Mark down March 07 down in your diary. Buffy The Vampire Slayer returns in comic book form for what Joss Whedon has stated will be the direct pick up from where the show ended making this new comic book series season 8.

The other exciting news right now is that you can go and read the first 5 pages of the first issue at Dark Horse Comics.

I’m all excited just reading this preview because already in 5 pages we get an explanation about what’s happened since the hell mouth was destroyed and we get an Angel reference regarding ‘The Immortal’.

It’s this attention to detail that helped make the series so popular in the first place. I wonder if this is the future of genre shows that don’t get renewed despite their popularity?

It’s also interesting because you are now dealing with 1800 slayer empowered young women whilst in the series there was only ever two at most.  I think it’s great that they all call her Ma’am.  She has almost taken on a John Connor like role in the war against the demons.  I think this is worth the pre order!

This is what Dark Horse has on their website:

Since the destruction of the Hellmouth, the Slayers–newly legion–have gotten organized and are kicking some serious undead butt. But not everything’s fun and firearms, as an old enemy reappears and Dawn experiences some serious growing pains . . .

Buffy creator Joss Whedon brings Buffy back to Dark Horse in this direct follow-up to season seven of the smash-hit TV series.

Joss Whedon writes Season 8! Only available at Dark Horse!

Lee is a a huge popular culture freak, loves comic books, science fiction, soundtracks and writes for Quit Your Day Job.

*Spoilers ahead! You’ve been warned.*

Anne Hathaway is a gem isn’t she? There is something about her eyes and smile that pull me into anything she’s in, so it was mainly because she had the lead in The Devil Wears Prada that I paid good money to see it in the theater.

Anne plays Andy Sachs a young woman fresh out of college who aspires to be a great journalist. Its luck that she scores a highly coveted job at a very prestigious fashion magazine; trouble is she knows nothing about the fashion industry nor cares to. Of course that’s not the least of her worries and this is where our devil comes into the picture. Her boss Miranda Priestly (played perfectly by Meryl Streep) is a real nightmare to work for, assigning impossible task after impossible task while holding every employee to a nearly unobtainably high performance standard.

Time passes and Andy finds the more time she spends in the job, the more she comes to understand the industry and her co-workers’ obsession with it. She even grows to understand her boss Miranda who, as it turns out, is only human after all. This understanding comes at a cost. Spending all this time working causes trouble in her personal life; she loses her friends and even gets dumped by her boyfriend. Seemingly because they were jealous she would not drop her professional dreams to do what they ask of her instead. For Andy, however, this is not the end of the world, as she is given more responsibility at work, a sign she is doing well. Miranda even asks Andy to serve as her personal assistant at the biggest event in the industry: Fashion Week.

As with every job, politics come into play and Miranda is forced to cheat an old friend out of a coveted new job in order to keep her own. It’s a pretty rotten thing to do but the business world can be brutal and she had to do what it took to survive. I think this is a concept that most of us can relate to. We’ve all done things that maybe we thought we’d never have to, to help us succeed at our jobs. Anyone out there ever kiss up to that boss you hated, to get a promotion or better raise?

So, offended by Miranda’s strength of will, Andy chooses to quit. Her reason for leaving seems to be nothing more than not wanting to be perceived by the world as a bitch. Instead of choosing to be a strong, independent woman, willing to do what it takes to obtain success, she demurely backs down and runs home to all but ask permission of her ex-boyfriend to start her life over.

Overall it’s a great movie, with a good script and excellent performances on some well-rounded characters…until you get to the end, where the final message seems to be telling young women to take a step back from their personal strength, defer to your man for any decisions and most of all never, ever do anything that can cause you to be perceived as a bitch, because there is no greater sin in the female world. And that’s just so wrong. Strength can be one of a woman’s best qualities, and it just hurts my head that in this day and age anyone could hide such an insidious message in their movie.

Becca is the author of No Smoking in the Skull Cave a blog dedicated to pop culture, movies and more.

She is a founding member of one of the most successful and enduring superhero teams of all time. The first family of comic books. The Fantastic Four. Some have written about why and and how this extraordinary team stays together and have been so popular. Especially as they are unique amongst the other super teams because they are a family in the truest sense of the word, except for Ben Grimm they are either related by marriage or blood.

The virtue and moral position of the Fantastic Four is rarely called into question. There is little doubt that they fall firmly on the side of good. But when we examine the female quarter of this team it can be asked why Susan Storm/Richards aka The Invisible Woman is good when there is so much opportunity to be bad.

When Susan Storm the then fiancé of Reed Richards (later known as Mr Fantastic) was exposed to cosmic rays she developed the power of invisibility, later she developed the ability to create and control force fields. It is her invisibility power of course that she is best known for simply based on her super hero name The Invisible Woman.

It is this power that presents the most corrupting opportunities. To be able to make oneself invisible is an amazing ability that in the best case offers the potential for equally amazing good. In the worst case it offers the chance to perform the most vile of intrusions.

In the 1897 HG Wells novel The Invisible Man the title character becomes insane with the prospect of never becoming visible again. After a series of events he realises that he may perform illegal acts with little or no consequence and swiftly descends into madness with thoughts of world dominance. He is killed by a mob as he attempts to see revenge on one of the characters.

Our Invisible Woman however is able to become invisible at will and able to return as easily. She has no burden of concern regarding if anyone will ever see her again. There is however still the same possibilities for mischief and the potential to view herself outside the rules of society.

Already Susan Richards is an outsider from normal society. Normal society for her is the very strange world of the Fantastic Four family unit. Her husband Mr Fantastic has the ability to stretch and mould his body as if it were rubber. Susan’s brother Johnny Storm aka The Human Torch can raise his own temperature to engulf himself in flame and control fire. Ben Grimm aka The Thing is an orange rock covered monster with super human strength.

Mr Fantastic and The Human Torch are both not as separated from normal society boundaries as much as The Invisible Woman despite their extraordinary powers. Both are recognisable as humans, even The Human Torch in ‘flame on’ mode is clearly still seen as a man. A man covered in flames but a man all the same. They are unable to separate themselves from their actions, they are still accountable and are therefore bound by society rules. If say The Human Torch were to toast a bad guy in front of anyone then he would be held accountable. There is a consequence that he would have to face. Of course punishment might prove a little harder to enforce however at the very least he would face expulsion from the ranks of the good.

If the Invisible Woman were to silently walk up to someone and kill them whilst invisible it would be infinitely harder to point the finger at the person you can’t prove was there… not impossible just harder. Of course Susan’s other ability to create force fields would, if used in the assignation, take care of anything physical evidence. All she need do is create a small force field bubble in your brain and instant embolism.

The concern is more from a psychological point of view, she hypothetically has a tangible way to remove herself from the normal constraints of morality and ethics.

It is interesting to note that it is the remaining member of the group is the only other who in my opinion has the freedom to become evil or selfish. The Thing, like the others is already outside of normal society but even within his unusual family group he is still the outsider. Not actually related but adopted by the family in almost an uncle role. He is unable to blend into the crowd, he is the absolute opposite of invisible.

It is Ben’s appearance that provides the most likely source of corruptibility. His appearance in conjunction with his near invulnerability. He looks like a monster. People who aren’t close to him or fans are repulsed or frightened by his orange rocky hide. If it’s the monster that society expects why not give in and provide it? Fortunately the Thing is made of stronger morals but that’s a whole different article!

S o what is it that keeps the Invisible Woman on the straight and narrow? Is it possibly because she does have that miniature society found within the Fantastic four?

A distinct possibility is the concept of care ethics that has contributed to Susan not crossing into moral corruption or abandonment. Care ethics is a concept considered in what some have termed feminist ethics. It is a theory that places more importance on relationships and that the highest moral ethics consider the emotions and feelings of others. This line of thinking being developed through female experiences that throughout history women have been the primary care providers in society and their families.

For example would it be morally right to tell a child that their drawing is inaccurate or bad despite their obvious pride in their technically poor artwork. Or is it ethically right to lie to that child in order to encourage them to continue experimenting and practising to become better?

One line of reasoning may state that it is wrong to lie absolutely no matter the situation. That truth is the only moral response and the emotions of the recipient should never come into it. Care ethics would examine the reaction that telling such an absolute truth would create and weighs up the decision to lie based on those factors.

So does the Invisible Woman rely on care ethics in considering her moral position? Is it her natural or at least broader society driven impulses of care that pushes her inclination towards good. Does the concern of the reaction or response from her miniature society or family factor in and without the Fantastic four would Susan drift into a more unethical existence?

There are of course other parts at play within the Invisible Woman’s moral code. Her upbringing and religious nature for instance. It is also interesting to note that in issue 54 of What If (a comic book series that poses hypothetical scenarios outside of the normal Marvel Comics continuum) that after a particularly powerful foe kills Mr Fantastic Susan becomes quickly enraged and vengeful when discussing the enemy to the eventual unleashing of her full powers at him after witnessing the deaths of the remaining members of the Fantastic Four at his hands.

Not that I don’t think as an individual Susan wouldn’t be a positive force but it is a good thing for the rest of the Marvel comics universe that The Invisible Woman does have the rest of the Fantastic Four because as a villain she would be quite the force to be reckoned with.

Lee is a a huge popular culture freak, loves comic books, science fiction, soundtracks and writes for Quit Your Day Job.

A keystone species is a species that, though it may appear insignificant, or be quite rare, it actually supports the survival of other species in a very significant way. If a keystone species becomes extinct in an ecosystem, other species suffer greatly or become extinct in that area as well. The name derives from the centre stone in an arch, which supports its weight by the surrounding inward-leaning stones. Removal of the keystone causes the arch to collapse.

Just as one species in an ecosystem can be ‘key’ to its continued health and survival, one person can be just as critical in an urban ecosystem. This importance can be traced on many levels, from within a single family unit to within an entire community; such is the role of Kirsten Cohen in the OC.

As wife to Sandy and mother to Seth, Kirsten is intelligent, focussed and career minded. However in trying to be all things to all people Kirsten ends up neglecting herself, which results in the negative impacts spreading to her relationships with Sandy and Seth. When she fails to look after herself the lives of those around her are heavily impacted and this then triggers a chain reaction, causing the lives of people around those people to also be impacted and so on and so forth. When a new colonist, Ryan, enters Kirsten’s ecosystem she is already becoming established as an important player in the ecosystem.

As an outsider, Ryan introduces new elements into the local environment, challenges pre-conceived notions about what constitutes a family and generally causes issues and people to be re-examined and reassessed. When any new element enters the mix, it can take time for those already in residence to adjust. The entrance of Ryan allows Kirsten to expand her role as mother in the Cohen family as she and her husband become Ryan’s legal custodians. Through Ryan’s eyes Kirsten is able to look at her husband and her son Seth in a different way. From this altered perspective Kirsten is also able to see herself in a different light.

When Kirsten is confronted by a series of personal crises, she goes through her own period of adjustment as she struggles to overcome depression and alcoholism. The impacts of her battle with these demons take their toll not just on Kirsten but also on her entire family. While she undergoes treatment for her alcoholism the rest of the family rally in support and learn to cope without Kirsten’s physical presence in the family home. However even from a distance the influence of Kirsten is keenly felt. The family unit continues to function but is somewhat incomplete without her.

Like any living creature Kirsten is not perfect. She is flawed, she has problems, and she is real. Following her treatment for alcoholism she returns to the family which grows stronger through the love and support which they feel and offer to eachother. Kirsten exhibits a new sense of calm and positivity, which reaches out to those around her. This newly found stability also permeates into the relationship of Kirsten and Sandy, reinvigorating their bond and re-establishing their role as the keystone couple of the OC community.

Kirsten’s influence is also felt by others who come in contact with her. She becomes surrogate mother to many such as Marisa and Taylor who are drawn to her peace, contentment, strength and common sense advice. With so many relationships and family units breaking down around her, Kirsten and the family unit, which she so critically supports, stand steadfast and resolute in the face of any challenges which come their way.

Tracey is the author of Quiet Paws

I don’t think that we as viewers are left with any doubt that Sarah Connor from the Terminator franchise would be willing to sacrifice her life for her son’s. John Connor of course is the saviour of the future, the ‘great military leader’ who will help humanity rise from the ashes of judgement day after the rise of the machines.

Upon examination though has Sarah already made the ultimate sacrifice?

When we first meet Sarah she is a young waitress presumably with simple hopes and dreams for the future. She is targeted for termination by a relentless killing machine sent back from the future to ensure she does not give birth to the future leader of the human resistance. Ironically enough (a paradox that has not gone unexamined by many before us) she falls pregnant to the young soldier sent back to protect her from the Terminator.

Eventually Sarah is forced to face the Terminator alone and is thus set onto a path.

Sarah’s sacrifice is not one of her death but it is the sacrifice of her life. Everything she has ever known is brought to a dramatic halt and a new Sarah Connor emerges. The physical differences alone are undeniable between The Terminator and Terminator 2. This is not the young waitress we were introduced to. She has become a human Terminator. Her body is now a machine designed to be strong and withstand in order to protect and train her son.

Sarah no longer serves her own life she is in service to making sure John becomes the man that he has to. There is no career, marriage or further children on her dark horizon.

It is appropriate that when we re-enter her story Sarah is in a mental hospital which can be taken as a metaphor for her life now. Sarah no longer has control over her life, it is the prophecy of coming events that rule and bind her. Her freedom is no more.

The events of Terminator 2 follow the metaphor as Sarah breaks out of the hospital she also decides to break free of the fate that has been dealt to her. If she changes the future and does essentially what Skynet planned to do to John, kill it’s creator she can once again face an unknown future.

Sacrifice is a central theme to Terminator 2 if not an obvious one with the Terminator learning the importance of sacrifice for the bigger picture and allowing itself to be self terminated at the climax of the film. Originally it was planned to show Sarah as a grandmother sitting in a park but it was changed in the film to show a dark highway stretching to the future.

Sarah’s sacrifice was not a single act like Ripley in Alien 3 dropping to her death to ensure that the alien queen would die with her. Sarah’s sacrifice was an ongoing one that she was forced to watch happen to her life. It is hard to say which would be the harder sacrifice to make.

Lee is a a huge popular culture freak, loves comic books, science fiction, soundtracks and writes for Quit Your Day Job.

Sometimes I think the only kind of television shows that aired in England during the 60’s were spy related; you had Secret Agent Man, The Prisoner, The Saint and of course there was The Avengers. Set in a contemporary England The Avengers featured at first an ensemble cast of characters who worked together to solve mysteries…but as time went on the two most popular characters; John Steed played by a dashing Patrick Macnee and Cathy Gale played by the lovely Honor Blackman, shifted into the leads while the others where simply pushed into the background or cut from the show altogether. In 1964 Honor Blackman left a somewhat successful run on The Avengers to try her hand at being a Bond babe, it was an opportunity she could not pass up, but that left a problem, who could fill her shoes?

In 1965 producers of the show brought on a young stage actress named Elizabeth Shepherd to play Cathy’s replacement; Emma Peel. Unfortunately they realized about an episode and a half into the 65′ season that Shepherd just wasn’t right for the show and fired her (The footage has never been shown to an audience and is thought lost to the ages) however this was good news for a young actress named Diana Rigg.

Coming from a 5 year run with The Royal Shakespeare Company; Rigg auditioned on a whim and won the part never having seen an episode. Rigg as Emma Peel was a force to be reckoned with; smart, beautiful and capable. She was the consummate lady of society who appreciated the finer things such as painting and sculpture but as a master of fencing and the martial arts she could hold her own in a fight. Peel was rarely bested in any fight and rescues her partner Steed as often as he rescues her.

Of course you can’t talk about Peel in any sense without mentioning her style, dressed in black and white op-art mod clothing and mini-skirts designed by John Bates; she may have been the first heroine to fight the bad guys in couture. Oddly enough using mod fashion and mini-skirts was a first on television, the cameramen of the era claimed that the TV screens could not, technically, cope with the black and white designs, but the show took a chance with Peel and had major success. Bates and his designs made Emma Peel one of the biggest style icons of the 60’s; in fact her costumes were so popular they were actually sold in stores as part of a line called Avengerswear.

Bates wasn’t the only designer who helped make Peel a style icon, with the introduction of color to the series, designer Alun Hughes was brought on board replacing the op-art inspired fashions with the bold colors and lurid, psychedelic patterns of pop-art. Hughes also created the famous ‘Emmapeeler’ catsuit which was made of stretch jersey in bright block colors. This and several other of this seasons pieces were successfully added to the Avengerswear line.

In the end Diana Rigg appeared in 3 very successful seasons of the Avengers, leaving the show in 1967 (ironically to appear in a Bond film) she had become even more popular than Honor Blackman; a feat no one thought was possible. The epitome of style and strength Emma Peel was a progressive step forward for strong women’s roles on television and there hasn’t been quite anyone like her since.

Becca is the author of No Smoking in the Skull Cave a blog dedicated to pop culture, movies and more.

Often the role of those who lurk in the shadows is overlooked by those who grab the limelight with their obvious displays of heroism or gallantry. While heroes are often the people who receive the praise and become the focal point for saving the day, a hero is often made up of more than just their individual selves. In many cases there are key people who support or critically contribute to the actions of the hero in question.

Take for instance the role of Tara in Buffy. There is of course no doubt that Buffy is the star and the hero of the hour, the day and the year. Contrast her role with the initial introduction of Tara and you could be forgiven for dismissing Tara as unimportant and unnecessary. With her sideway glances, avoidance of eye contact and wish to avoid conflict, she would not be considered instantly memorable. However just as in real life, the importance of supporting characters should not be judged too quickly.

Aside from her physical presence Tara is drawn to Willow for many reasons. Willow is deeply spiritual, displays a commitment to the true essence of witchcraft, is not afraid to challenge other people, and is fiercely protective of those she cares about. The relationship between the two takes some time to develop and is not helped by Willow’s initial desire to keep her burgeoning relationship with Tara separate from her other friends. With her introverted personality Tara does not object to what amounts to a relationship under wraps. However it soon becomes clear that in keeping Tara at a distance from the rest of her life Willow is denying something in herself.

As their relationship grows so do their magical abilities, with Tara at times providing additional power and strength to assist Willow with the casting of different spells. While Tara is a talented witch in her own right, it is clear that Willow is tremendously gifted, quickly surpassing Tara’s level of expertise. It is in this area of magical performance that one of Tara’s critical roles becomes apparent. While Willow is easily seduced by power and is willing to stop at nothing to achieve her desired end result, Tara displays much more caution. She acts as a balance against the brashness and at times dangerous eagerness of Willow, at times resorting to deliberately sabotaging Willow’s spells to help ensure she doesn’t grow too fast too soon. As a relative newcomer to the magical arena Willow lacks the appropriate amount of respect for the overarching balance between good and evil. Coming from a line of witches, this knowledge is inherently understood by Tara. Willow believes that magic can cure all and there is no need for restraint, whereas Tara knows that excessive use of magic can be unethical and over-exposure to the associated power can be dangerous.

It may take some time but Tara is eventually accepted as a member of the Buffy Summers evil fighting family and becomes a critical team member even though she is not often recognised in that capacity. In a show that is filled with monsters, mutants, vampires and freakishly powered fighters, Tara provides the necessary antidote of feminine humanity. While Xander is generally only reliant on his human abilities to fight evil, Tara can call on both her human abilities and her magical powers. One of her real powers lies in offering support, providing care to those who are often being overlooked (for example Buffy’s sister Dawn) and highlighting that those fighting for good should not always resort to the use of darker arts, or if they do they should at least prepare for the unpleasant consequences. While Willow is herself human she often neglects to take note of her own humanity and it is this element which Tara supplies.

Unfortunately the relationship between Willow and Tara reaches an impasse. It is Willow’s blatant disregard of ethical boundaries when it comes to her magic that eventually causes the breakdown of her and Tara’s relationship. After making a promise to avoid spells for a period of time, Willow quickly succumbs to the lure of the power and resorts to using magic against Tara to help keep her addiction secret. Unfortunately Tara discovers the truth about Willow and is left feeling hurt and betrayed.

The pair does manage to reunite after enough time passes to heal wounds and after Willow learns to manage her magic addiction. While this reunion brings Willow’s world unimagined peace, happiness and contentment, tragically this time is shortlived. With Tara’s accidental death by gunshot, Willow’s world is violently torn apart. The balancing element of her life has been ripped away and she skews heavily to the side of the power, its darkness and destructiveness. It is in death that Tara’s role as the human element of Willow’s supernatural strength is shown to full effect. With her death Willow descends to desperate new lows and no longer has the capacity to access her humanity, or the full range of her human emotions.

After spending so long in the shadows Tara becomes the centre of a tragic drama, which leaves one of the more obvious heroes of Buffy, the character of Willow, with her heart, soul and mind broken. So what is the lesson to be learnt here? Sometimes the less obvious characters are heroes in their own right and it is only once they are gone that their value is truly recognised. With the passing of Tara one would hope that the importance of those in the shadows would never be forgotten again.

Tracey is the author of Quiet Paws

Ok you read that right. I’m posing the question is Willow Rosenberg from Buffy the Vampire Slayer the female equivalent to Spiderman or to be more precise Peter Parker?

I know the first reaction to that is a simple NO as she doesn’t have the proportionate strength of a spider! Well I’ll give you that and good work spotting your pop culture icon differences! We have to dig a little deeper though when we consider the idea.

As a guy I can honestly say that the story of Spiderman and how he came to be is one that fills you with possibilities. Forget how unlikely it is that you’ll be bitten by a radioactive spider that will pass on super powers but the possibility remains.

Spiderman could have been you.

If I was bitten by a radioactive spider I might develop the powers and abilities that Spiderman has.

Now look at Peter Parker. He is a geek, a nerd, an outcast. He is not popular and he isn’t particularly gifted as an athlete. He is seen by some as a harmless identity at high school and by others he is not seen at all. As characters go he is not special.

Parker is then bitten by a radioactive spider and his whole life changes. He develops abilities that others can only dream of having. He becomes important and admired as Spiderman and yes he becomes feared and hated in some circles too. He can now make a difference. How does that saying go? With great power comes great responsibility?

Now you’re wondering what has HE got to do with this site and more importantly how could Willow be compared to him.

When we first meet Willow in the first season of Buffy she is a nerd, a geek, an outcast. She doesn’t fit into the cool cliques and hangs around with her early childhood friend Xander. She befriends the new girl Buffy and discovers a world of vampires, demons and eventually magic.

By season four we are dealing with a whole new Willow. One with strength and abilities that others can only dream of. Her radioactive spider was the death of one of her teachers Jenny Calendar. Jenny Calendar was involved with online mysticism and pagans and when she is killed it is Willow who discovers her own natural inclination towards the magical arts.

As Willow develops her powers she too has to learn that with great power comes great responsibility. When her girlfriend Tara is killed Willow turns to a darker side (if not THE dark side) very much like another comic book pop culture heroine Jean Grey.

As evil Willow there is no one who can equal her and she can lash out at the world as she suffers.  Willow is of course shaken out of it and is coached by a coven on managing her immense power.

I wonder how many boys dreamt of the possibilities that come with the chance occurrence that could give them the super abilities that would empower them to rise up and show the popular kids how special they are?

In the same line of thought is magic the equivalent for girls? Of course Harry Potter has certainly made inroads with the chosen profession of wizard it is witches and witchcraft that society seems to have a fascination with. Sabrina, The Charmed Ones, The Scarlet Witch, The Four from The Craft are featured as strong examples of witchcraft characters.

Particularly in the case of the film The Craft we are treated to a storyline dealing with four girls who are outcasts for their own reasons who see the chance to escape their situations using magic. The film also deals with similar themes of power corrupting as well as a mature look at what pushes these young women to want such power to an almost addiction level.

So back to Peter Parker. After learning that he now has great responsibility along with his new found powers turns his abilities to be used for great good.

In the series finale it is Willow who having faced her demons turns her immense power to be used for the ultimate good.

To quote Miss Rosenberg:

‘Oh my goddess.’

Lee is a a huge popular culture freak, loves comic books, science fiction, soundtracks and writes for Quit Your Day Job.