While many comic books based on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer were published when the television show was on air they are not all considered canonical and often deal with characters who do not appear in the television series, most notably in the Tales of the Slayers and Tales of the Vampires mini-series.
The first series of books were published by Dark Horse Comics between 1998 and 2004, originally in comic format but then gathered into volumes of trade paperbacks. A small number of Buffy comics have not been included in trade paperbacks, such as the books entitled "Giles", "Jonathan", and "Reunion".
Following the television series finale, Dark Horse began releasing new books titled Season Eight, Nine, and Ten, and various spin-offs, which are written and/or supervised by creator Joss Whedon and officially recognized as canon to the show. In 2007, Dark Horse allowed the rights to produce the comics for Buffy's companion show Angel to lapse, and they were picked up for a short time by IDW Publishing, which released the canon series Angel: After the Fall among other non-canon titles. Dark Horse reacquired the rights in 2010 and went on to release the official Angel: Season Six and the spin-off series Angel & Faith.
In 2018 it was announced after 20 years at Dark Horse Comics, the license for Buffy and all related material will transfer to Boom! Studios.[1] The first issue of the reboot series was released in January 2019.
Relation to the TV series
Series creator Joss Whedon and a number of writers involved with the television series authored many of the comic books. Overviews summarizing the comic books' storylines were written early in the writing process and were "approved" by both Fox and Joss Whedon (or his office), and the books were therefore later published as official Buffy merchandise.
The stories in the Buffy comics take place in between episodes of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series, and continue after the series ended. Issues 1 to 63 take place during the period that the series was still on air, and none are written by Joss Whedon himself. The earlier issues are not very easy to place in the series other than the season they are set in. The stories get more specific later on, however; for example, the Oz comics fill in the story line of Oz's character after he leaves the TV series, and the Death of Buffy comics take place between seasons five and six of the series.
Starting in 2007, a new series of Buffy comics has been produced, also published by Dark Horse Comics. These are a canonical continuation of the television series and as such are considered Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight. One of the other comics considered canon is the 8-part series Fray, since the main character, Melaka Fray, appears in Season Eight. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight takes place after the series ended, and the issues are written by Joss Whedon to continue the storyline. A subsequent Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine series followed, accompanied by a companion or sister-series Angel & Faith which is set during the same time period and interchanges plots and characters. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Ten debuted in March 2014, followed by the continuation of its companion series the following month.
Dark Horse Comics (1998–2018)
Pre-Season Eight Stories
These stories are first published by Dark Horse comics, later most of Buffy stories are collected in Buffy comic books.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eleven is the sequel to the Season Ten comic book series, a canonical continuation of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Buffy & Angel consist of only 12 issues per series, a much shorter run than the previous seasons, while the miniseries, Giles, runs for 4 issues. The series was published by Dark Horse Comics and began on November 23, 2016.[5]
The series was concluded with Season Twelve which began on June 20, 2018 and concluded on September 19, 2018.
In 2019, a new Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic book series was released by Boom! Studios; this version of the series is a reboot with no continuity to the television series or previous comics. Despite being set in an alternate modern-day continuity, the likenesses of the series' actors are still used to represent their respective characters.
Main series (2019–)
#
Title
Writer(s)
Artist(s)
Release Date
Reprinted in
1–4
High School is Hell
(4 episodes)
Jordie Bellaire
Dan Mora
January 9, 2019 February 13, 2019 March 13, 2019 April 17, 2019
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: High School is Hell
5–8
Once Bitten
(4 episodes)
David López
June 5, 2019 July 3, 2019 August 7, 2019 September 4, 2019
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once Bitten
9–12
From Beneath You
(4 episodes)
November 13, 2019 December 4, 2019 January 1, 2020 February 5, 2020
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: From Beneath You
13–16
Frenemies
(4 episodes)
Rosemary Valero-O'Connell
March 4, 2020
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Frenemies
Julian López with Moisés Hildalgo
May 20, 2020
Ramon Bachs
July 1, 2020 August 5, 2020
17–20
The Biggest Bad
(4 episodes)
Jordie Bellaire & Jeremy Lambert
David López
September 2, 2020
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Biggest Bad
Ramon Bachs
October 7, 2020 November 4, 2020
21–22
Secrets of the Slayer
(2 episodes)
Andrés Genolet
January 6, 2021
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Secrets of the Slayer
Ramon Bachs
February 3, 2021
23–26
The World Without Shrimp
(4 episodes)
March 3, 2021 April 7, 2021 May 5, 2021
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The World Without Shrimp
Jeremy Lambert
Marianna Ignazzi
June 2, 2021
27–28
A Rainbow upon Her Head
(2 episodes)
Carmelo Zagaria
July 7, 2021
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: A Rainbow upon Her Head
Valentina Pinti
August 4, 2021
29–32
Forget Me Not
(4 episodes)
Marianna Ignazzi
September 1, 2021 October 6, 2021 November 17, 2021 December 1, 2021
↑ Not to be confused with the comics from the Buffy Classics series.
Related Research Articles
Buffy Anne Summers is the title character of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer before going on to appear in The WB/UPN 1997–2003 television series and subsequent 1998–2018 Dark Horse and 2019–present Boom! Studios comic series of the same name. The character has also appeared in the spin-off series Angel, as well as numerous expanded universe materials such as novels and video games. Buffy was portrayed by Kristy Swanson in the film and by Sarah Michelle Gellar in the television series. Giselle Loren has lent her voice to the character in both the Buffy video games and an unproduced animated series, while Kelly Albanese lent her voice to the character in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight motion comics.
Faith Lehane is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Played by actress Eliza Dushku, Faith was introduced in the third season of Buffy and was a focus of that season's overarching plot. She returned for shorter story arcs on Buffy and its spin-off, Angel. The character's story is continued in the comic book series Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, and she also appears in apocryphal material such as other comic books and novels. Faith was set to receive her own spin-off television series after the final season of Buffy, but Eliza Dushku declined the offer, and the series was never made. The character later co-stars in the 25-issue comic book Angel & Faith beginning in August 2011 under the banner of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine, the story taking place mostly in London and the surrounding area. Seven years after the character's creation, Whedon granted her the surname Lehane for a role-playing game and subsequent material. The last issue of Season Eight was the first source officially confirmed to be canon that referred to Faith by her full name.
Fray is an eight-issue comic book limited series, a futuristic spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Written by Buffy creator Joss Whedon, the series follows a Slayer named Melaka Fray, a chosen one in a time when vampires are returning to the slums of New York City, and the rich-poor divide is even greater. Volume one is drawn by Karl Moline (pencils) and Andy Owens (inks).
Angel is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt for the American television programs Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off series Angel. The character is portrayed by actor David Boreanaz. As introduced in Buffy in 1997, Angel is a love interest for heroine Buffy Summers, a young woman whose destiny as "the Slayer" is to fight the forces of evil, such as vampires and demons. However, their relationship is complicated by the fact that Angel is himself a vampire cursed with remorse and a human soul, which motivates him to assist Buffy in her duties as Slayer. The character's popularity led to the production of the spin-off Angel, which follows the character's struggle towards redemption after moving to Los Angeles. In addition to the two television series, the character appears in the comic book continuations of both series, as well as much other expanded universe literature.
The Buffyverse canon consists of materials that are thought to be genuine and those events, characters, settings, etc., that are considered to have inarguable existence within the fictional universe established by the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The Buffyverse is expanded through other additional materials such as comics, novels, pilots, promos and video games which do not necessarily take place in exactly the same fictional continuity as the Buffy episodes and Angel episodes. Star Trek, Star Wars, Stargate and other prolific sci-fi and fantasy franchises have similarly gathered complex fictional continuities through hundreds of stories told in different formats.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight is a comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics from 2007 to 2011. It serves as a canonical continuation of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and follows the events of that show's final televised season. It is produced by Joss Whedon, who wrote or co-wrote three of the series arcs and several one-shot stories. The series was followed by Season Nine in 2011.
"The Long Way Home" is the first arc from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight series of comic books, a direct continuation of the television series of the same name. It is written by creator Joss Whedon. It ran for four issues. The first issue was released on March 14, 2007, and the final issue of the arc was released on June 6, 2007. A collected edition of the arc was released on November 14, 2007.
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Angel: After the Fall, also known as Angel: Season 6, is a comic book published by IDW Publishing. Written by Brian Lynch and plotted with Joss Whedon, the series is a canonical continuation of the Angel television series, and follows the events of that show's final season. Angel: After the Fall was prompted by IDW Publishing and Joss Whedon after the success of Dark Horse Comics' Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight which is the official comic continuation of Angel's mothershow, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Angel: After the Fall sees the heroic vampire, Angel, coping with the apocalyptic aftermath of the television series after he took over and subsequently betrayed the demonic law firm, Wolfram & Hart. The city of Los Angeles has since been sent to hell by Wolfram & Hart as a result of Angel's actions. The series follows his attempts to rescue the people he has sworn to protect. The first issue was released on November 21, 2007.
"Twilight" is the seventh story arc of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight series of comic books, based upon the television series of the same name, and is written by novelist and comic book writer Brad Meltzer. The story follows Buffy's warfare with recurring villain Twilight, and features Buffy taking on Twilight mano y mano following her development of powers similar to his. Part II, notably, reveals the identity of Twilight after months of speculation; this revelation was leaked early due to cover solicitations, leading to much early controversy and speculation, as well as damage control from showrunner Joss Whedon and Dark Horse Comics editor Scott Allie.
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Spike is a comic book series published by IDW Publishing. Written by Brian Lynch, it focuses on Spike, a main character in television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off, Angel. Spike is a spin-off from IDW's larger Angel: After the Fall franchise, and it also serves as a prequel to Dark Horse Comics' Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight comic book series. As such, it is "canon" to the overall "Buffyverse" in which stories take place. Although originally intended as an ongoing series, the Angel rights transfer from IDW to Dark Horse caused the series end after eight issues.
Karl Michael Moline was an American comic book artist who was the co-creator of Fray. He provided the artwork for Fray, as well as the associated Fray-centric story in Tales of the Slayers.
Georges Jeanty is an American comic book penciler illustrator best known for his work on The American Way, an eight-issue American comic book limited series produced under DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint, and the Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics. Various issues of Serenity (comics).
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Ten is the sequel to the Season Nine comic book series, a canonical continuation of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series is published by Dark Horse Comics and ran from March 2014 to August 2016.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Twelve: The Reckoning is the sequel to the Season Eleven comic book series, a canonical continuation of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was published by Dark Horse Comics and began on June 20, 2018. The series consists of four issues, co-written by creator Joss Whedon and Christos Gage, and illustrated by Georges Jeanty. It is the final season of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer canonical comic book series.
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