Dollhouse, Firefly, Angel, Buffy : news, photos & videos

Sam Anderson - "Angel" Tv Series - Ifmagazine.com Interview

Webmaster — 2009-02-01T13:36:44Z

(...)

iF : Did you have any nods to ANGEL since you were working with Chris Kane again ?

ANDERSON : Chris suggested in one scene he was just going to look at me and wink and the ANGEL fans would laugh their heads off, because he was my protégé on that show.

iF : Did you do the wink ?

ANDERSON : Yes. I've seen the cut, but I can't remember if they kept it in. I'm not sure it is. I think we did a little trimming at the end, when I'm getting my comeuppance, but Chris and I know it's there.

(...)

iF : Holland Manners on ANGEL was such a delicious role to play – did you ever think the show would have gone on to have such a devoted and rapid following ?

ANDERSON : I didn't think it at the time, I don't think anyone was thinking about that. We were just doing the best work you could do. The writing was so spectacular. When I first got the role, here's a guy who runs a major corporation and lines up his employees on a carpet, has two shaved head psychics to show him who in the group might be lying or cheating or doing something against the company and he calmly has a guard shoot them in the head. And he is sort of upset, but he's upset there's a stain on his carpet. You gotta love playing that. When I came home from work, I used to say to my wife, “how fun is this, where else do you hear an A.D. say ‘flaming vampires to the stage.'” It was just a hoot.

iF : Who is more ruthless – Holland or your character on LEVERAGE ?

ANDERSON : I would say, they both may be ruthless. Holland is incredibly smart and always a step ahead of everyone and easy in his manipulation — until he died. My character in “The Snow Job” is much more of a big, old good guy who has lot of energy. He loves deals and loves listening to money stories. He might not be the sharpest tack in the shed, but he's shrewd. He's certainly not honest, but much less lethal.

iF : Since ANGEL was one of Chris Kane's first big gigs, did he ask you for advice when you were on that show together ?

ANDERSON : He asked me something one day, I mostly said, “the thing about actors, we always sometimes get way too focused on ourselves and there's a whole big world out there you can draw on, and you never know you.” I always wish I listened more in my science classes in school, because I've played so many doctors and I've had to bone up. For ER, I feel like I practically went to medical school.

(...)

Mark Lutz - "Angel" Tv Series - Buffyfest.blogspot.com Interview

Webmaster — 2009-01-26T21:43:52Z

One of the many great aspects of Joss Whedon's storytelling is the way he brings new characters into a story, and even if their stay is short, somehow we as viewers feel a connection. A great example of this bond between viewer and character is The Groosalugg - an adorably naive hero from Pylea who would do anything for his princess and for the world.

Angel : After the Fall's writer Brian Lynch seems to love the character as well. He added Groo into the comic and sent him to Hell-A with the rest of the crew. In the most recent issue, #16, Lynch expressed his interest in possibly doing a Groo one-shot awesomely called Savage Sword of Groosalugg. He even spoke to Joss about it !

We had the pleasure of interviewing Mark Lutz who played Groo on screen. He is not only a talented actor, but a storyteller, too. On top of all that, he's a funny guy. His playful and down-to-earth attitude had us intrigued, confused, awkward, but mostly laughing.

SPOILERS FOR ANGEL : ATF BELOW

Buffyfest : So Groooo ! You played Groo, who so many fans adore ! Do you realize how many people love your character ? Do you get a sense of that when you meet fans ?

Mark Lutz : No what...what 's the number ? Can you give me the exact number ?

B : (laughs) Oh um ?

ML : Do you think more than 20 ?

B : I think there's probably more like....hmmm...(enthusiastically) 20 million !

ML : 20 million ! (laughs) Wow ! That's quite a few.

B : Yeah. (laughs)...it's a lot.

ML : Whoa. No, yeah I'm told the character was pretty popular, so....

B : And Groo left on kind of like a sad note. Did you watch Angel after your character left the show ? Were you a fan of Angel ?

ML : I'm sorry what show are we talking about ?

(laughter)

ML : Yeah every once in a while I would catch it, but I didn't watch it religiously.

Click on the link for more :

http://buffyfest.blogspot.com/2009/01/exclusive-interview-with-mark-lutz.html

Mercedes McNab - "Angel & Buffy" Tv Series - Buffyfest.blogspot.com Interview

Webmaster — 2009-01-19T19:44:48Z

With Harmony being the main focus in the Buffy Comic right now, we thought it would be a great time to catch up with Miss Harmony Kendall herself, the lovely Mercedes McNab, and get her take on the resurgence of the character she played for 8 years. She was so great to take the time to talk to me, along with Tee, and is amazingly down to earth in person. We here at Buffyfest have spoken about this at length, and all agree that Harmony would not have the longevity she's had as a character if not for the way Mercedes portrayed her over the years : ditsy but slick, weak but strong, "the popular girl" yet relatable. So, sit back and enjoy the many musings of Ms. McNab.

Buffyfest : Let's start by talking about the the Buffy Season 8 Comic that Joss Whedon just put out. Have you heard anything about it ?

Mercedes McNab : A little bit. I definitely heard that there's a Harmony one coming out.

B : It actually came out already. Harmony's the star of a reality show, "Harmony Bites" !

MM : Yeah, I also saw a little bit about it on the Mtv site. There's a lot that's been written about it and that Jane [Espenson] was the one that wrote it. So, I know a little bit about it, but I haven't seen the actual comic book yet.

B : How do you feel about your character creating such a buzz all these years later ?

MM : I think it's flattering, I mean that people will take an interest in my character. I don't know if it has anything really to do with me, I think it has more to do with the writing and the writing of my character, especially since now it's you know, now in a comic book format. Um, and I think Jane [Espenson] definitely knows how to write for Harmony really well. It's really funny and I think the reality series idea is perfect for the Harmony character.

click below to hear the audio of Mercedes' answer

B : Did you see the cover ?

MM : I did. It was with the two dogs and funny enough I have a dog that looks like one of those dogs.

B : The likeness is spot on. It's basically a perfect portrait of you.

MM : I know it's pretty crazy. It'd be fun to have in my collection of things for posterity and the grandkids, ya know, "Oh, I was also in a comic book."

B : Right, I'd want to frame it and put it on my wall.

MM : I know !

B : Okay, so let's talk about the film you did called The Pink Conspiracy.

MM : Yeah, it just came out on DVD a couple of months ago.

B : How was working on it with Sarah Thompson [Eve from Angel Season 5] again ?

MM ; Well, she's really lovely to work with. She's just a really nice girl. So, we had fun and it's always nice to be reunited with people you worked with in the past because there's a familiarity there. It was a different character, but again my character didn't like her character, so we kind of had that down pat and it was easy. This time I didn't have to be violent with her.

Click on the link for more :

http://buffyfest.blogspot.com/2009/01/mercedes-bites-exclusive-interview-with.html

Amy Acker - "Angel" Tv Series - Stuffwelike.com Interview

Webmaster — 2008-12-15T21:41:15Z

Back in October we had the chance to speak exclusively with Amy Acker, known best for playing the quirky yet lovable Fred in Angel about her past shows and her new role in Joss Whedon's Dollhouse premiering on Fox this coming February.

How did you come to be in Angel ?

That was a long time ago, after college I went to New York for a little bit and then I moved out here and I had only been here about a month and then I was having regular auditions, and one of these auditions happened to be for this character on Angel and I think at that point the characters name was like Logan or something and she was a librarian. I went in and did that scene and I got a call-back from Joss [Whedon] and luckily he liked me and they were trying to decide about adding another girl into the show and they were tossing around a couple of different characters. Joss wrote a scene that I think is on the DVD that Alexis [Denisof], J [August Richards] and I did which was kind of a Midsummer Night's Dream sort of Shakespearean little scene that Joss had written and that ended up being my screen-test for being a regular.

Sounds like fun !

It was a lot of fun. They kept saying they were going to do a whole episode like that which we were all excited about but I guess that would have been season 6.

What was your time on the show like ?

I loved being on Angel. I mean it was such a great cast, and still some of my best friends are from there, Alexis and J . It was such a great show to work on, because at least with my character, and it seems like everybody got to go on such a big journey for each character so we were starting in Pylea and ending up as Illyria, he [Joss] keeps you interested as an actor.

Was there any part of the show, its overall progression that you didn't like, for example how Angel took over Wolfram & Hart ?

No, I don't really remember now feeling there was anything I didn't like. I was a little bit sad when Fred died because that was her thing, that her and Wesley would be together but I think story wise that was good. I was excited to do all those great scenes with Alexis so I was sad more as an audience member that Fred was dead.

How did you feel when the role of Fred was changed to Illyria ?

It was exciting. I mean I knew about it. It's a funny story, Joss called me over or something and said “Meet me for coffee” and I said “OK” and he was like “I'm killing Fred” and I was like “Oh” I thought I was off the show and he waited two minutes and then said “but your still going to be on the show” and I was like (jokingly) “OK, I hate you !” It was exciting because I got a lot of time to work with him and develop what he wanted the character to be. He had Alexis and I come over one night and we made dinner and they had all these cool blue lights in their house they put on and we worked through some scenes and made the character and all the movements and stuff so it was an exciting process to develop a character that was so different from Fred.

Did you expect the shows cancellation at the end of the fifth season, was it a surprise ?

I think we were all very surprised, actually I think it was like two days before that where Joss was telling me all of the very cool stuff that was happening next year. I think I talked to him when he was going to dinner with the guy who told him it was cancelled and I was like “Oh good tell him about that I hope we don't get cancelled” he was like “Yeh, we're not getting cancelled” and we were like “Oh, never mind, we got cancelled.”

What sort of storylines did you have setup for season 6 ?

All I know is he [Joss] was going to have Illyria have the ability to switch back and forth to Fred, like a Superman/Clark Kent kind of thing between Fred and Illyria. She was going to be transforming into different people which I was excited about, not having to do 3 hours of make-up. So that was one thing and another was going to be this whole big mafia thing where we went over and killed all the bad guys and then we were going to kind of become like all these groups were going to turn into a sopranos type mafia thing.

Since playing Fred, seen as your major breakout role, do you feel you've been typecast at all ?

You know I actually would say, not so much, I feel like more Illyria has been kind of the way that people have been casting me more often than Fred. I haven't really gotten to be like the nerdy smart girl again. Which is actually more who I am. I keep ending up killing people and doing that kind of stuff.

So you would say Fred is the role that best fits your personality ?

I don't know if I turned into her more over the years or if I started out like that, yeah I mostly identify with Fred.

Laurel Holloman - "Angel" Tv Series - Afterellen.com Interview

Webmaster — 2008-01-22T18:32:23Z

AE : You've also played a lot of roles that are not lesbian, obviously, and one of them was that really kick-ass chick on Angel. Do you miss playing those kind of roles ?

LH : Yeah, I loved that role. … At that time I just lived in New York, I was just kind of doing my own thing, and I didn't really understand the cult following of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. But it was really my manager who said, "You need to take a good look at this because I think it's really good, and Joss Whedon writes really well, and the actors really love his stuff." And of course when I took a second look at it I was like, "Yeah, this is amazing."

They said that the prototype for the character was Ripley from Alien. They wanted an older person that had some edge and had a fight, military vibe, and I went in and read for them and I got in my car to go home, and they offered me the part right there, and that was really exciting. I was only supposed to shoot a few [episodes], and I think I shot eight. … It was really a wonderful experience because it was a strong woman that was angry and violent, and it had a lot of stunts in it. At a certain point you have to go, "Oh wow, am I ever going to really play an action hero ? Maybe not, but I'll play this !" And it was great.

And he [Joss Whedon] writes great stuff for women. All of his women are really edgy and there are a lot of metaphors in his writing, and there's just a lot of sarcasm and tongue-in-cheek type of stuff. I think it taught me a lot, too, about not taking it all too seriously, and that it's about character and it's about good writing. … That was my first experience with long-term TV, and then I went right into L Word after we finished that season, and I just had so much fun.

I didn't realize how many people watched Angel until right after it came out and [found out] that it had kind of a cult following. The funny thing is Jennifer Beals has watched all of Buffy and all of Angel. She's a huge fan, and that cracks me up. [laughs] She loves it, and I'm really glad I did that part. I'd love to do something like that again.

My fantasy would be to do some version of The Brave One, the TV show version of it. I'm very fascinated by how people behave in moments of grief and loss. … I'm also interested in the ferociousness that motherhood creates and how animalistic we become after we have children, and ultimately what it means to protect them. Those types of things interest me.

"Angel : After The Fall" Comic Book - Brian Lynch is open to new questions

Webmaster — 2008-01-18T14:35:21Z

Click on the link :

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm ?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=335358&blogID=348448847

John Byrne - "Angel : After The Fall" Comic Book - He will write a new arc

Webmaster — 2008-01-09T08:42:06Z

NRAMA : Around the time that it was announced that the Angel TV series would be ending, you were of two minds about it. Being an Angel "convert/geek/fan," you would have liked to see the show go on "pretty much forever but I would also like to see it avoid what befell Buffy in Season 7." So, did you like the fifth season and series finale ?

JB : One of the best last episodes ever. And the rest of the season was pretty good, too. No complaints.

NRAMA : How are you liking Season 6 in comic book form so far ?

JB : Again, have not seen it.

NRAMA : What brought about your involvement in the 4-page Lorne story for IDW's Angel comics ?

JB : Favor to Chris, mostly.

NRAMA : Will it be set in Pylea ? Around the time when he was The Hose at the Caritas karaoke bar ? When he's the head of Wolfram & Hart's Entertainment Division ? After his final TV appearance ?

JB : It's set in Hell. Nuff said !

NRAMA : What appealed to you about Krevlornswath of the Deathwok Clan ?

JB : Fun character. Hard to pin down just what it is.

Bryan Lynch has answered "Angel After The Fall" Comic Book questions

Webmaster — 2007-11-28T20:29:07Z

Answered !

Okay, currently flying high over America on the way back to Los Angeles, what better time to answer questions about ANGEL:AFTER THE FALL. Warning : there is currently much turbulence going on so I may type gibberish in pure fear.

Let's go !

First batch :

1) Will it be revealed who sired Gunn ? Will it be important in any way ?

2) There's a lot of confusion about whether LA was transported into a hell dimension or was simply made into a hellish place. Will this be clarified, if not can you clarify that ?

3) Are the runes on the walls of Gunn's hideout the same kind the Lindsey used in season 5 ?

4) On a scale of 1 to 10, now much did you enjoy writing Kr'ph's lines ?

5) Will Angel get some of his office furniture back from Burge ?

Answers :

1) Yes. It's important to Gunn, I would imagine. You always remember your sire.

2) It will be clarified.

3) That would be spoiling. Answers are coming in issue 2.

4) 'bout a 7 ? I will miss writing him, that's for sure. That said, he's not the lord I enjoy writing most. You'll see...

5) Probably not. It's all damaged and dented anyway.

That was fun ! Next batch :

1. Is there a definite, physical Big Bad ? And if so, is it Gunn ? (lol that might be spoilery, but on the chance that it's not, I figured I'd throw it out there)

2. I've heard that "First Night" has become a two-issue miniarc instead of a one-shot. Is that true, or not so much ?

3. Can the dragon be named Ramon ? Pretty please ? He looks saucy enough to be named Ramon.

4. When (if) Spike and Betta George meet, will they recognize each other ? If they do, will that canonize "Asylum ?" (BTW, I already have the "Asylum" trade in the "canon section" of by Buffyverse shelf... and yes, that is dorky of me to have a "canon section" but we're all dorks here)

5. If Joss were to sanction an on-going Angel series (like the BtVS : Season Eight) would you, agree to sign on as the writer for the run of it, or would you call it a day after "After the Fall ?"

Answers :

1. Kinda spoilery.

2. Yes it is true. I wrote a lot of stories, too much for one issue.

3. If it makes you feel better you can call me Ramon.

4. Kinda spoilery.

5. I'm so knee-deep in this series that I can't think about what comes after. But I love writing it so far, I'll tell you that much.

And thank you for the kind words after the questions. Very very nice of you.

Next batch :

1. Do you already have a general idea of where everything is going to end up ?

2. And is there already a set number of issues in mind or is it more of a 'we'll keep maing them so long as people keep buying them' kind of thing ?

1. Yessir, but it doesn't mean things won't change a bit along the way.

2. There is a rough number of issues in mind, absolutely. Aside from FIRST NIGHT, there will be 12 or so issues of AFTER THE FALL. Maybe one or two more. Maybe it all ends in issue 2. You never know, and that's half the fun.

Next group :

1 Do you have any plans to bring Cordelia, Fred, and Doyle back ?

2 Also i heard that Illyriawas going to have an arc where her time shifting powers come back but she goes back into the future through a portal she accidentaly created with her powers. Something in the same vein of the Pylea arc only with Illyria.

1. Wow, that would be spoiler-esue to say.

2. Illyria's time-shifting powers are addressed, but I don't think she's gonna go into the future. She wouldn't like it anyway, Biff Tannen has this crazy Pleasure Palace and has taken control of Hill Valley.

Next question :

One thing I'd like to know (and I hope this doesn't veer too close to the "you or Whedon" thing) is how much of what we've seen so far was planned for Season 6 ? Like, was L.A. always going to be in Hell when the season premiere aired in Fall 2004, or was that an idea that you guys tweaked for the comic ? Was Gunn always supposed to be a vampire or was that specific to AFTER THE FALL ?

These probably aren't questions you're at liberty to answer, but I thought I'd take a shot.

Hmmmmm.

This is a bit "me or Whedon", sure, but I will say Gunn being turned was most definitely something they were thinking about back in the day. But did they have him TURN INTO A VAMPIRE AND KNOCK OUT A TELEPATHIC FISH ? I don't think they did. Advantage : adorable Lynch.

Next questions :

Hi Brian !

Ok for me the POV swiltched from Angel to Gunn in the last panels, so the final ones where what Gunn was thinking. Is that true ? That he has retained some of his human feelings post turning ?

Answer :

It was all Angel's POV. The captions were supposed to be a bit ironic, sure, as Angel was saying they haven't changed him while over a close friend they most definitely have, but it was all Angel's narration.

Next batch :

1) Was Gunn as a vampire always part of how you envisioned ATF ? I know that story arc was planned for S6 before the cancellation. So, if you hadn't envisioned him as a vamp, what sort of route might you have taken him down ?

I'm all for Gunn as a vamp btw. I'll be honest... I was shocked that Gunn ended up being one of the most intriguing parts of Ish 1 for me, cos' despite liking him on the show, he was never my favorite character. Oh, and with the legal brain upgrade he's totally going to be on par with Angelus.

2) Have you gone for a "shock ending" angle for every issue ? I imagine Issue 5 might not have one with it being the end of an arc.

3) If ATF had opening credits like the series, what characters would you put on them ?

Personally, I'm guessing Angel, Spike, Connor, Wes, Gunn and Illyria. Possibly Gwen ?

4) How jealous are you that Burge has that coffee table and you don't. Cos' personally I'm green with envy.

Answers :

1. Gunn as a vamp was brought up early on, so no other paths were really considered.

2. Not a shock ending, but kind of a cliffhanger, I guess. Five isn't the end of an arc, it just wraps a few things up, while opening up a whole other hellish can of demon worms.

3. That's kinda spoilery too, but yeah, I would say Gwen would be added.

4. He has a desk. OH MAN HE STOLE THE COFFEE TABLE TOO ? Mean ole Burge.

Next batch :

Q1 Is Angel still juiced or contained with Hamiltons blood ?

Q2 Is there any significance to the red scar under Gunn's eye ?

Q3 Isn't Gunn bound to a contract with Wolfram + Hart, or was his brain upgrades the crux of it ?

Answers :

1. Nah.

2. He took a nasty, nasty hit to the eye moments before getting turned.

3. Wolfram & Hart has a lot of people (etc.) under contract. Who they choose to keep "on staff" is up to them. Right now they are keeping the Los Angeles branch a bit understaffed.

Wow, turbulence just got bad. Wolfram & Hart isn't happy with me for discussing their internal business. Moving on !

Also, I've been wondering, seeing as both season 5 and now the first issue of After the Fall (with Gwen and Nina) seems to make a point out of bringing back old minor characters/tying up old loose plotpoints, what are the odds of getting to know whatever happened with phased-out-characters like Kate Lockley, David Nabbit or even Groo ? I realize they probably would serve no story-function and thus won't be brought back, but loose ends bug me, so I can't not ask...

Oh, and, will we get to know why Nina is in LA with the rest of them ? Did she not leave when Angel asked her to, or did she just dawdle too much and not get out in time ? ;) (I'd also ask if we get to know why Gwen is in L.A. again all of a sudden and why the two of them hangs out with Connor instead of Angel, but I'm assuming that'll all be answered in due time by the comics themselves anyway...)

Answers :

Characters will pop up from time to time. You might see some favorites. Keep an eye out.

I would assume she didn't get out of LA in time.

As for Gwen, we'll learn a little more about what she was up to in LA before the fall in FIRST NIGHT.

Next batch :

1)Is L.A. actually in a Hell Dimension or has Hell been brought to L.A. and a barrier is cutting it off from the rest of the world ?

2)Will it be explained how the real world reacts to a entire city missing or blocked from the rest of the world with a hellish landscape ?You would think Buffy,the slayers and the military would notice a missing major city or a major city you can't get in with hell overflowing inside for example.

3)On a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being big and 1 being small,how big a threat will Gunn be ?

4)Why did you bring Nina back and does the return of Nina mean we have to deal with Nina/Angel hooking back up and more of that pairing which wasn't well liked and pretty much closed in 'Power Play' ?

5)Why did you bring Gwen back and will she have an encounter with vampire Gunn ?

6)Have you heard from any of the other writers of the shows or actors from Angel and their reaction to After The Fall ?

7)Are you or Joss upset Amy Acker revealed the vampire Gunn news back in 2006 ?Do you think that took away any impact to the last page of issue 1 since it was already something that fans knew was possibly in the cards ?

8)Does After The Fall take place at the same time as Buffy Season 8 or does it take place before the start of season 8 ?

9)Do you know the exact date in December when issue 2 comes out yet ?

Answers :

1. Why would you want me to answer this on a blog, isn't it more fun to read it in the comic ? Because you will. Oh you will. Patience, my friends.

2. Gah, just wait.

3. To me ? A zero, he's totally fictional. I'm willing to bet the guy who plays Gunn, however, could kick my ass. Lookin' good, Mr. Richards !

4. Translation of your question : I personally don't like Nina. My response : skip her pages. It's not NINA:AFTER THE FALL, but she is a small part of it. I am sorry for any discomfort this causes. I'm willing to be you will like her the more you see her in the comic.

5. Gwen is a great character for comics, and was underused on the show. As for the rest of this question, that would be telling.

6. Yes, one person who played a part on the show and he or she thought Franco's drawings of him or her were awesome. No wait, actually two ! Yes.

7. This is a great question, and Amy Acker can do whatever she wants because she's the best, but yes, I wish that plot point wasn't announced before, absolutely. We should have had Franco draw Amy Acker popping into frame and saying "I told you !" But, again, it's all well and good, how was she supposed to know the show would live on in comic form ? No biggie.

8. I can't read that last question, your handwriting is bad.

9. Not yet, I will get that info for you.

Neeeeext !

Will the Senior Partners still only be something that is spoken of, or will the play a more direct role now that a budget isn't an issue ?

Answer : We'll see, my friend, we'll see !

Next up :

Is there a possibility of an Angel/Buffy crossover. I know the two comics are owned by different companies, but I know a lot of the fans would love to see them cross paths again. I understand that the two storylines grow on their own, but as a dorky fan, I want to see the characters meet and talk about what has happened. There's so much material for heavy drama and butt-kicking :-)

Answer :

That's something I would love to read. In a world where Freddy and Jason and Ash can cross company lines, I think a Dark Horse/IDW presentation of BUFFY/ANGEL would rock the heavens. But there is no plan as far as I know. Again, though, I would love to read it.

Next up :

My question is about the advertising for the comics, which I know, as a writer, you do not have control over. In almost every review and/or advertisement for the series thus far, Spike fans have been inundated with the "Is Spike going ev0l !?" tagline. We had to put up with that through almost four years of the show, and it got old after the first few times. It just was played up too much, mostly by the advertising and not the actual writing on the show. Do you sometimes feel like advertising is deliberately misleading to get better sales for the books ? Here's an example from the issue 4 ad : "Meanwhile, Spike considers changing sides as this hellish new status quo presents some opportunities he can't pass up."

As a reader, I can take that to mean many things and can think up many possibilites, but the advertising would have me believe that once again the old "Spike could go evil so you better buy this book/watch this show to find out !" routine is once again in play. Any thoughts (without spoilers of course) ?

Answer, kinda :

I'm the writer of the book. Ask me writer-y questions.

Oh, though I did write the PREVIEWS text for issue 5, so if you have a problem with that, let me know.

But on that note, why does a mention of Spike changing sides mean he's going to be evil ? There are more sides than "good" and "evil". Not everyone is a white hat or a black hat, don't fret, I'm willing to bet sometime soon you're gonna be like "ooooh, I as worried for nothing."

"Changing sides". They COULD be talking about Spike exploring his sexuality. They're not, but they could be.

Next !

1) What response, if any, has the rest of the country and the world had to LA's sudden entry into Hell (or vice versa) ? How about Buffy's army of Slayers ? Seems like just the type of task to which they'd be well-suited.

2) Does Connor have his new "parents" holed up in the safehouse as well ?

3) Is this the "apocalypse" in which Angel was always supposed to play a key role, or is this just part of Wolfram and Hart's set up for that apocalypse ?

4) Does this new HelL.A. include perpetual night ? That would seem to give Angel, Spike, and now Gunn (poor guy) some increased mobility...

5) I guess this counts as a spoiler question, but does Gunn have a soul ? I'm guessing he was sired by either Angel or Spike, which would (I think) be the first time an ensouled vamp has sired someone (though I'm vaguely remembering something from an early Angel season when this may have happened). Does a soul come along with that ?

6) So the Wesley we're seeing is the real Wesley, correct ? Is he being held between life and death in order to fill this role as the firm's representative ? This is not just something else taking his form, right ?

6) How expensive is gas in L.A. now ??

These are all story questions that should be answered in the comic, not a myspace blog, so I'm gonna maintain radio silence on these, save for Gas being 6 dollars and 66 cents now, because that's ironic.

I also deleted the few other dudes' questions, because the answers would prove too spoilery. But stay tuned, there is some good stuff on the way that addresses some of your concerns/questions.

Next up !

1 : What exactly does the no-sun-no-moon thing do to a werewolf ? Does it just simply put them in heat, or is it more complicated than that ? (Lame and probably irrelevant question, but whatever. It's all I could think of in the first issue that was unclear without seeming like a spoilery topic.) 2 : Do you have the theme from "The Greatest American Hero" on a constant loop in your head ? I would imagine that's the price you'd have to pay for getting such an awesome gig. That or a soul.

1. Great question. Angel actually discusses the sun/moon effects on all sorts of demons in issue three, but I would say it puts them in a state hovering between human and werewolf, so she's human but stronger, sharper, and more primal.

2. Even better question ! I love that song. "Look at what's happened to meeeeeee, I can't believe it myself…"

Another thing i have to ask is could you ask Joss what was planned for season 6 if it had not got cancelled ? I know bits and pieces like the whole Gunn going vamp thing but what would S6 have focused on. Im almost certian that it wasnt going to hell.

Sigh.

I was wondering Mr. Brain, will Connor and Spike ever bond ? And if so will they bug Angel to death ?

And for an online friend of mine, are you a Dragonriders of Pern fan ? Because that Dragon with Angel, really wants to make me call N'gel. And I didn't make that up, though an online lady in England did. Hi Eli.

Answers :

Spike and Connor scenes would be fun, no ? And I would imagine that would be ABSOLUTELY FINE with Angel. Sarcasm reads on the internet, yes ?

I am not aware of the Dragonriders, no. But it sounds something or other !

I don't have the comic in front of me, but I seem to recall that Wesley mentioned he's the last representative of Wolfram & Hart. On the TV show, Lilah Morgan and Holland Manners were called from beyond the grave to perform tasks, I'm assuming this is the same with Wesley. So why is he the only one that Wolfram & Hart can call upon now.

Also, why does Wesley look like Season 1 Wesley. I don't just mean the suit, but also the hair-style and the glasses, which he hadn't worn regularly since Season 3.

Also, don't know if this is a spoiler or not, but how was he able to phase when teh demon went to punch him ? In Season Four finale, Angel was able to choke Lilah Morgan, when she was under the same circumstances as Wesley is here.

Answers :

He's not the only one they CAN call upon. He seems to be the one that they WANT to call upon.

And his look is punishment. He's moved on, but they won't let him. Also, he's the last official representative of Wolfram & Hart, he has to look the part.

He ain't corporal, duder. As for why THAT is, stay tuned.

That was fun, thanks everyone ! And to everyone who had questions deleted or not answered, it's only because you're gonna read about them in the book.

Off to go use the three foot by three foot potty. Wish me luck !

"Angel After The Fall" Comic Book - Brian Lynch answers fans questions

Webmaster — 2007-11-26T20:20:32Z

Ax Me

To celebrate ANGEL:AFTER THE FALL's release, I will now open up the floor to answer questions from you, the home viewer.

One thing : do not ask for spoilers, where a storyline is going, that kinda thing.

Oh, one more thing : do not ask "that plot point, was that Whedon or you" because come on.

Other than that, I'm an open book. I won't get to them for a few days, but I will get to'em soon, I promise, so post your questions under this blog.

Aaaaand we're off !

Click on the link :

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm ?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=335358&blogID=332019871

"Angel Season 6" Comic Book - Issue 1 "After The Fall" - Comicbookresources.com Interview

Webmaster — 2007-11-07T20:41:36Z

BRIAN LYNCH TALKS “ANGEL : AFTER THE FALL”

In the concluding episode of "Angel's" fifth and final season, the titular character and what remained of his supporting cast had just assassinated every last member of the Circle of the Black Thorne, and the full weight of the Senior Partners' wrath was bearing down upon them in the prelude to a battle that none of our heroes believed they could survive. Despite the odds, Angel creator Joss Whedon and his fellow writers always intended for the character to have a life beyond Season 5, and thanks to IDW Publishing, writer Brian Lynch and artist Franco Urru, fans will finally get to see more of the continuing adventures of Angel and company in the pages of "Angel : After the Fall." CBR News sat down with Brian Lynch to find out what's in store for the vampire formerly known as Angelus.

Lynch is a longtime Whedon fan and jumped on the Buffy-verse bandwagon in the middle of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer's" first season. Before landing the gig writing "Angel : After the Fall," Lynch penned two IDW miniseries featuring that other vampire with a soul, Spike. Interestingly, some of Lynch's earliest comics work was a comic strip called "Monkey Man" on Kevin's Smith's moviepoopshoot.com, and as fate would have it, IDW Editor-in-Chief Chris Ryall was Lynch's editor at the time.

"[Ryall] eventually left, but he always remembered that a lot of the jokes in 'Monkey Man' were Buffy and Spike related," Brian Lynch told CBR News. "And when he got the [Spike] license, he said, 'Do you have any ideas ?'" Lynch had already been developing a sci-fi series set in an asylum for supernatural problems, so he just plugged Spike into that story and "Spike : Asylum" was born. From there, Lynch went on to write "Spike : Shadow Puppets," in which Spike travels to Japan to combat the Japanese division of the wee little puppet men that plagued Angel in the fifth season episode "Smile Time."

It was then, Lynch revealed, that the genesis of "Angel : After the Fall" was inextricably linked to the very restaurant where he and this reporter were conducting our interview. Lynch lives a scant few blocks away and is a fixture at the famous West Hollywood restaurant in question. The place has no dearth of celebrity patrons, and while eating breakfast there on the day before "Spike : Asylum" #1 hit stands, Lynch had a fateful encounter with Joss Whedon himself.

"I was sitting right there at the corner table, really early in the morning waiting for my friends, and [Whedon] walked out and walked by," Lynch explained. In what he described as a "machine gun" delivery, the star-struck Lynch rattled off a deferential greeting to the creator of the Buffy-verse, and informed him of the imminent release of "Spike : Asylum" #1. "And Joss was like, 'Okay, yeah, can't wait to read it, that's great,'" Lynch said. "And then he ran, because I was overexcited."

After three weeks had passed with no word, Lynch was convinced his exuberance had frightened Whedon off — until Chris Ryall received an e-mail from Whedon himself saying Lynch had "hit a home run." More than that, "Spike : Asylum" convinced Whedon that the time to revisit Angel's story was finally at hand, and that Brian Lynch was the man to write it.

One of the things that attracted Whedon to Lynch's writing was Lynch's penchant for capturing the voices of the Buffy-verse characters. "When I started writing 'Spike : Asylum,' I just watched all his episodes ; you get a feel for it pretty quick," Lynch said. "The biggest thing with Spike specifically was you don't want to overdo the British."

Fans of Whedon know that his work is eminently quotable, and Lynch admits to making the occasional "Angel" reference in everyday conversation. So you can imagine Lynch's surprise when he heard that Whedon had been quoting "Spike : Asylum" to fellow "Angel" showrunner Tim Minear. "I was like, 'Joss Whedon quoted something I wrote, that's the greatest thing in the world,'" Lynch said.

Over the course of a long breakfast which Lynch described as "the best breakfast ever," Whedon laid out where he and the other "Angel" writers had planned to take the series had it returned for a sixth season. "He told me all those ideas, including ideas that they weren't going to try, but he always kind of liked, in case I wanted to grab little pieces from it," Lynch said.

After their initial meeting, Lynch and Whedon exchanged many an e-mail, fine-tuning what was to become the plot of "Angel : After the Fall." The first set of notes Lynch received from Whedon read, "I think it's really well done, and I think this would be entertaining. But it's safe, and I don't want you to play safe." With that in mind, Lynch went back to the drawing board and crafted a story that could only be told in a comic book.

Lynch is cagey about who survives the battle in the alleyway. Obviously the title character survives, and leaving Angel alive was a calculated move by the Senior Partners. "Wolfram and Hart sent all of Los Angeles to Hell as punishment for trying to rise up against them," Lynch said. "You can kill Angel, and you really didn't win, because Angel's never out for himself, he wants to defend everybody, so they literally sent everybody to Hell. So the opening is Angel trying to get over the fact that he ruined everybody's life who he was trying to save, and the reasons why he steps up and how he steps up. He has to take an entire city back, and fight against not just Wolfram and Hart, because once they go to Hell, there's bigger things than Wolfram and Hart."

Lynch said that some of Angel's friends have drifted away from him as a result of his involvement Los Angeles' current plight, and that, on the other side of the spectrum, living in hell makes for strange bedfellows.

As for the fateful battle to which the final moments of "Angel" Season 5 were building, Lynch confirmed that fans will get the opportunity to see Angel, Spike, Gunn and Illyria get down and dirty in the alley, but not for the first few issues. "I actually thought the first issue was going to be the fight, because when Joss told me he wanted me to do the series, I was like, 'Oh, my God, I get to write that battle that I always wanted to see.'" However, Whedon advised the writer that more interesting than the battle itself is the affect it has on the characters. "And he's right, because it would have just been 22 pages of swords and people dying, whereas it's much cooler to see people you care about in peril and distraught."

That said, the events of the alley battle will be chronicled in a one-shot entitled "First Night," tentatively scheduled for release after "Angel : After the Fall" #5. In addition to the core cast, "First Night" also focuses on characters who don't factor into the main thrust of "Angel : After the Fall" itself. And though the specifics of the battle will remain a mystery for a time, Lynch assured CBR News that readers will know the fate of all four characters who were directly involved in the conflict by the end of issue #2.

Will everyone who we saw die in the fifth season of "Angel" stay dead ? Yes, and no. In the Buffy-verse, death is almost as much of a revolving door as it is in superhero comics. Wesley Wyndam-Pryce was one of the many characters who met their end in the final season of "Angel," and Lynch said fans have been sharply divided on the subject of whether or not his character should return. Lynch said that Wesley definitely factors into "After the Fall," but he was quick to add that that doesn't necessarily imply that Wesley will return to the land of the living.

In a lot of ways, fans are just as sharply divided on the subject of "Angel : After the Fall's" very existence. A large contingent of "Angel" fans believe that Angel steeling himself for a battle he knows he cannot win was the perfect ending for his character and the series, so for them idea of Angel's continued adventures is a dubious prospect at best.

"I was one of the people who thought it was a perfect ending," Lynch admitted. "I think they all died. I think that was the point." But when Whedon approached him about writing "Angel : After the Fall," the writer quickly changed his tune. "I said, 'Maybe they didn't all die, maybe I was wrong, because it would be really boring if they all died and they had a comic following it.'"

Angel's estranged son, Connor, who took a back seat for the majority of the show's final season, will have a much larger role in "Angel : After the Fall," despite the fact that he was initially the character that Lynch had the hardest time wrapping his mind around. "I didn't love Connor on the show," Lynch confessed. "But you know when I really liked him was the last season when he came back and he was well adjusted."

Still, Lynch was still at a loss as to how to incorporate Connor into "After the Fall." It was Whedon who eventually hit upon the character arc that Connor would follow in the series. "Joss said, 'Connor's a young kid, he's got powers, he doesn't have any of the bad things, he's not a vampire, so maybe he would enjoy it, and maybe he would be the closest thing to a superhero hell has,'" Lynch recounted. "And that's exactly who he is." Thus, Connor went from the character Lynch had the most trouble with to the character he enjoys writing most. "I actually want to do a book called 'Son of Angel' because I really like writing him now."

One beloved character that did make it out of the final episode of "Angel" unscathed was Lorne, the demon lounge singer. But after carrying out one last task on Angel's behalf (the murder of one-time Wolfram & Hart lawyer Lindsey McDonald), Lorne washed his hands of the vampire with a soul. Nevertheless, Lorne will make an appearance in "After the Fall," just not right away. "He comes in later, and we kind of see where he has set up his camp," Lynch said. "He's trying to make the best of the worst situation, and he's paired with someone you maybe wouldn't expect him to be paired with."

Lynch's other Buffy-verse stories, "Asylum" and "Shadow Puppets," were originally conceived as taking place after the series finale of "Angel," but Fox had other ideas. Lynch's original scripts made oblique references to things that went on during the alley battle and beyond, but Fox insisted that all such lines be removed. Fans of "Angel" would be hard pressed not to remember the penultimate line of the final episode, when Angel says of the onrushing horde, "Well, personally, I kind of want to slay the dragon." In an early draft of "Spike : Asylum," Spike was going to cop to stealing Angel's thunder by running ahead and slaying the dragon before Angel had the chance, but that was one of several lines that Fox unceremoniously vetoed.

"And thank God," Lynch said. "Because now the dragon is one of the leads." That Angel should train the dragon instead of killing him was an idea that Whedon brought to the table, and an idea that Lynch latched onto right away.

Angel soaring over a Hell-infested Los Angeles atop a giant dragon is just one way Lynch took advantage of the comics medium' nigh-limitless budget for special effects. Artist Franco Urru, who's providing pencils for "After the Fall," also worked with Lynch on both Spike projects. It was artist Frank Mecina who originally recommended Urru for "Spike : Asylum," as Mecina had drawn several "Angel" stories for IDW, and Urru was his mentor.

"[Urru] sent some pictures of Spike and some other comics he had done, and we kind matched," Lynch said. "I'm so excited that he got brought in on 'After the Fall. He's an Italian man, who's very good looking, and just the sweetest guy." Lynch went on to say that Urru's level of emotional investment in the pages he draws is unprecedented. One of Spike's fellow inmates in "Spike : Asylum" was a flying, telepathic fish, and Urru took it particularly hard when the fish's number was up. "Franco just couldn't draw that page, he was so sad when he was drawing the death scene of a fish. Whedon, too, was a fan of the fish from "Spike : Asylum," so much so that he suggested the fish make a return appearance in "After the Fall." Apparently rumors of the fish's death were greatly exaggerated.

Lynch is also working on another comics project called "Everybody's Dead," based on one of his original screenplays. Lynch had optioned the horror comedy to the now defunct Artisan Entertainment, but now that the rights have reverted to him, the writer is pursuing the story as a comics project with artist Dave Crosland. Lynch is also writing a number of projects for the big screen, including Fox's "The Sims" (based on the video game of the same name) and the DreamWorks' "Shrek" spin-off "Puss in Boots." Lynch was writing the film at the same time he was working on "Angel : After the Fall," and admitted to the occasional bout of confusion. "There were literally two parts in 'Puss in Boots' where instead of 'sword' it said 'stake,' because I was so tired."

The first issue of "Angel : After the Fall" hits stands on November 21.