Warning: contains a preview of The Vampire Slayer #1!
Boom! Studios has shared the first look at its upcoming series in which Buffy the Vampire Slayer is being replaced by a new Chosen One. After Buffy forgets her past, a new warrior will need to fight the undead in her place.
Buffy debuted in 1992 as the protagonist of horror-comedy movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer, followed by a television series of the same name that revamped the concept and turned Buffy into a pop-culture icon. Buffy the Vampire Slayer ran for seven seasons, showing the battles of the Chosen One, a young woman who is tasked with the duty of standing against the forces of evil. While killing vampires, demons, and even dark gods, Buffy also had to struggle with real life and with the burden of carrying her huge responsibility. This mix of dark fantasy and teenage drama made Buffy a great success, and after the end of the TV show, the adventures of the Vampire Slayer continued in comic book form, published by Dark Horse, and then in Boom! Studios’ new continuity since 2019.
Now, Boom! Studios has shared a first look at the first issue of its new series The Vampire Slayer, from the creative team of writer Sarah Gailey (Eat The Rich, Magic for Liars) artist Michael Shelfer (Domino), colorists Valentina Pinto and Riccardo Giardina, and letterer Ed Dukeshire. In this continuity, Buffy still went through many of the tragedies that come from being a Slayer, and that is the premise for the new Buffy series, previously teased for Free Comic Book Day. In The Vampire Slayer, Rupert Giles, Buffy’s Watcher, tries to help her by using chaos magic to remove the trauma from Buffy’s psyche, but in doing so he also erases her memories. With no past or purpose, Buffy is unable to protect Sunnydale, so a new Slayer must rise to the call, while Buffy’s friends rush to restore her to her former self. Enjoy a preview of the issue below:
The issue will feature main cover art by Goñi Montes (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) and variant cover art by Francesco Francavilla (Night of the Ghoul), Bex Glendining (Nubia: Real One), Christian Ward (The Many Deaths of Laila Starr), and Mike del Mundo (X-men, Thor), which you can admire below. Taking the name “Buffy” away from the title of the series is a bold move by the publisher, which shows that Boom! is not afraid to step away from Buffy‘s canon to tell its own stories, pushing the boundaries of the franchise.
The premise establishes the idea that trauma is inherent to being a Slayer, setting the dire stakes for bringing a new hero into this life. Nevertheless, Sunnydale needs a protector, and the issue’s cover teases a mysterious character will step into the breach. Who they’ll be, and how they’ll handle being thrust into the comic’s starring role, remains to be seen, but it’ll be especially interesting to witness an experienced Scooby Gang getting a newbie Slayer up to speed.
This new series will usher in a brand new era for the Buffyverse, now officially called “Slayerverse”, a property that still keeps growing and attracting new fans after 25 years since Buffy‘s first episode aired on TV. Digital and print copies of The Vampire Slayer #1 will be available for sale on April 20 from local comic book shops, the Boom! Studios webstore, or digital content providers including comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and Kindle.
