Serenity, Vol. 1: Those Left Behind
Joss Whedon, creator of <i>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</i> and scribe of Marvel's <i>Astonishing X-Men</i>, unveils a previously unknown chapter in the lives of his favorite band of space brigands in this comics prequel of the <i>Serenity</i> feature film³the big-budget follow-up to Whedon's cult-hit TV show <i>Firefly</i>.<br><br>Penned by Whedon and Brett Matthews, who wrote several episodes of <i>Firefly</i> as well as Dark Horse's final <i>Angel</i> comics series and the animated Chronicles of Riddick feature "Dark Fury," <i>Serenity</i> follows a ship full of mercenaries, fugitives, and one law-abiding prostitute in their pursuit for fast cash and a little peace along the fringes of space. The ragtag crew of <i>Serenity</i> take on a scavenger mission with the hopes of earning enough dough to disappear for a while. Only too late do they realize the whole gig is orchestrated by an old enemy eager to remake their acquainitance with the help of some covert-operatives known only as the Blue Gloves.<br><br>Artist Will Conrad (Marvel's <i>Elektra</i> and <i>Witches</i>) and colorist Laura Martin (<i>Astonishing X-Men</i> and <i>The Ultimates</i>) paint a rough and wild world of adventure across a strange and dangerous universe, in this not-to-be-missed tale straight from the brain of pop-culture mastermind Joss Whedon!