Everyone’s favourite cheerleader turned vampire slayer may have been away from our screens for a while now (reboot, anyone?) but that’s not to say she hasn’t been busy. Enter The Ultimate Guide to the Buffyverse – a complete guide to her many adventures within the TV series, spin-offs and beyond.

While Joss Whedon’s seminal show inevitably takes centre stage, this hefty-ish tome takes in all of Buffy Summers’ canonical comic book adventures and TV spin-offs too, providing neophytes and fans alike with an up-to-date history and a re-introduction to characters familiar and new. For fans of the television show, it’s a fascinating glimpse at a whole world beyond what they might already know, and could well inspire many to delve into Buffy’s not-inconsiderable comic book world. And for readers of the books, it ties everything together in a satisfying manner, adding to the sense of canonicity which has kept readers going since the show ended. After 20 years, there isn’t exactly a lot left to say that hardcore fans won’t already know, but it’s nice to have it all collected together in one book nevertheless. Although, again, after all this time, there’s hardly a shortage of Buffy guides and encyclopedias out there either.

This all comes in a beautifully illustrated, chunky (but not enormous – for an ‘ultimate’ guide, it doesn’t look particularly ultimate) hardcover book, liberally splattered with full-colour images from the show and comics, and, appropriately, lots of blood. Reading as a lapsed viewer and comic book newbie, it’ll leave one with a craving to dig in to the show all over again, and is a compelling argument to pick up the collected graphic novels too. Careful of spoilers, though. The Ultimate Guide to the Buffyverse is a fine addition to any self-respecting Watcher’s library.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER ENCYCLOPEDIA: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE BUFFYVERSE / AUTHOR: LISA CLANCY, NANCY HOLDER / PUBLISHER: HARPER DESIGN / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW