Fray

Fray is an eight-issue comic book series. It is a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series is written by Buffy creator Joss Whedon. Fray tells the story of a Slayer named Melaka Fray. She is the chosen one in a time where vampires (called "lurks") are common, and the difference between rich and poor people is even greater.

The series was published by Dark Horse Comics beginning in 2001. In a short video promoting the charity Equality Now Joss Whedon said that "Fray is not done, Fray is coming back. More than that, I will not say." This was repeated in 2007's Comic Con where Joss said that he would "absolutely would be returning to that world."

The series was closely linked to the seventh season of Buffy. It includes the Slayer's mystical scythe and her origins. Melaka Fray also appears in the story "Tales" in the comic book Tales of the Slayers.

Characters

• Melaka "Mel" Fray - A 19-year-old thief and Vampire Slayer. Unlike other Slayers she has had no prophetic dreams of her destiny or of the Slayers before her. She feels she is responsible for the death of her brother, and is now trying to figure out what is her destiny as the Slayer.
• Urkonn - A demon who trains Mel as a Slayer instead of her actual Watcher. In the end, he betrays her. After defeating her brother, Mel discovers Urkonn's betrayal and kills him.
• Loo - A mutated girl who is friends with Mel. She is murdered by Urkonn to get Melaka to fight her brother.
• Harth Fray - Mel's twin brother, who was attacked by a vampire during a theft with Mel. To save his life, Harth drank the vampire's blood and became a vampire himself. No other Slayer has had a twin. Because he is the Slayers twin, Harth had the prophetic dreams and visions of past Slayers that Mel did not.
• Erin Fray - Mel's older sister and a cop. Erin blamed Mel for the death of their brother for a long time.
• Icarus - The vampire that killed Harth four years ago. He was killed by Erin right before the big battle.

Connections to Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Fray's scythe was used in the last three episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Buffy Summers, also a vampire Slayer, found the scythe stuck in rock in Sunnydale. The scythe was later used to create fully developed Slayers of the many Potential Slayers. It has never been stated as to how the scythe travelled from Sunnydale, California to New York City through the centuries, or who had it during that time (or how they got it).

In Fray it is also explained that sometime in the twenty-first century, "a Slayer, possibly with some mystical allies, faced an apocalyptic army of demons. And when it was done, they were gone. All demons, all magicks, banished from this earthly dimension,". The Slayer, whose fate is unknown, was the last to be called.

Discussing her connection to the Slayer line, Urkonn tells Melaka, "In your dreams, you're someone else. A slave. A princess. A girl in school in a sunlit city." The scar Fray has and her personality are similar to Buffy in the alternate universe created in season 3 episode "The Wish".

Other websites

• Article about the miniseries from Dark Horse Comics' official website
• Joss Whedon's Fray Archived 2009-10-27 at the Wayback Machine Unofficial Fansite
• Melaka Fray at Wikia