FIREFLY #9 by Boom! Studios is out this Wednesday, and it’s a poignant reminder that one can never truly escape from their pasts. Least of all our wayward crew or their captain.
***SPOILER WARNING***
The Firefly series has picked up the beloved character that Joss Whedon left behind, and they’ve done a decent job of fitting new plots into a very limited time period. All the events that follow occur sometime between the events of the episodes.
Firefly #9 revolves almost entirely around Mal and Zoe – and their shared history. Their pasts and their losses haunt the Browncoats. And this issue is bent on dragging all of that up to the surface again.
To be fair, we had a feeling it was coming, what with Zoe running off with a bunch of old Browncoat allies. But it’s unlikely that any fans were able to anticipate what happened within these pages.
Greg Pak has continued blending the past and the present for this dynamic series, and we’re grateful he’s stayed on the project. It’s been enlightening, seeing Mal and Zoe’s past in this new light. He seems to be particularly interested in talking about the Browncoats and their old war – and fans are unlikely to complain about seeing more of their long lost allies.
Firefly #9 has upped the ante for this plot – now it isn’t just that the crew is split or, or even a battle of one small crew trying to survive. It has become something much bigger. And so much darker. In a way, things are finally coming full circle. It’s just a shame that we never got to see something like this in the TV series.
The mood of this issue was firmly set thanks to the artwork carrying the story. Dan McDaid provided the linework, giving us dramatic expressions and scenery to behold. Meanwhile, Marcelo Costa’s coloring was atmospheric and intense.
Together they gave us a dramatic series of pages, jumping from one focal point to the next. Some of the pages or panels in this issue were remarkable, while others had a powerful emotional impact – which was likely the intention.
Jim Campbell was the letterer for this issue, and he handled the significant amount of dialogue with class. His lettering was placed in such a way as to enhance rather than obscure or subtract.
Firefly #9 was an intense read, bringing things full circle in a way fans likely never dared hope or expect for. At least, not after the series had been canceled. Now readers will have to anxiously wait to see how Mal and his crew deal with the next turn of events.
