21 thoughts on “Buffy Comics Reading Order”

1. I was wondering… Are you going to be updating this as the new seasons are released?
   I found this incredibly helpful and would like to thank you as I know how much time goes into something like this.

   THANK YOU!!!

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   1. I will do season 10, though since both books are just at the beginning of their arcs, I feel it’s too early to start. I’ll probably do one update midway through the runs (after 12 issues/1 year) and the one at the end of the run.

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2. Just wanted to say Thanks as well for all the heavy lifting in assembling this! Will you be doing one for the non-canon issues, just for completionists’ sake?

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   1. Not really. Being non-canon, those issues may fit in a certain timeline relative to the TV series, but not necessarily to each, which make putting a reading order together 1) difficult and maybe impossible, 2) irrelevant. Just read the non-canon issues in publication order.

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3. Thank you for this really helpful list! I’m just wondering: You’re going from After The Fall #17 to Angel 3rd Series #23. Is the numbering continued from After The Fall to 3rd Series? And why the gap in issues?

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   1. Some don’t consider those issues in the gap as canon. The original writer of those first issues returns for an epilogue to his story with #23.

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4. Angel After the Fall Vol 5 is available online, but online in hardcover as far as I can tell. Is there anyway of finding out if it was ever printed in paperback? Nitpicking is terrible, but I have everything leading up to it in paperback, and it would just screw the whole thing up.

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5. will you be posting up the order for season 10 soon? and some are missing such as oz, origin, haunted, etc. unless those were after season 10, then I understand why they’re missing.

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   1. “Oz” mini-series is considered non-canon (and it was released in 2001. It follows the story of Oz when he went away on Season 4. “Haunted” mini-series is considered dubious canon, because it was written by Jane Espenson (Buffy’s screenwriter), and it was released in 2001/2002. It tells a story between the end of Season 3 and the beginning of Season 4. But overall is considered non canon. “The Origin” is considered canon, but It’s not in the list (I don’t know why). It was released in 1999. It should be the first one to read, because it tells the story about Buffy before she went to Sunnydale (basically, the movie script but with Joss’s ideas). All of these stories are way before Season 10. Hope it helped!

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      1. Thanks!

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6. Thanks for this list. So for now I can ignore the non canon stuff?

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7. hi, would like to thank you as well this is very helpful. I was wondering about the comic called Spike – Into the light, released in 2014 and written by James Marsters himselff. When should it be read ?

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   1. “Spike – Into the Light” is considered dubious canon and it takes place somewhere at the beginning of Season 7 of Buffy, The Vampire Slayer. Hope it helped!

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8. Hello! I was wondering if the library version and the other version contain the same story and if its okay to alternate between the issues, or if it wouldnt flow and work?

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9. Fallowing my previous comment! I was also wondering which version is better to read and which is worth more?

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   1. The trades have 5 issues while the library editions have 10 issues plus extras. They tell the same story. It really depends on how much you want to spend with this series. The trades are easier to read but I prefer to collect the library editions because in 4 volumes you can get all Season 8 and with 3 volumes all Season 9 (6 volumes total – 3 for Buffy and 3 for Angel & Faith) including one-shots, short stories and specials, and mini-séries – Willow Wonderland and Spike A Dark Place.

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10. Hello, before reading the eighth and ninth series of Buffy in my language (Italian) I’m looking for the rest in English (many comics here have not come out). I just finished Fray and soon will begin After the fall. I just wanted to know, the comic “Spike” (in the order the one you put between Angel 3rd series and the eighth of Buffy) which is? Angel 3rd series would be some numbers dell’Aftermath right? Thanks for your help, in Italy they print just some comics and even on wikipedia I can understand the right order XD

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    1. Found it!

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11. Hi there,
    I’m completely new to all the comics, are there seasons 1-7 or is that the tv series? I only ever hear about comics for season 8+

    Thanks,
    Also this list is awesome and very helpful!

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    1. Season 1 to 7 is the TV-Series. But there are non-canon comics about those seasons.

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12. Great list, THANK YOU! Been looking all over the internet for something like this! It would be awesome if you could include all non-cannon just for completionist sakes 😉

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