Serenity #1 - #3
/So I finally have the complete run of the Serenity comics now, I might as well review them as one, how it should be. First, I think that I should mention how successful the entire run has been. Despite the fact that there are only three issues, that it's based off of the little show that was cancelled, every single run has been sold out. They've sent them back for reprints and all that fun stuff, and they've been a huge success. Hopefully, they'll be continuing after the movie with another short miniseries or even a full on series.
The comic format is something that Serenity took to fairly well, which surprised me a little. It shouldn't have though, considering that a TV show is an overarcing storyline joined by smaller stories. Comics are essentially the same way, from what I've seen over the summer and my own launch into comicdom.
So the comics... first of all, Joss Whedon wrote each issue. Each issue has a comparable style of dialog to that of the series, with some fun lines and themes that we've seen in the series. The stories themselves take off after Objects in Space, the last episode of the series, and just before the movie takes place. All in all, it's a great lead in to the movies, mentioning a couple of the movie characters and actually introducing a couple.
Characterwise, we see the return of a couple of characters, Dobson, who was shot by Mal in the first episode, and Badger, a small time crime boss. Dobson was supposed to have been killed, and I'm divided on how I feel about his return. I think that it kinda detracts from the first episode a little, and I'm not a big fan of seeing previously thought dead bad guys return (Mainly from Stargate) although he does play an interesting role in the trilogy. Badger was done pretty well, and it was pretty funny to see him get stranded somewhere, as well as seeing Mal and his crew finally get a little backbone around his group of thugs. The pair of creepy guys, the ones with the Blue Hands return, which was very cool. They do their dirty work, and we learn some interesting things about them, like that they've got blue suits under their clothing, which makes me want to learn more about them. It's not explained who the hell they are though.
The crew. This is a really good transition for the crew, especially coming to the movie. We see them bicker more, we see Inara and Mal have their own problems, Jayne and Mal have problems, Kaylee and Simon, and everything else. Basically, everyone's getting a little more annoyed with Mal.The major things that happen are with Inara leaving, which finally happens here, and Book, who also leaves the ship, to where he is in the movie.
Mainly though, the trilogy is Mal's story. We really see how dark he is, much like some of the episodes, and how much of a rut he's in. That he's just moving forwards, no destination in mind, as he goes from one job to another, with worse and worse luck. Artwise, the trilogy is amazing. The penciling, colors and shading is fantastic, some of the best stuff that I've seen in a very long time. There are just some beautifully drawn scenes in here, and the art along makes the books worth picking up. I was lucky to have gotten all the covers that I had anticipating getting, Inara's, Kaylee's and Wash's. (No, that's a lie, I tried to find the copy with Jayne on the cover, but no luck...) I was divided on the cover art, with there being some really good covers, and some not so good covers, as well as some in the middle.
The main thing is that these issues have to be read together. It's hard to read just one, because you're only getting a third of the story. The entire run is essentially one or two episodes of the series, had it been running, and overall, there's a fairly solid plot and arc that leads right up to the movie.
So, if you happen to see these in stores, do yourself a favor and pick them up.
The comic format is something that Serenity took to fairly well, which surprised me a little. It shouldn't have though, considering that a TV show is an overarcing storyline joined by smaller stories. Comics are essentially the same way, from what I've seen over the summer and my own launch into comicdom.
So the comics... first of all, Joss Whedon wrote each issue. Each issue has a comparable style of dialog to that of the series, with some fun lines and themes that we've seen in the series. The stories themselves take off after Objects in Space, the last episode of the series, and just before the movie takes place. All in all, it's a great lead in to the movies, mentioning a couple of the movie characters and actually introducing a couple.
Characterwise, we see the return of a couple of characters, Dobson, who was shot by Mal in the first episode, and Badger, a small time crime boss. Dobson was supposed to have been killed, and I'm divided on how I feel about his return. I think that it kinda detracts from the first episode a little, and I'm not a big fan of seeing previously thought dead bad guys return (Mainly from Stargate) although he does play an interesting role in the trilogy. Badger was done pretty well, and it was pretty funny to see him get stranded somewhere, as well as seeing Mal and his crew finally get a little backbone around his group of thugs. The pair of creepy guys, the ones with the Blue Hands return, which was very cool. They do their dirty work, and we learn some interesting things about them, like that they've got blue suits under their clothing, which makes me want to learn more about them. It's not explained who the hell they are though.
The crew. This is a really good transition for the crew, especially coming to the movie. We see them bicker more, we see Inara and Mal have their own problems, Jayne and Mal have problems, Kaylee and Simon, and everything else. Basically, everyone's getting a little more annoyed with Mal.The major things that happen are with Inara leaving, which finally happens here, and Book, who also leaves the ship, to where he is in the movie.
Mainly though, the trilogy is Mal's story. We really see how dark he is, much like some of the episodes, and how much of a rut he's in. That he's just moving forwards, no destination in mind, as he goes from one job to another, with worse and worse luck. Artwise, the trilogy is amazing. The penciling, colors and shading is fantastic, some of the best stuff that I've seen in a very long time. There are just some beautifully drawn scenes in here, and the art along makes the books worth picking up. I was lucky to have gotten all the covers that I had anticipating getting, Inara's, Kaylee's and Wash's. (No, that's a lie, I tried to find the copy with Jayne on the cover, but no luck...) I was divided on the cover art, with there being some really good covers, and some not so good covers, as well as some in the middle.
The main thing is that these issues have to be read together. It's hard to read just one, because you're only getting a third of the story. The entire run is essentially one or two episodes of the series, had it been running, and overall, there's a fairly solid plot and arc that leads right up to the movie.
So, if you happen to see these in stores, do yourself a favor and pick them up.
