November/December 2008 Issue

Joss Whedon’s Heroine Addiction

Five of Joss’ most Whedonesque characters.

Photo: Dr. Horrible Courtesy Mutant Enemy; all others courtesy 20th Century Fox

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Five of Joss’ most Whedonesque characters

Buffy

buffy summers

The quip-happy teen do-gooder who started it all, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar.
Quote: “People to see, demons to kill.”

Cordelia

cordelia chase

Former mean girl and Buffy foil turned compassionate seer on the spin-off show, Angel.
Quote: “Actually, I’m feeling superior because I have an arrow pointed at your jugular. And the irony of using a phallic-shaped weapon…not lost on me.”

Dr. Horrible

dr. horrible

Supervillain antihero of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, played by Neil Patrick Harris.
Quote: “The world is a mess, and I just need to rule it.”

River

river tam

The troubled young psychic assassin among the space outlaws of Firefly and Serenity.
Quote: “I can kill you with my brain.”

Spike

spike

Buffy’s sexy British nemesis/one-time lover. The kind of vampire who likes his women intelligent and complex.
Quote: “I may be love’s bitch, but at least I’m man enough to admit it.”

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In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, how brutal it is to sustain quality journalism right now, what makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there, and why support from readers is the only thing that keeps us going. Despite the challenges, we're optimistic we can increase the share of online readers who decide to donate—starting with hitting an ambitious $300,000 goal in just three weeks to make sure we can finish our fiscal year break-even in the coming months.

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