Serentiy: Better Days/Joss Whedon

Serenity:  Better Days (Serenity v. 2), by Joss Whedon, Brett Matthews, Will Conrad and Adam Hughes; graphic novel, science fiction; 80 pages

Another graphic novel sharing a further adventure of Serenity's crew.  In this installment, a heist lands the crew more money than they ever could have dreamed of, resulting in a series of fantasies about what they'll do with their newfound wealth.  Meanwhile, the past of one crew member is about to catch up to them, as a government forces close in looking for war criminals. 

This book was just as much fun as Those Left Behind.  Set before the final episodes of Firefly, this story is just another adventure with the crew--robbing, fleeing, and getting into more trouble.  Of course, it wouldn't be Firefly if it didn't include a little bit of philosophy on the after effects of war, but it fits nicely in with this story.  The art is crisp and clear, and the artists have done a great job capturing the faces and tics of the show's characters. 

There's one more collection in this series--The Preacher's Tale--which I've actually not yet read (this was another reread).  I'm looking forward to tracking it down. 

Serenity: Those Left Behind/Joss Whedon

Serenity:  Those Left Behind (Serenity vol 1), by Joss Whedon, Brett Matthews, and Will Conrad; graphic novel, science fiction; 104 pages

Ask most people who consider themselves nerds, and you'll learn that Firefly was an amazing television show that was unjustly cancelled far too soon.  And while die-hard fans all loved the film Serentiy, there were a number of holes left between the series and the movie.  The comic series attempts to fill in some of those stories, while also fleshing out Joss Whedon's world in a way that we never got to see on screen. 

This first collection follows the immediate aftermath of the TV series' final episode:  Inara is leaving Serenity, and Shepherd Book is starting to doubt his place on the ship.  Captain Reynolds, meanwhile is fighting just to hold his crew together and keep his ship in the air.  At the same time the Hands of Blue guys are after the ship, and have called in an old enemy of Mal's to help track them down. 

This is a fun, quick read that fills in a lot of holes (why did Book leave?  How did the Operative get put on River's case?), while also opening up the story for new adventures.  This is a reread for me, but it's always nice to revisit this world beyond what's available on DVD.