Brian Truitt

USA TODAY

In case you were wondering if Buffy Summers still had a stake in pop culture, consider this: Joss Whedon’s about to begin a Season 11 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the actual TV series ended 13 years ago!

Through the magic of comic books, Buffy’s continued its saga past the seven years of the cult show in Dark Horse Comics projects with Whedon guiding the storytelling as an executive producer. Kicking off Nov. 23 and featuring the creative team of Season 10 — writer Christos Gage and artist Rebekah Isaacs — Buffy Season 11 kicks off with everybody’s favorite Slayer and her friends, the Scoobies, living in San Francisco.

What else you need to know to catch up: Buffy and Spike are trying to give a real honest relationship a try, the world knows the existence of the supernatural (Sunnydale falling into a Hellmouth will do that sort of thing), Giles is trapped in the body of his 13-year-old self, and thanks to the magic of comic-book time, Buffy is still in her mid-20s. (Feel free to catch up with the collections of Season 8, 9 and 10.)

Gage gives us the exclusive scoop on what’s up for Season 11:

A supernatural disaster is afoot!

“Previous apocalypses have been of the world-ending variety, and they’ve tended to threaten toward the end of a season. This one kicks off Season 11, and it’s not quite world-ending — more world-changing. It’s the way the world changes that will provide new challenges for Buffy and the Scoobies, of a kind they’ve never faced before.”

Spike and Willow have juicy roles.

“Spike has been maturing quite a bit as he comes to terms with being in a normal, healthy relationship, and being one of the good guys. And now, just as he’s getting comfortable with it, that role is going to be sorely tested. Willow has become a leader of a Wiccan community, and it’s brought her a lot of fulfillment, but it will also bring new challenges as events of the story unfold. We really wanted to explore this facet of Willow that, while it’s been a key part of her character for years, hasn’t really been a major focus.”

There's a spicy blend of old and new.

“We’ll be introducing some new characters, including a Slayer named Morgan — is she ally, or enemy, or both? But old favorites like Harmony will still be popping up here and there. Andrew isn’t around much this time, but will show himself to be probably the smartest of the bunch. As Joss described one of his goals for this season: ‘Raise the … wait for it … stakes.’ We’re ramping up the intensity, and we want to really see how it affects these people we care about so much.”

Whedon still hearts Buffy a lot.

“Absolutely, or he wouldn’t be doing it. He’s incredibly busy. He can do anything he wants to, creatively: TV, movies, comics. The only reason he has to be involved in this is his love for the characters and telling stories with them.”

We might need Buffy more than ever.

“Well, she’s awesome. She’s a character so many people identify with, of all ages, races, genders, sexual orientations and backgrounds. And Buffy is still very relevant. Joss mentioned some of the concerns and fears he has about the world, especially as a father, and wanted to reflect them in the story. We discussed the tumultuous times we live in, the way it feels like we as Americans, and as citizens of the world in general, are perhaps more divided than ever. And we realized that Buffy and her world are able to reflect ours as well now as they did at the turn of the century.”

SLAY, QUEEN!