Dark Horse Comics 2016
Written by Chris Roberson
Penciled by Georges Jeanty
Inked by Karl Story
Coloured by Web Dzioba
Lettered by Michael Heisler
Most of the crew members are considered wanted outlaws. Most recently they revealed the Alliance’s terrible secret about the interstellar breed of cannibal pirates known as Reavers, and Mal and the crew infiltrated an Alliance facility to rescue Iris, one of the many girls held captive as River had been. Despite the heightened visibility of its crew, the Serenity continues as a smuggling ship. Mal takes what jobs he can get and hopes they can avoid anyone who might be looking for them . . .
While it may not be the same as seeing the way this cast was able to master the chemistry between them it is the next best thing. Chris has a way of being able to show us their personalities beautifully here with the overlying anger and angst mixed with the more subtle fact that they all care about each other, yes even Jayne. While the characterisation here is exemplary so are the facts that this is a brand new original story AND a continuation of everything that’s come before in the franchise. Even better is that it’s still new reader friendly for those who are just discovering the crew of Serenity for the first time. Not an easy feat to do for such a beloved franchise either but Chris makes it look easy.
I like that we open up with a heist, one that Jayne wishes there was more of a thrill to. Mal wants to keep themselves on the down low for as long as possible and all things considered small jobs are better than no jobs but still don’t get them any closer to keeping food on the table and enough supplies to keep the ship afloat. Still I understand his reasoning right now after the string of luck they’ve had it makes sense. Chris however has other ideas and I love how he’s able to craft a story where they find themselves embroiled in something bigger than they want to be involved in.
Georges is one of the pencilers whose incredibly talented, vastly underrated and most often overlooked. What he’s able to lay down here for his team to finish off is amazing work. The attention to detail here is fantastic, the likenesses of the characters is great to see and his eye for storytelling is just as strong if not stronger than ever. His use of angles, perspective and backgrounds to really bring us into the story visually is able to really show off more of the story than the words alone and that’s greatly appreciated.
With a familiar face from their past turning to Mal for help and Inara’s nudging in the right direction embracing her new life she gets them to help Iris things are going to go from interesting to downright hostile in no time at all. I do like the fact that Chris is able to bring their past to the forefront to create a new story that really kind of cements what they were and now are all about. All the while keeping the story in focus to teach a lesson or two to a few members of the crew about their family, warts and all.
This is a perfect jumping on point for new readers and a hail mary play for those of us who think we simply don’t get enough Serenity in our lives. With a great premise, strong characterisation and such stellar interior artwork this manages to keep the franchise alive and well and thrilling audiences.