(Meta) Some background information

[stormwreath]

Some of you may already have seen a big interview that Scott Allie of Dark Horse Comics gave to Ain't It Cool News recently... but if you haven't, he gave the clearest statement I've ever seen about the copyright and licencing situation regarding 'Buffy' and Joss's other creative works. I thought it might be interesting to repeat it here:

SCOTT:

Comments

[mana1023]

It sounds to me like Joss goes over every BtVS comic before it's released. And therefore everything in them has been Jossed. Or am I reading it wrong?

[stormwreath]

With Season 8, Joss approves everything page-by-page. (Apart from the ones he writes himself.) With 'After The Fall', he sat down with the writer for a long talk, then let him get on with it. For the other IDW comics, and for the pre-Season 8 Buffy ones, I gather he didn't really get involved much at all beyond checking over their plans once a year or so and saying "Yeah, that's fine."

[mana1023]

Right. I'm just wondering why people keep saying that s8 isn't canon because they don't like it. And then they want to say it isn't Joss. I mean he still approves of everything.

[stormwreath]

why people keep saying that s8 isn't canon because they don't like it.

Well, you said it. They don't like it: but because it's written and/or approved by Joss, they feel uncomfortable just ignoring it, and instead feel they have to justify why they aren't reading it.

As for saying "it isn't Joss" - I've actually heard the opposite more often; that on the TV show Joss had a team of writers and producers, and the actors interpreting the lines, whereas on the comic there are many fewer people directly involved, so his views are coming across undiluted.

[elisi]

I don't think it's canon, but that's because it's a comic book, and I've said that ever since it was first announced. As it happens I think s8 is beyond terrible, but even if it was The Best Story Ever, I'd still not think it canon. Just like the movie isn't canon.