So there’s this whole debate on whether to take Buffy comics, season eight, as canon. Joss actually said it was canon, and there’s this notion that because he is (dudududududun!) the real father of Buffy, he has a complete say on what is canon and what is not.
Problematic because
1.) If you’re someone’s father, you don’t really get to dictate everything that happens in your daughter’s life… but I don’t really have to use a father-daughter metaphor, let’s just tell it straight.–Buffy the Vampire Slayer is what it is precisely of everything and everyone that made it. I’m not saying that if one of the regular writers stopped writing for Buffy, it won’t be Buffy anymore, or that a Buffy without Joss Whedon is still Buffy–just saying that it is TEH PROCESS that makes it happen. The conditions around writing and executing Buffy is what makes Buffy, Buffy. There are key elements of course that would have to stay, like of course, the creator, the long-time writers, etc (for who would know Buffy more than those who gave birth and mold her, etc) which brings us to two things:
2.) Firstly, medium used. The conditions around writing and executing would have been more similar if comics were not the medium used. That’s why the flick Serenity worked for Firefly. Relatively, movies have a similar feel to television–which is why, hello, television movies. There’s basically the screen, live actors, directors, etc. Firefly is about 40 minutes without the commercial breaks, and what, Serenity is another I guess, 40 minutes longer than that? It’s just like watching a two episode special. Comics well, are comics. Even with the same writers and directors, it’s different because comics draw the characters and give them their own version of acting. Also, the limitations in television and films are relatively absent in comics. They could go crazy with special effects (ex Angel After the Fall got dragons in them) making it easier to leave everything that the world of television and films can offer, making it over-the-top different.
3.) Secondly, it’s not just the creator and writers who know Buffy well. It’s those who watch and help her grow as well. That’s actually why Buffy is relatively more “alive” than other television shows, Buffy has an actual massive community who cares deeply about her. Who would fawn and debate over such things like is-this-canon-or-not. Is-this-Buffy-or-not. Fans have the same hand in writing Buffy, their reactions, their fanfictions, their meta, and the mere fact that the creator and writers engage with the fans all contributes to the process of writing and executing Buffy. When Whedon went to make Buffy into comics, he kind of lost a chunk of fans’ hands–that’s like losing a gazillion of long-time writers.
4.) That is why movie adaptations of comics (Iron Man, etc) are precisely called movie adaptations.
5.) I love the Buffy comics, I really do. Not as much as I love the series, of course, but I do find it enjoyable too. And I kind of worship the ground Joss Whedon walks on and he can’t do anything wrong in my eyes, and I really really really wanted season 8 to be canon BUT Joss Whedon himself said so that he would discard whatever happened in the comics if Buffy would be made into film. Come on, how could I treat season 8 as a canon after that? (Couldn’t find the link of him stating that, am lazy and haven’t eaten breakfast, please google it and comment me back)
