Firefly: Return to Earth That Was Vol 2

Firefly (Collected Editions) #9

by Greg Pak, Simona Di Gianfelice (Illustrations), Jordi Perez (Illustrations)

The new characters, new enemies, and a new era of Firefly continues as the crew of the Serenity find themselves stranded on The-Earth-That-Was!

New York Times best-selling writer Greg Pak (Darth Vader) along with artist Simona Di Gianfelice (Power Rangers), Jordi Perez (Queen of Bad Dreams), and Jahnoy Lindsay (Marvel’s Voices) continue the Firefly saga featuring the original crew of the Serenity. In an attempt to evade the Alliance the crew of Serenity find themselves stranded on The-Earth-That-Was, a strange world filled with ancient artifacts, a new civilization and…maybe some semblance of hope. As strangers in a strange land they encounter individual and shared challenges galore! Will Captain Kaylee be able hold her crew together and not strangle Captain Mal in the process? Does Zoë find out what it truly means to be a Washburne? Can the legacy of Shepherd Book unite Lank and Mal and a new world? Collects Firefly #29-32.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Science Fiction, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 25, 2022

About the author

Greg Pak is an award-winning Korean American comic book writer and filmmaker currently writing "Lawful" for BOOM and "Sam Wilson: Captain America" (with Evan Narcisse) for Marvel. Pak wrote the "Princess Who Saved Herself" children's book and the “Code Monkey Save World” graphic novel based on the songs of Jonathan Coulton and co-wrote (with Fred Van Lente) the acclaimed “Make Comics Like the Pros” how-to book. Pak's other work includes "Planet Hulk," "Darth Vader," "Mech Cadet Yu," "Ronin Island," "Action Comics," and "Magneto Testament."

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 1 out of 5]

The terrible plotting and the perversion of the memory of the TV series continues apace. The attitudes of the characters haven't 'developed' or 'evolved' they are just randomly altered as plot needs demand -i.e. the practical Zoe suddenly decides that fighting to the death to protect a place she never knew existed is the smart choice because it might have once belonged to her dead husband's ancestors half a millenia ago? - no same person does that, and certainly no level headed military veteran. Mal is still a mopey deferential moron with nothing to do, half the cast is abandoned for the entire volume, and Book suddenly shows up again in the last quarter in a flashback that is neither necessary nor redeemingly entertaining, just an elongated segue attempting to paper over the numerous plot holes and neglected story threads.

[Micko · Rating 1 out of 5]

The plot falls completely apart in the last issue of the nonsensical and passionless money grab. The timeline regarding Zoë’s pregnancy and Emma’s birth does not fit with the Serenity-movie, the Dark Horse-series or even with Emma’s age in volume one of this storyline after the last issue from this volume. This is extremely bad plotting and editing.

The existence of a Wash-bot makes no sense, and the crew randomly landing near the housing of Wash’s ancestors is ridiculous - “What a crazy, random happenstance!”.

And I am getting very tired of droopy Mal and Captain Confident aka fanfiction Kaylee.

I really hope that Pak leaves this series as soon as this storyline ends.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lesser effort than the first Return to Earth That Was volume, perhaps because this second volume quickly introduces native Earth folks and other interstellar invaders. So, the Earth isn't exactly ripe for discovery by the Firefly crew. Instead, they need to negotiate a settlement with the locals that involves helping to battle the invaders.

It's all pretty straightforward and unimaginative. Really, could be any Firefly tale where the Firefly crew has to have a "hold your ground!" moment. There are slight differences here in that Mal is a shrinking violet, Kaylee is in charge, and Wash is an android. We also get some weird backstory from Haven, where an instantly deadly pathogen broke out. But it's otherwise part for the course. The art grows increasingly worse over the course of the volume.

[TJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably the weakest the Firefly ongoing has been, sadly, but I’m still enjoying it. If anything, it’s just nice to get new stories with the characters that progresses the narrative. That said, maybe this is only seeming so good because the BOOM Buffy series has been so lackluster for so long. 3/5 stars.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard times and decisions while protecting a new home.

[Terrance · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, this is now unrecognizable as Firefly. It will be the last book in this series I’ll purchase.

[Angela Blount · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 Stars

The plot... clumpens. (And my disappointment deepens.)

Here, we are introduced to a whole slew of Earth That Was characters. The angry horse-riders who hate technology, but maybe don't have a problem using it if it helps them fight the "Infernia" (i.e. offworlders.) The illicit antique acquisition "miners" (who are basically opportunistic civilians collecting relics and sending them back through the portal to sell to collectors.) And then there are the nasty military dudes-with-tanks, who have been hired to protect the miners--and do so with excessive bloodshed. All these extra bodies really busied the already muddled story landscape. And the fact that half of our original characters aren't getting any page time doesn't help matters.

Then, there's the landscape itself. The crew managed to all but crash-land atop Mount Rushmore--placing them neatly in the middle of South Dakota. Using ancient maps, they limp Serenity off in the direction of Minneapolis. And on the way, pass a wild safari-like landscape inexplicably filled with flocks of flamingos, lions, and Indian elephants. (Look, I get that Earth may have changed a bit in the past 500 years or so outside of the loss of tech... But being a Minnesotan originally, I can tell you the climate is NOT conducive to the thriving of any of those animals.) Add to that the timeline problems with Zoe's pregnancy, and a word error I found in BOLD, and I really have to wonder about the editing. >.>

There was entirely too little Washbot, and little to no interaction shown between him, Zoe, and Emma. There IS the whole wild coincidence of them finding the ancient home of Wash's ancestors... And Zoe then decides she's willing to fight to the death over staking some claim on this place, just because her dead husband's family happened to come from there half a millennium ago.

Yeah... this would be a prime example of something being plot-driven rather than character-driven.

And then there's this weird flashback to Shepherd Book on Haven sometime before the events of the movie Serenity. Which really didn't fit with or add to the existing story in any way.

I'm doubting they can pull out of this nosedive in the next and final installment. :(

[Joey Nardinelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a penultimate volume leading up to a major endgame, this feels a bit flat. Some stuff happens, nothing really major, moving all the pieces into place for the finale. I see this going one of two ways: either we get a terminal resolution that really ends this arc of the Firefly series in such a way that a reboot would be necessary (and since another series is already out and six issues along, I guess I could go check shortly…). I think the more likely ending is one that clearly leaves the door open, possibly with the whole crew returning back to the known inhabited regions of space. I’d actually love a more “here’s the end, and now we’re doing but for the filling in places,” but I think this brand just isn’t destined to ever really go away.

[Lucy Takeda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy spending time with the crew I adored. However, there are a slug of characters I don’t know, that have no explanation as to where they came from. Again, the illustrations don’t look like the characters I know. I have to reread to try to figure out which woman is Zoe, Kaylee, Inara , or River.

[iamjacsmusings · Rating 3 out of 5]

To continue the continuity with consistency, well, that job's awful hard to do but this run ain't right smart at how it goes about it.

Once again, this collection is somewhere between shiny and fei-oo. No rim world slang for that, far as I know...

[Calvin Daniels · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do love Firefly stories :)

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good compared to other entries. Maybe 3.5 stars

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

When's Disney gonna get off there butts and make us some new Firefly? These books ease the ache for now.

[Milan Pohl · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a longtime fan of all things Firefly, I wish I could like this story arc more, I really do.

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think maybe I hadn’t read v1 after all. Whoops!

[Bill Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keeps the pace and language of the original, shot through a portal of the 'verse to The Earth That Was. A very apocalyptic history once there/here. And people weary of technology and ma Hines for killing.

Characters we know and love. Episodic story telling. Doesn't complete the arc. Other books needed for that.

[Madeline Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tore through Volume 2 just as quickly as the first one. The story is fast-paced and immersive, and once again, the artwork is amazing. I’ve really come to appreciate the character of Kaylee—she's such a standout, with her energy and heart. It was an easy read that kept me hooked from start to finish, and I’m excited to continue exploring the Firefly world.