New Brian Lynch Podcast

[Enisy]

Go get it here. Also came up with a transcript real quick. Again, English? Not my first language, so please excuse any typos (and help me with that one miss, maybe?)

Spoiler:

Brian Lynch: Hey everyone, this is Brian Lynch, I'm the co-plotter and scripter of Angel: After the Fall and the upcoming Spike: After the Fall, and I'm the writer and creator of Everybody's Dead. All of those are from IDW, and you should pick them all up. This is all pretty great. I've read them all, and I'm really unbiased when I say that they're wonderful.

A few weeks ago I asked anyone who reads my blog to pose any questions they may have about anything that I'm working on, or about, you know, what I'm doing, or what I'm wearing. In case anyone wants to know what I'm wearing now that I've put that out there, it's, like, an orange Izod and a hat and shorts. I don't usually wear Izods, per se, but I'm doing laundry, so my hayless (?) clothes are unavailable. Okay, I'm gonna answer the first couple of questions that people asked me -- they asked me, I think, 43 in total, but I'm gonna try and knock out, like, five, just to get it started. Is that okay with everyone? I hope so. Okay, let's go, let's start.

Jesse said, so, I've introduced Kate again -- she actually said "so you've introduced Kate", I turned it about myself. Jesse thinks she should get a spin-off now that Kate's back in rotation in the Angel world. Jesse says, "Since she left Angel I've wondered what she'd been up to, and after seeing her in this issue, I want to know about her battles and such over past several years. Are you interested?" I think that's a great idea, and when I finished writing this story for Kate, I actually said, you know, if we did a spin-off from Angel: After the Fall, it would be really cool to do a Kate mini-series. And then when IDW asked me if I had any ideas fora mini-series, it was either going to be one involving Kate, or the Spike: After the Fall. We went with Spike, because it's more in line with the Angel story, and we can make the two series kind of link up, whereas the Kate one would be off on her own thing, and I thought, you know, there should be a big coherent story altogether, cohesive. But yeah, I think a Kate story would be great -- I don't know if I'm gonna write it, but I think someone should, you know, put her front and center in her own series, 'cause she's really fun to write, and I think she's a fun character, and I think she has a fanbase. People were really excited when it was revealed that she came back, so that was cool. Thank you, Jesse.

Next question's from Sarah, and she starts "Hi, Brian!" and I say "Hi, Sarah!" and Sarah says "I had a question about writing Spike: After the Fall. Were there any stories that you wanted to do in Spike: AtF that you couldn't because of what you had set up in Angel? Or the other way around?" Actually, no, they kind of complement each other really well. You don't need to read either one, per se -- you don't need to read the other one to get the point of both series, but it certainly does help, and it certainly paints a huge picture. Actually, it didn't restrict me in any way, in fact, they let me go into more detail and do certain revelations in Spike's series that will make the Angel series all the more layered and richer. So, no, it actually really helped, that's why we went with Spike, as opposed to some of the other mini-series, like the Kate one. So, thank you, Sarah.

Next question's from Brian B. He asked "How do you keep your sideburns so trimmed?" He actually said "so trimed", I'm assuming he meant "trimmed", and the truth is, Brian B, you've not seen me lately, because I do not keep them trimmed. Or trimed, even. They're way too wacky right now, they're really thick. But thank you. Then he asks "Okay, now for something less important. I'm very excited about Spike: AtF. I'm wondering, though, in this hell will any of the gang find, for lack of a better word" -- um, I don't understand. Brian, I think you're so excited about Spike that your question is really weird. They want to know if there's any kind of love. Oh, he wants to know if there's any quote-unquote "love" between the characters. I'm not gonna reveal that. That's a spoiler, and, you know, you don't wanna have that revealed in a blog, one way or the other. You wanna read it, you wanna see it. Although you did point out that the Spike: After the Fall Issue 3 has a cover where there's some hankypanky going on, and that's totally true. There is something on that cover. Okay, thanks, Brian.

Next question's from Rowanda380. She says how nice it was to see Kate, and "it was nice to see a woman have a spotlight in the plot who wasn't weak, sick or attached to some man. Seriously, the storyline in general is missing the strong female influence." I disagree; Illyria certainly relies on Spike for some things, and obviously Wesley had an effect on her, but she definitely is kind of her own person at this point -- I mean, she's not even a person, but you know what I mean. I think Gwen and Nina both work with Connor, but, you know, I think they've got their own thing going on. Also, I don't know... I think the leads in the book are, of course, Angel and Wesley and Connor and Spike, but I mean, Illyria, ever since she's been in there, has had such an impact on the series, I don't know... I think she's got a strong influence. So, I'm sorry if this series doesn't have what you're looking for in terms of that, but I'm doing my best. And Brian B. likes it. And he likes my sideburns.

Next comment was deleted. I wonder what that person said. Probably something really -- it was probably, like, a compliment about how great the female characters are in Angel: After the Fall. It would have complented what I was trying to say before. Oh well.

All right, next question, Chris G. "Yo, Lynch. Nice 'chops." The sideburns... very popular with the blog audience, I had no idea. First question they asked, "Is there a glitch in Hell's matrix because Spike and Angel both have souls? And since L.A. is in Hell, the demons rule and the dead are rising again. Does this mean there's possibility of guys like The Beast to pop up?" It's a possibility for anything to happen in the book. We didn't say exactly where they are or what's going on, but anything can happen at any point, as we prove, hopefully, each issue that keeps surprising people. And Chris G. asks "Is Betta George being held down by a big web?" Yeah, Betta George is being held by something that's dampening his power, so he can't be unleashed, basically. 'Cause Gunn -- I mean, I guess Gunn knows his potential, and we're going into that a little more as the series goes on. You saw what happened, hopefully, in the last First Night issue that was released; Betta George did get away from the thing that's keeping him down, he was able to kind of manipulate one of the vampires. So, that was kind of cool. Thank you, Chris G. Oh, and then he says, "Keep it up, this book is the greatest", which is so nice. Thank you Chris, it's nice of you.

Last question I'm gonna do and then I'm gonna put this right up. It's Charlie Manson -- crazy that this is what Charles Manson is doing with his time, but he says "How close is Joss to the production of this fantastic series?" Joss laid the groundwork with me, a very specific outline, and now I'm carrying it out. That's pretty much what he's doing. So he did the heavy-lifting in the beginning, and now I'm the... now I'm the spokesman, now I'm the mouthpiece, does that make sense? Then Charlie Manson said, "If and when Angel becomes a vampire again, is he going to have a soul? And a tattoo?" I can't answer either one of those, 'cause they're all, I mean, that's all part of the book. The tattoo thing is going to be answered in the next couple of issues, it's a throwaway thing, but I think it's kind of a cool aside. Then Charlie Manson -- who is a huge fan of Angel and Spike, I had no idea. In addition to the plethora of awful things Charlie Manson does, he's also a very dedicated Whedon fan, which is crazy. Charlie Manson says "I am so glad Spike is getting his own book, because there was definitely not enough of him in Angel, but can one of the two of them at least mention Buffy?" Okay, that is absolutely no problem, they will do that. Then... mumblemumblemumble, "I hate that no-one from this or Buffy: Season 8 has even thought of each other." I'm sure they've thought of each other, Charlie Manson, but with all the stuff going on in the Angel series, it would be weird if Angel's like "I just challenged all these lords... I have no power left... I'm not a vampire... also, I wonder what Buffy's wearing right now." Like, he's clearly thinking about her, just like I'm sure Cordelia is on his mind, and we go into that as the series goes on, but at the same time, he'll be in an awkward stop in where the story's going if he just stopped and thought about something that wasn't pertinent at that moment. And Buffy is thinking about Angel, and Spike -- she had a dream about them earlier in the book, in her own book. And then Charlie Manson says "This book is amazing amazing amazing." Thank you! And then he asks how the series is gonna end, or details about -- Charlie Manson, as much as I fear you for what you have done, I can't reveal anything about the end of the book, although it's mapped out and it's pretty awesome, and I think you guys will... I think it's... yeah, I think it's epic, so. Thank you, Charlie Manson.

I'm not gonna end with a Charlie Manson question, because that's just a rule of podcasts, is you never stop with a question from a mass murderer. So Nolan says -- and I don't know Nolan, I don't know if you've killed anyone. If you've killed more than one or two people, then you also are a mass murderer, but if you've killed one or less, I can end on your question. So I'm gonna assume you are not a murderer, and then I'm gonna click on the link to your blog and see if you have blogged about possibly killing anyone, in which case I have to go back and answer another question. Nolan says, "Did you know how hard it is to find a copy of Big Helium Dog in my town?" Anyone that's confused as to what that means, Big Helium Dog is a movie I directed a while ago -- I wrote and directed -- and it's not on video or DVD, so I'd assume it's insanely hard, and if you found one, that's great, and tell me where, so I could go get a copy. Next question from Nolan: "Also, you said your writing in the Connor/Kate story is your best Whedon writing so far. I won't argue with that, but is there any one particular part that you are especially proud of?" I just really liked the fact -- I thought in a limited amount of time, we were able to play with the fact that Connor was so confused about who should be influencing him and who is his father, and in the course of a couple of pages, I was pretty proud of the fact that we had Angel encourage and kind of inspire him to go in the right direction, without Connor even knowing it. I thought that was really cool, I thought in a limited amount of time, we told Connor's story pretty great, and we let readers know why this character has gone through this big change. So I was pretty proud of that. And also I was proud of bringing Kate back.

But I will say that, since then, I've written stuff that I think is as good as that -- better, hopefully. I think the Spike series is just so dark and so fun and the revelations are so cool that I think that's coming along really well, and I think the stuff we have planned for the rest of Angel is just, it's just great. Like, if the rest, the earliest stuff was fun... And I hope everyone got a charge out of seeing their favourite characters back, but now they're back, and, you know, we're starting to just mix and match everybody and they're all interacting and it's building to something so big, and I just, I can't wait to see people's reactions. And I can't wait to write the specific dialogue that goes with certain things.

I think people are gonna -- if, in fact, a comic can make you, like, excited and cheer, then I would think that we have a lot of moments like that coming up. And I would think -- I mean, it's happened to me, that there are moments in comic books that I just, I find myself getting really upset. And the last thing that did that to me was Pride of Baghdad, which is Brian K. Vaughn's graphic novel. I figured the hardest name and I apologize, but that made me so emotional, just that one and We3 by Grant Morrison and Quietly. I think there's stuff coming up in Angel, especially if you love these characters, you just... I'm emotionally attached to them, and I can't wait to write certain things and I can't wait to see or to hear people's reactions. I think dark times are coming and crowd-pleasing times are coming and it's just, I don't know, I think it's big. Act 2 and this one, Act 3, kind of together -- right now I'm working on Act 3 -- it's all homerun stuff, hopefully. So I just rambled, I swear I wasn't trying to (line???) the comic, I'm just excited about it.

I think that's it for now, I'm going to continue with Noel's question next time, but I just wanted to get some questions up so you guys knew I didn't forget about you. I hope you guys got the Angel: After the Fall Issue 1 Director's Cut that came out today. I think it's great, it's the entire script and my notes and the series looks great... the colours, like, pop more than they did in the first printing of the Angel Issue 1 and we changed some colouring stuff to make it work... the cover is amazing... I don't know, I hope you guys pick it up. And Everybody's Dead is coming out in a couple of weeks. We have two Angels coming out next in the same month, and I think there's some cool stuff in that, but hopefully some of the questions will be about that stuff, so I don't have to talk about it now.
Thank you, guys! If you made it this far, I really appreciate it. I hope I wasn't too boring and I'll be back in a little bit, and we'll talk more. Okay? Bye.

[patxshand]

You are the coolest. Much love!

[Enisy]

Love you too, hon. There were quite a few people asking for it on Brian's blog (at least indirectly), so I thought I'd go ahead and do it myself. You know how I am about interviews, anyway.

[Nina]

Thanks, that was great.

I'm suprised with the next comment; "I think the leads in the book are, of course, Angel and Wesley and Connor and Spike," What about Lorne? or Gunn? and Beta George? or like he said himself ... Illyria/Fred.

[Enisy]

Glad you liked it.

They seem to be playing Gunn as a villain at the moment, so I can see why he wouldn't get a mention, but yeah, I think Lorne and Frillyria are as significant characters as the other four.

[Curiouswolf]

Originally Posted by Enisy

Glad you liked it.

They seem to be playing Gunn as a villain at the moment, so I can see why he wouldn't get a mention, but yeah, I think Lorne and Frillyria are as significant characters as the other four.

I think Lorne, Betta George, Gwen, and Nina are supporting characters in ATF and there isn't anything wrong with that. Somebody has to be. In future series, if these characters survive they will hopefully have a crack at being one of the leads.

I'm getting alarmed about the fate of Fred/Illyria though, just the way he's describing her in the podcast transcript and the foreshadowing in ATF #3... I honestly hope Wesley dies(if it's even possible for a ghost) instead of her. I don't like saying that but it's the way I feel.

[Nina]

I think that in my head there is the next order;
Angel is of course the most important character and the only charcater who will survive until the end of the series ... because Angel the series without Angel is not happening.

All the other characters can die. But I doubt that Connor will die in the series.

So after Angel, I think that Connor and Wesley are the most important characters as the son and the best friend of the main character.

After those two; Spike, Illyria/Fred, Lorne (and Gunn?)

All the characters above are leads in the series ...

and after that we've got Nina, Groo, Gwen, Kate, Spider etc.

Beta George ... I don't know which part he is going to play, maybe a leading role ... maybe he is a secundary character.


About Fred/Illyria dieing or Wesley instead of her. I didn't get the vibe that she is going to die. Or that it will be Wesley or Fred/Illyria. Everything is possible, but I think that Wesley will be there until LA gets out of hell ... after that? I don't know ... personally, I hope that he will survive. Angel without Wesley, I don't know if I can take that.
But I think that we won't know what Fred/Illyria is thinking ... we will probably see her story through the eyes of Spike, Angel and Wesley. At least, that is what I get out of Brian's words.

[Curiouswolf]

Originally Posted by Nina

About Fred/Illyria dieing or Wesley instead of her. I didn't get the vibe that she is going to die. Or that it will be Wesley or Fred/Illyria. Everything is possible, but I think that Wesley will be there until LA gets out of hell ... after that? I don't know ... personally, I hope that he will survive. Angel without Wesley, I don't know if I can take that.
But I think that we won't know what Fred/Illyria is thinking ... we will probably see her story through the eyes of Spike, Angel and Wesley. At least, that is what I get out of Brian's words.

I get the impression that Illyria and Fred will separate. I don't know if they will get back together or if one or both of them will die from whatever happens to change them. I do think Illyria still has potential as a character so does Fred for that matter but Joss might not agree . After all, he has Amy Acker playing another character in Dollhouse so he might feel free to kill Illyria/Fred off .

Chris Ryall says that issue #9 will be the beginning of the end for one of the regulars. I don't know if they mean leads or not. Wes could be that doomed regular or maybe Illyria.

[Nina]

Illyria is on the issue 10 cover, Issue 9 has a cover with Illyria and Fred (and Wesley & Angel) on it ... so you are probably right. It has maybe something to do with Illyria/Fred.


Maybe it's vampire Gunn, that the others start looking for him and killing him in issue 11. I hope that it will be vampire Gunn who is the regular who dies. I'm not ready to say goodbye to Fred/Illyria or Wesley.

[LaJaula]

Am I the only one who's not really a Fred/Illyria fan? I like her okay, but I would much rather have her die than Wesley or Gunn. I really can't see all three of them getting out of Hell alive-- I want them all to, but I don't think it's realistic since technically all three of them are dead. If someone's gotta go, I'd prefer it be Fred.

Also, yay for a Cordelia mention! I'm really glad that she's been as prevalent in the comics as she has been, especially considering how much everyone in Season Five seemed to forget about her after You're Welcome. But IIRC, both Gunn and Connor have been thinking of her recently.

And I'll just say "Wow" to Enisy already having typed up a transcript. Very impressive!

[Enisy]

Yeah, I also hope it's Wesley and/or Fred that dies in Illyria's stead, since she's my third favourite character in the 'verse, but I'm worried about her. They wouldn't have brought Fred back if they were going to just kill her again, would they? And I don't know where that leaves Illyria...

Anyway, Brian posted the second part of his podcast here. And I've got another transcript:

Spoiler:

Hey everyone, it's Brian Lynch again. It is May 22nd and I was up late last night watching Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the something-something, so I'm a little tired, but I wanted to get a couple of questions in before I went out. I was that excited to do it yesterday, I had fun -- so I thought I'd get a couple more out, for the day. Let's just jump right into it. You want it? Okay.

First question... Sahari has asked about Spike. Basically, he or she is saying "I was wondering if you could give a little tiny hint as to what will happen to Spike in the end". Um, no. I won't do that. I hate to start the questioning or the answering on a negative, but I don't wanna give away anything. You wanna read it, right? You wanna be surprised when you read it. I think so. So I'm sorry, no. But I liked your idea that you gave, something that can happen to Spike -- that was pretty cool.

Next one is from Brandon. He says "Hey Lynch". Hey Brandon. "I expected it to be Darla. Was hoping, even. But we got Kate. Okay. I'm with it. Down with the clown and all that." -- I have no idea what Brandon is talking about at this point. -- "But is this a pop-in-and-say-hello type of roll, or is she going to pop up again later?" I don't wanna give away, you know, what happens in the book, but I think I'll make an exception here. Kate's story, in terms of After the Fall, could be told at a later date, but she's not gonna suddenly team up with them and, you know, come out of the woodwork and go like "Hey guys, I've been here the whole time. Hey Connor. How you doing?", that kind of thing, high-fiving Angel. It was basically just to let the characters know, let the readers know what happened to her as a character and so she could help Connor's story kind of kickstart. So no, she's not going to be in Angel: After the Fall. So, I apologize for that, if you were looking forward to it. But that doesn't mean to say she doesn't have great stories that could be told. Next question from Brandon, "Out of curiosity, what's your work space like?" It's cluttery. It's very cluttered right now, I'm looking at a Marduk figure from Marvel Legends... I have a pig pen, it's pretty fitting, from Peanuts... I've a Spike bust, an Angel bust... Fozzy Bear bust... Slimer from GhostBusters... laptop, speakers, comic books, baseball hat... a Hacker soundtrack is right next to my computer, 'cause not only is it the best movie ever, it's the best soundtrack. So yeah, it's pretty cluttered. That's it from Brandon, thanks man.

Enisy has asked, "Don't know if you can answer any of these..." Okay, I'm gonna try. First question, "Will we see more old characters return, aside from whoever sired Gunn?" I don't know why Enisy thinks that an old character sired Gunn, but I'm not gonna say if we're gonna see any more familiar faces, I'm sorry. Next question, "Favourite Angel: After the Fall issue?" I kind of like the first... I really like First Night... I really like Issue 5, when they all came together... I really loved 10, I just read through it for the first time and I think 10 is awesome. It's just, everything goes down in Issue 10. But you know, I mean, I like something about all of them, but I dig 3... They're all good, I'm pretty proud of the work we've done. Next question, "Favourite televised Angel episode?" I love the last episode, but I always go back to Waiting in the Wings, it's one of my favourites, 'cause everybody got something cool to do and it really advanced the story. I thought the Angel and Cordelia stuff was great. "Favourite televised Buffy episode?" Maybe Once More, With Feeling? I liked that one, was that wrong to say? I kind of like the last one, as well. I like the one that's centered on Xander, when they were still in high school, I think it was called -- was it called "The Shemp"? I like that one a lot. Next question, "Who's your favourite original character? Can be from Everybody's Dead, Spike: Asylum, Spike: Shadow Puppets, Angel: After the Fall..." I won't do anyone from Everybody's Dead, 'cause there's a bunch that I love in there, but my favourite character from any of the original series that we've done is probably... Tok, from Spike: Shadow Puppets, and I wish we could bring her back, but there's no place for her right now in the books. And I love Beck and Betta George, obviously, a lot, too. Okay, next question, "Who's your dream artist for Angel: After the Fall?" I've worked with him already. I love Runge's stuff, too. I love Franco... I don't think I'd be doing it if not for Franco, so he's just the best, but Nick Runge, who's doing a couple of issues -- he's done 9 and 10 and he did the Wesley story for First Night -- he's amazing. In terms of artists that I haven't got to work with yet, I would say that Kevin McGuire who did the old Justice League, I love him, Art Adams is always my dream -- to work with him... Was that good? I hope that was a good answer. Next question, "Is Nina going to have a significant role anytime soon?" Well, Nina's a supporting character, but yes, she definitely -- she's got some good stuff in 10. She's got some good character moments in 10 that I'm pretty proud of. But yes, she won't get, like, a solo issue. She doesn't get a First Night story either, but we definitely get a feel for why she's there and what she's doing, it goes into more detail in 10. Next question, which character Angel -- "which character Angel", hello! -- "Which Angel character do you find the easiest to write?" I don't know... Um, wow, I think, at this point I've been doing Spike enough that he's pretty easy. Lorne is probably the easiest, there's not a lot of effort on that part, which says a lot about me, I think. Angel, I like Angel... I just like how he, I don't know, I like his captions in relation to his dialogue. I like that he's pretty quiet and doesn't reveal a lot, but then the captions are gonna get into his head. So, Angel, Spike, Lorne, I think are my favourites, or easiest. Hardest was Illyria, but I think I got a feel for her. Sometimes the demon dialogue can get on my nerves, like, all the grand stuff... I like writing Illyria now, but the first issue, the very first line she has about how Angel was upsetting her pet, I went through, like, 90 rewrites, 'cause I just didn't know what her first line should be. But now I think I've got the hang of Illyria. Next question, "Did any of the audience's reactions to Angel: After the Fall really surprise you, whether positive or negative?" No, not really. I mean, this is the kind of thing where everyone's got expectations and they've had them for years, so it's gonna be hard to live up to, but I'm really glad that I feel we have, for most people... people are enjoying it. It could have gone the other way. Like, I knew we were doing a lot of stuff that people wouldn't expect, that maybe some people wouldn't want, but if we could do it in an interesting, original way, in a fun way, that we'd be forgiven, and, you know, people would go along for the long ride. And I think, for the most part, people have liked it even when we do stuff that may anger them. I gotta say, it's weird that people react strangely to Spider. People seem to really hate her, which is kind of strange. I just look at her as... I tried to make her, basically, a character that was, you didn't know at any point what she was capable of doing -- we definitely go into that more. But more than that, she was the one character in the book that has utter faith in Spike. She's, like, his number one fan. She has bent over backwards for him, and we'll see the specifics of that in Spike: After the Fall -- I didn't mean that in a sexual way, but then, see, I'm writing Spike dialogue in my head, 'cause he would have jumped in and said that. But people don't like Spider, they want her away from Spike. And the storyline is going in a direction where, you know, they're not hanging out much, they don't have a lot of panel time, 'cause we want to get Spike in with the rest of the characters that are established from the show. But it was weird to me that this girl that worships Spike and will do anything for him and everyone else is counting him out, and she is leading the cheering for him, that people aren't reacting well to her. I thought that was weird. But I do like her, and I think that After the Fall -- or Spike's version of After the Fall -- will shed some light on her and make people like her more. I don't know, hopefully. "Which medium is your favourite to write for?" I don't know... Comic books are great, screenwriting is great, movies and TV are so much fun. They all have their plus and minuses. I think that's all for Enisy. Should I stop now? I'll do one more, because I gotta go, but this one looks short.

Buffy + Angel Number Four Ever asks "Lovin' AtF" -- which, in case you guys don't know, is short for After the Fall. "Please don't kill Wes or Connor." Well, Wes is already dead. "I know you won't answer about whether or not Buffy will show up" -- no, I will, Buffy will not show up, I've said. I've never mixed words about that. Buffy is not gonna show up. "Are there any publication rights or other legal issues preventing her or other characters appearing in the Season 8 comics from appearing?" No, I think other than, we would have to get permission from Sarah Michelle Gellar for likeness rights. I think she's one of the only actresses, or maybe one of the only actors on the show that has that. We have to get permission from her, and that would be hard to do, in terms of ... her approving a penciller to do it. Other than that, I think there's really nothing preventing it, but the story itself is kind of preventing it. Not to say it won't happen in the future, but I'm telling you right now that Buffy will not pop up and save the day in this. I think that's it. And then they end with "Buffy and Angel forever" -- listen, I love Buffy and Angel, too, and I can't wait to see them back in a situation, I just don't think it's gonna be After the Fall. And it shouldn't be, 'cause the specific story is not about that, I don't think. Could be wrong. I hope you guys aren't waiting and buying each issue hoping that Buffy shows up, I don't wanna disappoint you guys.

Okay, that's it for now. Thank you, Buffy + Angel Forever, and everyone else that's sending questions that I answered. Coming up next is Pat Shands, who always has a bunch of good stuff to say. You should go to his reviews, type his name in Blogspot. Or just type in "Buffy reviews" on Google, and there it is. That's it, look, I gave a little plug for Pat. That's it, guys, thank you so much. Remember the Angel: After the Fall Issue 1 Director's Cut with the script and notes and a new cover just came out yesterday, so check that out. And I hope you enjoy it, and that's it for now. I'm Brian Lynch, looking for the button that stops recording. Thanks for listening, guys.

[vampmogs]

I like listening and reading in this case, to Brian's podcasts. I don't really see the point in people asking him things that we all know he's not going to answer, it's a bit odd, I much prefer hearing questions like Enisy posted cause at least we'll get an answer for them.

Very interesting conversation about Spider as well, and his comments about her bending over backwards for Spike and people hating her. A lot of Spike fans don't seem to like Xander very much for telling Spike where to go all these years (even if he deserved it), so I'm with Brian in thinking it's a little weird that they wouldn't be loving Spider for doing the exact opposite (when he actually deserves a lot of the praise now)? I'm going to chalk this up to maybe people being very suspicious about her motives, which I can understand.

And Pat you got a plug that's awesome! ... love reading your reviews to by the way, one of the first places I go to after a new issue of Btvs or Ats comes out Great stuff you should be proud!

[Nina]

Thanks for the transcript,

My problem with Spider has nothing to do with her addoration of Spike but with the vibe I get of her. She feels like somebody you can't trust. And didn't she say that they should let Angel die? It makes sense to say, but it doesn't make you beloved by Angel fans ... and I doubt that there are people who really hate Angel and still read about him. (with the exception of some Spike fans who want Angel dead so that it can be Spike's story ... but I haven't seen much of those around.)

And I'm getting tired of people who need to see Buffy in Angel's story. To do what? Saving Angel's ass?

[sueworld]

I thought that was weird. But I do like her, and I think that After the Fall -- or Spike's version of After the Fall -- will shed some light on her and make people like her more.

Well I hope so, because until now the characters been very lightly sketched and so it's not surprising that many folks don't feel any connection with her I'm afraid. Also I don't know if it's a misdirection going on, but she also comes across as rather on the creepy side, so make of that what you will.

It also doesn't help that a 'cartoon character' has to compete with character's that were fleshed out on the show over a period of many years. There really is no comparison I'm afraid.

[KingofCretins]

It's easy to talk around the Spider hatred, but since the open and vehement hostility to the character started with the Urru cover to "Angel: After the Fall" Issue #2, there's no real arguing the root causes. She touched the cheekbones. She is not a blonde Slayer from Southern California. Therefore, she's a witch, and we must burn her.

If anything, people have clearly *warmed up* to the character as a narrative addition since it became at least possible that she's not merely a doting love interest and may be manipulating Spike and therefore possibly an enemy.

Yeah, Pat, Lynch was jocking you pretty well. Congrats

[NileQT87]

actually, i'd say i started considering her an enemy when she was telling spike that angel should be killed. being that it is "angel: the series", i'd assume that means she's a villain.

spike even made a point out of being angry with angel showing up at the playboy mansion because he was human and the girls might find out that he was human. i always interpreted that as spike not wanting spider to find out that angel was human.

[Nina]

Does Spike know that Angel is human? I thought that only Wesley (and Illyria?) knew about that (and the big powers of course) ...

[Moscow Watcher]

I also got the impression that Spike doesn't know about Angel's human state.

Illyria could know because during their time-travel together Angel looked old in the future. Theoretically she could share with Spike, but it doesn't seem like he knows...

[NileQT87]

vampires smell immediately the difference between a vampire and a human (unless they are wearing large amounts of perfume, like in harmony's case with tamika).

Girl: Should I tend to his wounds?
Spike: You do and you're out of the top twelve.

why would spike be that adamant about the girls not tending to angel's wounds? protection, perhaps?

also, angel was bleeding a lot after getting stabbed full of knives. spike would have been smelling a lot of angel's human blood.

[KingofCretins]

The X Factor here is the glamour that Angel and Wes had set up. I have no trouble thinking that it could fool Spike just like anyone else. Spider sensed the magic coming off him, but nothing indicated she understood it. It's not even explicitly clear Illyria knows -- she calls him half of what he was, but that just as easily is her observing he sucks in the fight.

Not wanting his girls to treat him? Pretty much standard operating procedure with Spike and Angel.