Solomon Hitch is your average down-on-your luck wannabe writer with a rich girlfriend. One night he’s attacked by a vampire and killed. Lucky for Solomon a wizard who goes by the name Morlack is drawn to “the one most wronged by the supernatural” and offs the vampire. Unfortunately he’s too late to save Solomon. Enter wacky wizard powers and he brings Solomon back to life as a zombie. A zombie whose job it will be to protect Solar City from supernatural evil.
Solar City is an interesting place. Not only do they have the aptly named Halloween-Man fighting crime but Solomon’s best friend is a super-hero known as Man-Goat. There’s also a legit super-hero group know as The Sentinels but they don’t sully their fists with the bad guys Halloween-Man battles.

When Fray #1 came out, I read it immediately. Then I decided that I'd wait for the entire mini-series to be completed before I read the rest. Who knew I'd be waiting for two years for that to happen. Not that I can really fault Joss Whedon. I know the man was working on Buffy, Angel, and Firefly while he was working on this comic. Not to mention being introduced to the joys of fatherhood. The guy had a lot on his plate. But I am happy to report that even with the two years it took to complete this eight issue mini-series the final product was worth the wait.

Fray is about Melaka Fray, a young woman from the 26th century surviving in a hard city by being a grabber, which means she steals things. But she's no common, mug-you-on-the-street thief, she's a thief for hire and a darn good one. Her speed, strength and reflexes make her unusually successful at what she does.

Mel lives a fairly solitary existence until a demon named Urkonn arrives to tell her of her destiny as a vampire slayer—although here they're known as lurkers or lurks. Mel doesn't believe him. Lurks are just another mutation in a world filled with mutations. Urkonn, who has a classic demon look to him, doesn't even phase Mel. But it turns out Mel is indeed the Slayer and she's needed to stop demon kind from being unleashed on her world.

I don't want to give too much of the story away but suffice it to say Fray is full of twists and turns that keep you interested until the very end of the story. I found myself wishing it had been the first eight issues of an ongoing series or the pilot for a new television show.

Whedon's flair for dialogue shines in the comic book form. And all the practice he's gotten with television writing has given him a great sense of pacing between issues. I'm glad I didn't read these as they came out because I probably would have ended up being very frustrated thanks to the marvelous cliffhanger endings.

Karl Moline (pencils) and Andy Owens (inks) do a fantastic job with the art on this series. I love the whole world they've created for Mel to inhabit. Karl Moline's character designs are fresh and his vamps/lurks are suitably scary. No part of the art is given short shrift. The background details are just as much fun to look at as the character details. Even if, as a Fray fan site I read stated, Karl Moline was the cause for the delays his art was worth the wait.

Fray is an entertaining addition to the Buffy mythos but you don't have to be a Buffy fan to enjoy it. I'm looking forward to more comics featuring this character.

I know what you’re thinking. Vampires? Again?!? Let me put your fears to rest. It’s not as bad as you think. In fact, Judd Winick (Barry Ween, Boy Genius) pens an entertaining little tale about vamps and he puts his own spin on the mythos.

Legacy of the Samurai is an aptly named comic since it deals with a samurai named Dayar “on a quest to find the people responsible for the murder of his beloved sensei.” However, don’t expect a realistic feudal Japanese society. The setting is more along the lines of a fantasy feudal Japan populated with fantastic creatures and magic users. We get introduced to a couple of probable bad guys in this issue but their actions are all foreshadowing of dastardly deeds to come.

And as with any good quest, Dayar meets up with an “elementalist” named Rana Cutler who had been trying to find Dayar’s sensei to help her control her powers. A little further down the road, they then meet an adventurer named Thomas Wyler who was asked by Dayar’s sensei to help him find the killer. And finally, a freaky cat man (AxoCat) pops out of nowhere warning of something tracking them.

I know Nicole Lauria has a well-thought out plan for this series but the story in issue one suffered from too much information too soon. Introducing so many sub-plots right off the bat might seem like a good idea and a sure-fire way to hook new readers but I’m just as happy getting to know a character first and then being introduced to his/her baggage. Bringing Dayar and Rana Cutler together in issue one would have been a great starting point. Introducing the Thomas Wyler character who was also tied to Dayar’s sensei maybe an issue or two down the road would have made their meeting seem a lot less contrived. As it was, the plot seemed a bit too much like the start of a role-playing game where all of your player characters have to meet up so the action can begin.

The artwork in Legacy of the Samurai was very reminiscent of the Rob Liefeld school of comic illustration. Not really my thing but I can see where it would be a popular style for an inexperienced artist to emulate. Michael Nghiem handles backgrounds a lot better than Liefeld but there are still far too many scowling close-ups for my taste. I’d also like to see Nghiem put as much creativity into his human male characters as he did into his females who were quite well done and his beast/thug creatures are nicely designed. To Nghiem’s credit he doesn’t get carried away with the huge splash panels that eat up space in a comic but leave very little room for storytelling.

A big drawback to the artwork in this comic would have to be the coloring. I’m not sure why, but so many times computer colored comics come out way too dark. Major background details are obscured in this issue because the colors are too dark and muddy. Lighten up the palette, soften the tones and I guarantee you the book will look 100% better.

Nicole Lauria obviously has a lot planned for this title. She’s also got an enthusiastic bunch to help her fulfill those plans. Enthusiasm can take you a long way but I’d like to see this title gain a lot more polish before I could wholeheartedly recommend it.

Jane’s World #1–3

Writer: Paige Braddock
Penciler: Paige Braddock
Inker: Paige Braddock
Colors: B&W
Letters: I'm guessing Paige Braddock
Publisher: Girl Twirl Comics $2.95 US
Click Here for a Sample Page

Jane is just your average gal. She’s employed at a San Francisco newspaper, she’s got a roommate (Evan), a girlfriend (Sarah) and an above average imagination.

Jane’s World started life as a comic strip. In fact, you can visit www.janesworldcomics.com and see all of them to date and subscribe to the new ones. Paige Braddock wanted a way to collect her strips and opted for the comic book format. If you’re like me you’ll have some trepidation about picking up this title because of this. Strip collections in comic form almost never work. I’d rather just have the strips collected in a nice fat trade because then I feel I’m getting something substantial. To her credit, Paige Braddock has tried to make the Jane’s World strips flow like a comic and, for the most part, she succeeds.

In issue one we meet Jane and her cast of characters, including her new mysterious nemesis, Chelle. This issue reads entirely too much like a collection of strips and ends up being choppy as a result. The banter between characters is typical pared down comic strip-speak and the issue never really clicks as a comic.

Issue two finds Jane, Sarah, Jane’s sister Becca and Chelle heading out for an afternoon of sailing on the San Francisco Bay. Jane isn’t what you’d call an experienced sailor (actually none of them are) and when the boat is caught in a freak squall Jane is knocked unconscious and you get to see why Jane’s imagination has a life of its own. I don’t want to spoil the issue but the story involving Jane and Chelle washing up on an island populated by gorgeous Amazons was a hoot and read like an honest-to-god comic book.

The third issue sees Jane being sent to work at The Poultry Times doing “community outreach” for her paper. I got the impression she was sent out of California for the two week assignment which seems odd for a San Francisco paper but I suspended disbelief and went with it. Jane is aghast at being sent to the sticks and is soon looking for a way out of this assignment. In a twist that can only happen in the world of comics, Jane hops on a bus, ends up in Memphis, TN, meets up with her roommate Evan and they end up being abducted by hot rodding aliens. This issue fell somewhere between the previous two in terms of flowing like a comic. Paige Braddock supplies a few typewritten scene change links along with some panels that look to have been drawn to expand the story and make it flow better. Overall it works but there are still several points where the strip nature of the story comes on strong.

Even with its flaws I’ve enjoyed this series. Jane is a quirky character and the fantastical nature of her world makes this a title that shouldn’t get boring. Paige Braddock’s cartooning style is loose and fun and fits the tone of her stories perfectly. I still think she might have been better off just collecting her Jane’s World strip into a larger trade format. It certainly would have been easier on her and it probably would sell better in the long run. But if you’re looking for something that’s fun, imaginative and well-drawn, check out Jane’s World. I have a feeling that as she gets more issues under her belt the stories should flow even more smoothly.

If you can’t find this comic at your local shop, write to Jane’s World c/o Paige Braddock P.O. Box 88, Sebastopol, CA 95472. You can visit the Jane’s World web site at www.janesworldcomics.com.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales of the Slayers

Writer: Various
Penciler: Various
Inker: Various
Colors: I don't know! The comic has been packed!
Letters: Ditto
Editor: Ditto
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics $14.95 US $22.95 CAN
Click Here for a Sample Page

Those of you not well versed in Buffy lore may not be aware of the fact that Buffy is just one in a long line of young women who have taken on the mantle of Vampire Slayer. Throughout the centuries when a Chosen One dies another takes her place. This collection presents the reader with a few tales of other Slayers.

That premise alone makes this a worthwhile read for any Buffy fan but in addition you get stories penned by Joss Whedon (the show’s creator) and several of the show’s writers.

Joss Whedon writes the first story, “Prologue,” which follows the prehistoric first Slayer who has also made brief appearances in the BTVS television show. The pencils are capably handled by Leinil Francis Yu (Wolverine).

Whedon also handles the second tale in the collection, “Righteous.” This story was one of my favorites and relates the sad story of a Slayer operating within a walled medieval town during a particularly superstitious time in Europe’s history. Tim Sale supplies the beautiful art for this story.

“The Innocent” takes place during the French Revolution and was written by Amber Benson the actress who portrays Tara on the television show. This isn’t her first foray into comic book writing. She also wrote a Willow & Tara one shot with Christopher Golden. She handles this story solo, however and does a wonderful job. Ted Naifeh (Gloomcookie) illustrates it.

Jane Espenson handles “Presumption” another story that ended up being a stand out in the collection. It gives us an interesting twist on how a young Slayer might operate in the English upper crust society of 1813. P. Craig Russell (Ring of Nibelung: Rhinegold), of course, does a wonderful job with the illustration chores.

The American West and a Navajo Slayer are the stars of “The Glittering World,” written by David Fury. The interesting thing about this story was Richard Wilkins the long-lived (until Season Three at least) supernaturally powered Mayor of Sunnydale makes an appearance and we see the beginnings of Sunnydale as a town. And who better to handle the realistic and harsh setting than Steve Lieber (Whiteout).

Rebecca Rand Kirshner brings us “Sonnenblume” and a young Hitler era Slayer learns who the true monsters are. Israeli illustrator, Mira Freidmann (Bittersweet) handles the art in this story and her style is incredibly creepy and the most distinctive (and least “comic book”) of the collection.

“Nikki Goes Down!” written by Doug Petrie, presents a 1970s era New York City Slayer we’ve seen before in the television show as one of Spike’s infamous Slayer kills. Gene Colan (Tomb of Dracula) handles the art and he did such a fantastic job that I’d love to see him illustrate more BTVS tales.

The final story in the collection, “Tales,” is written by Joss Whedon and shows his character Maleeka Fray discovering a former watcher’s sanctuary and records of her Slayer forebears. Karl Moline (Route 666), the regular Fray artist also illustrates this story.

Dark Horse is doing a good job of supplying Buffy fanatics with comic based stories in the Buffy universe. Some have been better than others but this collection definitely deserves to be viewed as one of the better and more entertaining efforts.

You should be able to find this on your local comic store’s shelves. If not, write to Dark Horse Comics, Inc., 10956 SE Main Street, Milwaukie, OR 97222 or visit their web site at www.darkhorse.com and order it on-line.

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