Type of site | Online discussion |
---|---|
Dissolved | February 11, 2021 |
Owner | Caroline van Oosten de Boer |
Created by | Various contributors |
URL | http://whedonesque.com |
Commercial | No |
Registration | Required to comment |
Launched | June 2002 |
Current status | Inactive |
Whedonesque.com (also referred to as Whedonesque) was a collaborative weblog devoted to the works of Joss Whedon. Submissions of new content ended on August 21, 2017, following the publication of an open letter by Whedon's ex-wife Kai Cole. The site was taken offline in 2021. At its inception in 2002, Whedonesque covered Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel , but expanded to follow Whedon's professional output, as well as the careers of cast and crew associated with Whedon projects. Since 2004, the site has been recognized in other media outlets by awards and citations of Whedon's writings originally posted to Whedonesque.
Beyond simply being an informational site, Whedonesque has been referenced in books and cited in academic papers. It was used by marketers to drum up interest in Buffy products and by comic book editors to gauge reader reactions. Whedon has occasionally posted his personal political views to the site, such as during the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. This led some to mistakenly believe that Whedonesque was Whedon's personal or official site and prompted some fans to take up the writers' cause.
Whedonesque was started in mid-2002 by Caroline van Oosten de Boer, who remains the site owner as of February 2009, and Milo Vermeulen. [1] Whedonesque started with a set of rules designed to mandate linking to external sites, encourage civil conduct, discourage copyright violations, and minimize discussion of perpetually contentious issues. [2] The first print media mention of Whedonesque was a one sentence blurb in USA Today a month after its launch. [3] In 2003, it was cited as one of two top Buffy Internet sites in an article commemorating the show's end. [4]
The site's popularity grew even further once Whedon himself started posting. [5] Whedon first acknowledged reading Whedonesque in late 2004, [6] and the account 'joss' was created for his use on August 15, 2004. [7] Whedon's first post directly to the site was on April 27, 2005, [8] announcing preview screenings of Serenity. He later extended his involvement, using the site as a means of communication with fans on topics including his own fandom of Veronica Mars, [9] the canonicity of Buffy Season 8 comic books, [10] and status updates on his projects. [11] Through the use of tagging, Whedonesque maintains a list of threads Whedon has started or in which he has posted. [12] In 2006, Angel: After the Fall comic book author Brian Lynch began posting to Whedonesque as well. [13]
Late 2004 saw the first two recognitions of Whedonesque.com by major Internet media. On November 22, 2004, Whedonesque was selected as SciFi.com's Site of the Week, which commented "first-rate weblog on all things Joss-related" that "has very clearly laid-out guidelines for posting and a solid policy on how to label spoilers." [14] On December 14, 2004 USA Today's Pop Candy selected "the Whedonesque gang" as the 70th of its "top 100 people of 2004", calling it "... comforting to visit Whedonesque.com each day, where piles of links are posted by my fellow Joss Whedon obsessives." [15] In 2005, Whedonesque was cited as a case study in marketing success. [16]
In early 2007, Whedon announced the end of his relationship with the Wonder Woman movie in a Whedonesque post, [17] which was directly cited in traditional media, including Reuters, [18] the Los Angeles Times , [19] and industry press. [20] [21] That year Whedonesque was also cited in much more modest coverage of Whedon's involvement with Runaways [22] and The Office . [23] In February 2008, Whedonesque was cited as a source in a New York Times piece on Steven Brust's Firefly novel, My Own Kind of Freedom. [24] Later that year, Whedonesque was cited in mainstream media treatment of Dollhouse (especially Whedon's post explaining the new pilot [25] [26] [27] ) [28] and Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog . [29] The site was taken offline for a day by the attention prompted by the release of Dr. Horrible, [30] resulting in the site's movement from Pair.com, where it had originated, to Mediatemple.net. [31] Unlike previous mainstream media mentions, Dollhouse [32] and Dr. Horrible [33] have garnered Whedonesque mainland European media attention. In August 2008, Wired cited Whedonesque in its coverage of the YouTube leak of a demo reel for the never-produced Buffy the Animated Series . [34]
At the same time as major media outlets began noting Whedonesque.com as a source, it also received more recognitions, including The Times Online's Blog of the Week, awarded to Whedonesque on March 4, 2006. The Times review stated that "All the latest news items, rumours and sightings concerning the one-time wonder boy and the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer are logged daily by the kind of people who appreciate smart, sophisticated dialogue and plotting." [35] Whedonesque won SyFy Portal's Genre Award for Best Web Site of 2006, [36] and was nominated for same award in 2007, [37] 2008 [38] and 2009. [39] Entertainment Weekly selected Whedonesque as one of the 100 Greatest Websites on December 20, 2007. [5] In May 2008, EW selected Whedonesque as eighth on their list of 25 Essential Fansites, calling it "a reservoir of material about anyone who's starred in (or, it would seem, breathed near) his nerd-magnet projects: Buffy, Angel, and Firefly/Serenity." [40]
Whedon has used Whedonesque as a personal blog, comparing the Stoning of Du'a Khalil Aswad to the Captivity advertising controversy. [41] He also posted multiple messages during the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. [42] While Whedon has no official website, that role is sometimes erroneously attributed to Whedonesque.com, [28] while other media outlets scrupulously describe the relationship between Whedon and the site. [43]
In 2009, media websites continued to cite Whedonesque in discussions of Whedon's work. In coverage of Dollhouse , Anna Pickard of The Guardian's "TV & Radio Blog" called Whedonesque the "ultimate Joss-fansite" [44] and later quoted van Oosten de Boer and another Whedonesque administrator in a follow-up piece, [45] while Rick Porter of Zap2it referred to it as "the clearinghouse for all things Joss". [46] While an account for frequent Whedon collaborator Tim Minear had been created in 2005, Minear himself first began posting to Whedonesque in March, 2009. [47] One of his first posts, regarding the "Epitaph One" episode of Dollhouse, was quoted by The Washington Post. [48]
On August 21, 2017, moderators announced that the website would be closing down and would eventually become a read-only site. The decision was made shortly after Kai Cole, Whedon's ex-wife, wrote an essay accusing Whedon of numerous affairs, including emotional affairs, and of hypocrisy regarding his espousal of feminist ideals. [49] [50] The announcement requested that users wishing to mark the site's closure donate to organizations or charities supporting treatment of complex post-traumatic stress disorder, which Cole wrote she was treated for, after the revelations of Whedon's infidelity. [51] Moderators announced that the fansite's Twitter account will remain active. [49] [50]
On February 11, 2021, the site was taken offline following a tweet by Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel actress Charisma Carpenter detailing abusive treatment by Joss Whedon during her time on both shows. [52] Carpenter's claims were supported by Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum Amber Benson, [53] Sarah Michelle Gellar, [54] and Michelle Trachtenberg. [55]
In addition to news outlets which have picked up stories and quotes from Whedonesque, the site has been referenced in a number of books and academic papers. [56] It is cited as a general reference in The Physics of the Buffyverse [57] and the Angel guide Once Bitten. [58] Specific URL citations to Whedonesque posts are included in Reading Angel. [59] Likewise, the academic Buffy studies journal Slayage has included papers which cited Whedonesque in issues 16, [60] 22, [61] 23, [62] and 25. [63] The issue 22 reference included URLs to specific topics and posts, which have been "permalinks" since the site's inception. [61] In September 2007, Whedonesque was one website cited in an MIT masters' thesis entitled Television 2.0: Reconceptualizing TV as an Engagement Medium. [64]
There has been a positive reaction at Whedonesque to academic interest in Buffy and other Whedon works. Whedonesque maintains a category for "academic" posts, [65] which includes notices of public lectures, [66] calls for papers, [67] and academic analyses of Whedon projects. [68] A separate category is maintained for Whedonesque posts about Slayage content. [69]
Even though site owner van Oosten de Boer stated that Whedonesque is "there to provide a service, not to influence anyone." [70] the site has been recognized by vendors as a place to gauge fan reactions to merchandise. In April, 2008, Dark Horse Comics said it would release images of a later-cancelled Buffy the Vampire Slayer tarot card set exclusively through Whedonesque. [71] [72] Buffy Season 8 comic editor Scott Allie wrote in his editorial column that he read Whedonesque for reactions to Buffy's same-sex encounter in issue 12, [73] while Duke University Press credits Whedonesque with helping to sell its Undead TV: Essays on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". [74]
Whedonesque was one of six fan websites featured in Click Critics: The Power of Fan Websites, held May 19, 2008 at The Paley Center for Media in New York. [75] Other attendees included Lostpedia and Television Without Pity. [76] The event highlighted six popular fan-run websites focused on current media. One participant remarked that "The Paley Center itself is trying kind of hard to figure out what this whole blogging thing is, and doesn’t quite get it, as evidenced by the fact that no urls appeared in the program for the event." [77]
In late 2007, Whedon's posts about the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike prompted reader support for the writers which grew into a multi-fandom movement dubbed Fans4Writers. [78] The Wall Street Journal noted this novel use of Whedonesque and similar sites. [79] Rolling Stone featured Whedonesque.com as one of four websites mentioned in "The Best Strike Writing" [80] and Buffy writer Jane Espenson specifically credited Whedonesque readers for providing pizza to the striking writers. [81]
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a 1992 American comedy vampire film directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui and written by Joss Whedon. It stars Kristy Swanson as the eponymous Buffy Summers, a Valley Girl cheerleader who learns it is her fate to hunt vampires. Donald Sutherland, Paul Reubens, Rutger Hauer, and Luke Perry appear in supporting roles.
Cordelia Chase is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer; she also appeared on Buffy's spin-off series, Angel. Portrayed by Charisma Carpenter, the character appears as a series regular in the first three seasons of Buffy, before leaving the show and becoming a series regular during the first four seasons of Angel. The character made her last television appearance in 2004, appearing as a special guest star in Angel's 100th episode. Cordelia also appears in both canonical and apocryphal Buffy and Angel material such as comic books and novels.
Buffy Anne Summers is the title character of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer before going on to appear in The WB/UPN 1997–2003 television series and subsequent 1998–2018 Dark Horse and 2019–present Boom! Studios comic series of the same name. The character has also appeared in the spin-off series Angel, as well as numerous expanded universe materials such as novels and video games. Buffy was portrayed by Kristy Swanson in the film and by Sarah Michelle Gellar in the television series. Giselle Loren has lent her voice to the character in both the Buffy video games and an unproduced animated series, while Kelly Albanese lent her voice to the character in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight motion comics.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an American supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the 1992 film, also written by Whedon, although they are separate and unrelated productions. Whedon served as executive producer and showrunner of the series under his production tag Mutant Enemy Productions. It premiered on March 10, 1997, on The WB and concluded on May 20, 2003, on UPN.
Joseph Hill Whedon is an American screenwriter, director, producer, comic book writer, and composer. He is the founder of Mutant Enemy Productions, co-founder of Bellwether Pictures, and is best known as the creator of several television series: the supernatural drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003) and its spinoff Angel (1999–2004), the short-lived space Western Firefly (2002), the Internet musical miniseries Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008), the science fiction drama Dollhouse (2009–2010), the Marvel Cinematic Universe film The Avengers (2012) and series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013–2020), and the science fiction drama The Nevers (2021).
Faith Lehane is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Played by actress Eliza Dushku, Faith was introduced in the third season of Buffy and was a focus of that season's overarching plot. She returned for shorter story arcs on Buffy and its spin-off, Angel. The character's story is continued in the comic book series Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, and she also appears in apocryphal material such as other comic books and novels. Faith was set to receive her own spin-off television series after the final season of Buffy, but Eliza Dushku declined the offer, and the series was never made. The character later co-stars in the 25-issue comic book Angel & Faith beginning in August 2011 under the banner of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine, the story taking place mostly in London and the surrounding area. Seven years after the character's creation, Whedon granted her the surname Lehane for a role-playing game and subsequent material. The last issue of Season Eight was the first source officially confirmed to be canon that referred to Faith by her full name.
Mutant Enemy Productions is a production company that was founded in 1996 by Joss Whedon to produce Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The company also produced the Buffy spin-off, Angel, and his two short-lived science fiction series, the space Western Firefly and his high-concept Dollhouse, produced by 20th Century Fox Television. Mutant Enemy also produced the internet series Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog and the film The Cabin in the Woods. Mutant Enemy produced the superhero series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. along with ABC Studios and Marvel Television. Most recently, Mutant Enemy produced the supernatural fiction series The Nevers for HBO.
Angel is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt for the American television programs Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off series Angel. The character is portrayed by actor David Boreanaz. As introduced in Buffy in 1997, Angel is a love interest for heroine Buffy Summers, a young woman whose destiny as "the Slayer" is to fight the forces of evil, such as vampires and demons. However, their relationship is complicated by the fact that Angel is himself a vampire cursed with remorse and a human soul, which motivates him to assist Buffy in her duties as Slayer. The character's popularity led to the production of the spin-off Angel, which follows the character's struggle towards redemption after moving to Los Angeles. In addition to the two television series, the character appears in the comic book continuations of both series, as well as much other expanded universe literature.
Buffy studies, also called Buffyology, is the study of Joss Whedon's popular television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and, to a lesser extent, its spin-off program Angel. It explores issues related to gender, family, ethics and other philosophical issues as expressed through the content of these shows in the fictional Buffyverse.
The Buffyverse canon consists of materials that are thought to be genuine and those events, characters, settings, etc., that are considered to have inarguable existence within the fictional universe established by the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The Buffyverse is expanded through other additional materials such as comics, novels, pilots, promos and video games which do not necessarily take place in exactly the same fictional continuity as the Buffy episodes and Angel episodes. Star Trek, Star Wars, Stargate and other prolific sci-fi and fantasy franchises have similarly gathered complex fictional continuities through hundreds of stories told in different formats.
The non-broadcast pilot episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was produced by 20th Century Fox Television in 1996 to pitch a series to networks. The twenty-five-and-a-half-minute production was written and directed by Buffy creator Joss Whedon, and was expanded upon and re-shot for the first episode of the series. It is notable for featuring different actors in the roles of Willow and Principal Flutie. Sunnydale High is known as Berryman High.
The fictional universe established by television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel and the film Buffy the Vampire Slayer has been parodied or paid tribute to by a number of unofficial productions, most notably fan films and adult films.
The popular fictional Buffyverse established by TV series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel has led to attempts to develop more commercially viable programs set in the fictional 'Buffyverse'. However some of these projects remain undeveloped for various reasons: sometimes, vital cast members may be unavailable; alternatively, studios and networks which would provide capital for the spinoffs might remain unconvinced that such projects are financially viable.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight is a comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics from 2007 to 2011. The series serves as a canonical continuation of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and follows the events of that show's final televised season. It is produced by Joss Whedon, who wrote or co-wrote three of the series arcs and several one-shot stories. The series was followed by Season Nine in 2011.
Angel: After the Fall, also known as Angel: Season 6, is a comic book published by IDW Publishing. Written by Brian Lynch and plotted with Joss Whedon, the series is a canonical continuation of the Angel television series, and follows the events of that show's final season. Angel: After the Fall was prompted by IDW Publishing and Joss Whedon after the success of Dark Horse Comics' Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight which is the official comic continuation of Angel's mothershow, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Angel: After the Fall sees the heroic vampire, Angel, coping with the apocalyptic aftermath of the television series after he took over and subsequently betrayed the demonic law firm, Wolfram & Hart. The city of Los Angeles has since been sent to hell by Wolfram & Hart as a result of Angel's actions. The series follows his attempts to rescue the people he has sworn to protect. The first issue was released on November 21, 2007.
Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain are American television screenwriters and producers, mostly working together as partners. They have also written two young adult fiction novels together.
Maurissa Tancharoen is an American writer, producer, and actress. She is known for her work as the co-creator, show runner, and executive producer of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which aired on the ABC television network for 7 seasons from 2013 to 2020. She is from Los Angeles.
The fifth and final season of the television series Angel, the spin-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, premiered on October 1, 2003 on The WB and concluded its 22-episode season and its television run on May 19, 2004. The season aired on Wednesdays at 9:00 pm ET. This is the only season of Angel to air following the finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Georges Jeanty is an American comic book penciler illustrator best known for his work on The American Way, an eight-issue American comic book limited series produced under DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint, and the Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics. Various issues of Serenity (comics).
The following is a list of unproduced Joss Whedon projects in roughly chronological order. During his career, American filmmaker Joss Whedon worked on a number of projects that never progressed beyond the pre-production stage.
Whedonesque.