Sure, the cover says “Battlestar Galactica,” and so does, oh, 61 pages inside, along with stuff on Dr. Who and other science fiction entertainment. But there’s also 10 pages of Serenity goodness with photos and articles.
Buy it from Power Star Collectibles
The magazine of science fiction films goes Browncoat with a cover article devoted to Firefly and Serenity. 16 pages of articles, behind the scenes info, and photos.
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The full title is “Finding Serenity: Anti-Heroes, Lost Shepherds and Space Hookers in Joss Whedon’s Firefly” by Jane Espenson, writer for the series (and other Jossy shows), and Glenn Yaffeth. Crammed with essays and articles by people who worked on Firefly and people who just loved it. I really like Larry Dixon’s analysis of the show; he pointed out subtleties I was never consciously aware of, like character clothing color palettes. However, John C. Wright’s article on the role of chivalry in Firefly annoyed me, and one or two other ones seemed (to me) to have missed the point entirely.
There are also essays on why the show got canned, opposing essays on the role of women in the ‘Verse, some letters from the FOX execs (you’ll see), a glossary of usesome Chinese phrases, a memoir from Jewel (Kaylee) Staite on her five favorite moments from the show, and an essay explaining why, if the crews were swapped, the crew of Serenity could take over the Enterprise universe while Captain Archer and pals would have a tough time of it in the Whedonverse. This is worth the price of the book.
At turns serious and silly, scholarly and whimsical, there are some nice insights into the world of Serenity that no Browncoat should be without.
Buy: Amazon
All the insider stuff you know you want. Pictures from production, from behind the scenes, pictures of star charts and money and weapons and locations and more! Interviews with Joss about the ‘Verse, about the history of the movie, and lots of the technical side of his job. Oh, and the complete script of the movie.
Titan Books, trade paperback, 160 pages.
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This three-part mini-series from Dark Horse Comics helps fill in the gaps between the TV show Firefly and the movie Serenity. What happened in those six months? When did Inara leave? Why isn’t Shepherd Book on board anymore? Why is Mal so mad in the movie? Written by Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews and illustrated by Will Conrad, this series answers… well, some of your questions, and it brings up a few old characters the crew didn’t want to see and one you probably won’t expect. Each issue featured 3 different covers to allow every cast member to get their own chance at glory drawn by some of today’s hottest artists.
If you have not seen the movie Serenity, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK YET. If you have seen the movie, read this book several times.
Like the best novelizations, DeCandido’s Serenity includes all the dialogue and action from the movie and then slides in the mustard; now we get to get inside the characters, see the motivations and histories, find out what River really thinks and what Jayne muses about when there’s no one needs shootin’ right off. Not that you’ll find out all you’d like to, but there are a few more questions answered and some apparent inconsistencies smoothly explained. DeCandido clearly loves these characters and wears their voices well, and in this work he does exactly what Serenity fans want him to do: he makes the movie even better. And that’s no small feat.
Can’t find the comics in this three-part mini-series from Dark Horse? Just get the trade paperback! Easier to read anyway, and you won’t have to smudge your collectible comics.
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