Which buffy comics are canon

The comic miniseries Spike: Shadow Puppets parodies the concept of canon by showing Spike with the literal Official Cannon.

Canon describes works considered more influential or more "real" than others to an "official" continuity in terms of works of fiction or fictional universes. While the canonical status of non-television works set in the Buffyverse isn't always clear, the fictional universe's creator, Joss Whedon , has defined others as definitely canon.

For organizational purposes, the Buffyverse Wiki considers three additional flags on canonicity:. Buffyverse creator Joss Whedon has implied that only material he was directly involved in can be considered canon.

Using the religious analogy of a canon of scripture see Biblical canon , things that are not canon are considered "apocryphal. This is the case with the "Buffyverse canon," which has yet to be publicly defined by an authority to the satisfaction and consensus of all observers. Joss Whedon has implied that additional materials he was not heavily involved in creating are separate from canon. When asked in about canon, Whedon stated:. Whedon elaborated on his opinions in , revealing that he considered TV tie-in comics to be "ancillary" unless written by the script-writers:.

Some selected comics are distinguished from ancillary material when the Buffyverse's creator was directly involved in their plotting and production. The Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series established the Buffyverse canon.

Both television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel are canon and the primary sources of canonicity in the Buffyverse. The Origin was a three-part comic series written by Christopher Golden and Dan Brereton that details Buffy Summers ' calling as the Slayer before she went to Sunnydale.

Based on Whedon's original script for the non-canon film , it brings the story more into line with the continuity of the television series; for example, Buffy burns down her high school gym, an act mentioned in the show which never occurred in the movie.

Whedon affirms the story's place in continuity:. Fray is Joss Whedon's first canonical story outside the television medium. Fray is an eight-part comic series written by Whedon himself. The story is about a Slayer of the future named Melaka Fray and her discovery of what being a Slayer means. The comic book anthologies Tales of the Slayers a separate entity from the prose series Tales of the Slayer and Tales of the Vampires are accepted as canon.

Stories from the Tales meta-series have been referenced in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight ; the arc " Wolves at the Gate " is partly a sequel to " Antique " with Xander and Dracula reunited, while Fray and the arc " Time of Your Life " uses characters and locations introduced in the story " Tales.

As noted above, the anthology series Tales of the Slayer is unrelated to these comics, and does not share their canonicity. Buffy Season Eight continues the canon narrative of the TV series into the comic medium. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight is the official continuation of the television series, plotted and co-written by Joss Whedon.

In , he announced the series as canon:. Sequels and spin-offs to Season Eight — Season Nine , Season Ten , Season Eleven , and Season Twelve —, are all considered canon, having been plotted and partially written by Whedon with a hand-picked team. The comic writer Christos Gage has detailed this process concerning Season Ten :.

The graphic novel Spike: Into the Light was written by James Marsters , based upon an idea he had thought of and suggested to Whedon for the Spike TV movie that never came to be.

Like Season Eight , After the Fall is the official continuation of Angel , and it narrates the aftermath of the events from the episode " Not Fade Away. In , while discussing Buffy Season Eight , he revealed his plans for a similar Angel continuation:. It directly ties Angel: After the Fall to the events from Season Eight , another strong indication of its canonicity. The four-issue spin-off Spike: After the Fall is usually accepted as canon since it falls under the After the Fall title and was written by Lynch.

However, Joss Whedon is not credited for these issues as in Angel. Nevertheless, Spike is closely interlinked with the events in the Angel title, and later issues of Angel: After the Fall reference characters who appear in it. In turn, Lynch's ongoing Spike series is considered canon due to Whedon's involvement and the fact that it ties into the " Twilight " and " Last Gleaming " story arcs of Season Eight. Lynch stated:. IDW writer and editor Mariah Huehner reiterated this:. The Spike: Asylum miniseries is a particular case in which its canonicity became accepted as its relevancy grew in following works.

Lynch's writing on the comic Asylum convinced Whedon that he would be the best writer to script Angel: After the Fall. Other concepts from Lynch's stories are used in After the Fall , including Beck and the Mosaic Wellness Center , and both George and Spike vaguely reference events from those stories.

As such, by definition, these references in canon material of both characters and events from the miniseries make this publication canon. The status of the works listed below is, for some reason, still disputed. The list tries to be as comprehensive as possible. Though the show has long been off the air, it still lives on through comics and other mediums. This is the Buffverse canon timeline. There is a large expanded universe for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, in addition to the two television shows: Buffy and Angel.

However, the vast majority of these novels, comics, and other media tie-ins, is not canon as it often contradicts itself and the shows. Thankfully, some of the Buffy expanded universe has been designated as canon by creator Joss Whedon, most of which are comics.

And if you enjoyed this timeline, perhaps you will enjoy some of our others, including the Harry Potter timeline. While we list these timelines chronologically by default, that is not always the way we recommend. Art by Will Conrad. Collecting issues by Art by Megan Levens and Rebekah Isaacs. Art by Will Conrad and Cliff Richards. But, as you will see below, Buffy the Vampire Slayer did.

The penultimate season. This is shorter than prior seasons but does include a Giles-centric story co-written by Joss Whedon. Art by Rebekah Isaacs and Georges Jeanty. Art by Geraldo Borges. Art by Ze Carlos. Collects Giles Season 11 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. This season is by far the shortest, containing only 4 issues. Art by Derlis Santacruz. This is an original graphic novel that focuses on Spike during Season 7. Art by Karl Moline. Collecting Fray 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.

From January they have started publishing new comics which are a modern reboot of the television series.