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Buffy The Vampire Slayer was one of the biggest shows of the ’90s and the early 2000s, and seven seasons wasn’t enough for the fans. When the show finished, later seasons began to be published as comics, first by Dark Horse Comics and later by BOOM! Studios. Original showrunner Joss Whedon acted as producer for the comics, but the comics have taken Buffy and her team to some very different places.
Many of the show’s writers have been involved with the comics, including David Fury, Jane Espenson, and Douglas Petrie. Past cast members, including Amber Benson and Nicholas Brendon, have also written for the comic series. The medium of comics has allowed Whedon to tell some different stories and experiment with his beloved characters.
10 The Comics Have A Bigger Scale
One of the big advantages of comic books over television is that comics aren’t constrained by a production budget, the safety of actors, or whether or not things are possible to actually pull off. For this reason, the Buffy comics have been able to go much bigger than the show ever could. Buffy was presented as one girl in all the world to beat back the forces of evil, but viewers only ever saw Sunnydale. In the comics, Buffy has been able to travel the world, fight much bigger battles, and work against and alongside a much bigger cast of characters. For a time, Dawn was even a giant, literally making things bigger.
9 No More Monster Of The Week
During the run of the show, particularly during the early seasons, Buffy and the gang would go up against a ‘monster of the week’ each episode. Meanwhile, the story also built up to a series-long ‘big bad.’
Comics aren’t constrained by the pacing of a TV show, so the comics have handled things a little differently. Side arcs tend to last for a few issues, but the story doesn’t usually deviate too much from the main story. Any longer arcs tend to be given spin-off books of their own instead, such as Willow or Angel & Faith.
8 It’s Not The 90s Anymore
Buffy The Vampire Slayer might be considered one of the ultimate shows of the 90s, and it certainly had plenty of memorable 90s fashion and slang, but that’s no longer the case in the comics. When BOOM! Studios took over the comics, they reset Buffy and the Scoobies to their teenage selves and sent them back to high school. The difference is, in this take written by Jordie Bellaire and illustrated by Dan Mora, this series doesn’t start in 1997. Instead, the comic places the Scooby Gang in contemporary times, making them easier for today’s teenagers to relate to.
7 Buffy Got New Powers
In the television series, the powers of the Slayer included prophetic dreams, super speed, strength, and staminal. She was also supposed to be able to sense vampires, although Buffy herself seemed to base this ability on spotting out-of-date outfits. Thanks to not having to worry about budget, technology constraints, or the physical abilities of Sarah Michelle Gellar, the comics have been able to give the Slayer a lot more powers. For a while, Buffy was even able to fly.
6 Many Characters Returned
When you don’t have to worry about the availability (or aging) of your cast, you can bring back any characters you want. The Buffy comics certainly took advantage of this and drew on the large cast of fan favorites from the series.
The witch Amy returned to become a fully-fledged villain in her own right. A still skinless Warren returns to cause trouble. Perhaps one of the most missed characters, Willow’s love interest Oz, also returned to round off his story in Season eight, with a wife and a baby in tow.
5 Giles Is Young Now
While possessed by a foe, Angel accidentally killed Giles, and on regaining his consciousness, he became obsessed with reviving the Watcher. Unfortunately, some mishaps with the ritual meant that Giles was indeed revived, but as his twelve-year-old self. Luckily for Giles, his past as a warlock and his natural abilities meant he came back with some strong magical abilities, even if he was younger now. This new, teenage Giles also got his own mini-series spin-off during Season 11, Giles.
4 Kendra Has A Much Bigger Role
In the TV series, Kendra appeared as another Slayer for only a handful of episodes. Despite her short time on the show, Kendra, played by Bianca Lawson, was very popular with fans. The comics took advantage of her popularity and brought her back. Fans of the second Slayer were able to learn much more about her upbringing in the comics, such as her life in Jamaica before she was called to be a Slayer, her training, and her years fighting vampires before she met Buffy and her friends. Fans were also able to see more of Kendra interacting with the gang and enjoy her growth from Slayer to Scooby.
3 Buffy Isn’t Straight
Throughout the television series, debate raged among fans over whether Buffy should have ended up with Angel or Spike (with not many campaigning for Riley). In live-action, viewers only saw Buffy have romantic relationships with men, despite the many fans who still firmly believe the Slayer’s relationship with Faith was more than platonic. However, during the comics, Buffy was able to experiment more with her sexuality and had a romantic relationship with Satsu, a Japanese Slayer.
While Whedon has stated that Buffy isn’t gay either, she certainly doesn’t appear to be straight. Her freedom to experiment seems only fitting for a comic based on the series that gave viewers one of the first lesbian couples to ever appear on television.
2 Drusilla Is A Bigger Villain
Drusilla first appeared in the second season of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, appearing as a love interest and sidekick to Spike. This version of Dru was sickly, ethereal, and erratic. While she was able to kill Slayer Kendra, Dru was always a weaker character compared to Spike.
Despite this, Dru was well-loved by fans. The comics revisited Drusilla, making her a lot stronger and saner. Known as The Mistress, this version of Drusilla was a violent, scary villain in her own right, no longer overshadowed by her boyfriend.
1 There Are New Kinds Of Vampires
Buffy The Vampire Slayer didn’t deviate much from the classic rules of vampires, except for the older vampires, the Turok-Han (or Ubervamps as Buffy called them) that appeared in the final season. The comics have experimented more with new and different types of vampires, including zombie vampires and a race of vampires who are able to shapeshift and walk outside in the sunlight without any issue. These new vamps have given the Slayer and her team a new challenge and allowed writers to get a little creative with what a vampire actually is.
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