Title: Serenity: Better Days
Authors: Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews
Artist: Will Conrad
Genre: Science Fiction / Action / Adventure / Comedy
Year Published: 2008
Year Read: 2013
Series: Serenity #2
Publisher: Dark Horse Books
Source: Library
Content Rating: Ages 13+ (Fight Scenes)
Buy or Add on: Amazon // Goodreads
Introduction:
After reading the first
volume “Serenity: Those Left Behind,”
I was determined to read up on all the “Serenity”
comics being made by Joss Whedon
after the TV series “Firefly” was
abruptly cancelled. Now, I finally got a
chance to read the second volume of the “Serenity”
series called “Serenity: Better Days”
and man, was it one hilarious and action-packed volume!
What is this story
about?
When the crew of Serenity ended up finding a huge pile of
cash, they all start having daydreams about what they will do with the money
while at the same time, taking a nice vacation.
Unfortunately, a soldier who is out for vengeance on the “dust devils”
(terrorists who work within the Independents) is doing everything in his power
to ambush the crew of Serenity.
What I loved about
this story:
Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews’ writing: Once again, both Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews managed to write a completely
hilarious, action-packed and emotional story rolled up into one volume! After reading, “Serenity: Those Left Behind,” I assumed that this volume was going
to continue after the events of that volume.
But, I was pleasantly surprised to see that this is a one-shot story about
what the Serenity crew would do with so much money and how their lives would
change if they actually had a successful heist.
I loved the way that Joss Whedon
and Brett Matthews portrayed each character’s fantasy about being rich,
with my favorite daydreams being Jayne’s and River’s since theirs were the
funniest in the entire sequence! I also
loved the fact that Joss Whedon and
Brett Matthews managed to explore how the characters all feel about being
rich as their reactions were both expected and unexpected! It was also interesting in introducing a new
threat for the Serenity crew in the form of a soldier who wants revenge on the
“dust devils” for killing so many innocent people. I loved how this brought in a new viewpoint
on the Battle of Serenity and how the independents (the group of survivors that
Mal and Zoe are from) are being viewed as the bad guys, despite them fighting
for their independence from the Alliance. I also viewed the term “dust devils” as being
a sort of derogatory term for the independents, which really adds so many
layers to the after effects of the war of Serenity Valley.
Will Conrad’s artwork: Will
Conrad’s artwork as usual brilliantly grabs the close likeliness of the
characters from the “Firefly” TV
series; such as the artwork of Mal looking exactly like the actor, Nathan
Fillion and the artwork of Jayne looking exactly like the actor, Adam Baldwin.
I also loved the way that Will Conrad
drew the action sequences as they look truly intense and exciting and I was so
mesmerized by the various explosions and gunfights that occurs in this volume!
What made me feel
uncomfortable about this story:
The reason why I took off half a point from the rating was
that I felt that this story was a bit too short. I actually wished that this volume a bit longer
and explained more about the characters’ reactions to being rich. I also wanted to know more about the “dust
devils” situation with the soldier and how he knew about Mal and Zoe’s
involvement with the Independents during the Battle of Serenity Valley.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, “Serenity: Better Days” is an extremely
interesting read full of humor, emotion and action that would make “Firefly” fans proud! I would
highly recommend this volume to anyone who is a huge fan of the “Firefly” TV series and enjoys a
good stand-alone story!
I'm looking forward to your thought's on Shepherd's Tale.
ReplyDeleteI got Shepherd's Tale on my list, so hopefully I'll get around to reading it!
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