This fall Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and scribe of Marvel's Astonishing X-Men, makes his big-screen debut as writer/director with Serenity, the big-budget feature follow-up to his cult-hit TV show Firefly--the story of a ship full of mercenaries, outlaws, fugitives, and one law-abiding prostitute running across the fringes of space. Now Whedon pens a three issue miniseries based on the film with Brett Matthews, whose previous credits include Spider-man specials with Daredevil and Wolverine, episodes of TV's Firefly, an Angel miniseries, and the animated Chronicles of Riddick feature "Dark Fury. "

The crew of Serenity once again find themselves broke and on the wrong side of a number of very large firearms, making the first issue a case study in how to mix intense, Whedon-style character interaction with cinematic action and violence. Artist Will Conrad and colorist Laura Martin paint a rough and wild world of adventure across a strange and dangerous universe.

• Each issue of this series features three covers, one for each member of the Serenity crew, drawn by the biggest names in comics. Issue #1 features Mal by John Cassaday, Inara by J. G. Jones, and Jayne by Bryan Hitch.