Serenity: Better Days, Vol 1

Serenity: Better Days, Vol 1 (2008) Joss Whedon, Brett Matthews, Will Conrad, Michelle Madsen

Being a Firefly fan, when I heard there was another Serenity comic coming out, I wanted to know where I could sign up. Well, I pre-ordered from TFAW, and Better Days Volume 1 arrived today. I immediately opened and commenced reading. I believe Michael may have attempted speaking to me at some point, but who knows for sure, because I was paying attention to nothing by the comic.

Better Days takes place before the movie, and before the first Serenity comic (i.e. Wash is alive [yay!] and Inara is still with the crew) and I assume is one of the episodes that Joss had wanted to write for the show.

The crew is in the middle of a heist, when their plans are complicated by the test run of a new prototype. It wasn’t clear to me whether this was suppose to be a war machine or a police machine. Regardless, it doesn’t bode well for the crew. But then nothing ever seems to go well for the crew, so at least they’re used to it.

I think what I like best is that we’re getting to see where Firefly would have gone if it hadn’t suffered such an untimely demise. (Stupid Fox.) I’m don’t think I’m ready yet for a Firefly without Wash and Shepherd Book, and there were plenty more stories to tell between Firefly and Serenity. And I am content with the ending of Serenity, so I’m not sure that I’m quite ready to move on from there. Of course I would have preferred Serenity after a five or seven year run of Firefly, but we didn’t get that. So.

What did I think about Better Days?

I liked it. I miss these characters and this universe. But it doesn’t feel forced, like we’re milking the series for all it’s worth. As I said, there were plenty of missing episodes between the end of Firefly and the movie. So it’s nice to get some of the stories we deserved.

And the crew is at their height here. The dialog–although a comic can never give you as much dialog as a TV show–is witty and fun as always. The story is, of course, confusing. But it’s only part one of three, so we’ve got a way to go before things resolve.

To sum up, if you’re a Firefly fan, then you’ll want to check out Better Days. If you aren’t a Firefly fan–what the hell is wrong with you?!
Rating: 7/10

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