10 essential ‘Buffy’ comics that expand TV show’s narrative
Comics list: The “Buffy” Dark Horse comics from 1998-2004 are mostly non-canonical. Yet several stories expand on the TV show’s narrative.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel
‘Buffy’ flashback: ‘The Lost Slayer’ (2001) (Book review)
The four-book serial novel “The Lost Slayer” (August-November 2001) is one of the grimmest “Buffy” stories on record, oddly taking place near the start of Season 4, a relatively sunny point in the timeline. It’s […]
‘Buffy’ flashback: ‘Tales of the Vampires’ (2003-04) and ‘Angels We Have Seen on High’ (2002) (Comic book reviews)
Often when a comic book series ends, that final issue will sit in its slot on the racks for a long time afterward, since there is no next issue to replace it. My enduring memory […]
‘Angel’ flashback: ‘The Summoned’ (2001) (Book review)
Cameron Dokey, in her final Buffyverse novel (she also wrote the weak “Buffy” YA book “Here Be Monsters” and two excellent short stories in “How I Survived My Summer Vacation”), has the task of closing out […]
‘Buffy’ flashback: ‘Chaos Bleeds’ (2003) (Book and comic book review)
The most heavily marketed “Buffy” video game, “Chaos Bleeds,” got both comic book (June 2003) and novel (August 2003) adaptations. Usually video game tie-ins are red flags for readers, because there’s a danger they will […]
‘Angel’ flashback: ‘Bruja’ (2001) (Book review)
Mel Odom pens another winner in the “Angel” book series with “Bruja” (August 2001), which blends a lot of story threads into a surprising yet natural conclusion. Without using the flashback device often found in […]
‘Buffy’ flashback: ‘Tales of the Slayers’ (2001-02) (Comic book reviews)
The “Tales of the Slayers” comics – a trade paperback in November 2001 and the “Broken Bottle of Djinn” one-shot in October 2002 – are primarily written by “Buffy” and “Angel” TV writers, which creates […]
‘Angel’ flashback: ‘Soul Trade’ (2001) (Book review)
Although Thomas E. Sniegoski is a prolific Buffyverse writer, “Soul Trade” (May 2001) – the seventh original novel in the “Angel” series – is his only solo work. The other entries on his resume are […]
‘Angel’ flashback: ‘Long Night’s Journey’ (2001-02) (Comic book review)
Under the suggestion of Joss Whedon, Dark Horse shut down its “Angel” series in April 2001, then relaunched it a few months later with the four-issue “Long Night’s Journey” (September 2001-May 2002), which presumably was […]
‘Angel’ flashback: ‘Avatar’ (2001) (Book review)
“Avatar” (March 2001), the sixth original novel in the “Angel” line, isn’t exactly a surprising affair, but it does have a nice mix of original characters and insights into our heroes. John Passarella, who had […]