Comics discussions!

So with the new comic mini-series out, I'm wondering how people feel about some of the reveals there?

I think the comics are a bit fast paced, but they are a godsend in making up for a lack of Mal/Inara moments in recent Firefly material.

I've got mixed feelings about the comics. But a main source of my reservations is that I simply don't much care for comics as a storytelling medium; they just leave too much out. Of course more TV episodes would be nice, but given that that is not going to happen, I'd prefer Firefly novels. Lots of them.

But.

What we get is comics. And since that's the case...

Yay! New material. AT LAST. Finally something that actually progresses the storyline, rather than filling in or taking side excursions. Also, pretty good attempt to keep in character, which I appreciate after that It's Never Easy one in which Mal acts completely OOC.

There were some developments that I predicted, and had incorporated into my fanfic story arcs.

*factions within the Alliance. It's not some monolithic organization, and there were bound to be various parties in opposition, in the fallout from Miranda.

*Mal and Inara get together. Well, okay we know that's my ship anyhow, but frankly I can't see how they could get through what happened in the BDM and then go back to status quo. Also, the comics depict some development of that relationship. They're not merely bedfellows, it's a real relationship. They talk over their problems, each of them has a sounding board, support, comfort. It's not all saccharine and lovey-dovey, that's just not them, but they're playing the role of sounding board for each other, and assisting and supporting one another without having to request it. It's how a mature relationship should work.

*The arrival of Zoe's baby does not lead to immediate and unmitigated fluff and sweetness. Even though the baby is adorably cute, things are still very, very, very stressful and on the edge.

*Mal turns to the Operative for help. I have always thought this was an inevitable outcome, that eventually those two would find it necessary to work in concert.

So those are some things that I had worked into my own fanfic story arcs, and I have to admit it was kinda nice and validating and all that to see some of them play out in the official comics.

There were also some unexpected developments. Some of them are cool, some I have mixed feelings about, and some I really don't much like.

Early is back. Really. I found this just too Hollywood. What does it take to kill a villain? Apparently spacing him is not good enough. Don't count your villain as dead until you watch him pulled apart before your very eyes, and even then the screenwriters may find a way to resurrect him. I say bah. Early played his role in OiS, and we should have never heard from him again. But having said that, I LOVE that Kaylee confronted him and bested him. That was excellent.

All that talk, talk, talk in the first comic's opening sequence. Unless we end up hearing more from those talking heads, then too much time was spent with them. The first comic was dominated by OCs (or new characters?since I suppose this is canon) and unless we are going to see a lot of them in the future, the time devoted to them was disproportional. In contrast, the time spent with the New Operative and the Alliance personnel seemed warranted.

The new Browncoats and Bea. Ugh. This is a lost cause, and one in which Mal should have NO interest. Obviously, Bea has a role to play we haven't seen yet, but geez, so far what I've seen is predictable Hollywoodism, and too much. Mal already has enough crap descending upon him, he doesn't need some half-baked Independent revival movement tracking him down and leading enemies to his doorstep.

Jayne. I was disappointed with how he's been portrayed. The Jayne in this comic series is more consistent with Jayne in Out of Gas, than post-movie Jayne. Why would he leave Serenity after Miranda? I think he would stay, grumbling mightily the whole while, but the events of the movie should have propelled him into a period of character growth. He is no longer just looking out for himself, and the top coin. The Shepherd told him, if he couldn't do something smart, to do something right, and frankly I think he has incorporated that lesson. Then, if he did leave, why oh why would he come back for the reasons given in the comic? Money? Really?? No, Bea should have had to convince him that it was, if not something smart, then something right, to lead her to Mal.

Anyway, that's my current thoughts on the comics. Hope to start a discussion here. Any hope of hearing from Charlie and GB and Aliasse and Wytch? Y'all still tune in here anymore?

Yeah, I don't know what the heck was going on in It's Never Easy. I don't think Mal was too out of character, for all Mal is a hard ass and badass, it's not impossible for someone to get the drop on him, and when they do he tends to try to talk his way out of it. But that River save was ridiculous.

Having new material is wonderful. I was finally able to write something at least, which was prompted by the new canon stuff.

> It's not all saccharine and lovey-dovey, that's just not them

I really liked how the first time we saw them again they were fighting. AGAIN. But those fights really aren't enough to kill the relationship.

>things are still very, very, very stressful and on the edge.

Yeah, I'm pretty glad they didn't make Zoe's baby just some fluff and made it part of the plot. I'm not entirely sure about the execution of it, but it at least worked in terms of the story, if that's all it did.

>
*Mal turns to the Operative for help. I have always thought this was an inevitable outcome, that eventually those two would find it necessary to work in concert.

He might even have tried being a Buddhist monk for a while before going all hermit. I like how it seems that the new comic kinda lets people's fanfics between the movie and Zoe's baby stand, so long as they didn't get too extreme.

Like I still think Eidolon and your stories work in context, though it depends on if Ip stays around when resources really get scarce.

Early's return wasn't handled well. But at least it gave Kaylee a cool moment. Kaylee isn't actually all sunshine and sweetness, which shows in the Dead or Alive extra script. It was nice to see that come out and remind everyone that she's not just cutsey eyecandy without a clue about crime or violence.

Bea is interesting, I actually kinda get the feeling she might be a belligerent love interest for Jayne. I also like how Bea loses hero worship of Mal REALLY fast, reminding the fans that Mal isn't Mr. Super Awesome all the time, he's a guy with problems. In the short amount of time they had to give her, she's shown decent character development.

Also I love that Jayne left. And I love that he came back. We know Jayne even with his character development would probably still always think of himself as a mercenary first. At the same time, I think Jayne did think it was right, but when people ended up dead and brought trouble down on Mal he might have changed his mind. But he'd feel real bad about it! Him trying to apologize to Mal and Mal blowing him off was BEAUTIFUL, that was the characters I know.

I've actually heard from Aliasse recently, which is what prompted me to start posting again here.

I love space pirate!Inara, but I also love how apparently she's kept some of her pretties instead of just selling them all. And I like that it's hinted they might be having on going conversations about Inara continuing her work, although unlicensed.