Serenity: Those Left Behind

By Alex De-Gruchy
July 12, 2006

Serenity: Those Left Behind acts as a prequel to the hit sci-fi movie Serenity, which in itself is a continuation of Joss Whedon's cult TV show Firefly. The show was sadly cancelled before its time. Whedon - also the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer - has co-plotted this three-issue mini-series which bridges the gap between Firefly and Serenity as Captain Mal Reynolds and his ragtag crew once again find themselves trying to simply stay afloat (and maybe make a little profit in the process) in a universe that seems to threaten them at every turn.

Plot

In the future, after all of Earth's natural resources were used up, mankind discovered a new solar system, and hundreds of planets were terra-formed and colonized. The core planets formed the Alliance, whose control was rejected by many other planets, which led to a war. A war which the Independents lost. An ex-Independent soldier, Captain Mal Reynolds now commands his ship, Serenity, leading a crew of mercenaries and fugitives as they try to stay one step ahead of the Alliance while trying to make a living along the way.

Those Left Behind opens with Mal and two of his crew, Zoe and Jayne, in a familiar situation involving a failed heist, a shootout, a daring escape and ultimately Mal and the crew of Serenity once again not getting their fair share. Soon, however, they take a job from a small-time crook named Badger - one that initially seems simple enough, but naturally trouble soon finds them once again. This trouble comes in the form of two blue-gloved men, who viewers of Firefly will recognise. These two Alliance agents are looking for Simon and River Tam, a brother and a sister on the run, who just happen to be two members of Mal's crew. In a bid to assist their plan of capturing their targets, the blue-gloved men enlist the aid of Dobson, an ex-Alliance agent who was shot through the eye and left for dead by Mal in the past. All he has ever wanted since then is revenge on Mal, and so he is happy to help the blue-gloved men in their attack on Serenity and her crew.

The plot of Those Left Behind does a good job of filling the gap between the end of the TV series and the start of the movie, and it is also interesting and fast-paced enough to keep you turning the pages. However, for those who have never been introduced to the world of Serenity previously, may find the story a little hard to follow. Some of the details that drive the characters and the plot forward might seem a little hazy, as there are times when they could really afford to be explained in more depth.

Characterisation

Joss Whedon did an excellent job on Firefly of creating a varied and interesting cast, all of whom have enough depth to stand out as individuals and who are always enjoyable to watch - or, in this case, read about. Brett Matthews has made sure that his script lives up to the standard set by Whedon, and those readers who are fans of Firefly will find the characters and their various relationships just as they remember them. For example, Mal and Inara still share the same unspoken feelings for one another, Book is still trying to follow God's path in a seemingly-Godless universe, and River is as eccentric as ever. Matthews has also made sure that the dialogue - whether funny or dramatic - shines as much as it ever did.

There's Mal, the tough Captain with a good heart; Zoe, Mal's loyal friend and right-hand woman; Jayne, the mercenary more concerned with money than his crewmates; Wash, Zoe's husband and pilot of Serenity; Book, the preacher with a hidden past; Kaylee, the ship's engineer; Inara, the respected "companion"; and finally, Simon and River, the brother and sister sought by the Alliance.

However, with such a large cast and only three issues, compromises obviously have to be made in terms of which characters are focused on. Mal, Zoe, and Jayne are the ones involved in most of the action, whereas the other characters have more passive roles. Simon and River are under-used, which seems strange given their pivotal roles in the movie Serenity. For newcomers the history and motives of the two - as well as the motives of supporting characters, such as Dobson - might come across as unimportant at times.

Art

Will Conrad was a good choice as artist on this book, as his style is quite grounded in reality, while still being able to deliver dynamic action sequences and the larger, sci-fi scope that some of the scenes have. The fact that Conrad's art is quite realistic helps in making the environments that these characters inhabit more believable. This is something which is again helped by the fact that these are not alien or bizarre worlds which we are seeing, but rather a future which can be just as dirty, dangerous and grimy as the present. Conrad shows he is capable of delivering the grander scenes, such as dozens of ruined spaceships floating lifelessly in space, as well as the more personal, character-based moments such as Mal speaking to his crew onboard Serenity.

With the book being based on a live-action television show, obviously getting the likenesses of the characters right is important, and Conrad has done an admirable job, especially considering the fact that it is a fairly large ensemble cast he is dealing with - his rendition of Shepherd Book is particularly impressive. Also, the supporting characters who originated in the TV show have been brought to life with as much attention to detail as the main players.

Overall

Serenity: Those Left Behind is definitely a book that fans of Firefly - and to a slightly lesser extent, fans of the movie - will find easier to get into than those who are new to the world. Some of the back-story of the characters and their relationships are simply not defined clearly enough to give new readers a thorough idea of what is going on. However, at only three issues long, Whedon and Matthews have done the best they could with the limited space they were given. Those Left Behind stands as an entertaining and action-packed story filled with interesting and believable characters that sci-fi fans and even casual comic book readers can enjoy. However, at the same time the book still feels a bit hurried, and you have to wonder how much better it could have been if Whedon and Matthews had had more space with which to tell their story.

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Story: Joss Whedon & Brett Matthews
Writing: Brett Matthews
Pencils: Will Conrad
Colours: Laura Martin
Collects Serenity Issues #1-3