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Underground > Comic Books >

Serenity: "Better Days"

15:11 / 24.03.08

Joss Whedon returns to the world of his blockbuster film Serenity with the three-issue comics series Better Days.

Better Days revisits everyone's favorite space cowboys in this thrilling, action-packed adventure, with Mal and his crew on a heist that promises a big payoff--what's surprising is that this heist just might make good on that promise.

Whedon reunites with Brett Matthews and Will Conrad, his collaborators on the best-selling 2005 series Those Left Behind. Adam Hughes joins the team for covers.

Official Link.

I picked up the first issue of this week, and unfortunately my critical faculties have been overwhelmed by the sheer fanboy feeling of Serenity / Firefly being back.

The issue itself is a good read - plus or minus some seemingly random dialogue between Wash and Kaylee that seemed to come out of nowhere, until my brain began reading the comic as if it were an episode of Firefly "in continuity" - and the art is pretty stellar.

Plus, bonus points for Hero of Canton references.

Is anyone else out there picking this up? Or am I Barbelith's Only Firefly Fan Left?

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

15:30 / 24.03.08

I didn't even see this one on the shelf, but I'll see if I can find it on Wednesday. At least to look at.

My Mom Thinks I'm Cool

16:41 / 24.03.08

I liked it! much like the Buffy Season 8 comic, it's clearly still the same writing as the show (yay!), and the art is good enough, but somehow there's something missing.

I think there's a problem with the storyboarding - and I don't know if it's Wheadon or his artist(s) - but the action doesn't flow well, I can't figure out how people get from A to B. I'd point out a specific but I don't have it here with me. but the first issue of Buffy was the same way, and that's a big part of why I didn't try harder to stick with it - I just could not tell what was going on when she was fighting the lizard thing.

Anyway, I have the complete Firefly and liked the movie well enough, so I'm already more invested in this than in Buffy. and the dialogue was great. I actually laughed out loud. it's good when a comic can make me do that.

17:35 / 24.03.08

Guys, please tell me that art isn't representative of what I'll find inside.

18:00 / 24.03.08

No no. The smirking covers are as nonrepresentative as they are slightly annoying. The inner art is of the same quality as Those Left Behind, which is to say, very pretty.

That said, the covers are a little.. Smiley. I'm guessing this is to with the subject matter; but still,

The smirks! The smirks!

There's preview art for issue two here, because I can't find the non-spoiler-riffic preview for issue 1.

Also, the letters column at the end talks of a Shepherd Book series later in the year (so, 2010, then), which is shiny.

20:23 / 24.03.08

That is nice. I will pur-chase.

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

15:04 / 25.03.08

...but...but...

The interior art doesn't really do it for me, you know. And the Whedialogue probably would inspire me more if it was being spoken, actually. I never realize how much the delivery did the work...

Our Lady Has Left the Building

15:27 / 26.03.08

Didn't Whedon say that he was never going to do a Firefly comic because the whole thing only worked if the actors read the dialogue?

16:17 / 26.03.08

Okay, so a comic just doesn't cut it - it's not the same as seeing the characters on the screen. But it's better than nothing! We should rejoice that we get more Firefly!