Dark Horse Comics has released a 7-page preview of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 10 #1, which begins a new comic book season for the publisher’s continuation of the popular television series. Season 10, which is executive-produced by Buffy creator Joss Whedon, will be written by Christos Gage with art by Rebekah Isaacs and colors by Dan Jackson. Steve Morris provided the cover for issue #1, with Isaacs doing the alt cover.

Here below you can check out the 7-page preview and official solicitation for the 32-page full-color issue, which is currently available for pre-order, with a release date of March 19, 2014.

Below you’ll find the solicitations information and cover artwork for all of the Valiant Entertainment comic titles hitting stores in April of 2014, including issues for Matt Kindt’s Unity, Greg Pak’s Eternal Warrior, and more.

Fans of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel & Faith comics from Dark Horse Comics should be happy today to learn that both series will be coming back for new “seasons” in 2014, as was announced at New York Comic-Con 2013 this weekend.

There will be a slight creative team change as the old Angel & Faith team of writer Christos Gage and artist Rebekah Isaacs moving over to the main Buffy series. Taking over on Angel & Faith will be writer Victor Gischler (X-Men), with the art being handled by Will Conrad (Red Lanterns). Each series will run for 30 issues, with Buffy launching on March 19th, 2013 and Angel & Faith dropping on April 2nd.

Angel & Faith #25
Written by Christos Gage
Illustrated by Rebekah Isaacs
Executive Produced by Joss Whedon
Colored by Dan Jackson
Lettered by Richard Starkings and Comicraft’s Jimmy Betancourt
Cover by Steve Morris
Alternate Cover by Rebekah Isaacs
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: August 28, 2013
Cover Price: $2.99

When Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended its seven-year run in 2003, fans of the Joss Whedon-created television series could (and did) take solace that a Buffy spin-off, Angel, was still on the air. Weekly forays to the Whedon-verse, however, ended when ended its abbreviated five-year run only a year later, Buffy/Angel fans contented themselves with syndicated reruns and DVDs. Whedon, of course, moved on, first to the short-lived Firefly (one season followed by a big-screen wrap up, Serenity) and Dollhouse several years later. Dollhouse only made it through two seasons on FOX. Despite his other projects, Buffy and Angel were never far from his mind.

Rather than attempting to bring Buffy back to network or cable television (an unlikely possibility given the passage of time, rights issues, and the availability of key cast members), Whedon decided to continue the series in comic-book form, first through Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8, a sprawling 40-issue run that ran from 2007 through 2011, and subsequently through the about-to-be-concluded Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9. Acting initially as co-writer for Buffy, but primarily as an executive producer or showrunner, Whedon handed over Buffy to newcomer Andrew Chambliss and a new spin-off series, Angel & Faith to longtime comic-book scribe Christos Gage and artist Rebekah Isaacs. Both series were meant to run in parallel, each with 25 issues plus two spin-offs, one devoted to Willow, Buffy’s best-friend and witch, and the other to Spike, the other vampire with a soul.

As the success of Gran Torino indicates, we love stories about hard-edged, old timers fending off thugs and then bitching about them wearing their pants too low. Take a Walt Kowalski character-type, a tough, old fashioned, Korean War vet, and drop him in the middle of a mob-action story and you will have a feel for Christos Gage‘s awesome graphic novel, Sunset.

Gage’s story of revenge and redemption pulls no punches. Its script is as violent as it is politically incorrect “” and in many ways, right on target. The main character, Nick Bellamy, never passes up an opportunity to comment on the softening of the modern generation. Their iPhones, their Prius, their kids’ scoreless soccer games: every topic is fair game. Nick also never leaves a challenge unchecked. As a former enforcer for mob boss Mr. Gianelli, Nick can still easily wipe out a small gang of common thugs like a septuagenarian Batman.

Christos Gage has written comics such as Deadshot, Absolution, Avengers: The Initiative, and X-Men Legacy. I recently had the change to discuss Gage’s latest comic, Sunset, with him.