| Title | : | Firefly: The Unification War Vol. 1 |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1684153220 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781684153220 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 144 |
| Publication | : | First published April 30, 2019 |
From Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Avengers) comes a new era of Firefly, as the definitive story of the Unification War is told at last!
Captain Malcolm Reynolds thought he could outrun his past, but when a simple heist goes wrong, he’s forced to confront it. With the fabled Traitor of Serenity Valley in his sights, Mal’s quest for revenge will put him at odds with his own crew, forcing him to make a choice: fix the past or fight for the future.
Along with Whedon, writer Greg Pak (Mech Cadet Yu, Totally Awesome Hulk, Weapon X) and artist Dan McDaid (Judge Dredd: Mega City Zero) take you back to the battleground where it all began...and reveal a secret history that might end it all.
Firefly: The Unification War Vol. 1 Reviews
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I have never thought of myself as a rabid cult member, however … “Firefly: The Unification War, Volume 1” tells the story in the “Unification War” (part one) and it reads like an episode from the television show. The crew is still not entirely comfortable with each other and each has their own goals. Jayne wants to blow things up and turn people in for money, Wash just wants Zoe to be safe.
Both the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Firefly” franchises have recently migrated from Dark Horse Comics to BOOM! Studios, “Firefly” never felt like it got the attention it deserved at Dark Horse.
Watch the Movie (Serenity), and watch the series, ‘Firefly’ just keeps renewing itself. It’s not the only time the comics have elaborated on “Firefly’s” universe beyond the TV show. Now you may also read some novelizations by James Lovegrove and Tim Lebbon.
Barnes and Noble is offering an exclusive edition of this production which features both a variant cover by JOCK and a bonus 40-page story from critically acclaimed screenwriter Josh Lee Gordon and artist Francesco Mortarino, revealing the secret origin of one of the most beloved Firefly characters. -
Very soon you can expect that every one of your favorite tv series or movies will be resurrected as a comic series. Buffy, Star Wars, and on and on. But lest I sound like a complete cynic, I loved the space cowboy series Firefly, thought it ended too soon, and was curious what Greg Pak would do with the series. And I like it, it's fun! He basically just creates more stories out of the world of the tv series, just so you can hear the gags and experience the low-risk adventures. So, yeah, it's a remedy to the "my series (or book) ended! What can I do??!" malady. Pak has the patter down, the art is fine, doesn't quite get them right, but hey, it's good for Firefly fans, it's enjoyable. But you should see the series!!
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The new Firefly series from Boom does the same mistake Marvel did with their main Star Wars comic by setting the story somewhere between the TV show and the movie. Which means that: a) there is pretty much zero tension regarding the characters' safety, and b) there is little to no room for character or story development past what we have already seen on the show and in the movie, which all results in this book feeling like empty calories. That said, Greg Pak has a fine handle on pretty much all of the characters and writes a passable story that succeeds in feeling like a lost episode of the show (albeit a filler one). Some people will love that, especially those who still think that Firefly needs to be resurrected. I'm not one of those people, I've been quite happy and content with Serenity and Dark Horse's original comic continuations which at least felt like they were moving the characters and their stories forward. I also feel like they were better-written, but that's pretty much a given since most of them were by the Whedons themselves, and nobody does that Whedonesque dialogue quite like them. Still, Pak is doing a fine job with what he has to work with, and I wouldn't mind picking up another volume of this series the next time I find myself in the mood for some Firefly.
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3.5🌟
I've never watched firefly, but I always hear about it since there is such a cult like following. This isn't much of an origin story seems rather like it picks up somewhere in the middle of the stories timeline. The volume is full of laughs, enjoyable banter among the crew, daring adventure, and cinematic action sequences. I really enjoyed this universe, and all the characters.
Pak has stirred up a flavourful tale. I wouldn't hesitate to pick up volume 2, and get to know this crew some more. More adventure please. I'm sure the franchise of firefly will be the main draw for readers here, but I see the beginnings of a solid story for sure. Recommended for anyone that likes adventure comics, and firefly addicts.
Volume 2 🌟🌟🌟🌟 -
I am a fan of the Firefly tv series and movie and one of those who considers the tv-show too shortlived.
Anyhow Whedons creation does continue to live in the comic-verse and this first volume of the Unification war is quite an interesting start of 3 volumes of this tale of the whole crew of the original series in which Mal & Zoe have been declared war-criminals and that the hunt on them has opened.
We get to see the whole crew bond more in the accident of an exploding engine when they "crash" land on the pilgrimage planet Bethlehem and have to take a job to finance the repairs. It is then that they discover how broad religion can be seen and how honor still does play a large role.
A fantastic new adventure from Firefly, fun and recognizable. -
5 Stars for Firefly Vol. 1: The Unification War #1 by Greg Pak Illustrators Dan McDaid and Marcelo Costa. I haven’t had a Firefly fix in a long time. This definitely helped. I’m looking forward to the next books in the series.
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Greg Pak spins a tolerably passable Firefly yarn, with a few scenes I could imagine actually being in the original TV show. The likenesses aren't perfect, but the art has an appropriately gritty feel. I just wish the package weren't so slim, with just four complete issues and a whole lot of alternate covers.
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While I wish we were getting a continuation of where Dark Horse left off with the post-Serenity comics, this is possibly the next best thing we could have gotten. The writing is fun, and the art is SO stellar. Any fan of the tv show will love this one! The stakes are a little low since we know which characters survive the story because of the timeline, but it’s still a great story that fleshes out the world even further. 5/5 stars.
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Wow! Surprised me how much I enjoyed this one. Maybe it's simply because I'm smitten with Firefly. But it was a fun jaunt into a world and characters I have long loved!
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If you are a fan of Firefly, then these titles are a great way to continue the journey of your favorite ship’s crew. This series takes place between the end of the Firefly TV series and the movie Serenity, so all your favorite crew members are still aboard the good ship Serenity. The three books include flashbacks to the Unification War and the some of the actions Mal and Zoe took during that conflict that apparently got them labeled as war criminals! And their past has finally caught up to them. The dialogue is excellent and true to character while the art style makes the characters easily recognizable. The Unification War three-part series is an excellent way to revisit the Firefly Universe. There is already a sequel to the series called New Sheriff in the ‘Verse!
-Andy -
A good little Firefly story, though as others have commented it loses some points by being set in advance of the Serenity movie, thus robbing it of some of its dramatic tension.
The background of what happened in The Unification War is a good one, and Pak does a good job of making it very real, with characters affected by the conflict. The back and forth between people from both sides of the conflict is getting a little stale by the end, though, so hopefully we won't see that spread across many future volumes.
There's also pretty nice characterization of the crew, though Pak isn't yet able to juggle them well enough to give them all their character spotlights.
Maybe 3.5 stars. It's on the edge, but I enjoyed it. -
Greg Pak nails the voices of the characters of Firefly, which I think is the most important thing to say. From the first page, I'm hearing all the dialog as if the actors are reading it, and it sounds perfectly in line with the universe of Firefly (which is good, because the art isn't quite as good at capturing the characters; they're recognizable, but... a bit off). And the story feels very true to the series as well - taking place between the series and the movie, an attack leaves Serenity grounded, and the business Mal dredges up to earn money for repairs..., well it goes about as badly as you might expect. Pilgrims of questionable faith and hunters of war criminals (or, as they're better known, browncoats) merge into an explosive story that has a whole lot of action supporting some brief glimpses back to the Unification war, even though that really isn't as primary a topic as the title of the book would hint. I would have rated it a little higher had the art been more on brand and had the ending actually provided any closure - it's very much a cliffhanger. But the story and the dialog are very good (although Zoe, Wash, Mal and newcomers carry most of the story - the rest of the crew have brief moments to shine, but spend most of the story in the background), and I look forward to reading more of it. Highly recommended to fans of the show; those who aren't familiar with the characters won't get nearly as much out of it, though.
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It seems I can never tire of these characters, which is shiny!
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Thus starts a new era into the Firefly universe with Mal and company. We will, hopefully, get some long overdue answers, and plug some plot holes. This story arc covers mostly the backstory of Mal and Zoe, and how they came to be brown coats. What the Unification War really was and what their part was in it. In previous installments of the TV show, movie and comics we only get bright flashes in their backstories. Enough to know that Mal was respected rank of captain. The fought in many battles and had to do questionable deeds. These deeds have created the characters that we love, warts and all.
The first installment of this series, issues 1-4, is charming and an exciting start to this story arc. Pak, nails the characters voices and the art is fantastically done. But, what is lacking a bit in this first four issue book is the expected depth. It's a bit too lighthearted for the deep material that is supposed to cover. The war that Mal and Zoe participated in fundamentally changed them as people. They killed people, wreaked atrocities in the name of their homeworlds. While there should be some light banter, this is Firefly, I am looking for more depth to the plot. I hope in the next book we get more into the backstory and it is a bit more serious. -
Boom! hits another home run, snapping up properties others mismanage into cancellation.
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From the title of this series, I was expecting a lot more background info on The Unification War itself. So far, that doesn't seem to be the case.
The plot is unfolding like a very long lost episode, with the crew of Serenity trying to rescue Mal from... seemingly, the consequences of his own war crimes? There's a bit of back-flashing (er... flash-backing?) here and there, but it's only the briefest glimpses--intended to make the reader doubt the core nature of both Zoe and Mal.
I don't care much for the pilgrim subplot. (Their motivations just aren't compelling.) And the artwork periodically left something to be desired. (Had to strain a bit sometimes to tell which brunette female character was being represented.) The concept art-type whole pages that separate sections are gorgeous. I would just have liked to see this kind of quality throughout. -
Mixed thoughts on this. On one hand, the characters are well-written and the plot is fun (although the multiple rapid-fire plot twists are a bit tiring). On the other, the additions to Mal and Zoe's time in the war really detracts from their characters.
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Okay. So. Confession time.
I found out there was a Firefly ongoing because of the preview of a later issue and investigated thinking it was going to be terrible.
And now I have FEELINGS.
The writer really GETS the whole cast and he used the ensemble in really interesting ways. And he put a lot of thought into the whole war backstory that I'm fairly certain the show never did but it all works really well. The art is not terrific but I'm loving the writing and vaguely confused about how I got here.
Also Mal does the butt pose on one of the credit pages, which I mention to maintain a brand I never meant to have. -
A shiny start to another Firefly adventure, with some lovely artwork thrown in. Gotta say though, out of all the different art by different artists, most of whom get at least one character looking right, not one has been able to get even close to getting Jayne right. What is it about Adam Baldwin that apparently no-one can capture? it wouldn't bug me so much if he wasn't my favourite character, I suppose, but still...
Anyway, art aside, the story is promising so far, and there's definitely a lot of the amusing banter the show was packed with. I especially chuckled at how Wash and Zoe expressed their love for each other...
I'll definitely be picking up the rest of the series! -
This is probably my favorite Firefly graphic novel so far. We get to see some of that classic Mal Reynolds honor and experience a little more deeply how much the war haunts him. It's so fun to see the crew all together again (ah, to be in the pre-Serenity days), especially as they attempt to stall their captors by arguing over which of them is *most* sinful and thus should be ritually sacrificed last. I'm eager to get my hands- Kindle?- on the next installment of the story.
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This was a lot of fun, and it really captured the essence of an episode of Firefly.
The way the characters were written and the way they interacted with each other was absolutely spot on.
*Spoiler-free*
In this first part of The Unification War we see the crew of Serenity taking an ever-so-slightly shady job escorting some peculiar pilgrims to their holy site, protecting them from the region's bandit gang whilst on route.
They are interrupted by the arrival of Unificators; mercenaries who have been hired to track down and capture war criminals, and Captain Reynolds and first mate Zoe are their current targets.
Dividing the crew into two, we bounce between Group 1; Mal, Zoe, Kaylee, Simon and River who are on the run from the Unificators, and Group 2; Wash, Book, Inara and Jayne who are trying to conclude their business with the pilgrims - but it turns out they weren't just hired on as muscle and protection.
As I said, the story's structure and the way the characters were portrayed was absolutely perfect. I heard the actors voices behind every line and the split plot was as gripping and balanced as the show.
For all my praise, it should be remembered that I am a huge Firefly fan. If you aren't already familiar with Mal and his crew I am not quite sure how much of this story would translate."Mal! This is crazy! You can't out-gun those bazookas like that!"
"If the only other option is to get blown up sitting on our cans, I guess..."
I also really enjoyed the art! It was colourful in just the right places, whilst maintaining the iconic sci-fi/western hybrid aesthetic.
A minor gripe; some of the faces in the smaller panels where a bit strange. It wouldn't have been so odd if it weren't main characters, but Zoe in particular seemed to get a hard time in the face-department when it came to her being in the background - it honestly looked like she had been messing around with a swarm of bees just beforehand. But this may just be me being overly protective of one of my favourite fictional characters. Sue me.
Another small element I really appreciated was having quotes from the show/film on the chapter pages. It was a nice touch and they brought a smile to my face every time.
Overview:
Story (Greg Pak): 5/5 - It felt like a Firefly classic. Duel plotlines featuring interwoven themes throughout both. Splendid.
Art (Dan McDaid): 4/5 - The larger scale art was wonderful, but smaller scale character work looked like they were trying for too much detail in too small a space. Still, it was really good.
Colour (Marcelo Costa): 4/5 - Cohesive and really added to the tone of the story.
The flashback/PTSD red really stood out to me as a superb use of colour atmosphere.
Overall... 4.5 stars, rounded down to leaving room for improvement.
I really enjoyed this and I look forward to getting started on Vol.2 soon!
__________________
Thank you for reading my review.
Reading this review back it is strange to hear myself talk about graphic novels like I know anything, as I am still somewhat new to reading them.
But, having a rather good frame of reference both in regard to the Firefly canon and the Witcher universe, who's graphic novels I previously reviewed, I feel like I am slowly getting the hang of noticing and picking apart what makes a graphic novel good or not so. That being said - if anyone who is better read in this genre has any feedback or recommendations I am completely open to them.
I hope you are all well and have a lovely day. -
It's generally a delight to settle in with the Firefly crew. The banter is near-perfect in this volume of the Unification War series, as is the twisty action with numerous double-crosses. What's lacking are the quiet character moments. This series is designed to dovetail with Mal and Zoe's time as browncoats, but the handful of single-scene flashbacks don't really give you a strong idea of what they're going through. And there are basically no scenes for the other characters to talk about anything besides the mess they're in.
It's a fun mess, at least. After crash-landing on a desert planet, the Serenity crew undertake a classic Western trope of helping some pilgrims steer clear of bandits and get safely to their place of worship. Bandit attacks are quickly superseded by a group called the Unificators who are on the hunt for browncoat war criminals. Every issue features a gun-fight; every gun-fight features a surprise twist. It's all good fun, just a bit more surface level than I'd hoped for.
...and, if I'm being honest, the art is largely trash. Dan McDaid has a few good, painterly scenes, but affairs often devolve into scratchy blandness that barely evoke the characters we know and love. Hopefully, the art will get an upgrade in volume two. -
I feel a bit meh about this. I wanted to love it more. It’s too short to get much character development in, especially to build anguish around Mal’s choice, and it exists in this weird space between the show and the movie, I think? I tend to think of the movie as it’s own separate thing that wouldn’t have connected to the series, ideally. But that’s neither here nor there. It just feels like it isn’t set up well.
I like the idea of the theme of dealing with the trauma of war, but I think this bounces around a bit too quickly for me and that’s a distraction from the emotion.
The art is also not as consistent as I’d like it to be. I couldn’t easily tell River from Inara without dialogue to guide me. It’s like their faces aren’t developed enough? Or perhaps that the chapter pages are detailed to look like the actors from the show/movie, but then the comic book characters don’t continue the look from the more detailed art spreads.
I’ll keep reading the next installment, but I’m going to move to the full novels for my real Firefly fix. -
*Read for the YA Reading Challenge 2020*
I like Greg Pak's work generally, but he's not someone who always hits home runs for me. I came in to this with guarded optimism and I was rewarded with a similar feeling Firefly tale, but with a take I haven't really seen from this world. What if Mal and Zoe had more in their war-torn past than we previous knew about? That's the jumping off point here and while there is a whole 2nd volume to this story I'm excited to pick up, this book does a good job giving most of the crew something to do. Everyone plays their role's predictably, but that's ok because the story is going to open up some questions that will give us catalyst to move the story forward.
See you all for Vol 2 where we find out of this thing can pay itself off. -
3.5 stars. Pretty good start to the continuation of the series in comic format. It definitely has a lot of the spirit of the show and will make the best possible substitute for a TV series cut short far too soon. I'd certainly be interested in continuing my mourning of the show by getting further into this comic series, but I'm not sure anything will ever heal that wound..
I liked all the extra bits at the end of the book. The script to page part was particularly interesting – especially if you're interested in the process of making comics. -
It was so nice to get to catch up with the crew of the Serenity. No spoilers really for the show or movie (bar the pilot episode), as this seems to take place somewhere in the middle of the first season. For those who have seen it all .
Also we find out why the Serenity crew took that one herding job in the show, tugs on your heartstrings a bit. -
There's a whole lotta misbehavin' as Serenity is forced to crash land and Mal & Zoe are hunted by Unificators for their crimes during the war. Meanwhile, the crew is hired by religious pilgrims to safely escort them to their holy site, but something doesn't seem right as the pilgrims enjoy the killing of bandits a little too much.
Looking forward to Vol. 2! -
Rounding up from 3.5/5.
Good bones and excellent concept of filling in some of the gaps of Mal and Zoe's past. As usual, "protagonists" and "heroes" doesn't mean "saints" when it comes to this series, and this volume dives even deeper into that.
The end is engaging and makes you want to pick up the next volume.
The subplot of the job the crew gets into lost me a bit. Also, I thought there were points where the art was just slightly off, particularly in the depiction of Jayne.
There was lots of fan service in this, almost too much. There were points where it seemed they were leaning on it a little hard, and some of the standout mannerisms of the crew came off a bit mimicked rather than organic.
Still, good start to the series from a writer new to it, and hopefully he hit his stride in the next volume.
