I went throiugh the TSA line this morning, and yes the TSA workers were all wearing the dreaded blue gloves. I assumed myself by screaming hysterical in horror, but fortunately all the screaming was internal–I kept my game face on.
Thanks to my portable DVD player, during the 6-plus hour long flight to San Jose I made more progress getting season 1 of Heroes. I’m up episode 15 now.
My copy of “Serenity: Those Left Behind” just came today.
I was a little disappointed, I must say, I had expected a full-blown paperback graphic novel and then it’s this tiny little thing, almost a mere booklet. Not that I’m not glad for more Firefly, but I had expected a little more content - this looks like it’s not even gonna take me an hour to read.
GR: You can get a good feel for what to expect in a trade paperback by looking to see how many issues it encompasses. Most modern TPBs include three or six issues, and Serenity: TLB contains three. Maybe you’re more used to buying large the large collections of older material that Marvel puts out – or maybe even comparing it to Watchmen. Dark Horse would call that stuff an “Omnibus,” and they’re more rare.
As for the small quantity of Serenity comics out there, you might consider the difficulty and expense of creating comics. In many ways they’re harder to get funded (and finished) than movies. Honestly, I’m thankful that Dark Horse is putting the cash in to leverage their Serenity license. It’s not a sure thing for them, and I hope they make enough off it to inspire 'em to take on more than a three-issue story run.
That said, it’s interesting that they chose the small format. With Serenity: TLB you get a choice: the small format paperback for $10 or the oversize hardcover for $20. Most Dark Horse TPBs come in the standard issue-size format for $18. I picked up the paperback, but now I’m kinda wishing I hadn’t cheaped out.
And that said, I’m enjoying Serenity: TLB. And now I need to run off and snag copies of the second and third Serenity (original) issue and all three issues of Better days so I can get up to speed. 
If you meant to say that Firefly comics are more expensive than other comics because Dark Horse had to pay royalties to Whedon or Fox or whomever, okay I can see that.
My disappointment at the meagre size of TLB might also stem from the fact that I’m absolutely used to larger DC collections of mostly Batman stories that just usually run from 100 to 200 or 250 pages and are larger in size. Ignorant fool that I was, I expected the same amount of material from Dark Horse (TLB was the first Dark Horse comic I ever bought).
Nope. They’re not more expensive. They’re cheaper.
When Marvel (and pretty much everyone else) releases TPBs of current run comics, they release them just like Dark Horse does – in standard issue-sized books with three to five issues in 'em for between $15-$20. Comparing these to the anthologies that everyone (including Dark Horse) releases of long-run comics long after they’ve been around in issue and TPB form for years is comparing apples to wrenches. There’s no 200-page Serenity anthology because there aren’t 200 pages of Serenity comics in existence.
The only thing unusual about Serenity: TLB is that instead of publishing it issue-sized for around $15, they published it a little smaller physically for $10.
If you’re just whining that there aren’t more Serenity comics, I’m totally with you. Let me whole-heartedly add my own high-pitched whine to the cacophony. But if you’re suggesting that’s Dark Horse’s fault, you’re biting the hand that’s feeding you.
And suggesting that somehow Dark Horse ripped you off because you bought a modern TPB for $10 with three issues in it – all there is in the series – you’re not making much sense.
PS: May there please, please one day be 200 pages of Serenity that DH can throw in an omnibus.
PPS: Really. Please.
More expensive to create was what I meant. Cheaper to buy - no, not really. At least not for me over here, Dark Horse are unusually expensive to import, unlike comics from the big two (DC/Marvel), maybe because they’re in smaller demand. But that’s another topic entirely.
There’s no 200-page Serenity anthology because there aren’t 200 pages of Serenity comics in existence.
I had been aware of that, but a three-issue run still seems meagre to me. Again, I’m used only to Batman comics and they run from four or five issues upwards to 12 (like Long Halloween). And those aren’t anthologies of different story, that’s one story arc. But okay, I see that Batman is a long-established character and that TLB was their first try at a Firefly comic. Maybe it was just my own preconception that they can’t go wrong by making Firefly comics because there’d be a considerable market for it. But then again, I don’t have to run Dark Horse Publishing.
The only thing unusual about Serenity: TLB is that instead of publishing it issue-sized for around $15, they published it a little smaller physically for $10.
Again, I paid almost double that amount for TLB, Dark Horse costs more overseas than DC/Marvel.
If you’re just whining that there aren’t more Serenity comics, I’m totally with you. Let me whole-heartedly add my own high-pitched whine to the cacophony. But if you’re suggesting that’s Dark Horse’s fault, you’re biting the hand that’s feeding you.
Well, there are more coming, thank the Lords of Kobol for that. And here’s another problem I’m facing: I can’t buy the individual issues of, say, Better Days, because it’d be ridiculous to pay shipping three times for three issues, so I need to wait until the paperback comes out and when that paperback costs 20$, I’m entitled to some bitching.
But there’s good news, I just checked and it seems like the Better Days paperback is going to sell for a more reasonable price overseas, more like 11$ and that I can live with.
And suggesting that somehow Dark Horse ripped you off because you bought a modern TPB for $10 with three issues in it – all there is in the series – you’re not making much sense.
Again, I didn’t know what it cost in the US, I paid more for it than 10 bucks.
PS: May there please, please one day be 200 pages of Serenity that DH can throw in an omnibus.
PPS: Really. Please.
Seconded.
How do you delete a message that you start by error? I would do it if I knew how.
Do you mean before you post it? Just back up in your browser.
After you post it, you can edit it. Just set it to “submitted in error” or something.
Or edit it to be a pic of a LLama and type the words and NOW for SOMETHING completely DIFFERENT. 
Edit it to “IYKWIM”. Amazingly that can drop into almost any thread.
did anyone else teach themselves firefly chinese??? teee heeee!! oh and one shot is a play on two fry but it sounds like one shot one kill but really means it only takes one shot a tequila to drink you pretty!!
so, um, what about the rest of the episodes? Objects in Space in particular is rife with good material for interesting discussion.