Dynamite’s ‘Buffy the Vampire’ Slayer #1 Adds Extra Pages For Its Debut

by Erik Amaya

Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s return to comics is getting a true bonus added value.

Dynamite announced Wednesday that the debut issue of the series, from writer Kelly Thompson and artist Stephen Byrne, will be a 48-paged comic book. That’s 35 pages of story to set the stage for Buffy’s new era. The company says it is a “wildly ambitious story, full of massive surprises” that Thompson has ” been thinking about for years as a diehard fan of the franchise.” They also teased a massive spoiler for the first issue, but are keeping more concrete plot details under wraps.

As previously reported, the inciting incident takes place at “a pivotal point in the character’s chronology” and includes “the comics debut of a beloved Buffy character and a massive twist that will shake the faithful fandom to the core.” Judging from a previously released character rendering, it seems the story will take place after Dawn Summers and Tara Maclay become part of the Scooby Gang, but will also see a return to Sunnydale for Angel and Cordelia Chase. Rounding out the creative team are colorist Lee Loughridge and letterer Jeff Eckleberry.

All of the above will be contained in the premiere installment, which remains priced at $4.99 in the US. Like Dynamite’s Ben 10, you might want to reserve a copy now from your local comic book shop if you are a fan or interested in seeing what all the buzz is about. Or, you might be interested in one or more of the covers provided by David Nakayama, Amanda Conner, Joshua “Sway” Swaby, and Juliet Nneka. Dynamite is also remastering the first ever Buffy comic cover from 1998 by Arthur Adams for use in this launch.