FIREFLY #12, out this Wednesday from Boom! Studios, concludes the end to the most recent war that Mal and crew have found themselves a part of. It’s a chaotic mess, full of loyalties and politics.
***SPOILER WARNING***
It’s been so heartwarming to see the series that Joss Whedon created continue on in comic book form. The crew of Serenity have been getting themselves into one mess or another in the comics for years. But none of the messes can really compare to what Mal just faced.
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Firefly #12 is an issue that the series has been building towards for quite some time. Each member of the crew has had the opportunity to create their own allies in this plot. And that all ends up being vital in how this war ends.
If you haven’t been following the series up until this point, you might be asking yourself ‘what war?’ And the answer is a very simple one. What war have Mal and Zoe been fighting this whole time? For while we say the war is over, it never does truly end.
One thing that might be slightly confusing is trying to figure out at which point in time this series is currently set. We know that it must occur after the events of the show itself, but it also much be before the movie itself (being that several characters did not survive that series of events). That’s a fairly limited window. And it’s been growing ever smaller, with each and every reboot of the series.
The Plot
Firefly #12 concludes several plots that have been running through this series for quite some time. Grek Pak did an excellent job of wrapping up most of the loose ends – while leaving fans with some lingering questions.
Given the theme leading up to this point – that the war never really ends – we are left wondering if this is really the conclusion to the plot. Or if this all explains the rising tensions that can be found during the events of Serenity (or something else).
Admittedly, some of the elements in this wrap up felt a little bit too…convenient. The sort that are clearly designed for the purposes of drama. And while that in itself isn’t a bad thing, it doesn’t feel quite like the Firefly we know and love. On the bright side, it does set up for the next plot, which is something.
The Art
Firefly #12 is an issue full of drama and action. And it’s the action in this issue that’s really the highlight. Showing off fight scenes when characters are within ships and on the ground can be difficult, but the artistic team did a solid job of it here.
They also showed just how dangerous this battle could have been – and the costs that each side would have experienced had something not been done about it. That is so much easier said than done, so this fact really deserves a lot of credit.
Dan McDaid (pencils/inks), Marcelo Costa (colors), and Jim Campbell (letters) did an excellent job working together for this project. While some artistic license was taken for how the characters were designed, they all resembled the characters we have come to love. And there are a few scenes especially worth note (such as the one where Jayne had to duck and run).
In Conclusion
While Firefly #12 concludes this plot, there is still so much left to this story. Not only are we already set up to dive right into another plot, but many subplots have yet to be resolved. And that means we’re not done reading about our favorite crew. Only time will tell how bad the next mess is going to be.
