Attention fellow Browncoats!
You’d better aim to misbehave, because due to his the shelves the 15th of this month is the shiny 2nd edition of Serenity: Those Left Behind!
Based on the sadly short-lived television brought to you by Joss Whedon (otherwise known as God in the Nerdverse), this gem of a graphic novel is written by none other than Brett Matthews (the show’s writer) and Joss himself! This brand, spankin’-new edition comes in a beautiful hardcover, and features the extras that were previously only available in the limited deluxe edition!
For those of you who were only able to get the regular edition when it first came out, this is your chance to finally be privy to the special extras that you’ve up until now been denied! I’d say that’s more than enough reason to get your hands on a copy of this masterpiece.
Now that the ‘boring’ stuff is out of the way (yeah, right…like anything dealing with this franchise could ever be boring), let me get to my review of the piece. Yes, I know this is a second edition of a previously released version, but I’ve never been able to get my hands on a copy of it before, so you’re going to have to suffer through my fangirl ramblings. 
Besides…there might be some of you out there who have yet to experience the awesomeness that is the Firefly franchise. By the way, if this is the case, you should take steps to rectify that situation!
Now then…onto my review!
First of all, the artwork (by Will Conrad) is absolutely gorgeous! The characters on the page actually look like the characters we know and love from the series and the spin-off film, and that is a huge accomplishment. Seriously, I cannot tell you how many comic books I’ve read that were based off of television shows and films (which will remain nameless) in which it looked like the artist didn’t even make an attempt to liken the illustrated version of the character to the real life version.
Second of all, the story in itself was very well written and it feels like you’re actually watching an episode or even a film unfold across the pages (hardly surprising considering just who wrote it). For those of you who are already proud Browncoats, but who haven’t gotten around to reading the first edition of this amazing work of art, it picks up not long after where the last episode of the series leaves off and is meant to serve as a bridge between the end of Firefly and the beginning of Serenity. 
More to the point, we see why Shepherd Book is no longer with the crew during the course of Serenity. Now, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I was certainly wondering why one of my favorite characters was no longer part of the intrepid, ragtag crew. Had a disagreement been had? Had he had a crisis of faith? Did he feel that his time with the crew had run its course? Every time I watched Serenity, these questions would go through my head, and now after reading this wonderful graphic novel, I finally have my answer.
My overall review?
This graphic novel is a MUST HAVE not just for Browncoats, but for Whedonites everywhere. Even if you don’t read comic books, this is still an excellent read and worthy of a place on your bookshelves. Just think of it as a lost episode…or even a lost screenplay with pictures…
Gorgeous, full-color pictures.
Pre-order your copy today!
Nerd up!
About Aida Jacobs
Aida Jacobs – Girly Geek, recently dubbed ‘a rage-filled hobbit’ by her loving husband, spends her time drooling over Doctor Who and playing any RPG she can get her hands on. She is a die hard Phantom of the Opera fanatic, and when she’s not reading comics or playing games, she is hard at work trying to get her novel published.
