BOOM! Studios have announced a new Firefly one-shot special to celebrate Firefly’s 20th anniversary. Firefly: Keep Flying is set several years after the television and…

In the pilot episode of Firefly, Captain Malcolm Reynolds made it clear he and the crew of the Serenity traffic in all but one thing: people. Now in the sequel series set twenty years later, Firefly: Brand New Verse, the next crew has inadvertently broken this golden rule. Nobody tell Mal.

Twenty years have passed since the events of Serenity shifted the Firefly universe into a new direction. But it turns out that the timeline hasn’t changed all that much. In that time, Zöe Alleyne Washburne has taken command of the titular Serenity ship.

The past always has a nasty tendency of catching up with you. No matter how far or fast you run, it’ll always be right behind you. It’s even true for space cowboys. But for some, the sins of the past are far heavier to bear than for others.

This issue sees Mal and his crew fire the final salvo in their battle with Blue Sun. Pressure mounts as the corporation tries to wrestle control of the Sector (and Galaxy!) for itself. Now, Mal just can’t let happen. He’s especially motivated: the company has used his own likeness to forge their robotic law enforcement robots to bring him down. As usual, though luck or stupidity, Mal remains (mostly) one-step ahead throughout Blue Sun Rising No. 1.

BOOM! Studios have announced a new Firefly series which will be set 20 years after the original series. Firefly: A Brand New Verse will follow…

It all comes to a head here, in Firefly: Blue Sun Rising #1. The crew on Serenity has gotten in over their heads on more than one occasion, and this time is no exception. Heck, even the stakes are something they’ve had to with before. It’s almost refreshing to see them tackling it all head on, once again.

Pak’s script perfectly nails the tone and characterization of Firefly. Mal is still cunning and willing to fight for what’s right, even when outnumbered. Kaylee is still the plucky mechanic, and Wash is still the sardonic pilot, Jayne is still Jayne. Fans who love the show will definitely get a kick out of this issue. Pak also balances the various tones that showed up in a Firefly episode: humorous bits (most of them with Jayne) and rather touching moments. There is a heartwrenching scene toward the end with Mal and his mother, and it nearly made me shed a tear.

Firefly #24 is set in a nebulous point in time, where the crew is still together (and alive), yet the Alliance seems to be out of the way, or at least not as strong as they have previously been. Unfortunately, that left a void that Blue Sun Corporation stepped into. There’s a new big bad here, and they’re just as bad if not worse.

The plot also raises some reasonable questions about ethics, Mal’s character (and method of getting things done), and the concept of following the letter of the law (as opposed to the intent). These are all good debates to bring up, and could arguably result in some interesting conversations among fans.