Simon & Schuster will release its final Buffy the Vampire Slayer novel to coincide with the show's last airing on May 20. The 95-book TV tie-in series has sold more than 4.6 million copies since 1997.

For some reason that makes me kind of sad. I mean, most of the books are pretty bad, but it's another piece of the Buffyverse vanishing.

I do hope they continue with the Tales of the Slayers collection of short stories. I'm just reading Volume II now. Not everything is great in them, but they are interesting takes on Slayerhood.

The comics will continue for at least 2 more story-arcs, and I do know that a Tales of the Vampires comic anthology is in the works, similar to the Tales of the Slayers trade paperback, where the show writers write the stories and various comic artists illustrate them.

Diamond Comics Distributors definitely has Fray #7 listed as shipping this week. Yay!

According to the BBC,Buffy novelizations will continue.

Just dropping in to note the Fray #7 is in the stores today, and I have my copy in my hands right now! (OK, it's out in the car, but it was in my hands just a few minutes ago, I swear!)

I pulled out all of my older issues of Fray last night and read them to get up to speed. I think I showed tremendous restraint that I held off on reading #7 until after work.

I find I have to skim all the back issues everytime a new Fray comes out. This time, I think a thorough reread is in order.

I just read my copy!!!

I'm catching a bit of a Firefly vibe in the dialog and finding some season 7 parallels.

Haven't reread the last six -- it could be that the dialogue always was like this and that Firefly's dialogue has a Frayesque vibe.

it could be that the dialogue always was like this and that Firefly's dialogue has a Frayesque vibe.

I think this is it, sumi. Because I can remember hearing something in my first Firefly episode that made me think of Fray

and finding some season 7 parallels.

Good. Because otherwise the delay would be unforgiveable.

And since I have mine (mine, mine, my Fray, mine!) I'm exiting this thread stage right until I'm all read up!

Rats, my local store was out, and Newbury's slack jawed employees hadn't put today's issues out yet. Bother.

I really liked the issue. The "Firefly-esque" dialogue can be traced to the use of the word "rutting" as a curse. This word has been used throughout the series, so yes, it would probably be more appropriate to say that Firefly had "Fray-esque" dialogue.

That makes me think that it would be easy to tie Firefly to the Buffyverse, by having the show take place in Fray's future.

I am praying that we see (S7 speculation) Buffy either find or build the red axe. If that happens, I may pass out.

I wonder how sales will be for this issue. I used this as a test for my comic shop. I'm a subscriber, and I did not mention that the new issue was coming out, but I had Fray on my pull-list from way back. I was pleased that my shop owner remembered to pull it.