Image via 20th Television
Published Jul 8, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT
Jason is an award-winning journalist whose writing career dates back to when he developed the ability to use a crayon. He, most notably, worked previously as a "professional fan," as he likes to call it, at CinemaBlend, for which he wrote about anything and everything under the pop culture umbrella... especially Batman. His passion for the art of cinema began even earlier, stemming from repeat viewings of The Wizard of Oz.
This initially led him to pursue a career in filmmaking -- and even work briefly in the industry as an extra in the straight-to-video family film, Alice Upside Down -- before deciding that his talents would be better served discussing and showing appreciation for the various forms of entertainment he is passionate about.
One of the biggest pop culture phenomena of the mid-to-late '90s and early 2000s was Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The story of a young woman destined to rid the world of what goes bump in the night was a big enough hit to begat a spin-off centered on goodhearted bloodsucker, Angel.
These romantically linked paragons of the paranormal would continue to kick demonic butt even after both of their TV shows ended, courtesy of the comic book medium. Soon, these properties will be resurrected with a new pair of adventures that may see Buffy and Angel together in action again.
New Buffy and Angel Comics Coming Summer 2026
Scoobies rejoice, as the Buffyverse lives on through a new pair of comic books from Dynamite Entertainment. This August sees the launch of Buffy the Vampire Slayer #1 and Angel #1.
The premiere issue of each comic serves as what writer Kelly Thompson described to ComicBook.com as a "two-part pilot" for this new branch of the universe. The plot is being kept under wraps, but the first two issues will set a precedent for how the characters in each series will interact with one another regularly and, hopefully, more smoothly than the original interconnected TV series did initially.
Speaking of, Thompson also teases which characters are coming back for the new series and for the first major Buffy/Angel crossover event, including the titular vampire with a soul and his fellow L.A. paranormal investigators Cordelia Chase, Wesley Wyndam-Price, and Winifred "Fred" Burkle. The author also assures that Angel's associate Charles Gunn and the karaoke-singing demon known as Lorne also have a presence in these books that will expand later in the Angel series.
Without giving too much away, Thompson also hints at a few familiar foes showing up in these books, while also indicating that there might be a new character or two entering the mix. However, focusing on the characters that fans of the Buffyverse already know and love is her central goal for these comics.
For this project, Thompson, who is also known for writing the hit Absolute Wonder Woman series, is joined by artists Stephen Byrne, Lee Loughridge, and Jeff Eckleberry for Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Handling things on the visual side for her Angel series is illustrator Giulia Giacomino, with Loughridge and Eckleberry also involved.
Buffy And Angel's Previous Comic Book History
Image via Dark HorseThe Buffyverse began having a presence in the comic book medium very soon after Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a darker reimagining of a 1992 horror-comedy movie of the same name, premiered on WB in 1997. Sarah Michelle Gellar's eponymous "chosen one" became a staple of Dark Horse Comics in 1998, with Andi Watson initially handling writing duties, and spawned spin-offs including the anthological Tales of the Vampire and Tales of the Slayer.
Starting in 2007, Buffy joined a list of TV shows that were revived as comic books when original creator Joss Whedon oversaw another Dark Horse release that served as a continuation of the series past its official seven seasons and lasted four years. The series was rebooted in a new continuity by Boom! Studios in 2019.
As for Angel's neck of the woods, David Boreanaz's most iconic character was brought to life on the pages of his own comic book months before his own WB TV show premiered in 1999. The debut was a three-part limited series called Angel: The Hollower, which was also released by Dark Horse and came from writer Christopher Golden and writer Hector Gomez.
Dark Horse would continue releasing more series following Angel, including one that saw him and Eliza Dushku's Faith in action together, before IDW Publishing took over the property three years after the WB show ended in 2004. Angel would also be revived by Boom! Studios at the same time as Buffy's reboot.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer #1 hits the shelves on Aug. 5, and Angel #1 flies in on Aug. 19.
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