Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Writer: Zack Whedon
Artist: Georges Jeanty
Release Date: 25th June 2014

And so it ends – the first in the continuing stories of the Firefly Class 03-K64 transport known as Serenity. After the climactic events of issue #5, it was difficult to imagine quite how they were going to top it, and the answer to this particular thought process is, perhaps a little sadly, that they simply don’t try.

That’s not to say that this isn’t a great issue, and a wonderfully appropriate ending to a fantastic series, but the assault on the Alliance facility is among the most satisfying pieces of action that Firefly/Serenity has served up in any medium – Whedon knows this, and not trying is his way of emphasising that point, instead opting for an issue that sets about tying up the loose ends left a-blowing.

Not that this issue is without action at all – there’s still the matter of Zoe being imprisoned, and this is resolved with a degree of confidence, and a fun wee action sequence that recalls the crew’s escape from the Reavers at the beginning of the film, only with River at the helm instead of our beloved Wash.

The best things about it, though? First up, we get an explanation of quite how Jubal Early showed up once more in issue 2, and following on from that, we’re promised even more stories going forward. Plus, we’ve got some new crew members, which’ll create an interesting new dynamic for the crew.

Proof that there’s life in this old girl yet, the series as a whole has been absolutely wonderful, even if this particular issue – by it’s very nature of wrapping up everything that’s happened, and setting up a new status quo – isn’t quite as good as its predecessor. Still, it leaves you wanting more, and that’s very much to its credit, and it’s not enough to dock it any points. And then there’s the final panel – you can practically hear David Newman’s score from the film playing over it, and if ever there was a better one to end a comic on, I’ve not come across it yet. A ship, a leaf, a breeze, and we watched them all soar rather high indeed.

Rating: 5/5.

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The writer of this piece was: Ross Sweeney
Ross tweets from @Rostopher24