On The Run Again — Reviewing: ‘Firefly: The Fall Guys’ #2

There are bad days and there are really bad days. Then there’s the crew of the Serenity-level bad days. On a scale of one to ten, their bad days are probably a pretty solid fifty.

In this case, might be more of a 100 on the scale though.

An attempted assassination pinned upon our crooks with hearts of gold puts the characters back in a place they know too well: on the run. Everyone’s backs are against the wall in the second chapter of BOOM! Studios’ Firefly: Fall Guys from Sam Humphries, Jordi Pérez, Francesco Segala, Gloria Martinelli, and Jim Campbell.

Funny enough, I’m in the middle of a spur-of-the-moment Firefly rewatch as we speak. Long story short, while playing the Firefly version of the game Fluxx recently a friend and I spoke about how long it’s been since we watched the show. Riding high on vibes from reading this series and the past few, I figured it was the perfect time.

In the past I’ve spoken about how well this series and the past couple have captured the spirit of the show/universe/characters while also moving them forward. Having watched the show with fresh eyes, I can fully confirm that sentiment. Reading this issue after coming off of episodes like Train Job and Bushwhacked- early episodes featuring the team up against things- feels so right.

It also allowed a better vision of how much the series has evolved. Humphries really understands each character so well and carries on what the previous few series writers have done. There is a clear throughline of how rough and tumble the characters were (still being found by writers/actors) in those early shows compared to now. Still, the same team trying to do good while being crooks, stumbling into messes, but more self-assured and tight-knit at this point.

Clear growth within a world that is familiar but also vastly different since we last saw it on screens. Just like how time and such works on people in the real world.

I really love how this just starts in the thick of things. We get to see how they got from the assassination attempt to the now through well-placed and used flashbacks. It’s a solid move because it saves the reveal of what Zoe and the crew did to try and save themselves but also foil the plot. Really hit that correct level of in it for themselves but still try to do the right thing, even if it saves the life of a high-ranking tyrant official.

Does it get much better than an opening sequence that sees our crew riding horses right at us the viewer, while firing off their guns, little cheeky intro blurbs under each of them? Good news, it does. That’s because this artistic team is no strangers to this part of the ‘verse, and knows just what a Firefly series should be.

One part of the equation is an overall roughness. We see that fully in the work that Pérez puts on the page, both within the figures and the setting. Sharp edges and angles, leaving things just slightly unfinished here or there for effect. Paired with the very muted and sort of washed-out color scheme that Segala and Martinelli are employing.

Western meets sci-fi taking place in a universe that’s been through the wringer, because of a totalitarian fascist government. Even more than the show, which has reality to contend with, we feel that on the page here. Things are old and broken feeling, up against the new freshness of the Alliance, and people are just trying to get by. Every bit of that feeling comes off the pages in waves.

At the same time, the other part of the equation is the action-adventure portion of Western sci-fi stories. Kinetic energy crackles with every motion, making us believe these characters are doing what they are doing as they run, fight, and scramble through the settings. We feel every bit of that here as these characters own their space, whether they are familiar or new characters. True weight is felt, creating a world that truly feels deep and real.

Even in a more dismal dry setting, as many of the rim planets tend to be, there are enough flushes of brighter eye-catching colors. Our characters have their signature looks which help bring some of that, while the Alliance and their drabness adds a whole other flavor. Throwing our cast into a variety of wild colorful costumes at the end as they try to hide in plain sight is a fun visual, both for the humor and the colors.

Visually everything is on point with these characters, including their voices. Campbell really homes in on their various personalities and allows that to shine through the letters. Even those blurbs mentioned earlier pop with fun personalized energy. One of the aspects that happens in most of the Firefly episodes is the characters having big conversations about things. Often full of tense emotions, some quips/one-liners, and things that moved the story or development forward.

All of that is still here because of what Humphries writes in the script and what Campbell makes happen on the page. All that talking is here, bouncing back and forth in the right rhythms, never feeling overwhelmed. Like Goldilocks reaching the third item every time, it’s just right.

Firefly: The Fall Guys #2 is now available from BOOM! Studios.