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Serenity #1
Those Left Behind
The ragtag crew of Serenity mercenaries, fugitives, and one law-abiding prostitute—pursue fast cash and a little peace along the fringes of space. On a scavenger mission that promises a big payoff, they realize too late that they are being played by an old enemy with a grudge.
Written by series creator Joss Whedon and show writer Brett Matthews, this new edition features the extras previously only available in the limited deluxe edition!
Written by series creator Joss Whedon and show writer Brett Matthews, this new edition features the extras previously only available in the limited deluxe edition!
96 pages, Hardcover
First published January 24, 2006
86 people are currently reading
31449 people want to read
About the author
Joss Whedon
482 books4,351 followersJoss Whedon (born Joseph Hill Whedon) is an American screenwriter, executive producer, film and television director, comic book writer, occasional composer, and actor, and the founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures.
He is best known as the creator and showrunner of the television series 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003)', 'Angel (1999–2004)', 'Firefly (2002)' and its film follow-up 'Serenity (2005)', and 'Dollhouse (2009–2010)', as well as the web-series' 'Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008)'. Whedon co-wrote and produced the horror film 'The Cabin in the Woods (2012)', and wrote and directed the film adaptation of Marvel's 'The Avengers (2012)', the third highest-grossing film of all time.
Many of Whedon's projects have cult status and his work is notable for portraying strong female characters and a belief in equality.
credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joss_Whedon
He is best known as the creator and showrunner of the television series 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003)', 'Angel (1999–2004)', 'Firefly (2002)' and its film follow-up 'Serenity (2005)', and 'Dollhouse (2009–2010)', as well as the web-series' 'Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008)'. Whedon co-wrote and produced the horror film 'The Cabin in the Woods (2012)', and wrote and directed the film adaptation of Marvel's 'The Avengers (2012)', the third highest-grossing film of all time.
Many of Whedon's projects have cult status and his work is notable for portraying strong female characters and a belief in equality.
credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joss_Whedon
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,079 reviews
November 27, 2018
The bridge between TV series and film!
I bought this in its single comic book issues, but I've chosen this TPB edition to make a better overall review.
This TPB edition collects "Serenity: Those Left Behind" #1-3.
Creative Team:
Writers: Joss Whedon & Brett Matthews
Illustrator: Will Conrad
GONE TOO SOON
...A ship would bring you work, a gun would help you keep it. A captain's goal was simple: find a crew, find a job, keep flying.
Firefly is one of those TV jewels that they were gone too soon. With just one season, it was unfair that the TV series didn't have a chance to fully stretch its legs...
...so when the eventual movie was out, the fans got thrilled...
...however some of the characters weren't where the fans remembered.
This miniseries show you how and why, those characters came to be in the places that you found them in the movie...
...in the middle of a failed bank heist...
...and an old enemy looking for bloody revenge!!!
You get the characters faithfully portraited, and definitely showing why Malcolm Reynolds is one of the most impressive sci-fi characters, since he's not a bad guy, BUT...
...a saint or a fool ain't he, neither.
This is a fine Firefly tale, leading to the Serenity film, and while it has the limitations of having only three comic book issues to develop it, I think that it was quite adequate told to learn what you wanted to know about the changes met at the beginning of the closure movie.
Where are we going, sir?
The same as always. Forward.
I bought this in its single comic book issues, but I've chosen this TPB edition to make a better overall review.
This TPB edition collects "Serenity: Those Left Behind" #1-3.
Creative Team:
Writers: Joss Whedon & Brett Matthews
Illustrator: Will Conrad
GONE TOO SOON
...A ship would bring you work, a gun would help you keep it. A captain's goal was simple: find a crew, find a job, keep flying.
Firefly is one of those TV jewels that they were gone too soon. With just one season, it was unfair that the TV series didn't have a chance to fully stretch its legs...
...so when the eventual movie was out, the fans got thrilled...
...however some of the characters weren't where the fans remembered.
This miniseries show you how and why, those characters came to be in the places that you found them in the movie...
...in the middle of a failed bank heist...
...and an old enemy looking for bloody revenge!!!
You get the characters faithfully portraited, and definitely showing why Malcolm Reynolds is one of the most impressive sci-fi characters, since he's not a bad guy, BUT...
...a saint or a fool ain't he, neither.
This is a fine Firefly tale, leading to the Serenity film, and while it has the limitations of having only three comic book issues to develop it, I think that it was quite adequate told to learn what you wanted to know about the changes met at the beginning of the closure movie.
Where are we going, sir?
The same as always. Forward.
April 9, 2018
This is a companion comic book series to a tv-series, whose life span was too short.
After this series was cut short, I wanted to cry. This is one of the most beautiful and thought provoking series out there, but instead of getting more episodes, I got another season of repetitive Vampire Diaries and Sharknado, a declining Glee, some horrid copy of The Walking Dead, and the end of the good storyline for Once Upon a Time. Okay, I am less angry now.
This series has two extremes.
The first one:
And the second one:
Both are great.
It follows a crew of misfits, ex-soldiers, fugitives, genius pilot that became pilot so he could see the sky, a ruthless-and-not-so-ruthless mercenary, a kick-butt fighter married to said pilot, a companion that represents much of sexuality and how it is perceived and has been perceived throughout history, and an innocent girl that wanted to fix ships. My eyes are getting watery from writing this because I am thinking of all of them.
Please watch the show and then read these comics, I want other people to suffer with me, I do not wish to be alone with this.
Community has something to say:
After this series was cut short, I wanted to cry. This is one of the most beautiful and thought provoking series out there, but instead of getting more episodes, I got another season of repetitive Vampire Diaries and Sharknado, a declining Glee, some horrid copy of The Walking Dead, and the end of the good storyline for Once Upon a Time. Okay, I am less angry now.
This series has two extremes.
The first one:
And the second one:
Both are great.
It follows a crew of misfits, ex-soldiers, fugitives, genius pilot that became pilot so he could see the sky, a ruthless-and-not-so-ruthless mercenary, a kick-butt fighter married to said pilot, a companion that represents much of sexuality and how it is perceived and has been perceived throughout history, and an innocent girl that wanted to fix ships. My eyes are getting watery from writing this because I am thinking of all of them.
Please watch the show and then read these comics, I want other people to suffer with me, I do not wish to be alone with this.
Community has something to say:
February 23, 2017
Well, we all know what happened to Firefly.
After one season! Seriously?
Thank god for small mercies.
This arc bridges the gap between the TV Show and movie.
The story answers questions such as what happened to "Two by two, hands of blue" guys (Which is kind of anti-climatic) and why Shepherd Books left the ship. The story also features last days of Inara on the ship and a villain from season one!
The comic does a good enough job capturing the characters and their extraordinary chemistry, but the very short length of the story dampens the end results a bit.
After one season! Seriously?
Thank god for small mercies.
This arc bridges the gap between the TV Show and movie.
The story answers questions such as what happened to "Two by two, hands of blue" guys (Which is kind of anti-climatic) and why Shepherd Books left the ship. The story also features last days of Inara on the ship and a villain from season one!
The comic does a good enough job capturing the characters and their extraordinary chemistry, but the very short length of the story dampens the end results a bit.
January 12, 2021
4 Stars
Surprisingly, or perhaps not, this comic vividly shows Serenity’s crew still fighting to make a living and being quite ruthless about it. Set between the end of the TV series and the movie, this foreshadows Book and Inara’s departure, and the “hands of blue” make a sinister appearance.
Note: the afterword is particularly interesting explaining how the Alliance came to be and the resulting power grab that led to war, while further explaining Reynolds’s past and why he is who he is. Illuminating.
Surprisingly, or perhaps not, this comic vividly shows Serenity’s crew still fighting to make a living and being quite ruthless about it. Set between the end of the TV series and the movie, this foreshadows Book and Inara’s departure, and the “hands of blue” make a sinister appearance.
Note: the afterword is particularly interesting explaining how the Alliance came to be and the resulting power grab that led to war, while further explaining Reynolds’s past and why he is who he is. Illuminating.
January 10, 2017
LOVED. EVERY. PAGE.
I doubt that I'll ever be able to pull of a critical review since I tend to get really emotional and extremely biased when it comes to Firefly so I will leave it to that.
The Serenity is everything.
I doubt that I'll ever be able to pull of a critical review since I tend to get really emotional and extremely biased when it comes to Firefly so I will leave it to that.
The Serenity is everything.
August 25, 2013
What makes this comic fly is that it feels as though it is a genuine episode bridging the gap between Firefly and Serenity. I don't mean that it is merely a story that bridges the gap between television series and film, which it is, but that it actually feels like its very own live action episode.
Now I imagine that I feel so strongly because I am a fan of Firefly / Serenity, but I am pretty sure that you're not reading Serenity Those Left Behind or my review unless you are a fan too (if you are reading this without having seen the shows, howeover, stop what you are doing right now, fire up your Netflix and start watching), so you probably get my drift.
Those Left Behind could be a three act episode or it could be the basis for a season we were never able to see. It was probably precisely what it is, though, a prelude to the movie, wrapping up loose ends, surprising us with things almost forgotten, and prepping us for the coolness that was to come on the big screen. Regardless, it is an excellent entry into the Firefly / Serenity canon for a full blown brownshirt, a newbie brownshirt or a brownshirt in the making.
I'd sure like to see more ... on the tv, on the screen or even in the comics. C'mon, Joss. Take a break from Marvel and head on back to the 'verse. You really can come home again.
Now I imagine that I feel so strongly because I am a fan of Firefly / Serenity, but I am pretty sure that you're not reading Serenity Those Left Behind or my review unless you are a fan too (if you are reading this without having seen the shows, howeover, stop what you are doing right now, fire up your Netflix and start watching), so you probably get my drift.
Those Left Behind could be a three act episode or it could be the basis for a season we were never able to see. It was probably precisely what it is, though, a prelude to the movie, wrapping up loose ends, surprising us with things almost forgotten, and prepping us for the coolness that was to come on the big screen. Regardless, it is an excellent entry into the Firefly / Serenity canon for a full blown brownshirt, a newbie brownshirt or a brownshirt in the making.
I'd sure like to see more ... on the tv, on the screen or even in the comics. C'mon, Joss. Take a break from Marvel and head on back to the 'verse. You really can come home again.
December 25, 2013
4.5 stars
Introduction:
Now, I will be honest here. Even though I have seen many of Joss Whedon’s works in the past, I did not know anything about the infamous cancelled TV series “Firefly” up until recently. What is even more surprising about this is that I had the movie “Serenity” for many years before I watched “Firefly” and I did not know that “Serenity” was a continuation of “Firefly” until I saw the movie again recently and realized that these were the same characters that I saw in “Firefly!” So, after watching “Firefly” and “Serenity,” I decided to check out the comic books that were based off of this series and I stumbled upon “Serenity: Those Left Behind” which I realized was a missing story that bridge the gap between the TV series “Firefly” and the movie “Serenity” (which is a pretty clever way to get more stories told with this franchise)!
What is this story about?
After a treasure heist goes wrong, the crew of Serenity (Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds, Zoe and Wash Washburne, Inara Serra, River and Simon Tam, Kaylee Frye, Shepherd Book and Jayne Cobb) all try to find another way to earn money. The opportunity comes up when a shifty man named Badger comes up and tells Mal that there is hidden treasure at the location where the Battle of Sturges had taken place and the Serenity crew decided to go to the location to find the treasure. Meanwhile, Mal’s old nemesis Agent Dobson wants vengeance against Mal for shooting his eye out and goes after the Serenity Crew. At the same time, the two men who came from the Alliance Government try to find the Serenity Crew to take River Tam away.
What I loved about this story:
Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews’ writing: Actually, Brett Matthews wrote the script for this story and Joss Whedon created the idea for this story! Anyway, the writing in this comic book was just fantastic! I loved the fact that Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews were able to tell a prequel story for “Serenity” in order to bridge the gap between “Firefly” and “Serenity” for anyone who was wondering what events had taken place after the “Firefly” TV series got cancelled. I loved the way that Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews focused on all of the characters and developed them even further than how they were developed in the TV series. I was literally trying to figure out what direction the characters will go after “Firefly” got cancelled and I was more interested in the directions that Mal and River took in this story since I always found them to be the most interesting characters in this series! I also enjoyed the various threats that the Serenity crew had to go up against in this story, especially when they ended up confronting the two men from the Alliance and Mal’s old nemesis, Agent Dobson. It really helped close up any plot lines that centered on these characters and allowed us to move on to the story set up in the movie “Serenity.”
Will Conrad’s artwork: Will Conrad’s artwork was simply amazing as all of the characters were perfect copies of the actors who played these characters in “Firefly!” I loved the way that Will Conrad put so much detail into the characters’ designs as they look truly realistic and gorgeous and it made me feel like I was actually watching another episode of the TV series since the characters looked exactly as they were from the TV series! I also loved the various artwork covers of each character that was done by a different artist as it brings so much creativity to this book. All of the cover designs were fantastic and each artist brought in so much life to this story, such as John Cassaday’s artwork for Mal, Joe Quesada and Danny Miki’s artwork for Zoe, Tim Bradstreet’s artwork for Shepherd Book, Brian Hitch’s artwork for Jayne, JG Jones’ artwork for Inara, Jo Chen’s artwork for Kaylee, Leinil Yu’s artwork for Simon, Josh Middleton’s artwork for River and Sean Phillips’ artwork for Wash.
What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:
The reason why I took off half a star was because I felt that this story would be too difficult for anyone who has not seen the “Firefly” TV series to really grasp. Since this story takes place after the TV series “Firefly,” it seems like a requirement to actually look at the “Firefly” TV series to actually understand what this story and the characters are really about. Also, I felt that this story was a bit too short in explaining about the events that happened before “Serenity” took place and I kind of wished that they explained more about how the characters’ lives are changing after “Firefly” got cancelled and how these events also affect the Alliance. It just feels like this is the type of story that needs to be lengthy due to it tying up the loose ends between “Firefly” and “Serenity.”
Final Thoughts:
Overall, “Serenity: Those Left Behind” is a fantastic follow up story for “Firefly” and a great prequel for “Serenity” and anyone who is a huge fan of the “Firefly” series will definitely enjoy this comic book!
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
September 1, 2022
Definitely has that Firefly feel, but doesn't quite give that Firefly fix you were hoping for - the show's cast is just too good, and the authenticity of the plot translation from screen to print makes you miss them all the more. Those Left Behind could easily be more episodes from the show, which is what every reader wants, and the reveals and wrap-ups of some of the show's open-ended questions (and some questions you didn't know to ask, because man, I thought that guy was dead) is easy to appreciate. But it doesn't fully satisfy.
May 13, 2011
I am a HUGE Firefly fan and just finished rewatching the series for, I don't know, the 7th time? Something like that. There is also a new comic book store within walking distance of my place (Escapist Comics on Claremont, check it out!). I was in there hoping to pick up The Cloud Searchers, but Mal and Book et al looked down at me from the shelf, so despite past disappointment with some of the Buffy comics, I picked some up. Unsurprisingly, kind of disappointing. This volume is a prelude to the movie and ties up a loose end or two from the series, but overall there's just not much story there, and either the writing is a step below TV quality or the weird westernese of the show just doesn't translate into print all that well. Most annoying, however, is the art, which, like most comics attempting to depict real people or actors, apes the physical features of the characters without actually conveying any of their emotion or personality. I don't really care that Conrad can't seem to make Inara look like Morena Baccarin, even when she's standing perfectly still and basically looking like a publicity shot. I DO care that he can't express her exasperation with Mal, her affection for the ship, or really much of anything beyond stock expressions.
Anyway. Browncoats out there have probably already read this tiny little volume, or will be unable to stop from buying it if they see it on the shelves, so you know, get it out of your system. The rest of you, watch the show.
Anyway. Browncoats out there have probably already read this tiny little volume, or will be unable to stop from buying it if they see it on the shelves, so you know, get it out of your system. The rest of you, watch the show.
February 29, 2012
Bridging the gap between the end of the TV series and the beginning of the movie, Those Left Behind is really very much like reading an episode of the show in comic book format. The art is pretty accurate as far as portraying the characters (one of my biggest pet peeves about tie in comics is when the characters on the page look nothing like the characters on the screen) and is overall nice to look at. The writing, especially in the dialog, is as solid as it ever was on the show. My one complaint is that the ending was a bit too abrupt and not very satisfying. But Firefly fans will at least want to give it a read.
July 4, 2018
Another of my fangirl favorites. I LOVED Firefly and the movie that went with it, Serenity. So, of course I’m predisposed to love these graphic novels, but unless you know the background story from the tv series and movie, you might have trouble following this story.
October 30, 2019
فوقالعاده بود 😍😍
March 25, 2016
...There's no place I can be
Since I've found Serenity
But you can't take the sky from me....
Ahhhhhh Firefly how I miss thee (dang Fox!)! Thank God for Serenity the movie and for this graphic novel! Really there's not much to say, if you loved Firefly then you will love this graphic novel!
If you took away all the words to this book you would most assuredly know which of the characters each of the drawings depicted. I was pleasantly surprised.
Five Shiny Stars!
Since I've found Serenity
But you can't take the sky from me....
Ahhhhhh Firefly how I miss thee (dang Fox!)! Thank God for Serenity the movie and for this graphic novel! Really there's not much to say, if you loved Firefly then you will love this graphic novel!
If you took away all the words to this book you would most assuredly know which of the characters each of the drawings depicted. I was pleasantly surprised.
Five Shiny Stars!
December 18, 2014
I love you Mal. More than a friend.
September 5, 2011
I love Firefly. I love Serenity. I love graphic novels. I did not love Serenity: Those Left Behind. It was a pale imitation of the canon's greatness.
What I didn't like:
What I did like:
What I didn't like:
The back of the comic said this bridged the gap between the show and the movie, but it didn't. Apparently it is the first in a series that eventually bridges the gap. I don't need to buy and read multiple comics to get to the end of a comic series that leaves me at the beginning of the movie I've already seen (multiple times).
The animation irked me, as the characters' likenesses fell in the uncanny valley.
The cursing in Chinese did not work at all in the written format.
There were multiple plot threads that didn't get any resolution.
What I did like:
The Nathan Fillion introduction was great.
The dialogue was spot on, which shouldn't be surprising, considering Joss Whedon wrote it.
Getting to spend time with the crew again, even in this format, was still a worthwhile hour's diversion.
July 18, 2016
I ended up reading these out of order because I've borrowed them from a friend who is in turn borrowing them from the library.
I think I enjoyed this one more than The Shepherd's Tale. The art was better, and there was no jumping around (The jumping around wouldn't have been so bad in a longer story though).
This story also felt too short. And it seems like it left off on a cliffhanger. I'll have to check out Better Days and see if it comes to a better conclusion.
It's worth reading at least once if you like the show and you can get it cheap/borrow it from the library.
I think I enjoyed this one more than The Shepherd's Tale. The art was better, and there was no jumping around (The jumping around wouldn't have been so bad in a longer story though).
This story also felt too short. And it seems like it left off on a cliffhanger. I'll have to check out Better Days and see if it comes to a better conclusion.
It's worth reading at least once if you like the show and you can get it cheap/borrow it from the library.
January 16, 2016
The Good: Those Left Behind is pretty much an episode of Firefly, just in graphic novel form. It comes chronologically after the end of the show and before the movie. It doesn't do much to move from A to B, especially in regard to where we find some of the characters once the movie begins, but it is a start in the right direction. The art is pretty impressive. The characters are immediately recognizable. Wash is a little weird, in an unexplainable way, but you definitely know who he is. Overall, it's a wonderful return to a world we love.
The Bad: This graphic novel was a bit short, story-wise. It was physically short as well. It's weirdly less tall than any other graphic novel I've read, making the pages hold less content than usual. The main problem is the story isn't important, Nothing new and different happens.
The Bad: This graphic novel was a bit short, story-wise. It was physically short as well. It's weirdly less tall than any other graphic novel I've read, making the pages hold less content than usual. The main problem is the story isn't important, Nothing new and different happens.
January 23, 2012
After a long time of wanting them I finally got my hands on the Firefly graphic novels. The first is set sometime just after the series finished and is a short but fun adventure that slightly foreshadows the movie.
A great addition was the section at the back where Joss Whedon told the story of the Firefly universe including how the Browncoats started and how Mal, Zoe and Wash got together.
The artwork was great and really brought me back into a universe that I haven't visited in far too long. For those who love Firefly they must read this.
A great addition was the section at the back where Joss Whedon told the story of the Firefly universe including how the Browncoats started and how Mal, Zoe and Wash got together.
The artwork was great and really brought me back into a universe that I haven't visited in far too long. For those who love Firefly they must read this.
November 14, 2015
I hate Sundays. I hate sunny Sundays even more.
But you know what makes them almost bearable?
Firefly!
This covers some of the gap between the ending of Firefly and the movie Serenity, and it does an excellent job of it.
And to see more of these characters is always a pleasure. It could have been a bit longer (as in it should just never end), but the length fits the length of an original Firefly episode, and I like that.
I also like the art, something I forgot to mention in my review of The Shepherd's Tale. It captures the wonderful sci-fi-western atmosphere of the series, and gives the characters their very own distinguishable features, while still making them look like their actor-counterparts.
As said, the story fills in some of the gaps from show to movie, but isn't any less of an adventure because of it. It's a wonderful re-union with much beloved characters and a universe I wish I could spend all my time in.
Malcolm Reynolds remains one of the few men I'd follow blindly into space.
And I believe Nathan Fillion is right, when he writes in the introduction (that I cried reading, sigh), "What you hold in your hand is not just a comic. It is much more. It is a handbook. It is a guide. It is reference material for when you become a superhero."
Recently I've found a love for The Avengers, but before that, long before that, long before I even started reading comics or watching superhero movies, I had the crew of the Serenity.
Big damn heroes, indeed.
On its own it might not be much, but as a follow-up to the show it is great. Thanks for saving my Sunday.
But you know what makes them almost bearable?
Firefly!
This covers some of the gap between the ending of Firefly and the movie Serenity, and it does an excellent job of it.
And to see more of these characters is always a pleasure. It could have been a bit longer (as in it should just never end), but the length fits the length of an original Firefly episode, and I like that.
I also like the art, something I forgot to mention in my review of The Shepherd's Tale. It captures the wonderful sci-fi-western atmosphere of the series, and gives the characters their very own distinguishable features, while still making them look like their actor-counterparts.
As said, the story fills in some of the gaps from show to movie, but isn't any less of an adventure because of it. It's a wonderful re-union with much beloved characters and a universe I wish I could spend all my time in.
Malcolm Reynolds remains one of the few men I'd follow blindly into space.
And I believe Nathan Fillion is right, when he writes in the introduction (that I cried reading, sigh), "What you hold in your hand is not just a comic. It is much more. It is a handbook. It is a guide. It is reference material for when you become a superhero."
Recently I've found a love for The Avengers, but before that, long before that, long before I even started reading comics or watching superhero movies, I had the crew of the Serenity.
Big damn heroes, indeed.
On its own it might not be much, but as a follow-up to the show it is great. Thanks for saving my Sunday.
September 19, 2015
Tolle Zeichnungen (vor allem die Charakterzeichnungen zwischendurch) und interessante Geschichten in Firefly-Manier. Macht Lust, die Serie noch einmal zu sehen!
December 6, 2017
I miss the TV show Firefly so so much. It was one of my favorites.
November 20, 2018
Loved the art work, have all the serenity collections in my home, and this is a worthy addition, great story, cannot think of 1 fault, other than it is not long enough.
February 3, 2021
My first graphic novel
June 1, 2011
Somewhat disappointingly, this is not a story about what happens to Malcolm Reynolds and the crew of Serenity after the Rapture. It's an interstitial between the abrupt ending of Firefly and the Serenity movie, covering some of the difficulty the crew has getting work, as well as Shepherd Book and Inara's departures. We also see an old antagonist, Lawrence Dobson, return for revenge.
In case you don't remember him, Dobson was an Alliance agent on the trail of Simon and River in the first episode. Mal shoots out his eye and leaves him for dead. Now Dobson is back, and he wants Mal. He's rather obsessed about it. And now he gets a little help from the men in blue gloves. Only not that much, see, because his plan is ready to be put into action. He just doesn't have Alliance clearance, which makes his plan more difficult but not impossible. The men in blue gloves are a convenient opportunity and nothing more.
Yeah, this story is a little all over the place.
Unfortunately, Serenity: Those Left Behind just tries to do too much. It invokes several guest characters from the book: Dobson, the hands of blue, and even Badger. But the plot is messy, paced much too fast, and not all that enthralling. Mal and the crew are having a hard time getting work, but Badger supplies them with the coordinates to a spaceship graveyard left over from a famous battle in the War for Independence. This is apparently a setup, because Dobson lies in wait to ambush Mal why he's exploring the wreckage for Nazi gold. Er, Alliance gold.
It's all a little too convenient, contrived, and not at all clever. Seems to me that it would be much easier to ambush Mal on a planet. I guess Dobson, obsessed as he is with revenge instead of just eliminating Mal safely and efficiently, is not thinking too clearly. I expected something more formidable from the men in blue gloves, but they come off as a bumbling pair of incompetents.
The characterization isn't impressive either. There are some heavy-handed moments between Simon and Kaylee where the latter says something and Simon acts dense, and the mood is lost without the tone provided by Sean Maher and Jewel Staite. Similarly, any of the significance in the tension between Book and Mal or Inara and Mal suffers.
The trouble with tie-in media for my favourite television shows is that it just isn't the same. Comics and novels that continue the adventures of my beloved characters lack a crucial part of the experience: the actor's performance. When I was a child and an adolescent, this did not bother me as much (I remember that the first audiobook to which I ever listened was a Star Trek: Voyager audiobook on CD, narrated by Robert Picardo). Nowadays, I tend to avoid Star Trek novels. Buffy: The Vampire Slayer is a show that was so great, sometimes it hurts just thinking about its greatness. Yet I have been in no hurry to read its continuation in comic form—the same goes for Angel, and even for Firefly. Joss Whedon is a brilliant writer, but his characters are also partly the result of the acting of his well-casted talents. And those are absent from productions such as this.
I don't mean to be a hater. There are some "special features" that almost redeem this book: Nathan Fillion's introduction, Joss Whedon's pre-production notes for Sersnity, and artwork of the characters by various artists. It's a neat little package, but it has the misfortune to be wrapped around a story that does not meet my expectations when it comes to Whedon and the Firefly universe. There are a few moments where I can see the characters shine through, such as when Mal is about to surrender the money but then chooses to pick a fight when the other thief demands his gun as well. I knew even before I turned the page that there was no way Mal would part with his gun. But that is a trained reaction I acquired after coming to know and love these characters in the TV series. This comic book had great potential, but for the most part, I got left behind.
In case you don't remember him, Dobson was an Alliance agent on the trail of Simon and River in the first episode. Mal shoots out his eye and leaves him for dead. Now Dobson is back, and he wants Mal. He's rather obsessed about it. And now he gets a little help from the men in blue gloves. Only not that much, see, because his plan is ready to be put into action. He just doesn't have Alliance clearance, which makes his plan more difficult but not impossible. The men in blue gloves are a convenient opportunity and nothing more.
Yeah, this story is a little all over the place.
Unfortunately, Serenity: Those Left Behind just tries to do too much. It invokes several guest characters from the book: Dobson, the hands of blue, and even Badger. But the plot is messy, paced much too fast, and not all that enthralling. Mal and the crew are having a hard time getting work, but Badger supplies them with the coordinates to a spaceship graveyard left over from a famous battle in the War for Independence. This is apparently a setup, because Dobson lies in wait to ambush Mal why he's exploring the wreckage for Nazi gold. Er, Alliance gold.
It's all a little too convenient, contrived, and not at all clever. Seems to me that it would be much easier to ambush Mal on a planet. I guess Dobson, obsessed as he is with revenge instead of just eliminating Mal safely and efficiently, is not thinking too clearly. I expected something more formidable from the men in blue gloves, but they come off as a bumbling pair of incompetents.
The characterization isn't impressive either. There are some heavy-handed moments between Simon and Kaylee where the latter says something and Simon acts dense, and the mood is lost without the tone provided by Sean Maher and Jewel Staite. Similarly, any of the significance in the tension between Book and Mal or Inara and Mal suffers.
The trouble with tie-in media for my favourite television shows is that it just isn't the same. Comics and novels that continue the adventures of my beloved characters lack a crucial part of the experience: the actor's performance. When I was a child and an adolescent, this did not bother me as much (I remember that the first audiobook to which I ever listened was a Star Trek: Voyager audiobook on CD, narrated by Robert Picardo). Nowadays, I tend to avoid Star Trek novels. Buffy: The Vampire Slayer is a show that was so great, sometimes it hurts just thinking about its greatness. Yet I have been in no hurry to read its continuation in comic form—the same goes for Angel, and even for Firefly. Joss Whedon is a brilliant writer, but his characters are also partly the result of the acting of his well-casted talents. And those are absent from productions such as this.
I don't mean to be a hater. There are some "special features" that almost redeem this book: Nathan Fillion's introduction, Joss Whedon's pre-production notes for Sersnity, and artwork of the characters by various artists. It's a neat little package, but it has the misfortune to be wrapped around a story that does not meet my expectations when it comes to Whedon and the Firefly universe. There are a few moments where I can see the characters shine through, such as when Mal is about to surrender the money but then chooses to pick a fight when the other thief demands his gun as well. I knew even before I turned the page that there was no way Mal would part with his gun. But that is a trained reaction I acquired after coming to know and love these characters in the TV series. This comic book had great potential, but for the most part, I got left behind.
February 14, 2015
I will admit now that I was a latecomer to the Firefly fanbase as I only fell in love after having seen the movie Serenity. Since then it's been one of the best shows I've ever watched and features some of my favorite fictional characters ever. It had been awhile since I watched either but then my friends and I started playing the Firefly board game and now I just can't pull myself out of that amazing 'verse. Those Left Behind is a small but perfect taste of Firefly that just leaves you wanting more.
Ah, my two favorite characters in one gif. :P If you love Firefly and/or Serenity, this story will remind you why.
It takes place in between the show and the movie Serenity and shows you a little of why Shepherd Book and Inara are no longer on Serenity when the movie starts. It had been long enough since I had watched Firefly that it took me a minute to remember the different characters but it's not hard to figure out if you've seen the show. The artwork is absolutely gorgeous and I'd honestly love to frame some of it and display it in my house. I am a complete fangirl when it comes to Firefly so I'm probably easy to please but this is definitely on my "highly recommended" list if a) you're already a fan or b) for some crazy reason I can't understand you haven't seen the show and also enjoy humor, science fiction and/or westerns.
And on a only slightly related note, if you are a Firefly fan and also like board games, I cannot recommend Gale Force Nine's Firefly game highly enough. It feels just like the show in all the best ways.
January 26, 2014
You know, just once I want these to be a full sized graphic novel. Sure, its 100 pages but most of that is forwards, and information about the groundwork for the movie/ show, and its pages that are not spent advancing the story. And I LIKE learning about the concept art, and concept history for the Whedonverse, BUT I am reading these for the stories.
Maybe its unfair to downgrade the rating simply because I wanted more. I'm just disappointed, yes, this is a bridge between the end of the show and the movie, but the plot here was stunted. Time passage was never dictated in the movie so Whedon could have taken as many pages as he wanted to tell the story.
Simply put, it was rushed. The story was rushed, the characters were rushed, there was a lack of characterization in some of the most vibrant cast that was ever created. I just really felt that, while this was pivotal, and answered some questions, he had room to do more, and should have because you could see Whedon attempting much. It fell short in the end.
Still I give it three stars, because I cling to Firefly. I still love any chance to be with these people.
Maybe its unfair to downgrade the rating simply because I wanted more. I'm just disappointed, yes, this is a bridge between the end of the show and the movie, but the plot here was stunted. Time passage was never dictated in the movie so Whedon could have taken as many pages as he wanted to tell the story.
Simply put, it was rushed. The story was rushed, the characters were rushed, there was a lack of characterization in some of the most vibrant cast that was ever created. I just really felt that, while this was pivotal, and answered some questions, he had room to do more, and should have because you could see Whedon attempting much. It fell short in the end.
Still I give it three stars, because I cling to Firefly. I still love any chance to be with these people.
March 10, 2016
*Book source ~ Library
From Goodreads:
Here's how it is -- in a universe filled with hearts and minds as cold and dark as the reaches of space, one small Firefly-class starship named Serenity takes its ragtag crew of mercenaries, outlaws, and fugitives in search of a job, any job, that'll earn them enough cash to afford that most elusive commodity -- peace.
I’ll admit that I’ve only seen half of the first episode of Firefly and I’ve never seen the movie. I started the show, got interrupted and haven’t managed to get back to it yet. But I do intend to. I like the artwork. It’s detailed and the colors are pretty good. The characters also look enough like the show for me to distinguish who they are, but they’re not quite right. As for the storyline, I enjoyed it, but wasn’t overwhelmed. Firefly fanatics would probably love this, but I have no way of knowing.
From Goodreads:
Here's how it is -- in a universe filled with hearts and minds as cold and dark as the reaches of space, one small Firefly-class starship named Serenity takes its ragtag crew of mercenaries, outlaws, and fugitives in search of a job, any job, that'll earn them enough cash to afford that most elusive commodity -- peace.
I’ll admit that I’ve only seen half of the first episode of Firefly and I’ve never seen the movie. I started the show, got interrupted and haven’t managed to get back to it yet. But I do intend to. I like the artwork. It’s detailed and the colors are pretty good. The characters also look enough like the show for me to distinguish who they are, but they’re not quite right. As for the storyline, I enjoyed it, but wasn’t overwhelmed. Firefly fanatics would probably love this, but I have no way of knowing.
May 30, 2015
Of course I enjoyed this, as a Firefly fan, but, as a standalone for the uninitiated it would probably just seem okay. The art was a also a little funky at times (thought some of this is probably just that it's always a little weird to see real-life humans drawn as comic characters), although I liked the space scenes.
December 14, 2015
This may only be a short adventure, but it's nice to have another firefly fix. I miss the show and I think its about time I rewatch the series. The artwork and writing all fit perfectly with my memories of this great series. I'm looking forward to more adventures.
August 5, 2013
Edit 13/08/05
I shamefully admit I overrated this comic the first time around, even by starry-eyed standards. Those were my first days on Goodreads, still testing the waters of internet reviewing, and the fandom of this franchise is very intimidating. Fans will still love it, but the magic is gone from my affair with Mr Whedon. And objectively, the comic is in the lower quality tier. I rarely revise the ratings, but I was of two minds about this one from the start, and it really didn't hold up on the revisit. All that I said in the review the first time around stands, and it remains unaltered; only my personal rating is changed.
---------------------------------------------
(In reality, somewhere between two and three stars for me. If you are unfamiliar with the series this was based on, think "three at best". If you are a dedicated fan, think "solid four - four and a half".)
One, I really wanted to like this one more. Which means that my expectations have been high, therefore I was harsher where it failed. Yet...
Two, the rating is still biased in the favour of this comic. Nevertheless...
Three, it doesn't stop me from poking fun at creator's attachment to the verse. You have been warned.
Serenity comics expand on the story told by Joss Whedon's cult TV show "Firefly", which got cancelled after airing for one season in jumbled order, and the movie sequel "Serenity". The plot of this issue is placed between the final episode of the series and the movie.
(At this point, this reviewer is quite sure that if the limits of love are legally expanded even more in the future and marriage of people and material objects becomes possible, Whedon will be among the first in the line of those taking the advantage of it and marrying a model of Serenity the spaceship.)
Now, as far as the comic-reading goes, while I have read a lot of them I'm not a fan to the point I know all the terminology so please bear with my descriptive explanations.
I have a problem with the three-dimensional, full-colour overly-realistic art. Which is okay for covers, but not for the whole comics. Faces just look awkward most of the time. If I wanted to stare at Nathan Fillion's bone structure, I'd either look up the actual pictures or pop in the DVD and pause at appropriate times, not stare at comic artists' passable at best rendering of it. More often than not, it looks like tracing of stills rather than actual original drawing. And this is not personal preference speaking - about one third of the panels show Mal, more than all the other crew members combined. At least we were spared the shirtless scene. This time.
(Which makes this reviewer entertain disturbing thoughts about whether author assigning Inara her particular profession has something to do with envy...and the reviewer stops that train of thought before it gets too disturbing.)
Ahem, anyway, I'm not fond of full-colour too-realistic depictions of faces. They cause problems when drawing in difficult angles more often that not, up to making the faces look completely different sometimes. They work better in black and white. If you must have full-colour, blur the lines or make the drawing less realistic otherwise. Please avoid showing actual bone structure in detail, particularly through shading rather than lines. What's wrong with the plain outline of the face?
While we mostly avoided the annoying bolding when it's not really necessary, I did catch a typo or two. One of them makes the whole statement make no sense, even. Seriously, there is so little text and they can't bother to proofread it?
The most glaring problem is that this comic is show/movie fan-only. There is no exposition, even though there were many opportunies to insert one. Also, Whedon is used to writing for screen. It holds up decently in the first part, but the second part gets too incoherent to follow, even for someone like me who saw the show and the movie. It is too rushed and splintered. Even having another person as the actual scriptwriter didn't help.
Main headscratchers:
It's easy to imagine these moments as tension-packed sequences on the screen, but on the page they fall flat. While screen translates better into graphic novel than it does into text, some parts still don't work that well in other media.
I can't say I didn't expect these issues, but I still hoped I would be pleasantly surprised. I wasn't. I think it's a shame, because the subject matter lends itself to comics very well. The world of Firefly/Serenity could have lived on in graphic novels for many years, even with big and little screen closed to it. The subject matter is original enough, characters are interesting enough and the plot being made from many short adventures rather than one large story lends itself well to this medium. This could have been a prime opportunity to gain wider audience, but instead we get extra for fans. And I don't think aiming for guaranteed audience excuses this. Surely old fans wouldn't be that annoyed with a little bit of exposition?
Another problem is Mandarin. Okay, in the show you can kind of get the gist of what they are saying from the tone and situation, but it's another thing that doesn't work well in the comic. While I understand the desire not to ruin the moment with subtitles in the show, we could have had a glossary tacked at the end of the comic. And no, I'm not as dedicated as to look it up. Japanese already has more kanji than I care to learn. Which means that, yes, I actually understand some of it, but not enough and what if I haven't learned any language that uses kanji? I've read comics where foreign alphabets, gibberish or odd symbols work - but the meaning usually gets somehow explained later on. And if not explained, those passages are usually off-hand comments which we don't really need to get or merely indicative of the character's nationality and fact that he can't communicate with others. But there is a scene where Mal says a very long sentence after a very important event, with no one speaking before or after to give it context. And without translation of any sort, it falls flat.
What did I like about this comic? One thing that bugged me about this verse was classification of Mal as antihero. In series, he comes off as more of a hero in a very dirty and prickly coat. Then I read that FOX demanded that he is "lightened up". And in hindsight, it shows. There is just this nagging feeling that he is supposed to be darker - indeed, that the whole series is supposed to be darker - yet in the end it remains mostly black-and-white morality and no, the fact that they are technically criminals is not enough. Jayne is about the only one that is really ambiguous.(And maybe River, but she has an excuse.) This comic fixes this. (So do the others, from what I understand.) Not only in regards to Mal but other characters as well, most notably Shepherd. The story in general, even with script chopped-up, is good, and so is the characterisation. Nevertheless, if you haven't seen either show or movie, don't bother.
I shamefully admit I overrated this comic the first time around, even by starry-eyed standards. Those were my first days on Goodreads, still testing the waters of internet reviewing, and the fandom of this franchise is very intimidating. Fans will still love it, but the magic is gone from my affair with Mr Whedon. And objectively, the comic is in the lower quality tier. I rarely revise the ratings, but I was of two minds about this one from the start, and it really didn't hold up on the revisit. All that I said in the review the first time around stands, and it remains unaltered; only my personal rating is changed.
---------------------------------------------
(In reality, somewhere between two and three stars for me. If you are unfamiliar with the series this was based on, think "three at best". If you are a dedicated fan, think "solid four - four and a half".)
One, I really wanted to like this one more. Which means that my expectations have been high, therefore I was harsher where it failed. Yet...
Two, the rating is still biased in the favour of this comic. Nevertheless...
Three, it doesn't stop me from poking fun at creator's attachment to the verse. You have been warned.
Serenity comics expand on the story told by Joss Whedon's cult TV show "Firefly", which got cancelled after airing for one season in jumbled order, and the movie sequel "Serenity". The plot of this issue is placed between the final episode of the series and the movie.
(At this point, this reviewer is quite sure that if the limits of love are legally expanded even more in the future and marriage of people and material objects becomes possible, Whedon will be among the first in the line of those taking the advantage of it and marrying a model of Serenity the spaceship.)
Now, as far as the comic-reading goes, while I have read a lot of them I'm not a fan to the point I know all the terminology so please bear with my descriptive explanations.
I have a problem with the three-dimensional, full-colour overly-realistic art. Which is okay for covers, but not for the whole comics. Faces just look awkward most of the time. If I wanted to stare at Nathan Fillion's bone structure, I'd either look up the actual pictures or pop in the DVD and pause at appropriate times, not stare at comic artists' passable at best rendering of it. More often than not, it looks like tracing of stills rather than actual original drawing. And this is not personal preference speaking - about one third of the panels show Mal, more than all the other crew members combined. At least we were spared the shirtless scene. This time.
(Which makes this reviewer entertain disturbing thoughts about whether author assigning Inara her particular profession has something to do with envy...and the reviewer stops that train of thought before it gets too disturbing.)
Ahem, anyway, I'm not fond of full-colour too-realistic depictions of faces. They cause problems when drawing in difficult angles more often that not, up to making the faces look completely different sometimes. They work better in black and white. If you must have full-colour, blur the lines or make the drawing less realistic otherwise. Please avoid showing actual bone structure in detail, particularly through shading rather than lines. What's wrong with the plain outline of the face?
While we mostly avoided the annoying bolding when it's not really necessary, I did catch a typo or two. One of them makes the whole statement make no sense, even. Seriously, there is so little text and they can't bother to proofread it?
The most glaring problem is that this comic is show/movie fan-only. There is no exposition, even though there were many opportunies to insert one. Also, Whedon is used to writing for screen. It holds up decently in the first part, but the second part gets too incoherent to follow, even for someone like me who saw the show and the movie. It is too rushed and splintered. Even having another person as the actual scriptwriter didn't help.
Main headscratchers:
It's easy to imagine these moments as tension-packed sequences on the screen, but on the page they fall flat. While screen translates better into graphic novel than it does into text, some parts still don't work that well in other media.
I can't say I didn't expect these issues, but I still hoped I would be pleasantly surprised. I wasn't. I think it's a shame, because the subject matter lends itself to comics very well. The world of Firefly/Serenity could have lived on in graphic novels for many years, even with big and little screen closed to it. The subject matter is original enough, characters are interesting enough and the plot being made from many short adventures rather than one large story lends itself well to this medium. This could have been a prime opportunity to gain wider audience, but instead we get extra for fans. And I don't think aiming for guaranteed audience excuses this. Surely old fans wouldn't be that annoyed with a little bit of exposition?
Another problem is Mandarin. Okay, in the show you can kind of get the gist of what they are saying from the tone and situation, but it's another thing that doesn't work well in the comic. While I understand the desire not to ruin the moment with subtitles in the show, we could have had a glossary tacked at the end of the comic. And no, I'm not as dedicated as to look it up. Japanese already has more kanji than I care to learn. Which means that, yes, I actually understand some of it, but not enough and what if I haven't learned any language that uses kanji? I've read comics where foreign alphabets, gibberish or odd symbols work - but the meaning usually gets somehow explained later on. And if not explained, those passages are usually off-hand comments which we don't really need to get or merely indicative of the character's nationality and fact that he can't communicate with others. But there is a scene where Mal says a very long sentence after a very important event, with no one speaking before or after to give it context. And without translation of any sort, it falls flat.
What did I like about this comic? One thing that bugged me about this verse was classification of Mal as antihero. In series, he comes off as more of a hero in a very dirty and prickly coat. Then I read that FOX demanded that he is "lightened up". And in hindsight, it shows. There is just this nagging feeling that he is supposed to be darker - indeed, that the whole series is supposed to be darker - yet in the end it remains mostly black-and-white morality and no, the fact that they are technically criminals is not enough. Jayne is about the only one that is really ambiguous.(And maybe River, but she has an excuse.) This comic fixes this. (So do the others, from what I understand.) Not only in regards to Mal but other characters as well, most notably Shepherd. The story in general, even with script chopped-up, is good, and so is the characterisation. Nevertheless, if you haven't seen either show or movie, don't bother.
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