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‘Buffy’s Newest Story Has Officially Been Cancelled

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Fewer fandoms in pop culture currently have it as hard fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. As fun, charming, and enjoyable as the original series remains after decades, this particular franchise has been facing many difficulties recently as it tries to come back to a spotlight it should never have left, especially the cancellation of a revival series and the loss of one of its greatest benefactors, the incomparable Dolly Parton. Now, the only Buffy stories that were in active development have also just been cancelled: Dynamite Comics’ Buffy and Angel. While this indefinitely postpones our return to Sunnydale yet again, it isn’t all bad news, because this time, the wait is for the best and will pay off, according to Dynamite.

Dynamite’s Cancellation of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Comics Hits Hard, but It’s for a Good Reason

No one likes seeing their favorite stories being cancelled, but, sometimes, it’s for the best, especially if there is the promise of something even better in the future. That’s what happened with Buffy and its Dynamite release. Initially, the Buffy and Angel series were intended to debut in July and August, respectively, but that didn’t happen, as they ended up being postponed. Buffy #1 then got an August release date, only to get cancelled now.

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Collider Exclusive · Horror Survival Quiz
Which Horror Villain Do You Have the Best Chance of Surviving?
Jason Voorhees · Michael Myers · Freddy Krueger · Pennywise · Chucky

Five killers. Five completely different ways to die — if you’re not smart enough, fast enough, or self-aware enough to avoid it. Only one of them is the villain your particular set of instincts gives you a fighting chance against. Eight questions will figure out which one.

🏕️Jason

🔪Michael

💤Freddy

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🎈Pennywise

🪆Chucky

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01

Something feels wrong. You can’t explain it — you just know. What do you do?
First instincts are the difference between the survivor and the first act casualty.





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Where are you most likely to find yourself when things go wrong?
Setting is everything in horror. Where you are determines which rules apply.





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What is your most reliable survival asset?
Every survivor has a quality the villain didn’t account for. What’s yours?





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What kind of fear is hardest for you to fight through?
Knowing your weakness is the first step to not dying because of it.





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You’re with a group when things start going wrong. What’s your role?
Horror movies are brutally clear about who survives group situations and who doesn’t.





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What’s the horror movie mistake you’re most likely to make?
Honest self-assessment is a survival skill. Denial is not.





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What’s your best weapon against something that can’t be stopped by conventional means?
Every horror villain has a weakness. The survivors are always the ones who find it.





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Your Survival Odds Have Been Calculated
Your Best Chance Is Against…

Your instincts, your strengths, and your particular way of thinking under pressure point to one villain you actually have a fighting chance against. Everyone else — good luck.

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Camp Crystal Lake · Friday the 13th

Jason Voorhees

Jason is relentless, but he is also predictable — and that is the gap you would exploit.

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Haddonfield, Illinois · Halloween

Michael Myers

Michael watches before he moves. He is patient, methodical, and almost impossible to detect — until it’s too late for anyone who isn’t paying close enough attention.

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Elm Street · A Nightmare on Elm Street

Freddy Krueger

Freddy wins by getting inside your head — using your own fears, your own memories, your own subconscious as weapons against you. That strategy requires a target who can be destabilised.

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Derry, Maine · It

Pennywise

Pennywise is ancient, shapeshifting, and feeds on terror — but it has one critical vulnerability: it cannot function against someone who genuinely stops being afraid of it.

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  • The Losers Club didn’t survive because they were braver than everyone else. They survived because they faced their fears together, and faced them honestly.
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Chicago · Child’s Play

Chucky

Chucky’s greatest advantage is that nobody takes him seriously until it’s already too late. He exploits the gap between how something looks and what it actually is.

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This time, however, Dynamite CEO Nick Barrucci came forward to clarify what’s really going on, and, as it turns out, it’s not an actual cancellation of both series, but rather a correction in their strategy to make way for something bigger:

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“Writer Kelly Thompson’s story for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel evolved and became more ambitious, so we felt we needed to take a step back and up the page count to meet the story and deliver the best possible product for fans. Buffy #1 and Angel #1 will have significant story page increases from average issues — at no additional cost to readers or retailers. It’s important to Kelly and Dynamite that this is done right and not rushed, so we decided resoliciting both titles is the best way to fully convey these updates across the board.”

Writer Kelly Thompson herself also took it to X to explain that both series are “not cancelled — just delayed — which means they had to be re-solicited (and before you re-solicit you have to cancel it all…sigh)” In comics lingo, this simply means that, yes, all pre-orders have been cancelled, but with the intention of listing that particular comic book again later on. “I hope there will be some concrete news for you guys soon. It has all been very frustrating, but please bear with us.”

Still, knowing that this means we’ll get larger and improved versions of the new Buffy and Angel stories is comforting. They’re also not the only Dynamite series to be resolicited, with its new Firefly series also getting the same treatment, showing that both the company and the artists are focused on doing right by their stories. Their X-Files series remains on track for release in February, and that just goes to show how normal a publisher resoliciting comics really is. It’s certainly a bummer, but residents of Sunnydale have been waiting for so long now, we can wait a little longer.

‘Buffy’ Has Been Hit With Successive Cancellations Recently

By now, news of the cancellation of any Buffy project is something that fans have learned to endure. The most recent and painful case was Hulu abruptly cancelling Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale, the long-awaited revival of the original series. It took everybody by surprise, considering the names attached to the project. Sarah Michelle Gellar‘s return was already expected, but the new series also had Oscar winner Chloé Zhao as a producer and directing the pilot, as well as younger talents like Ryan Kiera Armstrong and Chase Sui Wonders lined up.

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Of course, Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a franchise isn’t in any danger; all it takes is one talented and willing storyteller with a good idea for things to start moving, as with any IP. But the cycle of having projects picked up only to be subsequently cancelled is certainly frustrating. Compared to Hulu’s cancellation of New Sunnydale, then, Dynamite’s decision to resolicit their Buffy and Angel series to make it bigger and better doesn’t sound all that bad.

As to what to expect from both the upcoming Buffy and Angel comics, they will be the first stories in the so-called Buffyverse released by Dynamite after two decades at Dark Horse Comics and its tenure at Boom! Studios until 2025. Kelly Thompson being the writer is a great sign, though — she’s a three-time Eisner Award winner, and her latest work with the ongoing Absolute Wonder Woman series at DC is some of the best the character has been in recent years. She’s not only a fan, but also an experienced writer in the industry, so if she is up to writing more complex and interconnected stories for Buffy and Angel, we’re all for it. Just, please, don’t make us wait too long.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is available to stream on Disney+.

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