James Groves
Aug 5, 2005, 06:23 pm
<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/dh/0805/SEREN-2-C.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/dh/0805/SEREN-2-C_t.jpg" align=left hspace=10 alt="Serenity #2"></a> Reviewer: Mario J. Ramos, mjramos86@hotmail.com
Story Title: Those Left Behind: Part 2 (of 3)
"…tell me, Shepherd, when things take a turn toward @$%#, do you drop to your knees and pray, or do you steal a vehicle and do what needs to be done to survive?"
Co-plotters: Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews
Writer: Brett Matthews
Artist: Will Conrad
Letterer: Michael Heisler
Colorist: Laura Martin
Assistant Editors: Matt Dryer and Dave Marshall
Editor: Scott Allie
Designer: Heidi Fainza
Publisher: Mike Richardson
Published by: Dark Horse Comics (www.darkhorsecomics.com)
Cover "Book": Tim Bradstreet and Grant Goleash
Cover "Kaylee": Joe Chen
Cover "Zoe": Joe Quesada, Danny Miki and Richard Isanove
First off, I never saw a single episode of Firefly. Not because it didn’t look interesting, but I simply can’t ever remember to watch the shows I want to watch (except for hockey, but that’s another story). I can’t remember when a season starts or ends, what day and what hour the show is supposed to air. So when I saw the previews for the Serenity comic book and the upcoming movie, I was happy that the Firefly universe was going to be brought to mediums that I find more accessible. Still, I was afraid I couldn’t get into it without already knowing the characters and settings. After reading the two first instalments of this 3-issue miniseries, I’m relieved to realize that I was wrong.
I had absolutely no difficulty getting into the story. The premise is quite simple: A futuristic western about a crew of renegades looking for work in all the wrong places. Though I haven’t seen much of Buffy either, I am reading Astonishing X-Men and I realized that the premises of Joss Whedon’s stories are always quite simple. His stories are simple, yes, but not his characters. And that’s what makes it interesting. Though Mr. Whedon is only co-plotter, the other co-plotter and scripter of the book, Brett Matthews, does a great job at writing these characters with a lot of depth, even if they are somewhat stereotyped (but that’s to be expected in a team book). Each character is given their own voice and most of them get a chance to shine with one or two characterization moments.
<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/dh/0805/SEREN-2-B.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/dh/0805/SEREN-2-B_t.jpg" align=right hspace=10 alt="Serenity #2"></a> By the end of the issue, you know what each character wants. This is where the theme of the story emerges: selfishness. If the first issue featured the crew working like a team towards the same goal, the second issue is the opposite. Mal wants to take the job and get the money for the crew, yes, but he takes the decision without caring what the others want. Inara wants to go…wherever she has to go. Badger wants his percentage. Wash wants to be with his girlfriend. The Shepherd doesn’t want to face reality. They all want, or don’t want something. The irony is that the only people working together are the bad guys. The Blue Hands are looking for Serenity and ex-Agent Dobson is looking for Mal Reynolds. So they join forces.
I can’t find anything wrong with this story; though I find the pacing a bit odd, especially in action sequences. I can count two times when a character seems to take a 10-foot leap to give a punch (and one time the character even goes back to where he originally was in the next panel…and the guy who got punched is not where he’s supposed to be). Still, if odd pacing means we get a complete story in three issues instead of six, I shouldn’t complain.
The dialogue is how it should be, which is, clever and meaningful in character moments and sharp and funny where it feels right. Sometimes I forget it wasn’t written by Joss Whedon himself. There are some great one-liners. The problem is that they don’t have the impact they should have because they don’t really have a build up to, due to the quick pacing I mentioned above. Some splash-pages feel unjustified, and some other panels (big ones, with one-liners) would have worked better as splash-pages.
<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/dh/0805/SEREN-2-A.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/dh/0805/SEREN-2-A_t.jpg" align=left hspace=10 alt="Serenity #2"></a> This comic book is based on a live-action television series--and the art reflects it. The inking is almost unnoticeable, which gives the art a “realistic” approach. Though, the artist, Will Conrad, is not constant in the way he draws the characters faces. It feels like he is struggling between making the characters look like the show’s actors, and not reproducing their faces. The fact that the action sequences are kind of clunky and that the "camera" angles are ordinary in the dialogue sequences, add to the "television" feeling. Still, I find the art very beautiful and immersive. The mix of western elements with futuristic ones is done nicely and feels natural.
Overall, Serenity #2 is a very enjoyable read. Yes, there are some really minor problems with the pacing of the book and other titbits in the art department but I think they should be overlooked. When I heard of this mini, I was happy, but at the same time I thought: “It’s a tie-in/prologue to the movie and it’s not written by Joss Whedon… bah”. In other words, I was expecting a sub-par effort. I was wrong.
ART:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhhalf.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhnone.jpg
STORY:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhhalf.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhnone.jpg
OVERALL:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhhalf.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhnone.jpg
'Buy Serenity #2 online now from X-WORLD and save!’ (http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=1907&cat=SERENITY)
Story Title: Those Left Behind: Part 2 (of 3)
"…tell me, Shepherd, when things take a turn toward @$%#, do you drop to your knees and pray, or do you steal a vehicle and do what needs to be done to survive?"
Co-plotters: Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews
Writer: Brett Matthews
Artist: Will Conrad
Letterer: Michael Heisler
Colorist: Laura Martin
Assistant Editors: Matt Dryer and Dave Marshall
Editor: Scott Allie
Designer: Heidi Fainza
Publisher: Mike Richardson
Published by: Dark Horse Comics (www.darkhorsecomics.com)
Cover "Book": Tim Bradstreet and Grant Goleash
Cover "Kaylee": Joe Chen
Cover "Zoe": Joe Quesada, Danny Miki and Richard Isanove
First off, I never saw a single episode of Firefly. Not because it didn’t look interesting, but I simply can’t ever remember to watch the shows I want to watch (except for hockey, but that’s another story). I can’t remember when a season starts or ends, what day and what hour the show is supposed to air. So when I saw the previews for the Serenity comic book and the upcoming movie, I was happy that the Firefly universe was going to be brought to mediums that I find more accessible. Still, I was afraid I couldn’t get into it without already knowing the characters and settings. After reading the two first instalments of this 3-issue miniseries, I’m relieved to realize that I was wrong.
I had absolutely no difficulty getting into the story. The premise is quite simple: A futuristic western about a crew of renegades looking for work in all the wrong places. Though I haven’t seen much of Buffy either, I am reading Astonishing X-Men and I realized that the premises of Joss Whedon’s stories are always quite simple. His stories are simple, yes, but not his characters. And that’s what makes it interesting. Though Mr. Whedon is only co-plotter, the other co-plotter and scripter of the book, Brett Matthews, does a great job at writing these characters with a lot of depth, even if they are somewhat stereotyped (but that’s to be expected in a team book). Each character is given their own voice and most of them get a chance to shine with one or two characterization moments.
<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/dh/0805/SEREN-2-B.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/dh/0805/SEREN-2-B_t.jpg" align=right hspace=10 alt="Serenity #2"></a> By the end of the issue, you know what each character wants. This is where the theme of the story emerges: selfishness. If the first issue featured the crew working like a team towards the same goal, the second issue is the opposite. Mal wants to take the job and get the money for the crew, yes, but he takes the decision without caring what the others want. Inara wants to go…wherever she has to go. Badger wants his percentage. Wash wants to be with his girlfriend. The Shepherd doesn’t want to face reality. They all want, or don’t want something. The irony is that the only people working together are the bad guys. The Blue Hands are looking for Serenity and ex-Agent Dobson is looking for Mal Reynolds. So they join forces.
I can’t find anything wrong with this story; though I find the pacing a bit odd, especially in action sequences. I can count two times when a character seems to take a 10-foot leap to give a punch (and one time the character even goes back to where he originally was in the next panel…and the guy who got punched is not where he’s supposed to be). Still, if odd pacing means we get a complete story in three issues instead of six, I shouldn’t complain.
The dialogue is how it should be, which is, clever and meaningful in character moments and sharp and funny where it feels right. Sometimes I forget it wasn’t written by Joss Whedon himself. There are some great one-liners. The problem is that they don’t have the impact they should have because they don’t really have a build up to, due to the quick pacing I mentioned above. Some splash-pages feel unjustified, and some other panels (big ones, with one-liners) would have worked better as splash-pages.
<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/dh/0805/SEREN-2-A.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/dh/0805/SEREN-2-A_t.jpg" align=left hspace=10 alt="Serenity #2"></a> This comic book is based on a live-action television series--and the art reflects it. The inking is almost unnoticeable, which gives the art a “realistic” approach. Though, the artist, Will Conrad, is not constant in the way he draws the characters faces. It feels like he is struggling between making the characters look like the show’s actors, and not reproducing their faces. The fact that the action sequences are kind of clunky and that the "camera" angles are ordinary in the dialogue sequences, add to the "television" feeling. Still, I find the art very beautiful and immersive. The mix of western elements with futuristic ones is done nicely and feels natural.
Overall, Serenity #2 is a very enjoyable read. Yes, there are some really minor problems with the pacing of the book and other titbits in the art department but I think they should be overlooked. When I heard of this mini, I was happy, but at the same time I thought: “It’s a tie-in/prologue to the movie and it’s not written by Joss Whedon… bah”. In other words, I was expecting a sub-par effort. I was wrong.
ART:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhhalf.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhnone.jpg
STORY:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhhalf.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhnone.jpg
OVERALL:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhhalf.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dhnone.jpg
'Buy Serenity #2 online now from X-WORLD and save!’ (http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=1907&cat=SERENITY)