Review: Serenity #1

Bridging the gap between the television series Firefly and the upcoming film Serenity the first issue of this three issue mini-series does the trick. Written by Brett Mathews (from a story by Mathews and series creator Joss Whedon), the story starts out with the crew at the tail-end of a heist gone bad. Not only does the loot they were trying to quietly steal get taken from them, but the whole town runs them off the planet. Continuing on from the final episode of the series, tensions between various memebers of the crew have gotten worse. Also, unbeknownst to our beloved characters, two really nasty bad guys from several episodes of the TV show are on their trail and getting closer to catching up with them.

Penciller Will Conrad does a great job with capturing the actors' likenessess and also is a very good storyteller. On the writing side, the characterizations are dead on, although without the delivery from the live actors some of the dialogue doesn't quite work and the humor is toned down. You would be best served by watching the DVD set of the series before reading this comic if only to get the characters voices and the nuances of their relationships with each other. Still, first time visitors to this 'verse should enjoy the story. The TV series and this comic will get you ready and eager to see the film. Highly recommended for new readers and Browncoats alike.