Fray (comics)
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''Fray'' is an eight-issue
comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...
limited series In the field of comic books, and particularly in the United States, a limited series is a comics series with a predetermined number of issues. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is finite and determined ...
, a futuristic spin-off of the television series ''
Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film, also written by Whedon, a ...
''. Written by ''Buffy'' creator
Joss Whedon Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon ( ; born June 23, 1964) is an American screenwriter, director, producer, comic book writer, and composer. He is best known as the creator of several television series: the supernatural drama ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer' ...
, the series follows a
Slayer Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style made them ...
named
Melaka Fray Melaka Fray is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon and Karl Moline for the 2001 comic book limited series '' Fray'', a spin-off set in a futuristic setting of the shared fictional universe in which the TV series ''Buffy the Vampire Sl ...
, a chosen one in a time when
vampires A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...
(called "lurks") are returning to the slums of New York City, and the rich-poor divide is even greater. Volume one is drawn by
Karl Moline Karl Michael Moline (June 26, 1973 – September 11, 2024) was an American comic book artist who was the co-creator of Fray (along with Joss Whedon). He provided the artwork for Fray, as well as the associated Fray-centric story in Tales of t ...
(
pencil A pencil () is a writing or drawing implement with a solid pigment core in a protective casing that reduces the risk of core breakage and keeps it from marking the user's hand. Pencils create marks by physical abrasion, leaving a trail of ...
s) and
Andy Owens Andrew James Owens (born 15 October 1989) is an English manager and former professional footballer who plays as a forward. He is the manager of City of Liverpool. Career Born in Liverpool, Owens began his career with his home town club Liver ...
(
ink Ink is a gel, sol, or solution that contains at least one colorant, such as a dye or pigment, and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing or writing with a pen, brush, reed pen, or quill. ...
s). The series was published by
Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...
beginning in 2001, with delays between the first six and the final two issues caused by Whedon's TV commitments, and Moline's divided commitments illustrating '' Route 666'' for
CrossGen Comics Cross Generation Comics or CrossGen Comics was an American comic book publisher and entertainment company that operated from 1998 to 2004. The company's assets were acquired by The Walt Disney Company in 2004, and designated to Disney Publishing ...
. After the series' conclusion in August 2003, a trade paperback collecting the whole series was also published by Dark Horse. In a short video promoting the charity
Equality Now Equality Now is a non-governmental organization founded in 1992 to advocate for the protection and promotion of the human rights of women and girls. Equality Now works through public policy channels to create a just world for women and girls. Th ...
Joss Whedon confirmed that "Fray is not done, Fray is coming back. More than that, I will not say." This was reiterated in 2007's Comic Con when Whedon stated that he "absolutely would be returning to that world." Fray next appears as a main character in the 2008 ''
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight'' is a comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics from 2007 to 2011. It serves as a canonical continuation of the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', and follows the events of that show's ...
'' crossover story arc, " Time of Your Life", by Whedon and Moline. The series was closely linked to the concurrently airing seventh season of ''Buffy'', with coinciding depictions of the Slayer's mystical scythe and her origins, a major contributor to the expansion of the
canonical The adjective canonical is applied in many contexts to mean 'according to the canon' the standard, rule or primary source that is accepted as authoritative for the body of knowledge or literature in that context. In mathematics, ''canonical exampl ...
"
Buffyverse The ''Buffyverse'' or ''Slayerverse'' is a Multimedia franchise, media franchise centered on the supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and ''Angel (1999 TV series), Angel'', created by Joss Whed ...
" in which ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and other related stories are set. Melaka Fray also appears in the story "Tales", by the same creative team as the series, in the anthology comic book ''
Tales of the Slayers While many comic books based on the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' were published when the television show was on air they are not all considered canonical and often deal with characters who do not appear in the television ser ...
''.


Characters

* Melaka "Mel" Fray – A 19-year-old thief and Vampire Slayer. Unlike other Slayers, she has had no prophetic dreams of her destiny or of the Slayers before her and is now trying to figure out what her destiny as the Slayer entails. *Harth Fray – Mel's twin brother, who was attacked by a vampire during a theft with Mel. To save his life, Harth deliberately drank the vampire's blood, thereby becoming a vampire himself. It is unprecedented for a Slayer to have a twin and, as an odd side-effect of this, Harth possesses the prophetic dreams and visions of past Slayers that Mel lacks. *Erin Fray – Mel's older sister. On opposing sides already because of her job as a cop and Melaka's thieving, Erin also blamed Mel for the death of their brother for a long time. Eventually, in the big battle against their vampire brother, the two reconciled. *Urkonn – A demon who trains Mel as a Slayer in lieu of her actual Watcher (who instead immolates himself). A budding friendship grows from the previously harsh mentor-student relationship, but he ultimately betrays her by killing Loo in order to harden her resolve. After defeating her brother, Mel discovers Urkonn's betrayal and lures him into a trap, killing him. *Loo – Mel's friend, a mutated girl, murdered by Urkonn in order to motivate Melaka in confronting her brother. *Icarus – The vampire that killed Harth four years ago; killed by Erin right before the big battle.


Synopsis

The story is about a
Vampire Slayer A vampire hunter or vampire slayer is a fictional occupation in folklore and fiction which specializes in finding vampires, and sometimes other supernatural creatures. A vampire hunter is usually described as having extensive knowledge of vampir ...
of the future named Melaka Fray and her discovery of what being a Slayer means. Centuries have passed since the last Slayer was called. Demons were banished from the Earth at some point in the 21st century by an unnamed Slayer and her friends, and the
Watchers' Council In the fictional universe of the television series' ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and ''Angel, a'' Watcher is a member of a secret organization of parapsychologists: "The Watchers' Council", which seeks to prepare the Slayer to fight demonic fo ...
has decayed into a group of crazed fanatics. The vampires (dubbed ''lurks'') have now returned and haunt the city. To combat this threat, a new Slayer is called: a professional thief named Melaka Fray. With the Watchers' Council ineffective, a group of "neutral" demons send the demon Urkonn to prepare Melaka for the war that is sure to come. Although training hard and feeling confident, Mel finds herself out of her depth when she fights the vampire Icarus. Years before, Icarus severely injured Mel and killed her twin brother, Harth. Mel discovers that Harth was not actually killed: after being bitten by Icarus, he bit back and fed off the vampire, becoming a vampire himself. Since he was the Slayer's twin, he has the visions and instinctive knowledge that should have been hers: he knew what Mel is long before she did, and also knew how to become a vampire. Disheartened, Mel refuses to fight, until she discovers the body of her young friend, a girl named Loo, with her neck snapped. Determined to avenge her, Mel rallies the inhabitants of the slums to fight against the vampires. Police officer Erin Fray (Mel's older sister) convinces some of the local law enforcement to also join in the crusade. As the battle begins, a giant dragon-like demon flies over the scene. This, Urkonn tells Mel, is the gateway to the demon world, and thousands more demons will be born from its womb. Mel falls into the creature's mouth, and manages to kill it from inside by stabbing its brain. She climbs out of the creature's eye and again encounters Harth, who is riding on its back. His plans foiled, he kisses her on the mouth, and flees. The world is safe, but one more piece of business remains. Mel tells Urkonn that she knows a vampire couldn't have killed Loo: they couldn't have got into her flat uninvited, and would have drained her blood, not snapped her neck. Therefore, Urkonn must have done it, hoping to inspire her to fight. He admits the truth, and they battle. Having figured out that her demon mentor can't swim, Melaka drops him into a pool of water and stabs him in the head. Melaka returns to her former life of crime, while at the same time killing any lurks she finds. In another world, Urkonn's superiors state that he will be stricken from history for his failure to kill her after she stopped Harth, and start to discuss their plans for when Harth tries something again.


Bibliography


Original issues

* (Second printing: July 25, 2001) * (Second printing: December 26, 2001) * (Second printing: December 26, 2001) * (Second printing: October 17, 2001) * (Second printing: December 5, 2001) * (Second printing: March 27, 2002) * *


Collected editions

* ''Fray: Future Slayer'' (softcover trade paperback collecting the miniseries, , published November 26, 2003) * ''Fray: Future Slayer'' (hardcover edition of the above trade paperback, , published November 26, 2003) * ''Fray'' (British reprint of the softcover collection, , published December 19, 2003)


See also

* Buffyverse Slayer Mythology *''
Tales of the Slayers While many comic books based on the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' were published when the television show was on air they are not all considered canonical and often deal with characters who do not appear in the television ser ...
'' – Fray makes an appearance in " Tales" *'' Time of Your Life''


References


External links


Article about the miniseries
from
Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...
' official website {{Buffy the Vampire Slayer Buffyverse 2001 comics debuts 2003 comics endings Comics based on Buffy the Vampire Slayer Comics by Joss Whedon Horror comics Fantasy comics Dystopian comics Works set in the 23rd century Cyberpunk comics Fiction about flying cars