There's a major consistency issues with characterization. This tends to happen in comics from series to series, but generally in the main continuity there's supposed to be some consistency even if the writers change. I think IDW never got out of the mindframe it had collectively from how it produced its Angel comics before the whole "canon" thing was important. Look at Spike: Old Times and then look at Auld Lang Syne. There is no consistency. They don't need it as they weren't really part of the same universe. Then look at Spike: Asylum and Shadow Puppets. There's amazing consistency as they take place in the Lynchverse. Because they wanted to work with "respected" writers like Armstrong and Willingham (and by extension Williams), neither Ryall nor Huehner had the balls to intervene and try to corral the plots and characterizations to make them cohesive. Though seeing how easily Willingham could fly off the handle, I don't blame them.
I love to point to Auld Lang Syne as an example of really awesome franchise writing without worrying about canon. It's obvious that both vampires are souled, Spike's corporeal, Cordelia's dead, but we never learn when exactly this story takes place. Angel suddenly is a solo detective, and Spike's sorta off doing his own thing, both are still in L.A., and they come together and easily form a nice duo. The story is solid, and the voices are spot-on. There's no need to worry about canon or timelines because the mini-series stands nicely on its own. That's how franchise comics should be. Sticking to major elements already established by canon, and then picking a good launching off point. Angel's on his own? Well, let's not waste too much time explaining that. As long as he's in character as the audience remembers him with no major changes to him or anyone else, then the audience can make up their own minds about how he got here as that's not important. In a way, I think this is what S8 tried to do, but it failed because there were too many leaps from where the characters had been to where they suddenly where with no explanations. There's only so much an audience can stomach before the unanswered questions just become too much to stand.
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Date: 2011-03-14 06:46 am (UTC)I love to point to Auld Lang Syne as an example of really awesome franchise writing without worrying about canon. It's obvious that both vampires are souled, Spike's corporeal, Cordelia's dead, but we never learn when exactly this story takes place. Angel suddenly is a solo detective, and Spike's sorta off doing his own thing, both are still in L.A., and they come together and easily form a nice duo. The story is solid, and the voices are spot-on. There's no need to worry about canon or timelines because the mini-series stands nicely on its own. That's how franchise comics should be. Sticking to major elements already established by canon, and then picking a good launching off point. Angel's on his own? Well, let's not waste too much time explaining that. As long as he's in character as the audience remembers him with no major changes to him or anyone else, then the audience can make up their own minds about how he got here as that's not important. In a way, I think this is what S8 tried to do, but it failed because there were too many leaps from where the characters had been to where they suddenly where with no explanations. There's only so much an audience can stomach before the unanswered questions just become too much to stand.