Rushed to the Nth, But Still Good

Non-Buffyverse Related

What Is It?: Serenity: Better Days #3 (written by Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews)

Timing: Follows "Better Days #2," concluding the "Better Days" arc (which is set AFTER "Firefly" and before "Those Left Behind.")

REVIEW: Better than #1, not as good as #2.

I admit, this issue confused the Hell out of me. After the second read it clicked a bit better, but a lot of the time I was wondering what the Special Hell was going on. Especially in the action sequences, but that's more of an art problem than anything else, so will be addressed in the "Art" section. But what's that about Simon and Inara? Was she just giving him advice, or...? If the other thing, why was such a huge plot develop left as a _____. This is supposed to be canonical, so if that DID happen, wouldn't the things set after this reflect such an incident? I might be totally off the mark here, but that just didn't make sense at all. I've read and understood comics far more convoluted than your average issue of "Serenity," so I really don't know what was up with that.

Other than that, the issue was pretty good. The reveal about Zoe's past was a remarkable idea, and really serves to separate Mal and Zoe's backstory, preventing it from being the 'exact same past,' which is a really good thing. All the voices were spot on, probably more so than any other issue. The dialogue feels like it came right out of an episode of the show, which is really good. Other than the stuff I spoke about in the first paragraph, this made me feel like I was watching "Firefly" again, which is what both the "Buffy" and "Angel" comics have done for me. Which is why I love them so much. Even though I didn't think it was a really great issue, the past two "Serenity" installments have given me hope that this story can live on in this medium.

Art: Same as before, except even more so. Will Conrad rocks the character's likenesses, but the action is horribly done. Adding to the WTF-Is-Going-On factor that the plot kind of smelled of, the big climatic action scene didn't work well at all. In Buffy, Angel, Y: The Last Man, Everybody's Dead, Astonishing X-Men, Runaways, and basically *any* other comic I've read, I could easily follow the action. Not so much here.

Rating: 6/10

Non-Buffyverse Related

Serenity Bounces Back

Non-Buffyverse Related

What Is It?: Serenity: Better Days #2 (written by Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews)

Timing: Follows "Serenity: Better Days #1"

REVIEW: I didn't really expect much. The first Serenity miniseries, Those Left Behind, was a bit boring, and the first issue of "Better Days" was actually pretty bad. But this issue, the second of the series, really pulled a rabbit out of the hat. For the first time since Serenity, the movie, I felt as if I were truly experiencing these characters again.

Though this issue really seems to act as a bridge between #1 and what will happen in #3, there is a very strong story line here. All of the characters go to a vacation resort, eager to spend their new wealth. Seeing what each of these characters envisions doing with their money (especially Book, River, and Jayne) makes for hilarious--and sometimes touching, in Kaylee's case--character moments. Unlike the first issue, writers Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews begin to tread new water with these characters by having people interacting that we didn't often get to see interact during the show.

Overall, this is a surprisingly huge improvement over the first issue. If Joss, Brett, and Will are able to keep up the momentum for the third and final issue, this series will surpass "Those Left Behind."

Art: The art is good, for the most part. Will Conrad excels at capturing the character's likenesses as well as drawing beautiful settings, but he is quite awful at drawing action. Much like in the first issue, I was baffled by what was going on during the 'main action scene' of the comic. After pouring over the page for a moment or so, it clicked, but Conrad should truly work at how he portrays action and even movement. The cover is every bit as ugly as the first one, making all of the characters look half-realistic and half-cartoony, making the end result look rather disturbing.

Rating: 7/10

Non-Buffyverse Related

Serenity: Better Days #1

Non-Buffyverse Related

What Is It?: Serenity: Better Days #1 (Written by Brett Matthews and Joss Whedon)

Timing: After "Firefly," before "Those Left Behind."

REVIEW: Serenity- Those Left Behind was a good idea. It bridged the series and the movie, filling in a gap that really did need filling in. It was a bit bland, though, and came off as a mediocre 'lost episode' of "Firefly," but it was definitely worth a read. So, when this comic was announced, I figured it would also take place between the series and the movie, but also AFTER "Those Left Behind," as that ground has already been covered.

However, it wasn't. This comic is set between the series and "Those Left Behind." Why? This what I think:

1. Joss doesn't want to write a Serenity comic that takes place after the movie, because he still has hope that a sequel will be green lit. Fair enough, but that leads to boring comics that have little to no impact on the story line or the characters. We get that Mal and Inara secretly love/lust after each other, but how long can that be written about? We get the whole Simon/Kaylee cute flirtation hesitant thing, but come on. It's been going on forever. How long will the same plot threads be stamped over?

2. Joss doesn't want to write a Serenity comic that takes place after "Those Left Behind" because he won't have Inara and Book to play with. Well, sorry, but that's just a bad excuse. As interesting as those characters are, this SHOULD have been set after "Those Left Behind."

As far as the substance of the actual comic, it's average. The whole idea of the gang actually carrying out a successful heist is interesting, and Inara's little dilemma with her client was entertaining. However, none of this really seemed to stick with me. Not to mention, the 'heist' scene (with Mal, Zoe, Jayne, and Simon being chased and then the stuff that follows) was one of the most awkward comic scenes I've read. I'm disappointed, because the first few pages read really well, but things just teetered off towards the end. Unlike the new Buffy and Angel comics, "Serenity: Better Days" didn't do it for me.

All in all, I'm left with a feeling of "eh, so what?" When Joss is ready to take these characters on a journey that actually has an impact on them and the 'verse, I'll be happy, but until then, it looks like I'll be bored.

Art: Insides, good. A bit boring, but good enough. The cover, though? Horrible. Horrible in an incredibly creepy way. The bodies are very comicy, but the faces are photo-realistic. However, all of the faces are also twisted into creepy, pervy smiles. No, not "I'm happy, the heist went well," but nasty looking smiles. Zoe looks like she's a smirking supervillain and Mal looks like he's about to sneak into little Jimmy's room. And Wash? Wash looks like Wash.

Rating: 4/10

Non-Buffyverse Related

Serenity- Those Left Behind

NON-BUFFYVERSE RELATED

What Is It?: Serenity- Behind TPB (Written by Brett Matthews and Joss Whedon, meant to bridge "Firefly" and "Serenity.")

Timing: Between "Firefly" and "Serenity."

REVIEW (and Art): While the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight" comics make me feel like I'm hanging out with old buddies, this trade paperback feels more like a phone call from an old friend. Not that I was ever as big a Firefly/Serenity fan as I am of Buffy/Angel, that's a given, but I won't say I didn't expect a little more from this. Here, I'll break it down with an old fashioned list of + and -

POSITIVES

+ All of the characters are written and drawn pretty well, and each is given the amount of screen time they deserve.

+ The comics (there are only three of them) collected in this book tell interesting stories, and the end is particularly poignant.

+It reads like a lost episode of Firefly, bridging the series and the movie, and--ask any fan--there's nothing wrong with a new Firefly episode.

NEGATIVES

- I don't know if it's just me on this, but it irks me that the size of this book is different than that of normal trade paperbacks. I'm not talking thickness, I'm talking height. This is a short book, closer to the size of a DVD than a trade paperback collection. It looks kind of out of place next to my other trades, and I find myself wishing it was bigger. But, I digress. (NOTE: The hardcover has now been released, so this problem is void. You'd be senseless not to by the hardcover. It comes complete with new art and a mess load of extras.

- It's kinda boring. No new ground is really covered.

- The only real complaint I can think of is also something I mentioned in the positives: "It reads like a lost episode of Firefly, bridging the series and the movie." While that is good and all, the fact is that it reads like an OKAY episode of Firefly. It reads like "The Train Job," expect even still, not as interesting.

I love Joss Whedon and I (with perhaps a bit of a bias) believe he is the best writer of our age, but I am not as enthusiastic about Firefly/Serenity as the Browncoats (super F/S fans) tend to be. The show was great, the movie was great, but I just think that Buffy and Angel were leagues better. I liked this trade, and I'll read the next one if there ever is a next one. However, I'd be lying if I didn't say that I wish Joss would just concentrate on the getting "Buffy Season Eight"--and now "Ripper" and "Dollhouse."

Characters We Know: Book, Mal, Jayne, Zoe, Wash, Kaylee, Simon, River, Inara, and (SPOILERS:) Lawrence Dobson, The Hands of Blue, Badger, and The Operative

Rating: 7/10

NON-BUFFYVERSE RELATED

I Can Hear the Squeeing Now...

BIG Joss Whedon news, straight from Comic Con. This entire post is pretty much thanks to those people who attended Joss' panel at Comic Con and were vigilant and quick fingered enough to type everything up.

So, here's a little summary of what's to come. I'll bold the things that I feel readers will find most interesting and, as always, please feel free to comment and debate which piece of news is most exciting.

RIPPER: We've been waiting so long to hear about this. It was going to be a series. It was going to be a movie. It was going to be one in a trilogy of movies about the Buffyverse characters. Hell, it was going to be a lot of things. But now, it just might get made. It's not set yet, but will likely be filmed sometime next year. It's a 90 minute made-for-TV-movie starring Anthony Stewart Head as Giles that'll be aired on BBC first. "Everybody is in the same frame of mind that it should happen and will happen soon. Been talking with Tony Head," says Joss Whedon. He went on to say, "(I am) getting sick and tired of not entertaining you enough, so I wants to do things, like Ripper, that can be done quickly. Lots of creepy things in the back of my brain that I need to get out."

BUFFY Season Eight COMICS: Oz will definitely be in the Season Eight comics at some point, which kinda kills the rumor that he'll be a star in Angel: After the Fall. Joss really wants to focus on filmed entertainment, but can't stop writing Buffy comic, almost like a drug. He isn't giving Brian Vaughn (who's writing the "No Future For You" arc beginning next month) a huge amount of notes. After Brian, two one-shots by Joss before Drew Goddard's arc.

BUFFY- SEASON NINE: There will, apparently, be a season nine of Buffy through Dark Horse comics as well. Joss said the following: "I know where season 8 of BtVS is ending, (and) I know what happens in Season 9."

GONERS: The new feature film, a fantasy/horror movie written/directed by Joss Whedon. This is the "biggest part of Joss' life right now". He's "been getting studio notes about how the script can be better. And they're right."

ANGEL- After the Fall: Brian Lynch is "doing a great job. It's about the FALL of Wolfram and hart, and the horrible things that happen subsequent to it." Joss says, "Wesley? He's dead, so obviously he's going to be the star..." Though this was likely said in jest, much like his "all about Anya" comment regarding Season Eight.

HEROES: Joss really wants to write/direct an episode, but feels that it isn't something he has time to do.

Harry Potter: Joss had previously shown interest in directing the final Harry Potter movie, but he just wants to concentrate on creator owned material at the moment. Plus, he kinda dosen't have much in the way of time to do something this major.

SUMMER GLAU: Joss is working on a ballet (wtf mate) with Summer Glau who played River Tam on Firefly. The ballet is called "The Serving Girl" and he is writing the music.

FRAY: He is doing more Fray, but he was pretty sure he wasnt supposed to tell us that.

CABIN IN THE WOODS: Joss and Drew Goddard have written a script together, for a feature length film. He says this about it: "it's the horror film to end horror films, literally."

ANGEL/BUFFY MOVIES: Joss would love to do a movie based on the ANGEL comic series coming out, but he knows that David and Sarah have both moved on.

SERENITY: There have been conflicting reports about this part of the Joss news. Some people say that Joss mentioned that the comic mini-series "Serenity: Better Days" will be released this winter, some said that Joss never mentioned. Personally, I just wish he'd leave that 'verse alone for the time being and stick to the Buffy/Angel comics, the movies he's doing, and new things. Firefly/Serenity works much better on screen than it did in comic books, as we saw in "Serenity: Those Left Behind."

Whew.