Serenity: Better Days follows everyone's favorite space cowboys in a thrilling, action-packed adventure, where Mal and his crew take on a heist tha...
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Jun 30, 2010
Kemper
rated it: 
Two word review: New Serenity!
Unexpected side effect during or after reading: Finally coming to terms with the fact that there will probably never be another Firefly/Serenity film or tv show.
New thing I learned from reading this book: Mal doesn't want to be rich.
General Observations: For a new Serenity story scripted by Joss Whedon, I was disappointed. Following a story before the events of the movie allows him to use characters who died there, which was nice More...
Unexpected side effect during or after reading: Finally coming to terms with the fact that there will probably never be another Firefly/Serenity film or tv show.
New thing I learned from reading this book: Mal doesn't want to be rich.
General Observations: For a new Serenity story scripted by Joss Whedon, I was disappointed. Following a story before the events of the movie allows him to use characters who died there, which was nice More...
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Dec 31, 2008
Punk
rated it:
Graphic Novel. Having suffered through the writing in the first Buffy omnibus, I can safely say that the writing in the Serenity series is far superior, even if it's not perfect. The art continues to be true to the actors, except maybe for Jayne, who never quite looks like himself.
This volume comes with an introduction by Adam Baldwin and starts off with a story where the Serenity crew pulls off a heist that actually leaves them with more money than they started with. Everyone take More...
This volume comes with an introduction by Adam Baldwin and starts off with a story where the Serenity crew pulls off a heist that actually leaves them with more money than they started with. Everyone take More...
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Jul 10, 2008
Rhapsody
rated it: 
The second in the little miniseries. The crew made a fair amount of money on their last job and they're spending it in some upper class city. It's a funny volume. Each one shares their fantasy about the kind of life they're going to lead with the money. Jayne wants to be a captain of a ship, Kaylee wants to open a mechanic shop with her father, etc. The special operative hunting the Dust Devils starts closing in and there are complications from the drone that they stole. All in all, a very
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Jan 02, 2012
Jennifer
rated it:
Okay, so I went to the library to pick up a few dvds for a few days I had scheduled off work, and I just had to pick up new installments of Serenity and Buddha while I was there. As far as I could tell, this was the next Serenity graphic novel, so I picked it up. Started reading it on the bus and finished it before they called my name in the doctor's waiting room.
This story starts in the middle of action, and it was confusing to try to figure out just when this story was. The back of More...
This story starts in the middle of action, and it was confusing to try to figure out just when this story was. The back of More...
Nov 23, 2011
Jerry
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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May 08, 2011
Nicole
rated it:
(Found it used the other day at Half-Price books. Somehow, in my research for cross-over fan-fic last year (HA!)I missed this one.)
Didn't like it as much as the other comic-continuations of the show. It got... confusing in action parts cuz, well, the artist isn't very good at likenesses and facial-definition. I didn't know who was who. (Didn't help that the text was a bit sparse as well.)
And the ending... was confusing. I still don't know WHY what-happened-on-the-ship happen More...
Didn't like it as much as the other comic-continuations of the show. It got... confusing in action parts cuz, well, the artist isn't very good at likenesses and facial-definition. I didn't know who was who. (Didn't help that the text was a bit sparse as well.)
And the ending... was confusing. I still don't know WHY what-happened-on-the-ship happen More...
Jul 29, 2010
Britt
rated it:
I'm happy for any excuse to visit this universe, so I found this mostly enjoyable. The dialogue and often the art are both true to the characters. The story would make a passable Firefly episode. I enjoyed seeing the crew's fantasies about what they would do with their riches. Especially River's & Shepherd Book's. Though there was little character development (it's a Serenity prequel, but we could flesh them out a bit, right?), I appreciated Inara's ever-perceptive observation at the end about M
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Jan 24, 2009
Rebecca
rated it:
Okay, first of all, this is a tie-in for Firefly/Serenity, and you probably won't enjoy this unless you know who characters are and some idea of context.
That being said, the plot is that the crew comes into a lot of money and gets chased down from past crimes. If you know the series, you know that odds are the crew isn't going to keep the Large Sum of Money, because... well, it's like how Wile E. Coyote will never catch that darn Roadrunner.
Anyway, we get some nice fan More...
That being said, the plot is that the crew comes into a lot of money and gets chased down from past crimes. If you know the series, you know that odds are the crew isn't going to keep the Large Sum of Money, because... well, it's like how Wile E. Coyote will never catch that darn Roadrunner.
Anyway, we get some nice fan More...
Aug 18, 2011
Cameron
rated it:
Unlike its predecessor, Those Left Behind, Serenity: Better Days is a highly enjoyable adventure tale. Not bound by the objective of that which came before it, Whedon and Matthews really get to spread their creative wings and they weave a tale that stands up to the best of what the show had to offer, which is really the best thing about this comic. It feels like another episode of Firefly, something fans of the show will no doubt be ecstatic to hear, being the devoted bunch of people they are. A
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Dec 23, 2009
"<a href=""http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1247391.html"">http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1247391.html</a>[return][return]A great nostalgia item, a new episode of Firefly in graphic novel form, set (obviously) between the end of the series and the movie. Another of the nominees for the experimental Hugo category Best Graphic Story, and so far my favourite of the three I've read. I tried the early Buffy season 8 comics, but didn't like the artwork on the character
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Jun 21, 2011
Matt
rated it:
Quick, but a lot of action. These two comics (Those Left Behind and this one) have been pretty short, but fun. Perhaps that is because I am not an avid comic book reader. Anyways, there seems to be a lot of elements in here that could have been part of larger story arcs had the show continued, but as it was it felt sort of rushed.
A good quick read for the nostalgic Firefly fan, but it may spin you into a mood where you are bumming out that there is no more Firefly :(.
Inter More...
A good quick read for the nostalgic Firefly fan, but it may spin you into a mood where you are bumming out that there is no more Firefly :(.
Inter More...
Nov 10, 2011
Erin
rated it:
Volume 2 of the Serenity graphic novel series was a little more confusing to follow than the first. The story bounced around between present and past, memory, fantasy, etc., and when I finished reading the story, I had to go back and reread most of it just to figure out what had happened. This was partly because the artwork didn't always resemble the cast members closely enough (esp. Simon), but also because the story jumped so much that I'd forgotten about a particular subplot that turned out
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Jun 01, 2010
LaToya
rated it:
If you love the Firefly/Serenity franchise then you'll appreciate this graphic novel. Much shorter than its predecessor, Serenity: Volume 1 - Those Left Behind, this book also has very little of River for those River fanatics. What it does have is more of "The Man They Call Jayne" as Adam Baldwin provides the book's introduction. A very engaging story line filled with sex, action, and money, it is a very quick read and worth the time to do so. There is something in there for guys and g
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Nov 03, 2011
Simeon
rated it: 
You have all these wonderful characters, their universe already made, yet something happens with comic books. It's like a shit-switch, where anything delivered into that format, by mere contact with it, becomes infected and transmogrified into garbage.
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Nov 25, 2011
Lynn
rated it: 
So here we are again, and it still is Firefly! Once again: What do you expect me to do now?!
*sigh again* Look again.
Like I said for Volume 1, Those left behind:
Firefly is one of the best sci-fi-series I have ever seen. I've enjoyed all the (14) episodes, I've seen the movie, then it ended. I was so enjoying the series, and it ended just like that - instead of having years worth of content to enjoy, I had 14 episodes and one movie and then NOTHING.
And More...
*sigh again* Look again.
Like I said for Volume 1, Those left behind:
Firefly is one of the best sci-fi-series I have ever seen. I've enjoyed all the (14) episodes, I've seen the movie, then it ended. I was so enjoying the series, and it ended just like that - instead of having years worth of content to enjoy, I had 14 episodes and one movie and then NOTHING.
And More...
Feb 04, 2012
Miranda
rated it:
Much like the first graphic novel in the Firefly/Serenity series, I was very excited to read this and came into it with high expectations.
I followed this storyline more readily than in the first book, but still felt like some parts were missing. Perhaps my brain has difficulty processing this type of media.
Regardless, I very much felt the characters were believable and that they lined up with their portrayal in the show/film. The dialogue was spot-on, of course, it is Whedon after More...
I followed this storyline more readily than in the first book, but still felt like some parts were missing. Perhaps my brain has difficulty processing this type of media.
Regardless, I very much felt the characters were believable and that they lined up with their portrayal in the show/film. The dialogue was spot-on, of course, it is Whedon after More...
Jul 06, 2011
Sara
rated it:
Fans of the show Firefly will love this graphic novel based on the show. It's a good addition to the story except for one thing. This is a tiny part of the book (2 squares) but Wash and his wife (who's name escapes me at the moment) have a baby in this story. The reason that's a problem is Wash died in the Serenity movie and they hadn't had a child at that point in the story.
Aside from that the story is good. The crew scores big and thinks about retiring in style at a resort. As it always More...
Aside from that the story is good. The crew scores big and thinks about retiring in style at a resort. As it always More...
Aug 06, 2011
Emily
rated it:
This graphic novel, like the previous "Those Left Behind" reads like a lost episode from the series. The best part, though, is the showcase of what each of the crew members would do if they scored a big job and had a fortune in cash. It also reveals a little more about the history of the 'verse and more on why Mal and company are being hunted so fiercely by the Alliance. Excellent artwork, with no trouble discerning which character is being depicted, although Simon and River don't look
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Oct 18, 2011
Mike
rated it:
The story of "Better Days" is a brief but enjoyable romp for fans of the show. The plot is very simple and designed more to showcase the characters than advance any grand plot, or attempting to bridge the television series with the film. This is, at its most basic, a love letter to the fans and the show, and that's fine. Still, I personally would have liked to see a longer story play out (even one more issue would have done the trick for me), but DHC seems to want to stick with the 3-i
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Oct 20, 2011
Deborah
rated it:
Like my favorite dinner-table game, "What would *you* do if you won the Powerball?," "Serenity- Better Days" allows us Browncoats another tantalizing glimpse onboard Serenity and at what each crewmember sees in their "mo' money" fantasies (or what they'll allow the other crewmembers to see of said fantasies.)
Again, the Whedon-Verse maxim of "Joss is Boss" is proven correct here- strong voice writing and oh, gorrammit, I laughed *hard* at the fu More...
Again, the Whedon-Verse maxim of "Joss is Boss" is proven correct here- strong voice writing and oh, gorrammit, I laughed *hard* at the fu More...
Jun 15, 2011
Krystl
rated it:
I have much the same comments on Vol. 2 as I did on volume 1. I enjoy being able to see more of these guys, but I wasn't all that engaged in this story. River, and then her brother, are my favorite and they make short cameo's and that's about it. Plus, I'm a little sad that these didn't continue after the movie. I realize why-because they wanted to chance to show all those episodes that should've gone between had they not gotten cancelled. But moving backwards feels strange, and I want to someda
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Dec 22, 2010
Kristopher
rated it:
This GN manages to capture the humor and "voices" of Firefly/ Serenity better than the first, "Those Left Behind." It also uses the comics format to show things--a museum heist, a chase-scene through a city, killer robots pouncing out of missiles, that would have busted the budget of a TV show. But the ending has vile implications--his crew dream of a peaceful life not running from the law, but Reynolds sabotages them all so he can keep playing cowboy--then tries to present i
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Oct 27, 2009
Brad
rated it:
This comic did its job--it made me remorseful for the death of Firefly (and a specific character on the show.) This three-issue story covers about as much ground as one episode of the brief show. There's surprisingly little development for a show/universe that's stalled if not dead--this book basically leaves the characters as it found them. Fortunately, the dialogue's still sarcastic except when it's heartfelt, and the art looks like the actors, although the actors apparently have been repla
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Jan 12, 2012
Sarah
rated it:
This one was my least favorite of the Serenity comics. I felt it didn't add much to the story overall. I do see how it was not a completely wasteful one off, and it gave some insight into the characters, but it all seemed like stuff we already knew about them. Their hopes and dreams were made really clear during the series, and it just seemed a bit indulgent to reiterate them so blatantly here. I suppose the indulgence is fitting, given the plot... but it seems a bit like Whedon and Matthews are
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Sep 09, 2011
Ken-ichi
rated it: 
The art improves a little in this one, but not much. The tragedy here is that underneath the jumbled narrative threads (What's the point of the weapons guy? Why does the priest know Jayne?) and the often disconnected, confusing page and panel transitions, there are some tantalizing bits (what did Zoe actually do after the war?) and what I thought was a genuinely interesting premise that actually addressed some of the themes of the show, even if it didn't move the characters forward: what would
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Feb 23, 2011
Jason (FNORDinc)
rated it:
Being a Firefly fan, i was very excited when, back in 2005, Dark Horse Comics announced and released Those Left Behind, the first of a possible series of Serenity comic books.
I am not much of a comics reader, i go through phases where months of absorption will occur, but generally, i stick to 15-20 issues a year. i help off on reading the Serenity comics knowing that 3 issues would only wet my appetite, with months before more would be available.
after three years, DHC release More...
I am not much of a comics reader, i go through phases where months of absorption will occur, but generally, i stick to 15-20 issues a year. i help off on reading the Serenity comics knowing that 3 issues would only wet my appetite, with months before more would be available.
after three years, DHC release More...
Jul 08, 2010
Sandy
rated it:
This volume is the second of the two Firefly graphic novels. Freed from the constraints of the first volume (which attempted to bridge plot lines between the end of the series and the movie, and so had a lot of ground to cover), "Better Days" has a loose, episode-of-the-week feeling that makes it a lot more fun to read. The story is self-contained and could have been inserted anywhere in the course of the original series.
In summary: the crew manages to make a nice chunk o More...
In summary: the crew manages to make a nice chunk o More...
Dec 11, 2009
Fox
rated it:
A good follow-up to the last installment. The most amusing illustration in the book was definitely River's little fantasy about what she would do with all of the money made on the last job. Like the book previous, this serves well as another 'episode' within the series. The ending was satisfactory, if not 'fantastic' or mindblowing. All in all it felt rather bittersweet, as to my knowledge there are no further installments within the series.
Amusing side note - the intro by Baldwin w More...
Amusing side note - the intro by Baldwin w More...
Aug 22, 2010
Christina Stind
rated it:
This was a disappointment! Serenity Vol. 1: Those Left BehindSerenity Vol. 1: Those Left Behind, the first Firefly/Serenity graphic novel was okay, not fantastic, but okay and it answered some questions.
This one, not so much.
Apparently, this one takes place between Firefly and Serenity but before Serenity Vol. 1: Those Left Behind. The story focus on what would happen if the Firefly crew suddenly got rich, very very rich, and what they would use the money on. I loved River's twisted More...
This one, not so much.
Apparently, this one takes place between Firefly and Serenity but before Serenity Vol. 1: Those Left Behind. The story focus on what would happen if the Firefly crew suddenly got rich, very very rich, and what they would use the money on. I loved River's twisted More...
Jul 29, 2010
Norman
rated it:
The only reason I can think that this was nominated for the 2009 Hugo Award Graphic Story is that Joss Whedon has a rabid fan following that will buy/read/nominate anything he does, no matter how remarkably average. Better Days comes off like a TV episode, which I suppose is a good thing for the fans, but for those of us who have never seen Firefly it is just a disjointed mess. A skimpy plot and no characterization do not make for a good story. The artwork is nice, but not spectacular.
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