thoseleftbeh.jpgI have read many mixed reviews about this graphic novel prequel to the Serenity film. Amazon reviewer Robert Moore loves the artwork, but says the comic suffers from an “utterly uninspiring story.” Tivor, another Amazon reviewer, hates the story and the art. He criticizes the artist’s use of  so-called superhero mannerisms. He clarifies, “By that, I mean the characters are drawn with clenched-fist poses whenever something action-y is happening. It’s not as blatant as actual superhero comics, but it’s enough to make me go, “that’s not Firefly.”" These guys further point out artistic discrepancies, coloring issues and use of technology not in line with the Firefly Verse.

Okay, deep breath, here’s my take. The story does read like an un-aired Firefly episode, without as much depth (or as many character moments) as the real thing. But, let’s face it, comics and television are different genres. I think this graphic novel does a good job of including as many character moments as possible, while still providing some solid comic book-style action. As Tivor notes, the Shepherd subplot does a great job of explaining why he left the ship prior to the start of the movie. Kaylee has some funny lines, as do Mal and Wash. And, of course, the novel serves the larger purpose of explaining what happened to Dobson, the passenger/Alliance undercover agent who infiltrated the ship in the TV series and tried to capture River.

On to the art. The comic is filled with some beautiful fight scenes and telling close-ups. I didn’t notice any coloring issues or frame-to-frame discrepancies. However, I agree with Tivor that many of the scenes appear too “comic book-y” to fit into the Firefly Verse.

Okay, now for my personal caveats (aka things that bother me, but maybe not the majority of readers). Yes, the art is great, and it closely mimics the TV characters most of the time, but not always. I know this is not a good measure of quality comic art, but personally it just bugs me when the comic characters don’t resemble the TV characters I’m used to. Specifically, comic Wash does not look like TV Wash. Comic Simon is way too muscle-y (I mean, was a close-up of Simon’s forearm bursting with veins really necessary?). And Jayne is too comic book-y altogether in most scenes.

Random complaints aside, I think this graphic novel is a solid contribution to the growing Serenity opus.

DweebMeter: 4/5

See my Serenity/Firefly Links in my Serenity: Better Days post.