If you're reading this then you're likely a fan of Firefly and Serenity, heck you're probably a Browncoat, and you're still waving an angry fist at Fox for cancelling the show. Set during the Firefly years, under the Serenity alias, Better Days #1 launches a new three-parter under the guiding hands of Whedon and Firefly veteran Brett Matthews. Shiny.

From the beginning it's clear the comic wants to emulate a single episode of the T.V. series and is completely successful in re-wiring the Firefly format for paper. Revisiting the original show's timeline may well have been Better Days #1's undoing, especially since the cataclysmic events in Serenity, but the return testifies to the endurance and likeability of the universe and each character's unique perspective toward eachother and the world around them. Better Days #1 is a little guilty of recycling some of the more central plot-lines that have been visited in both series and movie, especially considering the resolution of a certain romance sub-plot, but the admission is worth it alone to see a welcome return to old faces and happier times.

Of course, this is only issue 1 of 3 and it would be incongruous with Whedon's style if there wasn't a left turn when we were all expecting a right. Just sad it's a whole month and not a commercial break until the next installment.

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