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The previous issue culminated in a renewed fight between the Unificators and Browncoats, with Mal, Zoë, and Boss Moon trying to stop the conflict. It ended in poetic fashion with the aerial battle crashing into Serenity Valley – a place none of them want to revisit.

Mal and Boss Moon continue working together, but can’t get Boss Singh to see reason, unless there’s a gun attached to it. Zoë is having similar luck with the Browncoats who are hellbent on restarting the Unification War and reclaiming ground for their cause. Amplifying the problem, Inara’s friend the Alliance Regional Governor has brought his crew to the party of big ships and big guns. It’s all coming to a head on the ground among regular folks in villages, where Wash, Book, Kaylee, River, Simon, and Jayne happen to be.

Greg Pak continues to do a terrific job with this series. It’s gotten much bigger than I would have expected, sharing some similarities with the scoop of the Serenity movie. However, Pak has retained the small circle intimacy of the series but giving the characters emotional moments and tangible arcs amid the warships and tanks. There weren’t many Firefly-esque jokes in this one, but the series’ flavor is still there even through the chaos.

-Amanda Sheriff