What advantages do comic books offer over film?
Whedon: For one thing, there’s no budget. The artists can’t say, “I can’t afford to draw a dragon.” Also, you can tell stories in all kinds of odd ways and you’re not beholden to sponsors. But at the same time, while you can do almost anything, a Buffy comic is going to be picked up by younger people, so you have to look out for what you’re doing there. And ultimately, you don’t have four acts and an episode a week you have 22 pages and an episode a month. So, in a way, it’s very similar. But you do have great leeway to do whatever you want in terms of visuals. We have a space-heist sequence in the Serenity comic. That’s an expensive proposition in a movie or TV show. It’s zero gravity and Nathan Fillion [who plays Mal Reynolds in Serenity] hates harnesses. But his comic-book self doesn’t mind floating at all! He’s the most perfect gentleman I’ve ever worked with. [Laughs] TVG: Do you think any of these comics will become ongoing series? Whedon: I could see it happening. But for me, it
