Approximate
Condition Profile
DARK HORSE COMICS · 9/02 · DIRECT EDITION
UNIT ECA-010288
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #48
Dark Horse ongoing series, direct edition, from the show's final broadcast seasons
// Unit specification
| Publisher | Cover date | Era | Variant | Key attribute | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Horse Comics | September 2002 | Modern | Direct Edition | — | AVAILABLE |
// Run position
// Condition analysis
Cover is housed in a protective sleeve and shows strong gloss with vibrant orange/yellow cover colors and sharp corners. No visible creasing, spine stress, or color breaking; edges appear clean with only very minor handling wear possible at extreme corners. Interior and back cover were not assessed, so grade reflects front cover appearance only.
// 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 #48 is a late-run issue of Dark Horse Comics' flagship licensed title, which launched in 1998 alongside the Warner Bros. television series and ran to issue #62 before the line was relaunched. By this point in 2002 the comic had settled into a steady rhythm of stand-alone and short-arc stories set in the show's continuity, drawn largely by series mainstay Cliff Richards, whose clean, TV-faithful pencils anchored much of the Dark Horse run. The regular cast of Buffy Summers, Willow Rosenberg, Xander Harris, Rupert Giles, and other Scooby Gang members populate the ongoing storyline, continuing the franchise's blend of horror, teen drama, and dark fantasy in comic form.
As a mid-run issue with no first appearance, no major character debut, and no landmark creative milestone, this book has never registered as a sought-after single issue. It circulates almost entirely as reading material for Buffy completists and license collectors rather than as an investment-grade item, and the absence of any tracked sale price for it reflects that ordinary demand. Interest in the Dark Horse Buffy line as a whole tends to concentrate on early issues, painted covers, and rare variants rather than on interior arcs from the show's later seasons.
Copies of this issue are inexpensive and plentiful in the direct market, and most collector activity centers on assembling complete runs rather than chasing this number individually. A raw copy in any reading condition satisfies most buyers; a graded 9.8 slab holds modest appeal chiefly for census-chasers and Buffy specialists building a fully-slabbed set, rather than for the broader back-issue market.
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-010288 | ~9.2 | Direct Edition | AVAILABLE |
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