'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' License Finds New Home

Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics have officially found a new home.

BOOM! Studios has obtained the rights to publish comic books based on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the publisher announced today. While there were no details about specific plans for the franchise, Boom did release a piece of teaser art.

Take a look below.

Notable here is that the tag implies a high school setting, and yet Buffy is holding a cell phone, something she never owned during her high school years in the TV series.

This officially brings Buffy's time at Dark Horse Comics to a close. Dark Horse began publishing comics as a companion to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series in 1998 and continued to do so until 2004, just after the show's seventh and final season. In 2007, creator Joss Whedon reteamed with Dark Horse to continue Buffy Summers' story in the Buffy the Vampire Season Eight comic book series.

Dark Horse has continued the story through Buffy the Vampire Slayer Seasons 9-12. Whedon himself is writing Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 12: The Reckoning, which will bring the story to its conclusion.

Dark Horse also later regained the rights to Buffy's spinoff series Angel and reintegrated the titular character into their Buffy line. In addition, Dark Horse published new, in-continuity stories starring supporting characters like Rupert Giles, Spike, and Willow Rosenberg.

Buffy's move to BOOM! Studios followsBoom's acquisition of the rights to make comics based on Firefly, another Joss Whedon property, which were also previously at Dark Horse. Boom quickly announced a new Firefly series from writer Greg Pak and artist Dan McDaid.

This isn't the only big news for the Buffyverse recently. There are plans to reboot the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series with a new slayer. Whedon will serve as executive producer while Monica Owusu-Breen serves as the showrunner.

"For some genre writers it's Star Wars," Owusu-Breen wrote in a statement following the announcement. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer is my Star Wars. Before I became a writer, I was a fan. For seven seasons, I watched Buffy Summers grow up, find love, kill that love. I watched her fight, and struggle and slay.

"There is only one Buffy. One Xander, one Willow, Giles, Cordelia, Oz, Tara, Kendra, Faith, Spike, Angel...They can't be replaced. Joss Whedon's brilliant and beautiful series can't be replicated. I wouldn't try to. But here we are, twenty years later... And the world seems a lot scarier. So maybe, it could be time to meet a new Slayer...And that's all I can say."

At this time, it is unclear if the BOOM! Studios Buffy comics will follow the continuity and continue the story from Dark Horse's Seasons 8-12. It is also unclear if there has been any consideration given to how the comics will interact with the rebooted television series.

What do you think of Buffy making the jump to BOOM! Studios? Let us know in the comments!

Source: IGN