Buffy : Season 8

’Buffy’ comics get moving, thanks to Milwaukee-area native

Milwaukee-area native Jeff Shuter composed a motion comic of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” which was unveiled at the Comic-Con International convention in San Diego.

The "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" comic books are transforming into an animated series, and a Milwaukee-area native is directing the dark embrace.

Jeff Shuter, a Nicolet High School graduate now living in Los Angeles, adapted and produced all 19 episodes of the motion comic series, which debuted Thursday at the Comic-Con International convention in San Diego.

A motion comic is just what it sounds like: a moving comic book. The artwork from the original Dark Horse comics is used but energized with techniques such as voice acting and animation, including moving characters and shifting scenery.

"Basically, we are taking the comic books and adapting them to a moving format that brings the book to life and tries to stay true to the original material," Shuter said in a phone interview from Comic-Con, one of the world’s biggest pop-culture gatherings. "At the same time, we’re expanding the world, expanding the characters and respecting the brand."

The motion comic is based on the "Season Eight" comic series, which is a canonical continuation of Joss Whedon’s cult-hit television series. In short, it’s an animated series based on comic books that were based on a live-action television show that was based on a 1992 movie.

"We are adapting from what’s been adapted from what’s been adapted," he said. "It is a big universe, and there is a creative aspect in that we are looking at the books and doing an interpretation that is based on our reading of it."

Shuter noted that he’s studied the physical actions people make while reading printed books - turning pages, margin notes, backtracking and skipping ahead - and transcended them to the screen.

"I’ve converted these ’reading actions’ into visual devices employed within ’Buffy’ Season 8 to re-create that same experience," he wrote.

The first of the motion comic episodes launched this week on Apple’s iTunes and Amazon.com, and the entire series will be available on DVD this fall. The first issue, which costs $1.99 on iTunes and 99 cents on Amazon, is about 10 minutes long. A free trailer for the series is available for download, too.

Shuter said he thinks the motion comic will help tell the "Buffy" stories to a broader audience.

"My goal is to try and find a happy medium that pleases all kinds of ’Buffy’ fans," Shuter said. "And to do justice to the world while keeping the integrity of the books."