Firefly: The Fall Guys #5 Review

 

Writer: Sam Humphries

Artist: Jordi Pérez

Colorist: Francesco Segala & Gloria Martinelli

Letterer: Jim Campbell

Cover Artists: Francesco Francavilla; Justine Florentino; Junggeun Yoon

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $4.99

Release Date: February 14, 2024

 

A crowd watches Malcolm Reynolds, Kaylee Frye, Leonard Chang-Benitez, Inara Serra, and Zoë Washburne on the gallows. “A noose never skips a meal when the Alliance is in town,” a girl remarks. Can anyone rescue Serenity's crew from Prime Minister Hamner, Marshall Gronk, and the troops holding the town of Beloved for ransom? Let's slip on our brown coats, leap into Firefly: The Fall Guys #5, and find out!

 

Story

Alert! River awakens from her vision just as Serenity bangs into debris. She and Simon hid in a spaceship graveyard to protect their ship and Zoë’s daughter from the Alliance fleet. But with all the wreckage rustling around like mangy cows in a herd, they're likely to get battered and bruised if they stay there. Plus, River thinks her vision is more than a dream. But how can they bypass the Alliance fleet and hightail it to the moon called Plymouth? Simon might have an idea worth pursuing!

 

Back in the one-horse doctor town of Beloved, Captain Kaylee and her crew hide and watch as Marshall Gronk torches the theater. Now, where will the ever-popular Can-Can Dancing Revue perform? The crew itches to prevent the Alliance tank from burning more buildings with its Naplasma cannon. In their graveyard shootout with the Archambeau gang, Kaylee tipped her hat to Malcolm as Master Tactician. But Mal left to track down Zoë, who went rogue and started speaking with her late brothers-in-arms. So how can the Serenity crew save Beloved?

 

While tackling weighty issues, Sam Humphries keeps the tone of Firefly: The Fall Guys #5 light and fun. His dialogue sparkles with humor. New crewmember Bernard Chang-Benitez endears, while the discombobulated Sheriff Persimmon helps the outlaws stay focused. Marshall Gronk rages at the locals for sheltering enemies of the state. Prime Minister Hamner recognizes the need to adapt to changing circumstances. Amber Archambeau illustrates Malcolm’s fear of wielding power over others for too long. He may be wearing a new hat, but Mal demonstrates his caring and leadership skills by helping Zoë see the error of her ways. The issue ends with Prime Minister Hamner fearing for the future of the Alliance, while the Serenity’s crew fear for hers.

 

Art

Things get a bit confusin' as Serenity navigates through rowdy rubble, but River's shock and fear are evident, and Simon looks determined to help. A translucent dome composed of hexagons shields the wooden buildings of Beloved, not letting the townspeople out to tend their fields or check their herds. Lines accompany rapid movement as Zoë tries to protect the theater and avoid the resultant firestorm. Malcolm and Captain Kaylee give the Alliance soldiers a few good licks. Faceoffs multiply like flies on a carcass as the tension rises. That is when people don't get guns pointed at them, sometimes from inches away. Jordi Pérez delivers a rollicking Sci-fi Western populated with appealing and appalling characters.

 

Francesco Segala and Gloria Martinelli lavish a limited palette on Jordi Pérez’s art in Firefly: The Fall Guys #5. They paint River’s vision in wood tones, akin to intarsia compositions. Space fills with purple, blue, and pink as River and Simon bang into debris and worry about their friends. The raging fire invades the pink air under the forcefield with a gout of angry yellow. The yellow reflects off the soldiers' green and purple uniforms. The rising sun dispels the darkness in Hamner’s control center as she and Gronk argue. The bright morning sun streams through the energy shield, giving life and radiance to all in its path and leaving everything else in the brown or purple shade.

 

Jim Campbell shoots black, uppercase letters into white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes. Words swell with pride when voices rise. Bernard sweetly croons in lowercase. Bullets ricochet off buildings, and explosions dispel the flagging darkness as the sun rises in this penultimate periodical. Thanks to the rootin'-tootin' folks at Boom! Studios for providing a copy of Firefly: The Fall Guys #5 for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Marshall Gronk is burning down the house, Prime Minister Hamner finally sees the light, and the beleaguered inhabitants of Beloved differentiate between criminals and outlaws in The Fall Guys #5.

 

Rating 8.8/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.