Approximate
Condition Profile
DARK HORSE COMICS · 12/01 · DIRECT EDITION
UNIT ECA-010620
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #45
Buffy the Vampire Slayer #45, Dark Horse's licensed ongoing series, December 2001
// Unit specification
| Publisher | Cover date | Era | Variant | Key attribute | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Horse Comics | December 2001 | Modern | Direct Edition | — | AVAILABLE |
// Run position
// Condition analysis
Cover shows sharp corners and clean edges with no visible chipping or creasing; spine appears tight with no stress lines visible in this photo. Colors appear vibrant with no noticeable fading or staining. The book is housed in a protective sleeve, and there is a small printed edge mark visible along the left border of the cover consistent with minor handling, but no major defects are apparent. Interior pages and back cover were not assessed, so grade is based solely on the visible front cover condition.
// Valuation — market reference
| Bracket | Grade | Est. market value | Marker |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOW_RAW | 0.5 – 1.5 | $2 | |
| MID_RAW | 4.0 – 6.0 | $4 | |
| HIGH_CERT | 9.8 SLAB | $55 |
// Archive commentary
Buffy the Vampire Slayer #45 is part of Dark Horse Comics' long-running ongoing series based on the Warner Bros./20th Century Fox television property, published under license during the show's later network seasons. The Dark Horse Buffy comic ran for over sixty issues through the 1990s and early 2000s, offering original stories set in the Buffyverse rather than direct adaptations of televised episodes, and issue #45 falls squarely within that middle stretch of the run, featuring the core Scooby Gang cast in an original adventure rather than any milestone story beat.
As a mid-run issue of a licensed tie-in series, #45 has never carried meaningful back-issue demand beyond completists assembling a full run of the Dark Horse Buffy line. The book was never a low-print variant, was not tied to a notable creative debut, and does not correspond to a first appearance or a widely cited cover; it simply represents another chapter in an extensive licensed catalog. Demand is driven almost entirely by nostalgia for the television series and by collectors filling gaps in long boxes rather than any speculative or key-issue interest.
This is the kind of issue that circulates cheaply in dealer discount bins and quarter boxes, with raw copies moving for a dollar or two regardless of condition beyond basic legibility. Slabbed high-grade copies occasionally surface on the secondary market, appealing mainly to Buffy-franchise completists building certified runs, but even at the top of the grading scale the book remains an affordable pickup rather than an investment-grade item. Collectors of the license, rather than character-first speculators, are the primary audience for this issue across all grades.
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-010620 | ~9.0 | Direct Edition | AVAILABLE |
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