It’s been 16 years since we last saw the Serenity crew on the big screen. If you’re like me, you’ve been enjoying every new Firefly tie-in novel since the first debuted in 2018, including Big Damn Hero (reviewed here), The Magnificent Nine (reviewed here), The Ghost Machine, reviewed here–all by James Lovegrove–and earlier this year Tim Lebbon’s Generations (reviewed here). Lovegrove is back again with the fifth novel in the series, Firefly: Life Signs, now available here at Amazon. Each novel in essence is a new hour-long episode of sorts that continues the story of Mal Reynolds and his crew after that first–and only–season of the TV series. Just like a TV series, Firefly: Life Signs is a play on tropes from decades sci-fi history.
The fourth and latest novel in the expanded Firefly universe is the closest story fans will have encountered since the short-lived series’ first season. Tim Lebbon’s Firefly: Generations leans into its science fiction roots as Mal Reynolds and his crew find themselves balancing the life of a crew member and her desire to fulfill a destiny promised from the first episode. Two keys put them on their next adventure across the ‘verse: one key they’ve had all along, and the other is a bit of a treasure map that goes to the very heart of understanding the old Earth-That-Was. Only they may find it’s not treasure waiting, but a ship. And not just any ship, but a seemingly haunted ghost ship.
It’s been a little more than two years since BOOM! Studios took over the Firefly comics license from Dark Horse Comics. Since then BOOM! has offered up the twelve-part Unification War story arc, a second twelve-part New Sheriff in the ‘Verse arc in compilation editions (Vol. 1, Vol. 2, and Blue Sun Risingso far), and the one-shots The StingandWatch How I Soar. BOOM! has also followed Marvel Comics’ template after acquiring Star Wars and is reprinting the Dark Horse classics in new omnibus “Legacy” editions. For its next series BOOM! is shooting ahead 20 years, long after the crew of the Serenity has departed, and the ship is now captained by someone entirely new: Emma, the child of Wash and Zoe. Meet the same ‘Verse in different time periods–the future and a look to Earth before the TV series–in the new six-part series Firefly: Brand New ‘Verse. Can there really be a Firefly without Jayne? Find out in this new series.
Check out a preview of the first issue, and some variant and future covers in the series below.
It’s been 15 years since we last saw the Serenity crew on the big screen. If you’re like me, you’ve been enjoying every new Firefly tie-in novel since the first debuted in 2018. Author James Lovegrove is a frequent mention on our borg annual best-of lists, and for the Firefly series he has penned Big Damn Hero (reviewed here), The Magnificent Nine (reviewed here), and The Ghost Machine, reviewed here earlier this year. Fan-favorite author Tim Lebbon (whose work has been frequently reviewed here at borg, and we interviewed Lebbon about his Alien tie-in novel here five years ago) is stepping in for the fourth book in the series, Generations, available now here for pre-order. And now we have a cover reveal below for the fifth Firefly novel. James Lovegrove’s Firefly: Life Signsis now available for pre-order here at Amazon.
Nathan Fillion–with a moustache? One of the more interesting panels from this year’s San Diego Comic-Con and one certainly not to miss for Browncoats everywhere is a panel devoted exclusively to the star of Firefly, Castle, and The Rookie. It’s definitely one of those atypical panels (even for 2020) like we saw Fillion host back in the days of Nerd HQ, this time with added wacky editing and Fillion stepping in to provide commentary along the way. That’s right, Fillion has enough pop culture street cred to get a panel to himself. But he also knows how to share the stage.
It was seven years ago that we first revealed Agent Coulson Lives!here at borg, as fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe discovered there was more to Clark Gregg’s Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., among other things, the biggest fan of Captain America. In the marathon opening night for The Avengers, Agent Coulson served as our guide, speaking directly to viewers as he introduced Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Iron Man 2, and Captain America: The First Avenger. And in The Avengers, we saw one of the most emotional scenes of the franchise as Coulson was killed by Loki, although his biggest appearance wouldn’t arrive until last year, with his co-starring role in Captain Marvel (the MCU does like to bounce us around). When this coming season wraps this August, Gregg will have put in 136 hours of television with the character, even if in decoy form, and the first Phases of the MCU come full circle–with one more big element remaining this year–another character back from the dead–in Black Widow, coming to theaters in November.
Fifteen years after the last time we saw the crew of the Serenity, the next novel of Joss Whedon’s space Western universe is here to quench your thirst for more Firefly. James Lovegrove’s third Firefly novel, The Ghost Machine, again takes place between the events of season one of the TV series and the Serenity film, but unlike his first two novels (Big Damn Hero, reviewed here, and The Magnificent Nine, reviewed here), which felt like movie prequels to the 2005 film, this new story feels like the next episode of the TV series. It borrows a lot from the series, which will make Browncoats feel like they’re nestling back into familiar territory, while also tapping into tropes fans of science fiction will be familiar with.
The first act finds the crew on one of its trademark jobs to pick up for none other than Badger, the man in the bowler hat, certain strange cargo, that unknown quantity sealed in a can that we’ve seen the series pursue in episodes like The Train Job and The Message, and outside the stories of the ‘Verse in films like The Transporter (it’s not a person this time). The second act reveals what is inside the crate with the Blue Sun label, which Captain Mal Reynolds ultimately decides is too risky to even take aboard his ship, and then wraps readers in a whirlwind of activity as the ramifications of the cargo are played out–sort of. Recall that niggling feeling of the crew–and the viewers–from the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Cause and Effect,” and the trapped in a parallel world vibe of the Voyager two-parter “The Killing Game” and dreamscape of “Bliss”? But The Ghost Machine really kicks in with the third act, as everything you’ve read is taken to a different extreme, and a ticking clock propels the reader headlong into a gripping climax. What will it take, and who is the right choice from the crew, to break the spell and reveal the truth behind this unusual Pandora’s jar?
Lovegrove, whose novels we’re reviewed previously here at borg–both from the world of Firefly and his Sherlock Holmes mysteries–is really good at endings, and that’s what makes this story a winner. Along the way the author investigates each crew member’s ideal worlds–and their worst nightmares. This is one of the darker tales from the Firefly ‘verse, on par with the episode “Objects in Space.” Peppered throughout the novel, as you’d expect from anything sourced from the mind of Joss Whedon, who serves as consulting editor on these books, are the Easter eggs, particularly from the Western genre.
Following up on its successful look behind the entire Star Wars saga in The Moviemaking Magic of Star Wars: Creatures and Aliens (reviewed earlier here at borg), Abrams Books is bringing home the characters of Avengers: Endgame and the Marvel Studios long journey to get there in its new release The Moviemaking Magic of Marvel Studios: Heroes and Villains. Incorporating its trademark interactive Cinemagic features, including booklets, interactive flaps, and accordion fold-out images of the concept art behind every major Marvel Studios superhero, Abrams has nicely timed this book for fans of the franchise who can’t get enough of the latest MCU film. Full of color photographs and interviews with the producers, directors, art designers, costume and prop makers, and special effects magic makers behind the 21 films leading up to Avengers: Endgame, writer Eleni Roussos(The Art of Black Panther, The Art of Thor: Ragnarok) has pulled together behind the scenes insights that offer something new for even the most diehard fan.
Which characters wore practical, real-life costumes and armor, and which required motion capture and/or CGI effects? What was the key element included in Marvel’s Avengers that Joss Whedon required to be added before he agreed to direct the film? What do the contributors agree was the smartest strategic decision made for the Marvel films? How did each artist convert the character from the comic book page to the finally constructed costume that appeared on the big screen? What effects were the most challenging for each film?
Altogether The Moviemaking Magic of Marvel Studios: Heroes and Villains spotlights more than 100 individual superheroes, on-screen support crew, and the most colorful and memorable villains from the series, with significant creative and visionary contributions from Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, directors Anthony Russo, Joss Whedon, and Peyton Reed, visual development executive Ryan Meinerding and artist Andy Park, and costume designers Rebecca Gregg, Laura Jean Shannon, Mayes Rubeo, Alexandra Byrne, Anna B. Sheppard, Judianna Makovsky, Sheldon Differ, Louise Frogley, and Ruth Carter.
In his new novel Firefly: The Magnificent Nine, author James Lovegrove embarks on his next journey with the crew of Serenity following his highly successful launch point for the first ever novel series for the franchise, last year’s Firefly: Big Damn Hero (reviewed here at borg). It’s been thirteen years since we last saw a Firefly story like these two novels, which each contain the contents of about an entire movie. Along the way creator Joss Whedon has authorized some shorter tales via the comic books (discussed here). Firefly: Big Damn Hero was the Fireflyevent of last year, and this year we’ll have two novels competing for that honor, with Tim Lebbon′s contribution to the series of novels coming this fall in Firefly: Generations. So how did Lovegrove’s Firefly: The Magnificent Nine compare to his Firefly: Big Damn Hero?
As with Firefly: Big Damn Hero, Lovegrove writes the voices of the entire crew perfectly. This is another space Western, the core of the original series, and both books feel like natural progressions following the original 14 episodes (Firefly: The Magnificent Nine fits between the last episode and the 2005 film Serenity, allowing the inclusion of two fan-favorite characters–and they’re all fan-favorite characters–Hoban “Wash” Washburne and Shepherd Book). In a significant way the challenge of writing new Firefly stories is that writers only have 15 “canon” stories to build from, along with any notes from Whedon’s story development. The potential pitfall is mining the original episodes too much for throwback references. At 336 pages that’s not anything to worry about for Lovegrove. Yes, fans will appreciate the Easter Eggs throughout the tale: Jayne Cobb’s famous hat (“a giant piece of candy corn gone wrong”) does not get ignored here, and neither does his weapon of choice, Vera. But the framework of the story allows for plenty of opportunities for Lovegrove to do more with the characters. It’s hard to beat his ability to get inside the head of River in Firefly:Big Damn Hero–a difficult character who didn’t get enough time to get fleshed out in the series. But this time River takes a backseat and Jayne gets the spotlight. As a completely original storyFirefly: Big Damn Herowins, but not by a lot.
As the title should indicate, Firefly: The Magnificent Nineis an homage to the classic, epic Western The Magnificent Seven, its source Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, and countless adaptations since. It’s notable and important that this isn’t another actual adaptation or full retelling of the story, as Lovegrove takes his own tangent from the story after setting up the novel’s first act. But he peppers the story with familiar references, like using actors’ names and Kurosawa himself for new characters in his story. He also has plenty of Louis L’Amour tropes and references. One thing this novel makes clear is there are at least as many opportunities for new novels in the series as there are Kurosawa movies and L’Amour novels to pull good ideas from. So this isn’t merely another take on The Magnificent Seven so much as establishing that the nine heroes of the Serenity are worthy of that title.
Over the holidays you may have received a gift, an item you will look back to fondly one day, or maybe something that will even survive that your descendants may keep and treasure a century from now. If you were asked to participate in an old-fashioned show and tell, what physical object has meaning for you that you would talk about? That’s in essence the question asked of hundreds of people interviewed by writers Bill Shapiro and Naomi Wax in the bookWhat We Keep: 150 People Share the One Object that Brings Them Joy, Magic, Meaning. Many people have many such objects–after all, humans are by their very nature collectors of things. Narrowing it down to one object is difficult, yet for others it may be simple.
For movie director and writer Joss Whedon, it’s a straw hat from his school days in England. For author James Patterson, it’s a photograph of President Clinton holding one of the books he had written, read for pleasure by the President in the middle of his carrying out of government business, carried as he walked down the stairway from a helicopter at Camp David. For a former money counterfeit artist, it’s the paint brush she used to paint with in prison. For another, it was a paper bill with a holes ripped through it from being shot years ago.
The objects are often obscure, many ugly, but all hold some kind of unique meaning to their owners. The intrinsic value of most of the items highlighted is nothing or next to nothing. Yet their owners value these things not for their monetary worth. A rock, an awl, a document, a watch. Most inspired (and still inspire) their owners, and remind them of how they were at their very best, like a flute carried into space by astronaut Ellen Ochoa.
