By Laramie Martinez

I’m going to be up front with you all. This issue wasn’t as good as the last one. It might be because the nostalgia has worn off or it might be the equivalent of a sophomore slump of a second issue. What I do know is that there are some things I liked about this comic and other things I didn’t. If you want to see me write about them take a look below.

Plot wise this issue does a decent job of moving the characters along their own paths toward conflict. It even introduces a new conflicts for both River and Mal, with Mal’s new conflict being the more interesting of the two. Not that I don’t applaud Roberson’s new challenge for River, it must be especially challenging giving her a meaningful plot considering she’s a genius, martial art master, and mind reader, but I think Mal’s temptation feels more organic. And while both of these new developments will probably be major points in this series, I have to say I’m still more interested in the personal dynamics between characters. I want to know how this little family is going to survive all the new changes that seem to be pulling them apart. This issue has less of the family dynamics than before, so for me it makes it less compelling.

 Jeanty’s pencils and Story’s inks also lost me a little this issue. Some closer shots of the characters feel a little off, as if their faces have been stretched to far. There were some strange inking choices as well. Points where I wasn’t sure what exactly was going on with the light in the panel. These critiques are counted by the moments where they flat out nail the characters expressions. As we’ve seen before, inconsistency is a problem that can bring down the quality of an issue.

That’s really all I’ve got for this issue. It’s not bad, but definitely a step back from a much stronger first issue. Plots were moved forward, art had some great moments, but still is figuring out characters. As a whole series however, I still think they’re moving in the right direction. They’ve given almost everyone on the crew something to worry about and I’mintrigued to see how it’s all going to play out.

Score: 3/5

Serenity: No Power in the Verse #2
Writer: Chris Roberson
Artists: Georges Jeanty & Karl Story
Colorist: Wes Dizioba
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics