Serenity: Those Left Behind Hardcover Edition
January 10th, 2008 Posted in Browncoat News, Serenity Books and MediaThis book has taken some hard knocks in online reviews, and by the time I finally received my copy (delayed because I ordered a copy autographed by Brett Mathhews, and it took a while to show) my expectations were not high. Lack of any truly new material and the elimination or combination of some of the original comic book covers were key amongst the complaints.
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