Joss Whedon: The Complete Companion: The TV Series, the Movies, the Comic Books, and More

By PopMatters

HE 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!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: May 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781781164570

Reviews for Joss Whedon

[puttocklibrary · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love anything by Joss Whedon, and I realized enjoyed reading essays on various aspects of all his shows, plus a few things that I didn't even know he had ever worked on (I guess I need to learn more about Joss!). Some of the articles were quite scholarly, and therefore not easy to read, but the majority were well-written, accessibly readable, and interesting.

[renrav · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I adore Joss Whedon and already own a few books about his series. This one was written just before Cabin in the Woods and Avengers came out so I wish there was more on those. I do recommend the book however if you haven't read/watched everything by Joss Whedon I would be wary since there are spoilers galore, even in other sections.

[jsabrina-219220 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I didn't get a lot out of this collection, although I probably would have enjoyed it more if I was as into Whedon's comic book writing as I was his tv series and movies. If you do like his comic book work, this collection provides a previously-lacking (that I'm aware of) review of that aspect of his career -- but I simply flipped past.

That said, I was not particularly impressed by the essays on his television and film work. They lacked the insight of many of the other collections. Because this was published to coincide with the release of The Cabin in the Woods and Avengers, there are brief, speculative essays concerning them, but nothing of real interest.

If you need *everything* published about Joss and his works, you'll want this. Otherwise, I'd say you're better off going to the speciality collections focused on the specific works or overarching themes.

If I hadn't bought this as an e-book, I'd be trading it in at the used book store.