10 Franchises Kept Alive By Comic Books
Escaping Death, One Panel At A Time...
Though the comic book industry may be most famous for introducing the heroes, villains and everything in-between of the big two (Marvel and DC), there are numerous other franchises which have made the medium, in one form or another, their home.
Some of these franchises have used comics to fill the gaps in content (whether that be TV shows, movies or video games) or alternatively make them their new home for stories that have long since departed from their main continuity, giving fans more of the characters they love during the years that the studio/developers work on the next big thing that their universe has to offer, or, in some cases, keep said characters alive if there is nothing left to come.
Whatever the case may be, the medium has certainly proved that, as long as you have the right talents behind the books, it is brilliantly suited to any universe, storyline or Death Star that you throw at it...
10. Buffy The Vampire Slayer
After the destruction of Sunnydale at the climax of the show, Buffy The Vampire Slayer fans were left with quite an open ending, the final episode ending with no definitive course of action for the cast of characters to take.
However, though the show may now be long finished, the many comic books published by Dark Horse have provided masses of additional content for fans of the Slayer. The books take place one year after the on-screen ending, cannically continuing the story in the form of 'seasons' with each one, similarly to a season of a TV show, being a separate, yet connected, arcs.
The initial author of the comic, Joss Whedon (who also created the show), set up the titular character and Xander as the leaders of one of the ten squads of Slayers operating across the globe in the aftermath of the destruction of Sunnydale.
Story wise this comic really is great and will definitely please fans of the show, with the eighth season seeing season six villain Warren Mears returning and later series regular Harmony Kendall elevating her character status by practically turning the entire world against Buffy and her allies, making for an epic tale.