Comic Book Review: Serenity Volume 4

Serenity: Leaves on the Wind

Written by Zack Whedon.

Art by Georges Jeanty, Karl Story, Laura Martin and Dan Dos Santos.

The first three volumes of this series I found the artwork to be superb yet I felt that the last pages of each were fluff with extra art, letters from the cast members and left the story telling kind of anorexic. Volume 4 still has great artwork but now it has a lot of content and no fluff…thank you very much.

We’ve reached the point now where Zoey Washburne is giving birth but without certain types of medical equipment the crew of Serenity is forced to make a decision they would have rather not. They have to get Zoey to Alliance for medical care. The problem is that the Alliance is not done messing with Mal and the crew of Serenity and a resurgence of Brown Coats also want him for their leader. Add to that the Alliance has an inventory of River’s they are now using as operators and you get quite the action packed adventure to rescue Zoey. It’s enough to make an old Brown Coat angry enough again to…misbehave!

This one gets five stars for storyline and art. Great job!

https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/23-615/Serenity-Leaves-on-the-Wind-HC

http://www.amazon.com/Serenity-Leaves-Wind-Joss-Whedon/dp/1616554894

Comic Book Review: How does a Shepherd…become?

Serenity: The Shepherd’s Tale

Created by Joss Whedon, Zack Whedon and Chris Samnee.

Derrial Book grew up poor, jacking stuff to sell and abandoning temporary friends in close escapes. He dodged Police, other criminals and eventually fell in amongst the Browncoats in their planning stage. Setting himself up to become the biggest, most powerful mole in the Alliance until…karma overtook him.

Disowned and abandoned he has hit the floor when he discovers the one calling he couldn’t hear through the noise of his plans. He commits to becoming a Shepherd, a wandering missionary of compassion and belief in a higher purpose. I wish it was told in order rather than a series of flashbacks. It could also have been fleshed out more.

The artwork and storyline are both good but the product is not filled out enough to measure up to other comic volumes on the market. Granting it a three and I hope volume four delivers more content per dollar.

https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/17-221/Serenity-The-Shepherds-Tale

Comic Book Review: Is it still serene if the conflict continues?

Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #4

Written by Zack Whedon.

Artwork by Georges Jeanty, Karl Story, Laura Martin and Michael Heisler.

My staying on top of this series amongst all the other things in ADD-land is sketchy but let’s reel the canon back into the fold. This story is after the movie Serenity and some things have happened…duh! Apparently, the crew has had more adventures, the operative is now on the same side as Mal’s folks, there is a New Resistance and Gorram-it Zoe has been captured by those galactic assholes called the Alliance.

In this installment Zoe establishes some order in the prisoner playground while the crew of Serenity discover that she is not where they expected her to be. Something else is and they…should run.

Got to say I’m really enjoying this and now I will make an effort to track down more of the issues. I really do prefer volumes, oh well. I’m giving this installment four out of five entertainment points because I would rather pay a little more and have a volume than a trade paper back. Enjoy!

https://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/25-014/Serenity-Leaves-on-the-Wind-4-Georges-Jeanty-variant-cover

Comic Book Review: Better Days and other stories.

Serenity Volume 2

Better Days and Other Stories

Joss Whedon, Brett Matthews, Will Conrad and at least 5 others

I got my copy of this volume from my local comic store, Haley’s Comics in Fort Collins, CO.  Let me just say that this volume is an improvement over volume one which had a disproportionate amount of filler in the back.  Volume two has many tales which bring all of the crew of Serenity into the plot.  There are several involving Reavers which are one of my favorite constructs from the TV series and the movie.

My favorite from this book is The Other Half.  This one reminds me of The Illustrated Man in how the multiple stories of how the crew would like to use their new found wealth are told.  All are quite well thought out.  This may also be the first volume which puts forth the vast difference between the Independents and the Alliance.

I giving this work a three out of five for Artwork and Storyline development which means I recommend it but wish the stories meshed better.

 

Read, watch and listen.  Review; try to be positive and legit.  Sell used dead-tree books; don’t return ebooks, movies, audio books because that is theft.

 

 

https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/18-741/Serenity-Volume-2-Better-Days-and-Other-Stories-2nd-Edition-hardcover-collection