In Dark Horse Comics' Season 9 issue #6 of
Buffy The Vampire Slayer the titular heroine discovers she is pregnant, and isn't sure who the father is. After much soul searching and discussion with her friends, including the Vampire Spike, she decides to have an abortion..
Buffy creator and executive producer of the comic Joss Whedon says it had to be portrayed as a difficult decision for the character, and it had to be treated with respect on the creative side..
"It's not something we would ever take lightly, because you can't. You don't. It's not an easy thing for anyone..
Buffy was always about the arc of a life, and it wasn't ever going to be one of those shows where they were perpetually in high school and never asked why. It was about change. So there's never a time when Buffy's life isn't relevant."
There are those that feel comics are no place for these type of issues, and the characters we read about should not reflect real world situations to too great a degree. Whedon concedes that there is a bit of a political jab in this storyline, but it is a subject that needs to be broached even if it annoys some people..
"It's not that women should be on one side or the other, but that people have to make this decision and talk about it. It offends me that people who purport to be discussing a decision that is as crucial and painful as any a young woman has to make won't even say something that they think is going to make some people angry."
Heavy stuff. Too heavy for a comic book? Be sure to give your thoughts below and click the link below for a full preview of the issue in question.