REVIEW: Serenity: No Power in the ‘Verse #3

Script: Chris Roberson
Pencils: Georges Jeanty
Inks: Karl Story
Colors: Wes Dzioba
Letters: Michael Heisler
Review: Art Bee

There are very few Dark Horse comics that make it into my collection; most just don’t interest me. One quality the brand has that I do admire is their attention to detail when it comes to adapting characters from movies or TV series. Each artist hired must be able to create an adequate likeness of the actor/actress. This is smart work on editor’s part because it makes the comic easier to sell to fans and easier to read without trying to decipher who is talking. It would have been nice if the newest installment of Serenity carried this attention to detail.

I wish I could say I have been a fan of the Firefly/Serenity story from the start but, alas, that bandwagon passed me by and left me bewildered. Actually I wasn’t introduced to the series until 2007, but the first episode of Firefly aired on FOX Sept. 22, 2002. The series ran for only 11 episodes (14 were made) and was canceled due to low ratings. Personally I didn’t know of the show’s existence until my friend introduced me to it, so the ratings issue had to be a failure of promotion on FOX. The series is amazing.

The Firefly/Serenity storyline synopsis is thus (queue up inspiring background tune…):
Five hundred years in the future, all the resources on Earth have been exhausted and the human race has spread out through space to find planets to terraform. The story focuses on the crew of the Firefly-class space ship named Serenity and its crew (led by Capt. Malcolm Reynolds) trying to make a living in the universe (‘verse is the term used in the story). What makes this such a lovable series is Reynolds and his crew participate in legal jobs as well as crime all while maintaining a higher moral fiber.

This new series has done a great job capturing the already existing story and character traits. Chris Roberson has done his research and implemented it extremely well. The story surrounding the Serenity crew feels a bit like a blend of Robin Hood and a science-fiction western and Chris Roberson is accomplishing this well.

This issue ends the first half of the mini-series, and some amazing plot points have developed. Capt. Mal and his crew have answered a call for help from Iris, a friend and former prisoner of the Alliance (we’re not supposed to like them). Her friend, Bea, has gone missing and the crew delays their delivery of stolen goods to rush to the rescue. During the short mission a few major events threaten to cause the entire crew to be captured and/or killed. Just to keep us coming back for more Chris Roberson has set a very nice, sharp, shiny hook for us to bite.

My only complaint about the series is the artwork. The coloring is fine but it is hard to ascertain who is who (especially between the three female characters). All of the women’s faces look almost the same. This is very uncharacteristic of Dark Horse and makes me wonder what is going on at the editor’s desk. The artwork on the ship and most of the scenery is very attractive, so it’s not a complete failure. For the reader it is awkward to not understand who is talking by the image or the dialog. In comics, it should not have to be pointed out that the art is supposed to be a major player in communication. This drawback could make it easy for someone unfamiliar with the characters or story to be thoroughly confused.

Overall I feel this comic is fantastic for people who are fans of Firefly/Serenity. For those people new to the story, this mini-series is not a good read. I do have to admit that most of the covers are gorgeous, so these should get some nice attention on the shelves of our LCS.