You know what more comic books need? Abortion debates!
In the latest issue of Dark Horse Comics' Buffy The Vampire Slayer series - yes, that show which hasn't been on the air for almost a decade, has had what would have been it's eight and ninth "seasons" as comic books. And in the new issue, Buffy decides to have an abortion. Hooray for the television equivalent of a very special episode! Considering the generally undersexed idea of geeks and fanboys, isn't figuring out about what to do about having a baby getting ahead of what it takes to make one?
Show creator and executive producer Joss Whedon, who also develops the plot arcs for the comic, said, "Buffy was always about the arc of a life, and it wasn't ever going to be one of those shows where they were perpetually in high school and never asked why...It was about change. So there's never a time when Buffy's life isn't relevant." And what's more relevant than giving a character an unwanted pregnancy?
Andrew Chambliss, the comic's writer, adds that Buffy's choice was something that grew organically out of the story...like a baby that organically grows inside you. "Given the specifics of Buffy's life at this point in the season - facing a new kind of vampire threat, barely able to keep a job - it seemed like it would be dishonest for Buffy to not at least entertain the question of whether she should keep or end the pregnancy." Hold up there, buddy...it's not a real person, and they don't have to entertain shit. You're writing them, so they can do whatever you want - just like you could have not written her as irresponsibly getting drunk and pregnant at her own party.
If you create obstacles for characters, then they obviously have to deal with them, but think about what you're really saying. Here's a strong female character that's often referred to as part of the "Chosen Ones" who protect mankind, who has fought otherworldly forces for years, and now they're no better than some older version of 16 and Pregnant? So, is Superman suddenly going to have a fear of heights? Or the Punisher wakes up and becomes a pacifist?
If you create obstacles for characters, then they obviously have to deal with them, but think about what you're really saying. Here's a strong female character that's often referred to as part of the "Chosen Ones" who protect mankind, who has fought otherworldly forces for years, and now they're no better than some older version of 16 and Pregnant? So, is Superman suddenly going to have a fear of heights? Or the Punisher wakes up and becomes a pacifist?
I like Whedon and his other forays in television (Firefly, Dollhouse), and am looking forward to his film treatment of The Avengers, but I never cared at all for the Buffy show, mostly because everything on the WB is aimed for 13 year old girls. And as far as Buffy and her abortion, I don't really care if she wants to kill it or keep it, because...well, it's Buffy The Vampire Slayer. It's the ridiculousness of the whole thing that bothers me, because something based on teenage vampire killers, lesbian witches, and fighting demons and werewolves seems suspect suddenly switching to serious subjects. This isn't the happy-go-lucky 50s and 60s Batman losing his campy kitsch to become the dark knight of the 80s and beyond, which is the evolution of a character. I think this is more a deliberate act to stay relevant by being edgy. And I've seen this before, with the same unimpressive results...
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