Buffy The Vampire Slayer: 10 Ways The Comics Changed The Series – CBR – Comic Book Resources

Buffy The Vampire Slayer is an iconic television show which like any major genre property, has had a second life in tie-in novels and comic books.

Buffy The Vampire Slayeris an iconic television show which like any major genre property, has had a second life in tie-in novels and comic books. Though the series hasn't been rebooted for television yet, it has had a fairly major reboot in the comics recently from Boom! Studios, with some big changes from the TV show.

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Earlier comic book runs from Dark Horse Comics also included a few big changes, while still sticking to the show's continuity. Together with the Boom! Studios books, they introduced major changes or retcons from the television series.

A big feature from the current Boom! Studios run is the updated timeline. Taking a classic trope from a lot of major comic book retcons, the timeline in the Buffy universe has shifted.

The original TV series took place contemporaneously in the early 2000s and the new comic takes place right now. Buffy texts on her iPhone, chats on social media and dresses more for her moment. Like a lot of Marvel Comics retcons that made their books better, this keeps Buffy current and fresh for a new audience.

In the television series, Willow Rosenberg's interest in magic is a gradual, organic process that develops over the course of several seasons. In the new comics, it's in place from the start.

Willow is fairly advanced into her study of all things mystical in the comics and is much more of a power player than she was at the beginning of the show. Willow was motivated in the series in part out of a need to contribute, and her efforts led her to unleash some very cool spells.

Willow is also generally much more adjusted than she was at the outset of the Buffy television show. The Boom! Studios comics show a Willow who is comfortable in her skin not just with her wardrobe or interests, but her sexuality as well.

Like magic, Willow's sexual identity was something that evolved on the show. From the first issue of the new comic book series, she's established as having a girlfriend. This has changed the dynamics of the Scoobies and the story in big ways.She was one of the best characters in the show and is now in the comics.

Willow's relationship with Xander has been fundamentally altered in the new comics, but it's really more to do with him. One of the biggest changes the comics have made from the show involves making Xander Harris, the show's beloved 'Zeppo,' a vampire.

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Xander's arc in the comics has transformed him from the bumbling friend to Big Bad and has led to massive consequences for all involved.

Boom! Studios isn't the only one issuing major changes. Dark Horse Comicsmade a major change during their tenure with the Buffy comics when they revealed that Warren was still alive. Warren Mears was a low-level threat who escalated into one of the show's worst monsters.

He murdered Tara, Willow's girlfriend, which led to Willow becoming Dark Willow. he also died, but in a moment that would never work on TV, fans discovered Warren survived thanks to the interference of Amy Madison.

The first story arc of the Boom! Studios run mirrored the original first season story of the show. The Master was the Big Bad again, but this time, the ancient, evil vampire was brought much more into focus. He was mostly in the background for the first season, emerging figuratively and literally at the end, but in the comics, he's much more active, which helps make this Buffy run one of the best indie vampire comics.

The "Hellmouth" event in the comics also had much greater consequences thanks to the vampirism of Xander.

Dark Horse progressed from the television show by treating its new comic runs as 'seasons,' beginning with season 8. As these comics went on, Xander and Buffy's sister Dawn developed feelings for each other and eventually became a couple.

This caused a little bit of consternation amongst fans due to the big age gap between the two. There were some very creepy episodes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, but this might have made the list if it happened on the show.

In addition to giving The Master a higher profile, the Boom! comics also revisit the character of Drusilla. In the show, Drusilla was a flighty and erratic character tethered heavily to Spike when they were first introduced in the show's second season. The comic gives her much more agency and most importantly, sanity.

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The new version of Drusilla is called "The Mistress" and is a smart, capable, and deadly villain in her own right.

Some big changes in story result in some big changes in how characters are introduced. Drusilla, Faith, and Kenda all arrive much sooner in the Boom! Studios comic series than they do in the television show.

Another major character and one of the best from Angel, who shows up early is Fred. Winnifred Burkle doesn't appear on TV until the second season of the Angel spinoff series but she has made her comic book debut very early in the Boom! universe, becoming the second member of Angel Investigations.

While some characters make earlier debuts than they originally did, others don't show up at all. One of the biggest casualties of the reboot is Jessie. Xander's friend from the first episodes of the television show memorably died and became a vampire on screen.

He doesn't appear in the comics and is only referenced as having died before. Xander actually killed him, which leads to his animosity toward Angel and his eventual journey into vampirism himself.

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Darby Harn is a contributor for Screenrant, CBR.com, The Things, Star Wars News Net, and Movie News Net. His sci-fi superhero novel EVER THE HERO debuted in January. His short fiction appears in Strange Horizons, Interzone, Shimmer, and other venues.

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