- ⤷ Note: This article is about the comic series. For other uses, see Slayer.
|
The subject of this article is of alternative canonicity. While created as part of licensed material, it is not part of the original Buffyverse, but its own developed story. |
 |
The Vampire Slayer is a comic book series from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic meta-series. The sixteen issues were published from April 2022 to July 2023 by Boom! Studios.
Premise[]
After the events of the past few years, fighting against the forces of evil nonstop, Buffy Summers finds herself succumbing to the burden of bearing the Slayer mantle. To help his Slayer, Rupert Giles risks turning to chaos magic, and with Willow's help, they attempt a spell to remove the trauma from Buffy's psyche. But the effects backfire and leave Buffy unable to remember her past or her purpose! With Sunnydale under attack, a surprising new Slayer must rise to protect the world, while Buffy's friends race against the clock to restore her true self before it's too late…[1]
Continuity[]
- This story is an alternative version of the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, with no sense of continuity between them.
- The story "Trust the Process" serves as a prologue for this series, which takes place in universe 37 seen in Hellmouth, Part Five and Buffy the Vampire Slayer #31.
Appearances[]
- Willow Rosenberg (16/16)
- Buffy Summers (16/16)
- Alexander Harris (15/16)
- Rupert Giles (14/16)
- Faith Lehane (14/16)
- Spike (12/16)
- Scylla the Pinching Duke (8/16)
- Tara Maclay (5/16)
- Drusilla (4/16)
- Hungrus the Slayer Eater (4/16)
- Papa Delle (2/16)
Publications[]
The series includes 16 issues, collected in four trade paperbacks.
Issues[]
| Cover | Issue | Release date |
|---|---|---|
|
The Vampire Slayer #1 | April 20, 2022 |
| Writer: Sarah Gailey | Artist: Michael Shelfer | |
| After years of fighting against the forces of evil, Buffy Summers finds herself succumbing to the burden of bearing the Slayer mantle. To help his Slayer, Rupert Giles is willing to risk a return to chaos magic, and with Willow's help, they attempt a spell to remove the trauma from Buffy's psyche. The effects backfire though, and leave Buffy unable to remember her past, or her purpose! With Sunnydale under attack, a new Slayer must rise to protect it, while Buffy's friends race against the clock to restore her true self. | ||
|
The Vampire Slayer #2 | May 25, 2022 |
| Writer: Sarah Gailey | Artist: Sonia Liao | |
| Willow is still coping with what she and Giles did when he asks her to come to the Library immediately. But when she shows up, Giles isn't alone. Facing new challenges, Willow's resolve is tested, while Faith is introduced to a familiar slayer... | ||
|
The Vampire Slayer #3 | June 29, 2022 |
| Writer: Sarah Gailey | Artist: Michael Shelfer | |
| Xander is fed up with Giles and Willow for being such a drag! But while they sort their mistakes out, Xander soon finds himself alone and under attack by a creature that proves too much for him. That is, until an unexpected would-be foe comes to his rescue, leading to a deal that could work out very well for the both of them... | ||
|
The Vampire Slayer #4 | July 27, 2022 |
| Writer: Sarah Gailey | Artist: Puste | |
| Buffy is haunted by strange dreams and suspects something between Willow and Faith. She can't make sense of it, but she needs to understand what's going on. Unfortunately, what's actually going on at the pasta joint they're dining at is a dangerous entity likely to put them in hot water! | ||
|
The Vampire Slayer #5 | August 31, 2022 |
| Writer: Sarah Gailey | Artist: Sonia Liao | |
| After a demonic culinary encounter, Buffy, already hurt after being sidelined by the rookie slayer who's supposed to be her friend, is even more emotionally injured by Faith keeping secrets. But even worse, Buffy goes to Xander for antiparasitic medicine, because she may have contracted something far worse than food poisoning... | ||
|
The Vampire Slayer #6 | September 28, 2022 |
| Writer: Sarah Gailey | Artist: Sonia Liao | |
| Can Giles and Willow set the spell right? And more importantly, can Xander stop Willow when she recognizes what Spike truly is? Between Buffy's absent slayer-senses and Willow's increasing temper, the stakes could not be higher as Xander brings omens of an even more ominous threat... | ||
|
The Vampire Slayer #7 | October 26, 2022 |
| Writer: Sarah Gailey | Artist: Claudia Balboni | |
| How does Buffy go on with her memory in shambles — without her purpose? It keeps her up at night, the powerlessness and the jealousy... but she's soon thrust into a monstrous battle nonetheless as a dark creature with an appetite for Slayers still thinks Buffy is the real thing! Will Willow be able to help in time, or will Buffy find herself alone and in the clutches of a terrifying evil? | ||
|
The Vampire Slayer #8 | November 23, 2022 |
| Writer: Sarah Gailey | Artist: Claudia Balboni | |
| Where has Buffy disappeared to? The Scooby Gang are on the case, all the while wrestling with the guilt over how they've treated her... though Spike and Faith may both feel differently than they expected. Meanwhile, with Spike hot on Buffy's trail, a frightening and hungry threat stands in the way. | ||
|
The Vampire Slayer #9 | December 21, 2022 |
| Writer: Sarah Gailey | Artist: Hannah Templer | |
| While Xander gets ready for a monstrous confrontation, he finds a new one in his relationship as well... a fight that could mean the end in more ways than one. But Willow and Faith are one step ahead of Xander, and winning without magic seems unlikely. Will Willow push herself to a place she may not be able to return from? | ||
|
The Vampire Slayer #10 | January 18, 2023 |
| Writer: Sarah Gailey | Artist: Hannah Templer | |
| Willow is past the point of no return, and despite Giles' efforts, they may have to live with an irreversible spell. And as Buffy recuperates from the previous battle that's left her worse for wear, she may have to team up with someone just as reluctant to do so. | ||
|
The Vampire Slayer #11 | February 15, 2023 |
| Writer: Sarah Gailey | Artist: Hannah Templer | |
| Will Buffy and Giles finally put to rest what's unfinished between them? Buffy is still without her powers, and it will take help from Faith and a stubbornly insistent Xander and Spike to win this fight. But facing Willow is something she must do alone... | ||
|
The Vampire Slayer #12 | March 15, 2023 |
| Writer: Sarah Gailey | Artist: Hannah Templer | |
| Everything comes to a head as Buffy and Faith do everything in their power to stop Willow — now a wrathful force to be reckoned with. As Buffy's nightmares and past prove to be more help than hindrance, will she have what it takes to defeat Willow, and maybe even save a friendship? | ||
|
The Vampire Slayer #13 | April 19, 2023 |
| Writer: Sarah Gailey | Artist: Kath Lobo | |
| The pain of the past weights on Willow, but she's determined to use her magic for the good of those she loves. But with Giles being occupied with Buffy, Willow will have to turn elsewhere for help. It will take someone special to cut through the fear and help the volatile witch, and Willow has no idea what she's in store for... | ||
|
The Vampire Slayer #14 | May 17, 2023 |
| Writer: Sarah Gailey | Artist: Kath Lobo | |
| Buffy's relationship with Giles remains strained, but they work together to repair things as Buffy is determined to take back her identity as The Slayer! Meanwhile, Willow gets a better handle on her immense power, and just in time... as the Crab God grows in power from its infantile form... | ||
|
The Vampire Slayer #15 | June 21, 2023 |
| Writer: Sarah Gailey | Artist: Kath Lobo | |
| In the continuing adventures of Buffy's returned Slayer status, Willow and Xander find themselves caught in a snare-somewhere between snack and sacrifice! With the gang gearing up for a rescue, it's not long before Drusilla also puts Faith and Buffy in danger with unexpected help... | ||
|
The Vampire Slayer #16 | July 19, 2023 |
| Writer: Sarah Gailey | Artist: Kath Lobo | |
| In a bloody ritual involving Willow and Buffy, Drusilla's portal puts everyone in peril, with only Buffy having the Slayer chops to stop her! But with the Baby Crab hungry for portal-energy... his true monstrous form might be something unstoppable to behold! | ||
Collections[]
| Cover | Title | Issues | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|
|
The Vampire Slayer, Volume 1 | 1–4 | January 18, 2023 |
| In the first arc of WILLOWVERSE, trying to help Buffy heal from her trauma proves to be more than Giles and Willow bargained for! She's left without her powers or identity, and it's up to an unprepared and inexperienced new Slayer to take up the mantle — Willow. But thankfully Willow isn't alone, as the spell also leads to another newly-activated Slayer, serving as a guide for this speed-run of training. But even with the threat of 4 terrifying and sometimes zany monsters, the darkest threat may be Willow herself, as she struggles to cope. Can Willow's allies save her from herself? | |||
|
The Vampire Slayer, Volume 2 | 5–8 | April 26, 2023 |
| WILLOWVERSE continues as Buffy still struggles with her powerless predicament, feeling envy and frustration as her sense of purpose is lost with the existence of the new Slayer. But there are more pressing problems... Both separately and together, the gang will face strange and monstrous enemies, including a restaurant-owning demon with hunger for human bodies, and an even more menacing demon with a speciality in feasting on Slayers! Will Buffy be able to escape from her web without help? | |||
|
The Vampire Slayer, Volume 3 | 9–12 | August 16, 2023 |
| While Xander gets ready for a monstrous confrontation, he finds a new one in his relationship as well… a fight that could mean the end in more ways than one. But Willow and Faith are one step ahead of Xander. Needing supernatural aid, will Willow push herself to a place she may not be able to return from? Despite Giles' efforts, they may have to live with an irreversible spell. And as Buffy recuperates from the previous battle that's left her worse for wear, she'll team up with someone just as reluctant to do so. Can Buffy remember who she was and save Willow from herself… as well as Sunnydale from total destruction? | |||
|
The Vampire Slayer, Volume 4 | 13–16 | December 12, 2023 |
| Buffy's relationship with Giles remains strained, but they work together to repair things, as Buffy is determined to take back her identity as The Slayer! Meanwhile Xander, Faith, and Spike contend with their identities, and what roles the Scooby Gang will play in their futures. The pain of the past weights on Willow, but she's determined to use her magic for the good of those she loves. But with Giles being occupied with Buffy, Willow will have to turn elsewhere for help. It will take someone special to cut through the fear and help the volatile witch, and Willow has no idea what power and monstrous encounters she's in store for… Her magic is out of control, a force to be reckoned with despite Willow's good intentions, and she will have to turn to a professional to repair her connection to her power. | |||
References[]
- ↑ "THE VAMPIRE SLAYER Series Announcement." Boom! Studios, January 20, 2022.