Posted in: Comics, Dynamite | Tagged: angel, buffy the vampire slayer, kelly thompson, late
Kelly Thompson On The Buffy & Angel Delays… And One Small Benefit
Kelly Thompson on the Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel <a href="https://comicvibe.com/ahf-launches-comic-book-on-menstrual-health-education/” title=”AHF launches comic book on menstrual health education”>comic book delays… and one small benefit
Article Summary
- Kelly Thompson addresses Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel delays, citing moving deadlines, legal hurdles, and spoilers.
- Dynamite shifted the launch into a bigger Buffyverse event, with Buffy #1 and Angel #1 now both arriving in March 2027.
- One small benefit of the delays: Buffy and Angel launch close together, matching Thompson’s plan for a tightly linked first arc.
- Thompson says readers should follow both series, as Buffy and Angel connect directly and the artwork improves from issue #1 onward.
Kelly Thompson has spent a good chunk of 2026 talking around the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel comics from Dynamite Entertainment rather than about them. On the latest Off-Panel with David Harper, she addressed the delays, the resolicitations, and the knock-on effects to everything else on her slate. The books were originally solicited for summer 2026. Orders were cancelled in August after the story grew into something larger than a standard paired launch. Dynamite and Kelly Thompson reframed the opening as an event that would change the Buffyverse, with increased page counts at no extra cost. Buffy the Vampire Slayer #1 by Kelly Thompson and Stephen Byrne is now set for the 10th of March, 2027.Angel #1 by Kelly Thompson and Giulia Giacomino follows later that month. The two titles remain tightly interwoven for the first arc. Kelly talked about the appeal of the Buffyverse to her, and how the delays affected things.
“Those are probably my most desirable IP to get my hands on, and the most loved stuff for me from genre work that you might get to adapt. How do I say this? I always wanted to do it. I’m glad I did it, but the delays have been a real problem for me. Some of the delay, a little bit of the delay, is my own fault. I’m sure everyone would be like, “It’d be great to get a script in on time…” I have not been doing a great job at that. But part of the reason I haven’t been doing a great job at that is that, for reasons I can’t discuss that are complicated and whatever, the deadline kept moving. It’s hard to think about that book that now I know isn’t going to come out for 6 months when Hayden (on Absolute Wonder Woman) moves so fast, I have to feed them constantly.”
Buffy’s loss has been Wonder Woman. Kelly Thompson can’t talk much about the problems but does claim some of them herself.
“Especially with complicated IP and the legal side of things, whatever, there were some things that had to be worked out, and here we are. I’m very excited. We’re finally getting started. If people don’t know, March 2027 is the date. Buffy comes first and then Angel. In addition to the books finally being announced and me being really happy with how they’re coming together, I never wanted the first issues separated . When they were going to come out in the summer it was going to be July for Buffy and August for Angel. If you want to try this, you really got to read Buffy one and Angel one. You shouldn’t just pick one series. Read those two together. And if you are interested in what we’re doing, like keep going with either or both. But it’s really more of like a crossover event that like draws all the characters together for a big changing thing. And so it was never ideal for those issue ones to land in separate months.”
And now they will both be out in March. So that’s four months until she’ll be able to talk about them properly.
“It’s just a bit upsetting that the thing that got delayed the longest was the thing that had the most spoilers that I could talk the least about. And so it’s just like, what am I supposed to say now? I’ve said all the things I can say without spoiling it. So you know we’re sort of locked in.”
And as for the artists and the general look of the comic books…
“I love Steven Byrne and I’m very happy he’s got that book. One of the things I’d say about him, and it’s true of Giulia too, is that they both got so much better after the first issues and I think that has to do with a lot of things, but number one is when you have to draw likenesses, it’s such a pain in the ass and the thing that makes you better at it is doing it over and over again. So, by the time you get to issue two, you’re really like in the flow of it and so I feel like it sucks that issue ones are the things that everyone buys because even though their work is beautiful in their issue ones, I feel like it gets even better as we go, both of them.”
So the message is, buy Buffy #1 and Angel #1. And then buy Buffy #2 and Angel #2… I am sure Dynamite Entertainment will approve this message.
- BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #1
(W) Kelly Thompson (A) Stephen Byrne (CA) David Nakayama
Eisner-winning writer KELLY THOMPSON (Absolute Wonder Woman, Black Widow) and superstar artist STEPHEN BYRNE (Wonder Twins) present a vision of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER you’ve got to read to believe! Featuring the comics debut of a beloved Buffy fan-favorite character! Into every generation, a slayer is born. And Buffy Summers may have broken the mold. Though Buffy’s powers were varied and great, it was the love and devotion she inspired that was perhaps her greatest power. And when she gave her life to save the world, the people who loved her couldn’t live with that. This is that story. $4.99
- BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #2
(W) Kelly Thompson (A) Stephen Byrne (CA) David Nakayama
The comics event series of the year continues from Eisner Award-winning writer KELLY THOMPSON (Absolute Wonder Woman) and superstar artist STEPHEN BYRNE (Wonder Twins)! Still reeling from the shocking events of last issue, the team has no time to catch their breath as deadly minions are out for blood. Having everyone together again feels good, feels right. But something seems…off… $4.99
- BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #3
(W) Kelly Thompson (A) Stephen Byrne (CA) David Nakayama
Darla claims to be searching for Angel – but instead she finds a very, VERY angry Buffy. The all-new adventures continue from Eisner Award-winning writer KELLY THOMPSON (Absolute Wonder Woman) and superstar artist STEPHEN BYRNE (Wonder Twins). $4.99
- ANGEL #1
(W) Kelly Thompson (A) Giulia Giacomino (CA) David Nakayama
Following the July debut of the extra-sized Buffy the Vampire Slayer #1, Angel #1 kicks off with an extra-sized 48-page premiere issue featuring extra pages of story and art plus a special sketchbook section, specially priced at just $4.99! Featuring the first appearance of Angel and Buffy’s new big bad, LEVIATHAN! Once the terrifying vampire Angelus, Angel was cursed for his crimes with the return of his soul. That soul eventually led him to Sunnydale and a tragic star-crossed affair with Buffy, his vampire-slaying true love. Once the tragedy had run its course, Angel built himself a new life in Los Angeles as a supernatural detective, helping the helpless. But things don’t always go according to plan. And sometimes, you do have to go home again. This is that story. Eisner-winning writer KELLY THOMPSON (Absolute Wonder Woman, Black Widow) and artist GIULIA GIACOMINO (Lilo & Stitch) present a stunning new vision of ANGEL. $4.99
- ANGEL #2
(W) Kelly Thompson (A) Giulia Giacomino (CA) David Nakayama
It’s time to get moving. Angel has picked his “Away Team,” and now they must jump off into complete…hellish…chaos. The all-new thrills continue from Eisner-winning writer KELLY THOMPSON (Absolute Wonder Woman) and incredible artist Giulia Giacomino! $4.99
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