Firefly

• Title: Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #6 (of 6)
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Zack Whedon
• Artist: Georges Jeanty

Despite teasing us with a new Broancoat rebellion and an army of River-like assassins to fight, Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #6 wraps up the six-issue mini-series mainly concerned with the planning and execution of breaking Zoe out of an Alliance prison and introducing a dangerous new villain.

The series brings Jayne back onto the ship as well as two new members in Iris (another brainwashed assassin who, at least so far, is less wacky than River but no less deadly) and Bea who seems to have earned a spot on the ship with the halt to her rebellion and the help she provides while rescuing Zoe. How long either sticks around is anyone’s guess.

The only sequence I thought felt out of place was the confrontation between the frehsly-rescued Zoe and the Operative. It’s not that I don’t feel that scene would have taken place, I’m just not quite buying taking place at that particular moment which seems a bit shoehorned into the comi (plus it removes an intriguing character from the fold). Worth a look.

[Dark Horse, $3.50]

• Title: Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #5 (of 6)
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Zack Whedon
• Artist: Georges Jeanty

As with many of Mal‘s plans, sneaking into a secret Alliance facility to rescue others like River Tam who were taken to be programmed into unstoppable killing machines gets the captain, Jayne, and their new friends in quite a bit of trouble when the scientist unleashes his prize possession against the intruders.

Featuring quite a bit of action and death as Browncoats go down to both the Alliance soldiers and the assassin, while the Operative finishes off another member of his ilk, Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #5 also offers a short flashback to “Out of Gas” as Mal dusts off the big red button to save the lives of himself and his crew one more time (and offers a nice cameo of Wash).

With only one issue remaining, and Zoe still locked in an Alliance prison somewhere, the Alliance has finally made Mal Reynolds angry enough to join the fight as both he and Bea discover just how many of the Browncoats the Alliance has killed. Worth a look.

[Dark Horse, $3.50]

• Title: Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #4 (of 6)
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Zack Whedon
• Artist: Georges Jeanty

The mini-series continues giving us a glimpse of Zoe‘s new life as a prison of the Alliance while Mal and his crew, with the help of Jayne‘s new friends and the Operative, attempt to make use of River Tam‘s newest restored memories by attacking an Alliance medical research station where she, and several other candidates, were experimented on.

Although they are able to sneak into the facility what they find aren’t so much scared young women in need of rescue but fully-designed super-soldiers, along with the doctor who created them, setting up big trouble for Mal and his group to deal with in the final two issues.

Although Kaylee earns the cover for this issue neither she nor Inara are given much to do other than express the crew’s concern of Mal bringing in the Operative. It will be interesting to see an example of what River was meant to become as next month’s issue will also give us the conclusion of the Operative’s fight with another of his ilk. Worth a look.

[Dark Horse, $3.50]

• Title: Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #3 (of 6)
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Zack Whedon
• Artist: Georges Jeanty

More familiar faces return as Jubal Early makes his move and subdues each member of Serenity‘s crew, and its new guests, one-by-one (although he does forget about Kaylee) while River sleeps searching for more secrets she can use to fight the Alliance.

Kaylee’s defeat of Early gives the ship’s mechanic a bit of revenge from one of the show’s most disturbing sequences where she found herself at the insane assassin’s mercy and now can turn the tables. Although he’s able to work his way through the crew, I am surprised with how quickly the comic ends his piece of the story (at least for now).

With River’s remembrance of others who, like her, were manipulated and experimented on by the Alliance means the crew will have to make a side-trip before rescuing Zoe which also means Mal needs to recruit another member to the team. It also likely means the mini-series will finally begin pulling the curtain back on those who experimented on River and means the possible return of pairs of soldiers with hands of blue. Worth a look.

[Dark Horse, $3.50]

• Title: Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #2 (of 6)
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Zack Whedon
• Artist: Georges Jeanty

Complications with Zoe‘s pregnancy leave the crew of Serenity with a newborn baby to care for and a forced trip to an Alliance medical ship where the crew, to protect themselves and young Emma, must leave the injured ship’s first mate in the hands of their enemy.

That’s hardly the only trouble for the crew as Jayne leads the leaders of the new resistance to their messiah who (not surprisingly) has no interest in joining or leading their cause, especially after Mal correctly deduces that rebels have brought trouble right to his door.

Jayne swapping places with Zoe means we’re still without a full crew, and River‘s choice to put herself in a medically-induced coma to find more information like Miranda which can be uses as leverage against the Alliance proves the young woman‘s timing hasn’t improved as it leaves her defenseless, and the ship down another crew member, when Jubal Early catches up with Serenity once more. Worth a look.

[Dark Horse, $3.50]