Firefly

pub: Titan Books. 175 page softcover. Price: £16.99 (UK), $19.95 (US), $27.95 (CAN). ISBN: 1-84576-314-9.

Ah, the wonders of DVD. This is a show that for a long time never made it to the shores of Britain. There were rumours, hints and maybe even downloads (hush) but until DVD there was nothing to show for it.

Its reputation grew and anticipation was such that it sold unexpectedly well. It helped that the team had put the package together with more than just the episodes. Then there was a real, live feature film and comic books to round off the story or to make us want more. It seemed that the ’Firefly’ universe would be around a lot longer than the TV executives originally thought.

Such was the appeal of Captain Tightpants and his crew. Now to add to the mix is the rather lovely glossy book that has come out to be added to our shelves.

It is the ’Official Companion’ and it shall be always known as that. Even the title makes me titter as fans will know what a companion is in the ’Firefly’ ’verse. As such, this book entirely suits being compared to Anara (the companion). It is sleek and glossy, has depth of knowledge, is constantly polite and companionable and it won’t sleep with your best friend or if it does it will do so discreetly.

The contents of the book are similar to the one issued to go with the movie, ’Serenity’. It opens with an interview with a bearded Joss Whedon. There are scripts of six episodes and lots of pictures. In between this, there are profiles of all the lead characters. With lots of sidebars of information and gossip this is a great book for the fans. The stills are of high quality and the artwork is first class. Overall, this is an excellent book and will make you watch your DVDs again. Go on, you know you want to.

Volume Two is coming in the spring with coverage of the remaining eight episodes. This is an excellent coda to the series and who knows the crew of Firefly might still be going back into the Black.