Serenity: No Power In The ‘Verse #1 Review

Written by Chris Roberson (@chris_roberson)

Pencils by Georges Jeanty (@KabaLounge)

Inks by Karl Story 

Colors by Wes Dzioba

Letters by Michael Heisler

Review by Hernan Guarderas (@hguarderas93)

The issue opens on a space heist with three familiar faces: Captain Malcolm Reynolds, Zoe Alleyne Washburne, and Jayne Cobb. They’re still making ends meet and facing the aftermath of the events in Serenity: Leaves on the Wind. Their big heist has generated them enough loot to stay in the sky and their transport consists of toilet paper that they’ll give to planets in need. It’s a family introduction to the Serenity crew and the coloring by Dzioba emphasizes this through the use of warmer tones. Fans of the show can be reassured that the creative team handling this cult classic are determined to continue the legacy of the series.

This issue is a continuation of Zach Whedon’s run with Serenity and Roberson aims to build and expand the Firefly ‘verse. There’s a history to the Brown Coats that often gets glossed over in the constant struggle between them and the Alliance. Not only is the “New Resistance” being rounded up for treason against the Alliance, they’re also looking to stop a terrorist group who poses a bigger threat. They’re named The Peacemakers and they were bred out of the Brown Coat movement. Soldiers who kept carrying the Brown Coat agenda have turned to terror in order to maintain their cause. It’s an engaging angle that plays with the history of the television show that never went beyond 14 hour-long episodes.  

The art by Janty, Story, and Dzioba come together to elicit the nostalgia of the short lived television show and feature film while capturing the tone of a space western. The genre means to exude a sense of wonder and self-relied existence. At the heart of all of this, there’s a family that matters and Janty does great character work with his expressions of Emma, Zoe’s daughter, and Jayne, who no longer feels like the loner we met in the series. Kaylee and  Simon are still together and Malcolm and Inara’s relationship has grown. There’s a sense of routine and familiarity that will ultimately be disrupted by the ‘verse’s history.

This issue is the start of a big story and the mythology of the show is rich enough for the team behind the book to prosper. The three volumes preceding the feature film, and the success of the comic books released after, prove there’s a place for this title. It’s endearing and the characters feel authentic to the source material. It seems that even after over a decade of cancellation this series embodies its own philosophy. It still doesn’t care, it’s still free, and you can’t take the sky from it.

Verdict

Buy! The team has created a wonderful addition to the foundation of the Firefly ‘verse and this issue is aiming to open up a can of worms that we haven’t seen in the comics, feature film, or television show. If you’re a fan of the series, this is sure to scratch the itch of a series that was canceled too soon. If you’re a fan of sci-fi/westerns, this comic will surely provide enough content for you to grab onto and want to further explore the worlds and space this is set in.