One of the interesting aspects of this Star Wars and Serenity one shot is that writer Zach Whedon takes the time out not only to tell interesting stories in a little under fifteen pages, but he draws parallels between the Firefly and Star Wars universe that’s tough to ignore. Deep down Han Solo and Malcolm Reynolds are cut from the same cloth. They’re both street smart pirates, they both love what they do, they both can handle themselves in combat, and they both have creaky old ships that they’d rather die in before giving up. In “The Art of the Bad Deal,” Han and Chewie land on a distant planet where they’re having trouble trading with a particular alien species.
After being held up in another galaxy they arrive to find that the species is angry and they low ball him in paymen. Chewie of course is not happy and this sets a rift between the two partners. The story of “The Art of a Bad Deal” is simple and entertaining. Chewie and Han argue and they learn that their deal with shifty aliens lead them in to trouble when out from the cargo hold emerges a group of alien thugs. They’re armed, they’re mean and they’re ready to take the ship from Han over his cold dead hands. But Han has an Ace up his sleeve for such occasions. The story ends on a humorous note and it’s a nice glimpse in to a day in the life of the galaxy’s two more dangerous pirates.
In “Firefly Class 03-K64” Mal and the crew of Serenity land on a moon prepared to take up supplies and make a trade. Zoe, almost ready to give birth to Wash’s child insists on going in to town despite Mal’s objections. Alone, Mal finds himself at the business end of a pistol when a local traveler catches Mal with his pants down and is ready to kill him for Serenity. Despite Mal’s quick talking and slick one-liners, the thug is not willing to talk. Enter River who comes to Mal’s rescue and defends Serenity against the ever increasing menace around the universe. Drawn in a more cartoonish manner than the other Serenity comics, this is very true to the tone and atmosphere ot the story and writer Zach Whedon spotlights my two favorite characters of the mythos: Mal and River. At the end of the comic, both teams of rogues live to fight another day.