When Joss Whedon's television show Firefly (2002-2003) was cancelled, devoted fans cried foul and demanded more--which led to the 2005 feature film Serenity. Both the series and the film were celebrated for their melding of science fiction and western iconography, dystopian settings, underdog storylines, and clever fast-paced dialogue. Firefly has garnered a great deal of scholarly attention--less so, Serenity. This collection of new essays, the first focusing exclusively on the film, examines its depictions of race, ableism, social engineering and systems of power, and its status as a crime film, among other topics.
Screenwriter, director, producer and comic book author Joss Whedon is best known for his television series and films featuring villainous vampires, angry gods and even bloggers who wish to rule the world. Within these works is a prevalent yet commonly overlooked theme--the corporate antagonist. This book examines the effects of this corporate culture on the protagonists of Whedon's most famous works (including Buffy, Roseanne, the Avengers, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Dollhouse) to reveal explicit sociopolitical commentaries on corporate control in the real world.
A lot has happened since Finding Serenity. We learned River's secret; Mal took on the Alliance. Our favorite crew became Big Damn Heroes. And the Browncoats proved that hard work, passion and a little fan coordination can do the impossible. Serenity Found takes the contents of Finding Serenity even further, exploring not just the show but the events of the film as well, to create an anthology that's even more thought-provoking, fascinating and far-thinking than its predecessor. * Acclaimed science fiction author Orson Scott Card lauds "Serenity" as film sci-fi finally done right * Writer and comedian Natalie Haynes reveals the real feminist savvy of the "Firefly" universe: the girls get the guns and the gags * Pop culture critic Michael Marano connects damaged, ass-kicking River to the other weaponized women of the Whedonverse * Multiverse executive producer Corey Bridges explains why the world of "Firefly" is the perfect setting for an MMORPG * Mutant Enemy's visual effects wizard Loni Peristere relates what he's learned from Joss about telling stories, and tells a story of his own about Serenity's design * Television Without Pity recapper Jacob Clifton frames "Serenity" as a parable about media: how it controls us, how we can control it and how to separate the signal from the noise * And Nathan Fillion, "Firefly" and "Serenity's" Captain Malcolm Reynolds, shares his affinity for Mal and his love of Mal's ship and crew.
One of Serenity's greatest mysteries is finally revealed in The Shepherd's Tale, filling in the life of one of the show's most beloved characters—Shepherd Book! Who was Book before meeting Mal and the rest of the Serenity crew? How did he become one of their most trusted allies? And how did he find God in a bowl of soup? Answers to these and more questions about Book's past are uncovered in this original graphic novel by rising stars Zack Whedon (Dr. Horrible, Terminator, Fringe) and Chris Samnee (Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps, Daredevil). A pivotal chapter in the ongoing Serenity saga, The Shepherd's Tale is also a rollicking, action-packed epic in its own right! • "Dark Horse's Serenity displays the key ingredients of the series in a substantial and entertaining way."—BrokenFrontier.com
From Joss Whedon (the visionary creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer), buried histories and secret identities are revealed, along with all the heist-takin’, authority-dodgin’, death-defyin’ space-cowboyin’ you’ve been missing from your life, as this ragtag crew of mercenaries, outlaws, and fugitives travel the stars in search of their next adventure in these sequels to the hit Firefly television series and Serenity film. Collects Serenity: Those Left Behind #1-3, Serenity: Better Days #1-3, and Serenity: The Shepherd’s Tale OGN.
In the film Serenity, outlaw Malcolm Reynolds and his crew revealed to the entire 'verse the crimes against humanity undertaken by the sinister government--the Alliance. Here, in the official follow-up to the film, the crew has been in hiding since becoming everyone's most wanted, and now they are forced to come out. River uncovers more secrets, leading these former Browncoats on a dangerous mission against the Alliance that, with hope, will bring them together again . . . Television writer Zack Whedon (Deadwood, Southland, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) continues the saga of Joss Whedon's space cowboys!
The second original novel tying into the critically acclaimed and much-missed Firefly series from creator Joss Whedon. An old flame of Jayne Cobb's, Temperance McCloud, sends a message to Serenity, begging him for help. She lives on the arid, far-flung world of Tethys, and bandits are trying to overrun her town to gain control of their water supply: the only thing standing between its people and dustbowl ruin. Jayne tries to persuade the Serenity crew to join the fight, but it is only when he offers Vera, his favourite gun, as collateral that Mal realises he's serious. When the Serenity crew land at a hardscrabble desert outpost called Coogan's Bluff, they discover two things: an outlaw gang with an almost fanatical devotion to their leader who will stop at nothing to get what they want, and that Temperance is singlehandedly raising a teenage daughter, born less than a year after Temperance and Jayne broke up. A daughter by the name of Jane McCloud...
A lot has happened since Finding Serenity. We learned River's secret; Mal took on the Alliance. Our favorite crew became Big Damn Heroes. And the Browncoats proved that hard work, passion and a little fan coordination can do the impossible. Serenity Found takes the contents of Finding Serenity even further, exploring not just the show but the events of the film as well, to create an anthology that's even more thought-provoking, fascinating and far-thinking than its predecessor. * Acclaimed science fiction author Orson Scott Card lauds "Serenity" as film sci-fi finally done right * Writer and comedian Natalie Haynes reveals the real feminist savvy of the "Firefly" universe: the girls get the guns and the gags * Pop culture critic Michael Marano connects damaged, ass-kicking River to the other weaponized women of the Whedonverse * Multiverse executive producer Corey Bridges explains why the world of "Firefly" is the perfect setting for an MMORPG * Mutant Enemy's visual effects wizard Loni Peristere relates what he's learned from Joss about telling stories, and tells a story of his own about Serenity's design * Television Without Pity recapper Jacob Clifton frames "Serenity" as a parable about media: how it controls us, how we can control it and how to separate the signal from the noise * And Nathan Fillion, "Firefly" and "Serenity's" Captain Malcolm Reynolds, shares his affinity for Mal and his love of Mal's ship and crew.
From the 4 million US viewers who watched Buffy, the Vampire Slayer to a worldwide box office of $1.5 billion for The Avengers is quite a leap. Yet the creator of them both, Josh Whedon, told as personal a tale with six superheroes and over-the-top explosions as he did with a girl trying to make her way through high school. Whedon has always been determined to follow his own path. This definitive biography shows how his years at an elite English public school led to his early successes, which often turned into frustration in both television (Roseanne) and film (Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Alien: Resurrection). But when Whedon resurrected his girl hero on a young network, the results enabled him to produce three more television series, several movies, and Marvel comic books, culminating in the blockbuster The Avengers. Then Much Ado About Nothing, a personal project shot in his home and cast with friends, allowed him to step out of Marvel's shadow. Amy Pascale has based this revealing biography on extensive original interviews with Whedon's family, friends, collaborators, and stars—as well as with the man himself. They've shared candid, behind-the-scenes accounts of his work with Pixar, his filmmaking adventures, and the making of his groundbreaking series Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Amy Pascale is a director at MTV. She co-founded and edits the offbeat Web magazine PopGurls.com. She lives in New York. Nathan Fillion starred in the Josh Whedon vehicles Firefly, Serenity, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, and Much Ado About Nothing. He plays Richard Castle on the ABC series Castle.
