In Meta-Messages, I explore the context behind (using reader danjack’s term) “meta-messages.” A meta-message is where a comic book creator comments on/references the work of another comic book/comic book creator (or sometimes even themselves) in their comic. Each time around, I’ll give you the context behind one such “meta-message.”
Today, we look at how Peter David worked in a reference to readers’ comments about the similarities of Buzz in Supergirl to Spike in Buffy (although the reference didn’t exactly work correctly).
As I wrote about in an old Comic Book Legends Revealed, Peter David used to be irked at a comment he would often get from readers about the character of Buzz in Supergirl.
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Buzz, you see, was a demon who was the initial villain in the Supergirl comic book. He was British and he got Linda Danvers into demon worship, until she was pretty much evil. It took the sacrifice of the Matrix version of Supergirl to redeem Linda by merging with her and saving her life, allowing Linda to turn into Supergirl and try to redeem herself as a superhero. In Supergirl #8 (by Peter David, Gary Frank and Cam Smith), Buzz shows up for dinner with Linda and her parents (they don’t know he’s a demon, of course)…
After a delightfully awkward dinner, Buzz abruptly went full evil…
Okay, so, in the second season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a British vampire named Spike showed up…
Spike then reluctantly was forced to become a hero, of sorts (or at least an anti-hero) and he slowly grew to like it, even winning back his soul so that he could possibly be with Buffy…
Around the same time, Buzz and Linda were forced to team-up, as well…
As a nod to the complaints, David then had Buzz “meet” Spike in Supergirl #60 (by David, Leonard Kirk and Robin Riggs), but the coloring made Spike’s platinum blonde hair look gray, so it looked like Buzz ran into some old guy and the effect was lost…
But that was the intent, at least! So it was sort of an ATTEMPTED Meta-Message, but it still counts!
Okay, that’s it for this Meta-Messages. If anyone else has a suggestion for a good Meta-Messages, drop me a line at [email protected]!
CBR Senior Writer Brian Cronin has been writing professionally about comic books for over a dozen years now at CBR (primarily with his “Comics Should Be Good” series of columns, including Comic Book Legends Revealed).
He has written two books about comics for Penguin-Random House – Was Superman a Spy? And Other Comic Book Legends Revealed and Why Does Batman Carry Shark Repellent? And Other Amazing Comic Book Trivia! and one book, 100 Things X-Men Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die, from Triumph Books. His writing has been featured at ESPN.com, the Los Angeles Times, About.com, the Huffington Post and Gizmodo.
He features legends about entertainment and sports at his website, Legends Revealed.
Follow him on Twitter at @Brian_Cronin and feel free to e-mail him suggestions for stories about comic books that you’d like to see featured at [email protected]!
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