Serenity: Better Days Issue #3 Wednesday 5/14/2008 Told ya it was a Firefly/Serenity episode! Here be SPOILERS!

POSTED BY: Anonymous1
UPDATED: Friday, August 22, 2008 03:05
VIEWED: 19851
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ANONYMOUS1

Monday, May 26, 2008 11:20 PM

Doesn't mean the shuttle didn't give chase. Could have given chase and they escaped in a tunnel the shuttle couldn't fit in.
Could be the bad guys shot back at the shuttle. Shuttle has no guns except what the crew has on board. Jayne could have tried
hanging out the hatch and got hit by a bird or something.

Lots of stuff we didn't see. Like what happened after River kicked the guy in the throat.

Like what Simon was doing in the shuttle with Inara.

NBZ

Tuesday, May 27, 2008 1:19 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by GWEK:
In the comics, we have a whole different animal. This is Whedon's opportunity to tell whatever FIREFLY story he wants in whatever manner he wants, without studio intervention. Given that his original intention was for FIREFLY to be a bit grimmer than what we got, it's no surprise that some of what we see in the comic doesn't quite jibe with what we see in the series or the movie... and that it paints a slightly more unsavory view of the world and the characters.

Except that page count matters and drawing it all (I presume - I have zero artistic bones in my body) a very time consuming ...erm I forgot the word... project?

We get to see it closer to how he wanted it, but les of it. (can't complain, less is better than the "none" we were getting beforehand.)

@anonymous1: as with the other scenario's, giving chase is not even hinted at. I don't think they did (but I could be wrong).

PLATONIST

Tuesday, May 27, 2008 1:30 AM

Actually, Gwek, your train of thought crossed my mine too. In this episode, Joss had complete artistic control over plot, characters and reactions, etc, so what we are reading is a darker version of the verse as originally intended, like the tone of Serenity (the movie) that many fans are uncomfortable with. Some deny the movie’s existence all together, because, at times, the crew is portrayed in an unlikable light and the content is apocalyptic.

Both the comic series (TLB and BT) and the movie, which Fox had no input on, are dark and ominous. There is more tension between the crew. There are fistfights, threats, and deaths. Heck poor little River is chained up in the storage locker for a third of the movie and Mal and Jayne both contemplate killing her by putting a bullet in her. I wouldn't exactly call them The Robinson Family bound for Alpha Centurion that some of us grew up with. Mal isn’t Dad Brady by any stretch of the imagination. And his behavior crammed into two hours instead of spread out of seven years would seem immediate, questionable, and possibly irrational at times, as it does in a single comic episode.

All I can suggest is to strap yourselves in for more doom and gloom...Kaylee/Simon are toast because Inara's got a big ass medical secret that Simon's going to become fixated on when he's not busy keeping River from killing off the rest of the crew, that is if Mal or Jayne don't finally sell her out for fuel or profit to keep Serenity flying and Zoe doesn't rejoin the Devils now that Wash is dead and kill every living card carrying Alliance sympathizer, including Inara, the clone, and her unborn love child with Mal ...and then you know how that will end.

And, nbz, if it’s any consolation, I think, in the end… you will be spared any RAYNE.

NBZ

Tuesday, May 27, 2008 1:55 AM

heh, earlier drafts of the BDM had other things which could have made people baulk - like the negotiations in that bar with Fanty and Mingo, where it was suggested the agree upon cut WAS 25% and not the 40 Mal was demanding. Mal was trying to get more than the agreed upon price because he felt the risk was higher then he had anticipated. (in other words he was trying to screw them over. Nice.)

Saying that, I do like the movie. I even like the fact that Wash got killed.

I like the movie and I enjoyed this comic miniseries. It was well put together and felt very Fireflyish, even though it left a number of unanswered questions.

(only questionable thing is the writes taking it too far away from its premise - the crew are supposed to be small time in a world where they cannot afford the more fashionable weaponry. Then out of nowhere come combat robots. it can be slid off on this occasion as they were on a rich man's world, but I hope they keep things small.)

GWEK

Tuesday, May 27, 2008 2:40 AM

The robots--and particularly the action sequence at the beginning of issue one--bring up another interesting point about the dynamic of a comic book version: it's going to be more visually dynamic (and potentially "over the top") than another interpretation. Both miniseries begin with a action sequences that may be Firefly-esque in tone but are a bit... cartoony?... in scope. (Consider, for example, Ott's crew in THOSE LEFT BEHIND. Ott feels like a guy Mal would run into, but the crew LOOKS like they were drawn by Rob Liefeld).

We may seen a shift in technology in the comic (eg, robots) because of this visual dynamic. Another factor to keep in mind is that a comic doesn't have the same kind of budget constraints as a television series, which could also lead Whedon to be a little "looser" with the reality scale of the comics (and it's worth mentioning that although we never see robots in the television series, they ARE available in the RPG. The game is not really canon, of course, but it shows that some folks were thinking in that direction already...).

As for getting *less* in a comic than in the television series: Yes, we're undoubtedly getting less story overall, but three issues of comic are roughly comparable to an hour-long episode. (Trust me on this one: I deconstructed THOSE LEFT BEHIND at length in order to built our Virtual Firefly Season One finale as accurately as possible). The pacing is different--three issues rather than 5 acts--but even that isn't all too different, because an episode consists of three acts (teaser/act 1=part one; act two/act three=part two; act four=part three). It's not an exact analog, but it's very close.

www.stillflying.net: "Here's how it might have been..."

ANONYMOUS1

Tuesday, May 27, 2008 3:46 AM

Robots in Firefly/Serenity.

Robot garbage drone in Trash.
Mr. Universe's wife in Serenity.
Robot/machines in Niska's inside room in War Stories. Look carefully, you can see the henchmen
being cut in half by a saw like arm.

Serenity: Better Days was "very Fireflyish", because "it left a number of unanswered questions".

DESERTGIRL

Tuesday, May 27, 2008 4:32 AM

After digesting this entire thread, it really just reminds me how much I prefer a big chunky novels to comic books. Comics just leave out too many details. Serenity comics are the first I have ever bought, and will probably be the last.

I read all three "better days" multiple times and I feel like someone told me about an episode over coffee the day after it aired. I get the gist but not the nuances.

Like I said give me a 10 pound book anyday, comics leave to many questions.

GWEK

Tuesday, May 27, 2008 4:34 AM

With the exception of the LoveBot, most of those are basically "drones" (without any sort of real thought process) rather than true artificial AI-based robots. The big ol' bot in the first issue seems to fall into this category (since it processes routines, but mostly responds to the commands of the user), but the "missile-bots" in issue three seem like they MIGHT be a step above.

www.stillflying.net: "Here's how it might have been..."

GWEK

Tuesday, May 27, 2008 4:39 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Desertgirl:
After digesting this entire thread, it really just reminds me how much I prefer a big chunky novels to comic books. Comics just leave out too many details. Serenity comics are the first I have ever bought, and will probably be the last.

I read all three "better days" multiple times and I feel like someone told me about an episode over coffee the day after it aired. I get the gist but not the nuances.

Like I said give me a 10 pound book anyday, comics leave to many questions.

Don't judge comics too harshly. As a lifelong reader of comics and books, both have their ups and downs. It's almost--but not exactly--the difference between movies and TV shows.

Not to sound like a comic snob, but if you feel like you're not "getting" comics, it might be because you're not appreciating the subtle nuances of the form.

www.stillflying.net: "Here's how it might have been..."

PLATONIST

Tuesday, May 27, 2008 4:39 AM

The rule of thumb for Firefly is no aliens; no new carbon based life forms. That doesn't equate to a lack of technological advancement. Plus, the guy the crew was stealing from was pitching and peddling his drones, until Reynolds! stole it from under him, making him look foolish. Mal wasn’t buying or using the robot. He was stealing it for a client, who ended up not really having the money. I’m not sure how this strays to far from the Safe heist, The Lassiter, The Train Job or the Lilac Station. It’s a job, so it fits in the small verse or the big blockbuster.

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