Book Review – Joss Whedon: The Complete Companion

 

When you ask about the great directors and writers of our day you,of course, get answers of Speilberg, Burton, and Bay. There is one man,however, that geeks the world over follow blindly into whatever story he feeds them and that man is Joss Whedon. The complete companion to Joss Whedon is exactly what it sounds like; a complete companion…
To Joss Whedon.

Here is a quick synopsis (not that the title doesn’t sum it up):

THE ESSENTIAL UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO THE WHEDONVERSE

Joss Whedon’s importance in contemporary pop culture can hardly be overstated, but there has never been a book providing a comprehensive survey of his career as a whole – until now. The Complete Companion covers every aspect of the Whedonverse through insightful essays and interviews, including fascinating conversations with key collaborators Jane Espenson and Tim Minear.

Over 40 contributors have been brought together by PopMatters, the acclaimed international magazine of cultural criticism, to provide an irresistible mix of analysis, interpretation and sheer celebration. Whether you’re a student looking for critical approaches to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or a Browncoat who follows Nathan Fillion on Twitter (or, let’s face it, both) there is plenty here to enjoy.

Covers all the TV series, movies, and comic books, including:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Fray, Astonishing X-Men, The Avengers… and more!

My first impressions of the companion were,”wow, that’s a big damn book”, but then Joss Whedon has had a big damn career. The companion covers Whedon’s career from the conception and filming of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” to his direction of Marvel’s “The Avengers”. Now you may think that this book is filled with little factoids and info from behind the scenes and you would be marginally right, however, the book covers so much more that the shear amount of information will make your brain bleed (in a good way).

The companion covers season to season with most shows and highlights episodes or times when something of note happened. The companion contains scores of information, tidbits, timelines, and even interviews and first person accounts.  This book allows you a very detailed look into the inner workings of Whedon’s projects as well as an explanation as to why some of Whedon’s stories are how they are.  A more comprehensive how-to manual of how to mimic Joss Whedon’s life could not be asked for.

So, in closing let me say that I learned an indescribable amount about Joss Whedon and his style of writing and directing that I didn’t even know, that I didn’t know (a little “inception” ignorance if you will). If you are a “Whedonite” like I am, you will love the detail and amount of information contained in the book “Joss Whedon: The Complete Companion”. If you aren’t a Whedon fan then a curse on both your houses! Wait, that’s a bit harsh, but you know what I mean.

Click here to buy Joss Whedon: The Complete Companion on Amazon.

Joss Whedon: The Complete Companion is courtesy of Titan Books.

About Jesse (The Pen of Doom)

A small time blogger with big time dreams and a love for everything geek.
Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.