Rating: 
Summary: Joss Whedon's comic book adventure of a future Slayer
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Joss Whedon knows what we want and gives it to us
Review: Just as I loved and watched every single episode of "Buffy", I now turn to this great work that carries on the tradition of a female vampire slayer. Even though it may sound like he's repeating "Buffy", such is simply not true. And the artwork is phenomenal! Too bad these guys couldn't team up and either bring my favorite cyberpunk books, "Cryptonomicon", "Neuromancer", "Darkeye: Cyber Hunter", "Snow Crash" to artistic life or, maybe, even a TV movie. I'm sure any of those titles would translate well, especially with Josh Whedon at the helm!
Rating: 
Summary: Uninspired Plot Drivel, Poor Pencils
Review: This is the kind of comic book you wish didn't exist, it's created by a person who can best be described as a contemporary. There is nothing to look forwards to from Joss Whedon's writing in this book, it barely scratches the surface of being charming or witty. The plot is the same old convoluted Buffy The Vampire slayer plot Whedon's been pumping out for several years now that we'll all be sick of like Knight Rider and the A-Team in a decade hence. Karl Moline's pencils are feasible but inconsistent, characters have physical features that randomly grow and shrink, while the art team backing him up is bascially coughing up that annoying glossy Image Comics-esque style that's been done for almost a fifteen years now. People do however enjoy things like this, so if you want a sub-par comic by a writer you like that breaks little or no ground go ahead and pick it up, it's a light read at best, so you might be better off investing your time in a copy of the Dark Knight Returns, or something a little more challenging.
Rating:
Summary: This Just Goes To Prove Joss's Genius
Review: With big success with big-buget movie scripts, and the critically acclaimed "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and "Angel," Joss Whedon brings us one of the most beautiful graphic novels I've ever seen. Something about it makes it so beautiful. The artwork, the writing, all of it down to the last pencil outline was awe-dropping. "Fray" is set in the far future where Manhattan has become a mutant disease in which no one notcies the monsters that roam the streets of Manhattan. Then comes along Fray. A street girl, not so different than Buffy, discovered the power to slay the vampires. And with her trusty demon watcher, Urkon, together they begin training and getting ready until the battle begins. The future never looked so good. Fans of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel" must obtain this graphic novel for their collection. I know I did.
Rating:
Summary: This Just Goes To Prove Joss's Genius
Review: With big success with big-buget movie scripts, and the critically acclaimed "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and "Angel," Joss Whedon brings us one of the most beautiful graphic novels I've ever seen. Something about it makes it so beautiful. The artwork, the writing, all of it down to the last pencil outline was awe-dropping. "Fray" is set in the far future where Manhattan has become a mutant disease in which no one notcies the monsters that roam the streets of Manhattan. Then comes along Fray. A street girl, not so different than Buffy, discovered the power to slay the vampires. And with her trusty demon watcher, Urkon, together they begin training and getting ready until the battle begins. The future never looked so good. Fans of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel" must obtain this graphic novel for their collection. I know I did.
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