Allie Quote

[shipperx]

So who wants to parse the real meaning behind this Allie quote regarding BtVS Season 8/9/DH/IDW?

I’m guessing this is basically what you meant when you said that Joss would make things work between the Dark Horse and IDW continuities?

Scott Allie: Sort of. When I said that, I was just repeating what Joss was telling me, so I wasn't quite sure yet how we were gonna deliver on that. And then Bill Willingham let us know what he thought of that, but I take it that's not an issue anymore. Anyway, I have a call with the IDW guys this week to work out the details, make sure the ship works.

Comments

[ubi4soft.livejournal.com]

info posted by bitsy @Slayalive

Actually, if we're being totally honest, #35 was the last issue that Willingham wrote. While his plot will be continued on through #38, the people actually doing the writing from now on are Mariah and David.

I didn't realize it hadn't already been established. Bill is off the book. Mariah and he had discussed the story out in advance so that will be accounted for as this arc closes. Once the next arc begins the story and the writing will be all David and Mariah.

Bill plotted the story through #38 but Mariah and David are doing the actual scripting. So Bill isn't gone gone since it's still his story, but there is still a change in who does the physical scripting.

IDW really wanted to connect their series with DH's S8 and Willingham had better things to do.

[powerofthebook.livejournal.com]

Translation: We're really just flying by the seat of our pants with these storylines. We wanted Spike to enter on a steampunk ship, but we weren't very interested in how it came to be.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

That's pretty much my take as well. I still haven't dismissed the concept that the thing wasn't just a Watchmen shout-out that's now retroactively being developed.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Smacks of retroactive continuity and communication gone haywire gone snitfit.

[fenderlove.livejournal.com]

I think that Brian Lynch said in his recent interview with Buffyfest that if he doesn't quite explain enough or if he explains something wrong about Spike and his steampunk Archie that DH will just have to fix it in S9 with some flashbacks or something. Maybe they'll actually plan ahead instead of just, as PoweroftheBook said, flying by the seat of their pants, but I really, really doubt it.

[infinitewhale.livejournal.com]

Have to side with BW on that, though. Sure, he doesn't get the characters, but he came in to write his own story, not fill in the gaps on Joss's BTVS clusterfuck of a story.

[http://users.livejournal.com/woman_of_/]

No one has any idea what is going on, and Allie put his big foot in his big mouth again without due consultation....At least that is my take on it.

Nothing like airing your dirty laundry in public is there. It is so entertaining in a dumbfounded way. How can they possibly get it right.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's basically admitting "We were saying whatever we had to..."

[ubi4soft.livejournal.com]

Whichever smacks of, I'm afraid it had to be related with sale rates (dropping vigorously) being masked by comicbooks ego.

[2maggie2.livejournal.com]

DH has only ever intended to maintain the loosest continuity with IDW -- it'd be too hard to seriously coordinate. So they're going to put in just enough for the fans who want to see this as one seamless 'verse, but not enough for anyone who really wants the details to add up. Basically enough to keep the IDW stuff off Whedon's back without totally 'boning' IDW (to use Joss's exact term). BW got PO'd and left, probably with IDW's blessing because they know that their sales rest on at least some fans thinking of this as all being part of one 'verse and BW's tirade nuked that facade.

[shapinglight]

I have no idea whether he's referring to Willingham's original outburst or whether something else has happened. I do think Allie seems to be saying that he has no clue what is currently going on in the Angel comics, which pleases me because I hate the current storyline and don't want it inadvertently canonised because DH are trying to make nice with IDW.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

My interpretation is that the only active effort at continuity is Lynch's and Joss and DH realize they screwed IDW over enough that they're going to allow it.

[kerry-220.livejournal.com]

But isn't that a good thing? Lynch and Whedon seem to work pretty well together. Even this level of continuity is better than none and Lynch has a pretty good handle on the characters.

They may be scrambling and retconning but at very least they listened.

[rahirah]

This.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Did the sales drop that badly? (I haven't actually kept track since I gave up on the enterprise a while ago).

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Sadly, this seems to be the explanation for most of the comics.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Well at least he (if no one else) tries to make some narrative sense out of this enormous pile of twaddle.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I can almost feel sorry for BW (I said almost) because I really did find it to be unconscionably rude that DH and Joss thought they'd just use Angel in this controversial way without warning IDW. On the other hand, BW seems to have done enough damage himself that I can't really feel sorry for him. I think it's a comic war where I can't take either side.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I give Lynch credit for trying.

I do however continue to find it incredibly rude that Joss and DH thought to use Angel in a very controversial manner and yet didn't bother to inform IDW of it until it leaked. Then again IDW is pretty much allowed BW to trash Spike so I don't have that much sympathy for them.

Frankly, Lynch is the only one of the group that I'm left feeling put any forethought into the consequences of any of this. The rest seem to be pulling it all out of their butts as needed.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I do sympathize with BW insofar as I thought it was incredibly rude and arrogant that DH and Joss used Angel in such a controversial way and never bothered to tell IDW. On the other hand, I think BW has really misused the AtS characters himself and I thought his online response to the controversy was rather infantile, so in the end I'm primarily "A pox on both your houses."

[bitsyrant.livejournal.com]

Both Joss and Scott have most definitely thought about the crew of Spike's ship. It's not a question of who the crew is, simply whether they are revealed in Brian's Spike series or in Season 9.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

If you say so.

[infinitewhale.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah, I don't mean to defend his writing at all. That Spike storyline sounded atrocious. Pretty much both series are horrible between Soulgate, Angel the Mass Murderer and Buffy the Sociopath.

It really seemed like the plan was to take Angel, do that to him, then dump him back on IDW's doorstep with a 'fix me' sign on him.

Then again, Lynch sort of hinted that the problem was the reveal was leaked *early*, so I don't know WTF. These people doublespeak and go back on themselves all the time. None of them have a clue.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Well it is a problem that it leaked early... a problem for DH and Joss, because I'm sure that IDW was pissed. And IDW has a licensing contract and so raised a stink, I'm sure. Other than that, I'd say the screwing is the same either way because nothing in the issue post reveal made the situation for IDW any better, especially not with Giles's excruciatingly ludicrous exposition dump or Twangel's "Oops! You mean you didn't want to fuck to destroy the world? My bad."

That quote totally sounds like Scott admitting to doing damage control with Joss certified BS even as he had no clue as to the validity of the BS he was using.

[ms-scarletibis.livejournal.com]

<--missed the tirade/rant thing, and would like to see it.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I don't know that I have it bookmarked. It was back around the time that Twangel was revealed to be Angel. DH and IDW tried to pass it off as though it was/would be coordinatd and BW basically calld it all bullshit (paraphrasing) and that no coordination had gone on and that IDW had been blindsided. And then he got petty.

On the one hand, I thought he had grounds to be pissed. He was writing the Angel comic and Joss had taken off and used Angel in a very controversial manner without telling anyone in the same time span that BW was supposed to have control ovr th character. On th other hand, I wasn't any more impressed with BW's behavior than anyone else. None of them came off well in the kerfuffle.

[ubi4soft.livejournal.com]

About 2,500 - 3000 since BW was brought in. So if IDW hoped his name will bring some new fans, it didn't happened.

[fenderlove.livejournal.com]

The sheer rudeness of Scott Allie in all aspects of his public persona makes me want things to fail epically for him. Like, I want the Fail Whale to come crashing down with the Fail Boat and the Failbow and all. It's kinda like how I don't like Bill Willingham but have sided with him just because he's the lesser of two evils (plus, DH sandbagged IDW for no other reason than the fact that they could. Twilight could have been the Immortal and it wouldn't have made a difference with how completely off-the-wall insane this story has been).

Is it sad that they only bit of joy that I've derived from S8 has been Spike being quasi-steampunk with his Archie? I think that's sad... 'cause after three years of a series, that's all I've got to show. Boo.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I suppose things like this tend to happen when you ignore fans going "WTF? These characters aren't acting like themselves! You're trashing the characters! What the HELL are you doing?!!"