- ↳ Note: This article is about the comic series. For other uses, see Fray.
Fray, also known as Fray: Future Slayer,[1] is a comic book series. Written by Joss Whedon and illustrated by Karl Moline, it was originally published from June 2001 to August 2003 by Dark Horse Comics.
Premise[]
In the 23rd century, Melaka Fray is the first Slayer to be called in a long time, when the Watchers Council is all but destroyed. She doesn't have any of the Slayer psychic abilities, and her only source of information is a demon named Urkonn of the D'Avvrus, who has his own agenda.
Continuity[]
- Telling her origins story of discovering her identity as the Slayer, the events take place before Melaka's appearances in Tales and Time of Your Life, Part One.
Appearances[]
- Melaka Fray (8/8)
- Erin Fray (8/8)
- Urkonn of the D'Avvrus (8/8)
- Broder (7/8)
- Harth Fray (7/8)
- Icarus (6/8)
- Amma (5/8)
- Jove (5/8)
- Loo (5/8)
- Gunther (5/8)
- Boluz (4/8)
- Vrill (4/8)
- Edo (3/8)
- Kettie Rawls (2/8)
- Neauth (2/8)
- Cally (1/8)
- Don (1/8)
- Jujie (1/8)
- Lacey (1/8)
- Sineya (Only in flashbacks) (1/8)
- Melaka Fray's Watcher (1/8)
Publications[]
The series includes eight issues, collected in a trade paperbacks and a hardcover.
Issues[]
Cover | Title | Issue | Release date |
---|---|---|---|
Big City Girl | 1 | June 6, 2001 | |
You've never seen a world like this, and neither has she. She's Melaka Fray, a beautiful, young girl that's about to meet her destiny, whether she wants to or not. In the future, the world is a manmade, hopeless hell. Add to that vampires, demons and other grim, supernatural threats that cower in shadows and skulk late-night streets. When the forces of darkness come calling, Fray will be transformed from street urchin of a disposable society to its only savior. And, heaven help her if she fails. | |||
The Calling | 2 | July 4, 2001 | |
Fray's world has been turned upside down. After finishing a routine breaking and entering job, she's returned to her apartment to find an eight-foot-tall demon. Now she's got another job proposal put in front of her, and her life will never be the same. Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, makes his comics writing debut with this epic, eight-issue saga of a young girl in a futuristic world where monsters are all but unheard of — and now she's got to chase them all out of the shadows. | |||
Ready, Steady... | 3 | August 1, 2001 | |
As a professional thief, Melaka Fray has seen her share of danger and excitement. But is she ready for the challenges facing a Slayer? This issue, Melaka learns some of the history of the Slayers and comes to understand a little about what it means to her. Ready or not, here she comes! She's taking on the forces of darkness like no one else can. This Fourth of July, Fray has got more fireworks than your Uncle Al's barbecue! | |||
Out of the Past | 4 | October 17, 2001 | |
Fray fends off an attack from the creep that killed her brother. Barely escaping with her life, she becomes determined to find the monster and stop him... forever! But she's being hunted as well... by a pack of blood-crazed vampires, and by the police led by her own sister. Fray discovers exactly what kind of creature is after her and it's not pretty! | |||
The Worst of It | 5 | December 5, 2001 | |
Melaka's been keeping up the good fight. But, now that she knows the horrible truth about the vampire that's been stalking her, can she keep it up? No matter what she does, Melaka is not going to like it. Meanwhile, she's on the run from the thugs and the police. This calls for a very special blend of psychology and extreme violence. More thrills, chills, action, and drama from the critically acclaimed creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Joss Whedon! | |||
Alarums | 6 | March 27, 2002 | |
After a crushing turn of events, Melaka's back on her feet, taking the fight into the pits of the city, the rat-infested warren she calls home. But are these street-urchin vamps behind the recent murder that set Fray over the edge? Entertainment Weekly made Fray Winner of the Week when it debuted, helping the first printing of the book to sell out. As Joss Whedon and his art team of Karl Moline, Andy Owens, and Dave Stewart take Fray into its last act, comics readers are in for all the twists and turns they've come to expect from Joss's TV shows. | |||
The Gateway | 7 | April 23, 2003 | |
The wait is over! Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, completes his vision of the future, the story of the future slayer. One of the fiercest battles in the history of comics, drawn in grand style by Karl Moline and Andy Owens, begins the climax to Dark Horse's runaway hit. So what do we have left for next issue? It just gets worse for this poor, young Slayer. | |||
All Hell | 8 | August 6, 2003 | |
The Slayer's brother has led a vampire war to not only overtake Manhattan, but bring to earth a demonic dragon — but the harshest threat to Fray remains unseen and unnamed. |
Collections[]
Cover | Title | Issues | Release date |
---|---|---|---|
Fray (trade paperback) | 1–8 | November 19, 2003 | |
Hundreds of years in the future, Manhattan has become a deadly slum, run by mutant crime-lords and disinterested cops. Stuck in the middle is a young girl who thought she had no future, but learns she has a great destiny. In a world so poisoned that it doesn't notice the monsters on its streets, how can a street kid like Fray unite a fallen city against a demonic plot to consume mankind? Joss Whedon, the celebrated creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, brings his vision to the future in this unique tale. As inventive in the comics medium as in that of television or film, Whedon spins a complex tale of a skilled thief coming of age without the help of friends or family, guided only by a demonic Watcher. | |||
Fray (hardcover) | 1–8 | November 26, 2003 | |
Hundreds of years in the future, Manhattan has become a deadly slum, run by mutant crime-lords and disinterested cops. Stuck in the middle is a young girl who thought she had no future, but learns she has a great destiny. In a world so poisoned that it doesn't notice the monsters on its streets, how can a street kid like Fray unite a fallen city against a demonic plot to consume mankind? Joss Whedon, the celebrated creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, brings his vision to the future in this unique tale. As inventive in the comics medium as in that of television or film, Whedon spins a complex tale of a skilled thief coming of age without the help of friends or family, guided only by a demonic Watcher. |
Behind the scenes[]
- A comic issue with the title Fray makes a cameo in The Long Way Home, Part Three.
References[]
- ↑ "Fray: Future Slayer TPB." Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved on June 6, 2021.