The cult classic 1990s Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series has, with the addition of various spin-offs and comic series, become a sprawling franchise unto itself. This binging guide, like my similar guides for the MCU, New Who, and the DCAU, seeks to put all of the shows and comics into one digestible list to make binging the whole franchise easy and painless.
While there are a multitude of Buffy tie-in comics, only the ones beginning with the Joss Whedon helmed Season Eight are considered official canon (with a couple of exceptions, as noted below), and are thus the only ones featured in this guide. Not to say that the other comics are of lower quality, simply that there are too many to chronicle the canon and non-canon alike.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Film, 1992)
Directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui. The original Buffy film is not quite canon with the later stories. The actors are different, the tone is off, events do not quite match up, and the look and rules of the supernatural elements of the film are way different from what the series would solidify. However, the broad strokes of the film's events do set up the series, so it is best to watch it to get the background. Alternatively, some would suggest instead reading Joss Whedon's original screenplay for the film (which still does not quite match up, but is tonally much closer to the series) or Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Origin, a comic book adaptation by Dan Brereton and Christopher Golden that rewrites the film's narrative to line up more comfortably with the series (though the comic does still have its weird idiosyncrasies).
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season One (Television, 1996-1997)
Created by Joss Whedon. First season of the television series, which is the backbone of the franchise.
Buffy: The High School Years (Comic, 2016-present)
By Faith Erin Hicks. A still-ongoing series of standalone graphic novels set during the first season of the show.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Seasons Two and Three (Television, 1997-1999)
Buffy Season Four / Angel Season One (Television, 1999-2000)
Angel (created by Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt) is Buffy's spin-off series, which ran alongside its sister show for most of its run. The two shows crossover constantly, so at least on first-time viewing you really need to stagger the shows rather than watch them separately so as not to get lost. There are already plenty of good pieces online for how to stagger the two shows, such as this one right here, so this guide will not address that.
Buffy Season Five / Angel Season Two (Television, 2000-2001)
Buffy Season Six / Angel Season Three (Television, 2001-2002)
Fray (Comic, 2001-2003)
By Joss Whedon. A comic miniseries set int he distant future of the show. Sets up some concepts for the seventh season of Buffy.
Buffy Season Seven / Angel Season Four (Television, 2002-2003)
Season seven is the final televised season of Buffy, though later seasons would be released in comic book form.
Angel Season Five (Television, 2003-2004)
The final season of Angel.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales (Comic, 2011)
By various. A collection of assorted canon comic stories expanding on the world and characters of Buffy and Angel.
Spike: Asylum (Comic, 2006-2007)
By Brian Lynch. Miniseries set roughly some time during season five of Angel.
Spike: Shadow Puppets (Comic, 2007)
By Brian Lynch. Sequel to Asylum. Both series are wobbly in regards to canon, and Shadow Puppets in particular uses its story to poke fun at the idea of "official canon" in general.
Spike: After the Fall (Comic, 2008)
By Brian Lynch. Essentially the third part of a trilogy of Spike miniserieses, and leads directly in Angel: After the Fall.
Angel: After the Fall Vol. 1-4 (Comic, 2007-2009)
By Brian Lynch. Sister series to Buffy Season Eight, and often referred to as Angel Season 6, though it takes place before Buffy Season Eight. IDW would continue the series for a while past Vol. 4, but those issues lacked franchise creator Joss Whedon's involvement and are not considered canonical.
Spike (Comic, 2010-2011)
By Brian Lynch. A spin-off of Angel: After the Fall leading into Buffy Season Eight.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight Vol. 1-8 (Comic, 2007-2011)
By various. The official comic continuation of Buffy.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine (Comic, 2011-2013)
By various. Split into two sister series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel & Faith, plus some miniseries, as follows:
A&F Vol. 1
Buffy Vol. 1
A&F Vol. 2
Buffy Vol. 2
A&F Vol. 3
Buffy Vol. 3
Willow: Wonderland
A&F Vol. 4
Buffy Vol. 4
A&F Vol. 5
Spike: A Dark Place
Buffy Vol. 5
Buffy Season Ten (Comic, 2014-2016)
By various. As follows:
A&F Vol. 1
Buffy Vol 1
A&F Vol. 2
Buffy Vol. 2
A&F Vol. 3
Buffy Vol. 3
A&F Vol. 4
Buffy Vol. 4
A&F Vol. 5
Buffy Vol. 5
Buffy Vol. 6
Buffy Season Eleven (Comic, 2016-2018)
By various. The Angel & Faith series was replaced by an Angel ongoing. As follows:
Buffy Vol. 1
Angel Vol. 1
Angel Vol. 2
Angel Vol. 3
Buffy Vol. 2
Giles
There are also, in addition to the aforementioned non-canon comics, a ton of non-canon novels and a handful of video games, including two well-regarded quasi-canon installments for the Xbox (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Reigns).
No comments:
Post a Comment