If you currently link to my jewelry shop, thank you!  Very, very much.  Would you be so kind as to point your links in the direction of Distinction Jewelry?  I’d take it as a kindness…..

In the name of TMI, I’ll refrain from going into detail about this past year – let me just say that it’s been a rocky one from start to finish.  And Mal thought he had it rough with that primary buffer panel!  I am sorry for neglecting all of you….my customers, my sites, and my friends.  It’s been survival this year.  I hope this coming year will be a better one not only for me but for all of my fellow browncoats, and while we’re at it, the world.

“We’re still flying.” -Mal

“That’s not much.” – Simon

“It’s enough.”  – Mal

This webcomic chronicles the tragic cancellation of a brilliant show called Firefly Hiatus by evil studio execs, and the journey of a tribe of fans (and one hapless Hiatus virgin) who live in an apartment papered with Serenity posters.  Now, it takes something to make me laugh out loud, especially when sitting alone staring at my computer screen, but this baby had me in stitches more than a few times.

So if you’ve ever dreamed of a webcomic where characters say gorram when they swear, network whiteboards contain notes to cancel all Tim Minear shows immediately, and your favorite show is replaced by Debutante Detectives, head on over to Save Hiatus and settle in for a bit.  You’ll like it there.

If your visit to Save Hiatus leaves you hungering for webcomics, Serenity Tales has a selection you might want to check out while you wait for the next Hiatus update.

First order of business will be to make sure my shop is working properly again and add some of the shiny new stuff I’ve been working on.  Then comes the rest of the news…comics (I have one of the limited variant covers of Better Days #1….and I’ll be sharing pics!), new patches, and news on Nathan Fillion’s latest projects.  Oh, and if you’ve been following my fanfics, I have two new chapters of The Losing Side that I’ll be posting shortly and another short Stargate Atlantis fic.

The book can be downloaded at Brust’s website here: http://dreamcafe.com/firefly.html

I also have it available to download from my own server as a sort of insurance should that link die; you can download it by clicking here.

My Own Kind of Freedom is released under a Creative Commons license; for specific details visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

So, when I opened my copy, I wasn’t expecting much, but – it’s beautiful.  It really is.  This is the format the comics belong in; they are sized like the original comics (which were shrunk down for the trade paperback version) and all three issues are readable straight through to make for a nice little graphic novel.

The new cover art is lovely, and there has been some really pretty design work done on the inside pages.  Nathan Fillion’s introduction and may of the other opening pages have a lovely full-color background that is just plain pretty to look at.  The entire project is treated with respect and care. 

Given that, I don’t really understand why one of the comic book covers was cut from the book and the covers of two of the books were combined.  It seems like a sloppy touch in a book that is fundamentally not sloppy at all.  The other cheap shortcut taken was the boasted-about extra material, which turns out to only be the Joss Whedon-penned background on the ‘verse which has already been published in the excellent Serenity Visual Companion.  If you don’t already have the visual companion, this addition to Those Left Behind is a nice touch….but for the hard-core fans buying this book it’s a little pointless.  The added art is mainly concept sketches for the movie….nothing to write home about and rather irrelevant to a collection of comics.

Despite the downfalls, I remain enthusiastic about this book, though.  It is simply too nicely done to dislike.  The new art and the new pages are a thing of beauty, and I love the new cover art and the fact that the comic pages themselves are larger.  I love the fact that it’s a nice quality hardcover as opposed to a little paperback.

If you don’t have Those Left Behind and are choosing between the hardcover and softcover versions, the hardcover wins hands down unless you have a severely limited budget.  If you don’t have the comics in any form, I would highly recommend picking up this hardcover – it does them true justice.

As for the actual comics themselves, I remain lukewarm.  It’s obviously a thrill that our beloved franchise garnered a comic series, and that through it we received a Serenity story that would not otherwise exist.  But the comics fail to capture what it was I loved about Firefly and Serenity.  Reading the comics makes it excruciatingly plain how much the charisma and ability of the actors had to do with the magic that was Firefly.  The dialog has a hint of the Firefly magic, but it’s like reading a script: far flatter than the experience of seeing it delivered to perfection on screen.  But we take what we can get, right?

Rating:  Serenityverse Top Pick

Approximate Price: $14.00 – list price $19.59

Available From: www.amazon.com

• Joss will be co-authoring a comic titled A Shepherd’s Tale
• Book found God in a bowl of soup
• A part of Book (not the hair!) is artificial
• Book is best known for his biggest failure
• He took the name Derrial from the man he killed

Let the speculation begin!

I’m quite happy with the cover art; while comic-bookish (and, well, it would be, wouldn’t it!), it does a much better job capturing the characters than the Those Left Behind covers did.  The sparkle of Mal’s eyes, Zoe’s strong warmth, Wash’s good-natured cheer all shine through and remind me of how much I love the characters.  Here’s hoping that feeling carries through in the actual comic book art; I had a hard time relating the characters in Those Left Behind to their screen personas.  Granted, Mal looks like he just finished a three-year booze-fest, but it’s still an improvement over past efforts.  Doesn’t say much for the past efforts, I know.  But I still like it.

Rating:  Serenityverse Top Pick

Approximate Price: $2.99

Available From: www.TFAW.com

The next quality entry into this arena was www.outtotheblack.com with their Independent patch, the first released with the newly canon blue star (rather than the black).  Prior to the release of the Firefly Visual Companion, fans had assumed the star to be black.  The Out To The Black patch is excellent quality, and sold by one of the most respected sellers in the browncoat community.

Now there is a new kid on the block, www.PatchesNPins.com – a site that recently added Firefly and Serenity to their lineup of film and TV patches.  They say they don’t actually produce the patches, they just distribute them.

They are the first company to provide screen-accurate Independent triangle patches, using the photos in the Firefly Visual Companion as reference.  PatchesNPins offers three different versions of the patch, one for each variation in the Visual Companion.  The average price of their patches is $7.00, which is a bit high compared to previous offerings (Out To The Black, for instance, offers their Independent patch for $5.00) but does include free shipping.  They also sell a set of all three variants of the patch for $18.00.

In addition to the Independent patches, they offer up a Serenity logo (the Firefly based one, not the movie logo), several variations on the Alliance logo, both the red and the blue Alliance security shield patches, a medical patch, an Alliance troop patch, and of course Blue Sun.

I have a set of the three Independent patches here, and they are quite impressive – not quite as thick as some of the other fan-made patches I’ve seen, but the quality seems very good – they are precise in design and there are no loose or out of place threads.  They are extremely accurate replicas of the patches shown in the Visual Companion, and I recommend snagging a set for your collection.  When I ordered from their site I recieved my patches quickly and in great shape.  This site could well end up being an excellent resource for collectors and costumers as they are continually adding new patches; I’d like to see a Serenity movie logo patch and Kaylee’s bear patch added to the selection. 

Lyndono patches:  There are significant differences between the Lyndono patch offered by Patches ‘n Pins and the one formerly sold by browncoatpatches.com – and I have to admit I don’t know which is the more accurate.  The original Browncoat Patches patch is on the left; the Patches ‘n Pins version is on the right.  It’s smaller and more vividly colored.  Anyone?  I should use this as an excuse to plug in my Serenity DVD, but I’m busy and lazy!  I notice the colors on the Patches ‘n Pins version are similar to the Independent colors.  Interesting……

Independent patches:  Shown in the top row is the set of three screen-accurate Independent patches from Patches ‘n Pins; below is the one formerly sold by browncoatpatches.com.  I wanted to include the blue-starred Independent patch sold by Out To The Black Outfitters in the photo, but I couldn’t find it! It’s very similar to the black-starred patch on the bottom, only it has the canon blue star.  The star appears black on screen and was used until the Firefly Visual Companion revealed it to be blue.  The patch was officially intended to be worn point down, but during the Firefly combat scenes Mal is shown wearing his with the point up – reportedly a mistake in the wardrobe department.  However, a case can be made that whatever the original intent was, the point-up patch is canon, at least for Mal, because that’s how it actually appeared in the series.  You choose!

Serenity Patches:  Unfortunately, you can’t buy either of these right now.  The patch on the left is a rare collectible; they were given to members of the old, official Serenity movie forum as rewards for collecting a certain number of points by completing tasks on the website.  There were very few of these patches ever distributed; perhaps at some point someone will make a replica?  It’s a very nice patch.  The one on the right was produced and sold by the no longer operating Browncoat Patches.

Rating:  Worth The Cashy Money

Approximate Price: $7.00 each

Available From: http://www.patchesnpins.com

A brief exerpt:

Though for only moments at a time, I could be Mal. I couldn’t help it. You’ve got everyone dressed up, in the cargo bay, looking at, talking to, and treating me like I’m the captain. There were strange moments, weird suspended seconds when I bought it all. If you have ever watched an episode and felt a connection with a character, felt he was speaking to you, or for a moment were somehow transported and felt you were on the ship listening to the conversation beside you — that’s the feeling. Those instants that take you away, pull you in. I WAS THERE. I lived those moments. I got my ass saved by Zoe so many times. I mooned over Inara. I hit Jayne with a wrench. There were moments I could believe it. You’d have believed it, too, thanks to Joss. Looking at Kaylee, I could tell what kind of man Mal was. Speaking to Zoe, I could tell what kind of leader Mal was. Arguing with Wash and Jayne, I knew the limits of Mal’s patience. They made me Mal. Looking back, I know now that everyone in the cast was, in essence, his or her character. What makes Jayne so Jayne, is that Adam is a Jayne. Jewel is a free spirit who was cast as a free spirit. Alan is a clever smart ass who questions authority. Ron once gave me the shirt off his back (true story — still a favorite of mine), Gina is alluring and powerful, Morena is elegant, Summer is grace, Sean owes me money. Off camera, I was able to spend my days with these people, and on camera, with their characters. I got to have them as friends twice.

• Outing Riley, now available on DVD.   
• Waitress, on DVD Nov 27, 2007
• Lost, on DVD Dec 11, 2007 (Note: he’s only in one episode, but it’s well worth watching)

Happy viewing!  And while you’re at it, cross your fingers for releases of White Noise: The Light, Trucker, and Drive.