GN Review -- Serenity: Better Days and Other Stories / Joss Whedon, Brett Matthews, Will Conrad, Zack Whedon, Patton Oswalt, Chris Samnee, Jim Krueger, and Patric Reynolds

It is with a heavy heart and a hopeful longing that I review the final volume of Serenity comics that are currently in existence.  While I won't go into much detail about how very awesome is the show they were spun from, the all-too-brief Firefly, I will say that it was the show that made me love Joss Whedon's writing skills.  It's the show that made me give Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and, by extension, Angel) a second chance, and when I got through the show and the feature film it spawned, I was upset that there weren't more stories to tell.  The emergence of the comics from Dark Horse were like a god-send.

Better Days and Other Stories is chronologically the second volume of stories, after the magnificent Those Left Behind and before the surprisingly disappointing The Shepherd's Tale.  It includes several stories from various creative teams, including "Better Days," in which the crew happens upon an obscenely wealthy payoff and muses on what they plan to do with it before typical circumstance pulls it away from them; "The Other Half," a short piece where the crew wards off a pack of Reavers while River saves them from a fate they couldn't have known about; "Downtime," a character study of the crew that gives an idea of what they get up to when they're not actively thieving; and "Float Out," a post-movie story about several of Wash's old friends christening a ship in their deceased comrade's name.

The writing in all four stories is very well done.  It's always fun to see Serenity's captain and crew both in and out of action, and the dialog, pacing, and plotlines all work like short episodes of Firefly.  Whether they're pulling Mal out of yet another grim situation, bantering and bickering with one another, or guessing slyly at one another's secrets, the characters are true to the portrayals of their on-screen counterparts.  The storytelling might not stand on its own for the casual reader, but I think it's safe to say that these books are meant for the fans, and they are a treat for those Browncoats who wanted more stories from the show.

Art-wise, I think it's unfair to compare anyone else's illustration work to Will Conrad's uncannily spot-on renditions of the characters.  It's honestly like some photographer took still shots from some lost Firefly episode, filmed but never distributed, and gave them to Conrad to do the line work.  His portrayals of the characters look that close to their actors.  Patric Reynolds's work is pretty close to the mark as well, while Chris Samnee's efforts are the most cartoonish, though I will say that doesn't detract from the story in "Downtime."  It's merely a different form of expressiveness that satisfies in a different way.

Overall, I think this is a wonderful collection of stories, certainly the most varied in the Serenity volumes that have been released.  This is definitely fan material--while I'm sure the stories are good enough sci-fi/western/action fare on their own, there's definitely more of a payoff for those who have been devotees of the show, the movie, and anything else Firefly.  For my part, it's a complete and total treat, one that makes a worthy addition to my own collection.  Highly recommended.

GN Review -- Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale / Zack Whedon and Chris Samnee

I am an unabashed fan of Joss Whedon's sci-fi/western show Firefly, and when I learned of the existence of the graphic novel based on it, I eagerly searched for them.  By November 2010, I'd heard of the impending publication of Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale, and was chomping at the bit to get a hold of this story.  Shepherd Book, the character who is the focus of this story, was one of the most compelling and mysterious members of Serenity's crew, and to have his back-story finally revealed in a comic book format was nothing short of miraculous, I felt.

But as I read the story, I couldn't help but come away with a profound sense of disappointment.

It isn't that the book lies to the reader in any way, or that it's poorly written, or even poorly illustrated (though I do feel the art does pale in comparison to other graphic stories of this property).  The Shepherd's Tale does exactly what it sets out to do, which is to reveal the specifics about Derrial Book's life and activities before he met up with Serenity and her crew.  It's creatively structured, with good little points of dialog and character development.  And while the art may feel less distinctive and crafted than I'd prefer, it does its job of accurately portraying the characters and supporting the mood and plot of the narrative.

Yes, the book (pun not intended) does exactly what it needs to do.  Nothing more, nothing less.

And I think that's my problem with it.

Maybe I've just gotten spoiled by the other Serenity comics.  Maybe I just built up too spectacularly the mystery of Book's origin, to a level so high that no reveal could have possibly lived up to it.  Whatever the case, this particular story was a decent story, and nothing more, which I think is abysmal praise when applied to Firefly and the narratives spawned from the show and film.  I'm so used to being blown away by what I've read in Dark Horse's releases of this franchise, that this story feels comparatively flat and unimpressive.

I thought the use of interlinked flashbacks at the various crossroads in Book's life was pretty interesting, despite the occasional bout of confusion.  The chain of events created leads the reader all the way back to Book's childhood, where he endured an abusive parent and eventually ran away.  His decision to join the Browncoats and spy on the Alliance by rising through the ranks of their military explains how he knows so much about arms and criminals as a Shepherd, but his disastrous singular failure as an Alliance commander also raises questions about why the Alliance treated him so well in an episode of the show.  When he finds God in a bowl of chicken soup, it's both amusing and illuminating, but also feels a little silly and contrived, particularly if you've never watched the show.

I suppose I'm just used to a certain standard of entertainment when I visit the fictitious 'verse of Serenity.  There's a certain depth to the story, or the characters, or the dialog, or the humor, or the simple feeling that this was a labor of love.  The Shepherd's Tale does what it promises, but was nowhere near as fulfilling to experience as the rest of the stories in this franchise.  Maybe this was just destined to be a disappointing story, but I can't help the feeling that, in other hands, this would have been a far deeper, more fulfilling, and ultimately more meaningful story than it turned out to be.

If I had been among Serenity's crew, and traveled and fought alongside Book, and watched him die, as they did, I would naturally want to know more about who he was before he came to be in my life.  This story was like being told by an Alliance administrator, in cold, clipped clarity, those details, as opposed to the warm recollection that would be given by the friaress in the Southdown Abbey from where he came to us.  It would do, but it would feel ultimately disappointing in its delivery.

Recommended, but only for fans of Serenity.  And unfortunately, most of them will still be disappointed.

GN Review -- Serenity: Those Left Behind / Joss Whedon, Brett Matthews and Will Conrad

I seem to be on a tear of comics that are made from pre-existing series these days.

For those of you who haven't seen it, Firefly, the short-lived sci-fi/western show off of which Serenity: Those Left Behind is based, is one of the best shows you've likely never seen.  It only lasted 14 episodes, but developed a dedicated following that endures to this day.  The writing, characterizations, and story arcs were intriguing and gripping, and even though the show was cancelled, it managed to get a movie to wrap up the story in Serenity.

Those Left Behind takes place between the end of Firefly and the beginning of the film Serenity, serving as both a bridge between the two stories and a decent enough action tale on its own.  Starting off with a situation typical of ship captain Malcolm Reynolds' bad luck, we come to see that the crew of Serenity has fallen on hard times and is struggling to make enough money to keep their ship running.  When an associate appears and gives them a job that seems to easy for the money it offers, they find that more than one enemy of theirs has laid a trap for them, and will stop at nothing to tear them apart.

It's a fun little story, and feels just like an episode of the show on which it's based.  This shouldn't be any surprise with series creator (and director of forthcoming movie The Avengers!) Joss Whedon penning the script in conjunction with Brett Matthews.  The crew of Serenity is where they normally are: down on their luck, on the move, and scrounging to make ends meet.  They're the classic underdogs in any fight, and yet they always manage to pull off the slimmest of victories in a fashion that is both convincing and endearing.

The dialog and characterization are also spot-on in this story.  From the judicious use of Mandarin Chinese to the slight country cadence that comes through in their speech, we know that we're in the Firefly 'verse from the dialog alone.  The main characters are also well preserved in speech, manner, and action.  Wash, the ship's pilot, whines at Mal in a manner reminiscent of Alan Tudyk, the actor who plays him, while ship's engineer Kaylee Frye continues to epitomize cuteness, even in high-stress situations.  For fans of the show, these little touches are invaluable to the narrative.

The artwork is wonderful throughout.  I'm not familiar with Will Conrad's other work, but looking at his renditions of the characters was about as close as I figured you could come to seeing the show again as you can in comic books.  It's a step above what I consider the norm for comics, and keeps you looking the book over even after you've read the story.  This volume also contains reprints of the covers by various artists featuring the various crew of Serenity originally done for the single issues that made up this story, and they are also a beautiful addition to the story.

Overall, a highly enjoyable read that won't take you very long.  If you're a Firefly fan and haven't read this book, what's wrong with you?  Read it!  For anyone looking for a good action sci-fi tale with beautiful artwork and interesting characters, definitely check out Serenity: Those Left Behind.  Highly recommended.