Serenity: The Shepherd’s Tale

Joss Whedon, Zack Whedon, Chris Samnee; Dave Stewart; Steve Morris — 2010

One of Serenity's greatest mysteries is finally revealed in The Shepherd's Tale, filling in the life of one of the show's most beloved characters—Shepherd Book! Who was Book before meeting Mal and the rest of the Serenity crew? How did he become one of their most trusted allies? And how did he find God in a bowl of soup? Answers to these and more questions about Book's past are uncovered in this original graphic novel by rising stars Zack Whedon (Dr. Horrible, Terminator, Fringe) and Chris Samnee (Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps, Daredevil). A pivotal chapter in the ongoing Serenity saga, The Shepherd's Tale is also a rollicking, action-packed epic in its own right! • "Dark Horse's Serenity displays the key ingredients of the series in a substantial and entertaining way."—BrokenFrontier.com

Reviews

Yoomi@angryasiangirlreads

Nov 18, 2021

I loved Firefly and was so sad that it was only one season. There was so much left to tell in the story! Here is a great character with a complex background but the story felt rushed. And I didn't like the backwards storytelling. He said so himself that "Because the journey is the worthier part" but going backwards, it felt like he was de-evolving, taking away from his story of redemption. That and I didn't care much for the artwork.

Ken Gagne@kgagne

Sep 30, 2021

It was great to finally have Book's mysterious backstory, though I doubt it ever could've lived up to expectations. Still, it left me with two questions: why the Alliance gave him medical aid; and why he left Serenity. The latter was explained in another graphic novel but doesn't jive with what I learned here, IMHO. Still, a great tale, cleverly told.

Mia Jones@showmethestars

Aug 5, 2021

Thought it was really great and definitely filled in some of the questions about Book, which was quite fascinating. I like those sort of origin stories and this one was really interesting and unexpected.