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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It’s the most important month of the year for our fundraising, with upward of 15 percent of our annual online total coming in during the final week—and there’s a lot to say about why Mother Jones’ journalism, and thus hitting that big number, matters tremendously right now.

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So we’re going to try making this as un-annoying as possible. In “Let the Facts Speak for Themselves” we give it our best shot, answering three questions that most any fundraising should try to speak to: Why us, why now, why does it matter?

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