This was meant to be an eight-issue book. Had I known back in 2001 that it would be two years before the last book came out, I might have waited for the trade paperback collection! Most "mini series" in the comic book world don't take this long, I don't know what the delays were and I really don't care. Issue #8 was just resolicited so I can't even tell you the end of the story, as it's not in print for the public yet! Plus what I like to do is if it's a short run I will wait to read them all. And I have been waiting.

Once and Future Slayer?
Melaka Fray (Mel to her friends) is a thief who lives in the future, exactly 200 years from now. The first few books set up what is going to happen to Mel, her friends and family. It seems that back in 2001 the Slayer (only alluded to, but you know it's Buffy) got rid of all the magic in the world, so there are no more monsters, vamps or anything nasty. One nice panel shot in the book shows the Slayer's hand grasping out of some vortex. Once again, Buffy died for the world. (Oh wait, we didn't know she would die back in 2001, so that was kind of a shock to read at the time this first came out).

Somehow, the vampires (in the future they are called Lurks) are back and this has activated Fray as the newest Slayer. This hasn't happened in 200 years, so it must be pretty serious.

Fray meets up with a demon, Urkonn, who tells her what she is and that she has to fight the new and improved Big Bad that's coming back to bring Hell on Earth. One nice bit here is if you don't know the history of the Slayers, you get a thorough background story. I was behind on my TV viewing so it helped out.

She's the Cure
That's all I'm going to tell you about the set up. I like Fray, she's tougher than Faith and has several family members, so like Buffy she's not only out to save the world, but her family and friends. This is the true motivation for the really good slayers, and what sets them apart from the girls who were ruled by the watchers, in my opinion. These characters become intertwined with the events and this causes some very interesting plot twists, in typical Joss fashion.

So you can rally to Mel's Purple/Black hair, tattoos and scar just like our beloved Blondie Buffy. There's not as much chitchat as there's no Scooby gang around. It's all about the Slayer and what she has to do. Where are the Watchers you ask? They're pretty much a joke but they do show up. Fray gets most of her help from Urkonn. He's pretty cool, but he did remind me a bit of Hellboy.

As issue #8 is just being resolicited (in comic terms that means they didn't ship it the last time it was supposed to come out), it should be in comic stores this summer. I would expect a trade to follow shortly, so it's worth checking out the quarter bins at your local comic store to get them cheap.

TOY!
The Buffy Comic and spin off books have had a pretty successful run so far. In the comic book world you're only as good as the number of books you sell. I believe this series was the first attempt to see if they could market non-Buffy stories to those who wanted to have more Slayer in their reading diet. The book was penciled by Karl Moline, inked by Andy Owens with colorist Dave Steward and lettered by Michelle Madsen. I have to give them some respect here as they did everything except write the story.

The overall look of the book is pretty nice, nothing new or creative, but I did like the addition of Fray's scar on the face and her two-tone hair. It gave them something to work with in each panel. There were a few panels where I didn't like the look on Fray's face but this isn't Batman or Buffy who has to look perfect in every frame. I think a few things could have been done better. So on a scale of 1-10 for the look and feel (art) they rate a 5 and I would give an 8 to the storyline and plot. Coolest new phrase used in this book: TOY!

I would like to see more of Fray but I think this will be a one shot story line and we will have to wait and see what fate deals her in the last issue. If you want to read more about Fray online before you decide to spend the bucks, check out Dark Horse Comics. On a good note there are several books and comic books coming out with other Slayer stories in them, so we should have more to look forward to as the show ends.

Would I recommend this to non-Buffy fans? No.

Would I recommend this to Buffy fans? Yes.

This article is part of Newmoanyeah's Farewell Buffy Week.