EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Brian Lynch Talks Upcoming Angel Comics Part One

Without question, one of my favorite parts of working on this website is the opportunity it provides to get to hang out and talk with really talented and fun people. Shortly before my trip to LA, Brian Lynch dropped us a line to let us know he was gearing the proverbial hype machine for LAST ANGEL IN HELL, the Angel Annual that will be coming out in December. What was intended to be a quick interview over IM turned into a two hour long discussion about, well, just about everything. Today we're bringing you the first part of two where we concentrate on Angel #'s 26 & 27 as well as LAST ANGEL IN HELL. Without further ado, here's the conversation we had with the man himself:

Buffyfest: Shall we?

Brian Lynch: Let's DO THIS

Buffyfest: Let's do a recap of what's coming up. We've got the two part Angel and Spike go to San Diego story and an annual.

Brian Lynch: Yes, ANGEL 26-27 is Angel and Spike's big movie date night, and the Annual is a whole other beast.

Buffyfest: So for the comic con story the concept is essentially that all the geeks at the con become whatever they are cosplaying as, right?

Brian Lynch: Whatever costume they are wearing, they become. People are dressed as superheroes, super villains, jedi, ninja turtles, vampires, robots. So Angel has to deal with thousands of suddenly very powerful and confused people.

Buffyfest: And Spike is dressed as Angel.

Brian Lynch: Spike is dressed as Angel, so Angel also has to deal with Spike acting like what he thinks Angel is like.

Buffyfest: Which begs the question: what does Spike think Angel is like?

Brian Lynch: Self-important, tortured, a bleeding heart, but also this really noble hero, who is selfless to a fault. We really get a chance to see what Spike thinks of Angel in ways Spike would never, ever admit. I think there's some very sweet moments among the funnier asides, and action. Tons of action, though. Maybe more than I've written in an ANGEL book.

Buffyfest: That makes sense considering all the sudden super powers. How about these con goers? Are they all aware of Angel and the happenings of After the Fall?

Brian Lynch: Some are definitely aware, some think he's simply dressed as a character from LAST ANGEL IN HELL, the movie based on Angel's adventures in hell. Angel hasn't reached Stan Lee levels of fame at the con, though.

Buffyfest: But geeks who are in the know tend to be very critical. Any chance we'll see some of them criticizing LAST ANGEL IN HELL as not being accurate to what actually happened?

Brian Lynch: There is some of that, for sure. A character we haven't seen since AFTER THE FALL is actually very angry about how the movie portrays events. As well he should be. They mess a lot up.

Buffyfest: That sounds hilarious. Did you feel tempted at all to gently rib some of the bigger Buffy and Angel geeks who tend to get caught up in the obsession of story canon when you were writing this story (since comic book geeks will be in it) or have you always felt it best to let sleeping dogs lie when it comes to that sort of thing?

Brian Lynch: I think it is absolutely best to let sleeping dogs lie and not poke fun at canon debates. That said, in ANGEL 26, I have woken the dog and poke fun at canon debates.

Brian pokes some dogs with a stick

Buffyfest: FANTASTIC! I have been waiting for a long time, sir.

Brian Lynch: I've had this idea for years, I just couldn't figure out WHY Angel and Spike would go to a comic con. The fake movie allowed for it, I was thrilled. Angel works best when he's thrown into situations he doesn't understand and/or has to talk to a lot of people. Here, he's in the most crowded location I could think of, dealing with something that makes little to no sense. I mean, we explain everything for the reader, but Angel isn't privy to all the info. Oh, and Angel fights zombies and Spike deals with a chubby power ranger.

Buffyfest: So what other kind of super powers will we be seeing people get? Spidey sense?

Brian Lynch: Hmmmm. Lots of lasers, super strength, tons of ninjas, but my favorite is Explodo. I will not tell you what he does, you will NEVER get it.

What super power would you want?

Buffyfest: Alright. Let's move along to LAST ANGEL IN HELL

Brian Lynch: Hoooray

Buffyfest: Because talking about a theoretical Angel movie is awesome

Brian Lynch: Well, LAST ANGEL IN HELL should never ever be the ANGEL movie. It is written by someone who witnessed some of Angel's heroics, and pieced together what he thinks the story is. Then I gave it an extra gloss of the script being handed over to a committee that clearly didn't care about facts and went crazy. It's a big Bruckheimer-seque ANGEL romp. There are moments in the comic that are clearly put in to sell action figures. Like a character comes in and out and looks cool and leaves. Or action beats happen for no reason. There is a sex scene in the book that is literally put in, even though it is completely pointless and at the worst time, because I pictured the studio executive going "we need a sex scene HERE." I think it's my first sex scene in comics.

Buffyfest: and it involves Angel?

Brian Lynch: Yes

Buffyfest: Does the curse get a mention or is it completely glossed over?

Brian Lynch: It isn't mentioned because the screenwriter wouldn't have known about it.

Buffyfest: And it's definitely not with lady Spike?

Brian Lynch: Lady Spike is sexy...but I cannot confirm or deny if Lady Spike has sex with Pseudo Angel.

Buffyfest: speaking of Lady Spike. What would happen if Lady Spike and Actual Spike met?

Brian Lynch: Oh they will, I think. Spike would definitely take an interest in the girl who played him in a movie, for sure. It's not in ANGEL 26-27, but he does show an interest in meeting her. Like, I know the actress who plays Lady Spike, so when I'm ready to put her into the world, I have all of her background, real name, all sorted out.

Buffyfest: I remember you mentioning cameos Are these Angel character cameos only or might we get a glimpse of some characters from other comics you've written?

Brian Lynch: There is only one cameo in LAST ANGEL, and that is a lead from AFTER THE FALL. I pictured the studio execs going out to all the characters, and only one person said "yes, I will be in this". Although he's not really a person. And he doesn't play himself in the movie. He cameos as a waiter.

Buffyfest: If it's who I think it is... how does he "wait" exactly? With his mind?

Brian Lynch: There's a tray on his back and he floats around. It's in the James Bond type scene, where Angel dons a tux and infiltrates the villain's party.

Buffyfest: James Bond scene you say? Any other major franchises whose style you utilize?

Brian Lynch: Definitely some BATMAN moments, some old Western type beats, a little buddy comedy thrown in. Some product placement, there's a lot going on. And the fake ads, oh the fake ads. This might just be the perfect comic.

Buffyfest: Let's talk about the movie versions of the characters. What we know so far is that Angel is a Nic Cage type, Spike is a Lady, Gunn is a wacky Hurley buddy guy, and Betta went from fish to dog. How about Illyria and Wes? I know Illyria is black suddenly but what else has changed?

Brian Lynch: Illyria is a bad-ass black lady with a secret. And it's not at all close to Illyria's actual secret. Also she's dyslexic so there are very special moments. Wes is Angel's best friend and partner. Hard to describe what he does without spoiling, but a moment with him in the beginning kinda sets the stage for Angel's character arc. Basically, if Angel is Riggs in LETHAL WEAPON, Wesley is Murtaugh. It is really fun. I love IDW, they're taking a chance on this book. I hope people want to check it out even though it is 100% not canon. I've wanted to get to this issue forever and the fact that's it a big annual, like double-sized? So much fun.

Buffyfest: Have you found out officially how many pages it's going to be yet?

Brian Lynch: I think it's just short of 50 pages. Nothing but story and fake ads, though, it's ALL Last Angel related. No IDW solicits or anything. I think we even get the back cover and inside back cover and such. Mooney has had to draw Nicholas Cage a billion times for this one, ORDER IT FOR MOONEY! Or, I should say, someone who kinda looks like Nicholas Cage, not actually Nicholas Cage, because that would be illegal-ish.

Buffyfest: Right. Totally not actually Nicholas Cage (please don't sue)

Brian Lynch: My hope is Nic Cage sees it on the comics shelf and thinks he starred in the movie verson.

NEVER SEEN BEFORE IMAGE: (Not)Nic Cage as Angel Cartwright is about to be married. SPOILER ALERT The wedding will not go well END SPOILER ALERT

Buffyfest: There's a distinct possibility that might happen. I'm sure he doesn't remember half the movies he's in.

Brian Lynch: I just want this comic to be one gigantic punking on Nic Cage. So he talks about it in interviews. "Shooting LAST ANGEL was fun, yeah."

Buffyfest: "It was a great experience. The fat guy from Lost is a real professional"

Brian Lynch: Maybe they will become friends in real life, thinking they made a movie together. LAST ANGEL IN HELL brings people together.

Buffyfest: It's a real people pleasure. Two thumbs up!

Brian Lynch: Oh, the sequel should be 3-D. I just thought of that, that could be fun.

Buffyfest: there should be a 3-D section, I think. Like it is when they do the special IMAX releases of films.

Brian Lynch: Oh yeah, just for a few pages here and there. But it should be the wrong pages. Explosions and sword fights, no 3-D. Long conversation scenes and Angel napping, 3-D!

Buffyfest: It's like I can reach out and feel him snoozing!

Brian Lynch: FINALLY.

Buffyfest: I've been waiting like forEVER. Thank you, Brian Lynch. Thank you.

Brian Lynch: ANGEL: NAPPING is going to be a five issue series, I think.

Buffyfest: We might have to self publish that bad boy

Brian Lynch: So in summation, LAST ANGEL IN HELL is good.

Buffyfest: It most certainly is.

And that's the end of Part One. Stay tuned later this week for Part Two where Brian and I talk about the Drusilla comic, the Spike ongoing, and more!

EDIT: CHECK OUT PART 2 OF OUR INTERVIEW WITH BRIAN LYNCH HERE!

All 13 episodes of Dollhouse Season 2 to be shown!

"If you cancel it, you're an asshole; if you renew it and then don't put it back on, you're an asshole," he said. "I'm still paying for 'Terminator.' 'Dollhouse' has a small rabid fan base that in the world of social media seems bigger than it is. We gave them another season knowing full well we were going to burn in hell if we pulled it."  -Fox scheduling chief Preston Beckman about Dollhouse

The Hollywood Reporter also suggests a full-season order is unlikely. Click here for the full article:

http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/10/fox-we-will-air-all-13-dollhouse-episodes.html

Cast Your Ballot: The Politics of Buffy

Often times people talk about politics on our site (in relation to Buffy, naturally), so we here at Buffyfest got to thinking about one of the biggest questions left unanswered in the Buffy/Angel 'verse - which side are they on politically? Obviously, there is a decade of character development to consider, but here's our impromptu take on the matter.

Buffy: While a Liberal in her early years, with the whole dating a vampire with a soul thing and rebelling against the Watcher's Council, too much death and destruction could make any girl agree with a bloated military budget and a preemptive war strategy. Conservative.

Giles: With the experimental times of his Ripper youth and his own rebellion against the Watcher's Council, Giles has a Progressive heart with a side of Anarchy for good measure.

Willow: Gay rights and she dated a guy in a band. Liberal.

Xander: He's got the whole "seeing things in black and white" thing going on and both of his ex-girlfriends were very much into money. Conservative.

Angel: A Catholic upbringing, a guilty soul and the 'too much death and destruction' thing like Buffy makes him a good candidate for the 'Right', but he does like to help the helpless/hopeless, so maybe Conservative with a Socially Liberal slant.

Spike: A rebel and an unconventional vampire makes Spike a Lefty.

Tara: When we first meet her, she's in a Wiccan group and openly gay, so she probably went the way of the Progressive at an early age.

Cordelia: Conservative all the way in the beginning with the money and the privilege. The visions changed it all and gave Cordy the perspective she needed to see what 98% of the rest of the world was going through - it was like the mystical equivalent to the Peace Corp. Liberal Conservative.

Oz: He drives a van, played in a band and lives in the hills of Tibet. Hippy Liberal is our guess.

Wesley: Here's a tough nut to crack. In his early years, he followed the Watcher's Council blindly when it came to demon issues; however, he did eventually grow a beard and sleep with the enemy. Yet, he's definitely a 2nd Amendment man for sure even if he is from across the pond. We go with Conservative.

Fred: She was really into science, so I doubt she'd side with any Creationists. Lefty.

Gunn: He's been fighting bloodsuckers since he was a teen and he also helps out under-privileged kids in his spare time. Progressive.

Cartoon Dragon Tattoos

Is there in the history of dragon tattoo
Cape Goldhammer

Some people because in their view, have a dragon tattoo image on the body as a symbol of fierce power. The cultures of many of the Dragons in folklore and pictures of the Dragon have been popular with artists for several centuries. It is not surprising that the dragon tattoo picture and appear in every tattoo shop catalog of styles and artistic designs. Image has always been popular and many of the artists created a difference endless on this subject in their work.

Dragon is a mythical creature that is visible in the ancient manuscripts and many of the paintings in a large number of countries. Almost always be seen as a fierce and magical creature that seems to be always attacking villages and to protect the treasures of the great treasures. Dragon images are very popular with people wanting to be a unique kind of design because many of the artists have a special design when it comes to tattoo dragon. This means that every tattoo artist will have a different attitude about what dragon tattoo should look like, which also means that anyone can have a unique design.

There are many types of tattoos including a dragon, although some are made for more young people or female. Could include depictions of these cartoons dragon or a nice little pictures with a smile, or kiss the dragon. This probably will not be so good for a man who may want to obtain a dragon tattooed on his body. Men who wish to dragon tattoo is probably more likely to prefer to portray a fierce and frightening of the dragon - is likely to be fire-breathing variety.

Some groups have adopted the dragon as a symbol of unity and power. These groups can include street gangs, or groups of grandmothers who value image of the dragon as a sign of wisdom and strength. Exactly the same dragon image may mean different things to different people a lot. This is why the picture could have been for many centuries.

Because everyone has a different idea of what a dragon is supposed to look like, and there are many ways large and different types of dragon. Dragon tattoo if you have created in the shop for a tattoo does not look like any other person believed a dragon should look like that does not mean it is not a dragon design to you. Whatever you think is the design of the dragon is the dragon design - you.

Mary J Blige Tattoos

The Gaining Popularity of Tattoos with the Rich and Famous Celebrities like Mary Blige

This hot and well-known diva has unique collection of tattoos in her body. Her long stemmed rose printed on her thigh arouses interest among onlookers. A design of mysterious letters on her left arm and a Chinese symbol for strength are etched in her right hand and other images at her back.

Tattoos are gaining unparalleled popularity among the stars today and the common designs that you can see are dragons. People are now considering the wedding ring tattoo as an option for gold, silver and other gemstones used for wedding rings due to their high prices.

In having a tattoo in the finger, it is not an easy one because you have to endure the pain in piercing the finger. Another thing is that the tattoo does not heal quickly so you cannot perform your activities normally. When a break-up occurs, the tattooed wedding ring stays in your finger unless you want it removed at a high cost.

You can cut the portion of the skin that is tattooed and have the skin replaced from other parts of your body. Sanding or dermabrasion can also be applied but you have to expect pain and bleeding. The use of a laser is the most common way of tattoo removal but it is so expensive.
Mary J Blige Tattoos


Mary J Blige Tattoos

Guest Blogger InyRules Reviews 'WET' Video Game starring Eliza Dushku

I want to thank the team here at Buffyfest for inviting me to give a review. They are awesome people.

Contrary to popular belief, I did not pick up WET just because it contained the voice acting of Eliza Dushku, although that was a huge plus for me. I first heard of the game looking through Wikipedia’s PS3 games list, and was immediately interested when I found that there was a game being released called “WET” in nice capital letters, with a gun toting female lead. I was then disappointed to learn that the game was on hiatus. A couple months later, I check the list again, and to my delight, the game was once again on its way to a release thanks to publisher Bethesda. I then read that Eliza Dushku had also signed on. The fan girl in me squeaked with glee.



left: Eliza signing one of the posters I received

What the Game Does Well: Developer Artificial Mind & Movement really hit the nail on the head with aesthetics. WET looks and sounds just like a B-list grind house movie from the ‘70s. The film strip that runs through the screen gives the game a very gritty visual. There are even weird ‘70s commercials played in-between the game’s chapters.

Voice acting in WET is superb. Voicing a badass, potty mouthed and sexy character is not a very big stretch for Eliza. Malcolm McDowell and Alan Cumming also receive top honors for their voice work as several of the game’s antagonists. The dialogue is extremely cheesy and sometimes cringe-worthy, but I can’t help but laugh at many of the lines. The hilarious dialogue is not limited to the cut scenes. Main “protagonist” Rubi Malone often engages her enemies in banter during combat. Very. Explicit. Banter. If you’ve ever wanted to hear Eliza Dushku spew the words “You fight like old people fuck; slow and sloppy,” your wish has come true.

The best thing about WET is the soundtrack. The team behind the game went to great lengths to compose a soundtrack that fits seamlessly with the grind house theme. Many times, I found myself singing along and nodding my head to several of the songs while shooting my way through hordes of enemies, and was disappointed when they ended. I even downloaded the songs offered on Bethesda’s official WET site.

What the Game Does Wrong: Well, where do I start? Despite the success of the various grind house themes in the game, they do not compensate for the many faults that will be WET’s undoing for many gamers. I’ll start with the game play. WET is a very linear game, with many of the fights consisting of large “arena battles,” where Rubi must disable multiple “spawn doors” to stop the flow of enemies. Rubi can perform a wide range of acrobatics, which is her primary means of getting around the levels in the game; swinging on poles, jumping from ledge to ledge, sliding under obstacles, wall running, etc. When jumping/wall running/sliding and shooting at the same time, Rubi enters what is called “acrobatic slow-mo,” where everything, as the name suggests, slows down around her, and Rubi has the advantage on her enemies. During this time, Rubi can dual wield her guns, and it is harder for enemies to shoot her. Acrobatics can be chained together to earn more “style points,” which can be used to upgrade Rubi’s acrobatic skills and weaponry.

Now, while the idea of the game play is all well and good, it suffers from the physics engine and controls being very broken. Rubi doesn’t like to listen to what I tell her to do. I want to wall run horizontally to get past a large gaping hole in the floor. Rubi decides to wall run vertically, flip backwards, and fall right into the gaping hole, to which I am then rewarded by death. I am rewarded by death in a lot of my efforts in trying to get Rubi to cooperate. This wouldn’t be such an issue if the load screens weren’t so terribly long. Jumping over said gaping holes is also a feat in itself. If I don’t jump toward a ladder in a perfect straight line, I plummet to my death, as Rubi cannot change the direction she’s looking at mid air. Quick time events while wall running are also a major issue. Many times these events are unresponsive, and cause more plummeting to my death.

While it is fun to dual-wield guns and shoot enemies while running up a wall, the combat becomes very repetitive. I must remain in constant acrobatic slow-mo in order to survive. During battles, I must constantly jump and shoot as to not get pelted with bullets. Jump, shoot. Jump, slide, shoot. Jump, slide, shoot. Rubi’s health regenerates on its own during combat based on her style points multiplier, which goes up to 5x. The higher the multiplier, the faster her health regens, or so they say. Health does not regenerate during slow-mo sequences, so I have to run for cover in order to replenish my health. This becomes a major problem when there are eight spawn doors, and the arena is littered with enemies.

In the easier modes of the game, the sword is very fun to use, even though the development team did not get very creative with it; it’s got that standard hack n’ slash feel. In the harder modes, however, the sword is virtually useless, save for destroying spawn doors. Standing still for more than a second can mean a very fast death, despite upgrading her health to its maximum.

Camera angle issues are also a contributing factor to the broken mechanics of the game. They also contribute much to dying. Often time, the camera makes it very difficult to pin point where Rubi needs to jump to next, which forces me to do a blind jump in the hopes that she grabs onto to something. These spotty angles also make it difficult to see many of the enemies during combat. I usually won’t see them until they’ve bludgeoned me to death.

Despite the nifty film strip that runs through the game, graphics leaves more to be desired. Sometimes the colors become a bit washed out, and it is difficult again to see where you need to go. I had to up the brightness on my TV to see better. It seem s the developers poured all of their pixels on Rubi and some of the bad guys, and used whatever was left to populate the background. I expected more from a “next gen” game.

Bottom Line: WET shines in its visual presentation, but stumbles on game play. Casual gamers will become increasingly frustrated with the often time unfair mechanics, and will probably not want to complete the relatively short game. Hardcore gamers will want to finish the game at least once just to prove it wrong. Despite its drawbacks, WET can be a very fun game to play. “Rage Mode” is particularly entertaining, as the whole screen goes red, and Rubi ups her ass kicking. I give WET a 7/10.


- InyRules, A.K.A Cool Hip from the SSAA Podcast.

fanvid sunday: queens of the dollhouse edition

I just got back from LA and I am exhausted. It's a good thing the quality of this video speaks for itself (which is to say, it's awesome).


Find more videos like this on BAM Vid Vault


My week on the west coast was absolutely fantastic. I hope I will get back out there again soon. In the meantime, I think I'm going to catch up on the week of television I missed and, you know, sleep A LOT. What are you up to? Happy Sunday, everyone!