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Serenity Comic Book Series

stoolpigeon writes "CBR News is reporting that Dark Horse will be publishing a 3 comic series to provide material that bridges the gap between the Firefly T.V. show and the Serenity film. From the press release: 'The plot of the comic book series centers on the crew members of the ship known as Serenity, who once again find themselves broke and on the wrong side of a number of very large firearms when a heist goes awry, and some old enemies catch their scent. After facing one failure after another, Malcolm Reynolds becomes the target of a conspiracy between government and mercenary forces, and a tense and divided crew must try to unite behind their compromised leader...'"

192 comments

  1. Sweet! by bazmail · · Score: 2

    Can't wait for these. About time too.

    Any word of a date or release?

  2. New life? by nizo · · Score: 3, Interesting

    If the film does well and with DVD sales going strong (currently ranked #48 on amazon, not too shabby), is it possible that the series will come back to TV?

    1. Re:New life? by Belgand · · Score: 3, Interesting

      No. As far as I am aware a stipulation of the contract between Fox and Universal is that there cannot be another TV show. Fox really hates it when people thwart it's best efforts to destroy something popular. More realistically is that Fox just doesn't want the competition. If Universal comes and makes the movie and it reinvigorates the concept and leads to a successful TV show they don't want to have given that up.

      Yet again the interests of business prevail over the interests of the consumers.

    2. Re:New life? by ackthpt · · Score: 0
      (currently ranked #48 on amazon, not too shabby)

      Right behind

      • 1. The Phantom of the Opera (2-Disc Special Edition)
      • 6. The Andy Griffith Show - The Complete Second Season
      • 12. Abs Diet
      • 13. Gilmore Girls - The Complete Third Season
      • 25. Quantum Leap - The Complete Third Season
      • 33. WWE WrestleMania XXI
      • 38. Star Trek Enterprise - The Complete First Season (doomed, ya already know this, right?)
      • 43. Ocean's Twelve (Widescreen Edition) (what? one week in the theater, was it?)
      is it possible that the series will come back to TV?

      I dunno, probably right up there behind Jim Carrey as Andy Taylor, in spandex, wearing a wig, armed with a phaser, with 11 clones of Barney Fife... uuuuurrrrggghhhh...

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    3. Re:New life? by RedWizzard · · Score: 4, Informative

      It's the other way round. Universal won't allow Fox (or anyone) to make a new TV series for the duration of the movie deal (potentially up to three films). After that the rights revert to Fox and they can do whatever they want, including making a new TV series. If they're smart they will, and I think they will, but because they're not smart they'll make it with a different cast and crew and it'll be terrible.

    4. Re:New life? by Chibi · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Purely anecdotal, but I had heard people say that Fox's rights to a TV series expired after a few years, so the plan was to keep doing movies until the TV rights expired, then Universal would help do more TV. This, of course, assumes that the movie does well enough, and they wanted the franchise to return to the small screen.

      So, does anyone with facts (hopefully in the form of some kind of link) care to chime in? :)

      --
      If all you have are silver bullets, everything looks like a werewolf.
    5. Re:New life? by mshiltonj · · Score: 1

      As far as I am aware a stipulation of the contract between Fox and Universal is that there cannot be another TV show.

      Do you know where I can find more info on this?

    6. Re:New life? by Otter · · Score: 1, Interesting
      Fox really hates it when people thwart it's best efforts to destroy something popular.

      Oh, for heaven's fucking sake:

      What is so difficult about the notion that while you enjoy a TV show, most of the world didn't want to watch it? Can't you people just accept that there weren't enough people out there who share your taste, instead of imagining some Illuminati conspiracy to keep profitable shows off the air for no logical reason?

      Look, I'd love to be watching the hockey World Championship, which, if it's available at all in the US, isn't accessible to me. The reality is that the vast majority of "sports" fans would rather watch poker, World Championship Poker, Celebrity Poker or Endlessly Rebroadcast Poker. I find it baffling, but that's how it is.

    7. Re:New life? by ageoffri · · Score: 2, Interesting
      What is so difficult about the notion that while you enjoy a TV show, most of the world didn't want to watch it? Can't you people just accept that there weren't enough people out there who share your taste, instead of imagining some Illuminati conspiracy to keep profitable shows off the air for no logical reason?

      Did you watch the show and then watch the DVD's? Personally I thought the show sucked big time when it was on TV. A friend loaned me the Firfly DVD's and wow it was a great series.

      Fox did manage the series very badly and killed it. Normally I'd say it was a conspiracy theory but the proof is in the picture!

      --
      -- Slashdot, making the Left look conservative since 1997.
    8. Re:New life? by Anubis350 · · Score: 1

      I think the DVD sales, which were incredible, speaks for itself here. The reason why the show wasnt popular was:
      A) it wasnt advertised as much as most other shows on fox
      B)it was shown out of order when it was on because:
      C) it was pre-empted a lot by fox for sports games

      --
      "goodbye and hello, as always" ~Prince Corwin, from Zelazny's Amber series
    9. Re:New life? by 91degrees · · Score: 1

      But when they show a series out of order, and are constantly pre-empting it, it's difficult for it to get a following.

      When they showed it on a minor channel in the UK, out of order, it gained quite a following.

    10. Re:New life? by Unknown+Poltroon · · Score: 1

      "Can't you people just accept that there weren't enough people out there who share your taste, instead of imagining some Illuminati conspiracy to keep profitable shows off the air for no logical reason?"

      WEll, its either a conspiracy, or stupidity. I cant think of any other reason that applies to all the facts.

      --
      All Troll + "offtopic" mods are meta moderated as "Unfair", because you abused the system.
    11. Re:New life? by sholden · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Right behind

      * 1. The Phantom of the Opera (2-Disc Special Edition)
      Which was released on May 3 - 7 days ago

      * 6. The Andy Griffith Show - The Complete Second Season
      Which isn't released until May 24 - so preorder

      * 12. Abs Diet
      Which was released on May 3 - 7 days ago

      * 13. Gilmore Girls - The Complete Third Season
      Which was released on May 3 - 7 days ago

      * 25. Quantum Leap - The Complete Third Season
      Which is released today

      * 33. WWE WrestleMania XXI
      Which was released today.

      * 38. Star Trek Enterprise - The Complete First Season (doomed, ya already know this, right?)
      Which was released May 3 - 7 days ago

      * 43. Ocean's Twelve (Widescreen Edition) (what? one week in the theater, was it?)
      Which was released April 12 - 28 days ago.

      Compared with Firefly which was released on December 9 2003 - 518 days ago.

      Can you seriously not see the difference?

    12. Re:New life? by Dirtside · · Score: 4, Informative
      What is so difficult about the notion that while you enjoy a TV show, most of the world didn't want to watch it? Can't you people just accept that there weren't enough people out there who share your taste, instead of imagining some Illuminati conspiracy to keep profitable shows off the air for no logical reason?
      Yes, I suppose we just imagined that they showed the episodes in a random order (imagine if they showed '24' in random order), we just imagined that they preempted it with no warning a couple of times, we just imagined that they gave it the worst possible timeslot (Friday night), we just imagined that there was essentially no publicity for the show, we just imagined that they constantly fucked with the production by doing things like going to Joss Whedon on a Friday afternoon and telling him -- after the first (2-hour) episode had already been filmed -- that they wanted a new pilot, and they wanted the script on their desks when they arrived on Monday morning. The first episode, which establishes a lot of the world and the backstory (and still has lots of action and explosions), was shown dead last, after the series was cancelled.

      Yes, that's right: we imagined all these things.

      --
      "Destroy science and religion. Science would re-emerge exactly the same; but not religion." - Penn Jillette, paraphrased
    13. Re:New life? by Cyno · · Score: 1

      Did you hear about Firefly? Did you know when and on what channel it was playing and chose not to watch it?

      I didn't.

    14. Re:New life? by ackthpt · · Score: 1
      Can you seriously not see the difference?

      In the time between the parent post and when I looked Firefly have moved up to #45 from #48. I believe this is totally based upon hits, not purchases.

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    15. Re:New life? by sholden · · Score: 1

      You'd be wrong. There's a reason it's called "sales rank", it is weighted to recent sales though.

      Strangely enough people actually buy things and hence the ranks change. Imagine that.

    16. Re:New life? by digit · · Score: 1

      It will be a long wait.

      I read some where that fox had the tv production rights for 10 years.

      So you kids could get in to it.....

      P.S. Fox sucks....

    17. Re:New life? by Capt'n+Hector · · Score: 1

      There is also the possibility that FOX might pick firefly back up. Or, if they're not interested in the SciFi genre, they could sell the rights to UPN which is undoubtedly looking for something to replace Enterprise. I don't buy the whole "FOX wants to destroy popular shows." Futurama, Family Guy, Firefly, Dark Angel et al. might be popular with us, but they were simply not popular enough with the volgus.

      --
      Quid festinatio swallonis est aetherfuga inonusti?
      Africus aut Europaeus?
    18. Re:New life? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      we just imagined that they gave it the worst possible timeslot (Friday night)

      Doesn't seem to be hurting the Stargate franchise.

      I will give you that the order they were played in was a serious bone of contention, but I first watched the series on DVD and couldn't really get into it.

      Of course, that might be because while I may like Science Fiction, I hate Westerns.

      d/e+c

    19. Re:New life? by Mac+Degger · · Score: 2, Informative

      Yup, not too many people watched it initially. But even a dumbf*ck would have to admit that the way the show was presented is a textbook case of bad handling:
      -a sequential show was being shown out of order
      -a sequential (ie story-arced) show was frequently pre-empted
      -an action/sci-fi show was put on friday nights...hardly a normal timespot for it's demographic
      -the show was hardly promoted

      So it's not surprising that not many people watched it.
      Fact is though that the show has sold phenomenally well on DVD (and that's not just for a show hardly anyone watched...that's dvd sales, period), showing it has a huge following now.

      The studio fucked up, you gotta admit it. Hell, a movie coming out for a cancelled show is pretty much proof of that.

      --
      -- Waht? Tehr's a preveiw buottn?
    20. Re:New life? by jafac · · Score: 2, Funny

      I imagine that Fox were probably such pricks because the BAD guys in Serenity are the Government. That's not a good theme for Fox. Same thing with the show's predecessor, Dark Angel. Good following, abused by Fox - the Government are the Bad Guys.

      Now look at FoxNews. THIS rediculous show, they put on it's own channel, 24-hours. On that show, the Government are the GOOD guys. (despite ample evidence of the opposite).

      --

      These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.
    21. Re:New life? by KingSkippus · · Score: 1

      No it's not, but it could be a rare case of something being "Slashdotted" actually being a good thing. I wonder if people reading this story and/or comments thought, "Hey, I remember that show, it was fantastic! I'm going to order it..." I don't know, just speculation...

    22. Re:New life? by Cecil · · Score: 1

      What is so difficult about the notion that while you enjoy a TV show, most of the world didn't want to watch it?

      What's so difficult to accept about the notion that enough people DID like it to justify the making of a movie?

      Contrary to the evidence provided in the form of Gigli, the studios do not normally make a movie without being fairly convinced they have a good chance of getting a substantial return on their investment. I'd like to imagine that they have access to better statistics about how popular Firefly is then random Slashdot anecdotes.

    23. Re:New life? by nomadic · · Score: 1

      I did. Well actually watched the first episode, and was sufficiently unimpressed so as not to watch any more.

    24. Re:New life? by Otter · · Score: 1

      Gee, you're certainly an imaginative fellow. Unfortunately, you never got around to your personal conspiracy theory. The guy I responded to thinks Fox wanted to "destroy something popular". Presumably you have imagined some equally insane alternative to network executives uncomfortable with the shows they were getting and trying to run the ones they thought were best, even if out of sequence.

    25. Re:New life? by LazyBoy · · Score: 1

      That's an interesting connection. But I believe they were such pricks because network executives like to look like they're doing something. Either that or they had no reason at all.

      --

      If Chaos Theory has taught us anything, it's that we must kill all the butterflies.

    26. Re:New life? by Darren+Winsper · · Score: 1

      Ironically, that's evidence in favour of mis-management. Since the first episode wasn't actually the pilot and had to be rushed together at a moment's notice, it's a relatively weak episode compared to the others.

    27. Re:New life? by LatePaul · · Score: 1

      The only UK TV airing I'm aware of was the SciFi channel - which showed it in the correct order.

    28. Re:New life? by 91degrees · · Score: 1

      Gah! Sorry. Stupid mistake. In order.. out of order.. What's the difference?

    29. Re:New life? by Snaller · · Score: 1

      currently ranked #48 on amazon,not too shabby

      It was all the way up to 19 when the trailer was released, definately not too shabby for a year old show :)

      --
      If Google really cared they would fix Android Chrome to reflow text, instead of discriminating
    30. Re:New life? by Snaller · · Score: 1

      What is so difficult about the notion that while you enjoy a TV show, most of the world didn't want to watch it?

      Most of the world didn't get a chance to watch it.
      However afterwards 9 out of 10 introduced to it end up loving it.
      Can't you people just accept that there weren't enough people out there who share your taste,

      There is no proof of that, so that would be religion to belive that.

      --
      If Google really cared they would fix Android Chrome to reflow text, instead of discriminating
    31. Re:New life? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If they're smart they will, and I think they will, but because they're not smart they'll make it with a different cast and crew and it'll be terrible.

      I wouldn't get my hopes up: this is Fox we're talking about here.

      This is the same network that let Futurama, Space Above and Beyond and The Family Guy slip through its fingers without a fight. Thankfully, the latter has come back to us and Futurama lives on elsewhere. This is also the same network that let a perfectly good series (X-Files) go way past its prime to die a slow, horrible death. Also, lets not forget the recent avalanche of "reality" programming (read: cheap and content-free) that is now its bread-and-butter.

      If "Firefly II" doesn't manage to devolve into "Married with Children in Space" or "Joe Astronaut", expect Fox to grossly misinterpret its potential and screw it up... again.

    32. Re:New life? by itsnotthenetwork · · Score: 1

      Facts are meaningless.
      You can use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true.

    33. Re:New life? by Dirtside · · Score: 1
      Unfortunately, you never got around to your personal conspiracy theory.
      Who said I have a conspiracy theory? What actually happened is that Fox handled the show badly and then cancelled it. We don't know why they handled it badly: coulda been incompetence, malice, some combination of both, or some other unknown factor.
      The guy I responded to thinks Fox wanted to "destroy something popular".
      Good lord! He was joking when he said that. The very next sentence is, "More realistically is that Fox just doesn't want the competition."
      Presumably you have imagined some equally insane alternative to network executives uncomfortable with the shows they were getting and trying to run the ones they thought were best, even if out of sequence.
      What does this have to do with the fact that Fox actually did all of the things I listed in my original post?
      --
      "Destroy science and religion. Science would re-emerge exactly the same; but not religion." - Penn Jillette, paraphrased
    34. Re:New life? by Belgand · · Score: 1

      OK. I doubt Fox really tried to damage the show, but as many others have stated it was not managed very well. In this respect Fox does not have a very good track record. Futurama was also quite popular (and is doing wonderfully on Adult Swim) and has had good DVD sales. Family Guy, though, is probably the best case. It had a bad timeslot that constantly changed and even those fans who really enjoyed the show were largely unable to watch it through a combination of timeslot issues and constantly pre-empting the show for more sports or something else. If I can't actually watch the show it's probably not going to do very well. In this case Fox realized their mistake after cancelation and were lucky enough to be able to bring it back from the dead with massive fan support.

      As for Firefly being popular, well... the DVD sales have been very good and almost everyone who has watched it on DVD has raved about it afterwards. I was one of those people who briefly saw some ads that didn't look all that great and never bothered with it on TV. Thirty minutes into the first episode on DVD and I was hooked. If there had maybe been something better done during the brief period when it was on TV I might have actually started watching it then.

      The best indication of the popularity is the fact that it has a very strong online fan community and the recent preview screenings sold out in a very, very short period of time. Obviously there is not a lack of support.

  3. I may be out of the loop... by hoka · · Score: 0, Troll

    but what the heck is Firefly? All these Slashvertisements lately and I don't even understand the product! Damn my cheap college funding! I can afford Cable TV or Cable Internet but not both!

    1. Re:I may be out of the loop... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hoka wrote, "Damn my cheap college funding! I can afford Cable TV or Cable Internet but not both!"

      You are in college and by the above statements I deduce you do not have Cable TV. This means you have Cable Internet.

      Now according to the *AAs you should be downloading everything illeagally. So how is it possible that you do not have Firefly?

      The *AAs wouldn't lie to me, would they?

    2. Re:I may be out of the loop... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just get the Cable Internet and use BitTorrent.

    3. Re:I may be out of the loop... by atteSmythe · · Score: 2, Informative

      Firefly is a fantastic series that FOX, it its wisdom, decided to cancel after less than a full season. It's a relatively gritty sci-fi show set in a sort of 'manifest destiny of the galaxy.' There are many parallels to Westerns not only in content but in directorial style. Their FX, though used sparingly, are very well done, and they adopted the same camera techniques for the CG work as they used in the show proper. The characters are likable and very well defined, and the dialog is perfect. Not-quite-modern English with western throwbacks and (mostly) Mandarin swearing. There are only 16 episodes (4 DVDs), so find someone who has the set and borrow them (or, better yet, take my word as the gospel truth and go buy a set).

    4. Re:I may be out of the loop... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative
    5. Re:I may be out of the loop... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How does one know if a series is fantastic if it was only aired for half a season?

      Is that the same reason why Longhorn Beta is crap after seeing those screenshots?

    6. Re:I may be out of the loop... by atteSmythe · · Score: 2, Informative
      The series, as presented in its initial 16 episodes, is fantastic. It's short, but it's a series.

      Saying a series is fantastic based on a pilot would be a fallacy.

  4. yes, but.. by ShaniaTwain · · Score: 3, Funny

    ..will there be explosions? what about a grizzled cigar chomping bad guy with a heart of gold? Nekkid chicks?

    oh! and what happens on page 23?

    1. Re:yes, but.. by elrous0 · · Score: 1
      what about a grizzled cigar chomping bad guy with a heart of gold?

      ooh, ooh, ooh, can he have an eyepatch too?

      -Eric

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  5. Oh no! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    I was looking forward to the film, but it'll now be based on a comic book. Films based on comic books are almost entirely rubbish...

    1. Re:Oh no! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Firefly was crap to begin with. If that didn't bother you before, I can see why it'd be an obstical now.

    2. Re:Oh no! by medge_42 · · Score: 1

      Um, no, it is not based on a comic. If anything it is the other way round, and it isn't even that.

    3. Re:Oh no! by Zeebs · · Score: 1

      Well actually the TV show was first obviously, and the movie has to be nearly done as well. So, wrong.

      --

      Happy Noodle Boy says "F###ing doughnut! Mock me? You fried cyclops!!"
    4. Re:Oh no! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think the humorous point the parent was alluding to was that all movies based on comics suck.

      Since the comic fills in the gap between the series and the film, the film is really based on the comic.

      Therefore, while a movie based on the series would have been awesome, a movie based on the comic book will be craptastic.

      --AC

  6. Firefly by thepotoo · · Score: 2, Informative
    Firefly is a series created by Joss Whedon in 2002. It was aired on Fox, and canceled after just half a season (perhaps due to it's anti-authoritarian nature).

    Serenity is the movie sequel, scheduled to come out this fall.

    The entire series is centered around an interesting crew of renegade smugglers in the distant future. There are strong elements of the Wild West. It's basicly a space opera, like star wars, but without all the lame acting.

    the DVD is well worth the purchase price. If you don't believe me, grab a torrent of the first episode off http://www.isohunt.com/ and check it out.

    --
    Obligatory Soundbite Catchphrase
    1. Re:Firefly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Please the acting is worse than the Star Wars prequels. Firefly is just brutally bad. Space Cowboys + Heaving Breasts + Awful Dialogue just wasn't enough to attract an audiance. Even Baywatch managed to survive ten years on heaving breasts. That should really give you a picture of just how bad Firefly actually was.

    2. Re:Firefly by medge_42 · · Score: 1

      No, no, we're talking about the Joss Whedon Firefly here.

      Sorry about the confusion.

    3. Re:Firefly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I know who he is, the genius behind Alien Ressurection. He's a crappy writer. His television shows, and God yes even Buffy, are a towering monument to that.

      You want to know why Firefly failed, same hack writing, but it was centered on overly dramatic teenagers.

    4. Re:Firefly by isecore · · Score: 0, Redundant

      Firefly is a series created by Joss Whedon in 2002. It was aired on Fox, and canceled after just half a season (perhaps due to it's anti-authoritarian nature).

      Or even more possibly, it was cancelled because it sucked. I watched it, and thought that overall it was kinda like watching a 13-year olds daydreams. Acting was subpar, and there was no muppets in it. SFX was barely acceptable, but the whole concept wasn't really imaginative enough to warrant a TV-series - much less a movie.

      But hell, seeing as I've vented my opinions now, let's bring on the +5 troll shall we? That's what I'm expecting to be modded as since the dogma around here is that OMFG FIREFLY R0XX0RS MY B0XX0RS!

      --
      I enjoy large posteriors and I cannot prevaricate.
    5. Re:Firefly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Typically, the fanboy and the troll are both wrong.

      Firefly was cancelled because very few people liked it. Why did few people like it? Fanboys say it's because it aired out-of-order, and I have to admit they have a point. If you saw this show when it aired it would have made no freaking sense at all. The only way to watch it (and like it) is on DVD.

      But there's the possibility that the Space Western theme just didn't resonate. I thought it was cool, but I'm willing to believe people would roll their eyes. Frankly there were plenty of episodes where the "Western" part of the Space Western was way overblown. They robbed a FREAKING TRAIN. They FREAKING SQUAREDANCED.

      But it was, all in all, solid writing and acting. It was the strongest first season of any Joss Whedon series. It failed because of either out-of-order-airing or the quirky basis of the series, or both.

      I loved it, and am looking forward to the movie.

    6. Re:Firefly by MagicDude · · Score: 1

      I think the whole idea of the future being some kind of technological wild west is more accurate than we'd like to believe. Our visions of the future expansion of humanity has largly been influenced by the Star Trek interpretation of how things might be, but Star Trek tends to see the future in its more optimistic sense, with people helping each other, and governments being genuinely interesting in providing its people with the technology and material to expand efficiently and relatively comfortably in regards to shelter and food and medicines. The real future of expansion and colonization is more likely to be people taking what little resources they have and buying a one way passage to a distant planet to try and make a living. And the governments of various nations will likely try to get as many of their people into space to claim land and/or planets for themselves, but once settlers are out there, they aren't likely to receive support from earth. Why would taxpayers want to subsidize outer space colonies?

      Even looking beyond the socio-political aspects of the future, the day to day aspects of the show are still plausible. Planets that are suitable for habitation could be in varied different orbits so that they could be hotter or colder on average than earth. Odds are habitable planets are going to be equal to or hotter than earth in average temperature, since colder temperatures might inhibit the ability of plants to develop and make oxygen in the atmosphere. With hotter temperatures, it is likely that people would have to dress appropriately to protect themselves from excessive sunlight. Also, the frontier life would need people to arm themselves against bandits. As for robbing trains, it makes sense that when settlements are made, there wouldn't be an extensive infrastructure structure other than a simple hovertrain rail that could be laid down relatively quickly and cheaply.

      Animals would likely be a preferable means of labor saving devices rather than using machines. For a tractor, you'd need a garage to maintain it, spare parts, as well as fuel. If crude oil or a refinary isn't on the planet, then you'd need to import it at even greater expense. Animals would be easier and cheaper to maintain when you're on the frontier. So in all, I think a wild west future isn't completely unlikely - it would be a frontier lifestyle with brief areas of technological punctuation.

    7. Re:Firefly by Versatile+Dinosaur · · Score: 1

      The big problem with Firefly, BattleStar Neurotica, and Enterprise is that all of them are/were about "losers". For a TV show (SF/Space Opera) to work there has to be lots of "boldly going" and "kicking ET butt". The "good guys" in all the episodes of any of these which I saw, were always running away or on the defensive. That said, Firefly was more watchable than the other two.

    8. Re:Firefly by Darren+Winsper · · Score: 1

      'For a TV show (SF/Space Opera) to work there has to be lots of "boldly going" and "kicking ET butt".'
      Err...why?

    9. Re:Firefly by Gulthek · · Score: 1

      Awesome, just awesome. When I saw the Firefly article, I resigned myself to explaining the realism of Firefly's tech yet again. You have done it better than I could have. Thank you!

    10. Re:Firefly by Versatile+Dinosaur · · Score: 1

      Because that's what most of the audience seems to like (me too), and that's what most of the "Suits" in TV-land seem to think the audience wants, and it is they who decide whether a show is renwed or dropped. Remenber how quickly "Crusade", the "Babylon 5 spin off", disappeared when Straczynski refused to include more "sex and violence" at the behest of the money men.

    11. Re:Firefly by Darren+Winsper · · Score: 1

      Crusade started out vastly different from what Straczynski originally wanted. It's easy to argue that the TV execs killed the show by fucking with it so much.

  7. Re:Saw the trailer... by Anubis350 · · Score: 1

    did you see the same trailer I did? it looks amazing!

    "Wash:this is going to get pretty interesting...
    Mal:define interesting...
    Wash: oh god, oh god, we're all going to die?"

    oh, and DAMN is Jewel Staite cute.

    --
    "goodbye and hello, as always" ~Prince Corwin, from Zelazny's Amber series
  8. Won't Break My Rule by colanut · · Score: 1

    Regardless of how much I love the subject matter, I refuse to buy individual issues. Guess I'll have to wait for a collected and bound book. As an Alan Moore fan, however, I'm used to the pain.

    1. Re:Won't Break My Rule by geminidomino · · Score: 1

      Screw that. I'm buying 6 copies of each.

      1 of each for me, and the rest to ebay in five years. Bwahahaha

    2. Re:Won't Break My Rule by Stroman+Rebar · · Score: 1

      What the hell is up with that? If it is good, and you want it, why not just buy the damn books? Life is short, why make such arbitrary rules?

  9. Re:Why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I thought two different stories about there being star wars reviews set the bar really really low.

    Actually, this is much more interesting.

  10. To turn the negative sentiment around... by Humorously_Inept · · Score: 1

    Let me remind you all that one of the central characters is a high-class whore! She travels the known universe to pleasure men and women! In a space vessel! Perhaps the problem is that /. isn't much of a teenage crowd.

    --

    ~Someday, I hope to be an aspiring author.
    1. Re:To turn the negative sentiment around... by MenTaLguY · · Score: 1

      That always grated on me in Firefly. Whores are intrinsically not high-class; this has a basis in human psychology, and is consistently reflected in the way human societies are structured.

      Yes, you can get creative with a lot of things (especially sci-fi or fantasy -- "Imagine a society where..."), but you still can't arbitrarily invent new (human) psychology without harming the quality of the writing.

      --

      DNA just wants to be free...
    2. Re:To turn the negative sentiment around... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The main problem with Firefly was that we don't have a genre description for this series. It's easy to say that Star Wars is not science fiction because it's pretty clear that SW is pure Fantasy in a technological era, but what is exactly Firefly?
      I hated it because it's not SciFi; would a western movies lover (I'm not either) like it? Probably not.
      That's the problem with most of today's so-called SciFi series that have nothing to share with SciFi in general: their producers forgot that SciFi is Fiction Through Science, not Fiction And Science.

    3. Re:To turn the negative sentiment around... by eddy · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I think if you manage to think of her as more than a "whore" -- which is what Mal and other use as a put down -- and instead think of her as the companion she is, you will see that there is precedent in real life in the Geisha.

      As always in Firefly, western and eastern culture meet somewhere...

      --
      Belief is the currency of delusion.
    4. Re:To turn the negative sentiment around... by Daniel+Dvorkin · · Score: 1

      An even better historical analogy, I think, is the Byzantine courtesan. These women were quite respectable and on occasion powerful -- one even became an Empress.

      --
      The correlation between ignorance of statistics and using "correlation is not causation" as an argument is close to 1.
    5. Re:To turn the negative sentiment around... by Mac+Degger · · Score: 2, Informative

      "Whores are intrinsically not high-class; this has a basis in human psychology, and is consistently reflected in the way human societies are structured."

      Absolute bollocks: there used to be frigging temple prostitues, who used to be highly respected.

      True, that's the classical example, but even up to a couple of decades ago the japanese geisha was a highly respected proffesion (now it's merely respected, if looked on a mite strangely).

      And let's not forget old Venice and many other good examples.

      --
      -- Waht? Tehr's a preveiw buottn?
    6. Re:To turn the negative sentiment around... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      No. That is simply wrong. We can't allow American Puritanism to rewrite history. More importantly we can't allow ourselves to be blinded by the present.

      Elite escorts do exist, who are nothing less than very enjoyable whores who will perform their function of arm candy at night. One i met had just graduated with from UnivChiacgo with a BA in english. A total delight to talk to (We shared a love of Lolita and Pale Fire), whip-lashing to see walk by, and a wonderful, if costly, lay. Yes, I'm sure many of the guys were aware she was an escort but they treated her with the upmost respect.

    7. Re:To turn the negative sentiment around... by Gulthek · · Score: 2, Informative

      Wow, you must be completely unfamiliar with huge swaths of history. And as a guy with a history degree, that really grates on me.

      Read about Courtesans in China and Byzantium, read about Geisha culture in Japan. Then explain how your human psychology studies fail to explain their high class status.

      In China. these women were the counsels of rulers and nobility, trained to be artistic, clever, insightful, and cunning conversationalists. They were supposed to be relaxing counsel with no strings attached. Many of the gentry class preferred to hang with the courtesans because they could have actual conversations, because women were still prohibited from getting "normal" schooling. So the elite house of pleasure was the only way to actually have an equally educated conversation between the sexes.

      BTW, Inara wasn't a whore. That was a derogatory term that Mal used, and one she didn't particularly care for. While there were whores in the sense that you mean, she was a Companion which meant a lot more than sex.

    8. Re:To turn the negative sentiment around... by mbaciarello · · Score: 1

      And may I add Pericles, one of the greatest leaders of ancient Athens. He was said to be deeply in love with Aspasia, one of the greatest "companion" of the time.

      Anyways, I'll be in my bunk...

    9. Re:To turn the negative sentiment around... by MenTaLguY · · Score: 1

      Thank you for providing concrete historical examples. I was wrong.

      --

      DNA just wants to be free...
  11. huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    a comic book about incontinence pads?

  12. Re:Saw the trailer... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just wish Adobe would release QT7 for Win32 so that I could actually watch the High-Definition version of the trailer.

    Sure as I know anything, I know this; I aim to misbehave.

    This thing is going to rock!

  13. Is it sci-fi or fantasy? by PCM2 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Age old question: How can you tell if the movie/show you're watching is science fiction or fantasy?

    Easy. If it's fantasy, there will be dwarfs and men with beards in the cast.

    If it's sci-fi, the script will talk about mercenaries a lot. If it calls them "mercs," it's a dead giveaway.

    --
    Breakfast served all day!
    1. Re:Is it sci-fi or fantasy? by Dirtside · · Score: 1

      I'm going to make a show with bearded dwarven mercenaries, just to thwart your identification scheme.

      --
      "Destroy science and religion. Science would re-emerge exactly the same; but not religion." - Penn Jillette, paraphrased
    2. Re:Is it sci-fi or fantasy? by Buster+Chan · · Score: 1

      No. I've written a lot of sci-fi, and I've never used the word "mercenaries" or even "mercs." Your comment has over-generalized the genre of science fiction. I suggest more DS9 -- that was a good show.

      --
      "I am a fictional character."
    3. Re:Is it sci-fi or fantasy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      No, in sci-fi, the unusual events and objects are explained as super-science.

      In fantasy, it's magic. It just IS.

      Star Wars was sci-fi (ships, robots, etc.) AND fantasy (the Force) until Episode I introduced midichlorians.

    4. Re:Is it sci-fi or fantasy? by don.g · · Score: 1

      There's lots of sci-fi which doesn't spend vast quantities of time talking about mercenaries. I think you'll find that most sci-fi is set in the future, however :-)

      Yes, this is also a gross overgeneralisation, but I suspect one more reliable than the parent's.

      --
      Pretend that something especially witty is here. Thanks.
  14. ugh nasty by Karma+Sucks · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I mean, I love Firefly, and I'm really looking forward to Serenity... now I have to excited over some silly comic books without which I won't get the full story?

    That's sad. It feels like Joss Whedon has sold out, something like the Matrix people did with all their product tie-ins before the final two movies (they even made cartoons for god's sake).

    Oh well, money is money.

    --
    (Please browse at -1 to read this comment.)
    1. Re:ugh nasty by Glendale2x · · Score: 1

      Hasn't Joss been involved with print comics before? If so, this doesn't see like much of a strecth.

      --
      this is my sig
    2. Re:ugh nasty by he+who+meows · · Score: 1

      For the record, there were comics and stories for the Matrix produced before the original movie was released in theatres. They had them all up at whatisthematrix.com for a while, though I don't know if they're still availible. The Neil Gaiman story was particularly good.

      Also, regarding the cartoons, I thought some of the animatrix shorts were far better than even the original movie. They explored how the matrix might affect normal people and not geeks with god complexes.

    3. Re:ugh nasty by Tiger4 · · Score: 1

      Don't panic. From the preview I saw, you'll get the idea of who is chasing whom and why. I never felt I was missing anything after the first few minutes. Whedon is a good storyteller.

      I'm assuming the comic books are going to be detail and texture filler. Good to have read, but not necessary to enjoying the film.

      Go Browncoats!

      --
      Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now, and let us slay him... and we shall see what will become of his dreams.
    4. Re:ugh nasty by spir0 · · Score: 1

      It feels like Joss Whedon has sold out, something like the Matrix people did with all their product tie-ins before the final two movies (they even made cartoons for god's sake).

      then I guess you don't want to know that the Matrix creators started a comic publishing company called Burlyman Entertainment.

      oops too late.

      Oh well, money is money.

      Joss is a big fan of comics, having written a good many of them. perhaps he is doing this because, I don't know... he like comics?

      --
      The reason girls and Windows users don't understand UNIX is because all the documentation is in Man files.
    5. Re:ugh nasty by GotenXiao · · Score: 1

      Just like the Wachowski brothers made the films, the Animatrix and all the other spin-offs. They likesci-fi, they like comics, they like anime (SH[L]OCK HORROR!), they like games. What's so wrong about that?

      --
      Goten Xiao
    6. Re:ugh nasty by TheWormThatFlies · · Score: 1

      I don't think this is a case of Joss Whedon going "Ooh, I'm going to leave stuff out of the movie so I can screw my fans and make them buy the tie-in comic book."

      Most likely, it's a case of Joss Whedon going "I can't make this movie continue directly from where the series left off because then it wouldn't be a good stand-alone movie; hey, why don't I make a tie-in comic book to bridge the gap for fans who watched the series?"

      It's not all an evil conspiracy. :P

    7. Re:ugh nasty by Quattro+Vezina · · Score: 1

      Joss Whedon currently writes one of the core X-Men books, Astonishing X-Men. He's also an old-school X-Men fan, with a real love of the medium, so there being a Firefly comic doesn't surprise me.

      --
      I support the Center for Consumer Freedom
  15. Re:Why? by dan_sdot · · Score: 1

    Hey, take a deep breath and say: SERENITY NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  16. No. I'm not bitter about the screenings. Why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Any word of a date or release?

    May 5th and the production run is already sold out.

  17. Space Cowboys by Scrameustache · · Score: 2, Funny

    The entire series is centered around an interesting crew of renegade smugglers in the distant future. There are strong elements of the Wild West. It's basicly a space opera, like star wars, but without all the lame acting.

    Or... all that in 2 words ;-)

    --

    You can't take the sky from me...

  18. New clue? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    So we're imagining that:

    1. Fox sent the episodes out of order, destroying the arcs.
    2. Fox changed the timeslot around.
    3. Fox interfered with the creative process.
    4. Fox didn't bother airing in WS even though the episodes were actually filmed to be viewed in WS.

    This is all in our imagination. The series had a real chance to find an audience? If you really believe that, what happened when the DVD came out and sold like hotcakes, and why are there at least one movie being made?

    Actually, I believe the the thesis "the series never had a chance to find its audience" fit the facts much better!

  19. Release Date by spyrral · · Score: 3, Informative

    Since the press release neglected to mention it, I looked up the release date of the first issue on Dark Horse's website.

    Issue #1 hits July 06, 2005 at a cost of $2.99.

    1. Re:Release Date by stoolpigeon · · Score: 1

      I looked around the dark horse site the day I submitted this and I couldn't find it. Thanks!

      --
      It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
    2. Re:Release Date by Tiger4 · · Score: 1

      Makes sense. The film is due out on 30 Sep, so a July - Aug - Sep run for the comic would be perfect pacing.

      --
      Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now, and let us slay him... and we shall see what will become of his dreams.
  20. Re:Why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    profit?

  21. Re:Firefly still sucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I think you have it the wrong way around. Buffy blew ass, but Firefly was good.

  22. Re:Firefly still sucks by Kris_J · · Score: 1

    How is that insightful and not flamebait? I very much enjoy Firefly totally independantly of the first 3 seasons of Buffy (and despite the last season).

  23. Occult's Razor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    In Fantasy, the hot chicks are scantily clad because you want them to be.

    In Science Fiction, the hot chicks are scantily clad for a reason central to the internal logic of the universe.

    Remember kids, any sufficiently advanced Science Fiction is indistinguishable from Fantasy.

    1. Re:Occult's Razor by Hsien · · Score: 0

      Oerm, I think you ment to say "occam's razor"

  24. Re:Fox still sucks by Em+Ellel · · Score: 1

    You clearly did not see the series on DVD. Yes it looked like crap when it aired on Fox, but this is (as mentioned about 100 times already) because it was aired out of order, putting the weakest eps first, and saving the pilot that explains everything until AFTER the show was cancelled, and not then not airing some of the best episodes at all. Watching it on DVD in right order makes a huge difference, which is why the DVDs sell so well.

    -Em

    --
    RelevantElephants: A Somatic WebComic...
  25. Re:Saw the trailer... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    WTF does Adobe have to do with QT??

  26. Re:Serenity Now! Insanity Later! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Heh heh, but seriously... you should have led with a Star Trek one liner.

  27. Serenity, The Movie by seawall · · Score: 1
    There have been a few previews of the almost-complete film. I really enjoyed it rather a lot, as did a friend who had never seen the series and didn't know who Joss Whedon is.

    Looking forward to seeing it again in September.

  28. Re:Firefly still sucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How do such throw-away, top-of-the-head remarks get modded -- of all things -- "insightful"?

    Slashdot, mend thy ways.

  29. Serenity? The porn star? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Serenity the adult film star has her own comic book? Cool!

  30. Re:Firefly still sucks by EvilIdler · · Score: 1

    I have no goodwill towards Joss because of Buffy. I *hate* Buffy.
    Firefly is cool, though. You're a grump, kettle :)

  31. Re:Because... by Em+Ellel · · Score: 3, Funny

    A: Who Cares?

    I do

    B: Who Cares?

    My friends do

    C: Who Cares?

    My friend's friends do.

    D: Who Cares?

    Many other nerds reading slashdot do.

    E: A comic issuing constitutes as /. article? OH for Gos's sake...

    News for nerds. Stuff that matters.

    Frankly, I just don't think you are nerd enough. Please return your nerd membership card and exit this site. (You can keep the toaster)

    -Em

    --
    RelevantElephants: A Somatic WebComic...
  32. FF would be good if it had a consistent backstory by aurelian · · Score: 0
    As it is, it's almost worse than Star Trek for lack of consistency. For example, how big is the Firefox universe? Is it a galaxy? A group of star systems? A single system?

    I watched a few episodes; initially I thought, finally, a decent science fiction show for grown-ups. The opening was excellent. But pretty soon I realised it was falling into the same pattern as the other efforts. No attempt to create a plausible setting; instead we're all supposed to be just fascinated by how these characters interact... It was the same shit as Voyager or whatever: each episode is all about how amazing the captain is and how they all teach each other moral lessons. Yawn.

  33. Re:Firefly still sucks by mrgreen4242 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I hate Buffy. And Angel. Pure rubbish. I even tried to watch it after Firefly was canceled, to see if my opinion had changed. It hadn't, it's still rubbish.Firefly, though, was excellent. It was good on TV, and GREAT on DVD.

  34. anime? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hahahahaha... ahahahaha.

    1. Re:anime? by Buster+Chan · · Score: 1

      I enjoy a good laugh. What's the joke. Please explain your laughter. Share!

      --
      "I am a fictional character."
  35. Re:Firefly still sucks by KingSkippus · · Score: 2, Insightful

    try to ignore the goodwill you have towards Joss because of the first 3 seasons of Buffy, and realize that Firefly was pretty lame

    Okay...

    (Ignoring...)

    Yep, Firefly still rocks.

    Truth is, I didn't really care that much for Buffy or Angel. They were kinda sorta clever--"better than a lot of stuff on TV," as you put it--but not half as good as Firefly.

    It is cowboys in space, for crying out loud! What could be better? It has interesting characters, can be funny and serious at the same time, an interesting plot... Definitely one of the best series that's ever been on.

    And you think it's lame? I'm glad you at least conceded that it was better than a lot of stuff on tv. I want to pull my hair out whenever I see yet another Who Wants to Marry a Bachelor Idol Apprentice crapfest, or I see a bunch of press given to the end of another Everybody Loves My Formula Sitcom show. At least Firefly was somewhat original.

    But that's just my opinion. I hope you have at least rented and watched the first one or two DVDs before you passed judgement. Fox really did screw up the series while it was running by not airing the episodes in order and constantly pre-empting it. What can you say about a network that airs the pilot--the exposition of the series--as the fickin' last episode!? It's not quite this bad, but can you imagine how confusing it would be to watch a season of episodes of a show like 24 all scrambled up?

  36. anime? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hahahahaa... ahahahahaha.

  37. Re:FF would be good if it had a consistent backsto by Experiment+626 · · Score: 5, Funny

    For example, how big is the Firefox universe? Is it a galaxy? A group of star systems? A single system?

    The Firefox universe consists of Firefox, Mozilla, Thunderbird, Bugzilla, and Camino...

  38. Re:FF would be good if it had a consistent backsto by centauri · · Score: 1

    This is refreshing. He's not complaining that the crew tries to turn a buck by smuggling live cattle or that people in this future apparently still use electrical signals carried by wires strung along poles. No, that would be too easy. He's complaining that the Mal and Wash don't spend enough time in Astrometrics, charting just the right path through Federal Space.

    Right with you, buddy, oh yeah.

    --
    Don't blame me, I voted for Durga.
  39. Re:FF would be good if it had a consistent backsto by th3space · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Yes, but at least Star Trek: Voyager/DS9/Et al had the name cachet to keep going - had being operative, given that even recognition couldn't keep Enterprise on the air. So, no matter how horrendous those shows actually were, they were given the chance to keep going...Fox just up and pulled the plug because costs of production weren't commensurate with diminishing returns. Whedon and co. had all of 16 episodes to create as much of a universe as they could, so if there were inconsistencies and holes and confusions, they probably were under the impression they'd be given more time to flesh it all out, fill in the gaps and create something more cohesive...*shrug*

    There exists a distinct possibility that these movies will serve as a natural extension of the overall story-arc that had been intended by the writers...hell, they may even be enhanced by the larger budget, more concentrated medium (two hours to tell a sotry that they might have planned on telling over half a season or longer), and a creative team that is reinvigorated...but we won't really know that until we see them.

    --
    "How like you to drag your keyboard to a gun fight." - Aaron Bedard (BANE)
  40. Re:FF would be good if it had a consistent backsto by th3space · · Score: 1

    Hey, hey, HEY! Hold on there, buddy...


    Don't you ever forget Sunbird...ever! I love that thing, I do.

    --
    "How like you to drag your keyboard to a gun fight." - Aaron Bedard (BANE)
  41. Suspiciously Enough... by SparksMcGee · · Score: 1

    While I love the series and am really psyched for the movie, is it just me or is the synopsis of the comic plots exactly the same as that of about half the episodes?

  42. Re:Resurrection ... spoiled brat. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They actually script that shit? Jesus...I was under the impression they picked words at random out the the Oxford Unabridged Dictionary until they ended up with something mildly coherent.

  43. Further comments about the "whore" by KingSkippus · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It depends. I may be wrong, but I seem to remember that in some cultures in some eras of our history, whores were considered respectable women. (Examples, anyone?)

    Besides, the Companions in Firefly weren't exactly high- or low-class, they were sort of in between. You could always tell that Mal had sort of a love-hate relationship with Inara. He really liked her, but he absolutely hated her profession. Even though many held her in high esteem, you could tell that some did not. Watch the episode "Shindig" to see this sort of high-class/low-class duality of the job.

    Also worth noting is that not all "whores" in the Firefly universe were respectable, only registered Companions. There were presumably the cream of the crop, women of such exquisite quality that they were very well thought of. They also weren't "whores" in the sense of the word that you simply paid them for sex, they were also very highly educated women, trained in many arts and skills, who provided a sort of relationship fulfillment service, not just mere physical pleasure. Watch the episode "Heart of Gold" to see how the non-Companion whores were treated. They were low-class outcasts. Even today in the United States, this whore class system exists. The prostitutes at the brothels in Vegas are much better thought of than the whores on Seventh Avenue. Some porn stars are held in extremely high regard in a weird sort of way.

    So I guess my point is that although it's different from the way we think of prostitutes today, it's not really too farfetched an idea.

    And no, I didn't memorize all of the episodes of Firefly, I cheated.

    1. Re:Further comments about the "whore" by fuzza · · Score: 1

      And no, I didn't memorize all of the episodes of Firefly, I cheated.

      Oh, come on, it's not that hard - there's only 14 episodes! It's not like Doctor Who fans...

      --
      Can't find examples of evolution? No matter, neither could Dawkins
    2. Re:Further comments about the "whore" by KingSkippus · · Score: 1

      Oh, come on, it's not that hard

      True, but you have to understand where I'm coming from. When I was in high school, I was a hardcore Star Trek fan, and yes I did memorize all 79 episode titles, along with guest stars, their characters, etc.

      As a result of the incredibly hard time I endured for this nerdy obsession, I quickly learned to keep such things to myself. I'm still in that mode of denial today. I am not a nerd, I am not a nerd. If I say it enough times, I might convince myself. Part of that denial is saying stuff like, no, I didn't memorize all of the episodes of Firefly. I wouldn't want twenty years of denial to suddenly go to waste.

  44. Re:Resurrection ... spoiled brat. by hermit7323 · · Score: 1

    Got enough plugs there buddy?

  45. Bittersweet by prator · · Score: 1

    Don't get me wrong. I'm super excited that a Firefly movie is coming out. The release can't get here soon enough.

    That said, I wish it was still a TV show. I would much rather have 22 bite-sized morsels of Firefly a year.

    Who knows what kind of legal black hole a future TV show is tied up in. Plus, there is already talk of more movies if this one is successful, and Whedon is supposed to be doing a Wonder Woman movie now.

    Will we ever get another Whedon TV show?!?

    -prator

    1. Re:Bittersweet by eatenn · · Score: 1

      I have to admit that some of the payoffs would have been really awesome if they would have had time to develop through the course of a TV series.

      That said, I was lucky enough to get to one of the advanced screenings they had on May 5th, and holy crap, it's good.

      I'll have some brief, spoiler-free thoughts on my site for anyone interested.

      --
      "But the cars are all flashing me, bright lights are passing me, I feel life passing me by" - Stiff Little Fingers
    2. Re:Bittersweet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh I bet he will make more TV shows!

      There are hundreds of other ideas for him to pilfer, make money off of, and take credit for! It's what he does best.

  46. Re:FF would be good if it had a consistent backsto by aurelian · · Score: 1
    You got it exactly right there, buddy - despite doing your best to be an ass. Stuff like the low tech/high tech mix on frontier worlds, that's exactly the kind of detail that made me think it was going to be great.

  47. Re:Resurrection ... spoiled brat. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I can't wait for the next politics thread, so I can complain about not being president.

  48. Re:FF would be good if it had a consistent backsto by aurelian · · Score: 1

    I hear what you're saying - and I guess I was too harsh; it was certainly a lot better than the Star Trek shows, and deserved more time than any of them.

  49. Re:Resurrection ... spoiled brat. by Buster+Chan · · Score: 1

    Not sure. I'll have to wait. Thanks for your concern.

    --
    "I am a fictional character."
  50. Re:Resurrection ... spoiled brat. by Buster+Chan · · Score: 2, Funny

    Any American citizen has a chance, you know. Just make the right choices, and I'm sure your dream will come true.

    --
    "I am a fictional character."
  51. Re:Resurrection ... spoiled brat. by CapnRob · · Score: 2, Insightful

    You know, comments like this remind me of that guy who used to stand outside the studio gates with a sign that said something along the lines of "I HAVE WRITTEN THE FUNNIEST SCRIPT IN THE WORLD" and was continually surprised that the people who drove past him didn't stop and buy his script for millions of dollars.

    For one thing, sparky, it's not a matter of luck. Whedon put in a lot of time writing other scripts, making other series, polishing other people's writing. He has what is known as a "track record." People have an idea that he can write, that he can create a successful series, and so on.

    Or, in other words, people who aren't persistent think that the people who are are lucky.

    And for another thing, it's not exactly a secret as to how to get into the system. It's hard, but I have a dozen books that all say, in essence the same thing:

    Go to where the market is. Send your scripts to agents and script editors. While you are waiting for agents and script editors to get back to you, write more scripts. Write scripts for series that you didn't create. Write scripts for movies that won't take eighteen billion dollars to create. Write. And, when you've written, send them out. Eventually, if you're any good, someone will call you back and say "Hey, want to come in and pitch a story idea for this series?" or "Hey, we liked that movie script, but we need it to have a role for a wise-cracking dwarf and two funny animals." or something like that.

    At which point, you still won't be able to get *your* script ideas made in the form you want them to be. But - and this is the important thing - you'll have started establishing a track record for your work.

    Alternatively, you can write a script and make your own movie, like _Pi_ or _Clerks_ or _Primer_. Or, to be blunt, like eighteen million crap cheap movies that suck money out of their creator's pockets because they're just not any good. That's the other route.

    The only sure route to failure is to write wish-fufillment scripts that feature characters JUST LIKE all the ones from Robotech or Hellsing or Bubblegum Crisis or whatever series is causing anime geeks to develop wrist injuries this week, except for the one character who all the women adore and who, coincidentally, looks and sounds JUST LIKE the author of the script.

    If you've written a bunch of scripts that *aren't* cheap ripoffs of popular series, great. Why not see if you can edit a few into something you can afford to shoot with your credit limit being what it is? Or rewrite it into a radio drama and get some friends (if you have any) together to produce it. Or ... and this might shock you ... take the fucking things off the internet and start sending them to agents and script editors?

    Or would you just rather sit around and feel superior and unappreciated?

  52. Re:FF would be good if it had a consistent backsto by aurelian · · Score: 1

    good point.. firefox, firefly, firebird.. too confusing.

  53. Re:Resurrection ... spoiled brat. by Buster+Chan · · Score: 1

    A lot of people would be offended by your calling anime "shit." In fact, they do script it. Check out the films of Hayao Miazaki, and the television programs of Rumiko Takahashi, for some examples of good anime scripting. I'm glad you took an interest in the topic :)

    --
    "I am a fictional character."
  54. Re:FF would be good if it had a consistent backsto by chiok · · Score: 3, Interesting
    It is a single star system with hundreds of planets. Their sun is a blue star. The big corporation in the series, Blue Sun, is named so because of their sun.

    If the blue sun is a main sequence star (and not a supergiant), then it's stellar mass will be around 50 and it's biozone range (the range where liquid water can occur) would be between 500-750 AUs. That's freaking huge. It should be enough to fit in the hundreds of planets that livable range.

    However, don't take the science too seriously.

  55. Re:FF would be good if it had a consistent backsto by centauri · · Score: 1

    Then what was it exactly that you thought the show needed? It seemed perfectly consistent to me. Were you looking for maps, timelines, what?

    --
    Don't blame me, I voted for Durga.
  56. Re:FF would be good if it had a consistent backsto by Mac+Degger · · Score: 1

    They didn't quantify how large the universe is so it's a bad show? Huh?

    It's all implied, anyway...which I like. Hell, how large is the star wras univers? That was also all implied. It's a subtle story effect.

    --
    -- Waht? Tehr's a preveiw buottn?
  57. Re:Resurrection ... spoiled brat. by Buster+Chan · · Score: 1

    Thanks for your reply. And no, the name's not Sparky, but it's an interesting guess :) To go down your checklist ... -"Writing other scripts" CHECK. Been there, done that. -"Making other series" I've wrote for other serials... but never "made" them. -"Polishing other people's writing." CHECK. I do that all the time! -"Track record." CHECK. I've had plays produced. -"Write scripts for a series you didn't create." CHECK. Many, many ... many scripts. The closest I'll get to where the market is, is the internet, thanks to the fact that I'm exactly as poor as any writer worth his words. Tell me the e-mail address of an agent or script editor who accepts e-mailed scripts. I don't print my scripts. Printing is too costly, especially since no one's decided to produce the series yet. You said "send them out." Give me e-mail addresses, and I'll tell them all the web-site where the scripts are available temporarily, until someone decides to produce the series. And why would I want to pitch a story idea for another series when I want to put my good ideas in my own series? I've been writing drafts of this series since 1995. It's not a rip-off of anything. It's a well-developed, extremely well-evolved, original idea. The draft of the first season, which is almost completely posted on my web-site, is the final pre-production draft. Read it before you judge me. P.S. What credit limit? No way in hell I'm getting into more debt voluntarily. And you assumed I feel "superior." I'll have you know I'm typically a very depressed person. I hope that makes you feel good about yourself.

    --
    "I am a fictional character."
  58. Wonder if Joss Whedon watches anime by brother_b · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I'll state right off that I watched all of Firefly recently, and I loved it.

    Firefly kind of reminds me of a cross among the two anime series Trigun and Cowboy Bebop (both originally released in Japan in 1998) and old post-Civil War setting westerns. Trigun can be classified as a sci-fi western. Bebop doesn't lean quite as heavily on the western genre, as it's all over the map as far as influences go, but the world as presented seems similar in nature to that of Firefly.

    Firefly resembles Cowboy Bebop in that you have a ragtag crew of misfits and folks with questionable intentions travelling in an old beat-up secondhand spaceship going from job to job trying to make money wherever they can, in some cases only enough to keep the ship running. The ship Serenity even kind of reminds me of the Bebop somewhat in how it is designed. Also, Cowboy Bebop's settings involve various terraformed planets, but most of them have a reasonably near-future level of technology apparent. In Firefly, the settings are mostly old Western in nature on the border worlds, like Trigun's world in the apparent far future after human extra-planetary colonization goes horribly wrong. The firearms used are sort of like both, in that both current and antiquated weapon designs are used with a little futuristic flair to jazz things up.

    1. Re:Wonder if Joss Whedon watches anime by geminidomino · · Score: 1

      Here I thought I was crazy. Though I have to admit I saw less of Trigun in it and more of Outlaw Star and Bebop.

    2. Re:Wonder if Joss Whedon watches anime by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      especially considering the creepy similarity between the gal in the foam-lined case in both outlaw star and firefly.

    3. Re:Wonder if Joss Whedon watches anime by geminidomino · · Score: 1

      There is indeed that... Wheden MUST watch Anime

    4. Re:Wonder if Joss Whedon watches anime by brother_b · · Score: 1

      I never watched more than a couple eps of Outlaw Star, so I'm not as familiar with it. However, the naked-River-in-a-box thing of the pilot episode does seem very... well, like Melfina.

    5. Re:Wonder if Joss Whedon watches anime by mbaciarello · · Score: 1

      Cowboy Bebop is a great show, and I'll go as far as to suggest it to anyone who's liked Firefly and at least doesn't philosophically hate anime...

      Besides, it has a great original soundtrack by Yoko Kanno for each of its seasons - these are suggested to pretty much everyone...

    6. Re:Wonder if Joss Whedon watches anime by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, Einstein, how do you suggest we pack them then?

    7. Re:Wonder if Joss Whedon watches anime by geminidomino · · Score: 1

      Food processor.
      Saves space.
      Some reassembly required.

    8. Re:Wonder if Joss Whedon watches anime by Quattro+Vezina · · Score: 1

      Also in that genre is a '70s tokusatsu (Japanese live-action) show called Kaiketsu Zubat. No, it has nothing to do with Pokemon--Kaiketsu Zubat is an awesome superhero show from 1977 set in a "modern western"-type setting. It takes place in modern Japan, but the characters dress and act as if it were a western. It's not really sci-fi, but it does combine a western motif with a modern setting.

      There's a site dedicated to Kaiketsu Zubat, and it has an entry on the IMDB. Oh, and I'll also add that my favourite actor of all time (Hiroshi Miyauchi) plays the main character.

      --
      I support the Center for Consumer Freedom
  59. Re:FF would be good if it had a consistent backsto by Buster+Chan · · Score: 0, Redundant

    You made an interesting Freudian Slip. You called it the Firefox Universe, rather than the Firefly Universe. Someone likes his new browser :)

    --
    "I am a fictional character."
  60. Dunno how I feel about this... by solios · · Score: 2, Informative

    Historically, Dark Horse:Ocean::Comics:Video Games w/r/t their rabid craze for licensing.

    I learned from 80s Marvel Star Wars comics and 90s Dark Horse Star Wars comics that just because you have the rights doesn't mean you have the capability of producing quality material.

    That and they have the same problem DC does with their Vertigo line - extremely high quality covers with interior work that has always, in my professional opinion, had a rushed or unfinished feel to it (work for hire, DH rates, contracts, bills, making a living, etc, etc.).

    I'll probably check it out, despite my traditionally itchy experiences with Dark Horse - Whedon's {co}writing it and it's only three issues - it's not like they're pulling a Marvel and hoping to suck us in for a ten year run of recycled crap with new writers, pencillers and inkers every three months.

    1. Re:Dunno how I feel about this... by ostermei · · Score: 1
      Historically, Dark Horse:Ocean::Comics:Video Games w/r/t their rabid craze for licensing.
      <pedant>Technically, that should be Dark Horse:Comics::Ocean:Video Games. As you had it, you're comparing Dark Horse's relation to Ocean to the relationship between comics and video games.</pedant>
      --
      "Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." -- Groucho Marx
    2. Re:Dunno how I feel about this... by solios · · Score: 1

      Oops.

      I don't use analogies on IRC or in board posts often. It would have come out right verbally.

      Thanks for the correction. :)

  61. Re:Geisha's are not prostitutes. by Macrat · · Score: 1

    Too bad you didn't read the Wiki you linked to. You would have found that Geisha's ARE NOT PROSTITUTES.

  62. Re:Firefly still sucks by CaptainAvatar · · Score: 1

    What the other guys said. It's got nothing to do with Buffy - I don't think I've ever watched a full episode of Buffy, much less Angel (and the only other thing by Whedon I can recall seeing is Alien 4, which was mostly rubbish). They've never interested me. But Firefly is brilliant. If the universe had any justice at all, we wouldn't have had 4 seasons of Enterprise and less than 1 of Firefly, it would have been the other way around. The movie is some compensation - though I doubt I'll be buying the comics!

    --
    The real Captain Avatar is a fictional character, so I suppose he doesn't mind if I impersonate him.
  63. I don't think I want to see... by Call+Me+Black+Cloud · · Score: 2, Funny


    ...either the film or the comic book after visiting the web site.

  64. Doubt it by eatenn · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I get the feeling that Joss Whedon has a genuine desire to tell his story in it's entirety, since he wasn't able to do that with the TV series.

    I don't think he's doing it for any financial incentive... the film industry tends to pay a bit better than the comic book industry, in case you didn't know.

    --
    "But the cars are all flashing me, bright lights are passing me, I feel life passing me by" - Stiff Little Fingers
  65. Re:Resurrection ... spoiled brat. by CapnRob · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Yet more proof that you want the rewards without doing the work. To wit:

    You have been told exactly how you go about achieving your goals.

    You go to where the industry is: this is not a matter of luck, this is not a matter of "Gosh darn, that guy was just SO FORTUNATE to have decided to move to LA and sleep in the gutter until he manages to get work." This is How. It. Works. Unless you manage to build a writing career elsewhere that makes them sit up and take notice - and that means makes someone a fair chunk of money - you go to LA. Period.

    You send printed scripts in the format that the agencies and script editors demand. If you can't do something as basic and as simple as that, then you're more trouble than you're worth to them, and they won't bother with you. The writing staff of any series want to find people - and according to the people in the industry I know, some of them are pretty desperate to find people - who will make their jobs easier, not harder. Reading a script on-line is hard, because it's not the way the industry is set up. Expecting them to print your scripts is hard, because a: printing takes them *time*, and they're already working eighteen hour days - when they have work at all, and b: it costs them money, and they don't know you from Adam, so they have zero reason to spend the money. You might be broke - but you want something from them, and they don't particularly want what you've got to give them, which is attitude. Your post basically screams that you think that "I'm So Talented That Everybody Must Adjust To Me." Which, quite frankly, is an attitude they have enough of in the industry, and they don't need to be bringing any more in.

    Your scripts might be good. I don't know. I don't especially care, because I *do* know that the people who sign the checks want to know that they're likely to make their money back and then some. To *know*. To be able to go to the stockholders and say, even in the case of failure, "We did everything we could to make sure we weren't wasting our money."

    You aren't willing to give them that. You aren't even willing to make the most basic of concessions to them. "I'm so talented that someone with eighty million dollars to invest in a TV series should come to my website and print out my scripts because I'm too fucking lazy to print and mail them myself."

    It's always easier to cry and claim that if it weren't for these immense hurdles that you'd show them, show them aaaallll than it is to actually try to surmount those hurdles, isn't it?

    It's not luck in your case, Sparky. You're convicted by your own words. You're just lazy. Face facts.

  66. Joss and comics by questor · · Score: 1

    Joss wrote an eight-issue series called "Fray" for Dark Horse, about a Vampire Slayer in the future. And he is currently writing the "Astonishing X-Men" series for Marvel.

    --
    Mashed potatoes can be your friends!
  67. Re:Firefly still sucks by henni16 · · Score: 1

    > and the only other thing by Whedon I can recall seeing is Alien 4, which was mostly rubbish

    From what I have read, Joss Whedon might agree with you:
    Something about his script being edited so far he didn't want to be associated with that movie any longer - but that might be rumors.
    Although there is one Angel episode where he inserted a little remark:
    "I mean, Roger's always had a thing for those disgusting Alien movies... all that slime and teeth... ugh! He just can't get enough of them! Except for that last one they made, I think he dozed off."
    (copy&paste after a quick google search, might not be 100% accurate)

  68. How big? by Kurrelgyre · · Score: 3, Informative

    Except for the pilot, each episode was prefaced by a video montage to cover for the fact that the pilot hadn't even aired. And the montage had a voiceover:

    "Here's how it is -- the Earth got used up, so we moved out, terraformed a whole new galaxy of earths. Some rich and flush with the new technologies, some... not so much. The Central Planets, them as formed the Alliance, waged war to bring everyone under their rule. Few idiots tried to fight it -- among them, myself. I'm Malcolm Reynolds, captain of Serenity. She's a transport ship, Firefly class. Got a good crew: fighters, pilot, mechanic. We even picked up a preacher for some reason, and a bona fide Companion. There's a doctor, too; took his genius sister out of some Alliance camp, so they're keeping a low profile. You understand. You got a job, we can do it -- don't much care what it is."

    There's your setting, and the central premise, too.

  69. Re:FF would be good if it had a consistent backsto by mbaciarello · · Score: 1

    Well, dunno about GGP, but I was looking for a little bit more tech.

    I mean, there are many instances throughout the series were troubles could have been avoided by just using some kind of telecommunications device -- which they have, as small two-way radios do appear here and there, even in miniaturized form.

    Another thing is about the ship sensors: more often than not, ships only detect each other when they are within a few hundred meters away. Take for example the episode when they ram/dock to a station to rescue Mal who's being tortured.

    (Pseudo)Science aside, an intelligent viewer is left wondering how they can really travel around space when their ships see less than moles - and in space, no one can smell you :-)

  70. Re:FF would be good if it had a consistent backsto by wavedeform · · Score: 1

    The movie has a little intro where it makes it clear that it's a single system with a lot of planets and moons.

  71. Re:Because... by Strontium-90 · · Score: 1

    Wait a minute? We were supposed to get a toaster?

  72. Re:Geisha's are not prostitutes. by eddy · · Score: 1

    I never said they were, you idiot.

    --
    Belief is the currency of delusion.
  73. You're wrong, FF is not about moralizing. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you thought Firefly was a moralizing show, you must not have seen very much of it. Yes, it's character-centric. Yes, much of it relies on character interaction. But beyond basic goodness, there was no moralizing to speak of.

    Let's see.....
    -Mal tries to help out the girl who poses as his surprise wife, only to be betrayed and figuratively stabbed in the back. Yeah, that really suggests helping people is a good thing.....

    -An entire episode was devoted to a moon on which indentured workers are virtual slaves, working in the mud-pits, and when it's over.....the status quo is no different. The episode wasn't about changing things for the better, it was about dealing with things as they are.

    -Mal tries to make a fair deal with another ship captain, and gets shot for the trouble. He doesn't shoot the other guy back, but mostly because to do so would be to invite certain death.

    And let's not forget "Shindig"....

    Mal: "Yeah, it would be humiliating. Having to lie there while the better man refuses to spill your blood. Mercy is the mark of a great man."
    *STAB*
    Mal: "Guess I'm just a good man."
    *STAB*
    Mal: "Ah, I'm all right."

    Basically, if you think Firefly was a moralizing show, you [i]seriously[/i] need to take a second look at it, becuase you're pretty much dead-wrong.

  74. Re:FF would be good if it had a consistent backsto by kyojin+the+clown · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Firefly is just 'Tales of the Wild West' transposed into space. not just the setting, but pretty much everything about the show - Reavers are Indians, firefly is a wagon train complete with posh doctor, preacher etc etc. its just cowboys and indians dressed up for sci-fi.

    thats why the technology is non-consistant - its about telling the story, one which isnt entirely compatible with its setting.

  75. Mod parent up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Being in the Uk, I've only seen DVD version and I can only say watch it now - either rent it or buy it.

  76. Re:Because... by 01000011011101000111 · · Score: 1

    Yes... They keep trying to get rid of talkie.... (I fed mine to the tribbles)...

    --
    Programming is an Art. I am an Artist. Does that mean I get to wear a daft hat?
  77. Because some comics fans are pretentious snobs by Quattro+Vezina · · Score: 1

    Specifically, they're pretentious snobs who refuse to admit that they're reading comic books, so they force themselves to only read them in big, thick books. They're simply ashamed of what they are.

    They're also one of the reasons why I tend not to bother with most comics message boards. I've found that I enjoy comics much more when I just read them by myself and stay away from all the snobs on the Internet.

    --
    I support the Center for Consumer Freedom
  78. Re:Breaking news! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Appearently, the truth hurts.

    But "future-rustic," that was cute.

  79. I had to say this by franksp · · Score: 1

    Serenity Now! Serenity Now! get yours here or here

  80. It's really far more simple. by doublem · · Score: 1

    A number of people are getting bent out of shape about why FOX seemed to do everything it could to screw over the show.

    It;s really very simple. FOX has no understanding of how to handle sci-fi and probably didn't understand the ramifications of showing it out of order. Some suit probably remembered watching a few episodes of Twilight Zone or Outer Limits and thought it was a series of self contained episodes. That' or they were thinking of Star Trek, most of which (DS9 aside) could have been shown in just about any order without hindering the viewers' enjoyment of the show.

    I doubt it was hostile, just mismanagement.

    --
    "Live Free or Die." Don't like it? Then keep out of the USA
  81. Re:Because... by CptNerd · · Score: 1

    Well, what am I supposed to do with this Twonky?

    --
    By the taping of my glasses, something geeky this way passes
  82. Re:FF would be good if it had a consistent backsto by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It was the same shit as Voyager or whatever: each episode is all about how amazing the captain is and how they all teach each other moral lessons. Yawn.

    No, that's what TNG was about, and to a lesser extent Enterprise. The point of FF *is* the characters and their interactions. It's damn good drama . . . something previously unknown in the Sci-Fi universe. ('cept fer mebbe B:5 and later DS:9) TNG was nearly unwatchable for me because of all Picard's high-falutin' moralizing and internal agonizing, not to mention the obligatory didactic pap moral lesson at the end. The only moral lessons even vaguely detectable in FF have to do with loyalty - and they're taught by example, not preaching. I mean, c'mon, Mal is an outlaw with the ultimate 'Han shot first' ethos.

    Furthermore, who cares how big the Firefox universe is? It's pretty obvious to anyone who watched more than three episodes that it's more than a single star system, and likely more than a few, but really, who gives a damn! Anybody who watches Sci-Fi so that they can analyze the imaginary physics of subspace or transporter harmonics or whatever needs to get out more.

  83. Re:Montreal? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What's with the montreal thing? is there a joke here i'm not getting? please explain. thanks

  84. Re:FF would be good if it had a consistent backsto by roseblood · · Score: 1

    Furthermore, who cares how big the Firefox universe is?

    Bill Gates and all the other folks at Microsoft in the Web Browser department are all greatly concenrned about how big the Firefox universe is in relation to the size of the I.E. universe.

    --
    There are lies, damned lies, and statistics.
  85. Interesting Theory, But Needlessly... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wrong. Your theory seems to hinge on the idea that there is only one razor and therefore proceeds logically into further fallacy.

    Simply, Occam is for removing needless complexity, Gilette is for removing needless hair, and mine is for removing needless clothing.