without any hope of having an effect. I might, still.

And, in case you're wondering, I'm definitely on the "not sexy" bandwagon. Your example was much better in this regard.

[elisi]

I didn't mean a way to do the porn that wasn't awful.
Oh yes, I got that. It's just that I can't believe that they actually think it's well done. My mind is boggling.

I'd have to write it for myself, without any hope of having an effect. I might, still.
Good luck! Personally I'd be snarky as hell, and I don't think that would work at all...

[sockmonkeyhere.livejournal.com]

There is so much double-speak in there

"And one of the best compliments we've gotten by e-mails and all over the place was where people said they went to read it again in a dark room."

I want to know how he thinks that if you're in a dark room, you can read it.

[stormwreath.livejournal.com]

Maybe that question should be better directed at the person who wrote that in the email they sent to him, rather than to the author himself?

[sockmonkeyhere.livejournal.com]

*g* He just seems so darned thrilled by it, I'm not convinced that he doesn't think it himself! ;)

[prophecygirrl.livejournal.com]

LMAO!!! Now THAT? Is exactly what I needed. THANK YOU for de-funkifying me!

[sockmonkeyhere.livejournal.com]

*grin* You're welcome! I'm also waiting for him to explain why he thinks that vampire bats live in Texas and eat mosquitoes.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=25656

(That's about three-quarters down the page, under the picture of GiantForeheadGiles and a bat with glowing red zombie eyeballs.)

[rahirah]

Hey, there have been vampire bats found two hundred miles south of Texas! It's ALMOST Texas!

[sockmonkeyhere.livejournal.com]

LMAO! And, and one of them scratched a mosquito bite once, so that's ALMOST like he ate it!

[prophecygirrl.livejournal.com]

Haven;t you seen Harmony's show? Vampires are everywhere these days!

Maybe they;re going in for a healthier diet. Less cholesterol. :-P

[sockmonkeyhere.livejournal.com]

Hee!

Insects: The Other White Meat.

[hobbituk.livejournal.com]

He got it wrong. They went to read it in a dark room because in a dark room they couldn't actually see the horror of it!

[sockmonkeyhere.livejournal.com]

Bwaha!

...Oh, dear, I hope Dark Horse doesn't decide to publish special Scratch 'n Sniff collector editions.

[infinitewhale.livejournal.com]

I don't care that it might be 'subversive'

I wouldn't even call it subversive. It's just PWP with pictures of rather mundane looking sex written by geekboys with a built-in out so they don't have to go anywhere with it. It's the type of thing you used to mistakenly read on fanfiction.net. And on top of all that, sex is still made to be a bad thing (unless it's with writer stand-ins like Riley or Xan).

And it makes me want to defend Angel which is just unforgivable.

It's just further denigration of the characters and series. Which is the whole point right now, I think. I can't think of any other reason why. If they wanted sex, sex and more sex, they had sort of implied at the end of AtS. Why not go with that? That could have been subversive and at least made sense. Nor would have the obvious high school loser revenge fantasy on the pretty girl vibe that permeates the comics.

[elisi]

I wouldn't even call it subversive.
Well *they* will call it subversive, I'm sure, if anyone tries to call them on their PWP.

It's the type of thing you used to mistakenly read on fanfiction.net.
Heh. This is very true! :)

It's just further denigration of the characters and series. Which is the whole point right now, I think. I can't think of any other reason why.
I think paratti has the right idea (see my post, I edited it) - but it's still a cheap sellout.

[infinitewhale.livejournal.com]

I think [info]paratti has the right idea (see my post, I edited it) - but it's still a cheap sellout.

I read that and I agree with it. But it explains his motive for making them comics to start, but the whole crapping all over the continuity and characters? I don't know. I can't think of any motive outside of resentment and bitterness.

[elisi]

but the whole crapping all over the continuity and characters? I don't know. I can't think of any motive outside of resentment and bitterness.
He's on drugs?

[infinitewhale.livejournal.com]

You can't blame drugs, elisi. :) Some of the best songs, scripts and novels were made with the writers stoned out of their melons. :P

[avrelia.livejournal.com]

I blame bad drugs, personally, not good ones like before. :)

[infinitewhale.livejournal.com]

Or maybe he's clean now. He was all tripped out for the TV show and this is sober!Joss we're getting.

[elisi]

You are unfortunately right. Guess that leaves insanity... :(

[infinitewhale.livejournal.com]

Double-commenting to say I friended you. All this time, I still don't know the etiquette and if it's ok to do it without saying so. :P

[elisi]

Oh *you* are certainly welcome to friend me any day! :) (Most people are, as long as they're not trolls.)

[infinitewhale.livejournal.com]

:):)

[paratti.livejournal.com]

Because he resents having to do it and when he resents things, he takes it out on others, be it the audience, the suits or the network, and he's long since got rid of anyone that isn't a 'yes' person so there's no strong editor actually editing the story itself.

[avrelia.livejournal.com]

I think they changed their crack provider. And now Joss is on BAD crack.

[elisi]

LOL! You might be onto something...

[spikewriter]

Y'know, I'm so damn glad I haven't read any of the comics -- I can stay in my little corner and write the stuffy I want to write and not deal with it. Of course, everything I have went AU after season six, so I'm completely removed from all this.

[elisi]

Y'know, I'm so damn glad I haven't read any of the comics -- I can stay in my little corner and write the stuffy I want to write and not deal with it.
A very clever policy indeed. I started out reading out of curiosity, and now just mock from afar... every time I think it can't get any worse, it does!