http://books.moonsoar.com/archives/20... ( )

Fray is set hundreds of years in the future, after the last magic (and demons) have left this world. Melaka Fray survives in the lowers of Manhattan as a grabber or petty thief where the only monsters are the result of solar-induced mutation or greed. Although the lurks who inhabit the dark corners are not considered a threat because they are disorganized and cowardly, Fray is haunted by the memories of one lurk who killed her brother. When first a lunatic and then a demon claim Fray is "Chosen" and has a great destiny to hunt vampires, she ignores them until reality slaps her in the face. The story is accessible to those who have never watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer and includes a retelling of how and why Slayers were made.

Adds an interesting layer and story to the Buffy universe. What if the Slayer had a fraternal twin and the Slayer magical powers got split? ( )

Summary: Melaka Fray is just a girl. Born and raised in the slums of a future Manhattan, she works as a minor thief in a city where mutants and monsters raise no more comment than the flying cars. Burdened by the secrets of her past, and with no thought of her future, Melaka is unaware that she is part of a long line of Slayers, and that it is her job - and her destiny - to fight against vampires (now so common that they're called "lurks", and mostly ignored by the authorities) and to protect humanity from a terrible demonic apocalypse.

Review: Who misses Sunnydale? Fray pulls off a seemingly impossible feat - it walks the fine tightrope of managing to be both familiar and novel, to give us something new without disrupting established continuity, and to be recognizable to fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer while still being accessible to newcomers to the the Whedon-verse. If you haven't watched BtVS, a) get on that, but b) Fray is still understandable - she's a petit, sassy, edgy girl with a dark past who kicks some serious monster butt. If you have watched BtVS, well, Fray's a petit, sassy, edgy girl with a dark past and a long history who kicks some serious monster butt. (Personally, I think she's more like Faith than like Buffy - that'd be the tough-girl/bad-past side coming out - but regardless, she's still a Slayer, with all of the attendant issues of separateness and loneliness and loss that we watched our girls struggle with for seven seasons.)

As a story, Fray reads like the story arc of a season of Buffy, condensed down and minus the more one-off episodes. It's recognizeably a Joss Whedon story, complete with plenty of snarky humor, witty dialogue, a unique (and catchy) argot in the speech patterns of the characters, and plenty of action. Joss, as usual, also doesn't pull any punches in the drama department - even apart from all of the demons and monsters, life for his characters is not particularly pleasant. By the end, things aren't exactly resolved - like in Buffy, averting one apocalypse is no guarantee that another one isn't right around the corner - so it was a little unsatisfying... but unsatisfying in the way that means that we're left wanting more of Fray's world, and its tiny, butt-kicking heroine. 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: For Buffy fans, it's practically required reading, and it would serve as a good introduction to graphic novels for those who haven't encountered them before. For other folks, it's a fun story featuring a very different kind of superhero, and because it's a one-off, it can be picked up and enjoyed without having extensive background knowledge, and without committing to a series. ( )

High adventure graphic novel that follows Melaka Fray, the newest vampire slayer, as she learns who she is and takes on the lurks (vampires) of the underworld. Wonderful artwork, fast paced story, a ton of fun and easy to read, Fray's only downfall is it's somewhat predictable storyline. ( )

graphic novel ( )