Past Lives (comics)

"Past Lives" is a comic book storyline based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series and published in Buffy the Vampire Slayer #29–30 and Angel #15–16. It was reprinted as a trade paperback collected edition in November 2001.

"Past Lives"
Cover of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Past Lives  (2001), trade paperback collected edition
Publisher	Dark Horse Comics
Publication date	January – February 2001
Genre	Action/adventure, horror Based on Buffy the Vampire Slayer Crossover Vampire
Title(s)	Buffy the Vampire Slayer #29–30 Angel #15–16
Creative team
Writer(s)	Christopher Golden, Thomas E. Sniegoski
Penciller(s)	Christian Zanier, Cliff Richards
Inker(s)	Joe Pimentel, Digital Jump
Colorist(s)	Lee Loughridge
With respect to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise
The material covered in this article is a continuity issue in the canon of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Story description

Angel #15

Comic title: Past Lives, part 1

A huntress is tracking demons in L.A. This would normally seem to be a good thing, except that she's started leaving survivors to tell them that Angel sent her. As a result, Angel has a huge horde of demons trying to track him for revenge. His human friends, Cordelia and Wesley will soon no longer be safe, unless Angel can do something.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #29

Comic title: Past Lives, part 2

Cordelia and Wesley are in hospital whilst Angel is on the run. A mysterious demon hunter continues her actions against Angel. Demons are leaving carnage across L.A. and some are seeking refuge in Sunnydale. Buffy, Giles, and the others learn about recent chaos, and Buffy believes she should go to help Angel in L.A. Riley is displeased with such developments.

Angel #16

Comic title: Past Lives, part 3

Angel confronts the mysterious demon hunter who's out to get him, but he barely escapes alive. Meanwhile, Buffy and Giles begin to find out who and what is behind the recent activity against Angel. The key players begin to gather in LA (including some people from Sunnydale), and the stage is setting for a confrontation.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #30

Comic title: Past Lives, part 4

Giles and Angel reveal their involvement with the demon-hunter in the past; Giles dated the hunter for a time and Angel drove her ancestor insane when he was Angelus. Buffy and her friends try to stop her, culminating in a final confrontation against the hunter.

Continuity

• Supposed to be set in Buffy season 4, after Superstar

Canonical issues

Main article: Buffyverse canon

Buffy/Angel comics such as this one are not usually considered by fans as canonical. Some fans consider them stories from the imaginations of authors and artists, while other fans consider them as taking place in an alternative fictional reality. However unlike fan fiction, overviews summarising their story, written early in the writing process, were 'approved' by both Fox and Joss Whedon (or his office), and the books were therefore later published as officially Buffy merchandise.