FIREFLY #20, available Wednesday from Boom! Studios dives back into the world of Firefly, but with a few unique twists. Our beloved characters seem to keep growing up and changing.
***SPOILER WARNING***
The crew of Firefly has gone through a whole lot of changes in the most recent comic series. In many ways, it’s hard to believe that these are the same characters that we first fell in love with back when the show launched.
Yet there’s still no doubt that they are one and the same, especially during certain moments when their core characteristics shine through. Malcolm Reynolds may be a sheriff – which is hard enough to believe on its own – but he’s still shown trying to take care of his crew. Time and time again.
The last several issues have focused heavily on Mal and his imploding plot arc. All while others have barely made an appearance at all. That being said, Firefly #20 is about to give some of those wayward characters a chance.
The Writing
So for those fans wondering where on earth (or rather, in the ‘verse) the rest of the crew has gotten to, Firefly #20 is going to be a refreshing change of pace. Suddenly our missing characters (Zoe, Walsh, Shepherd Book, River, Simon) are all back again.
Greg Pak’s version of events has been a bit of a deviation, but it’s still been fascinating regardless. Here is a version of Zoe who has not lost her husband – but she’s still very strongly driven to find a safe space for everyone she loves. More than that, she wants to protect every friend and ally they’ve ever made.
That basically sounds like the most Zoe thing of all time, and it was refreshing to see her once again. The others are basically getting dragged along for this adventure, which also sounds about right. River’s side of things is borderline depressing, as she struggles to make something for herself with each attempt.
On the whole, the change of focus for this issue was appreciated and is starting to give back the hope that we might just see the crew back together. It may not be in the next issue, but it’s certainly on the horizon.
The Art
The artwork inside Firefly #20 is bold and dynamic – as it should be, given the world and stories that have occurred within it. Daniel Bayliss (art), Francesco Segala (colors), Jim Campbell (letters) all worked together to bring this issue to life.
There’s a lot of action in the earlier scenes for this issue, some of which can be a bit confusing at first glance. Once it all comes together, though – that’s when it gets pretty comical (with intent, that is). It suddenly is feeling exactly like something the Serenity crew would have tried to pull off.
Another highlight of this issue has got to be the settings. Zoe’s quest forced the artists to portray several different scenes, each more different than the last. Yet they all have one thing in common – the lack of civilization nearby. That’s something the artwork makes painfully clear, and with good reason.
It’s the lettering that really gives a sense of volume and impact during that initial scene, and it carries the story forward towards the end as well. It carefully ties everything together in an understated way that really shouldn’t be ignored.
Conclusion
Firefly #20 finally brings us back to the missing characters we love so much, showing us what they’ve been up to this whole time. With that little bit of insight, suddenly, everything that has been going on begins to make a lot more sense. Now to see how long it’ll be before the crew is back together again.
