Unlike
Lynne M. Thomas’s previous essay collection, Chicks Dig Time Lords (edited with Tara O’Shea), which focused on
a specific television series, Whedonistas,
co-edited with Deborah Stanish, takes the varied works of auteur Joss
Whedon as its subject. This
means that a reader may be familiar with only some of the works
discussed, whether Buffy the
Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, or Doctor
Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog.
However, despite the various essays which focus on one (or more)
of those properties, what the book is really about is the experiences
fandom brings to individuals and the way they coalesce into a community.
From that point of view, Dae S. Low’s “The Browncoat Connection,”
about finding a sense of worth amongst the Portland Browncoats captures
the heart and soul of the experience.
Emma
Bull’s essay dovetails neatly with the concept of building a
community. Again, looking
at Firefly, Bull notes that Mal Reynolds is only looking for
independence. At the same time, he doesn’t quite seem to realize that
any freedom and independence he has comes with the cost of building a
community that he is a part of, whether it is the community he has built
on board Serenity or the
community of the underworld with which he trades and makes his living.
Mal Reynolds Independent Operator couldn’t exist without the community
of Badger, Patience, and, to a certain extent, the Alliance.
But, just as Dae noted she needed a community in her essay, Joss
Whedon’s works are also about building a community.
Community
isn’t necessarily even about being with people and interacting with
them. Jaala Robinson and
Jenn Reese discuss how the community they watched on Buffy,
the Vampire Slayer, and the very real personalities and interactions
of the characters on those shows, gave them the strength they needed in
their own lives. It doesn’t really matter what the overall show was
about, or what Robinson, Reese, or even Whedon, thought Whedon’s shows
were about. Rather, the
importance was the depiction of realistic characters, oftentimes
outcasts from society, who managed to form their own society and support
group, thereby helping people watching the show to do the same.
The
kick-off essay, by Seanan McGuire, takes an interesting look at
community. McGuire acknowledges being a fan of Buffy, the
Vampire Slayer from the days when she was portrayed by Kristy
Swanson. Somewhat against her will, she became hooked on the
television series and watched as a fannish community grew up around it
and then splintered into special interest groups. Priscilla
Spencer takes the fannish community, not just of Whedon, but also of
various other television shows, and discusses how they formed a larger
community to support a bigger cause during the writers strike that
incidentally led to the creation of Doctor
Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog.
Some
of the essays look at what Whedon appears to be doing on his shows and
tries to dissect them. Those
essays, not matter how well written, feel slightly out of place in Whedonistas. They seem like they should have been included in a book
like Jane Espenson’s Finding
Serenity, which was (generally) less of a personal explanation of
the show and instead a more lit-crit sort of examination. Espenson’s own appearance in Whedonistas,
in the form of an interview, is a more behind-the-scenes look at
Whedon’s various creations, which adds an interesting context for the
essays, but veers away from the examination of how Joss Whedon’s work
has become so personal in the lives of the fans.
Ostensibly
about the works and worlds created by Joss Whedon, Whedonistas is really
a look at community, belonging, and what can come when people work
together (much as happens in many of Whedon’s own works).
Readers who are fans of all of Whedon’s work will be able to
connect to all the essays, but even those who are only fans with Buffy or Angel or Firefly
will enjoy the book. And because the focus is really more on the
experience of belonging to a community rather than the specific shows,
those who aren’t familiar with Whedon’s work can also enjoy and gain
insight from the essays.
