Live-action TV series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Smallville to animated shows like X-Men: The Animated Series paved the way for modern superhero content on television. While these superhero shows dominated the TV screens, DC and Marvel Comics expanded their universes by publishing companion comics––new stories with these versions of the characters.
Batman Beyond 2.0 incorporated elements from Justice League Unlimited, many New Batman Adventures episodes were based on comics, and the new X-Men '97 animated series on Disney+ actually has a prequel comic that will get viewers up to speed. Comics will always fill in the gaps or add even more stories to superhero content when in doubt.
10 Follow Superman After Smallville
Smallville Season Eleven
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Original TV Show |
Smallville |
|---|---|
|
# of Episodes |
217 |
|
Release Date |
October 16, 2001 |
After 10 seasons, Smallville is officially the longest-running superhero TV show ever. For a decade, fans fell in love with this version of Clark Kent who grew into the role of Superman. The finale was bittersweet. After Clark finally accepted his destiny and saved Earth from Apokolips, DC left viewers on quite a cliffhanger.
Smallville Season Eleven is a sequel comic series that answers burning questions concerning the future of Smallville's Clark Kent, Lex Luthor, Lois Lane and the Justice League. With surprise appearances from Green Lantern and even Batman, Smallville Season Eleven is a fantastic comic book tie-in to one of the most beloved superhero shows ever.
Smallville
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Growing up in the small town of Smallville, Kansas, Clark Kent harbors a secret. Sent to Earth from the planet Krypton as a baby, he possesses superhuman abilities that he must keep hidden. Under the guidance of his adoptive parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent, Clark learns to control his powers and use them for good. As he navigates the challenges of high school, friendships, and first love, he also faces threats from meteor-infected individuals and otherworldly villains. Along the way, Clark encounters familiar characters from the Superman mythos, like Lex Luthor and Lana Lang, while grappling with his true identity and destiny to become the iconic superhero, Superman.
- Release Date
- October 16, 2001
- Cast
- Tom Welling , Kristin Kreuk , Michael Rosenbaum , Allison Mack , Erica Durance , Sam Jones III , John Glover
- Seasons
- 10
- Main Genre
- superheroes
- Studio
- Warner Bros. Television
- Creator
- Alfred Gough & Miles Millar
- Writers
- Alfred Gough , Miles Millar , Jeph Loeb
- Number of Episodes
- 217
- Network
- The WB
9 X-Men '97 Has A Companion Comic
X-Men ‘97 (2024)
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Original TV Show |
X-Men '97 |
|---|---|
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# of Episodes |
10 |
|
Release Date |
March 20, 2024 |
The 90s animated X-Men are back (in more ways than one). While Rogue, Gambit, Wolverine and more return to TV screens via Disney+, Marvel Comics also has even more X-Men: The Animated Series content thanks to a four-issue prequel miniseries that will help viewers get up to speed between Professor Xavier's death and the X-Men '97 premiere.
The hype surrounding the X-Men '97 debut was massive, and the prequel comic only added to it. With appearances from Sabretooth, Mister Sinister and more, fans looking for more information on the events of X-Men '97 should look no further.
X-Men '97
*Availability in US
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- Release Date
- March 20, 2024
- Cast
- Jennifer Hale , Chris Potter , Alison Sealy-Smith , Lenore Zann , Cal Dodd , Catherine Disher , Adrian Hough , Ray Chase , Chris Britton , George Buza
- Seasons
- 2
- Main Genre
- Animation
- Franchise
- X-Men
- Characters By
- Jack Kirby, Stan Lee
- Distributor
- Disney+
- Main Characters
- Logan / Wolverine, Gambit, Jean Grey, Storm, Scott / Cyclops, Hank / Beast, Kurt Wagner / Nightcrawler, Rogue, Jubilee, Magneto, Professor X, Mystique
- Prequel
- X-Men: The Animated Series
- Producer
- Charley Feldman
- Production Company
- Marvel Studios
- Writers
- Beau DeMayo
- Number of Episodes
- 10 Episodes
8 Even More Batman: The Animated Series Stories
Batman Adventures
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Original TV Show |
Batman: The Animated Series |
|---|---|
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# of Episodes |
85 |
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Release Date |
September 5, 1992 |
10 Batman Collected Edition Comics Worth Buying This Year
Fans can look forward to a few beautiful collected editions this year like "DC Finest: Batman - Year One & Two" or "Absolute Batman: Arkham Asylum."In 1992, DC Comics published Batman Adventures, a comic book series tied directly to Batman: The Animated Series. Writers for the animated series, like Bruce Timm and Paul Dini, lent their creative talents to the Batman Adventures comic, writing comic issues like "Mad Love" that would later be adapted into episodes for The New Batman Adventures.
Batman: The Animated Series ran for 85 episodes. However, some fans can't get enough. Batman Adventures is a true comic book tie-in––the art, the writing, the pacing, it all melds so well with the original series, making Batman Adventures a perfect extension of Batman: The Animated Series.
Batman: The Animated Series
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The Dark Knight battles crime in Gotham City with occasional help from Robin and Batgirl.
- Release Date
- September 5, 1992
- Cast
- Kevin Conroy , Loren Lester , Mark Hamill , Efrem Zimbalist Jr. , arleen sorkin
- Main Genre
- Animation
- Seasons
- 3
- Number of Episodes
- 109
7 Batman & Robin Team-Up In More DCAU Adventures
Batman and Robin Adventures
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Original TV Show |
Batman: The Animated Series |
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# of Episodes |
85 |
|
Release Date |
September 5, 1992 |
Like Batman Adventures before it, Batman and Robin Adventures is a comic book tie-in series to Batman: The Animated Series, specifically The Adventures of Batman and Robin era of the animated show, which most fans consider the bulk of season 3.
Unlike many Batman: The Animated Series episodes and Batman Adventures comics that starred a solo Dark Knight, Batman and Robin Adventures strictly feature team-up stories in which the Dynamic Duo battles Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Anarky. Rick Burchett returned as the series artist to deliver a style that perfectly matched Bruce Timm's animated universe.
6 The New Batman Adventures In Comic Book Form
Batman: Gotham Adventures
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Original TV Show |
The New Batman Adventures |
|---|---|
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# of Episodes |
24 |
|
Release Date |
September 13, 1997 |
10 Dark Batman: The Animated Series Stories Caped Crusader Can Improve
From "The Demon's Quest" to "The Laughing Fist," these Batman: The Animated Series stories could benefit from a Caped Crusader reinterpreation.The New Batman Adventures restyled characters and designs from Batman: The Animated Series. Batman and the Bat Family wore new costumes, while villains like Poison Ivy and Bane received complete visual overhauls. Similarly, Batman: Gotham Adventures updated the styles of Batman Adventures to match the new, corresponding animated series.
Like its predecessor, Batman: Gotham Adventures felt like a natural continuation of the New Batman Adventures animated series. It featured regular appearances from Nightwing and Batgirl and the same level of complexity and maturity found in each episode.
The New Batman Adventures
The further and darker adventures of Batman with a new Robin, a closer association with Batgirl and the previous Robin now as Nightwing.
- Release Date
- September 13, 1997
- Cast
- Kevin Conroy , Tara Strong , Efrem Zimbalist Jr. , Loren Lester
- Main Genre
- Superhero
- Creator
- Bob Kane and Alan Grant
- Streaming Service(s)
- Max
5 Justice League Unlimited Continues
Justice League Infinity
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Original TV Show |
Justice League Unlimited |
|---|---|
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# of Episodes |
39 |
|
Release Date |
July 31, 2004 |
Explore the DC Animated Universe multiverse in the Justice League Infinity miniseries. As Amazo explores the universe searching for the meaning of his life, he stumbles into the multiverse where readers meet Overman, an evil version of Superman, and explore a world where Darkseid and Wonder Woman fell in love?!
Comic legend J.M. DeMatteis teams up with James Tucker, character designer and producer of the original Justice League Unlimited animated series, and artist Ethan Beavers to bring a Justice League comic that is incredibly faithful, visually and narratively, to Justice League Unlimited.
Justice League Unlimited
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A continuation of the Justice League animated series finds the original members of the team joined in their battle against crime and evil by dozens of other heroes from the DC comics universe.
- Release Date
- July 31, 2004
- Cast
- George Newbern , Kevin Conroy , Phil LaMarr
- Seasons
- 3 Seasons
- Main Genre
- Animation
- Creator
- Jack Kirby
- Production Company
- DC Comics, Warner Bros. Animation
4 Buffy Gets An Extra Season In Comics
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 8
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Original TV Show |
Buffy the Vampire Slayer |
|---|---|
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# of Episodes |
144 |
|
Release Date |
March 10, 1997 |
10 Strongest Vampires in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Ranked
Buffy fought all kinds of "big bads" in her time, though the biggest and strongest, like Angelus, Dracula, and the Turok-Han, were all vampires.Even when a TV show ends, the world can still live on. Dark Horse Comics resurrected the Buffy universe after they published Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8. The comic book sequel to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series ran for four years and 40 issues.
The comic series picks up about a year after the Buffy finale following Sunnydale's destruction. Buffy leads hundreds of new Slayers as she fights new vampires alongside familiar faces like Xander, Willow and Dawn––perfect reading material for any Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan not ready to say goodbye to the franchise after season 7.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
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Not available
A young woman, destined to slay vampires, demons and other infernal creatures, deals with her life fighting evil, with the help of her friends.
- Release Date
- March 10, 1997
- Cast
- Sarah Michelle Gellar , Nicholas Brendon , Alyson Hannigan , Anthony Head , James Marsters , Michelle Trachtenberg , Charisma Carpenter , David Boreanaz
- Seasons
- 7 Seasons
- Main Genre
- Drama
- Creator
- Joss Whedon
- Production Company
- Mutant Enemy, Kuzui Enterprises, Sandollar Television
- Network
- The WB , UPN
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu
3 X-Men '92 Slightly Alters The X-Men Animated Series Universe
X-Men ‘92
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Original TV Show |
X-Men: The Animated Series |
|---|---|
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# of Episodes |
76 |
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Release Date |
October 31, 1992 |
Before X-Men '97, Marvel released an X-Men miniseries in 2015 that connected to the Secret Wars event and seemingly resurrected the beloved version of the mutant heroes seen in the 90s X-Men: The Animated Series. However, as Marvel Comics later confirmed, these X-Men are canonically separate from their cartoon counterparts.
Regardless, the character designs, art style, and dialogue of the X-Men '92 team perfectly match their X-Men animated series lookalikes. As Wolverine and the X-Men battle Cassandra Nova, the Shadow King, Sentinels, and more, fans could easily consider X-Men '92 a continuation or "what if?" following X-Men: The Animated Series.
X-Men: The Animated Series
*Availability in US
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Not available
In X-Men: The Animated Series, a team of mutant superheroes fight for justice and human acceptance in the Marvel Comics universe.
- Release Date
- October 31, 1992
- Main Genre
- Superhero
- Creator
- Mark Edward Edens, Sidney Iwanter and Eric Lewald
- Main Cast
- Cedric Smith, Cal Dodd, Lenore Zann, George Buza, Alyson Court, Catherine Disher, Norm Spencer, Chris Potter, Alison Sealy-Smith and David Hemblen
2 Jason Todd & Deathstroke Enter The DCAU
Batman: The Adventures Continue
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Original TV Show |
Batman: The Animated Series |
|---|---|
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# of Episodes |
85 |
|
Release Date |
September 5, 1992 |
Every Single Entry In The DCAU, In Chronological Order
The DCAU brought heroes like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman to the small screen as its interconnected shows and movies unfolded.Paul Dini and Alan Burnett, instrumental in Batman: The Animated Series' success, returned to the DCAU in comic book form, writing Batman: The Adventures Continue. Deathstroke, the Court of Owls, and even Jason Todd make unofficial DCAU debuts as Batman: The Adventures Continue adapts many modern-day Batman comics to the world and visual style of the DC Animated Universe.
Batman: The Adventures Continue is an incredible follow-up to The New Batman Adventures. It builds Batman's DCAU legacy while involving characters and concepts that the original animated series never covered.