Buffy the Vampire Slayer has a loyal fanbase, that was devastated when the show ended after seven seasons. Luckily for fans, the Scooby Gang returned in the comic book format for canonical adventures after the show’s finale.
The result was critical and sales success, becoming a bestseller for Dark Horse Comics and many gaining positive reviews. There were even retailers who reported that the series brought new people into the comic medium due to the buzz and quality of the comic. It even set off a trend of TV series continuing after cancellation in comic book form.
For those who are sceptical, these comics were either written or executive produced by Buffy creator Joss Whedon. This meant that he oversaw the whole creative process and made sure that it would keep the same quality
Below is a Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic book reading order which allows for those interested on following into the comic series to know what to read and what order. Additionally, I have listed the creator credits as well as a list of the content that is collected in each trade paperback.
The reading order only includes comics that are part of the canonical continuation of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. As a result, comics published between 1998 and 2004 are not included.
Quicklinks: How Do I Start Reading Comics? The Simple Guide For New Readers
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8
Season 8 is the continuation of the television series that follows the events after season 7. The series was intended to run for 25 issues but was successful enough to last 40 issues, along with 3 one-shots. Below are a list of the collected editions, as well as credits and issue details for each.
Volume 1: The Long Way Home
Written by Joss Whedon. Art by Georges Jeanty.
Collects issues #1-5.
Volume 2: No Future For You
Written by Brian K Vaughan and Joss Whedon. Art by Georges Jeanty.
Collects issues #6-10.
Volume 3: Wolves at the Gate
Written by Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon. Art by Georges Jeanty.
Collects issues #11-15.
Volume 4: Time of Your Life
Written by Jeph Loeb and Joss Whedon. Art by Georges Jeanty.
Collects issues #16-20.
Volume 5: Predators and Prey
Written by Jane Espenson, Steven S. DeKnight, Drew Z. Greenberg, Jim Krueger, and Doug Petrie. Art by Georges Jeanty and Cliff Richards.
Collects issues #21-25 as well as ‘Harmony Bites’ and ‘Vampy Cat Play Friend’ one-shots.
Volume 6: Retreat
Written by Jane Espenson and Joss Whedon. Art by Georges Jeanty.
Collects issues #26-30 as well as ‘Always Darkest’ and ‘Harmony Comes to the Nation’ one-shots.
Volume 7: Twilight
Written by Brad Meltzer and Joss Whedon. Art by Georges Jeanty and Karl Moline.
Collects issues #31-35 and the ‘Willow: Goddesses and Monsters’ one-shot.
Volume 8: Last Gleaming
Written by Joss Whedon, Scott Allie, and Jane Espenson. Art by Georges Jeanty and Karl Moline.
Collects issues #36-40 and the ‘Riley: Commitment Through Distance, Virtue through Sin’ one-shot.
Season 8 is also collected in Dark Horse’s Library Edition format, which are oversized hardcovers collecting a larger amount of material.
Library Edition Volume 1
Collects issues #1-10, “Always Darkest” one-shot as well as cover and sketch galleries.
Library Edition Volume 2
Collects issues #11-20, “Willow: Goddesses and Monsters” one-shot as well as cover and sketch galleries.
Library Edition Volume 3
Collects issues #21-30, “Harmony Bites”, “Harmony Comes to the Nation”, “Vampy Cat Play Friend” one-shots as well as cover and sketch galleries.
Library Edition Volume 4
Collects issues #31-40, “Riley: Commitment Through Distance, Virtue through Sin” one-shot, as well as cover and sketch galleries.
Season 9
After the success of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8, BTVS returned in August 2011 for another series. This season is broken up into two core series with two miniseries that spin out of events of those series. Each of the core series, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9” and “Angel and Faith” ran concurrently for 25 issues.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 Volume 1: Freefall
Written by Joss Whedon and Andrew Chambliss. Art by Georges Jeanty and Karl Moline.
Collects issues #1-5.
Angel & Faith Volume 1: Live Through This
Written by Christos Gage. Art by Rebekah Isaacs and Phil Noto.
Collects issues #1-5 and the ‘Harmony’ one-shot.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 Volume 2: On Your Own
Written by Andrew Chambliss and Scott Allie. Art by Georges Jeanty and Karl Moline.
Collects issues #6-10 and the short story ‘In Space No One Can Hear You Slay!’
Angel & Faith Volume 2: Daddy Issues
Written by Christos Gage. Art by Rebekah Isaacs and Chris Samnee.
Collects issues #6-10.
Spike: A Dark Place
Written by Victor Gischler. Art by Paul Lee.
Collects Spike: A Dark Place #1-5.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 Volume 3: Guarded
Written by Andrew Chambliss, Jane Espenson, and Drew Z. Greenberg. Art by Georges Jeanty and Karl Moline.
Collects issues #11-15.
Angel & Faith Volume 3: Family Reunion
Written by Christos Gage. Art by Rebekah Isaacs, Lee Garbett, and David Lapham.
Collects issues #11-15.
Willow: Wonderland
Written by Jeff Parker and Christos Gage. Art by Brian Ching.
Collecting Willow: Wonderland #1-5.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 Volume 4: Welcome to the Team
Written by Andrew Chambliss. Art by Georges Jeanty and Karl Moline.
Collects issues #16-20.
Angel & Faith Volume 4: Death and Consequences
Written by Christos Gage. Art by Rebekah Isaacs.
Collects issues by #16-20.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 Volume 5: The Core
Written by Andrew Chambliss and Jane Espenson. Art by Georges Jeanty and Karl Moline.
Collects issues #21-25 and the short story ‘Love vs. Life.’
Angel & Faith Volume 5: What You Want, Not What You Need
Written by Christos Gage. Art by Rebekah Isaacs.
Collects issues by #21-25.
Season 9 also received the Library Edition treatment too. Here’s a list of them all with a recommended reading order if you wish to read everything.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 9 Library Edition Volume 1
Collects issues #1-10 and the short story ‘In Space No One Can Hear You Slay!’
Angel and Faith Library Edition Volume 1
Collects issues #1-10 and Harmony one-shot.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 9 Library Edition Volume 2
Collects issues #11-15 and Willow: Wonderland #1-5
Angel and Faith Library Edition Volume 2
Collects issues #11-15 and Spike: A Dark PLace #1-5.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 9 Library Edition Volume 3
Collects issues #16-25 and the short story ‘Love vs. Life.’
Angel and Faith Library Edition Volume 3
Collects issues #16-25.
Season 10
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 10 Volume 1: New Rules
Written
Collects issues #1-5.
Angel & Faith Season 10 Volume 1: Where the River Meets the Sea
Written by Victor Gischler. Art by Will Conrad and Derlis Santacruz.
Collects issues by #1-5.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 10 Volume 2: I Wish
Written by Christos Gage and Nicholas Brendon. Art by Rebekah Isaacs, Karl Moline, Cliff Richards, and Richard Corbin.
Collects issues #6-10.
Angel & Faith Season 10 Volume 2: Lost and Found
Written by Victor Gischler. Art by Will Conrad.
Collecting issues by #6-10.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 10 Volume 3: Love Dares You
Written by Christos Gage and Nicholas Brendon. Art by Megan Levens and Rebekah Isaacs.
Collects issues #11-15.
Angel & Faith Season 10 Volume 3: United
Written by Victor Gischler. Art by Will Conrad and Cliff Richards.
Collecting issues by #11-14.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 10 Volume 4: Old Demons
Written by Christos Gage and Nicholas Brendon. Art by Megan Levens and Rebekah Isaacs.
Collects issues #16-20.
Angel & Faith Season 10 Volume 4: A Little More Than Kin
Written by Victor Gischler. Art by Will Conrad and Cliff Richards.
Collecting issues by #15-20.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 10 Volume 5: In Pieces on the Ground
Written by Christos Gage. Art by Megan Levens and Rebekah Isaacs.
Collects issues #21-25.
Angel & Faith Season 10 Volume 5: A Tale of Two Families
Written by Victor Gischler. Art by Will Conrad.
Collecting issues by #21-25.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 10 Volume 6: Own It
Written by Christos Gage. Art by Rebekah Isaacs.
Collects issues #26-30.
Dark Horse Comics never got around to releasing Library Editions for Angel and Faith Season 10. But, as you will see below, Buffy the Vampire Slayer did.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 10 Library Edition Volume 1
Collects issues #1-10
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 10 Library Edition Volume 2
Collects issues #11-20
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 10 Library Edition Volume 3
Collects issues #21-30
Season 11
The penultimate season. This is shorter than prior seasons but does include a Giles-centric story co-written by Joss Whedon.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 11 Volume 1: The Spread of Their Evil
Written by Christos Gage. Art by Rebekah Isaacs and Georges Jeanty.
Collects issues #1-6.
Angel Season 11 Volume 1: Out of the Past
Written by Corinna Bechko. Art by Geraldo Borges.
Collects issues by #1-4.
Angel Season 11 Volume 2: Time and Tide
Written by Corinna Bechko. Art by Ze Carlos.
Collects issues by #5-8.
Giles Season 11: Blue Girl
Written by Joss Whedon and Erika Alexander.
Collects Giles Season 11 #1-4
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 11 Volume 2: One Girl in All the World
Written by Christos Gage. Art by Rebekah Isaacs and Georges Jeanty.
Collects issues #7-12.
Angel Season 11 Volume 3: Dark Reflections
Written by Corinna Bechko. Art by Geraldo Borges.
Collects issues #9-12.
Buffy fans thought that we would never see a Library Edition of Season 11 when Dark Horse Comics lost the licence. But Boom Studios, the current owners of the licence, have decided to continue the format to reprint this continuity of comics. See the details below.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 11 Library Edition Volume 1
Collects Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 11 #1-12
Available January 22nd, 2020.
Season 12
The final season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer before the franchise moved to Boom Studios. This season is by far the shortest, containing only 4 issues.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 12: The Reckoning
Collects issues #1-4
Other Canonical Comics
The following are miniseries that are considered to have taken place in the television show’s continuity.
Spike: Into the Light
Written by James Marsters. Art by Derlis Santacruz.
This is an original graphic novel that focuses on Spike during Season 7. It’s set between Spike getting his soul but before he returns to Sunnydale.
Fray: Future Slayer
Written by Joss Whedon. Art by Karl Moline.
Collecting Fray #1-8.
This is a spin-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer that is set in a future New York City in which vampires have returned in a big way. The series follows a new slayer known as named Melaka Fray. As this is set in the future it can be read at any time.
What about Angel: After the Fall?
In a similar way yo Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel was continued in comic book form by IDW Publishing. This hasn’t been included in the list as it focuses on the Dark Horse Comics but it can be read concurrently with Season 8.
So Where Are The Buffy Comics Published Now?
At the end of 2018, Dark Horse Comics lost the licence to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise and it moved to Boom Studios. From January 2019 they have started publishing new comics which are a modern reboot of the television series.
Have Your Say!
Has this reading order been helpful? Also, if you have been reading the comics have you been digging them as much as the TV show? You can let me know in the comments below or via Facebook or Twitter.
Have your say!