FIREFLY #24, available Wednesday from BOOM! Studios, continues the first crossover event for a series that has long held a special place in our hearts. Malcolm Reynolds and crew are up against a new foe, and it is their strangest one yet.
For a time, it seemed like Firefly would happily continue onward in comic book form, focusing on the past. Meaning that there would be few changes made to the plot or characters that we know so well.
Now, the series has started forging ahead, taking risks, and generally altering the series that fans know so well. For good or for ill, at least it’s a series that is still trying to take those grand risks, and do something different with what is available.
Firefly #24 is set in a nebulous point in time, where the crew is still together (and alive), yet the Alliance seems to be out of the way, or at least not as strong as they have previously been. Unfortunately, that left a void that Blue Sun Corporation stepped into. There’s a new big bad here, and they’re just as bad. If not worse.
The Blue Sun Rising Crossover event only has one issue left to its story. Blue Sun Rising #1. There’s still a bit left that needs to be explained, including how the crew survives what is about to happen next.
The next plot starts up in Firefly #25, which is set to jump ahead to a point following the events of Serenity…which probably means it’s time to say goodbye to certain characters all over again.
The Writing
Firefly #24 is full of grand schemes and events. This is a plan thought up by Malcolm Reynolds, after all. So of course it’s grand. It’s also just as likely to have something (or several things) go wrong. Again, it’s just his luck.
Greg Pak did an excellent job of capturing that fact in this issue, while also bringing his own idea into the mix. It’s an interesting issue, with a surprising amount of moments that just felt…right. Granted, I’ve never been a fan of those robots, so seeing them fall was probably more satisfying than it should have been.
The subplots revolving around Kaylee and Mrs. Reynolds did a lot to carry the plot along, adding two totally different elements. The rom/com vibe, and a harsher side more focused on money (Jayne would approve).
All things said and done, this issue is well-rounded, and doesn’t shy away from the risks being taken. Or the fact that it is just so much fun to watch the world (or in this instance, an evil corporation) burn. Even if we know it probably won’t last. Or succeed nearly as much as it needs to.
The Art
Firefly #24 is full of space battles and shoot outs, in an almost classic Firefly series of events. Of course, there are several changes in the mix, mainly surrounding the newly introduced characters. Their character designs run the gambit, but overall do seem to balance out the aesthetics of the crew.
Lalit Kumar Sharma and Daniel Bayliss are the lead artists, and you can really see how much work went into those fight scenes. Likewise, attention was paid to how the characters felt at any given moment, and the best way to express it.
Marcelo Costa’s colors nail the general feeling of the original world, while throwing in a few changes. There’s this rusty/space feeling to it all, which is actually fairly on point. The backgrounds are one of the many places where Costa’s work excels.
Finally, Jim Campbell’s lettering unifies the whole issue. There’s plenty of room for expressive lettering here, thanks to what is occurring. Combine that with the sounds of battle, and one can almost feel this issue as it plays out.
Conclusion
Firefly #24 tightens up this otherwise strange plot, setting it up for a solid conclusion. All of which will free up the series to head in a new direction, as fans finally get to see what happens following the events of Serenity.
