Review: Firefly: Watch How I Soar
Writer: Jeff Jensen,
Writers/artists: Ethan Young, Jarod Cullum, Jorge Corona, Giannis Milonogiannis
Artists: Jorge Monlongo, Jordi Perez
Colorists: Fabiana Mascolo, Giada Marchisio, Maxflan Araujo
Letterer: Fabio Amelia
Reviewer: Tony Farina
Summary
Return to the critically-acclaimed world of Joss Whedon’s Firefly and Serenity, in an all new graphic novel spotlighting Hoban “Wash” Washburne, pilot of the spaceship Serenity… who has just realized he’s about to die.
As Wash’s life flashes before him, he revisits untold moments in his life, from growing up on a planet ravaged by pollution, to meeting the woman of his dreams in Zoe and in those final moments, Wash will reach out to connect with a surprising someone he never thought possible to meet…proving that some bonds transcend our mortal coils.
With five original short stories from superstar creative teams, learn the untold past, present, and maybe even future of the best pilot in the ‘Verse – Hoban “Wash” Washburne.
Positives
Firefly: Watch How I Soar is a sad book. I know, I know, that should not be a positive, but trust me, it is. It is sad because we see from page one what is going to happen. We whom have spent our time in the ‘Verse know that Wash dies. We know that he will never get to meet his daughter Emma. We know all these things and so, we miss him. This book is sad because for the first time, we see what Wash sees just as he dies. His life, in and out of order. We learn about the dinosaurs. We learn about flying. We learn mostly about love and it is, well, lovely.
The stories jump from one to the next with no preamble. It is supposed to be stream of consciousness and the editors did a shiny job. While the art styles vary from story to story, the tone never changes. That is pretty amazing because the list of writers, many of whom do their own art, is pretty long. This is a testament to a brilliant character created by Joss Whedon. We all know Wash, who he is and how he sounds. We love him for all of his quirkiness. These writers love him too and they capture it so well.
I do not want to spoil much here. It is really good. It is a journey any Browncoat will enjoy. That is pretty positive isn’t it?
Negatives
Firefly: Watch How I Soar was uneven in the art department. Who am I to judge someone for doing something I could never do. I would not say one of the stories was bad, I just think some were better than others.
Verdict
Firefly Watch How I Soar is a loving tribute to most everyone’s favorite character in the ‘Verse. Unlike the rest of the Boom! stuff, this story takes place in actual TV/Movie continuity. The final story is a gut punch, but in a good way. It reminds readers why we love Wash so much and that glimpse into a possible future with Emma and Zoe is simply perfect. While this is not perfect, it is going to get the highest marks because it, as the kids say, hit me in the feels.
