After delaying the launch of its new Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly comics, Dynamite has announced its Buffyverse titles will begin in March, while Firefly will arrive in February. Buffy and Angel are both being written by Kelly Thompson, with art respectively by Stephen Byrne and Giulia Giacomino, and the resolicited first issues will both be 48 pages, but still only retail at Dynamite’s standard of $4.99.
Thompson comments, “It’s critical that readers read both Buffy the Vampire Slayer #1 and Angel #1, as those two books together sort of ‘set the table’ for this new situation our characters find themselves in, and launch how they’re going to be dealing with it. It’s going to be a much more complete and rewarding reading experience to read the books together for at least the first arc. And part of the reason for doing that is because comics are so much more flexible.”
Dynamite also shared more details on the storyline, revealing Buffy will introduce a new villain called Leviathan, who’ll subsequently appear on Clayton Crain‘s (currently censored) variant cover for Angel #1. “Fans will have to tune into the comic series in March to learn what he looks like and start to follow his story. An even bigger reveal is being held close to the vest too, that will shatter the Buffy fandom in shock when they get their hands on the first chapters…”
Firefly, meanwhile, is being crafted by writer Mark Russell and artist Lorenzo Fe. Russell released a statement, saying, “I think Firefly was what first exposed to me what a hollow concept genre can be. What you really want to do is to create a cast of characters that, as different as they may be, as much as they may not like each other, only to realize how much they need each other to survive. Which is true of all of us. And, just like the show, life is sometimes a western, sometimes a rom-com, sometimes darkly funny, and other times scary as hell. That’s what you want to capture.”
Buffy and Firefly will arrive in time for the shows’ respective 30th and 25th anniversaries next year. Another Dynamite relaunch of a 20th Century Television property, The X-Files, will begin beforehand on December 9.
I hope the new Angel villain is the Leviathan from Hellraiser – just a giant floating diamond that rotates in place and shoots beams of shadow at people. Then Boom could have a completely-tonally-appropriate Buffy/Hellraiser crossover.