Another Free Comic Book Day has come and gone and once again I’ve wandered into my local comic book shop thinking about how it might be cool to check out those Buffyverse comics or maybe read something from Marvel since they are slowly pulling me in with the MCU. But alas, I wandered out with my stack of free stuff and a new Funko Pop figurine. (I picked up the Hannibal Wendigo in case you were wondering.)
Obviously that’s not a bad haul, but I just can’t get myself to commit to a comic book series. I’m not opposed to comics or graphic novels, I guess it’s just that I don’t know where to start. Watching a movie continuation of a show I like is a no-brainer. I’ve seen Serenity three times in theaters and backed the Veronica Mars movie on Kickstarter. And I’ve even read the two follow-up Veronica Mars novels because the progression is obvious, but the expansive world of comics is just something I know nothing about.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the show that led me down the TV addict rabbit hole all those years ago; however, I have no idea what happens after season 7. Beyond the comics that focus more strictly on Buffy I know there’s even Angel and Faith-focused ones, another called Fray that takes place far in the future but within the same universe, and even one about a guy named Billy who decides to be a vampire slayer. It’s all just kind of intimidating and overwhelming.
And now there’s an Orphan Black comic and NBC’s cancelled series Revolution is going to provide closure in comic book form and as a completionist and a fan, I’m kind of torn. Am I missing out by not following a story from the television to the printed page? Are the stories considered in canon? Will it even be the same? I know a lot of people initially involved with the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series have contributed to the comics in some way shape or form, but there’s also a lot of new folks involved creatively, so when a show becomes a comic, how do I know that I’m still going to get what I love?
Anyone else suffer from the same kind of comic-block? Or do you consume anything and everything you can get your hands on if its for a show you love? Let me know in the comments section below.
And if you’ve ever read anything from the Buffyverse, let me know where to start.
