Joss Whedon: The Biography

Amy Pascale

Chicago Review Press, 448 pages
Biography
Hardcover, $29.95

There’s more to Joss Whedon than you might think.

Did you know he wrote for Roseanne? Did you know his father wrote television comedy? Did you know he was really — I mean really — into Shakespeare?

MTV’s Amy Pascale digs into the history of Joss Whedon, taking a look at his formative years traveling through time all the way up to the development of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. He’s come a long way, and it wasn’t always a comfortable ride. Even in those times where it seemed Joss could do no wrong creatively, there was always a shoe waiting to drop.

Through interviews and anecdotal stories, with an introduction by Nathan Fillion, Pascale peels back the layers to expose… well, a pretty decent guy. No dark turrrible secrets here. If anything, it’s just the opposite — a well-respected, well-connected, decent hardworking fellow who surrounds himself with good creative people who can sing in “the key of Whedon”. And even that wasn’t always the best working environment, to hear some people tell it.

Did you know Joss and Tim Minear didn’t get along at first? Read all about it here. It’s a very interesting look at a man who seems like just an ordinary average guy, as the song says, but he’s anything but that.

Buffy, Angel, Dollhouse, Firefly, Cabin in the Woods, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Much Ado About Nothing, and even that little superhero movie he made a couple of years ago… it’s all here and it makes for a great read. Not only does it offer up insights into Whedon’s creative process, but it also shows how deeply he cares about his projects and the people around him. (And he’s also a good dancer?)

Plus: several projects that almost happened, but didn’t: Wonder Woman, Buffy: The Animated Series, Goners.

Back in August, I got a chance to talk with Amy Pascale about the book on Live From the Bunker, and it’s included here:

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Pick this up as a gift for yourself, and read all about Joss Whedon’s fanboy antics when he discovered Veronica Mars. It’s worth the time.