Fray by Joss Whedon Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $9.75 You Save: $10.20 (51%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Fray
Book Review: A Brief Buffyverse Diversion
Summary: 3 Stars
I will admit to knowing crap-all about comics, so don't look to me for any kind of informed or constructive thought vis a vis the artwork; I came to "Fray" only because the name Joss Whedon was attatched -- and it appears I'm not alone among the comic's readers.
I enjoyed "Fray" -- it came complete with the Whedon wit and strong woman at the center of the story that I found entertaining about his "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" -- but, in the end, found it somehow lacking. Some of this, I suspect, has to do with the fact that the words lie inert on the page, unread by an actor; Whedon has always written dialogue to be spoken, and it's difficult to put the inflection one is used to into words floating in bubbles over people's heads. That may just be a mental block on my part, and I found it to be less distracting as I settled in with the characters and got a better idea of what they (particularly Mel Fray herself) talked like, but at first it was a little strange to see lines that felt designed to becoming out of the mouths of Eliza Dushku or David Boreanaz emanating from the mouth of some unmoving chick with blue hair. If you know what I mean.
The real problem was that it was just too short. I read the whole thing in the space of about an hour, I think, and when I was done with it, I found myself feeling like there ought to be more just about to happen. Instead, there were a lot of concept drawings and stuff, which were interesting to a certain degree, but not as much as a continuation of the actual story would have been. It felt oddly truncated, and pieces felt left out: we see Mel chop into a demon's skull, but never see what happens inside. It becomes clear that some characters are guilty of various kinds of treachery, and they are dead within a few panels -- and it's kind of hard to figure out exactly what's happening in those panels to boot.
That said, the book certainly has its pleasures, not least of which is a central character who seems to have the promise to own up to the complexity and humor of her spiritual ancestor. Mel Fray is essentially one step up from a street kid, and seems to have been living on her own for years, and as a result seems to be more of an adult than past slayers when we first make their acquaintance; her learning curve is sharper than Buffy's or Faith's. She dresses in a colorful, futuristic form of risque punk chic, and seems to have more hair than she really knows what to do with, at least at first. In fact, I have occasionally seen reference to her physically "maturing" over the course of the story, but the only real manifestation of that that I spotted in an admittedly cursory reperusal was the fact that she started putting her hair up. Mostly, I noticed her progression of ever-more-luridly-colored outfits, which don't really "mature" in any particular way.
At any rate, this was an amusing diversion, and I guess it did its job in that it left me wanting another one, but in the end I felt it was a little stunted and incomplete.
Book Review: The Slayer comic I waited for.
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a big fan of Buffy and Angel. I was getting the monthly installments for a long time, then I saw the ad for this. A nonBuffy-Buffy comic? I had to have it.
I was not disappointed. I found a solid story about a world in which the Slayer line was not moving forward. The evils they had fought and kept at bay, had become parts of the greater future society.
Then Fray comes into play. With a demon watcher and a desire to steal things more than to kill things, it was something I looked forward to reading each month. I found I had a great story from Whedon that was not starring Sarah or David on my TV. I enjoy the artwork and keeping coming back to read this title.
Book Review: Don't worry, you don'nt need to be a Buffy expert for this one
Summary: 4 Stars
The only thing keeping me from giving this 5 stars is the fact that the pacing is a tad uneven and the story is a tiny bit rushed. Overlooking that this is an excellent comic by one of the greatest modern writers in any genre (hey Joss, why not try a novel?). I think that it might be intreting if someday this was adapted into a film to be an official sequal to the Buffy and Ange show, but first let's finish Angel. What happened in that alley??!! (sorry non Angel watchers)Book Review: An Amazing Graphic Novel From The King Of Cult Entertainment
Summary: 5 Stars
Comic books are a recent addition to my life. Until recently, I had always assumed that they were kids stuff, a medium for preteens. While I realized that the stories had potential (thanks largely to movies like Spider-man 1 and 2, Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Begins, and X-Men 1 and 2), I thought that the comic versions were out of my league. I was wrong. After reading the first six issues of Joss Whedon's (creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly) Astonishing X-Men, I knew that the man could translate his genius to the comic medium. After reccomendations for Fray, I finally picked it up and read it. I could not have been more pleased.
Set in an unknown year in the future (a couple centuries have passed), Melaka Fray lives in the slums of Manhattan. The world is a scary place to live in; even the dirtiest and most run-down of neighborhoods in America today have nothing on the sheer desolation of Melaka's world. Dirt and darkness are everywhere, and due to holes in the ozone layer, many people have mutated. Unlike Buffy and Angel, the source material for Fray, there is no magic in the world, it has all disappeared from the world due to some events in the 21st century. Also, there are very few actual demons, however, there are creatures known as lurks. Not much is known about them, but it is assumed that they are screwed up steroid junkies who, for some reason, crave human blood.
Anyway, Melaka Fray is a runner/grabber (read: thief) for a mutated fish creature. She is fast, agile, and strong, which come in handy when pulling jobs. Turns out that she's a vampire slayer. Trouble is that she doesn't know what a vampire is. A demon known as Urkonn is forced to come back to Earth and explain to Fray about vampires/lurks, slayers, and her destiny.
As the story unfolds, we learn about the twisted home life of the Frays, involving sister Erin and (twin) brother Harth. Melaka must train to fight off an impending war against the undead, and must rally the support of a population of humans that has grown apathetic towards most things.
As usual, Whedon gives us a great story, fleshed-out characters, and tons of witty dialogue. The scenes of action are great, the scenes of emotion are powerful, and the humor is on par with Whedon's work. Also, this book introduces the slayer axe (that was later brought into Buffy's final season).
This book will appeal to so many people. If you are a Whedon fan (especially if you enjoy the Buffyverse), you will like this book. If you are a comic book fan, you will like this book. If you are a person who enjoys a good story, you will like this book.
Book Review: Really great read for Joss Whedon and Comic Book fans alike
Summary: 4 Stars
Joss Whedon really is a wonderful writer and Fray just proves it further. It's the story of a slayer being called a few hundred years in the future. It's a great futuristic story and has all of the elements and strengths of Buffy but in a such a new way that it is definitely its own story, so you definitely don't have to know a single thing about the Buffy universe to follow and love this graphic novel. I highly recommend it, I could not put it down until I had finished it.