Most TV shows are apt to get a new lease on life thanks to streamers green lighting revivals or reboots, or even making the shift to a new network. The former has seen shows like iCarly and Bel-Air hit screens in the past year, and the latter is a major reason why Cobra Kai has become a worldwide phenomenon. But there's another medium in which canceled shows have found new life: comic books. Comics can often provide closure to unresolved story arcs or even push a show in a new direction — especially as creators are free from the mountain of notes that come from broadcasting studios.
Here are seven shows that managed to get a second shot in comic form.
Smallville (DC Comics)
For its ten-season run, Smallville stuck to a single rule: Clark Kent (Tom Welling) would not fly, nor would he don the famous red and blue suit that Superman wore. Smallville: Season 11 saw writer Bryan Q. Miller throwing that rule out the window, as Clark has fully adopted the mantle of Superman and is working as a worldwide hero. In addition to exploring Clark's career as Superman, the series brought in more characters from across the DC Universe including the Green Lantern Corps; the Teen Titans; and most notably Batman. The story arc "Continuity" even incorporated elements of Crisis on Infinite Earths, with Clark facing off against a monitor. With Welling announcing plans for an animated revival of Smallville, hopefully these comics will serve as a jumping off point for where he wants to go with the Man of Steel.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Dark Horse Comics)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer also continued its narrative thanks to the world of comics, as the Season 8 series finds its titular heroine leading an army of Slayers against the forces of evil. Yet a malevolent foe known as Twilight threatens to destroy everything Buffy holds dear, joining forces with several of her remaining enemies. Buffy Season 8 is notable for featuring several writers from the television series, including Drew Goddard and Jane Espenson; comic veterans Brian K. Vaughn and Brad Meltzer also penned issues for the run. Free from a TV budget, Buffy Season 8 also introduced more supernatural elements including Buffy's sister Dawn growing to giant size and Buffy gaining Superman-esque abilities. The "season" format would continue for four more arcs before the Buffy rights reverted to BOOM! Studios.
Justice League Infinity (DC Comics)
Many DC Comics fans consider the DC Animated Universe, which began with Batman: The Animated Series and concluded with Justice League Unlimited, to be the definitive version of the DC Universe. Last year, the follow-up to Unlimited, Justice League Infinity was released — 15 years after Unlimited's epilogue "Destroyer" aired. The Justice League is drawn into multiversal chaos when the android Amazo accidentally breaks reality, scattering League members across different worlds. Not only do series writer J.M. DeMatteis and JLU producer James Tucker return to script the series, but artist Ethen Beavers's work perfectly replicates that of DC animation legend Bruce Timm.
Serenity (Dark Horse Comics)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer wasn't the only TV series to receive a comic continuation from Dark Horse. Serenity: Those Left Behind acts as a bridge between the Firefly series and its feature film adaptation Serenity. It also explains why Inara Serra (Morena Baccarin) and Shepard Book (Ron Glass) have departed Serenity. The series feels like a lost episode of Firefly thanks to series creator Joss Whedon co-writing with Brett Matthews, and artist Will Conrad perfectly captures the likenesses of Firefly's cast. The same creative team would reunite for another miniseries, Serenity: Better Days; this, in turn, would lead to a line of Serenity comics that took place before and after the events of the film.
X-Men: The Animated Series (Marvel Comics)
Whenever somebody talks about their favorite version of the X-Men, X-Men: The Animated Series will always come up. Running for five seasons, the series drew inspiration from the '90s-era roster formed by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee, and adapted classic X-Men stories including Days of Future Past and The Dark Phoenix Saga. X-Men '92, in turn, drew inspiration from the events of the series and features the same roster as the cartoon — albeit with the psychic ninja Psylocke joining their ranks. Another upcoming series, House of XCII, will blend elements of X-Men: The Animated Series with Jonathan Hickman's groundbreaking take on the Children of the Atom. And of course next year will see the debut of X-Men '97 on Disney+.
Green Hornet (Dynamite Comics)
The Green Hornet television series is best known for launching Bruce Lee's career, but it's also a great twist on the masked vigilante genre: here is a hero who pretends to be part of the criminal underworld to dismantle various gangs. Kevin Smith was tapped by Miramax to direct a feature film continuation of the original TV series, and even approached Jake Gyllenhaal for the lead role; unfortunately the project fell through. Smith would eventually adapt his screenplay into comic form, with Jonathan Lau providing art. The Green Hornet comic follows the adventures of Britt Reed Jr., son of the original Green Hornet, who picks up his father's mantle; he's also trained by Kato's daughter, who picks up her father's mask as well. The success of the series led to a variety of Green Hornet comics being published at Dynamite.