10 Surprisingly Good Licensed Comic Books

4. Buffy Season 8

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight 1280 x720
Dark Horse Comics

Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a generation-defining television show, a reasonably lamentable movie, and a series of comics from Dark Horse. While the comic series had many high points, it was never what fans would call essential. It was there if you couldn't get enough of the Scooby Gang from the weekly TV show and the glut of other official merchandise Fox flooded the market with.

The TV show ended at season seven for various reasons, not least of which was its waning popularity, lack of network support and the escalating cost per episode. For many years the franchise lay dormant, outside talks of a reboot and the time capsule that the comic book had become.

Joss Whedon would then strike a deal with Dark Horse to produce "Season 8", a continuation of the TV show not constrained by ageing actors, conflicting schedules and above all else, budget.

What fans got was an all-star line-up of creators, including Whedon himself, Brian K. Vaughan, Brad Meltzer and Drew Goddard, producing a continuation almost as beloved as the show itself.

Contributor
Contributor

Kevin McHugh is a code-monkey by day and a purveyor of the unpleasant by night. Having had several comics published by Future Quake Press he is now moving into prose. An avid fan of punk rock, cheap horror movies and even cheaper fast-food Kevin can be found pontificating either on Twitter or over at WhatCulture Comics where he is a regular contributor. He lives in Edinburgh with his wife and two daughters.