Guess who the new writer of runaways is.

[The Question]

I really don't thing Astonishing should be the sole thing he can be judged upon for how he might do Runaways. The Runaways are not the X-Men. The characters, premis, setting, and the types of stories told are all pretty different.

 

[BrianWilly]

That's how books get cancelled. If the book takes a nasty drop in sales once Whedon leaves due to fairweather readers, what happens when the book stays in that rut for about a year? Bingo! Cancelled.

But by that logic, no popular writer should ever write anything.

 

[hippy fascist]

Dread, if you're worried about the team dynamic issue check out firefly. It's the purest ensemble work he's ever done. Yes river and mal kinda dominated in the film but go back the show(which is probably a better approximation for a monthly ongoing and I think all your fears may just disipate.

Also part of the reason I'm so happy about this is that whedon has always been about humour mixed with darkness. Which is kinda what runaways is if you think about it...

Also he's not afraid to let a villain dominate an episode as Jubal Early (and interestingly enough T'Jai since he was a stunt double for that episode) will be able to illustrate

 

[yenaled]

Dread called this in the other thread and really it's not a surprise. Out of all of Marvel's A-List I couldn't expect anyone else to take over the book.

It's not going to be bad for the book, I can't really rate Whedon - but I havn't really read his stuff (I don't pick up Astonishing or any X-titles to be fair) I'm just going on his TV work and as others have said there is a big difference between writing tv and comics.

Hopefully he will be good for the title and in the long run it will be very good for the title. I can see Whedon increasing sales a lot - he's got a good selling name and probably the skills to keep the title interesting - hopefully the people he brings aboard will stick around so after he leaves a smaller-time writer can come aboard who might be perfect for the title - and we can have this title for many years to come.

 

[Not Jake]

To me, BUFFY and ANGEL were a bit overrated, although I can't say I was ever a fan. I tried to watch some episodes here and there and I never could stand them. Beyond the snarky banter they were empty and generic to me, and I could never see the cult appeal.

Dude, Buffy and Angel had huge heart, that's why they're so good

Plus, Whedon was well known for making the same mistake a lot of anime does; wasting endless episodes on build-up, so if you catch the wrong ones, you're either lost or bored.

I bet you didn't like Arrested Development because of this too

You have to understand, those shows aren't your typical stand-alone episode sitcoms, they are rich tales, and skipping episodes is like skipping chapters of a book. I'm not saying one way or the other is better (Seinfeld was 95% stand-alone episodes, and it was great) but you're coming off as pretty narrow-minded in your television tastes.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

But by that logic, no popular writer should ever write anything.

The writers are fine, it's the fairweather fans that are the problem.

 

[The Question]

I bet you didn't like Arrested Development because of this too

And really, Runaways is also heavily serialized. At least volume one was, and volume two is to a lesser degree.

 

[hippy fascist]

The writers are fine, it's the fairweather fans that are the problem.

If a book makes enough money it will stay in circulation, a dip will be noticed but why kill off something that's making a profit. My concern is that whedon and vaughan are the only people that could do this book properly, what happens when whedon goes cause he doesn't really make a habit of sticking with a book for extended periods. He worships the x-men but he's only doing 24 issues of that...

 

[BrianWilly]

And really, Runaways is also heavily serialized. At least volume one was, and volume two is to a lesser degree.

And that's really the best thing about those kinds of stories, the fact that there seems to be an ongoing plotline, a beginning, a middle, and an end...instead of cyclical stories that just seem to want to be there for the sake of being there. Events from more than a few weeks ago matter to the characters, as they should. I've never understood the appeal of series that you can just jump onto without any prior knowledge of events...all that means, to me, is that events in that series don't matter.

 

[Not Jake]

Hot off the presses at http://www.whedonesque.com

Joss posts + BKV post = best thread...ever?

Oh my god! This is so cool! I can't believe it! I hope he kills Gert -- she's rude to authority figures! Brian Kay Von was cool, but he didn't understand teenagers the way Joss Whedon does -- after all, Joss WAS a teen-ager during the second world war (I think it was the second one) and he totally knows how they speak and what they wear and how they can learn to be more polite and hygenic. Look for this book to EXPLODE with hygiene now that Joss "bathes monthly" Whedon has it. What can we expect from this soon-to-be-visionary book? A few things that never occured to "Bitties at the BK"V, that's for sure.

1) Sex.

2) WAY more Wolverine. He so cute and popular.

3) Old people. They're so cute and popular. ("Assemble, Aunt May's Avengers!" Goosebumps. Right now. Goosebumps.)

4) Sex, but the other kind.

5) Run... Towards! Runtowards. New title. Why are they such fraidies?

6) Two words: Crisis on Infinite Mollys.

Well, I think we all know you're in good paws. (Thank god Michael Ryan can draw.) Brian, your kids are safe with me, except the five or six I'm gonna kill.

See you in the Funny Hell! -joss.

A response to lateness worries

And now, a public service message.

Lately I have heard much crabbing about bi-monthly books and people not meeting deadlines. And yes, I have much to answer for in terms of the FRAY schedule debacle. But I was young, I was running three shows, and I was borderline not-impotent. Since then I have been late by a week (extenuating circumstances)once and by two weeks (no frikkin' idea what to write) once, both in the first arc of Astonishing. Never since. I didn't need the book to go bi-monthly -- in fact I wasn't even told it would be. I don't like bi-monthly; it puts too much pressure on every issue to be standalone-ly awesome, and hurts the flow. Schedule haters, hate the game, not the playa. And quit pissin' me off.

This was a public service message, because it helps me, who is a public.

A third post!

Last me-post: I would strongly urge anyone who's thinking of picking up the book but doesn't know it yet to avoid recaps and spoilers (contained, yes, within this very thread!) and just start from the beginning. That's what I did, and that's what made me love the book so much I had to write/destroy it. There's those cute little pocket trades, or genuine back issues if you're a true hunter-gatherer, but the big hardcover is an easy and great way to start (and unlike the pocket-sized, ends with the rather important title to last issue on the last page). If you see what Brian and Adrian did, what I do may suffer by comparison, but it'll have way more resonance. Here endeth the sermon. (And sorry about the schedule rant -- that was mainly from posts on other sites.

Aaaannnnd BKV. He's pretty good too. I guess.

Wait, what? JOSS Whedon? I told Marvel I wanted WIL Wheaton, TV's beloved Wesley Crusher!

Our book is so screwed.

Anyway, I guess Numfar and I are swapping audiences now, so let's bust out those "BKV Is My Master Now" tees, yes?

Also, as a timesaving measure, while Joss takes care of my fictional kids, he's asked me to raise his literal children. The Whedon brood need school supplies badly, so please help fund their education by purchasing everything I have ever written:

http://bkv.tv/
http://www.myspace.com/briankvaughan

Never too proud to ****e,
BKV

I love BKV. Not enough to, you know, read Runaways, but I mean, I read Y. Isn't that enough people? Isn't that enough?

 

[Not Jake]

And really, Runaways is also heavily serialized. At least volume one was, and volume two is to a lesser degree.

Yeah, I was talking to Tmob in our super-secret thread about a year ago, after I convinced him to buy Buffy DVDs, and I made the comment that it was pretty much a live-action comic. Not just the subject matter, but the format, the use of continuity, etc. Yeah, I name-dropped Tmob. I talk to him all the time, and he talks back. It's a thing.

 

[Darthphere]

I love BKV. Not enough to, you know, read Runaways, but I mean, I read Y. Isn't that enough people? Isn't that enough?

Do you plan on reading Runaways now that Whedon will be writing it?

 

[Dread]

Dread, if you're worried about the team dynamic issue check out firefly. It's the purest ensemble work he's ever done. Yes river and mal kinda dominated in the film but go back the show(which is probably a better approximation for a monthly ongoing and I think all your fears may just disipate.

Also part of the reason I'm so happy about this is that whedon has always been about humour mixed with darkness. Which is kinda what runaways is if you think about it...

Also he's not afraid to let a villain dominate an episode as Jubal Early (and interestingly enough T'Jai since he was a stunt double for that episode) will be able to illustrate

I never watched FIREFLY either (and apparently I wasn't the only one as it got canned after less than a season) or the movie. I've heard good things but just never was interested. You can only watch so many "people on a ship in space" things before they all gell. I was never a huge fan of that genre either, aside for STAR WARS. The fact that my mother is an avid Trekkie likely helped. So I'll have to take your word for it.

And I agree, Whedon will probably be able to match the dark humor of RUNAWAYS. The dialogue is never a problem. When Whedon was mentioned a week ago on Runaways when we were brainstorming, I said that he could be a decent fit on the book. I mean, Bendis, JMS, and Millar are probably bigger writers right now than Whedon and I'd be pulling out hair if they were attached to Runaways. If Whedon doesn't fall into his ASTONISHING pitfalls he could be solid. He simply has to PROVE IT to me like everyone else. I'm not going to assume he's gold on the title until he writes it. And I'll admit he's horribly overrated, even on message boards. At least Bendy and Millar earn equal flogging around here.

Plus, any writer who was going to come in after 40+ issues of BKV's creating the title was going to have a hard time with "legitimacy". It's a given.

Dude, Buffy and Angel had huge heart, that's why they're so good

I admitted that I was neither a fan of either series and that I hadn't watched too many episodes. I could be wrong. Maybe they're the second coming if only I sat down and watched the entire runs of both like the fans have. I just haven't been interested to.

I bet you didn't like Arrested Development because of this too

Ah, AD, the sitcom that anyone who wants to pretend they're "sophisticated" seems to enjoy. That said, count me in 'cause I caught one episode and I actually found it quite hilarious. I can't hear the line, "My name is Judge" without snickering to myself. I just rarely was home to catch it. I probably would have liked it.

You have to understand, those shows aren't your typical stand-alone episode sitcoms, they are rich tales, and skipping episodes is like skipping chapters of a book. I'm not saying one way or the other is better (Seinfeld was 95% stand-alone episodes, and it was great) but you're coming off as pretty narrow-minded in your television tastes.

There is a difference between "build-up" and "stretching a plot thin to kill time". Different shows do it differently. TMNT, for instance, devoted a lot of time to storyarcs, build-up, and subplot development, but enough happened in each individual episode, even 2-5 parters, that they never felt wasted. The 90's Spider-Man and JLU at times did this. Stand-alone shows can be good or bad too. I'm just saying that some shows and writers stretch out a plot way too far.

One example of this is NARUTO, a show I've watched a healthy amount of via a pal's DL's (like over 150 episodes worth). When 5 episodes fly by and nothing substantial that couldn't have been achieved in 10 minutes happens, I get bored and just wish the show'd get to the point. DRAGON BALL Z is probably more notorious for this, only it was heavy on action than plot. NARUTO will spend countless episodes repeating the same flashbacks over and over again until sometimes I'm just screaming, "I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE VILLIAN'S PAST ANYMORE! JUST GET ON WITH IT!" Bendis and Whedon both do this, both writing stories that could have cropped off an issue with some editting and nothing would have been lost to the story. This last ASTONISHING arc is dragging something terrible. Not even JUSTICE drags that poorly. Stuff actually happens so you don't feel like an issue or episode is just tredding water until some inevitable climax.

Just as not every stand-alone series is the best, not every "arc" series does it well.

FYI, some novellists also have this problem. The variations on which do and which don't are what help distinguish good and bad ones to me. Gasp.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

And that's really the best thing about those kinds of stories, the fact that there seems to be an ongoing plotline, a beginning, a middle, and an end...instead of cyclical stories that just seem to want to be there for the sake of being there. Events from more than a few weeks ago matter to the characters, as they should. I've never understood the appeal of series that you can just jump onto without any prior knowledge of events...all that means, to me, is that events in that series don't matter.

Yay, thats' what relaunches are for. :

Do you plan on reading Runaways now that Whedon will be writing it?

The question to end all questions...

 

[yenaled]

I'd buy Runaways written by Wil Wheaton.

 

[Darthphere]

I'd buy Runaways written by Wil Wheaton.

You know, I was thinking the same thing.

 

[Darthphere]

The question to end all questions...

LOL! Im just curious.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

As am I

 

[hippy fascist]

I never watched FIREFLY either (and apparently I wasn't the only one as it got canned after less than a season) or the movie. I've heard good things but just never was interested. You can only watch so many "people on a ship in space" things before they all gell. I was never a huge fan of that genre either, aside for STAR WARS. The fact that my mother is an avid Trekkie likely helped. So I'll have to take your word for it.

Give it a chance, it's not a people on ships in space type of show, well it is but it isn't, the western element of the show plays as big a role and really it kinda gets split into three. Sci-fi, western, and of course...pirates. All three of the coolest action genres rolled into one. What more could you want?

 

[Not Jake]

Do you plan on reading Runaways now that Whedon will be writing it?

Fook yeah, I can turn down a book that Whedon has been on, and I can turn down a book that BKV has been on, but I can't in good conscience ignore a book that has had both BKV and Whedon on it. That would be stupid.


Yeah, I can turn down a Whedon book. Serenity stuff, at least

 

[hippy fascist]

Fook yeah, I can turn down a book that Whedon has been on, and I can turn down a book that BKV has been on, but I can't in good conscience ignore a book that has had both BKV and Whedon on it. That would be stupid.


Yeah, I can turn down a Whedon book. Serenity stuff, at least

the serenity stuff pwned

 

[Darthphere]

Fook yeah, I can turn down a book that Whedon has been on, and I can turn down a book that BKV has been on, but I can't in good conscience ignore a book that has had both BKV and Whedon on it. That would be stupid.


Yeah, I can turn down a Whedon book. Serenity stuff, at least

I must ask this as a follow up, what has changed about the book to you other than the guy writing it and the guy drawing it?

 

[Colossal Spoons]

Inquiring minds wanna know...

 

[Dread]

I'd buy Runaways written by Wil Wheaton.

He actually voiced Aqualad in TEEN TITANS. Did a damn fine job, too.

I mean, to repeat myself, I'm not expecting Whedon to be terrible. I think the RUNAWAYS are a solid fit for his dialogue style and he probably can match the tone. I just hope he can actually write a team and not a heroine with sidekicks and hope that he manages to be more innovative than he's been on ASTONISHING X-MEN for the past few issues. I mean, nowadays it's a lost art to tell a rivetting, complete story in 2-3 parts. Out of all the "A-Listers Marvel could have slapped on to boost sales" for the book, I honestly think Whedon is the best choice. Some of us would have preferred Wells or McKeever, but it was foolish to leave out the probability that Marvel wouldn't want to dramatically boost this book's sales with a little starpower, and they took it.

That all said, I simply don't see Whedon as perfection incarnate, nor pretend he is without flaw. He'll have to win me over as if he wasn't one of Marvel's elite. He'll have to actually write good stories and characters here, especially on a beloved small hit like this. I believe he has the potential to do it. We'll have to see if he actually does.

And to add to the topic of "arcs vs. one-shots", I think what makes the difference between "good build-up" and "bad" is that characterization and plot development have to go hand-in-hand. When either has to stop for the other, things will drag.

 

[Darthphere]

Inquiring minds wanna know...

Some am I going to ask all the questions and you just wait for the answers?