A couple of weeks ago, I speculated that with the Disney/Fox deal now a reality and Dark Horse Comics beginning to wrap up its Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic, it was highly likely that the publisher would lose the title. Guess what? It has!

According to CBR, Fox is taking back the Buffy license, which means Dark Horse Comics will shortly be waving goodbye to a title it has published for twenty years. The final issue will hit shelves in September.

Incidentally, the news came by accident, via Buffy creator, Joss Whedon. Whedon was being interviewed by CBR about his forthcoming Dr. Horrible comic when he said this:

“We want to do something more with Dark Horse right now – especially because Fox is taking the Buffy license and the Firefly license back. And Dark Horse has shepherded these licenses for decades now. But it’s like, ‘Well, they don’t own Dr. Horrible!’ That’s mine.”

So, yeah, Whedon has a new Dr. Horrible comic with Dark Horse, but both the Buffy and Firefly comics are no more.

There’s no official word on who will pick Buffy up, although the obvious suggestion would be the Disney-owned Marvel Comics. However, it’s worth noting that Firefly has switched to BOOM! Studios, so it’s possible that Buffy could follow suit – after all, Fox does have a minority stake in BOOM! Studios.

Whatever happens, Dark Horse Comics has lost another big license, following the loss of Star Wars a few years ago. As previously speculated, will Aliens be the next title to go?