Fray by Joss Whedon Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Fray
Book Review: A beautifully presented story
Summary: 4 Stars
A brilliant continuation of the cult Buffyesque series(no.8 in the series), set a few centurys after the present. Anyone who has bought the Buffy series of novels, will already love the similiar style of Whedon's. Although a suitable contemporary story, it gives the less familiar reader an untypical comicbook. The illustrations that Andy Owens and the art team give, matches the storyline remarkably, although the "girly type" image is never really forgotten in some sketches.It may be a change of pace for the rest of the books that have been written on the demon,slayer,vampire cult,but this will certainly give a high target for anyone to follow.
It may be the fact that I won this book for free, but I would equally pay double to add to my collection.
Book Review: Joss Whedon's comic book adventure of a future Slayer
Summary: 4 Stars
If the pivotal moment in the original story of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" was when the blonde walked down the alley and kicked the butt of the monster that attacked her, thereby reversing generations of horror movie stereotypes, then the key moment in the story of "Fray" is when her Watcher shows up to train her in the fight against the vampires and our heroine pauses a beat (i.e., a frame with no dialogue) before asking "What is a vampire?" This is because Joss Whedon's story is set in the 23rd century, some two hundred years after "a Slayer, possibly with some mystical allies, faced an apocalyptic army of demons. And when it was done...they were all gone. All demons, all magics, banished from this earthly dimension." What happened to that particular Slayer? The chronicles do not say, apparently, but we learn that she was the last to be called. That is, until Melaka Fray.Fray is a grabber, who works for Gunther, a guy who has been mutated into a fish (this is a future where apparently a hole in the ozone and other ecological problems create mutations on a Stan Lee-like level), grabbing artifacts and sundry items of value, all the way trying to avoid her sister, Erin, a copy. In an interesting parallel to "BtVS," Melaka develops a relationship with and is trained by her second Watcher, the demon Urkonn of the D'avvrus, who looks like a demon with the lower half of his face ripped off, and who is frequently enraged by the young woman he is trying to teach to be a Slayer. This is because Fray has no frame of reference regarding why anybody should want to fight the lurks. If Urkonn cannot get Fray to accept her calling, then (altogether now) it could be the end of this futuristic world as we are learning to know it. The result is interesting and can certainly help to fill the void left by the end of Whedon's cult classic television show.
Ultimately, the eight issue of Dark Horse Comics' "Fray" are about the calling of a Slayer. After all, there has to be something pretty interesting going on if a Slayer has finally been called after two centuries, and there are several familial entanglements with which Fray has to contend. Besides, you should not be surprised when you get to Fray's final battle to learn that once again Whedon is playing with our expectations, albeit this time within the context of his own Slayer mythos. He is also obviously setting us up for a sequel that should have more of a payoff than this first effort. Working with Whedon on this project are penciller Karl Moline, who created Fray's look, inker Andy Owens, and colorists Dave Stewart and Michelle Madsen. The artwork is growing on me, because while the backgrounds are a lot sparser than I would like to see in a futuristic setting, Fray's face has some nice qualities and you can actually see how she matures over the course of the mini-series. The back of the book has an extended sketchbook by Moline showing the development of the characters and alternative cover ideas.
Book Review: Wondeful
Summary: 5 Stars
I am not a comic book fan...i like the set up and have loved the movies but reading comics (except Buffy) really gets on my nerves...I picked up Fray mainly out of curiousity and an excess of money i read issues 1-3 and was amazed.
For the next gazzilion years i searched for subsequent issues before using an online retailer and ordering them in.
Issues 4-8 were even better than the first and i loved it.
I love this series.
I want more.
Buy this product.
Joss is a god.
Buy this product.
Please buy it.
Joss has a gun to my head.
Please buy Fray...it's great.
Seriously I LOVE IT.
disclaimer: i am in no way implying that Joss would need a gun to sell his products, he is great enough as it is...plus he has a sword.
Book Review: Fray is Frickin-A!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a massive Buffy and Angel fan. Haven't seen enough of Firefly to warrant an opinion but I'm definitely gonna buy the dvd. I love Buffy and Angel because I grew up with them. Well, arguably I'm still growing because I'm only 19. But since I was 12 I watched Buffy, every week at the same time. And when Angel started, I did the same with that show - and still do. Naturally, I'm gonna be interested in Fray then. A futuristic version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, written by the shows creator and featuring some wonderfully bright and colorful art. But to be honest, there was always a nagging feeling in my mind that Fray was just a cash in. As a result, I never bothered with it. Recently however, I had a means to buy it and chose to after all.
So I started it yesterday and finished it mere minutes ago. And you know what? I adored it. Whedon is such a wonderful writer. You can even watch the abortion that is the fourth Alien film and still enjoy the dialogue in it. But in Fray, the cocky, funny dialogue that permeates through Buffy and Angel is left in tact. Whedon steps up the ladder in terms of writing by adding a bunch of cool characters into the mix, too. Personally, I'd recommend you buy this for Urkonn alone - a seven foot tall goat-like demon beast that trains Fray.
And, by god, the art is beautiful. Such vibrant, wonderful colors and above all else a sense of being in a huge, sprawling metropolis. I sometimes detected hints of Mega City-1 here and there but referencing and pastiching isn't a problem. What I particularly liked about Fray however, was Whedon's knack for not being too bothered about how much he shows. It's a violent book, sure, and there is some swearing - but there is one scene in particular that I won't spoil, but that I can see otherwise featuring a happy ending in other publications.
So, anyway, I don't want to come across like more of a fanboy than apparantly appears to be, so all I'll say is: please, give it a shot if you haven't. It's such a well-realised story that plays really well on the Buffy mythos, and is full of excellent dialogue, action set-pieces (Melaka's introduction is worth the price alone) and wonderful art.
Book Review: Breathe Easily
Summary: 5 Stars
Fray made my day and transported me back to the world of the Slayer but in a new and vivid way. When Buffy finished, I went into spin-off world and for the first time ever began reading graphic novels. I had heard about Fray for a long time and finally managed to get my hot little hands on it. Well, am I glad I did! The characters are passionate and beautifully drawn and there's that quality to each image that screams of big-screen potential ... or at least maybe after Joss finishes Serenity. Anyway, there's heart-breaking moments, tingly moments when you realise just how much you are part of this world by now. If you're anything like me, post-Buffy and post-Angel, you will have travelled with Joss along many roads and let me assure you, this is an amazing vibrant stop off on the journey.