List of Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics
While many comic books based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series were published while the show aired, they are not all considered canonical. Some feature characters who do not appear in the television series, most notably in the Tales of the Slayers and Tales of the Vampires miniseries. The first series of books were published by Dark Horse Comics between 1998 and 2004, initially in comic format and later collected into volumes of trade paperbacks. A small number of Buffy comics were not included in trade paperbacks, such as the titles Giles, Jonathan, and Reunion. Following the television series finale, Dark Horse began releasing new books titled Season Eight, Season Nine, and Season Ten, along with various spin-offs, written and/or supervised by creator Joss Whedon. These books were officially recognized as canon. In 2005, Dark Horse allowed the rights to produce comics for Buffy's companion series Angel to lapse, and they were acquired for a short period by IDW Publishing, which released the canonical series Angel: After the Fall alongside other non-canon titles. Dark Horse reacquired the rights in 2010 and subsequently released the series Angel & Faith and Angel. In 2018, Dark Horse Comics announced that, after 20 years, the license for Buffy and related material would transfer to Boom! Studios. The first issue of the reboot series was released in January 2019.
Relation to the TV series
Buffy comics have a long history, with comics produced during the original run of the television series generally considered "non-canonical", with notable exceptions written by Joss Whedon. Buffy comic books published between 2007 and 2018 presented the official continuation of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, with series creator Joss Whedon serving as the primary writer and collaborating with other writers from the television series to continue the story.Pre-2007
As with most ancillary media for television series, such as novels and video games, storylines for the original Dark Horse comics published during the show's run were approved by both Fox and Joss Whedon as part of broader Buffy merchandising. Stories in the original 63 issues were released while the series was on air and were intended to take place between episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, though they were often difficult to place precisely beyond the season in which they occurred. Plot elements or character details introduced in these stories were not referenced in the television series. Later storylines during this period attempted to fill narrative gaps following character departures, such as the Oz comic, or events between seasons five and six, such as The Death of Buffy, without introducing contradictions to the television canon.Buffy creator Joss Whedon distanced himself on several occasions from these ancillary works written by other authors, stating:
During this period, several canonical Buffy comics were also published with Whedon's close involvement. These began with Fray, a far-future story written by Whedon that introduced elements later incorporated into the seventh season of the television series. Whedon and other writers from the show also contributed to the Tales of the Slayers and Tales of the Vampires anthology series, which focused on Slayers and vampires from earlier eras.
2007-present
In 2005, Dark Horse Comics and Joss Whedon announced a canonical continuation of the television series in the form of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight. This series shared plot elements with canonical Angel continuations published by IDW Comics, including Angel: After the Fall and Spike. Season Eight was followed by Season Nine and subsequent seasons, concluding with Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Twelve in 2018.From 2019, the Buffy license transferred to BOOM! Studios, which produced a separate run of explicitly non-canon stories set in an alternative universe from 2019 to 2023.
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'' (1998–2003)
Buffy specials (1998–2003)
Buffy mini-series (1999–2001)
Buffy tales (2002–2009)
Dark Horse Presents
Dark Horse Extra
TV Guide
Trade paperbacks
1. Compilations of most of the material listed above:- The Remaining Sunlight
- Uninvited Guests
- Bad Blood
- Crash Test Demons
- Pale Reflections
- The Blood of Carthage
- Food Chain
- Past Lives
- Autumnal
- Out of the Woodwork
- False Memories
- Ugly Little Monsters
- Haunted
- The Death of Buffy
- Note from the Underground
- Viva Las Buffy!
- Slayer, Interrupted
- A Stake to the Heart
- Spike and Dru
- Willow and Tara
- Oz
- Tales of the Slayers
- Tales of the Vampires
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus Vol. 1
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus Vol. 2
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus Vol. 3
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus Vol. 4
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus Vol. 5
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus Vol. 6
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus Vol. 7
- ''Tales''
Season Eight (2007–2011)
| # | Title | Writer | Artist | Release Date | Reprinted in |
| 1–4 | "The Long Way Home" | Joss Whedon | Georges Jeanty | March 14, 2007 April 4, 2007 May 2, 2007 June 6, 2007 | The Long Way Home |
| 5 | "The Chain" | Joss Whedon | Paul Lee | July 25, 2007 | The Long Way Home |
| 6–9 | "No Future for You" | Brian K. Vaughan | Georges Jeanty | September 5, 2007 October 3, 2007 November 7, 2007 December 5, 2007 | No Future for You |
| 10 | "Anywhere but Here" | Joss Whedon | Cliff Richards | January 2, 2008 | No Future for You |
| 11 | "A Beautiful Sunset" | Joss Whedon | Georges Jeanty | February 6, 2008 | Wolves at the Gate |
| 12–15 | "Wolves at the Gate" | Drew Goddard | Georges Jeanty | March 5, 2008 April 2, 2008 May 7, 2008 June 4, 2008 | Wolves at the Gate |
| 16–19 | "Time of Your Life" | Joss Whedon | Karl Moline | July 2, 2008 August 6, 2008 September 3, 2008 November 26, 2008 | Time of Your Life |
| 20 | "After These Messages... We'll Be Right Back!" | Jeph Loeb | Georges Jeanty & Eric Wight | December 17, 2008 | Time of Your Life |
| 21 | "Harmonic Divergence" | Jane Espenson | Georges Jeanty | January 7, 2009 | Predators and Prey |
| 22 | "Swell" | Steven S. DeKnight | Georges Jeanty | February 4, 2009 | Predators and Prey |
| 23 | "Predators and Prey" | Drew Z. Greenberg | Georges Jeanty | March 4, 2009 | Predators and Prey |
| 24 | "Safe" | Jim Krueger | Cliff Richards | April 1, 2009 | Predators and Prey |
| 25 | "Living Doll" | Doug Petrie | Georges Jeanty | May 6, 2009 | Predators and Prey |
| 26–30 | "Retreat" | Jane Espenson | Georges Jeanty | July 1, 2009 August 5, 2009 September 2, 2009 October 7, 2009 November 4, 2009 | Retreat |
| 31 | "Turbulence" | Joss Whedon | Georges Jeanty | January 13, 2010 | Twilight |
| 32–35 | "Twilight" | Brad Meltzer | Georges Jeanty | February 3, 2010 March 3, 2010 April 7, 2010 May 5, 2010 | Twilight |
| 36–40 | "Last Gleaming" | Joss Whedon & Scott Allie | Georges Jeanty | September 1, 2010 October 6, 2010 November 3, 2010 December 1, 2010 January 19, 2011 | Last Gleaming |
Specials
Trade paperbacks
- The Long Way Home
- No Future for You
- Wolves at the Gate
- Time of Your Life
- Predators and Prey
- Retreat
- Twilight
- ''Last Gleaming''
Season Nine (2011–2013)
Buffy
Trade paperbacks
- Freefall
- On Your Own
- Guarded
- Welcome to the Team
- ''The Core''
Angel & Faith
Trade paperbacks
- Live Through This
- Daddy Issues
- Family Reunion
- Death and Consequences
- ''What You Want, Not What You Need''