Serenity : Those Left Behind

SERENITY NOW!

Most people know the name Serenity from the ridiculously awesome Joss Whedon movie that rocked the big screen a couple years ago. But in reality, the good ship Serenity sailed long prior on Whedon’s short-lived television series “Firefly,” which followed the exploits of the space-cowboy crew. Although only running for 11 episodes (14 exist, but three have never aired), the series receives much praise from fans for its classic Whedon humor and brilliant storytelling. The strong DVD sales led to the production of the feature film, which took place a short time after the conclusion of the series. In order to bridge the gap between the ending of show and the beginning of the movie, Whedon teamed with Brett Matthews (a scripter on “Buffy,” “Angel” and “Firefly”) to produce a three-issue miniseries. That’s right, kids: Buffy “Season 8” isn’t the first time Whedon has continued a canceled series in comic form. And like the Buffy series, issues of Serenity sold hotter than a cayenne pepper, initially leading to relatively high back market prices. Prices have since calmed, but with talk about a new miniseries, keep an eye on current standings. Each issue featured a different cover by a different artist of a different character. Issue #1’s cover of Captain Mal by John Cassaday goes for $5, with Bryan Hitch’s Jayne cover and J.G. Jones’ Inara slightly higher at $6 and $7, respectively. Tim Bradstreet’s Shepherd Book cover and Joe Quesada’s Zoe cover for issue #2 both sell at $10, with Jo Chen’s Kaylee at $7. Finally, issue #3 featured River by Josh Middleton and Wash by Sean Phillips at $12 and Simon by Leinil Yu at $10. Also of note are scarce newsstand editions of the Mal and Kaylee covers, which go for $8 and $16, respectively.