‘Brand New ’Verse’ (2021) introduces ‘Firefly’s’ next gen; ‘River Run’ (2021), ‘Keep Flying’ (2022) highlight River

After Greg Pak wrapped up his run of 36 issues (plus some one-shots) as Boom! Studios’ lead “Firefly” writer, Josh Lee Gordon took over for “Firefly: Brand New ’Verse” Issues 1-6 (2021). This series jumps ahead to the next generation, with Emma now an 18-year-old who will soon be Serenity’s captain, her mother Zoe promises.

Let’s do the time jump again

I was trepidatious about yet another time jump for the storyline after Pak’s “Return to the Earth That Was” had jumped beyond the end of the Dark Horse timeline. I liked how Dark Horse’s series formed a tight timeline. I shouldn’t have been worried about Gordon’s talents, though, as he had penned “Bad Company,” an excellent Saffron one-shot.

Indeed, “Brand New Verse” is a combination of a questionable choice (the jump to a new generation, which leaves the reader in the dark about in-between events) with unquestionably solid storytelling. It ended up not being successful with fans, apparently, as Boom! did yet another reset after this, going back to the post-“Return to Earth That Was” time period for a series called “All-New Firefly.” Whew.

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If Gordon’s work ends up being a path-not-taken, let’s appreciate it as an intriguing path, in both character and story. Emma and her longtime friend Lu, one year younger, are hooked on VR technology and slacking at shipboard responsibilities, to Zoe’s annoyance.

Rounding out the four-person crew is Salo, who meditates and heads up the buying and selling duties. He’s of Hispanic descent, a new concept in the ’Verse, which was primarily settled by a joint American-Chinese space force.

This is 500 years in the future, but it’s hard to not think of “Brand New ’Verse’s” cast as a diverse, Gen-Z lot. Emma and Lu are irresponsible teens, but they are also talented. The Emma-Zoe rift plays out with significant stakes as Serenity is pursued by a Blue Sun battleship. In a parallel to how the “Firefly” saga started, our crew has accidentally picked up human cargo, a woman named Raz.

A new human cargo

She hails from 21^st century San Francisco. So although Boom! has left the “Return to Earth That Was” developments in the dust, Gordon allows us to continue to explore links to human history via Raz and the arkship where she emerged from cryo-sleep.

Gordon does an excellent job of building the younger characters while also doing more than merely throwing a bone to fans of the original crew. Simon and Kaylee – now with young twins and settled on a farmstead – play a major part in “Brand New ’Verse.” So does River, who has at first blush taken up the role formerly held by Mr. Universe; she lives on a rock and is surrounded by monitors.

River lives with a toddler-aged ward named Shakti who has telekinetic powers. No doubt Gordon intends (or intended, if this arc has been canceled) to fill in Shakti’s backstory. But as it stands now, it’s irksome to not get it.

The adventure is gripping, though, as it shifts between light humor and danger. Zoe gets mind-probed by the cappuccino-loving Blue Sun captain who has also contracted Inara’s companion services. Gordon uses this probing tech, and the VR tech Emma and Lu are hooked on, as tools to unlock Raz’s mysterious story. The potential for knowledge about Raz’s Earth-That-Was and the theoretical Brand New ’Verse of the title hangs over everything.

It’s backed by what might be Boom’s best “Firefly” art, from illustrator Fabiana Mascolo and colorist Lucia Di Giammarino. Mascolo’s likenesses are excellent, her action flows well, and my only quibble is she’s a little short on facial expressiveness. “Brand New ’Verse” is worth reading if you’re in it for the adventure and not insistent upon Captain Emma’s arc continuing.

4 stars

“River Run”

The new captain’s arc does sort of continue in the “20^th Anniversary Special,” which I reviewed in a previous post. But only in the sense that it’s one more small story with this crew that furthers Emma’s emergence into a decision-maker’s role. That story isn’t one of Gordon’s best, and unfortunately it marks the end of his “Firefly” run, for now.

Speaking of one-shot comics, I’ll review two more here, both featuring River but (unfortunately) neither giving the backstory of her hermit status or friendship with Shakti. “River Run” (2021) might’ve been designed as a test run for David M. Booher, the lead writer of “All-New Firefly.” It’s the very definition of an unnecessary comic.

“River Run” retells the story of Simon’s rescue of River from Alliance scientists as we saw in the TV series and film. It’s more robust, granted. We see Simon’s numerous trials and tribulations dealing with an anti-Alliance Underground that has its own goals, sometimes separate from Simon’s.

We’re reminded of the awfulness of the Tam parents, and cute flashbacks show the “us against the world” sibling bond was there even in the happy times. Backed by solid art that gets the likenesses right but doesn’t elevate the thread enough to justify its retelling, “River Run” is at least respectful of the lore.

3 stars

“Keep Flying”

But then there’s Jeff Jensen’s one-shot “Keep Flying” (2022), also River-centric. I’ve forgiven Jensen’s past “Firefly” work as at least being heartfelt, but this is the weakest “Firefly” comic, edging out the “20^th Anniversary Special.” It’s initially centered on Mal’s 60^th birthday party, then it shifts into a farcical romp wherein the crew has to temporarily put its shipment of sheep on a river raft while avoiding enemies.

Combined with corny artwork from Nicola Izzo and Francesco Segala that doesn’t respect the likenesses at all (River has dark skin), “Keep Flying’s” plot is like a parody of a “Firefly” plot, or perhaps a placeholder because Jensen feels a comic issue needs some sort of narrative.

Slightly more interesting is the revelation that River’s memories are a patchwork that actually comes from the other crew members’ minds. This oddity causes River to lack confidence in her brilliant but fragile brain. Helping her through it is her fiancée Rose. A romance wouldn’t be my first pick for the next River arc I wanted to read, but I’ll try to keep an open mind when I get to “All-New Firefly.”

In Booher’s 10-issue (plus a concluding one-shot titled “Big Damn Finale”) series, I’ll likely get a full picture of the River-Rose meeting and relationship. But it’s nonetheless weak that an issue mainly about their bond gives us little sense of Rose other than that River likes her. Kennedy and Willow come to mind. Based on this issue alone, a reader will think River deserves someone with more personality.

2 stars

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