Whedonesque Mobile : Comments on 14724 : Jo Chen not doing the #11 cover for BtVS Season 8.

She links to Jon Foster's site, who is doing the cover in her place. His work looks really interesting - I'll be looking forward to seeing what he comes up with.

curlymynci | November 13, 11:11 CET

When or if I'll be back on Buffy is up to Scott Allie (Dark Horse) and Joss.

I really hope she does come back, as I love her covers. I expect Jon Foster will do an interesting job, based on what little I saw following her link, and maybe when he's been doing them a while I might find myself hoping he'll stay on. But for now, I'd say I really would like Jo Chen back.

All sounds a little odd, to me, and not as though the "break" is entirely of her own volition.

Kiddo | November 13, 11:25 CET

I'll definitely miss Jo Chen, who really captures the beauty of this series, but Jon Foster's work does look interesting and I'll enjoy seeing the cover for issue #11!

embers | November 13, 11:25 CET

We've already seen Jon Foster's cover, haven't we? The one with the sunburst behind the villain? I'll get that one rather than the Jeanty one where I had a problem with the weaponry, though I doubt that was his fault. So far, I've bought the Jo Chen covers, except the 1st and the 4th.

edited for Jeanty not Geanty

[ edited by dreamlogic on 2007-11-13 14:55 ]

dreamlogic | November 13, 11:37 CET

Jon Foster's Cover

I hadn't seen it - but I just checked TFAW for this link. Nice cover.

Osmium | November 13, 11:50 CET

Aww! Hope everything's okay with Jo.

Foster's cover is gorgeous, though.

UnpluggedCrazy | November 13, 12:09 CET

I'm not fully certain if I noticed at first that it was some entirely new guy rather than Chen's work, but it's cool to see they're keeping up that sort of painted theme. I'll miss her very slightly anime style on Buffy (and especially if she doesn't keep doing Runaways covers) but her friend has got this style that makes me think slightly of James Jean which I dig. I'm curious what his other Buffy work would look like.

orangewaxlion | November 13, 12:17 CET

I really like Jeanty's cover is really nice for this issue. I'm looking forward to seeing how the Satsu/Buffy relationship will develop. Don't get me wrong, I like Jon Foster's cover too, but Jeanty's cover represents more that I am excited about right now.

Vortigun | November 13, 13:44 CET

I'll miss Ms Chen's gorgeous (not at all anime style IMO ;) art but the Foster cover's very nice too. I don't mind the variety either, no offence to Georges Jeanty but I wouldn't mind seeing someone else take a run at the internal art for a couple of arcs, someone with a distinctively different style.

I don't see Joss or Scott Allie dumping her from the book BTW, or if they did it's cos they've misplaced their eyes ;).

(and is that a "Numero Cinquo" style Mexican wrestler on the Foster cover ? Sorry if that's been mentioned, i've been avoiding spoilers)

Saje | November 13, 13:44 CET

I presume that producing a new Runaways cover AND a new Buffy cover every month was getting to be a strain...?

daylight | November 13, 14:21 CET

Don't know who John Foster is, but that's an excellent cover. I think the cover art is still in good hands.

Dym | November 13, 14:23 CET

That linked cover is very, very pretty. I took a peek over at Jon Foster's website, and his paintings are amazing. There'll probably be some very nice-looking covers on the coming issues. Having said that, I will miss Jo Chen.

Say, anyone know if there's any 'Buffy cover posters' out there? I'd love to frame one of them and put it up on my wall.

GVH | November 13, 14:59 CET

I dunno if they're generally available GVH but i've seen a couple up at my Local Comic Shop so they can be got (Ebay has had a few, not checked recently).

Or if you're known at your LCS, they might be accommodating (provided no fans among the staff have snagged them first ;).

(there are prints available of some of Chen's covers but obviously they're limited editions and more expensive - approx $125-150 each. Must admit, the Willow and Faith covers especially are so lovely that i'm still slightly tempted, even at that price. If Jo Chen herself actually made any money from these I might succumb)

Saje | November 13, 15:44 CET

I love her covers, they're just beautiful. I do hope she does more of them.

Reddygirl | November 13, 15:57 CET

Check, Saje, I'll ask around at my LCS. I have family working there, so I should be fine :-p. Thanks!

(and the prints are pretty, but way out of my price range ;-))

GVH | November 13, 16:00 CET

Poop. Jo Chen is one of my favorite people. I've been gushing at my friends about her covers ("Look! Look at the pretty!" I say as I shove copies of Buffy and old Robin comics into their faces, ignoring their wide and mildly terrified, possibly concussed, eyes.)

Oh well. There's still Runaways.

rianeiru | November 13, 16:37 CET

Jo Chen's covers are great (and here's hoping that circumstances move back under her control). New guy seems pretty cool too.

[ edited by Pointy on 2007-11-13 17:36 ]

Pointy | November 13, 18:43 CET

GVH, you can definitely find cover posters on eBay, or at least you could for the first few issues - I got one of the first Jo Chen cover and framed it in an inexpensive poster frame - no doubt not as nice as a framed print would have been, but within my price range, and I think it looks nice on my wall.

Kirochka | November 13, 19:22 CET

If anyone's curious, I did plunk down the coin to get a limited edition Jo Chen print (Willow #3) over at Acme. It's 11/250 and not at all unpretty on my wall. In fact, it's rather magnificent. (Smoke-y Willowhand.)

I'm blue about Jo Chen's (tentative) departure; her covers are glorious, and she really nails the Buffy peoples.

Kat Jetson | November 13, 20:06 CET

For the record, Jo told us a long while ago she would have to step away for a while due to previous obligations. We were really lucky to get Jon Foster to step up for this arc, but Jo is fine and coming back atchya for the next one.

joss | November 13, 20:36 CET

Yay! Thanks for the confirmation Joss!

Jon's cover is great, so no complaints here. I think everyone just got attached to Ms. Chen and her lovely work.

MadeToLoveJoss | November 13, 20:41 CET

Thanks Joss. Been loving Jo Chen's work and I'm very glad that she's fine and coming back to the comic. Look forward to seeing what Jon Foster does with the next arc.

NotaViking | November 13, 20:47 CET

Jo's covers are wonderful. That one from Runaways, where Molly is shown looking petulant in front of the Punisher's chest... that one is one of my favorite bits of art of all time. It's not just well made, it's so... true. It's more or less the essence of Molly Hayes put on page.

At any rate, I'm glad she'll be back, and it looks like Jon Foster is more than up to the task of continuing her tradition of loveliness.

IMForeman | November 13, 20:48 CET

Good to know that she is coming back, Joss. Thanks.

Lioness | November 13, 21:23 CET

Filling in for Jo Chen for one arc has to be a little daunting. But I see Jon Foster has nothing to worry about. I like this one a lot. I like to see some scariness in a Buffy cover now and again. More, please.

[ edited by Sunfire on 2007-11-13 19:34 ]

Sunfire | November 13, 22:33 CET

We were really lucky to get Jon Foster to step up for this arc, but Jo is fine and coming back atchya for the next one.

Without meaning to question the Biggest Purple, Fount of Much Goodness (and hopefully, as time passes and Lemsip is supped, progressively less phlegm ;) isn't issue 11 a stand-alone ? So does that mean Mr Foster is doing #11 and the arc that follows it (by Drew Goddard assuming plans haven't changed) ?

Still, great to hear that we'll be back in Ms Chen's capable hands before too long (and that there's no bad-blood - even if that didn't really seem likely to me from the outset).

Saje | November 13, 23:29 CET

Saje, I'd say a stand-alone can't be an arc (kinda like you need 2 points to define a line, 3 to define a circle...), so the boss is probably talking about #11 and the next arc.

Yeah, glad to hear all is well with Jo and looking forward to have her back.

jam2 | November 14, 00:34 CET

Thanks for the clarification, Joss. Great to know that Jo is ok and will be back. In the meantime, here's wishing Jon all the best for this arc. He's certainly off to a fine start with this cover!

Osmium | November 14, 01:51 CET

I also appreciate Joss posting to clarify (and defuse the worry worts among us, like me). I'm sure I'm going to enjoy Jon Foster's work, but I'm relieved to know that Jo Chen will be returning!

embers | November 14, 02:37 CET

I don't think I've ever seen Whedonesquers agree on anything as much as they (we) do on the beauty of Jo Chen's covers. Well, joss-in-general, of course, but we're kind of pre-selected for that.

Saje, what do you mean "If Jo Chen herself actually made any money" from her prints? Doesn't she? I sure hope she does. I was thinking of putting one on my Christmas list. (In case Santa is feeling generous.)

jcs | November 14, 03:06 CET

You can buy a print of the first issue, trade cover etc. (and maybe others, if you ask really nicely ;) from her site, she makes from that, but the others from e.g. Fox Studios Art or ACME Archives she doesn't make any (in her own words ;) scratch from the sales.

Notice that she still provides a link to them though. Nice lady.

Saje | November 14, 03:33 CET

Thanks Kirochka, I'll take a peek over at ebay as well!

I'm glad to hear Jo will be back, but I'm also really looking forward to Jon Foster's work. That linked cover is truly, truly amazing (I love what the light is doing there), and I also just can't stop looking at this image from his site. The expression on the girls face and the way she's pointing at that robot is somehow just perfect. A story in itself.

GVH | November 14, 04:08 CET

It doesn't seem right that she doesn't get anything for her work being sold...sounds kind of familiar, though.

jcs | November 14, 05:58 CET

Heh, yeah. Of course, it happens, depending on the contract you've signed or the deal you've made. I've had articles I've written for a magazine reprinted in other magazines from the same publisher, without an extra dime (always fun when you're reading a magazine, and suddenly there's an unexpected copy of your own article in there- I've had that happen a couple of times now), but it's what I agreed to when writing for that publisher (plus: I also get to resell my own article to someone else after a while, although, of course, almost no one wants an article already published somewhere, and so I've never actually done that).

I guess that's somewhat similar to making a cover painting and then having the prints be sold by the production company (although, given the price of those things and seeing as it is her solo-project being sold, it seems somewhat less fair).

I do find all this less depressing than the writer's deal, however, which just plain sucks more, because tv shows are going to be shown online more and more, instead of only in rare cases, and because it's eating into other moneystreams the writers depend on.

GVH | November 14, 07:02 CET

I do like the Jon Foster cover almost as much as I have liked the Jo Chen covers. I think I will be very happy if they end up sharing the covers.

newcj | November 14, 07:30 CET

Yep, alternating months by each (or simultaneous Foster variants) would be fine by me.

Looking at the images on his site, his style is perfectly suited to "Hellblazer" IMO, i'd love to see him do a set of covers for that. Course, some of his best stuff involves the interesting use of light and there's not too much of that in John Constantine's world ;).

Saje | November 14, 13:41 CET

Oh man, Jon Foster does the covers for the Vampirates books AND Buffy now? If it's not a cover by Jo Chen, he's totally the next best thing.

JCapra | November 16, 13:19 CET

November 13 2007