Firefly

SERENITY NOW!

Or, more accurately, SERENITY #1 — JULY! I’ve got the early review.

SERENITY #1 is definitely cool. Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews fashion a story that stands on its own, with enough action and adventure to please any fan. Captain Mal Reynolds, Zoe, and Jayne are planetside trying to make a deal, when everything goes wrong and hell breaks loose. Typical, eh? More importantly, there’s a complete story in here. This isn’t a tease for the next issue. It’s an extended chase sequence with a few pages’ worth of coda, and a gentle nudge to the reader on the last page to point the way to the next story.

Character development is light, but everyone shows what their character is in both subtle and explicit ways. There are a couple of balls put into play by the end of the issue that might just lead to some development, though. Stay tuned.

Whedon hasn’t lost his characters at all. They all sound authentic, and everyone gets at least one moment. That’s nine different characters with dialogue in a 22-page comic. These days, that’s a monumental feat.

While Whedon and Matthews choreographs everything nicely enough to let the astute reader pick up on clues towards various relationships and personal demons, you really need to be a pre-existing fan of the series to "get" everything. Assuming you are, you’re going to have a fun time with this book. If you aren’t already, you’ll be thrown into an exotic world with eccentric characters and a completely different feel from anything you’ve read before. Go rent the FIREFLY DVDs now. It’s the best TV show to never make a second season.

The art by Will Conrad works for the book. Likenesses are good enough, and not all of them look like stiffly posed publicity shots. The preview copy I have is a black and white copy of color art, so some of the stuff is a little muddy. The end of the major action sequence inside a bank is a bit tough to read because of the coloring, but I’m sure that will clarify itself when the book is released next month. Laura Martin is credited for colors, so I have confidence in it.

The lettering is good, complete with Chinese characters for the swearing. Everything’s been thought through to fit the tone of the series.

Dark Horse is indicating a July release for the book. I’m guessing they’ll try to get it out in time for San Diego and whatever Joss Whedon presentation(s) might be happening there. We’ll see. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing this book in full color, though.