View source for Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight

{{short description|Comic book series}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2013}}
{{Infobox comic book title
<!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics-->
| image = Long way home tpb.jpg
| caption = Trade paperback cover of ''The Long Way Home''. Art by [[Jo Chen]]
| schedule = Monthly
| limited = Y
| genre = [[Horror comics|Horror]]<ref>{{cite web|title=BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SEASON 8 LIBRARY EDITION VOLUME 1 HC|url=https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/18-892/Buffy-the-Vampire-Slayer-Season-8-Library-Edition-Volume-1-HC|website=Dark Horse Comics}}</ref>
| publisher = [[Dark Horse Comics]]
| date = March 14, 2007 – January 19, 2011
| issues = 40 (core series)<br />3 (one-shots)
| main_char_team = Scooby Gang
| creators = [[Joss Whedon]]
| writers = Joss Whedon<br />[[Brian K. Vaughan]]<br />[[Drew Goddard]]<br />[[Jane Espenson]]<br />[[Brad Meltzer]]<br />''[[#Writers and story arcs|and others]]''
| pencillers = [[Georges Jeanty]]<br />[[Karl Moline]]
| inkers = Andy Owens
| colorists = [[Dave Stewart (artist)|Dave Stewart]]<br />Michelle Madsen
| subcat = Dark Horse Comics
| sort = Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight
| TPB = The Long Way Home
| ISBN = 1593078226
| TPB1 = No Future for You
| ISBN1 = 159307963X
| TPB2 = Wolves at the Gate
| ISBN2 = 1595821651
| TPB3 = Time of Your Life
| ISBN3 = 1595823107
| TPB4 = Predators and Prey
| ISBN4 = 1595823425
| TPB5 = Retreat
| ISBN5 = 1595824154
| TPB6 = Twilight
| ISBN6 = 1595825584
| TPB7 = Last Gleaming
| ISBN7 = 1595826106
}}
'''''Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight''''' is a [[comic book]] series published by [[Dark Horse Comics]] from 2007 to 2011. It serves as a [[Buffyverse canon|canonical]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvguide.com/news/Buffy-Vampire-Slayer-35722.aspx |title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer Is Back: The Complete Joss Whedon Q&A |work=TV Guide |first=Ileane |last=Rudolph |date=December 7, 2006 |access-date=July 6, 2012}}</ref> continuation of the television series ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', and follows the events of that show's [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 7|final televised season]].<ref name="MTV">{{cite news | author=Jennifer Vineyard | url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1551286/20070131/index.jhtml | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202204347/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1551286/20070131/index.jhtml | url-status=dead | archive-date=February 2, 2007 | title=Re-Buffed: New Comic Book Series Resurrects Vampire Slayer | publisher=MTV | date=February 1, 2007 | access-date=February 15, 2007}}</ref> It is produced by [[Joss Whedon]], who wrote or co-wrote three of the series arcs and several one-shot stories. The series was followed by ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine|Season Nine]]'' in 2011.

''Season Eight'' was originally supposed to consist of about 25 issues,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.darkhorse.com/Interviews/1421/Interview-with-Buffy-creator-Joss-Whedon-3-26-07 |title=News > Interviews > Interview with Buffy creator Joss Whedon March 26, 2007 |publisher=Darkhorse.com |date=December 17, 2010 |access-date=January 8, 2011}}</ref> but eventually expanded to a 40-issue run. The series also spawned a handful of spin-off titles, including a ''[[Tales of the Vampires]]'' follow-up and [[one-shot (comics)|one-shots]] focusing on Willow and Riley.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tfaw.com/blog/2009/08/10/check-out-dark-horses-one-shot-wonders/|title=Check out Dark Horse's One-Shot Wonders!|work=TFAW.com|access-date=August 27, 2009|date=August 10, 2009|last=Elizabeth@TFAW|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723033948/http://www.tfaw.com/blog/2009/08/10/check-out-dark-horses-one-shot-wonders/|archive-date=July 23, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The success of the series prompted [[IDW Publishing]] and Whedon to publish a concurrent continuation of the ''[[Angel (1999 TV series)|Angel]]'' television series, titled ''[[Angel: After the Fall]]'', and a ''[[Spike (IDW Publishing)|Spike]]'' comic book series, which bridges some aspects of continuity between ''After the Fall'' and ''Season Eight''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://whedonesque.com/comments/24495|title=(SPOILER) Brian Lynch talks about his upcoming Spike series.|access-date=August 1, 2010|date=July 31, 2010|work=[[Whedonesque.com]]|archive-date=August 3, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100803225015/http://whedonesque.com/comments/24495|url-status=dead}}</ref> A [[motion comic]] version of the series debuted in 2010.<ref name="motion comics">{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003WIGOL6|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Motion Comic, Ep.1 Issue 1: The Long Way Home, Part 1|publisher=[[Amazon.com]]|date=July 19, 2010|access-date=July 24, 2010}}</ref>

==Plot==
A year after the end of the television series, [[Buffy Summers|Buffy]] and [[Xander Harris|Xander]] now lead command-central, which is situated at a citadel in [[Scotland]]. At their disposal are a wide array of psychics, seers, witches, and [[Slayer (Buffyverse)|Slayers]],<ref name="BS8#1">{{cite comic|writer=[[Joss Whedon]]|penciller=[[Georges Jeanty]]|inker=[[Andy Owen]]|story=[[The Long Way Home (Buffy comic)|The Long Way Home]]|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight|issue=1| date=March 2007|publisher=[[Dark Horse Comics]]}}</ref> along with a vast amount of technology, revealed to be the result of Buffy robbing a [[Switzerland|Swiss]] bank to acquire the funds.<ref name="BS8#10">{{cite comic|writer=[[Joss Whedon]]|penciller=Cliff Richards|inker=[[Andy Owen]]|story=[[Anywhere but Here (Buffy comic)|Anywhere but Here]]|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight|issue=1| date=January 2008|publisher=[[Dark Horse Comics]]}}</ref> There are 1,800 Slayers worldwide according to Buffy, almost 500 of whom are working with the Scoobies, separated into 10 squads. Squads include [[Andrew Wells|Andrew]]'s in Southern [[Italy]],<ref name="BS8#2">{{cite comic|writer=[[Joss Whedon]]|penciller=[[Georges Jeanty]]|inker=[[Andy Owen]]|story=[[The Long Way Home (Buffy comic)|The Long Way Home]]|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight|issue=1| date=April 2007|publisher=[[Dark Horse Comics]]}}</ref> [[Rupert Giles|Giles]]' in [[England]],<ref name="BS8#3">{{cite comic|writer=[[Joss Whedon]]|penciller=[[Georges Jeanty]]|inker=[[Andy Owen]]|story=[[The Long Way Home (Buffy comic)|The Long Way Home]]|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight|issue=3| date=May 2007|publisher=[[Dark Horse Comics]]}}</ref> [[Vi (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Vi]]'s in [[New York City]],<ref name="BS8#16">{{cite comic|writer=[[Joss Whedon]]|penciller=[[Karl Moline]]|inker=[[Andy Owen]]|story=[[Time of Your Life (Buffy comic)|Time of Your Life]]|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight|issue=16| date=July 2008|publisher=[[Dark Horse Comics]]}}</ref> [[Robin Wood (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Robin]]'s in [[Cleveland, Ohio]],<ref name="BS8#6">{{cite comic|writer=[[Brian K. Vaughan]]|penciller=[[Georges Jeanty]]|inker=[[Andy Owen]]|story=[[No Future For You]]|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight|issue=6|date=September 2007|publisher=[[Dark Horse Comics]]}}</ref> and another led by [[Rona (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Rona]]'s in [[Chicago, Illinois]].<ref name="BS8#11">{{cite comic|writer=[[Joss Whedon]]|penciller=[[Georges Jeanty]]|inker=[[Andy Owen]]|story=[[A Beautiful Sunset]]|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight|issue=11| date=February 2008|publisher=[[Dark Horse Comics]]}}</ref> For Buffy's protection and because her name is feared worldwide, two decoys are put in place: [[The Girl in Question|one]] partying in [[Rome]] and [[The Chain (Buffy comic)|one]] on a mission in demonic caverns.<ref name="BS8#5">{{cite comic|writer=[[Joss Whedon]]|penciller=[[Paul Lee (comics)|Paul Lee]]|inker=[[Andy Owen]]|story=[[The Chain (Buffy comic)|The Chain]]|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight|issue=1| date=July 2007|publisher=[[Dark Horse Comics]]}}</ref> Buffy now relies heavily on [[Willow Rosenberg|Willow]], whose character arc sees her under the tutelage of a powerful demon called Saga Vasuki.<ref name="BS8#10"/><ref name="BS8#15">{{cite comic|writer=[[Drew Goddard]]|penciller=[[Georges Jeanty]]|inker=[[Andy Owen]]|story=[[Wolves at the Gate (comics)|Wolves at the Gate]]|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight|issue=15| date=June 2008|publisher=[[Dark Horse Comics]]}}</ref> Under Saga Vasuki, Willow's power has grown phenomenally; for example, she can now fly and cast extremely complicated and large-scale spells.<ref name="BS8#1"/>

In the wake of [[Sunnydale]]'s destruction, elements within the [[Federal Government of the United States|U.S. government]] view the expanded Slayers and the Scooby Gang as international terrorists and characterize Buffy as a "charismatic, uncompromising and completely destructive" leader. General Voll, a member of a mystically aware Initiative-like government project, describes fear of their resources, power, and ideology.<ref name="BS8#1"/> The government has teamed with Sunnydale survivor/powerful witch [[Amy Madison]] and [[List of Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes#Season 6 (2001&nbsp;– 2002)|Season 6]] villain [[Warren Mears]] in the hopes of bringing Buffy down.<ref name="BS8#2"/> Simultaneously, an evil [[United Kingdom|British]] socialite Slayer called [[Genevieve Savidge|Lady Genevieve Savidge]] plots to usurp Buffy's place in the Slayer hierarchy,<ref name="BS8#6"/> and a shrewd cabal of [[Japanese people|Japanese]] vampires scheme to reverse the global activation of Potential Slayers in "Chosen".<ref name="BS8#12">{{cite comic|writer=[[Drew Goddard]]|penciller=[[Georges Jeanty]]|inker=[[Andy Owen]]|story=[[Wolves at the Gate (comics)|Wolves at the Gate]]|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight|issue=12| date=March 2008|publisher=[[Dark Horse Comics]]}}</ref> The appearances of these villains are connected to "[[Twilight (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Twilight]]", the enigmatic [[Big Bad]] of the season, a masked person who views the expanded ranks of Slayers as a threat to humanity and wants to destroy them, and bring about an end to all magic on Earth.<ref name="BS8#11"/> It later transpires that like Amy and Warren, Buffy's ex-boyfriend [[Riley Finn]] is also loyal to Twilight,<ref name="BS8#19">{{cite comic|writer=[[Joss Whedon]]|penciller=[[Karl Moline]]|inker=[[Andy Owen]]|story=[[Time of Your Life (Buffy comic)|Time of Your Life]]|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight|issue=19| date=November 2008|publisher=[[Dark Horse Comics]]}}</ref> though Riley turns out to have been Buffy's [[double agent]].<ref name="BS8#30">{{cite comic|writer=[[Joss Whedon]]|penciller=[[Georges Jeanty]]|inker=[[Andy Owen]]|story=[[Retreat (Buffy comic)|Retreat]]|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight|issue=30|date=November 2009|publisher=[[Dark Horse Comics]]}}</ref>

Halfway through the season, ditzy vampire [[Harmony Kendall]] rises to fame as a [[reality television|reality TV star]] and ushers in a new pro-vampire, anti-Slayer world order.<ref name="BS8#21">{{cite comic|writer=[[Jane Espenson]]|penciller=[[Georges Jeanty]]|inker=[[Andy Owen]]|story=[[Predators and Prey|Harmonic Divergence]]|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight|issue=21| date=January 2009|publisher=[[Dark Horse Comics]]}}</ref> Under attack from Twilight and other demons as well as militaries across the world, the various Slayer squads (including Faith) reconvene in retreat from their enemy. Because Twilight can now track the group through their use of magic, Buffy and her friends relocate to [[Tibet]] to learn from [[Oz (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Oz]] how to suppress magical natures for witches and Slayers alike. Giles and Buffy are both concerned with the extent to which they rely on Willow, worried she may go overboard again as in Season Six;<ref name="BS8#26">{{cite comic|writer=[[Jane Espenson]]|penciller=[[Georges Jeanty]]|inker=[[Andy Owen]]|story=[[Retreat (Buffy comic)|Retreat]]|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight|issue=26| date=January 2009|publisher=[[Dark Horse Comics]]}}</ref> Buffy's fears are in part justified by her visit to the future (a crossover with the Whedon miniseries ''[[Fray (comic)|Fray]]'') where she was forced to kill a future Dark Willow.<ref name="BS8#19"/> Following the fray with Twilight, in which many Slayers were killed, Buffy developed abilities similar to those of Twilight.

A subplot involves the repercussions of [[Dawn Summers|Dawn]]'s college relationship with a boy named Kenny (described as a "thricewise"), whom she cheated on, losing her virginity to his roommate.<ref name="BS8#10"/> Consequently, Dawn has been cursed with mystical transformations: first into a giant,<ref name="BS8#1"/> then a centaur,<ref name="BS8#16"/> and finally a living doll until she apologizes to Kenny and breaks the spell.<ref name="BS8#25">{{cite comic|writer=[[Doug Petrie]]|penciller=[[Georges Jeanty]]|inker=[[Andy Owen]]|story=[[Predators and Prey|Living Doll]]|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight|issue=25| date=January 2009|publisher=[[Dark Horse Comics]]}}</ref> Among the core group, Buffy is for a time romantically drawn to another woman: a Slayer named [[Satsu (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Satsu]], and Xander to Slayer [[List of minor Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters#Renée|Renée]];<ref name="BS8#12"/> Willow's relationship with the core group is more estranged, while she protectively withholds [[Kennedy (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Kennedy]] from her friends.<ref name="BS8#10"/> Kennedy is unaware of the sexual aspect of Willow's relationship with Saga Vasuki.<ref name="BS8#19"/> [[Rupert Giles|Giles]] and Buffy, at odds, stop speaking with one another. Giles works with [[Faith Lehane|Faith]] to prevent more Slayers from going rogue.<ref name="BS8#9">{{cite comic|writer=[[Brian K. Vaughan]]|penciller=[[Georges Jeanty]]|inker=[[Andy Owen]]|story=[[No Future For You]]|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight|issue=9|date=December 2007|publisher=[[Dark Horse Comics]]}}</ref> Although Buffy comes to feel that her only compatible mate is Xander, and is upset to learn that he truly loves Dawn,<ref name="BS8#32">{{cite comic|writer=[[Joss Whedon]]|penciller=[[Georges Jeanty]]|inker=[[Andy Owen]]|story=[[Turbulence (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Turbulence]]|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight|issue=32|date=January 2010|publisher=[[Dark Horse Comics]]}}</ref> she and Angel succumb to their desires for one another upon their reunion,<ref name="BS8#33"/> though the extent to which they were in control of their actions is uncertain.<ref name="BS8#35"/>

In the series' penultimate arc, Twilight is revealed to be Buffy's former lover, [[Angel (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Angel]]. Angel attempts to explain that his Twilight persona was used to unify the anti-Slayer movement, thus limiting the potential destruction they could have caused working independently.<ref name="BS8#33">{{cite comic|writer=[[Joss Whedon]]|penciller=[[Georges Jeanty]]|inker=[[Andy Owen]]|story=[[Twilight (Buffy comic)|Twilight]]|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight|issue=33|date=March 2010|publisher=[[Dark Horse Comics]]}}</ref> His secondary goal was to push Buffy's development so that the two of them could reunite romantically and ascend to a higher plane of existence, itself called Twilight.<ref name="BS8#34">{{cite comic|writer=[[Joss Whedon]]|penciller=[[Georges Jeanty]]|inker=[[Andy Owen]]|story=[[Twilight (Buffy comic)|Twilight]]|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight|issue=34|date=April 2010|publisher=[[Dark Horse Comics]]}}</ref> However, whatever magical effect Angel was under seemed to wane after Buffy realised she was needed back on Earth to assist her friends as demons poured in from other dimensions to destroy the old universe. At the last moment, Buffy's other love, [[Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Spike]], arrives in a futuristic ship to announce he has a solution to the problem at hand.<ref name="BS8#35">{{cite comic|writer=[[Joss Whedon]]|penciller=[[Georges Jeanty]]|inker=[[Andy Owen]]|story=[[Twilight (Buffy comic)|Twilight]]|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight|issue=35|date=May 2010|publisher=[[Dark Horse Comics]]}}</ref> In the final arc, "[[Last Gleaming]]", Spike's information leads them to the source both of magic and of Twilight's power, a mystical "seed" buried beneath Sunnydale. Giles plans to destroy it, but Twilight possesses Angel and compels him to kill Giles by snapping his neck. Distraught, Buffy smashes the seed herself. Twilight is stopped but magic is also removed from the universe. Though Slayers and vampires retain their powers, witches for example are left entirely powerless. Subsequently, Willow breaks up with Kennedy and Faith inherits Giles' estate and attempts to begin Angel's rehabilitation. A pariah in the community of Slayers and former witches, Buffy moves to San Francisco where she lives as a houseguest at Dawn and Xander's apartment, and resumes her former duties as Slayer: patrolling at night for vampires.

==Writers and story arcs==
[[Joss Whedon]] serves as "executive producer" for the series across every issue, giving his other writers notes on characterization, continuity and his overall concept as he would when overseeing ''Buffy'' as a television series. Whedon wrote the first story arc ("[[The Long Way Home (Buffy comic)|The Long Way Home]]", #1–4), the fourth ("[[Time of Your Life (Buffy comic)|Time of Your Life]]", #16–19), the final story arc ("[[Last Gleaming]]", #36–40), and several intermediary one-shot stories ([[The Chain (Buffy comic)|#5]], [[Anywhere but Here (Buffy comic)|#10]], [[A Beautiful Sunset|#11]], "Willow", and #31). Comic and television writer [[Brian K. Vaughan]] became the first guest writer on the series, writing the second story arc "[[No Future for You]]" (#6–9). While Vaughan was not a "Buffyverse" staff member, he was a fan of both series (particularly the character of Faith) and Joss Whedon himself was a fan of Vaughan's [[Marvel Comics]] series ''[[Runaways (comics)|Runaways]]'', on which he served as writer during the period Vaughan wrote "No Future for You." Former ''Buffy'' and ''Angel'' writer [[Drew Goddard]] wrote the series' third arc, "[[Wolves at the Gate (comics)|Wolves at the Gate]]" (#12–15). Goddard first became a ''Buffy'' writer in its final season, starting with the episode "[[Selfless (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Selfless]]" and finishing with the ''Angel'' episode "[[The Girl in Question]]", which itself obliquely hints at the life of ''Buffy'' post-season seven. Goddard went on to become a writer for the movie ''[[Cloverfield]]'' and acclaimed American dramas ''[[Lost (2004 TV series)|Lost]]'' and ''[[Alias (TV series)|Alias]]'' (all working alongside producer [[J. J. Abrams]]) while also penning the story "Antique" for canonical ''Buffy'' comic book ''[[Tales of the Vampires]]'', which he references in "Wolves at the Gate".

Film, comics and television writer-producer [[Jeph Loeb]] wrote issue #20 of the series ("[[After These Messages... We'll Be Right Back!]]". Loeb had previously been involved with Whedon in the conception of ''[[Buffy the Animated Series]]'', which never came to be. Following Loeb are Buffyverse alumni [[Jane Espenson]], [[Doug Petrie]],<ref name="Petrie">{{cite news | author=Joss Whedon | url=http://whedonesque.com/comments/12098#155373 | title=Post from Joss at Whedonesque | publisher=[[Whedonesque.com]] | date=December 20, 2006 | access-date=February 15, 2007 | archive-date=February 28, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070228095839/http://whedonesque.com/comments/12098#155373 | url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Drew Z. Greenberg]], and [[Steven S. DeKnight]] as well as comic book writer [[Jim Krueger]], who each wrote an issue between issues #21 and #25 ("[[Predators and Prey]]"), which is a single arc told from a number of different perspectives. These one-shots follow the perspectives of [[Harmony Kendall|Harmony]] (#21, Espenson), Satsu/Kennedy (#22, DeKnight), Buffy/Andrew (#23, Greenberg), Giles/Faith (#24, Krueger) and a Xander/Dawn issue which will also reveal more about Twilight (#25, Petrie).<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080919063105/http://splashpage.mtv.com/2008/09/18/joss-whedon-teases-return-of-oz-things-to-come-in-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-season-eight/ Joss Whedon Teases Return Of Oz, Things To Come In ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season Eight’], MTV News.</ref> Jane Espenson returned for a five-issue arc involving the character of Oz for issues #26–30, titled "[[Retreat (Buffy comic)|Retreat]]"<ref>[http://www.newsarama.com/comics/080726-comiccon-dark-horse.html SDCC '08 - Dark Horse Comics Panel], [[Newsarama]], July 27, 2008</ref> and also wrote a one-shot about Riley. Joss Whedon returned to write two one-shots, "Willow: Goddesses and Monsters" and issue #31, "Turbulence". [[Brad Meltzer]], author of several [[The New York Times Best Seller list|''New York Times'' best-selling]] books and later both ''[[Identity Crisis (DC Comics)|Identity Crisis]]'' and ''[[Justice League]]'' for [[DC Comics]] wrote the penultimate story arc of ''Season Eight'', "[[Twilight (Buffy comic)|Twilight]]", which is issues #32–35. Whedon himself resumes authorship for the final five issues (#36–40, "Last Gleaming") of the series, bringing ''Season Eight'' to an end.<ref>[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=12803 Scott Allie Breaks Down Buffy’s Big Day (Or Night?)], [[Comic Book Resources]], March 6, 2008</ref>

''[[Dark Horse Presents]]'' has also offered several short, canonical side stories to the mix. "Harmony Bites" by Espenson and Moline is a fictional episode of Harmony Kendall's television series, tying into issue #21. "Vampy Cat Play Friend" is a fictional television commercial tying in with issue #22, written by Steven S. DeKnight and illustrated by Camilla d'Errico. Joss Whedon teamed up with Jo Chen to produce "Always Darkest", a depiction of Buffy's terrible nightmares, and Espenson teamed up with Moline again to produce "Harmony Comes to the Nation", a fictional interview for ''[[The Colbert Report]]'' where Harmony lays out her ambitions, both tying in with Jane Espenson's "Retreat" arc. Jackie Kessler wrote "Tales of the Vampires: Carpe Noctem", a two-part ministory with the previously unseen characters Ash and Cyn, about the consequences of Harmony Kendall's television series from a vampire's point of view.

==Publication==

===Issues===
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Title !! Issue # !! Release date
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#e32636;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
| "[[The Long Way Home (Buffy comic)|The Long Way Home, Part I]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 1 || style="text-align:center;"| March 14, 2007
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' [[Joss Whedon]] || '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"| [[Buffy Summers]] leads a squad of [[Slayer (Buffyverse)|Slayers]] in Scotland with the help of her friend [[Xander Harris]] and her sister-turned-giant [[Dawn Summers|Dawn]]. Meanwhile, a government installation investigates the demolished town of [[Sunnydale]].
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#e32636;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
| "[[The Long Way Home (Buffy comic)|The Long Way Home, Part II]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 2 || style="text-align:center;"| April 4, 2007
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' Joss Whedon || '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"| The government recruits [[Amy Madison]] as their operative to dispatch Buffy. She travels to Scotland, unleashes an army of zombies on the castle, and binds Buffy in a sleep that can only be broken by a true love's kiss.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#e32636;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
| "[[The Long Way Home (Buffy comic)|The Long Way Home, Part III]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 3 || style="text-align:center;"| May 2, 2007
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' Joss Whedon || '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"| Still bound in a sleep, Buffy explores her dreamspace with [[Ethan Rayne]]. [[Willow Rosenberg]] comes to the Slayers' aid in a battle against Amy and her army of zombies.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#e32636;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
| "[[The Long Way Home (Buffy comic)|The Long Way Home, Part IV]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 4 || style="text-align:center;"| June 6, 2007
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' Joss Whedon || '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"| Amy kidnaps Willow and presents her to a skinless [[Warren Mears]]. Xander and some practicing witches attempt to create a portal to send Buffy and [[List of minor Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters#Satsu|Satsu]] to Willow's rescue. A U.S. government general warns Buffy of "Twilight", the end of magic.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#e32636;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
| "[[The Chain (Buffy comic)|The Chain]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 5 || style="text-align:center;"| July 25, 2007
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' Joss Whedon || '''Penciller:''' [[Paul Lee (comics)|Paul Lee]]
|-
|colspan="6"| A young woman reveals how she went from being a high school student to being Buffy's decoy.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#5d8aa8;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
| "[[No Future for You|No Future for You, Part I]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 6 || style="text-align:center;"| September 5, 2007
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' [[Brian K. Vaughan]] || '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"| In Cleveland, [[Rupert Giles]] recruits [[Faith Lehane|Faith]] to assassinate [[Genevieve Savidge|Lady Genevieve Savidge]]: a rogue Slayer who threatens to destroy the world. Meanwhile, in Scotland, Buffy admits to Xander her worry of "Twilight".
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#5d8aa8;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
| "[[No Future for You|No Future for You, Part II]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 7 || style="text-align:center;"| October 3, 2007
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' Brian K. Vaughan || '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"| Faith infiltrates Lady Genevieve Savidge's estate only to discover an amicable connection with her. Willow questions Dawn on her newly giant stature.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#5d8aa8;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
| "[[No Future for You|No Future for You, Part III]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 8 || style="text-align:center;"| November 7, 2007
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' Brian K. Vaughan || '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"| Faith finds herself torn when Lady Genevieve reveals her plan to kill Buffy. Matters get worse, when Genevieve's mentor Roden kidnaps Buffy and brings her face to face with Faith.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#5d8aa8;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
| "[[No Future for You|No Future for You, Part IV]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 9 || style="text-align:center;"| December 5, 2007
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' Brian K. Vaughan || '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"|Faith and Lady Genevieve engage in battle to the death. Buffy and Giles' relationship is further strained when she questions him about Faith's mission. Meanwhile, a mysterious character named [[Twilight (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Twilight]] meets with a U.S. government agent to discuss the events with Faith and Genevieve.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#5d8aa8;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
| "[[Anywhere but Here (Buffy comic)|Anywhere but Here]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 10 || style="text-align:center;"| January 2, 2008
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' Joss Whedon || '''Penciller:''' Cliff Richards
|-
|colspan="6"|A Minder named Robin welcomes Buffy and Willow to Tichajt who presents to them the past, present, and future, revealing kept secrets between the best friends. Dawn embarrassingly reveals to Xander that she did not sleep with her boyfriend like most suspect, but instead slept with his college roommate.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#cadfb4;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
| "[[A Beautiful Sunset]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 11 || style="text-align:center;"| February 6, 2008
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' Joss Whedon || '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"|Buffy invites [[List of minor Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters#Satsu|Satsu]] to dust a group of vampires at a graveyard. There, Buffy declares to her that she knows Satsu planted the true love's kiss on her when she was bound in sleep. Suddenly, Twilight attacks both of the girls and introduces to Buffy his malicious plan to destroy all of the Slayers.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#cadfb4;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
| "[[Wolves at the Gate (comics)|Wolves at the Gate, Part I]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 12 || style="text-align:center;"| March 5, 2008
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' [[Drew Goddard]] || '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"|Just when Xander, [[List of minor Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters#Renée|Renée]], [[Andrew Wells|Andrew]], Willow, and Dawn all walk in on Buffy and Satsu naked in bed, a group of Japanese vampires breach the castle walls and successfully steal the Scythe. In need for assistance to defeat the vampires, Xander seeks an old friend, [[Dracula (Buffyverse)|Dracula]].
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#cadfb4;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
| "[[Wolves at the Gate (comics)|Wolves at the Gate, Part II]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 13 || style="text-align:center;"| April 2, 2008
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' Drew Goddard || '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"|When confronted by Xander about the Japanese vampires, Dracula realizes the group has stolen his unique powers, and commits to help out of pride. Meanwhile, Buffy is preparing an all-out assault against the vampires, who have been spotted in Tokyo by the slayer Aiko. The vampires spot Aiko's surveillance and set an ambush: the female vampire Kumiko uses the Scythe to magically revert Aiko into a regular, helpless girl, and the vampire leader Toru then kills her.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#cadfb4;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
| "[[Wolves at the Gate (comics)|Wolves at the Gate, Part III]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 14 || style="text-align:center;"| May 7, 2008
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' Drew Goddard || '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"|Buffy and her team arrive in Japan to find Aiko's corpse strung up with a welcome message written in her blood. They meet up with Xander, Renée, and Dracula, who teaches Willow a spell to contain the desolidifying vampires. With Giant Dawn as a distraction, the team assaults the vampires' lair, only to discover that it's a trap as Toru appears behind them and impales Renée on the scythe.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#cadfb4;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
| "[[Wolves at the Gate (comics)|Wolves at the Gate, Part IV]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 15 || style="text-align:center;"| June 4, 2008
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' Drew Goddard || '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"|Dracula sends Willow to perform the spell to destroy the vampires' special powers. No longer invincible, the Slayers charge and attack all of the vampires. Dawn is confronted by a [[mecha]] version of herself.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#915c83;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
| "[[Time of Your Life (Buffy comic)|Time of Your Life, Part I]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 16 || style="text-align:center;"| July 2, 2008
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' Joss Whedon || '''Penciller:''' [[Karl Moline]]
|-
|colspan="6"|When Buffy and Willow reunite with [[Kennedy (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Kennedy]] and [[Vi (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Vi]] to unlock the secrets of the Scythe, Buffy finds herself transported into the future of Slayer [[Melaka Fray]]. In Scotland, Dawn transforms into a [[centaur]] and the castle is hit by a rocket sent by Amy and Warren.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#915c83;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
| "[[Time of Your Life (Buffy comic)|Time of Your Life, Part II]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 17 || style="text-align:center;"| August 6, 2008
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' Joss Whedon || '''Penciller:''' Karl Moline
|-
|colspan="6"|After a shaky introduction, Buffy and Fray must join forces in order to discover the purpose of their meeting. Elsewhere in Haddyn, Fray's twin brother vampire Harth has teamed up with [[Willow Rosenberg#Dark Willow|Dark Willow]] to affect time.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#915c83;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
| "[[Time of Your Life (Buffy comic)|Time of Your Life, Part III]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 18 || style="text-align:center;"| September 3, 2008
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' Joss Whedon || '''Penciller:''' Karl Moline
|-
|colspan="6"|Xander and Dawn escape from the siege and enter deep in the forest, only to then encounter mystical tree creatures. In the future, Dark Willow convinces Fray to immobilize Buffy in order to save the world.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#915c83;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
| "[[Time of Your Life (Buffy comic)|Time of Your Life, Part IV]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 19 || style="text-align:center;"| November 26, 2008
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' Joss Whedon || '''Penciller:''' Karl Moline
|-
|colspan="6"|When a portal temporarily opens between the timelines, Buffy rushes to get back to the present. However, Dark Willow and Fray will make sure she does otherwise. Meanwhile, in the present, [[Riley Finn]] shows allegiance to Twilight.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#915c83;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
| "[[After These Messages... We'll Be Right Back!]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 20 || style="text-align:center;"| December 17, 2008
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' [[Jeph Loeb]]|| '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty, Eric Wight
|-
|colspan="6"|Buffy wakes up and finds herself back in her 16-year-old body, conflicted with her Slayer duties when [[Cordelia Chase]] hosts a house party.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#399;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
|"[[Predators and Prey#Harmonic Divergence (Issue#21)|Harmonic Divergence]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 21 || style="text-align:center;"| January 7, 2009
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' [[Jane Espenson]]|| '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"|[[Harmony Kendall|Harmony]] sets a contract with [[MTV]] to produce a reality television show, presenting vampires as helpless victims.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#399;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
|"[[Predators and Prey#Swell (Issue#22)|Swell]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 22 || style="text-align:center;"| February 4, 2009
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' [[Steven S. DeKnight]]|| '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"|When Kennedy is sent to Japan to evaluate Satsu's efforts as team leader, they are taken by surprise by some fierce furry creatures who want to do nothing more than destroy Buffy.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#399;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
|"[[Predators and Prey#Predators and Prey (Issue#23)|Predators and Prey]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 23 || style="text-align:center;"| March 4, 2009
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' [[Drew Z. Greenberg]]|| '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"|Buffy and Andrew embark on a trip to take down the rogue slayer Simone while the rest of the world still feels hatred toward the slayer population.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#399;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
|"[[Predators and Prey#Safe (Issue#24)|Safe]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 24 || style="text-align:center;"| April 1, 2009
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' [[Jim Krueger]]|| '''Penciller:''' Cliff Richards
|-
|colspan="6"|Faith and Giles encounter a runaway Slayer named Courtney. The three investigate The Slayer Sanctuary and its tie to the town of Hanselstadt.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#399;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
|"[[Predators and Prey#Living Doll (Issue#25)|Living Doll]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 25 || style="text-align:center;"| May 6, 2009
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' [[Doug Petrie]]|| '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"|Buffy will finally have to take action regarding her little sister when Dawn's mysterious disappearance makes it a priority.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#796878;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
|"[[Retreat (Buffy comic)|Retreat, Part I]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 26 || style="text-align:center;"| July 1, 2009
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' Jane Espenson|| '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"|Old friends such as Faith, Andrew, and Satsu are forced to return to Buffy's HQ, who are much the same as them under siege from Twilight's forces, humans and demons. Defenses fall as the Scottish castle comes under attack. The group learns Twilight is able to track them through their use of magic, forcing the team to retreat to Tibet to learn how to suppress magic from [[Oz (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Oz]].
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#796878;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
|"[[Retreat (Buffy comic)|Retreat, Part II]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 27 || style="text-align:center;"| August 5, 2009
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' Jane Espenson|| '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"|Upon arriving in Tibet, the group is filled in on what has happened to Oz since season 4 when he departed Sunnydale. Also, Twilight uses every technological and mystical way to locate the Slayers since they mysteriously vanished from his radar.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#796878;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
|"[[Retreat (Buffy comic)|Retreat, Part III]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 28 || style="text-align:center;"| September 2, 2009
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' Jane Espenson|| '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"|Buffy and her group of Slayers use hard labor and meditation to suppress their inherent magic in order to remain hidden from Twilight. Meanwhile, Andrew uses his videocamera to seek out and expose a spy amongst them&mdash;but it may be too late.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#796878;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
|"[[Retreat (Buffy comic)|Retreat, Part IV]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 29 || style="text-align:center;"| October 7, 2009
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' Jane Espenson|| '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"|Having been discovered by Twilight and his army, the Slayer Organization prepare to do battle with human weapons in order to survive to fight another day.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#796878;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
|"[[Retreat (Buffy comic)|Retreat, Part V]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 30 || style="text-align:center;"| November 4, 2009
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' Jane Espenson|| '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"|The epic battle between the Slayers and Twilight's armies comes to a halt when three giant Goddesses rise from the ground and rain destruction on them.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#fc0;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
|"[[Twilight (Buffy comic)|Turbulence]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 31 || style="text-align:center;"| January 13, 2010
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' Joss Whedon|| '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"|Buffy admits her attraction to Xander and reveals she's inexplicably inherited superpowers that can defeat the Goddesses.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#fc0;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
|"[[Twilight (Buffy comic)|Twilight, Chapter One: Buffy Has F#©$ing Superpowers]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 32 || style="text-align:center;"| February 3, 2010
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' [[Brad Meltzer]]|| '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"|Buffy and Xander test the limits of her new superpowers; Willow suspects they originate from the dead Slayers.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#fc0;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
|"[[Twilight (Buffy comic)|Twilight, Chapter Two: The Master Plan]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 33 || style="text-align:center;"| March 3, 2010
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' Brad Meltzer|| '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"|Buffy discovers that Twilight is in fact her ex-boyfriend, [[Angel (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Angel]]. Giles begins to explain the prophecy.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#fc0;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
|"[[Twilight (Buffy comic)|Twilight, Chapter Three: Them F#©%ing (Plus the True History of the Universe)]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 34 || style="text-align:center;"| April 7, 2010
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' Brad Meltzer|| '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"|Giles explains that the Slayer and the vampire are a part of a prophecy about the formation of a new dimension. Meanwhile, Buffy and Angel find themselves having sex and awaking in just such a place.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#fc0;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
|"[[Twilight (Buffy comic)|Twilight, The Final Chapter: The Power of Love]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 35 || style="text-align:center;"| May 5, 2010
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' Brad Meltzer|| '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"|Buffy and Angel choose to return to Earth to assist their friends as the old universe is invaded by extra-dimensional demons.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#e56024;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
|"[[Last Gleaming|Last Gleaming, Part I]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 36 || style="text-align:center;"| September 1, 2010
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' Joss Whedon|| '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"|The revelation that Angel is Twilight breeds dissension among Buffy and her allies, just as Spike returns
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#e56024;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
|"[[Last Gleaming|Last Gleaming, Part II]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 37 || style="text-align:center;"| October 6, 2010
|-
| colspan="2"|'''Writer:''' Joss Whedon and [[Scott Allie]]|| '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"|Spike informs Buffy that in order to destroy the Twilight realm, she must break the source of magic—a seed buried deep in Sunnydale.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#e56024;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
| "[[Last Gleaming|Last Gleaming, Part III]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 38 || style="text-align:center;"| November 3, 2010
|-
| colspan="2"| '''Writer:''' Joss Whedon and Scott Allie|| '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"| As Slayers all over the world engage in a mass battle against demon armies from other dimensions, Buffy and a select few get a hold of the Seed.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#e56024;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
| "[[Last Gleaming|Last Gleaming, Part IV]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 39 || style="text-align:center;"| December 1, 2010
|-
| colspan="2"| '''Writer:''' Joss Whedon and Scott Allie|| '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"| Angel stops Giles' attempt at destroying the Seed by snapping his neck. Mortified, Buffy breaks it and collapses into tears as the world is relieved of all magic, including Willow's abilities.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#e56024;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
| "[[Last Gleaming|Last Gleaming, Part V]]" || style="text-align:center;"| 40 || style="text-align:center;"| January 19, 2011
|-
| colspan="2"| '''Writer:''' Joss Whedon|| '''Penciller:''' Georges Jeanty
|-
|colspan="6"| Months after the battle, Buffy is waitressing in San Francisco, living at Xander and Dawn's apartment. Simone kills the Military General and hunts for Buffy next.
|}

===One-shots===
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Title !! Release date
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#399;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
| "Tales of the Vampires: The Thrill" || style="text-align:center;"| June 3, 2009
|-
||'''Writer:''' [[Becky Cloonan]] || '''Penciller:''' Vasilis Lolos
|-
|colspan="6"|In a small town in New Hampshire, a young man named Jacob befriends a reckless gang of vampires who enjoy drinking his blood. Jacob craves the high and the easy escape from the monotony of his life that this "bloodletting" provides. A mysterious character named May appears, who can help Jacob leave those high-school days behind, unless his friend Alexia doesn't stop her first.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#fc0;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
| "Willow: Goddesses and Monsters" || style="text-align:center;"| December 23, 2009
|-
||'''Writer:''' [[Joss Whedon]] || '''Penciller:''' Karl Moline
|-
|colspan="6"| Following the demise of Sunnydale, Willow went on a walkabout where she met a very sultry, extremely powerful serpent lady who seems to be the key to unraveling the mysteries of what Willow is, and will become.
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#e56024;"| <!-- Putting in a nice space between episodes -->
|-
| "Riley: Commitment through Distance, Virtue through Sin" || style="text-align:center;"| August 18, 2010
|-
||'''Writer:''' [[Jane Espenson]] || '''Penciller:''' Karl Moline
|-
|colspan="6"|In the midst of the battle, Buffy's former flame, the demon-fighting soldier Riley Finn, seemingly in league with Twilight, was revealed as a double agent working for the Slayer army. Now Espenson and artist Karl Moline (Fray, Willow) uncover the secrets of Riley's recruitment by Buffy, his infiltration of Twilight's inner circle, and what's become of him and his superspy wife, Sam.
|}

===Trade paperbacks===
The issues were collected together into [[trade paperback (comics)|trade paperbacks]]:
{{Comics TPB table|
{{Comics TPB line|1|[[The Long Way Home (Buffy comic)|The Long Way Home]]|[[Dark Horse Comics]]|October 24, 2007|1593078226|*''Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight'' #1–5<ref>[http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/119446695187372.htm ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume One: The Long Way Home'' trade review] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303193511/http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/119446695187372.htm |date=March 3, 2016 }}, [[Comics Bulletin]], November 7, 2007</ref>
|writers=[[Joss Whedon]]
|pencillers=
* [[Georges Jeanty]]
* Paul Lee
|notes=A hardcover edition was also published at the same time.
|color=
}}
{{Comics TPB line|2|[[No Future for You]]|Dark Horse Comics|May 21, 2008|159307963X|*''Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight'' #6–10<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/15-021/Buffy-the-Vampire-Slayer-Season-8-Volume-2-No-Future-for-You-TPB|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 Volume 2: No Future for You TPB :: Profile :: Dark Horse Comics|work=darkhorse.com}}</ref>
|writers=
* [[Brian K. Vaughan]]
* [[Joss Whedon]]
|pencillers=
* [[Georges Jeanty]]
* Cliff Richards
|notes=
|color=y
}}
{{Comics TPB line|3|[[Wolves at the Gate (comics)|Wolves at the Gate]]|Dark Horse Comics|November 11, 2008|1595821651|*''Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight'' #11–15
|writers=
* [[Drew Goddard]]
* [[Joss Whedon]]
|pencillers=[[Georges Jeanty]]
|notes=
|color=
}}
{{Comics TPB line|4|[[Time of Your Life (Buffy comic)|Time of Your Life]]|Dark Horse Comics|May 6, 2009|1595823107|*''Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight'' #16–20
|writers=
* [[Jeph Loeb]]
* [[Joss Whedon]]
|pencillers=
* [[Georges Jeanty]]
* [[Karl Moline]]
|notes=
|color=y
}}
{{Comics TPB line|5|[[Predators and Prey]]|Dark Horse Comics|September 30, 2009|1595823425|*''Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight'' #21–25 and the short stories "Harmony Bites" and "Vampy Cat Play Friend" from MySpace Dark Horse Presents!
|writers=
* [[Jane Espenson]]
* [[Steven S. DeKnight]]
* [[Drew Z. Greenberg]]
* [[Jim Krueger]]
* [[Doug Petrie]]
|pencillers=
* [[Georges Jeanty]]
* Cliff Richards
|notes=
|color=
}}
{{Comics TPB line|6|[[Retreat (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Retreat]]|Dark Horse Comics|February 25, 2010|1595824154|*''Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight'' #26–30 and the short stories "Always Darkest" and "Harmony Comes to the Nation" from MySpace Dark Horse Presents!
|writers=
* [[Jane Espenson]]
* [[Joss Whedon]]
|pencillers=[[Georges Jeanty]]
|notes=
|color=y
}}
{{Comics TPB line|7|[[Twilight (Buffy comic)|Twilight]]|Dark Horse Comics|October 6, 2010|1595825584|*''Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight'' #31–35 and the Willow one-shot.
|writers=
* [[Brad Meltzer]]
* [[Joss Whedon]]
|pencillers=
* [[Georges Jeanty]]
* [[Karl Moline]]
|notes=
|color=
}}
{{Comics TPB line|8|[[Last Gleaming]]|Dark Horse Comics|June 1, 2011|1595826106|*''Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight'' #36–40 and the Riley one-shot.
|writers=
* [[Joss Whedon]]
* [[Scott Allie]]
* [[Jane Espenson]]
|pencillers=
* [[Georges Jeanty]]
* [[Karl Moline]]
|notes=
|color=y
}}
|lead= Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight
}}

===Library editions===

The series has been collected into four deluxe, oversized, hardcover editions under the title "Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Eight Library Edition", each containing ten issues and extra features.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/18-892/Buffy-the-Vampire-Slayer-Season-8-Library-Edition-Volume-1-HC|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 Library Edition Volume 1 HC :: Profile :: Dark Horse Comics|work=darkhorse.com}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Title !! Release Date !! Publisher !! Writers !! Contains
|-
| Volume 1 || May 30, 2012 || [[Dark Horse Comics]] || [[Joss Whedon]] and [[Brian K. Vaughan]] || Season 8 issues 1–10, "Always Darkest", covers gallery, sketches gallery.
|-
| Volume 2 || September 12, 2012 || Dark Horse Comics || Joss Whedon, [[Drew Goddard]], and [[Jeph Loeb]] || Season 8 issues 11–20, Willow: Goddesses and Monsters, covers gallery, sketches gallery.
|-
| Volume 3 || January 8, 2013 || Dark Horse Comics || [[Jane Espenson]], [[Steven S. DeKnight]], [[Drew Z. Greenberg]], [[Jim Krueger]], and [[Doug Petrie]] || Season 8 issues 21–30, covers gallery, sketches gallery.
|-
| Volume 4 || March 20, 2013 || Dark Horse Comics || Joss Whedon, [[Brad Meltzer]], and [[Scott Allie]] || Season 8 issues 31–40; Riley: Commitment through Distance, Virtue through Sin; covers gallery, sketches gallery.
|-
|}

==Motion comics==
Fox Home Entertainment produced [[motion comic]]s based on the first 19 issues of ''Season Eight''. The first motion comic was released on [[Amazon Video on Demand]] and [[iTunes]] on July 19, 2010, with new motion comics being released every Monday.<ref name="motion comics"/> The Region-1 Blu-ray and DVD of the motion comic series was released on January 4, 2011, and includes limited edition Jo Chen packaging and a collectible reprint of Dark Horse Comic's first book in the series.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=15988|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 DVD Details|publisher=ShockTilYouDrop.com|date=July 24, 2010|access-date=July 24, 2010}}</ref> The Region-2 DVD was released on October 3, 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004PYCZQO|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season 8 Motion Comic Issue: 1-19 DVD|publisher=Amazon.co.uk|access-date=September 6, 2011}}</ref>

==Reception==
Initial reaction to ''Season Eight'' was generally positive, despite the switch in medium leading to comparison between the television series and the comic. Mathew Springer of The Comicbloc described the series as "very good ... and slightly strange." He praised Whedon's writing in the opening issue, claiming, "The humor, pop culture references and spot-on quirky characterizations are all on vibrant display," and looked forward to the direction the book was going in. However, he admitted that it was hard for him to accept the comic as canon, claiming "there’s something subtly undermining this effort simply because it’s a comic book and not on television."<ref name=ComicBloc1>{{cite news|author=Mathew Springer|url=http://comicbloc.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=924&Itemid=57|title=Review: ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8'' #1|publisher=Comic Bloc|date=March 22, 2007|access-date=November 21, 2007|archive-date=January 9, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080109112800/http://comicbloc.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=924&Itemid=57|url-status=dead}}</ref> Mark Stoddard of Comix Nexus also approached the series "with some trepidation, unsure of whether there would be more great stories that really needed to be told, and wondering whether the magic of TV could be replicated in the medium of comics."<ref name=ComicsNexus8>{{cite news|author=Mark Stoddard |url=http://comicsnexus.insidepulse.com/articles/71912/2007/11/09/review-buffy-season-8-8.html |title=Review: ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8'' #8 |publisher=Comics Nexus |date=November 9, 2007 |access-date=November 21, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071112132337/http://comicsnexus.insidepulse.com/articles/71912/2007/11/09/review-buffy-season-8-8.html |archive-date=November 12, 2007 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref> [[TV Squad]]'s Keith McDuffee expressed that reading ''Buffy'' as a comic book after seeing it on television for seven years was strange,<ref name=TVSEarlyLook>{{cite news|author=Keith McDuffee|url=http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/02/19/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-season-8-comic-an-early-look/|title=''Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8'' comic&nbsp;— An early look|publisher=TV Squad|date=February 19, 2007|access-date=November 21, 2007}}</ref> but the new format was a good thing because, "You don't have ugly casting problems and the special effects budget isn't a concern at all."<ref name=TVS1>{{cite news|author=Keith McDuffee|url=http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/03/16/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-the-long-way-home-season-premiere/|title=''Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Long Way Home, Part 1'' (season premiere)|publisher=TV Squad|date=March 16, 2007|access-date=November 21, 2007}}</ref> In a later review, he reaffirmed this opinion, stating, "Thank God for a medium that lets creativity go completely wild without budget worries."<ref name=TVS3>{{cite news|author=Keith McDuffee|url=http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/05/03/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-the-long-way-home-part-3/|title=''Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Long Way Home, Part 3''|publisher=TV Squad|date=May 3, 2007|access-date=November 21, 2007}}</ref>

Georges Jeanty's artwork received praise for being dynamic and true to the characters, rather than trying to appear photo-realistic. According to Mathew Springer, "He brings these people to life not as drawings of actors and actresses, but as fully realized comic book characters in their own right."<ref name=ComicBloc1/> Mark Stoddard complimented Whedon's choice of Jeanty for the book, saying, "His layouts and storytelling are clear, he handles the action sequences pretty well, and the character likenesses are excellent, retaining a sense of artistic individuality, rather than simply generating portraits or rehashing television stills."<ref name=ComicsNexus8/> However, Keith McDuffee criticized Jeanty's work, feeling, "The cover images...are amazingly detailed and truly capture what we remember of the characters, but the inside pages have a bit to be desired."<ref name=TVS3/> Richard George of [[IGN]] described Jeanty's work as bringing "a mixture of real life practicality and zany cartoons," but warned readers not to compare it to the "immaculate" covers by Jo Chen, explaining, "Do not expect the art inside to be what it is on the outside, and don't hold one against the other. Both styles have their place."<ref name=IGNAdvanced>{{cite news|author=Richard George|url=http://uk.comics.ign.com/articles/772/772482p1.html|title=Advance Review: ''Buffy'' #1|publisher=IGN|date=March 13, 2007|access-date=November 21, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070504090835/http://uk.comics.ign.com/articles/772/772482p1.html|archive-date=May 4, 2007|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

===Reaction from original cast===
Multiple cast members have commented on the appearances of the characters they originated for the TV series in the Season 8 comics.
* [[Sarah Michelle Gellar]], who portrayed Buffy, was first informed of Buffy's lesbian experiences by [[Seth Green]], who played [[Oz (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Oz]], in an on-camera interview, and expressed surprise and approval of the development.<ref>{{cite web|last=Gellar|first=Sarah|title=Sarah Michelle Gellar reacts to Buffy's lesbian tryst|website=[[YouTube]]|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=809qaPGvmMM |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211214/809qaPGvmMM |archive-date=2021-12-14 |url-status=live|date=April 28, 2008|access-date=May 24, 2008}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* [[Nicholas Brendon]], who portrayed Xander, mentioned the events of issue #12 in the [[Paley Center for Media]] ''Buffy'' cast reunion held March 20, 2008, to the obvious surprise of [[James Marsters]] and [[Sarah Michelle Gellar]],<ref name=ign>{{cite web|last=Goldman|first=Eric|title=Whedon, Gellar and More at the ''Buffy'' Reunion|url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/861/861435p2.html|publisher=IGN|date=March 24, 2008|access-date=May 24, 2008}}</ref> later commenting, "He's looking good, rocking the eye patch in charge of 500 chicks. That is the one thing that Xander would be completely blown away about&nbsp;— being in charge of 500 slayers. Xander wasn't in charge of himself in the show!"<ref>{{cite web|last=Rawson-Jones|first=Ben|title=Nicholas Brendon laps up 'Buffy' comics|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/cult/a96657/nicholas-brendon-laps-up-buffy-comics.html|publisher=[[Digital Spy]]|date=May 24, 2008|access-date=May 24, 2008}}</ref>
* [[Anthony Head|Anthony Stewart Head]], who played Rupert Giles, said, "I've seen bits of it and I'd love to see more because it's so cool. It's Joss&nbsp;— and I love Joss's writing. I haven’t had a lot of time but I must get the whole season and check it out."<ref>{{cite web|last=Rawson-Jones|first=Ben|title=Anthony Head ('The Invisibles')|website=[[Digital Spy]]|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/cult/a94672/anthony-head-the-invisibles.html|date=April 28, 2008|access-date=May 24, 2008}}</ref>
* [[Elizabeth Anne Allen]], who portrayed Amy, described the series as "awesome," saying, "[Season Six/Seven] was fun.... but I really would have loved to play Amy in Season 8. She is much darker."<ref>[http://www.slayalive.com/index.cgi?board=shows&action=display&thread=1197082788 SlayAlive Interview: Elizabeth Anne Allen]{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, SlayAlive.com.</ref>

===Awards===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Group !! Year !! Award !! Work !! Result
|-
| [[Diamond Comic Distributors]]
| 2007
| Comic Book of the Year, under $3.00
| [[The Long Way Home (Buffy comic)|Issue #1]]
| {{won}}
|-
| Diamond Comic Distributors
| 2007
| Licensed Comic of the Year
| Issue #1
| {{won}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.diamondcomics.com/support/pr/Gem_winners/2007_Gem_Award_Winners.pdf|title=2007 Gem Award Winners|work=Diamond Comics|access-date=February 20, 2011|archive-date=March 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320161042/http://www.diamondcomics.com/support/pr/Gem_winners/2007_Gem_Award_Winners.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| [[Eisner Award]]
| 2008
| Best Continuing Series
|
| {{nom}}
|-
| Eisner Award
| 2008
| Best New Series
|
| {{won}}<ref>[http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_eisners_main.shtml Eisner Awards Celebrate the “Magic of Comics”] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010161714/http://comic-con.org/cci/cci_eisners_main.shtml |date=2008-10-10 }}, [[San Diego Comic-Con International|Comic-Con]]</ref>
|-
| [[Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards]]
| 2008
| Best Book
|
| {{nom}}<ref name=diamond08>{{cite web|url=http://www.diamondcomics.com/public/default.asp?t=1&m=1&c=3&s=5&ai=79699|title=2008 Diamond Gem Award Winners|access-date=February 3, 2009|archive-date=July 29, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100729135137/http://diamondcomics.com/public/default.asp?t=1&m=1&c=3&s=5&ai=79699|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| Diamond Comic Distributors
| 2008
| Licensed Comic Book of the Year
| Issue #12
| {{won}}<ref name="diamond08"/>
|-
| [[GLAAD Media Awards]] 20th Annual
| 2009
| Outstanding Comic Book
| "[[Wolves at the Gate (comics)|Wolves at the Gate]]"
| {{won}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Tyra Banks, Suze Orman Honored at 20th Annual GLAAD Media Awards Presented by IBM |url=http://www.glaad.org/page.aspx?pid=512 |date=March 29, 2009 |access-date=March 30, 2009 |publisher=[[GLAAD]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090508094524/http://www.glaad.org/Page.aspx?pid=512 |archive-date=May 8, 2009 |df=mdy }}</ref>
|-
| [[Wizard Magazine]] Fan Awards 2009 (#211 Platinum Edition)
| 2009
| Favorite Licensed Comic and Favorite Heroine
| [[Buffy Summers]]
| {{won}}
|-
| Wizard Magazine
| 2009
| Top 100 Graphic Novels of the Wizard Magazine Era
| "Wolves at the Gate"
| Placed #67
|-
|}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{gcdb series|id=21518|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight}}
* {{comicbookdb|type=title|id=12638|title=''Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight''}}
* [http://www.darkhorse.com/Zones/Buffy ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''] at [[Dark Horse Comics]]
* [http://www.tvguide.com/news/Buffy-Vampire-Slayer-35722.aspx Joss Whedon Q&A about Season 8 at TVGuide.com]
* [http://buffycomics.hellmouthcentral.com/ The Comic Book Guide to ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'']

{{Buffy Season 8}}
{{Buffy the Vampire Slayer}}
{{Joss Whedon}}
{{GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Eight}}
[[Category:2007 comics debuts]]
[[Category:Buffyverse comic book crossovers|Season 08]]
[[Category:Werewolf comics]]
[[Category:Comics about magic]]
[[Category:Comics based on Buffy the Vampire Slayer|Season 08]]
[[Category:Comics based on television series]]
[[Category:Comics by Brad Meltzer]]
[[Category:Eisner Award winners for Best New Series]]
[[Category:LGBTQ-related comics]]
[[Category:Horror comics]]